B2 · Unit 2 · 39 words, 2 texts with translation
Guess who it might be
Make guesses about the people and things around you: who's at the door, how old a neighbor is, whether the owner is home.
Texts in this unit
Grammar in this unit
Future of probability: estará en casa — he's probably at home
You already know the future tense: estaré, tendrá, será — for what will happen later (B1, units 2 and 3). The same form has a second job, and it's not about the future.
Why you need it. You're waiting at a door, the owner is late, and you wonder: "Where is he? Probably stuck in traffic." A Spanish speaker says this with the future tense: ¿Dónde estará? Estará en un atasco. It's about what's true now — the speaker just doesn't know for sure and is guessing.
| I know for sure — present tense | I'm guessing — future tense |
|---|---|
| Está en casa. — He's at home. | Estará en casa. — He's probably at home. |
| Son las diez. — It's ten o'clock. | Serán las diez. — It's probably about ten. |
| Tiene cuarenta años. — He's forty. | Tendrá unos cuarenta años. — He's probably about forty. |
There are no new forms: the endings and the irregular stems (tendr-, saldr-) are the same as in B1. You don't add a word for "probably": it's already in the verb form. In English you add probably, I guess or I wonder.
In a question this future means "I wonder…". You don't expect an answer — you're thinking out loud:
- ¿Quién será a estas horas? — Who could that be at this hour?
- ¿Cuánto costará este piso? — I wonder how much this apartment costs.
- No contesta. Estará durmiendo. — He's not answering. He's probably asleep.
- El vecino no sale nunca. Trabajará en casa. — The neighbor never goes out. He probably works from home.
Compare with English. English sometimes does the same thing: the doorbell rings and you say "That'll be the delivery guy." In English it's occasional; in Spain it's the everyday way to say "probably".
Future or guess? The situation decides. Mañana estará en casa — tomorrow he'll be at home: there's a word about the future. Hay luz: estará en casa — the light is on, so he's probably at home now.
A common mistake is to hear Tendrá unos cuarenta años and understand "he'll be forty". It's not about his age in the future: someone is estimating it by looking at him.
deber de + infinitive: must — a conclusion from a clue
You already know deber + verb — "should, have to": debes descansar (A1, unit 12). Add a small de and the meaning changes: it's no longer a duty but a guess.
Why you need it. The future of probability means "probably". Deber de is more confident: "must". You use it when you see a clue and draw a conclusion from it: the light is on, you hear footsteps, there's a new name on the mailbox. English "must" works the same way: "The light's on — he must be home."
How to form it: deber in the right person + de + infinitive. Only deber changes: debo de, debes de, debe de, debemos de, debéis de, deben de. After de there's always an infinitive, never que.
- Hay luz en la ventana: debe de estar en casa. — The light's on in the window: he must be home.
- Tiene llave del portal: debe de ser un vecino. — He has a key to the building entrance: he must be a neighbor.
- Llevas todo el día buscando piso. Debes de estar cansada. — You've been looking for an apartment all day. You must be tired (to a woman).
- No abren. No debe de haber nadie. — They're not opening the door. There must be nobody home.
Compare — a small de changes the meaning:
| Phrase | What it means |
|---|---|
| Debe de estar en casa. | He must be at home — that's my guess. |
| Debe estar en casa a las diez. | He has to be home at ten — that's the rule. |
What you'll hear. In everyday speech people often drop the de and say a guess the same way as a duty: Debe ser el dueño — he must be the owner. The conversation makes the meaning clear, just like English "must" can be a rule ("you must pay") or a guess ("he must be the owner"). In your own Spanish, keep the rule: a guess takes de, a duty doesn't.
A common mistake is to put de into a duty:
- ✗ debes de pagar el alquiler
- debes pagar el alquiler — you have to pay the rent
Future or deber de? Estará en casa — just a guess. Debe de estar en casa — a conclusion: I see the light, I hear music. Very often either one works.
Words in this unit
deber de — must (a guess), probably
Hay luz en la ventana: debe de estar en casa. — The light's on in the window: he must be home.
el aspecto — look, appearance
El piso tiene muy buen aspecto. — The apartment looks very nice.
el misterio — mystery
Este vecino es un misterio. — This neighbor is a mystery.
enfrente — across the street, opposite
¿Quién vive enfrente? — Who lives across the street?
observar — to watch, to observe, to notice
Observo a la gente desde el balcón. — I watch people from the balcony.
calcular — to calculate, to figure, to estimate
Calculo que llegamos a las ocho. — I figure we'll get there at eight.
aparentar — to look (an age), to pretend
Aparenta unos cuarenta años. — He looks about forty.
tener pinta de — to look like, to seem
Ese vecino tiene pinta de ser muy serio. — That neighbor looks like a very serious person.
vigilar — to watch, to keep an eye on, to guard
Una cámara vigila la puerta del edificio. — A camera watches the door of the building.
deducir — to deduce, to conclude
Por los zapatos deduzco que es joven. — From his shoes, I deduce that he's young.
desconfiar — to distrust, to be suspicious of
Desconfío de la gente que nunca saluda. — I don't trust people who never say hello.
fiarse — to trust, to rely on
No me fío de ese hombre. — I don't trust that man.
solitario — solitary, lonely, deserted
Mi vecino es un hombre solitario. — My neighbor is a solitary man.
discreto — discreet, tactful, understated
Es una mujer discreta: no habla de nadie. — She's a discreet woman: she doesn't talk about anyone.
elegante — elegant, stylish
Tu vecina es muy elegante. — Your neighbor is very elegant.
el/la jubilado — retiree, retired
Mi vecino es jubilado y pasa el día en el parque. — My neighbor is retired and spends the day in the park.
la viuda — widow
Mi vecina es viuda y vive sola. — My neighbor is a widow and lives alone.
de mediana edad — middle-aged
Es un hombre de mediana edad, con gafas. — He's a middle-aged man with glasses.
peculiar — distinctive, unusual, peculiar
Tu vecino es una persona peculiar. — Your neighbor is an unusual person.
maniático — fussy, set in one's ways, obsessive
Mi vecino es muy maniático: limpia la escalera cada día. — My neighbor is very fussy: he cleans the stairs every day.
asomarse — to look out, to lean out
Me asomo a la ventana para ver quién llama. — I look out the window to see who's knocking.
espiar — to spy on
Mi vecina me espía desde la ventana. — My neighbor spies on me from the window.
la huella — footprint, print, fingerprint
Hay huellas en el suelo. — There are footprints on the floor.
el rastro — trace, trail, sign
No hay rastro del gato. — There's no sign of the cat.
la mirilla — peephole
Miro por la mirilla antes de abrir. — I look through the peephole before I open the door.
el cerrojo — bolt, deadbolt
Echo el cerrojo por la noche. — I bolt the door at night.
la fachada — facade, front (of a building)
La fachada del edificio es antigua. — The facade of the building is old.
el ático — top-floor apartment, penthouse
Vivo en un ático con terraza. — I live in a top-floor apartment with a terrace.
la arruga — wrinkle, crease
Tiene arrugas alrededor de los ojos. — He has wrinkles around his eyes.
la cana — gray hair
Mi padre tiene muchas canas. — My dad has a lot of gray hair.
el bastón — cane, walking stick
El señor camina con bastón. — The man walks with a cane.
a escondidas — secretly, in secret
Fuma a escondidas en la terraza. — He smokes in secret on the terrace.
de puntillas — on tiptoe
Entro de puntillas para no despertar a nadie. — I tiptoe in so I don't wake anyone up.
vete a saber — who knows, goodness knows
¿Por qué se fue? Vete a saber. — Why did he leave? Who knows.
el pájaro — bird
Hay un pájaro en el balcón. — There's a bird on the balcony.
el conejo — rabbit
Mi vecina tiene un conejo en casa. — My neighbor has a rabbit at home.
el pez — fish (alive)
Mi hija tiene un pez de colores. — My daughter has a goldfish.
la rata — rat
Hay una rata en el sótano. — There's a rat in the basement.
el cementerio — cemetery
Mis abuelos están en este cementerio. — My grandparents are buried in this cemetery.
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