Day 29: Words From Grandma's Ranch in Sonora
At a ranch near Álamos, Sonora, Camilo (A), a boy from Mexico City spending the summer there, asks his grandmother Otilia (B), who owns it, about the local words he keeps hearing.
How to study this lesson 3 steps
- Read the situation under the title. It says who is talking and how they know each other, which decides how politely they speak.
- 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.
- 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
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A
Abuela, don Cirilo me dijo que no me metiera bichi a la presa. ¿Bichi es un bicho?
Grandma, Don Cirilo told me not to go into the reservoir bichi. Is a bichi a bug?
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B
No, mijo, bichi es encuerado: que no te metas sin traje de baño.
No, honey, bichi means stark naked: he meant don't go in without your trunks.
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A
¡Con razón se rio! Luego me mandó con la plebe, y no conozco a ninguna señora Plebe.
No wonder he laughed! Then he sent me off to the plebe, and I don't know any Mrs. Plebe.
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B
La plebe son los chamacos, mijo. A los chiquitos les decimos buquis, palabra de la lengua mayo.
The plebe are the kids, honey. The little ones we call buquis, a word from the Mayo language.
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A
A pesar de que aquí hablan español, necesito traductor. Ayer la plebe me dio un chilito redondito y casi me muero.
Even though they speak Spanish here, I need a translator. Yesterday the plebe gave me a tiny round chili and I nearly died.
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B
Es el chiltepín: chiquito pero picoso, como tu abuela. Aun cuando se vea inocente, con uno basta.
That's the chiltepín: small but fiery, like your grandma. Even if it looks innocent, one is plenty.
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A
Ni crea, abuela: por más que me quede todo el verano, regreso hablando como chilango.
Don't you believe it, Grandma: even if I stay the whole summer, I'm going back talking like a chilango from Mexico City.
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B
Te apuesto una coyota a que para agosto hablas como yo, siempre y cuando sueltes el celular.
I bet you a coyota pastry that by August you'll talk like me, as long as you put your phone down.
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A
Sale, con tal de que sea de piloncillo. Ahorita vengo, que la plebe me espera en la presa, y voy con traje de baño.
Deal, as long as it's a brown-sugar one. Be right back, the plebe are waiting for me at the reservoir, and I'm going in my trunks.
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