Lesson Introduction
It's not every day that we aspiring learners get to stay at a beach hotel in Latin America... when we finally get a chance to go, we better get an ocean view! In the big podcast today, we'll learn how to ask to switch rooms in Spanish; we'll also have a lesson on the all important request word quisiera.
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Pregunta del día:
¿Alguna vez han tenido que bajar a recepción a pedir que les cambien de habitación? ¿Y por qué razón?
Did you ever go to the front desk to demand changing you to another room? Why?
Una vez tuve que pedir que me cambiaran de habitación porque en la que me dieron ya había alguien durmiendo :(
I ask for another room once because there was already somebody sleeping in that one...
OMGD Esti! LOL
Buena razón!
Una vez tuve que pedir que me cambiaran de habitación porque la mía ya estaba sucia.
Tal vez pido a cambiar la habitacion porque hace mucho ruido.
Que es la vista mejor? El Westin Seattle tiene las vistas preciosas.
una vez tuve que pedir que me cambiaran de habitacion porque en la que me dieron ya vivian unos animales nocturnos!
Recuerdo una vez poco después de chequearnos en nuestro habitación nos sentamos en la cama para comprobar si estaba dura y se le derrumbó al suelo!
I remember one time shortly after we checked in to our room, we sat on the bed to check to see if it was firm and it collapsed to the floor!
Yo nunca he tenido a hacerlo pero mi yerno lo hizo en julio pasado porque deseaba por nosotros dos habitaciones mas bonitas con vistas al mar.
hace algunos años tuve que quedar en un hotel por un semana por mi trabajo. me dieron un cuarto en mal estado pero no mi importa desde mi empleador iba a pagar la cuenta. era solo un lugar dormir .
some years ago i had to stay in a hotel for a week for my work, the gave me a tatty room but i wansnt bothered since my employer was going to pay the bill. it was only a place to sleep
sin embargo, no habia agua caliente o calefacción, toda la noche y madruga, estaba despertado por gente quien abrido la puerta de fuego y activar la alarma. a lado mi cuarto. sufré por dos noches pero finalmente fui a recepción y pedir que me dan otra habitacion. me pidieron perdon y me dieron un suite muy muy grande y lujoso.
however, there was no hot water or heating and all through the night and early moring i was awakened by people opening the fire door and setting off the alarm next to my room. i put up with it for two nights but finally went to reception and asked that they give me another room. they were very appologetic and gave me a huge and luxurious suite .
tres dias despues, iba a desayunar y pasé recepción donde habia un hombre estaba absolutamente furioso gritando que nunca ha cargado bebidos o comidas de la habitacion y me di cuenta que era yo he cargado comer y beber a mi primera habitación. la habitación de él
three days later i was on my way to breakfast and passed reception where a furious man was shouting that he'd never charged food or drink to the room. i realised that i had been charging my food and drink to my old room. his room.
despues, cuando fui a dejar el hotel, las receptionistas estaban charlando del hombre raro en suite dos (yo)
later when i went to leave the hotel the receptionists were talking about the strange man in suite 2 (me)
Si, porque la habitacion es cerca del ascensor y es muy ruido. Quiero dormir pero todo la noche escuchame por "bing bing bing" - que lastima!
recientemente, de vacaciones. la habitación de mi sobrino estaba a lado del ascensor. dentro el ascensor tu podrias oir la gente quien estaban en las habitaciones hablando con perfecto claridid y en las habitaciones te podrias oir un crujido metálico que sonió exactamente como el Titanic cuando se hundió.
kikuyu, jajaja, vaya susto te llevarías cuando se rompió la cama, ¿no? jajaja.
donperigo, tuviste mucha paciencia si pudiste aguantar 2 días en aquella habitación, hombre raro, ;)
Una vez tuve que pedir otra habitacion porque ya había alguien en el cuarto.
La pareja llamó recepcíon para decir alguien estaba tratando de entrar para robar.
Eran las dos de la madrugada.
dis kulpe quisera cambien habitacion. i dis ponible?
bueno, una vez nuestro habitacion estaba enfrente del sol, y tambien no era una cortina a prevenirlo haciendo la habitacion muy caloroso, así acordamos que nunca iremos alli otra vez, y el gerente estaba tan malo
otra ocasión tuvimos un habitación encima de la salon para fiestas y habia un fiesta muy ruidoso entonces por la madruga pedí cambiar la habitacion. nos dieron un habitación muy bonita con ventanas grandes y una vista magnifica del catedral a lado de hotel. He acabado de dormirme cuando habia un repique ensordecedor de las campanas cuál continuaba por varias horas.
Another time we had a room above the funtion room and there was a very noisy party so, in the wee hours of the morning I asked to change rooms. they gave us a very nice room with large windows and a magnificent view of the cathedral next door.
I had just fallen asleep when there was a deafening peal of bells which continued for several hours.
I would like to know why we use the preterito imperfecto "quisiera" and not the "condicional"
borja80
heres a link to the same discussion in a previous lesson
Muchas gracias
Hola,
I have a grammatical question for the sentence " Es que quiero una con vistas al mar". Can I say "Es que quiero una vista con al mar? And the difference? Thanks for your explanation in advance.
Mafy
Mafy, "una vista con al mar" would mean something like "a view with at the sea" since "al" means "a el" ("at the"). Thus, this doesn't really work. (There are only very few cases where two prepositions ("con" and "a" in this case) are next to each other, and this is none of them.) You will probably be understood if you say "una vista con el mar" ("a view with the sea") although native Spanish speakers probably wouldn't talk this way.
Google hits for "vistas al mar": 3.080.000
Google hits for "vistas con el mar": 134
Google hits for "vistas con al mar": 4
Google hits for "vista al mar": 971.000
Google hits for "vista con el mar": 578
Google hits for "vista con al mar": 2
Muchisimas gracias, (only the most respective phrase I can use by now), Martinillo. As I am a new learner of Spanish, the way I have studied is memorizing as possible or analyzing systematically, like you showed me the ropes as aforementioned. Thanks!!!
Una vez tuve que pedir que me cambiaran de habitación porque en oler a fumar.
re quisiera cambiar de habitacion- shouldn't it be "quisiero cambiar de habitacion" since it is yo quisiero - I would like?
gracias
there is no such word as "quisiero". I got it confused with quiero. sorry
No ewong it's quisiera, imperfect subjunctive.
quisiera es:
1ª persona singular (yo) imperfecto(1) subjuntivo
3ª persona singular (él/ella/usted) imperfecto(1) subjuntivo
Tienen la misma ruiz, verda?
I believe quiero is present indicative 1st singular of querer, and quisiera is the imperfect subjunctive. So we're dealing with the same root word.
I take it that putting it in the subjuntive form is what makes it polite ... expressing the possibility that you might help me, rather than the more harsh "I want."
Since usted (formal) is the same in the subjunctive, a waiter can also say "quisiera agua" for would you like water, or I can say "quisiera agua" for I would like water.
beadman
sí verdad. "would like" is the usual translation although it's slightly misleading. I would say that quisiera = were to want rather than "would like" which maps to "gustaría".
quisiera proposes a hypothetical notion and this "implies" a conditional result
were I to want water you could sell me some
were sir to want water i would sell him some
so you effectively ask a question without actually requesting anything which avoids any obligation or imposition. nobody is commited to anything, one can ignore the "suggestion" with impunity or maintain that hey, it was just an idea, should things turn nasty.
the other day, I even used it for its primary purpose, instead of as a polite request, when i was translating a song into spanish and came across the line
if you wanted the sky i would write across the sky in letters that would soar 1000 ft high "to sir with love". (sorry i watch glee)
which, i believe, would be rendered something like
si quisiera usted el cielo, yo escribiría a través del cielo...
"if you wanted" isnt referring to a past event/state (quiso/quería) but a hypothetical one. its the imperfect subjunctive of "to want" in english i.e. Quisiera