Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Mi vecina me avisó cuando encontró mi cartera dentro del gimnasio. - My neighbor told me when she found my wallet inside the gym.

In Spain, avisar most often means to let someone know, notify, or inform. It can mean warn if there’s a risk or danger. If you want an unambiguous warn, use advertir. Here it means she let me know.

What is the role of me in me avisó?

me is the indirect object pronoun (to me). The usual pattern is: avisar a [someone] de [something] or avisar a [someone] de que + clause. So me avisó = she notified me.

Could I say Me avisó de que había encontrado mi cartera instead?

Yes, especially if you mean she told you later. In Spain it’s standard to say avisar de que + clause. Me avisó de que había encontrado mi cartera is natural. Using avisar que (without de) is common in much of Latin America but is less standard in Spain.

Why is cuando followed by the indicative (encontró) and not the subjunctive (encuentre)?

Because it refers to a specific, completed past event. With future or pending actions, Spanish uses the subjunctive: Avísame cuando la encuentres; Me avisará cuando la encuentre. For a past completed time, use the indicative: Me avisó cuando la encontró.

Could I use the imperfect (me avisaba… encontraba) here?

Only if you mean a repeated or habitual past situation, not a one‑off event. For example: Mi vecina me avisaba cuando encontraba paquetes en mi puerta (She used to let me know whenever she found packages).

Who found the wallet here—my neighbor or someone else?

Unless a new subject is introduced, the subject is understood to be the same as in the main clause. So it’s your neighbor. To make it someone else, you would say: …cuando el monitor la encontró or …cuando la encontraron.

Can I replace mi cartera with a pronoun?

Yes. cartera is feminine singular, so use la: Mi vecina me avisó cuando la encontró (dentro del gimnasio).

Is dentro del gimnasio necessary, or is en el gimnasio more natural?

Both are correct. en el gimnasio is neutral and common. dentro de emphasizes inside (as opposed to outside or at the entrance). Use dentro de if that contrast matters; otherwise en is fine.

Why is it del gimnasio and not de el gimnasio?

Spanish contracts de + el to del (and a + el to al). With feminine articles there’s no contraction: de la, a la.

Should cuando have an accent (cuándo)?

No. cuando is unaccented as a conjunction meaning when. The accented cuándo is only for questions or exclamations.

Can I say avisó me? Where do pronouns go?

With a conjugated verb, object pronouns go before it: me avisó, no me avisó. They attach after infinitives, gerunds, and affirmative imperatives: avisarme, avisándome, Avísame cuando la encuentres.

How do I say she notified me later, not at the exact moment she found it?

Use the past perfect or the de que construction:

Mi vecina me avisó de que había encontrado mi cartera (en el gimnasio).
Or: Mi vecina me avisó cuando ya la había encontrado, though with later notification, de que is clearer.

Is the present perfect common in Spain here?

Yes, for events within a still‑open timeframe (today, this morning), Spain often uses the present perfect: Mi vecina me ha avisado cuando la ha encontrado (hoy). In much of Latin America you’d hear the preterite: me avisó… encontró. Keep tenses consistent within the same time frame.

Why not encontrar a mi cartera (personal a)?

The personal a is generally for people (and beloved pets). With inanimate objects like a wallet, no personal a: encontró mi cartera, not encontró a mi cartera.

Can I say adentro del gimnasio?

In Spain, the standard is dentro del gimnasio or simply en el gimnasio. adentro de is used in some American varieties but is not typical in Spain; adentro is mainly an adverb there.

Why do avisó and encontró have accents?

They’re third‑person singular preterite forms in -ó, which carry a written accent to mark stress on the last syllable: avisó, encontró. Without the accent you’d get different forms or incorrect stress (e.g., aviso is I notify, present).

Can I change the word order for emphasis?

Yes. Spanish allows flexible order for focus:

A mí me avisó mi vecina cuando la encontró. (emphasizes me)
Fue mi vecina quien me avisó cuando la encontró. (emphasizes the neighbor)
Mi vecina me avisó a mí cuando la encontró. (adds emphasis on me)

Is cartera the right word for wallet in Spain?

Yes. In Spain, cartera is wallet, and bolso is handbag/purse. In much of Latin America, cartera often means handbag and billetera is wallet.