Confirming delay information and where to wait | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. El anuncio dice que hay un retraso, pero no explica por qué.

   The announcement says there is a delay, but it does not say why.

   anuncio

   announcement

   dice

   says

   hay

   there is / there are

   retraso

   delay

   pero

   but

   explica

   explains

   por qué

   why

   More detail

   anuncio means “announcement” here. It is a masculine singular noun: el anuncio means “the announcement.” Example: El anuncio es breve. — “The announcement is brief.” dice is the present-tense form of decir (“to say” or “to tell”) for a third-person singular subject. Its irregular stem changes from decir to dic- in this form. Example: La señal dice “salida”. — “The sign says ‘exit.’” hay is the impersonal present form of haber, used to state that something exists or is present. It is used for both singular and plural nouns: hay un retraso means “there is a delay,” while hay varios retrasos means “there are several delays.” The noun after hay is not the grammatical subject that makes hay agree. retraso means “delay.” It is a masculine singular noun, as shown by un retraso. Example: El retraso es breve. — “The delay is brief.” pero introduces a contrast and means “but.” It does not replace the first information; it connects it with contrasting information. Example: Hay un problema, pero tenemos tiempo. — “There is a problem, but we have time.” explica is the present-tense form of explicar (“to explain”) for a third-person singular subject. In this sentence, the announcement is the understood subject of explica, and no negates the verb: no explica means “does not explain.” Example: El guía explica la ruta. — “The guide explains the route.” por qué means “why” when asking about a reason. The two words are written separately, and qué has an accent in this question expression. This differs from porque, written as one word, which means “because.” Example: ¿Por qué hay un retraso? — “Why is there a delay?” The sentence first states El anuncio dice que hay un retraso: “The announcement says that there is a delay.” que introduces the content of what it says, and hay un retraso presents the delay as existing. The contrast introduced by pero is no explica por qué: the announcement does not explain the reason. Together, the utterance means: “The announcement says there is a delay, but it does not say why.”

2. Creo que están revisando el tren antes de dejar subir a los pasajeros.

   I think they are checking the train before letting people board.

   Creo

   I think

   están revisando

   are checking

   tren

   train

   antes de

   before

   dejar subir

   let ... board

   pasajeros

   passengers

   More detail

   Creo is the first-person singular present form of creer, “to think/believe.” Creo que introduces the speaker’s belief rather than presenting the following clause as certain. The same pattern is reusable: Creo que + clause — “I think that …” Example: Creo que llega tarde. — “I think he/she is arriving late.” están revisando describes an action in progress. Están is the third-person plural present form of estar, and revisando is the gerund of revisar, “to check” or “inspect.” Together, estar + gerund forms the Spanish progressive: están revisando = “they are checking.” The sentence does not identify who “they” are; the plural verb only shows that the subject is plural. Example: Están revisando los documentos. — “They are checking the documents.” tren means “train.” With the article in the sentence, el tren means “the train”; tren is masculine, singular, so it combines with el. Example: El tren llega pronto. — “The train arrives soon.” antes de means “before.” Before another action, it is followed by an infinitive: antes de + infinitive. Here it introduces dejar subir, so the checking happens before the allowing-to-board action. Example: Lávate las manos antes de comer. — “Wash your hands before eating.” dejar subir is a construction meaning “to let someone board” or “to allow someone to go up/on board.” Dejar means “to let” or “allow,” and subir is its infinitive, “to go up” or, in this transport context, “to board.” A useful pattern is dejar + person + infinitive: Dejan entrar a los visitantes. — “They let the visitors enter.” pasajeros means “passengers.” It is the plural of pasajero; the article and adjective forms would agree with it, as in los pasajeros (“the passengers”). The a in a los pasajeros marks the people who are being allowed to board. Example: Los pasajeros esperan el tren. — “The passengers are waiting for the train.” Putting the parts together, Creo que marks the speaker’s belief, están revisando el tren says that a plural, unspecified group is currently checking the train, and antes de dejar subir a los pasajeros places that action before allowing the passengers to board. The complete meaning is: “I think they are checking the train before letting people board.”

3. ¿Deberíamos quedarnos aquí o buscar otro andén?

   Should we stay here, or should we look for another platform?

   Deberíamos

   we should

   quedarnos

   stay

   aquí

   here

   buscar

   look for

   otro

   another

   andén

   platform

   More detail

   Deberíamos is the first-person plural conditional form of deber: deber → debemos (we must/should, present) → deberíamos (we should, would be advisable). Here it presents a suggestion for the speakers together, not a firm obligation. The ending -íamos marks first-person plural in this conditional form. Quedarnos combines the infinitive quedar with the attached reflexive pronoun nos: quedarnos means “to stay/remain,” with the speakers as the people staying. With deberíamos, the infinitive remains unchanged: Deberíamos quedarnos means “We should stay.” Aquí means “here,” referring to the current place. A useful contrast is aquí “here” versus allí “there.” Buscar means “to look for” or “to seek.” It is an infinitive coordinated with quedarnos, so both actions depend on deberíamos: deberíamos buscar means “we should look for.” Example: Busco mis llaves. — “I’m looking for my keys.” Otro means “another” or “a different one.” It is the masculine singular form, agreeing with andén, which is masculine singular. Its forms change with the noun: otro (masculine singular), otra (feminine singular), otros (masculine plural), otras (feminine plural). Here it does not state a numerical count; it identifies a platform different from the one currently being considered. Andén is a masculine noun meaning “platform,” especially a transport platform. Its plural is andenes: otro andén means “another platform,” while otros andenes means “other platforms.” The question structure is ¿Deberíamos [infinitive] o [infinitive]?: Deberíamos quedarnos aquí gives the first option, and o buscar otro andén gives the alternative. Together, the utterance asks whether the speakers should remain at the current place or look for a different platform: “Should we stay here, or should we look for another platform?”

4. Quédate cerca por ahora. Si cambia algo, el personal indicará adónde ir.

   Stay close for now. If it changes, staff will say where to go.

   Quédate

   stay

   cerca

   close; nearby

   por ahora

   for now

   cambia

   changes

   algo

   something

   el personal

   staff

   indicará

   will say; will indicate

   adónde ir

   where to go

   More detail

   Quédate is the affirmative tú command of quedarse, “to stay.” The ending and the attached te address one person informally; te is the reflexive pronoun belonging to the verb. The written accent keeps the command’s pronunciation when the pronoun is attached. Compare quédate with the formal singular command quédese and the plural command quédense. Example: Quédate aquí. — “Stay here.” cerca is an adverb meaning “near” or “close.” It can describe location without changing form: El personal está cerca. — “The staff is nearby.” por ahora is a time expression meaning “for now” or “at present.” por here frames the period as temporary rather than stating a permanent situation. Example: Es suficiente por ahora. — “It is enough for now.” cambia is the third-person singular present indicative form of cambiar, “to change.” In si cambia algo, the present tense follows si in this open condition: “if something changes.” The subject is algo, which appears after the verb. The form is not a command. algo is an indefinite pronoun meaning “something.” It refers to an unspecified thing; here the sentence does not identify what might change. Example: Si necesitas algo, avisa. — “If you need something, let me know.” el personal means “the staff.” personal is a collective noun treated as singular here, so the singular article el and the singular verb indicará agree with it. This phrase names the actor who will give the information; it does not assert a particular number of staff members. indicará is the third-person singular future form of indicar, “to indicate” or “to tell.” The future ending agrees with singular el personal: el personal indicará. In this sentence, “will say” is the natural meaning because the staff will provide directions. Example: La pantalla indicará la salida. — “The screen will indicate the exit.” adónde ir is an indirect-question expression meaning “where to go.” adónde asks about a destination, while ir is the infinitive “to go.” The infinitive has no expressed person or tense of its own; the future verb indicará supplies the finite time and person. Compare destination-focused ¿Adónde vas? — “Where are you going?” with location-focused ¿Dónde estás? — “Where are you?” Together, Quédate cerca por ahora gives the informal singular instruction “Stay close for now.” Si cambia algo introduces the condition “If something changes,” and el personal indicará adónde ir says that the staff will tell the listener which destination to go to. The whole utterance therefore means: “Stay close for now. If something changes, staff will say where to go.”

5. Llevo equipaje, así que no quiero seguir moviéndome de un lado a otro.

   I have luggage, so I do not want to keep moving around.

   Llevo

   I have

   equipaje

   luggage

   así que

   so

   no quiero

   I do not want

   seguir

   to continue; to keep

   moviéndome

   moving around

   de un lado a otro

   from one side to another

   More detail

   Llevo is the first-person singular present form of llevar. Here it means “I have” or “I am carrying,” rather than “I wear” or “I take”; the following noun identifies what the speaker has or is carrying. Example: Llevo una maleta. — “I have a suitcase.” equipaje means “luggage.” It is commonly used as a mass noun, so llevo equipaje does not by itself state a number of bags. A useful pattern is llevar + noun for having or carrying something: Llevo agua. — “I have water.” así que is a connector meaning “so” or “therefore.” It introduces the consequence of the preceding statement: having luggage leads to the speaker’s preference expressed next. no quiero combines negation with quiero, the first-person singular present form of querer, “to want.” querer + infinitive expresses wanting to do something, while no querer + infinitive expresses not wanting to do it. Example: No quiero esperar. — “I do not want to wait.” seguir is the infinitive “to continue” or “to keep.” With a gerund, seguir + gerund means “to keep doing” something. In this sentence, seguir does not mean that the speaker wants to follow a person or route; it helps form the idea of continuing an activity. moviéndome consists of the gerund moviendo from mover (“to move”) plus the attached pronoun me. The pronoun makes the movement reflexive in form and refers to the speaker, the subject expressed by llevo and quiero. The gerund itself does not mark person or number. The accent in moviéndome preserves the pronunciation when me is attached. Example: Estoy moviéndome despacio. — “I am moving slowly.” de un lado a otro is a reusable expression meaning “from one side to another” or, in this context, “around” or “back and forth.” It describes repeated movement between different places; it does not say which specific places they are. Together, Llevo equipaje gives the reason: “I have luggage.” Así que connects that reason to the result, and no quiero seguir moviéndome de un lado a otro means “I do not want to keep moving around.” The complete utterance is therefore: “I have luggage, so I do not want to keep moving around.”

6. Preguntaré si pueden ayudarnos en caso de que tengamos que cambiar de andén.

   I will ask whether they can help if we need to switch platforms.

   Preguntaré

   I will ask

   si

   whether

   pueden

   can

   ayudarnos

   help us

   en caso de que

   in case

   tengamos que

   we have to

   cambiar

   change; switch

   andén

   platform

   More detail

   Preguntaré is the first-person singular future of preguntar (“to ask”): pregunto = “I ask,” while preguntaré = “I will ask.” The ending -é identifies “I” in this future form. Example: Mañana preguntaré. — “Tomorrow I will ask.” si introduces an indirect yes/no question here, so it means “whether,” not the conditional “if” used to state a condition. Preguntaré si pueden ayudarnos means “I will ask whether they can help us.” Pueden is the third-person plural present form of poder (“can; be able to”). The fixed translation identifies the people as “they.” Pueden expresses their ability or possibility in the question. Example: Ellos pueden venir. — “They can come.” Ayudarnos combines the infinitive ayudar (“to help”) with the attached direct-object pronoun nos (“us”): ayudar + nos → ayudarnos. The pronoun refers to the speaker and at least one other person as the people receiving help. With a different object, the infinitive can stand alone: ¿Puedes ayudar? — “Can you help?” En caso de que is a reusable expression meaning “in case.” It introduces a possible circumstance and is followed here by a subjunctive clause. Example: Llama en caso de que necesites ayuda. — “Call in case you need help.” Tengamos que uses the first-person plural present subjunctive of tener (tengamos) plus que and expresses “we have to” in this context. The base verb is tener; tengamos is its “we” subjunctive form, selected after en caso de que. The construction tener que expresses obligation or necessity. Example: En caso de que tengamos que salir, avísame. — “In case we have to leave, let me know.” Cambiar is the infinitive “to change” or, with de plus a means or place, “to switch from one to another.” In cambiar de andén, it means switching platforms; the verb itself remains uninflected because it follows tener que. Example: Tenemos que cambiar de tren. — “We have to change trains.” Andén is a masculine singular noun meaning “platform” in a station. Its plural is andenes; the accent in singular andén marks the stressed final syllable, while the plural does not retain that written accent under Spanish stress rules. Example: El andén está lleno. — “The platform is crowded.” Together, Preguntaré si pueden ayudarnos says “I will ask whether they can help us.” En caso de que tengamos que cambiar de andén adds the possible circumstance “if we need to switch platforms.” The complete utterance is therefore: “I will ask whether they can help us if we need to switch platforms.”

7. Eso ayudaría si el cambio se anuncia en el último momento.

   That would help if the change comes at the last minute.

   Eso

   That

   ayudaría

   would help

   si

   if

   cambio

   change

   se anuncia

   is announced

   último

   last

   momento

   moment

   More detail

   Eso means “that” and points to an understood situation or matter. Its singular form does not identify the referent by itself; here, the fixed translation confirms the intended meaning “that.” ayudaría is the conditional form of ayudar (“to help”): ayudaría = “would help.” It presents the help as dependent on a condition. Its singular form is compatible with the singular subject eso. For comparison, ayuda can mean “helps” or “is helping” in a present-tense context. si introduces the condition “if.” It is different from sí, with an accent, which means “yes.” cambio means “change” here and is a noun. With the article, el cambio is masculine singular. The related verb cambiar means “to change” or “to switch,” but cambio in this sentence is the noun, not that verb. se anuncia means “is announced.” anuncia is the present-tense third-person singular form of anunciar (“to announce”), agreeing with the singular noun el cambio. Here, se forms a passive-like construction: the change is presented as the thing announced, without naming who announces it. Example: La decisión se anuncia mañana means “The decision is announced tomorrow.” último means “last” here. It is the masculine singular form of último, agreeing with momento; the feminine singular form is última, as in la última oportunidad (“the last opportunity”). momento means “moment,” a point or short period in time. In el último momento, it is the noun modified by último. Together, si el cambio se anuncia en el último momento means “if the change is announced at the last minute.” The phrase en el último momento specifies when the announcement happens. The complete utterance means: “That would help if the change comes at the last minute.” More literally, the Spanish says that the change is announced at the last moment.

8. Cuando actualicen el panel, podremos movernos sin tener que adivinar.

   Once they update the board, we can move without guessing.

   Cuando

   when

   actualicen

   update

   panel

   board; panel

   podremos

   will be able to

   movernos

   move

   sin tener que

   without having to

   adivinar

   guess

   More detail

   Cuando introduces the time condition: “when/once …”. With a future or not-yet-completed event, Spanish commonly uses cuando plus the subjunctive rather than the simple future in that subordinate clause. actualicen means “they update” here. Its base form is actualizar; actualicen is the present subjunctive, third-person plural, matching the “they” identified in the translation. Example: Cuando lleguen, empezamos. — “When they arrive, we’ll start.” panel is the masculine noun “panel” or “board”; here the article el marks it as masculine: el panel. Its plural is paneles. The phrase actualicen el panel therefore means “they update the board/panel.” podremos comes from poder, “to be able to/can.” It is the first-person plural future form: podremos = “we will be able to.” Compare present podemos = “we can” with future podremos = “we will be able to.” Example: Mañana podremos salir. — “Tomorrow we’ll be able to go out.” movernos combines the infinitive mover (“to move”) with the attached pronoun nos (“ourselves/us”). In this sentence, movernos means “move” as an action involving the speaker and others. The pronoun is attached because it follows an infinitive; the same combination can also appear as nos movemos in a finite form. Example: Queremos movernos pronto. — “We want to move soon.” sin tener que is a reusable pattern meaning “without having to.” tener is the infinitive “to have,” and tener que + infinitive expresses necessity. Here, sin tener que adivinar says that guessing is not necessary, without claiming that guessing is impossible. adivinar is the infinitive “to guess.” Example: No quiero adivinar la respuesta. — “I don’t want to guess the answer.” Together, Cuando actualicen el panel sets the future time condition: “Once they update the board.” podremos movernos says “we will be able to move,” and sin tener que adivinar adds “without having to guess.” The complete meaning is: “Once they update the board, we can move without guessing.”