B1 · Unit 19 · 42 words, 2 texts with translation

Leave your keys and your pet with a friend

Going away for a week? Leave your keys with a friend and explain how to feed the cat and water the plants, and what to do in an emergency. You'll learn to say "so that" with para que and "usually" with soler.

Texts in this unit

Dialogue · 18 linesMe voy una semanaI'm going away for a week Story · 17 linesNo le des jamónDon't give him ham

Grammar in this unit

Para que + subjunctive: "so that you can get in"

When you go away, you leave your neighbor the keys so that he can get in, and you write a note so that he doesn't forget anything. In English it's "so (that)" both times. In Spanish, first ask yourself: who does the second action?

You already know para + infinitive — "to do, in order to do" (A2, unit 14), and the present subjunctive forms (hables, comas, tengas) from units 16 and 18. Now we put them together.

Who acts	How to say it	Example
the same person	para + infinitive	Pongo la alarma para levantarme* a las siete.* — I set the alarm to get up at seven. (I set it, I get up.)
different people	para que + subjunctive	Pongo la alarma para que te levantes* a las siete.* — I set the alarm so that you get up at seven. (I set it, you get up.)

More examples:

Te dejo las llaves para que puedas entrar. — I'm leaving you the keys so you can get in.
Habla más despacio para que te entienda. — Speak more slowly so I can understand you.
Abro la ventana para que entre aire. — I'm opening the window so some air comes in.
Cierra la puerta para que el gato no salga. — Close the door so the cat doesn't get out.

"Different people" can also mean a thing: I open the window, and the air comes in.

Compare with English. English often adds "can" or "will" here: so I can understand you, so he'll tell me. Spanish doesn't need them: after para que the verb simply goes into the present subjunctive, just like after quiero que (unit 18). A goal is like a wish: it hasn't happened yet. Use poder only when you really mean "be able to": para que puedas entrar (so you can get in).

Common mistakes.

Using the normal form (indicative) after para que: not ✗ para que puedes, but para que puedas.
Para que when one person does both things: not ✗ voy al mercado para que compre fruta, but voy al mercado para comprar fruta (I go, and I buy).
Don't confuse it with the question ¿para qué? — "what for?": it has a written accent, and the normal form of the verb follows it: ¿Para qué quieres la regadera?

Soler + infinitive: "I usually do"

When you explain to a neighbor how things work at your place, you need the word "usually" all the time: the cat usually eats at eight, I usually lock the door. You can say normalmente, but Spanish speakers very often use a special verb instead: soler. It has no one-word English translation: it's "usually" that you conjugate.

It's a stem-changing verb like poder (o → ue), and it's always followed by an infinitive:

suelo, sueles, suele, solemos, soléis, suelen + infinitive

Suelo levantarme a las siete. — I usually get up at seven.
El gato suele dormir en el sofá. — The cat usually sleeps on the sofa.
¿A qué hora sueles cenar? — What time do you usually have dinner?
Aquí no suele llover en verano. — It doesn't usually rain here in the summer.
Los domingos solemos comer en casa de mis padres. — On Sundays we usually have lunch at my parents' place.

About the past, use only the imperfect form solía, which matches English "used to": Antes solía ir al trabajo en bici. — I used to go to work by bike. In everyday speech soler has no other tenses: "usually" doesn't fit one finished event (preterite) or the future.

Common mistakes.

Conjugating both verbs: not ✗ suelo me levanto, but suelo levantarme.
Adding a preposition: not ✗ suelo a comer, but suelo comer.
Saying "usually" twice: ✗ suelo normalmente comer a las dos is like saying "I usually usually eat". Say either suelo comer a las dos or normalmente como a las dos.

And don't be surprised: el suelo also means "floor" (A2). Its place in the sentence always tells you which one it is: suelo comer — a verb (I usually eat), en el suelo — a noun (on the floor).

Words in this unit

cerrar con llave — to lock
Antes de salir, cierro con llave. — Before I go out, I lock up.
para que — so that, so
Te dejo mi llave para que puedas entrar. — I'm leaving you my key so you can get in.
dar de comer — to feed
Mi vecina da de comer al gato por las mañanas. — My neighbor feeds the cat in the mornings.
regar — to water
Riego las plantas por la tarde. — I water the plants in the afternoon.
encargarse — to take care of, to be in charge of
Mi hermana se encarga de las plantas. — My sister takes care of the plants.
hacer falta — to be needed, to need
Me hace falta una llave más. — I need one more key.
soler — to usually do, to tend to
Suelo levantarme temprano. — I usually get up early.
juego de llaves — set of keys
Te dejo un juego de llaves en la mesa. — I'm leaving you a set of keys on the table.
el llavero — keychain, key holder
Mi llavero es un gato pequeño. — My keychain is a little cat.
la mascota — pet
No tengo mascota, pero quiero un gato. — I don't have a pet, but I want a cat.
la flor — flower
Las flores del balcón necesitan agua. — The flowers on the balcony need water.
la maceta — flowerpot, pot
Tengo tres macetas en el balcón. — I have three flowerpots on the balcony.
la hoja — leaf, sheet (of paper)
Esta planta tiene las hojas amarillas. — This plant has yellow leaves.
la regadera — watering can
La regadera está en el balcón. — The watering can is on the balcony.
el veterinario — vet, veterinarian
Llevo al gato al veterinario. — I'm taking the cat to the vet.
las instrucciones — instructions, directions
Te dejo las instrucciones en la cocina. — I'm leaving you the instructions in the kitchen.
el recordatorio — reminder
Te pongo un recordatorio en el móvil. — I'm setting a reminder for you on your phone.
la emergencia — emergency
En una emergencia, llama al 112. — In an emergency, call 112.
en caso de — in case of
En caso de emergencia, llama al 112. — In case of emergency, call 112.
la alarma — alarm
Pongo la alarma a las siete. — I set the alarm for seven.
de vez en cuando — from time to time, once in a while
De vez en cuando voy al cine con mi hermana. — Once in a while I go to the movies with my sister.
a diario — daily, every day
Camino una hora a diario. — I walk for an hour every day.
la falta — lack, shortage, mistake
Por falta de tiempo, no puedo ir. — Due to a lack of time, I can't go.
bastar — to be enough
Con una llave basta. — One key is enough.
ventilar — to air out
Ventilo la casa por la mañana. — I air out the house in the morning.
alimentar — to feed
Alimento a los gatos de la calle. — I feed the stray cats.
acariciar — to pet, to stroke
Acaricio al gato y se duerme. — I pet the cat and it falls asleep.
el cuenco — bowl
Pongo agua en el cuenco del perro. — I put water in the dog's bowl.
reciclar — to recycle
Reciclamos el papel y el vidrio. — We recycle paper and glass.
el contenedor — bin, container
El contenedor de vidrio está en la esquina. — The glass bin is on the corner.
el envase — container, packaging
Los envases van al contenedor amarillo. — Packaging goes in the yellow bin.
el vidrio — glass
Esta botella es de vidrio. — This bottle is made of glass.
el plástico — plastic
La botella de plástico va al contenedor amarillo. — The plastic bottle goes in the yellow bin.
el cartón — cardboard
Tiro las cajas de cartón al contenedor azul. — I throw cardboard boxes in the blue bin.
la lata — can
Abro una lata de atún para el gato. — I'm opening a can of tuna for the cat.
enchufar — to plug in
Enchufa el cargador, por favor. — Plug in the charger, please.
desenchufar — to unplug
Desenchufo la cafetera antes de salir. — I unplug the coffee maker before I leave.
el gas — gas
Cierro el gas antes de salir de viaje. — I turn off the gas before I go on a trip.
la fuga — leak
Hay una fuga de agua en el baño. — There's a water leak in the bathroom.
el termostato — thermostat
En invierno pongo el termostato a veinte grados. — In winter I set the thermostat to twenty degrees.
cepillar — to brush
Cepillo al perro dos veces a la semana. — I brush the dog twice a week.
arañar — to scratch
El gato araña el sofá. — The cat scratches the sofa.

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