B1 · Unit 21 · 40 words, 3 texts with translation
Plan a guest's visit
Plan a visit from a friend or relative: airport pickup, a place to sleep, vacation plans and getting by in a foreign language. Say what will happen when something else happens.
Texts in this unit
Grammar in this unit
Cuando llegues, llámame: cuando + subjunctive about the future
You already know the present subjunctive forms (hables, comas, vayas — (that) you speak, eat, go; units 16 and 18) and two cases where you need them: wishes, like quiero que vengas ("I want you to come"), and purpose, like para que descanses — so that you can rest (units 18–19). Now here's the third case, and in everyday life the most common one.
Why you need it. "Write me when you land", "I'll come by when I have time", "When I learn Spanish, I'll find another job." The action is in the future, but English uses the present after "when": nobody says ✗ when I will land. Spanish doesn't use the future after cuando either. Instead of the future, it uses the present subjunctive.
| "When…" — subjunctive | Second half — future, a request or ir a |
|---|---|
| Cuando llegues, | llámame. |
| Cuando tenga tiempo, | iré a verte. |
| Cuando salgamos del aeropuerto, | vamos a coger el metro. |
The logic is the same as with wishes and purpose: the action hasn't happened yet, and you don't know exactly when it will. But after si ("if") you don't do this — there you use the normal present: si llegas pronto, llámame ("if you get here early, call me", unit 3).
You can swap the two halves: Llámame cuando llegues.
- Cuando puedas, escríbeme. — Write me when you can.
- Te lo contaré cuando nos veamos. — I'll tell you when we see each other.
- Cuando haga calor, iremos a la playa. — When it's hot, we'll go to the beach.
- ¿Qué vas a hacer cuando termines el curso? — What are you going to do when you finish the course?
You've known the set phrase cuando quieras ("whenever you want") since A2 — now you can see how it works.
Common mistake: putting the future after cuando because the action is in the future: ✗ cuando llegaré, ✗ cuando tendré tiempo. Spanish doesn't say that, just as English doesn't say "when I will arrive". The future goes in the other half of the sentence: Cuando llegue, te llamaré. ("When I arrive, I'll call you.")
Don't confuse it with a question. ¿Cuándo? with a written accent is a question word, and the future is fine there: ¿Cuándo llegarás? — When will you arrive? No sé cuándo llegará. — I don't know when she'll arrive. The rule is only about the linking word cuando ("when…, then…"). English works the same way: "When will you arrive?", but "Call me when you arrive."
Habit, past or future: which form goes after cuando
You already know cuando for habits (Cuando llueve, no salgo — When it rains, I don't go out; A1, unit 11) and in stories about the past (Cuando llegué a casa…, A2, unit 16). There you use the normal form of the verb (indicative). You only need the subjunctive when the action hasn't happened yet.
The question to ask yourself: is it already a fact, or not yet?
| What it's about | Form after cuando | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A habit: it always happens | present tense | Cuando viene mi hermana, vamos a la playa. — When my sister comes, we go to the beach. |
| The past: it happened once | preterite | Cuando vino mi hermana, fuimos a la playa. — When my sister came, we went to the beach. |
| The past: it used to happen | imperfect | Cuando venía mi hermana, íbamos a la playa. — When my sister came, we used to go to the beach. |
| The future: it hasn't happened yet | present subjunctive | Cuando venga mi hermana, iremos a la playa. — When my sister comes, we'll go to the beach. |
The clue is the second half of the sentence. Present (vamos) — it's a habit. Past (fuimos, íbamos) — it's the past. Future, a request or ir a (iremos, llámame, voy a ir) — then cuando needs the subjunctive.
Sometimes the whole difference is one letter:
- Cuando tengo tiempo, cocino. — When I have time, I cook. (In general, usually.)
- Cuando tenga tiempo, cocinaré. — When I have time, I'll cook. (I don't have time now.)
English won't tell you which one. Look at the table and the pair above: English says "when my sister comes" and "when I have time" both for a habit and for the future. Only the second half shows the difference ("we go" or "we'll go"). Spanish marks it after cuando too: viene or venga, tengo or tenga. So check the second half: future or a request — subjunctive after cuando.
Common mistake — the other way around: after learning the new rule, putting the subjunctive after every cuando. For a habit it's not ✗ cuando llegue a casa, siempre ceno, but cuando llego a casa, siempre ceno ("when I get home, I always have dinner").
Words in this unit
tener ganas de — to feel like, to really want to
Tengo ganas de verte. — I really want to see you.
acompañar — to go with, to accompany, to keep company
¿Me acompañas al aeropuerto? — Will you come with me to the airport?
organizar — to organize, to arrange
Organizo una cena para el sábado. — I'm organizing a dinner for Saturday.
planear — to plan
Planeo viajar en agosto. — I'm planning to travel in August.
hacer ilusión — to be excited about, to look forward to
Me hace ilusión verte pronto. — I'm excited to see you soon.
estar deseando — can't wait to, to look forward to
Estoy deseando verte. — I can't wait to see you.
contar los días — to count the days
Cuento los días para las vacaciones. — I'm counting the days until my vacation.
dar la bienvenida — to welcome
Mis padres te dan la bienvenida a casa. — My parents welcome you into their home.
la bienvenida — welcome
Gracias por la bienvenida. — Thanks for the welcome.
la cámara — camera
Llevo la cámara en la mochila. — I carry the camera in my backpack.
familiar — family, family-run; relative
Es una habitación familiar. — It's a family room.
doble — double; twice as much
Quiero una habitación doble. — I want a double room.
el vocabulario — vocabulary
Mi vocabulario es todavía pequeño. — My vocabulary is still small.
traducir — to translate
¿Puedes traducir esta frase? — Can you translate this sentence?
expresarse — to express yourself
Me expreso mejor por escrito. — I express myself better in writing.
dominar — to master, to have a good command of
Mi hermana domina el inglés. — My sister has mastered English.
la fluidez — fluency
Hablo español con fluidez. — I speak Spanish fluently.
ya verás — you'll see
Ya verás, te va a encantar Madrid. — You'll see, you're going to love Madrid.
nada más llegar — right after arriving, on arrival
Nada más llegar, te llamo. — As soon as I arrive, I'll call you.
tarjeta de embarque — boarding pass
¿Tienes la tarjeta de embarque? — Do you have the boarding pass?
el aterrizaje — landing
El aterrizaje es a las seis. — The landing is at six.
la escala — layover, stopover
El vuelo tiene una escala en Madrid. — The flight has a layover in Madrid.
la aduana — customs
Pasamos la aduana sin problemas. — We went through customs without any problems.
el visado — visa
¿Necesitas visado para viajar a España? — Do you need a visa to travel to Spain?
la terminal — terminal
¿En qué terminal llega tu vuelo? — Which terminal does your flight arrive at?
el itinerario — itinerary, route
Este es el itinerario del viaje. — This is the itinerary for the trip.
turístico — tourist, touristy
Madrid tiene muchos sitios turísticos. — Madrid has a lot of tourist sites.
sofá cama — sofa bed
En el salón hay un sofá cama. — There's a sofa bed in the living room.
hacer la cama — to make the bed
Hago la cama todos los días. — I make the bed every day.
la sábana — sheet
Pongo sábanas limpias. — I put on clean sheets.
la almohada — pillow
Necesito otra almohada. — I need another pillow.
la toalla — towel
Te dejo una toalla en el baño. — I'll leave you a towel in the bathroom.
el/la huésped — guest, houseguest
Mi hermana es mi huésped esta semana. — My sister is my houseguest this week.
tomar el sol — to sunbathe
Me gusta tomar el sol en la playa. — I like to sunbathe at the beach.
crema solar — sunscreen
Necesito crema solar. — I need sunscreen.
la sombrilla — beach umbrella, sunshade
Alquilamos una sombrilla en la playa. — We rent a sunshade at the beach.
el bañador — swimsuit, swim trunks
Llevo el bañador en la mochila. — I have my swimsuit in my backpack.
la ola — wave
Hoy las olas son muy grandes. — The waves are very big today.
el marisco — seafood, shellfish
En la costa comemos mucho marisco. — On the coast, we eat a lot of seafood.
la horchata — horchata
La horchata de Valencia es muy famosa. — Horchata from Valencia is very famous.
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