Breakdown of Mañana tengo una charla con el profesor.
con
with
mañana
tomorrow
tener
to have
el profesor
the teacher
un
a
la charla
the talk
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Spanish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Mañana tengo una charla con el profesor.
What does charla mean in this sentence?
Charla is a noun meaning talk, chat, or lecture. It usually refers to an informal or short presentation or conversation, less formal than a conferencia.
Why is the present tense tengo used for an event happening tomorrow?
In Spanish, it’s common to use the present tense with scheduled future events, similar to how you say I have a meeting tomorrow in English. Saying Mañana tengo… feels natural and idiomatic.
Why is there an indefinite article una before charla? Can’t it be omitted?
Spanish generally requires an article before singular, countable nouns. You can’t say tengo charla on its own; you need una charla to mean a talk.
Why is the definite article el used in el profesor instead of un profesor?
El profesor refers to a specific, known professor (for example, your own teacher). Using un profesor would mean some professor, without specifying who.
What does the preposition con indicate here?
Con means with. The phrase con el profesor translates as with the professor, showing the person you’ll have the talk with.
Could you put mañana at the end of the sentence? Would it change the meaning?
Yes. You can say Tengo una charla con el profesor mañana. It means the same thing, though beginning with Mañana (as in Mañana tengo…) adds a bit more emphasis on the time.
What’s the difference between charla and conferencia?
A charla is usually more informal and shorter, like a chat or brief talk. A conferencia tends to be more formal, longer, and often academic or professional.
Can you replace tengo una charla with voy a tener una charla? How do they differ?
Yes. Tengo una charla (present-tense schedule) and voy a tener una charla (near-future construction) both express a planned event. Tengo is more concise and common for fixed schedules, while voy a tener clearly emphasizes that it will happen in the future.