En el voluntariado de la biblioteca, la bibliotecaria nos enseña a ayudar con paciencia a los lectores nuevos.

In the library volunteer program, the librarian teaches us to help new readers patiently.

Breakdown of En el voluntariado de la biblioteca, la bibliotecaria nos enseña a ayudar con paciencia a los lectores nuevos.

• en: in
• de: of
• nuevo: new
• la biblioteca: the library
• a: to
• los: the
• ayudar: to help
• nos: us
• enseñar: to teach
• con paciencia: patiently
• la bibliotecaria: the librarian
• el voluntariado: the volunteer work
• el lector: the reader

Questions & Answers about En el voluntariado de la biblioteca, la bibliotecaria nos enseña a ayudar con paciencia a los lectores nuevos.

Why does the sentence start with En el voluntariado de la biblioteca instead of just En la biblioteca?

En el voluntariado de la biblioteca is more specific than just En la biblioteca.

• voluntariado = the volunteer program / volunteer work itself, as a noun.
  • hacer voluntariado = to do volunteer work
  • el voluntariado de la biblioteca = the library’s volunteer program

So:

• En el voluntariado de la biblioteca ≈ In the library’s volunteer program / When we’re doing volunteer work at the library.
• En la biblioteca would just mean At the library, without saying that this is in the context of volunteer work.

Both are grammatical, but en el voluntariado de la biblioteca tells you which aspect of the library we’re talking about.

What exactly does voluntariado mean? How is it different from voluntario?

• voluntariado (noun) = volunteering or volunteer program/work.
  • Hago voluntariado en un hospital. = I do volunteer work in a hospital.
• voluntario / voluntaria (adjective or noun):
  • adjective: voluntary
    
    • trabajo voluntario = voluntary work / volunteer work
  • noun: a volunteer (person)
    
    • Soy voluntario en la biblioteca. = I’m a volunteer at the library.

In this sentence, we’re talking about the activity/program itself, so voluntariado (not voluntario) is the right word.

Why is it la bibliotecaria and not el bibliotecario or just la biblioteca?

• bibliotecaria = female librarian
• bibliotecario = male librarian
• biblioteca = library (the place), not the person

So la bibliotecaria means the (female) librarian.

If it was a male librarian, it would be:

• En el voluntariado de la biblioteca, el bibliotecario nos enseña…

If you don’t want to specify gender, you can rephrase, for example:

• el personal de la biblioteca = the library staff
• la persona encargada de la biblioteca = the person in charge of the library

What does nos mean in la bibliotecaria nos enseña? Can I say enseña a nosotros instead?

• nos here = “us”.
  The structure is:
  (Subject) + (indirect object pronoun) + (verb)
  → La bibliotecaria nos enseña… = The librarian teaches us…

You cannot replace it with enseña a nosotros in the same way:

• La bibliotecaria enseña a nosotros sounds wrong or at least very unnatural.
• Correct options:
  • La bibliotecaria nos enseña.
  • La bibliotecaria nos enseña a nosotros. (emphasis on us, e.g., she teaches us, not them)

So nos is obligatory; a nosotros is optional for emphasis or contrast.

Why is it nos enseña a ayudar and not nos enseña ayudar or nos enseña cómo ayudar?

With a verb after enseñar (“to teach someone to do something”), Spanish normally uses:

enseñar a + infinitive

So:

• nos enseña a ayudar = teaches us to help

Compare:

• enseñar algo a alguien = to teach something to someone
  
  • Nos enseña matemáticas. = She teaches us math.
• enseñar a hacer algo = to teach (someone) to do something
  
  • Nos enseña a ayudar. = She teaches us to help.

nos enseña ayudar (without a) sounds wrong.

nos enseña cómo ayudar also exists and is correct, but it focuses more on the method (“teaches us how to help”), often with more explanation or detail. Here, nos enseña a ayudar is more neutral and standard.

Why are there two a’s in nos enseña a ayudar con paciencia a los lectores nuevos? Is that correct?

Yes, both a’s are correct and have different functions:

1. a ayudar

   • This a belongs to the pattern enseñar a + infinitive
   • nos enseña a ayudar = teaches us to help

2. a los lectores nuevos

   • This a is required with ayudar when you say who you help:
   • ayudar a alguien = to help someone
   • ayudar a los lectores nuevos = to help the new readers

So the structure is:

• nos enseña → she teaches us
• a ayudar → to help
• con paciencia → with patience
• a los lectores nuevos → (help) the new readers

Two a’s in a row is completely normal here.

Why do we say ayudar a los lectores nuevos and not just ayudar los lectores nuevos?

With people, Spanish typically uses a before the person: this is often called the “personal a.”

The verb ayudar almost always takes a before the person you help:

• Ayudamos a los niños. = We help the children.
• Quiero ayudar a mi amigo. = I want to help my friend.

So:

• ayudar a los lectores nuevos = to help the new readers

Without a, ayudar los lectores nuevos sounds ungrammatical to a native speaker.

Why is it lectores nuevos and not nuevos lectores? What’s the difference?

Both orders are grammatically correct, but the nuance is a bit different:

• lectores nuevos (noun + adjective)

  • More neutral, default order.
  • Often means: readers who happen to be new in this context (they’re new to the library, new at reading, etc.).

• nuevos lectores (adjective + noun)

  • Also can mean new readers, but this order can sound slightly more classifying or emphasizing the “newness” as a category:
    • like “new readers (as a group)” vs. established readers.

In casual speech, many people would use either one.

In this sentence, lectores nuevos sounds very natural: the focus is on the readers, and we are just adding that they’re new.

Could the sentence also be la bibliotecaria nos enseña a ayudar pacientemente instead of con paciencia? What’s the difference?

Yes, pacientemente is grammatically correct:

• ayudar con paciencia
• ayudar pacientemente

Both mean to help patiently, but there’s a stylistic difference:

• con paciencia (with + noun)

  • Very common in everyday speech.
  • Sounds natural and conversational.

• pacientemente (adverb)

  • Also fine, but often sounds a bit more formal, literary, or “written.”

In Latin American everyday Spanish, con paciencia is probably more frequent in this type of sentence.

In la bibliotecaria nos enseña a ayudar con paciencia a los lectores nuevos, who is being patient — us or the readers?

The structure implies that we are the ones who are patient while we help:

• nos enseña a ayudar con paciencia → she teaches us to help with patience
  = she teaches us to be patient helpers.

If you wanted to say that the readers are the patient ones, you’d normally rephrase:

• …los lectores nuevos, que son muy pacientes.
• …a los lectores nuevos, que esperan con paciencia.

So in the original sentence, con paciencia clearly modifies the way we help, not the readers’ attitude.

Why is enseña in the simple present, and not está enseñando?

Spanish uses the simple present much more than English to talk about:

• habitual actions
• general truths
• routines

So:

• La bibliotecaria nos enseña…
  = The librarian teaches us…
  and can easily imply:
  • She does this regularly.
  • This is part of her role or what she usually does.

Nos está enseñando… would suggest something more like:

• She is in the process of teaching us (right now / during this period).

Both forms are possible, but for a general statement about what happens in the volunteer program, enseña (simple present) is the natural choice.

Is the structure enseñar algo a alguien still visible in this sentence? How is the grammar organized?

Yes, the basic pattern enseñar algo a alguien is still there, just with “algo” expressed as a verb phrase:

• enseñar algo a alguien
  
  • algo = what is taught
  • a alguien = to whom it is taught

In the sentence:

• la bibliotecaria = subject (who teaches)
• nos = indirect object pronoun (to whom? → to us)
• enseña = verb
• a ayudar con paciencia a los lectores nuevos = what she teaches us to do

So you can map it like this:

• Nos enseña [a ayudar con paciencia a los lectores nuevos].
  
  • She teaches us [to help the new readers patiently].

Grammatically:

• nos = indirect object
• a ayudar… = infinitive clause functioning as the direct object of enseña.