Breakdown of La entrega se retrasó, pero la repartidora me dejó un recado en el buzón.
Questions & Answers about La entrega se retrasó, pero la repartidora me dejó un recado en el buzón.
Entrega here is a noun, not a verb. It means “delivery” (the event or act of delivering).
- Noun: la entrega = the delivery
- It’s feminine because entrega ends in -a and is grammatically feminine: la entrega, una entrega, las entregas.
- Verb: entregar = to deliver
- For example: El mensajero va a entregar el paquete – “The courier is going to deliver the package.”
So in this sentence you’re talking about the delivery as a thing (the scheduled delivery), not the action of delivering at that moment, so you use the noun la entrega.
Here se is part of the pronominal verb retrasarse, which means “to be delayed / to run late”.
- retrasar (non‑pronominal) = to delay something
- El tráfico retrasó la entrega. – “The traffic delayed the delivery.”
- retrasarse (pronominal) = to be delayed, to run late
- La entrega se retrasó. – “The delivery was delayed / ran late.”
So se doesn’t mean “itself” here; it just turns retrasar into retrasarse, which is the common way to say that something ended up being late.
Using pretérito (se retrasó) presents the delay as a completed event at a specific time:
- La entrega se retrasó.
→ “The delivery was delayed / ended up being late (on that occasion).”
If you said La entrega se retrasaba, it would sound like you’re describing an ongoing or habitual situation, for example:
- La entrega se retrasaba todos los meses.
→ “The delivery was late every month.”
In your sentence, it’s about one particular delivery that was delayed, so se retrasó (preterite) is the natural choice.
You can say La entrega fue retrasada, but it sounds more formal, passive, and a bit heavier. Also, it usually implies a clear external agent doing the delaying:
- La entrega fue retrasada por la empresa de mensajería.
→ “The delivery was delayed by the courier company.”
La entrega se retrasó is more neutral and common in everyday speech. It focuses on the result (“it was delayed”) without emphasizing who caused the delay.
In Latin American everyday Spanish, La entrega se retrasó is much more natural.
Yes. Repartidor / repartidora is the common word for a delivery person / delivery driver / courier.
- Masculine: el repartidor (a male delivery person, or generic if gender is unknown in some contexts)
- Feminine: la repartidora (specifically female)
So:
- la repartidora = the (female) delivery person
- el repartidor = the (male) delivery person
In many Latin American contexts you’ll also hear mensajero / mensajera, cadete (Argentina), or delivery (loanword, informal), but repartidor(a) is standard and widely understood.
You would just change the gender of the noun and article:
- La entrega se retrasó, pero el repartidor me dejó un recado en el buzón.
→ “The delivery was delayed, but the (male) delivery person left me a note in the mailbox.”
The rest of the sentence stays exactly the same.
Both are possible, but me dejó un recado is more natural and shorter.
- me is an indirect object pronoun meaning “to/for me”.
- dejó un recado = “(she) left a message/note”
- me dejó un recado = “(she) left me a message/note” / “left a message for me”
Spanish strongly prefers using indirect object pronouns like me, te, le, nos instead of para mí / para ti in these everyday structures:
- Me compró un regalo. – “She bought me a gift.”
(rather than Compró un regalo para mí in casual speech) - Me dejó un recado. – “She left me a note/message.”
Para mí is not wrong, but it’s more explicit or emphatic, and less idiomatic here.
Un recado is usually:
- A short written note (like a slip of paper or a note in the mailbox).
- Or a message passed on through someone (like “Tell him I called”).
In this sentence, context suggests a written note left in your mailbox.
Some common phrases:
- Dejar un recado – to leave a note/message
- Tomar un recado – to take a message (for someone else)
- ¿Quiere dejarle un recado? – “Would you like to leave him/her a message?”
Other words:
- mensaje – message (very common, especially digital: text, WhatsApp, etc.)
- aviso – notice, warning, announcement
Here, un recado fits well because it suggests a brief practical note (“I came by, you weren’t home…”), not a long message or formal announcement.
Both are possible:
- en el buzón – “in the mailbox”
- en mi buzón – “in my mailbox”
In context, en el buzón naturally refers to your mailbox, because we’re talking about your delivery. Spanish often uses the definite article (el/la) where English might say “my”:
- Me duele la cabeza. – “My head hurts.”
- Me dejaron un recado en el buzón. – “They left me a note in the mailbox.”
You would say en mi buzón only if you really needed to contrast it with someone else’s mailbox or emphasize possession.
Buzón is masculine: el buzón, un buzón, los buzones.
Main meanings:
- Mailbox / postbox (for letters)
- Dejó la carta en el buzón. – “He left the letter in the mailbox.”
- Voicemail (in phone systems)
- buzón de voz – voicemail inbox
In your sentence, it clearly means the physical mailbox where the delivery person leaves letters and notices.
Yes, that’s grammatically correct and natural. The difference is mostly emphasis:
- La entrega se retrasó, pero la repartidora…
– Starts by emphasizing that the delivery was delayed, then adds the consolation: someone left a note. - La repartidora me dejó un recado…, pero la entrega se retrasó.
– Starts by emphasizing the action of the delivery person, then adds that despite that, the delivery was delayed.
Both orders are fine; the original one highlights the problem (the delay) first.
Pero = “but” (simple contrast).
Sino = “but rather / but instead” (used to correct a previous negative statement).
In your sentence:
- La entrega se retrasó, pero la repartidora me dejó un recado…
→ “The delivery was delayed, but the delivery woman left me a note…”
That’s just a contrast: something bad (delay) vs. something good (note). There is no correction of a negative statement, so pero is the right connector.
Examples where sino fits:
- No fue la repartidora, sino el cartero.
→ “It wasn’t the delivery lady, but rather the mailman.” - No dejó un recado, sino un paquete.
→ “She didn’t leave a note, but instead a package.”
Yes. Me dejaron un recado en el buzón is very natural and common, especially when:
- You don’t know exactly who left it,
- Or the person doesn’t matter (only the fact that there’s a note matters).
This is an example of the impersonal “they” in Spanish using plural:
- Me llamaron ayer. – “They called me yesterday.” / “I got a call yesterday.”
- Me dejaron un recado. – “They left me a message/note.”
So you could say:
- La entrega se retrasó, pero me dejaron un recado en el buzón.
→ “The delivery was delayed, but they left me a note in the mailbox.”
This sounds very natural in Latin American Spanish.