to be in Málaga by eight o’clock.Wherever you stay you’ll need to find out what’s allowed and what isn’t, such as where you can park, where you can camp and so on. Use ¿Puedo…? (Can I…?) and ¿Podemos…? (Can we…?) to ask if you can do something. They’re both from the verb poder. For more information on poder, see here.
Can I…?
| ¿Puedo ver la habitación primero? | Can I see the room first? |
| ¿Puedo dejar aquí las maletas cinco minutos? | Can I leave my suitcases here for five minutes? |
| ¿Puedo fumar aquí? | Can I smoke in here? |
| ¿Podemos acampar aquí? | Can we camp here? |
| ¿Podemos bañarnos en la piscina? | Can we use the pool? |
Do you mind if…?
| ¿Le importa que aparque el coche fuera un momento? | Do you mind if I park my car outside for a moment? |
| ¿Le importa que pague con tarjeta de crédito? | Do you mind if I pay by credit card? |
| ¿Le importa que lleguemos tarde? | Is it ok if we arrive slightly late? |
SAYING WHAT YOU LIKE, DISLIKE, PREFER
When talking about what kind of accommodation you like, remember that the Spanish for I like works rather differently from English. You use me gusta with singular words and me gustan with plural ones.
I like…
| Me gusta quedarme en hoteles pequeños. | I like staying in small hotels. |
| Me gustan las casas antiguas de estilo español. | I like old Spanish houses. |
| Me encanta esta pensión. | I love this guest house. |
| Nos encantan los campings de montaña. | We love campsites in the mountains. |
And to say what you don’t like, you simply put the word no in front of me gusta or me gustan.
I don’t like…
| No me gusta esta habitación, es muy oscura. | I don’t like this room, it’s too dark. |
| No me gusta cenar en el hotel. | I don’t like having dinner at the hotel. |
| No me gustan los hoteles modernos de la costa. | I don’t like the modern hotels on the coast. |
| No nos gusta alojarnos en apartamentos. | We don’t like staying in apartments. |
To say what you prefer, you can use prefiero (I’d prefer).
I’d prefer…
| Prefiero una habitación en la planta baja. | I’d prefer a room on the ground floor. |
| Prefiero quedarme sólo una noche. | I’d rather stay for just one night. |
| Prefiero la media pensión a la pensión completa. | I’d rather have half board than full board. |
| Preferimos un hotel céntrico. | We’d prefer a hotel in the centre. |
If you’re with Spanish-speaking friends or colleagues when looking for somewhere to stay, you’ll need to be able to suggest things. One way of doing this is to use ¿Qué te parece si…? ¿ or ¿Y si…? (How about…?) followed by a verb in the present tense. For more on the present tense, see here.
How about…?
| ¿Qué te parece si nos quedamos un día más? | How about staying one more day? |
| ¿Qué te parece si buscamos alojamiento en el centro? | How about looking for accommodation in the centre of town? |
| ¿Y si alquilamos un apartamento. | How about renting an apartment? |
| ¿Y si pasamos la noche aquí? | How about spending the night here? |
Why don’t…?
| ¿Por qué no preguntamos en la oficina de turismo? | Why don’t we ask at the tourist office? |
| ¿Por qué no te quedas en un hotel más barato? | Why don’t you stay at a cheaper hotel? |
| ¿Por qué no buscamos un camping más cercano a la costa? | Why don’t we look for a campsite nearer the coast? |
To make a suggestion about what you could do, use podríamos (we could).
We could…
| Podríamos preguntar en la oficina de turismo. | We could ask at the tourist office. |
| Podríamos intentar en el Hotel Europa. | We could try the Hotel Europa. |
| Podríamos llamar al propietario. | We could try phoning the landlord. |
Deciding on where you’re going to stay is a major part of planning a trip or holiday, so you may well want to talk about those plans in Spanish. Use voy a (I’m going to) or vamos a (we’re going to) and the infinitive to talk about what you’re planning to do. They’re from the verb ir (to go). For more on ir, see here.
I’m going to…
| Voy a alquilar una casa en las montañas. | I’m going to rent a villa in the mountains. |
| Voy a quedarme en un hotel en Barcelona. | I’m going to stay in a hotel in Barcelona. |
| Vamos a quedarnos con unos amigos españoles en Madrid. | We’re going to stay with some Spanish friends in Madrid. |
Another way of talking about your plans is to use tengo pensado
