Breakdown of En la sala de espera, cada paciente habla en voz baja para respetar el humor de los demás.
en
in
hablar
to speak
de
of
cada
each, every
Questions & Answers about En la sala de espera, cada paciente habla en voz baja para respetar el humor de los demás.
Why is it la sala de espera and not el sala de espera?
Because sala is a feminine noun in Spanish, so it takes the feminine article la.
- la sala = the room / the hall
- de espera = of waiting → la sala de espera = the waiting room
Even though espera (waiting) looks like a verb form (from esperar), here it’s a feminine noun too (la espera), used in a noun + de + noun structure, which is very common in Spanish.
Is sala de espera a fixed expression, or can I say something like cuarto de espera?
Sala de espera is the standard, natural expression for waiting room (in clinics, offices, stations, etc.).
- sala de espera = normal, what natives say
- cuarto de espera would sound odd or too literal in most contexts
You might occasionally hear área de espera or zona de espera in more technical or public-space contexts (airports, public offices), but for a doctor’s office, sala de espera is the usual phrase.
Why does it say cada paciente habla and not cada paciente hablan?