A2 · Unit 19 · 42 words, 3 texts with translation
Explain what's broken
Get things fixed and explain what's wrong: talk to a technician and your landlord, read ads and pass on what other people say.
Texts in this unit
Grammar in this unit
Reporting what someone says: dice que + present tense
A technician gives you a price, your landlord promises something — and you need to pass it on to someone else. English says "he says (that)...", and Spanish works the same way: dice que + a normal sentence in the present tense.
| What the person said | What you report |
|---|---|
| "La pieza llega mañana." | El técnico dice que la pieza llega mañana. — The technician says the part is arriving tomorrow. |
| "Vengo el lunes." | El fontanero dice que viene el lunes. — The plumber says he's coming on Monday. |
| "Mi taller está cerrado." | Dice que su taller está cerrado. — He says his shop is closed. |
| "¿Tiene garantía?" | Pregunta si tiene garantía. — He asks if it has a warranty. |
| "¿Cuánto cuesta?" | Pregunta cuánto cuesta. — He asks how much it costs. |
What matters:
- The person changes, the tense doesn't. The plumber says vengo about himself, and we say viene about him. In the same way mi → su, me → le. English does the same: "I'm coming" → "he says he's coming".
- A yes/no question is reported with si — "if" or "whether". A question with a question word keeps that word: cuánto, cuándo, dónde — how much, when, where.
- Instead of dice you can use promete que (promises that) and asegura que (assures someone that, insists that). Dicen que with no subject means "people say (that)": Dicen que este taller es bueno — people say this shop is good.
- Short answers: Dice que sí. Dice que no. — He says yes. He says no.
- Reporting with "said that..." works differently — that's a topic for the next level.
Common mistake. In English you can drop "that": "he says he's coming tomorrow". In Spanish que is required, and there's no comma before it: dice que viene mañana, never ✗ dice viene mañana.
Hay que: "you have to" without saying who
You already know tener que — "to have to", when it's clear who has to do it (tengo que trabajar; A1, unit 7).
Hay que + infinitive means "you have to", "it's necessary to" in general, without saying who. Repair people talk like this ("the part needs to be replaced"), and rules and instructions are written like this.
| Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Tengo que llamar al fontanero. | I have to call the plumber — me, personally. |
| Hay que llamar al fontanero. | Someone needs to call the plumber — it doesn't matter who. |
Hay que has only one form: it never changes for person or number. In English it's often the general "you have to", "we need to" or a sentence like "it needs to be done":
- Hay que cambiar la pieza. — The part needs to be replaced.
- Para encender el móvil hay que pulsar este botón. — To turn on the phone, you have to press this button.
- Primero hay que arreglar la gotera. — First the leak needs to be fixed.
- No hay que pagar nada. — You don't have to pay anything.
No hay que means "you don't have to" (it isn't necessary), not "you must not". For "you can't" or "it isn't allowed", Spanish says no se puede.
For the past, use había que: Había que esperar una semana. — You had to wait a week.
Common mistake. Don't add a person to hay que: ✗ me hay que is wrong. If it matters who has to do it, use tener que: tengo que llamar — I have to call. Use hay que when it doesn't matter who, or when it's true for everyone.
Words in this unit
funcionar — to work (about machines), to function
El móvil no funciona. — The phone doesn't work.
arreglar — to fix, to repair
¿Puedes arreglar mi móvil? — Can you fix my phone?
reparar — to repair, to fix
¿Pueden reparar mi ordenador? — Can you repair my computer? (to several people, formal)
estropearse — to break down, to go bad
Se ha estropeado la lavadora. — The washing machine has broken down.
estropeado — broken, out of order, damaged
El ascensor está estropeado. — The elevator is broken.
el taller — repair shop, garage (for cars)
Llevo el coche al taller. — I'm taking the car to the repair shop.
el técnico — technician, repair person
El técnico llega a las cinco. — The technician arrives at five.
el botón — button
Pulsa el botón rojo. — Press the red button.
cargar — to charge, to load
Mi móvil no carga. — My phone isn't charging.
el cable — cable, cord, wire
Necesito un cable nuevo. — I need a new cable.
el enchufe — outlet, plug
No hay enchufes en esta habitación. — There are no outlets in this room.
la pieza — part, piece
Falta una pieza. — A part is missing.
la garantía — warranty, guarantee
Mi móvil todavía tiene garantía. — My phone is still under warranty.
el presupuesto — estimate, quote, budget
Quiero un presupuesto, por favor. — I want an estimate, please.
usar — to use
¿Puedo usar tu cargador? — Can I use your charger?
hay que — you have to, we need to (impersonal)
Hay que llamar al técnico. — You have to call the technician.
se puede — you can, it's allowed (impersonal)
¿Se puede pagar con tarjeta? — Can you pay by card?
el grifo — faucet
El grifo de la cocina gotea. — The kitchen faucet is dripping.
la bombilla — light bulb
La bombilla del salón no funciona. — The light bulb in the living room doesn't work.
el fontanero — plumber
Llamo al fontanero. — I'm calling the plumber.
el/la electricista — electrician
El electricista llega a las diez. — The electrician arrives at ten.
la persiana — blind, roller shutter
La persiana no baja. — The blind won't go down.
la cerradura — lock
La cerradura está rota. — The lock is broken.
gotear — to drip, to leak
El grifo gotea toda la noche. — The faucet drips all night.
la gotera — leak (from the ceiling)
Hay una gotera en el techo. — There's a leak in the ceiling.
la humedad — dampness, humidity
Hay humedad en la pared. — There's dampness on the wall.
el casero — landlord
El casero vive en el piso de arriba. — The landlord lives in the apartment upstairs.
la herramienta — tool
Tengo muchas herramientas en el garaje. — I have a lot of tools in the garage.
el arreglo — repair, fix
Este arreglo cuesta cuarenta euros. — This repair costs forty euros.
cuanto antes — as soon as possible
Necesito el móvil cuanto antes. — I need the phone as soon as possible.
prometer — to promise
Te prometo que llego a las ocho. — I promise you I'll be there at eight.
asegurar — to assure, to insist, to insure
Te aseguro que funciona. — I assure you it works.
se vende — for sale
Se vende bicicleta de segunda mano. — Secondhand bicycle for sale.
de segunda mano — secondhand, used
Compro libros de segunda mano. — I buy secondhand books.
usado — used
Es un coche usado. — It's a used car.
atascar — to clog, to block, to jam
El lavabo se ha atascado otra vez. — The bathroom sink has gotten clogged again.
el destornillador — screwdriver
Necesito un destornillador pequeño. — I need a small screwdriver.
el martillo — hammer
Pasa el martillo, por favor. — Pass the hammer, please.
pintar — to paint
Pinto la pared de blanco. — I'm painting the wall white.
la pintura — paint, painting
Necesito pintura blanca. — I need white paint.
pulsar — to press (a button or a key)
Pulsa el botón verde. — Press the green button.
hay que esperar — you have to wait (impersonal)
Hay que cambiar la pieza. — The part needs to be replaced.
Learn these words with flashcards
In the app, the unit’s words come to your flashcards a few at a time and repeat until they stick, and the texts show them in use. 15 minutes a day.
Start for freeEverything is open for free. No card needed to sign up.