B1 · Unit 7 · 44 words, 2 texts with translation
Rent a car and drive in Spain
Rent a car and ask about insurance, the deposit, gas and parking; understand the road rules and politely ask what you don't know.
Texts in this unit
Grammar in this unit
Impersonal se: se habla, se paga, se alquilan coches
You already know the ready-made phrases se puede ("you can, it's allowed") and se vende ("for sale") from A2, unit 19. Now here's the rule behind them.
Why you need it. Often it doesn't matter who exactly does something. What matters is how things are done here. In English you say "you pay by card here", "people speak Spanish here", "how do you get to the station?". Spanish uses se + the verb in the él / ella form.
- Aquí se habla español. — Spanish is spoken here.
- En este bar se come muy bien. — You eat very well at this bar.
- ¿Cómo se va a la estación? — How do you get to the station?
- En esta autopista se paga peaje. — You pay a toll on this highway.
One thing or several. If a thing is named next to the verb, the verb agrees with it: singular for one thing, plural for several. You'll see this on signs:
| One thing | Several things |
|---|---|
| Se alquila piso. — Apartment for rent. | Se alquilan coches. — Cars for rent. |
| Se vende moto. — Motorcycle for sale. | Se venden pisos. — Apartments for sale. |
If no thing is named (se come bien, se va, se puede), the verb is always singular.
Compare with English. English often uses "you", "people" or "they" with no particular person in mind: "they say", "people speak Spanish here". Spanish can also use the ellos form with no subject (dicen que… — they say that…). But for rules, customs and signs, that is, how things are done here, use se: se habla, se paga.
Common mistakes.
- Forgetting the plural. There are several cars, so the verb is plural too: not ✗ se alquila coches, but
se alquilan coches— cars for rent. - Mixing it up with a reflexive verb. Ana se levanta a las siete — Ana gets up at seven: we know who does it, Ana herself. Aquí se paga con tarjeta — you pay by card here: no one in particular, it's just how things are done.
Indirect questions: no sé dónde…, ¿sabe si…?
You already know how to pass on someone else's question with pregunta si… and pregunta cuánto… (A2, unit 19). In the same way, you can put a question inside your own sentence, after no sé, ¿sabe…? or ¿me puede decir…?.
Why you need it. It's the polite way to ask. Not straight out "Where do I return the car?", but "Could you tell me where I return the car?". You also use it to talk about what you don't know: "I don't know what time they close."
| Direct question | Question inside a sentence |
|---|---|
| ¿Dónde se entrega el coche? | No sé dónde se entrega el coche. — I don't know where you return the car. |
| ¿Cuánto cuesta el seguro? | ¿Me puede decir cuánto cuesta el seguro? — Can you tell me how much the insurance costs? (formal) |
| ¿A qué hora cierran? | No sé a qué hora cierran. — I don't know what time they close. |
| ¿Hay una gasolinera cerca? | ¿Sabe si hay una gasolinera cerca? — Do you know if there's a gas station nearby? (formal) |
Three rules:
- If there's a question word (dónde, cuándo, cuánto, qué, cómo, por qué), it stays in place and keeps its written accent.
- If there's no question word (the answer is "yes" or "no"), use si. It's the English "if" or "whether" in "I don't know if…". Write it without an accent: sí with an accent means "yes".
- You need ¿ ? only when the whole sentence is a question: ¿Sabe dónde está la oficina? But: No sé dónde está la oficina.
Common mistakes: dropping the accent on the question word (✗ no sé donde está) or adding que before it (✗ no sé que dónde está). Say it like this:
- No sé si hay aparcamiento. — I don't know if there's parking.
- No sé dónde está el coche. — I don't know where the car is.
Words in this unit
el alquiler — rental, rent
El alquiler del coche son treinta euros al día. — The car rental is thirty euros a day.
coche de alquiler — rental car
Necesito un coche de alquiler para el fin de semana. — I need a rental car for the weekend.
carné de conducir — driver's license
¿Tiene carné de conducir? — Do you have a driver's license? (formal)
seguro a todo riesgo — full coverage insurance
Quiero un seguro a todo riesgo. — I want full coverage insurance.
el depósito — deposit, gas tank
El depósito son trescientos euros. — The deposit is three hundred euros.
la gasolina — gas, gasoline
Nos queda poca gasolina. — We have little gas left.
la gasolinera — gas station
¿Hay una gasolinera por aquí? — Is there a gas station around here?
la información — information
Necesito más información sobre el seguro. — I need more information about the insurance.
el servicio — service
El servicio de alquiler es muy rápido. — The rental service is very fast.
completo — full, complete
Quiero el seguro completo. — I want the full insurance.
simple — simple, basic
Prefiero un seguro simple y barato. — I prefer simple and cheap insurance.
automático — automatic
¿El coche es automático o manual? — Is the car automatic or manual?
aparcar — to park
No puedo aparcar aquí. — I can't park here.
el aparcamiento — parking lot, parking, parking space
¿Hay aparcamiento en el hotel? — Is there parking at the hotel?
el maletero — trunk
Pongo las maletas en el maletero. — I put the suitcases in the trunk.
el volante — steering wheel
En España el volante está a la izquierda. — In Spain, the steering wheel is on the left.
la marcha — gear
Pongo la primera marcha. — I shift into first gear.
el freno — brake
El freno hace un ruido raro. — The brake makes a strange noise.
frenar — to brake
Frena, hay un semáforo en rojo. — Brake, there's a red light.
la rueda — wheel, tire
El coche tiene cuatro ruedas. — The car has four wheels.
el motor — engine, motor
El motor hace mucho ruido. — The engine makes a lot of noise.
entregar — to hand in, to return, to hand over
Entregamos el coche mañana a las diez. — We're returning the car tomorrow at ten.
revisar — to check, to inspect, to look over
Revisamos el coche antes de salir. — We look over the car before leaving.
comprobar — to check, to make sure
Comprueba que el coche tiene gasolina. — Check that the car has gas.
el daño — damage, harm
El coche tiene un daño en la puerta. — The car has damage on the door.
el arañazo — scratch
Hay un arañazo en la puerta. — There's a scratch on the door.
la multa — fine, ticket
Me han puesto una multa por aparcar mal. — I got a ticket for parking badly.
la autopista — highway, freeway
La autopista a Valencia es de peaje. — The highway to Valencia is a toll road.
el peaje — toll, toll booth
Hay que pagar el peaje en la autopista. — You have to pay the toll on the highway.
el navegador — GPS, navigation system
Pon la dirección en el navegador. — Put the address in the GPS.
obligatorio — required, mandatory
Es obligatorio llevar el carné de conducir. — It's mandatory to carry your driver's license.
prohibido — prohibited, not allowed
Está prohibido aparcar aquí. — Parking is prohibited here.
permitir — to allow, to permit
Aquí no se permite aparcar. — Parking isn't allowed here.
junto a — next to, beside
Aparcamos junto a la gasolinera. — We park next to the gas station.
la seguridad — safety, security
La seguridad es muy importante. — Safety is very important.
el control — check, control, checkpoint
Hay un control de la policía en la carretera. — There's a police checkpoint on the road.
el sistema — system
El sistema no funciona hoy. — The system isn't working today.
el cinturón — belt, seat belt
Ponte el cinturón, por favor. — Put on your seat belt, please.
adelantar — to pass (a car)
No puedo adelantar, viene un coche. — I can't pass, there's a car coming.
el radar — speed camera
Hay un radar en el kilómetro cincuenta. — There's a speed camera at kilometer fifty.
la matrícula — license plate, plate number
No recuerdo la matrícula del coche. — I don't remember the car's license plate.
el vehículo — vehicle
Necesito un vehículo grande para seis personas. — I need a big vehicle for six people.
el seguro — insurance
¿El seguro entra en el precio? — Is the insurance included in the price?
por lo general — generally, as a rule, usually
Por lo general, desayuno en casa. — Generally, I have breakfast at home.
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