Raúl Copies Pages Before a Meeting (A1)
In an Oviedo office, Raúl wants one copy for each chair. The sheet jams, he removes it and a clip, then walks off with single-sided black and white pages.
La copiadora de la oficina
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About this article
What you'll learn
Present tense and querer: using one office copier, with the glass, the trays and a paper jam.
Raúl stands at the copier in his Oviedo office before a meeting. He wants a copy for every chair. He places the page face down, chooses one side in black and white, clears a jam and a clip, and leaves with the stack.
After reading
Article learning block
Phrases, words, grammar, and quick practice from this text.
Phrases for training
Add useful phrases to SRS or mark them as already known.
la copiadora es una máquina muy importante
newThe copy machine is a very important machine in any office.
This phrase introduces the topic and is a common way to emphasize importance of equipment.
Useful for talking about office equipment importance in workplace conversations.
pulsas el botón verde
newYou press the green button
Simple action phrase with color adjective. Common instruction in office contexts.
The most practical phrase for starting the copy process — essential office vocabulary.
la copiadora se atasca con el papel
newThe copy machine jams with paper
Se-pronoun used for passive constructions. Describes a common technical problem naturally.
Essential phrase for describing technical problems in the workplace.
hay que abrir la tapa
newYou have to open the lid
Hay que + infinitive expresses impersonal obligation. Common in instructions and advice.
Very common construction for giving instructions and explaining necessities.
nunca pongas objetos metálicos sobre el cristal
newNever put metal objects on the glass
Negative imperative: nunca + verb. Expresses a strong prohibition or safety rule.
Essential safety instruction. Also shows how to give strong prohibitions in Spanish.
Key words
Vocabulary that carries the school-day topic.
copy machine
la copiadora
copy machine / photocopier
Copiadora is the standard word for office copy machines. Feminine gender (la copiadora).
Core vocabulary for any office or workplace Spanish conversation.
the glass (scanning surface)
el cristal
the glass
In copy machine context, el cristal is the flat glass scanning surface where you place documents.
Key part of the machine — needed to understand and follow copy machine instructions.
paper tray
la bandeja
paper tray
La bandeja is the tray — one for blank paper going in, one for finished copies coming out.
Useful for describing any office machine that uses paper — printers, fax machines, etc.
toner
el tóner
toner
El tóner is the powder inside a copy machine that creates the printed image — like ink in a printer.
Needed for reporting maintenance issues and understanding supply replacement.
copies
las copias
copies
Las copias are the finished duplicate documents from the copy machine. Plural of copia.
Essential word for any office conversation about duplicating documents.
Grammar in context
Patterns from the text worth noticing after reading.
Negative imperative: nunca + verb
nunca pongas objetos metálicos sobre el cristal
Never put metal objects on the glass
In Spanish, negative prohibitions use nunca before the verb. The verb stays in imperative form without no.
Essential for giving strong safety warnings and prohibitions in workplace Spanish.
Hay que + infinitive construction
hay que abrir la tapa
You have to open the lid
Hay que + infinitive is an impersonal way to express necessity or obligation. It does not specify who must act.
One of the most common Spanish structures for instructions and general advice.
Se-pronoun in passive constructions
la copiadora se atasca
The copy machine jams
In Spanish, the pronoun se can indicate that an action is performed on the subject itself (the machine gets jammed).
Key grammar pattern for understanding many natural Spanish sentences with se.
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