Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): La cafetería queda en la planta baja del edificio nuevo. - The cafeteria is on the ground floor of the new building.

In this sentence, queda means “is located.” It’s very common in Spanish (especially when giving directions) to use quedar for the location of places. You could also say La cafetería está en…, which is equally correct. Many speakers feel queda sounds a bit more “directional” or like you’re pointing out where something is, while está is the general “is.”

What is queda grammatically?

Queda is the 3rd person singular, present tense of quedar. The subject is la cafetería (singular), so you use queda. If it were plural, you’d use quedan: Las cafeterías quedan… A very common question form is ¿Dónde queda…? (“Where is … located?”).

What other meanings does quedar have?

Besides “to be located,” quedar can mean:

“to remain/be left”: Queda poco café. (There’s little coffee left.)
“to end up/turn out”: La reunión quedó larga.
“to fit” (clothes): La camisa me queda grande.
“to arrange to meet/to agree”: Quedamos en vernos a las cinco. (We agreed to meet at five.)

Why is it en la planta baja and not a la planta baja or de la planta baja?

Use en for location (in/on/at). A is mainly for movement or direction (to/toward), and de often shows origin or possession. So you say queda en la planta baja. You would only use a with quedar when giving a distance or time: queda a dos cuadras; queda a 10 minutos.

Why is it del edificio nuevo instead of de el edificio nuevo?

Spanish contracts de + el to del before a masculine singular noun. So del edificio is mandatory, just like al comes from a + el. Note this does not happen with él (he/him): de él stays separate.

What exactly does planta baja mean?

Planta baja is the ground floor (street level). On signs and elevators in Latin America you’ll often see PB for planta baja. The phrase en la planta baja means “on the ground floor.”

Could I say primer piso instead of planta baja?

Be careful. In most of Latin America (and Spain), planta baja is the ground floor and primer piso is the floor above it. If you say primer piso, many listeners will think you mean the first floor above ground level. To avoid confusion, use planta baja for ground level.

Why is nuevo placed after edificio? What’s the difference between edificio nuevo and nuevo edificio?

Adjective position can change meaning:

edificio nuevo = a building that’s new/brand-new.
nuevo edificio = a new/different/additional building (new to you, not necessarily just built). In the sentence, edificio nuevo points to the building’s recent construction or newness.

Why does nuevo end in -o here?

Adjectives agree with the noun’s gender and number. Edificio is masculine singular, so nuevo is masculine singular. For a feminine noun like casa, you’d say casa nueva; for plurals, edificios nuevos, casas nuevas.

Could I drop the article and say Cafetería queda…?

Not in normal sentences. Spanish typically requires the article, so La cafetería queda… is the natural form. You might omit articles in headlines, labels, or signs: Cafetería: planta baja, but not in regular speech.

What’s the difference between cafetería and café?

cafetería: a cafeteria/coffee shop, often with a counter, simple meals, and drinks.
café: can mean “coffee” (the drink) or “a café/coffeehouse” (the place). Context tells you which one: Voy al café (the café), Tomo un café (a coffee).

Any pronunciation tips for words in this sentence?

queda: KEH-dah. The u in qu is silent before e/i.
cafetería: cah-feh-teh-REE-ah. The accent on -rí- marks the stress.
edificio: eh-dee-FEE-syo (Latin America pronounces ci like an English “s”).
planta baja: PLAN-ta BA-ha. In Latin America, j/g before e/i sounds like English “h.”
nuevo: NWEH-vo (the ue is one syllable).

Can I rephrase the sentence with other common verbs?

Yes. Natural alternatives include:

La cafetería está en la planta baja del edificio nuevo.
La cafetería se encuentra en la planta baja del edificio nuevo.
La cafetería está ubicada en la planta baja del edificio nuevo. All mean essentially the same thing.

How do I express distances with quedar?

Use quedar + a + distance/time:

La cafetería queda a dos cuadras de aquí.
El banco queda a 10 minutos caminando.
El museo queda a tres paradas de metro.

How would I say this in the past?

For past location as background or a former situation, use the imperfect:

La cafetería quedaba/estaba en la planta baja…
Use the preterite quedó for a resulting position after a change:
El cuadro quedó en la pared. (It ended up on the wall after being hung.)
For a building’s ongoing location in the past, quedaba/estaba is the natural choice.