En la tienda de videojuegos
Buying a new game · a free Spanish immersion capsule
Useful sentences · 10
Phrases you'll actually use today. Tap Explain for the why behind each one.
¿Tienen algún juego nuevo de aventura?
Do you have any new adventure games?
Literal Do you have any game new of adventure?
A natural way to ask a store clerk what's in stock. 'Tienen' uses the ustedes form of 'tener' as a polite way to address the store.
- 'tener' conjugated as 'tienen' (formal/plural you)
- 'algún' is the masculine singular form of 'alguno', used before a masculine noun
- Adjective 'nuevo' follows the noun in natural speech
¿Me puedes recomendar algo para principiantes?
Can you recommend something for beginners?
Literal Can you recommend to me something for beginners?
The indirect object pronoun 'me' sits before the verb to mean 'recommend to me'. 'Puedes' is informal 'you can', natural for casual store conversation.
- Indirect object pronoun 'me' placed before the conjugated verb
- 'poder' + infinitive expresses ability or polite request
- 'principiantes' = beginners, plural noun
Este juego es más caro que el otro.
This game is more expensive than the other one.
Literal This game is more expensive than the other.
'Más + adjective + que' is the standard Spanish comparative structure, equivalent to English 'more...than' or the '-er than' form.
- Comparative structure: más + adjective + que
- Demonstrative 'este' agrees with masculine noun 'juego'
- 'caro' (expensive) is the adjective being compared
¿Este juego es compatible con la PlayStation?
Is this game compatible with the PlayStation?
Literal This game is compatible with the PlayStation?
In spoken Spanish, questions are often formed by raising intonation without changing word order. The written inverted question mark ¿ signals this.
- Question formed by intonation alone — no word-order inversion required
- 'compatible con' = compatible with; preposition 'con' is fixed with this adjective
- Inverted opening '¿' is standard Spanish punctuation
¿Hay alguna promoción hoy?
Is there any promotion today?
Literal Is there any promotion today?
'Hay' is the impersonal form of 'haber' meaning 'there is/are'. It never changes for singular or plural and is essential for asking about availability.
- 'hay' = there is / there are — impersonal, invariable form of 'haber'
- 'alguna' is feminine to agree with 'promoción'
- No subject pronoun needed with 'hay'
Prefiero los juegos de rol a los de acción.
I prefer role-playing games over action games.
Literal I prefer the games of role to the ones of action.
'Preferir... a' expresses preference in Spanish. The definite articles 'los' are used because we're talking about entire genres in general.
- 'preferir + a' compares two things you prefer between
- Generic plural uses definite article: 'los juegos'
- 'de rol' and 'de acción' are noun phrases modifying 'juegos'
¿Cuántos jugadores pueden jugar al mismo tiempo?
How many players can play at the same time?
Literal How many players can play at the same time?
'¿Cuántos?' (how many?) is used with masculine plural nouns. 'Pueden' + infinitive asks about capability. 'Al' is the contraction of 'a + el'.
- Interrogative '¿Cuántos?' agrees with masculine plural noun 'jugadores'
- 'al mismo tiempo' = at the same time; 'al' is the contraction of 'a + el'
- 'poder' + infinitive expresses capability
Si me llevo los dos, ¿podrías hacerme un descuento?
If I take both, could you give me a discount?
Literal If I take the two for myself, could you make me a discount?
The conditional 'podrías' softens the request into a polite suggestion. 'Si + present tense' sets up a real, possible condition. 'Me llevo' uses the reflexive verb 'llevarse' to express taking something for oneself.
- Reflexive 'me llevo' (llevarse, to take for oneself): 1st-person singular present
- Conditional 'podrías' (you could) for polite requests
- 'si + present tense' for a real/possible condition
- Double object in 'hacerme': 'me' (indirect) + 'un descuento' (direct)
¿Este juego tiene modo multijugador en línea?
Does this game have an online multiplayer mode?
Literal This game has multiplayer mode online?
'En línea' (literally 'on line') is the standard Latin American Spanish phrase for online/internet-connected. Another question formed by intonation.
- Question by intonation — no auxiliary verb like 'does' is needed
- 'tener' used to talk about features something has
- 'en línea' = online; a fixed phrase, always follows what it describes
Me lo llevo, ¿acepta tarjeta?
I'll take it, do you accept card?
Literal I take it to me, do you accept card?
'Me lo llevo' is the idiomatic phrase for 'I'll take it' in any shop. 'Lo' is the direct object pronoun referring back to the game. '¿Acepta tarjeta?' is the standard checkout question.
- 'me lo llevo' = I'll take it — reflexive 'me' + direct object pronoun 'lo'
- 'lo' replaces the masculine noun 'juego' already established in context
- '¿Acepta tarjeta?' uses formal 'usted' conjugation at the point of purchase
New words · 10
Themed vocabulary, each with an example you can borrow.
juego
game
Este juego tiene muy buenas reseñas.
This game has very good reviews.
Can also mean 'play' (el juego libre = free play) or 'set' in other contexts
recomendar
to recommend
¿Me puedes recomendar un buen juego de estrategia?
Can you recommend a good strategy game to me?
Stem-changing verb: recomiendo, recomiendas, recomienda in present tense
descuento
discount
Hay un descuento del veinte por ciento esta semana.
There is a twenty percent discount this week.
compatible
compatible
¿Este juego es compatible con mi consola?
Is this game compatible with my console?
Same form for masculine and feminine; add -s for plural: compatibles
promoción
promotion / sale
¿Tienen alguna promoción esta semana?
Do you have any promotion this week?
multijugador
multiplayer
El modo multijugador es lo mejor del juego.
The multiplayer mode is the best part of the game.
Used as an invariable adjective — does not change for gender or number
consola
console
¿Para qué consola es este juego?
Which console is this game for?
preferir
to prefer
Prefiero los juegos de aventura a los de deportes.
I prefer adventure games over sports games.
Stem-changing e→ie: prefiero, prefieres, prefiere, preferimos, prefieren
precio
price
¿Cuál es el precio de este juego?
What is the price of this game?
tarjeta
card (credit/debit)
¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?
Can I pay by card?
Short for 'tarjeta de crédito' or 'tarjeta de débito'
Short reading
A tiny story stitched from today's words. Translation is hidden, tap to peek.
Marcos entró a la tienda y enseguida le llamó la atención un juego nuevo en la vitrina. Le preguntó al vendedor si era compatible con su consola y si había alguna promoción. El vendedor le explicó que ese juego tenía un descuento especial ese fin de semana. Marcos lo comparó con otro título y, como prefería los juegos de rol, se decidió por ese. Al final, pagó con tarjeta y salió contento con su nueva compra.
Sentence by sentence
le llamó la atención
caught his attention
An idiomatic phrase meaning something drew one's notice. Literally 'called his attention to him'. The indirect object pronoun 'le' refers to Marcos.
si era compatible con su consola
if it was compatible with his console
An indirect question using 'si' (if/whether) + imperfect tense to report what was asked. The imperfect 'era' reflects that we are narrating in the past.
ese fin de semana
that weekend
'Ese' is the demonstrative 'that' for masculine nouns, referring to something at a slight distance or in the recent past. 'Fin de semana' is always treated as masculine.
se decidió por ese
he decided on that one
'Decidirse por' means to make a decision in favor of something. 'Ese' stands alone as a demonstrative pronoun, replacing the noun already understood from context.
salió contento con su nueva compra
left happy with his new purchase
'Salir + adjective' describes the emotional state someone is in when leaving. 'Compra' (purchase) is a common noun derived from the verb 'comprar' (to buy).
Pattern of the day
One grammar move, explained once, that unlocks dozens of sentences.
Comparative Adjectives: más / menos + adjective + que
To compare two things in Spanish, place 'más' (more) or 'menos' (less) before the adjective, then add 'que' (than) before the second item. Spanish also has four irregular comparative forms that replace 'más + adjective' in most contexts: bueno → mejor (better), malo → peor (worse), grande → mayor (older or greater in rank), pequeño → menor (younger or lesser in rank). For physical size, use 'más grande' and 'más pequeño' instead. Note that 'más bueno' and 'más malo' do exist, but they carry distinct moral meanings (kinder in character, more naughty or wicked) that differ from 'mejor' and 'peor', which refer to quality or degree.
más / menos + [adjective] + que + [noun or pronoun]
Este juego es más caro que el otro.
This game is more expensive than the other one.
La historia es menos interesante que los gráficos.
The story is less interesting than the graphics.
El modo multijugador es mejor que el modo historia.
The multiplayer mode is better than the story mode.
El precio en esta tienda es peor que en línea.
The price at this store is worse than online.
Mini practice · 5
Low-pressure, never graded. Just enough to make it stick.
Can you recommend something for beginners?
Hint Think about asking a game store clerk for a recommendation
Este juego es _____ caro que el otro.
Hint You need a comparative word for 'more expensive than'
¿Hay alguna promoción hoy?
Hint Think about looking for discounts or special offers
Which sentence best compares two games?
Rewrite using a comparative adjective: 'Game A has multiplayer, Game B does not have multiplayer'
Hint Use 'más... que' with a gradable adjective such as 'completo' to compare the two games
That’s today’s phraseberry.
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