Day 122 of 135

Day 122: A Buyout Offer for the Distillery

At a family-owned tequila distillery in Tequila, Jalisco, José Antonio (A), the finance manager, asks two analysts, Julia (B) and Juan Pablo (C), to assess a buyout offer from a foreign spirits group.

How to study this lesson 3 steps
  1. Read the situation under the title. It says who is talking and how they know each other, which decides how politely they speak.
  2. Read the dialogue line by line with its translation, until every line makes sense. Point at (or tap) a Spanish word to see what it means.
  3. Spend at least 30 minutes listening to native Spanish, for example from the Resources page. It doesn't matter if you don't understand it yet.

Dialogue

Audio recordings are on the way. For now, each lesson is the dialogue with its English translation.

Keys: E hide English · ← → previous / next day · point at a word to see its meaning

  1. A

    Siéntense. Un grupo francés ofrece cuarenta millones de dólares por el setenta por ciento de la destilería, y la familia quiere nuestra recomendación para el viernes.

    Sit down. A French group is offering forty million dollars for seventy percent of the distillery, and the family wants our recommendation by Friday.

  2. B

    Ya tengo el primer párrafo, licenciado: “Si la familia rechazase la oferta, con las ventas a la baja, difícilmente recibiría otra igual”.

    I've already got the first paragraph: “Were the family to reject the offer, with sales falling, it would scarcely receive another like it.”

  3. C

    ¿“Rechazase”? Hablas como abogada de los franceses. Licenciado, esos grupos compran marcas para cambiarles el horno por un difusor y dejarles nomás la etiqueta.

    “Were the family to reject”? You sound like the French side's lawyer. These groups buy brands to swap their ovens for a diffuser and leave them nothing but the label.

  4. A

    Nadie habló de vender la receta. Por eso les pregunto en qué condiciones aceptarían, no si les cae bien el comprador.

    Nobody said anything about selling the recipe. That's why I'm asking you on what terms you'd accept, not whether you like the buyer.

  5. B

    Aceptamos, siempre y cuando conserven la marca y nuestra NOM, y a condición de que no toquen los hornos de mampostería durante diez años.

    We accept, as long as they keep the brand and our NOM registration number, and on condition that they don't touch the brick ovens for ten years.

  6. C

    ¿Diez años? Te prometen cien con tal de que firmes. Y a menos que haya penalización, al tercer año ya hay difusor.

    Ten years? They'll promise you a hundred as long as you sign. And unless there's a penalty, by the third year there'll be a diffuser.

  7. A

    Plantéenlo como para el consejo, que el dueño todo lo lee con lupa: si el grupo incumpliese, ¿qué le exigiríamos?

    Put it as you would for the board, since the owner goes over everything with a magnifying glass: were the group to break its word, what would we demand?

  8. C

    Revisé sus últimas tres adquisiciones, licenciado: en todas prometieron respetar la marca, y en dos la receta cambió al año.

    I've looked at their last three acquisitions: in all of them they promised to respect the brand, and in two the recipe changed a year later.

  9. B

    ¿Y hasta ahora lo dices? Pidamos una cláusula de recompra: si cambiasen el proceso, la familia recuperaría la marca al precio de venta.

    And you're only telling us now? Let's ask for a buyback clause: if they changed the process, the family would get the brand back at the sale price.

  10. C

    ¿Recuperarla con su propio dinero? Siempre que la cláusula quede así, hasta yo firmo, y eso que desconfío de mi sombra.

    Get it back with their own money? As long as the clause stays like that, even I'll sign, and I don't even trust my own shadow.

  11. A

    Eso sí lo llevo al consejo: vender, siempre y cuando haya recompra. Juan Pablo, tú la redactas, que para desconfiar no hay como tú.

    That I will take to the board: sell, as long as there's a buyback. Juan Pablo, you'll draft it, since nobody beats you at distrust.

  12. C

    Déjemela a mí. Y si la aceptasen, el brindis correría por mi cuenta, con tequila de la casa, mientras siga siendo de la casa.

    Leave it to me. And if they accepted it, the toast would be on me, with our own tequila, while it's still ours.

Your progress is saved in this browser only, with no sign-up. The course page and the menu show where you left off. Well done! Next up: Day 123: Checking Each Other's Science Posters 


If this free course has helped you in your Spanish journey, please consider supporting the project. It's a one-person effort, and even small contributions help keep it running and free for everyone.