Day 36: Too Solemn for the Memorial
In an empty classroom at the Universidad Michoacana in Morelia, whose students call themselves nicolaitas, Fabricio (A), a history student, reads his thesis advisor, Dr. Leticia Ponce (B), the speech he is to give at the memorial for a much-loved retired professor.
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
Doctora Ponce, ¿tiene cinco minutos? Me tocó el discurso de los estudiantes en el homenaje al maestro Villaseñor.
Dr. Ponce, do you have five minutes? I've been given the students' speech at the memorial for Professor Villaseñor.
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B
Claro, siéntese. Léame el principio, que ahí se gana o se pierde al público.
Of course, sit down. Read me the opening: that's where you win or lose an audience.
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A
“Hemos de recordarlo como un faro del saber nicolaita, cuya luz, aunque extinta, seguirá guiando nuestros pasos”.
“We must remember him as a beacon of nicolaita learning, whose light, though extinguished, will go on guiding our steps.”
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B
¿Faro del saber? Así se habla de un prócer de bronce, no del señor que nos daba clase en huaraches.
A beacon of learning? That's how you talk about a hero cast in bronze, not about the man who taught us in sandals.
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A
Es que va a estar el rector, y he de admitir que lo escribí más para él que para el maestro.
It's just that the rector will be there, and I have to admit I wrote it more for him than for the professor.
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B
Se nota. Fue el maestro quien nos enseñó que lo solemne es la forma más elegante de no decir nada.
It shows. It was the professor who taught us that solemnity is the most elegant way of saying nothing.
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A
Pues ayúdeme: en la facultad todos sonríen cuando lo mencionan, pero nadie me dice por qué.
Then help me: everyone in the department smiles when he's mentioned, but nobody will tell me why.
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B
Por su tesis. En la página ciento doce escondió una frase: “Al sinodal que lea esto le invito unas corundas”.
Because of his thesis. On page a hundred and twelve he hid a sentence: “I'll treat any committee member who reads this to corundas.”
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A
¿Y alguno se las cobró?
And did anyone take him up on it?
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B
Ninguno, y al final del examen se lo echó en cara al jurado. Desde entonces leía cada tesis completa, como yo leí la suya: acepto los uchepos de la página cuarenta.
Not one, and at the end of his defense he threw it in the committee's face. From then on he read every thesis cover to cover, as I did yours: I'll take you up on the uchepos on page forty.
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A
¿Llegó hasta la página cuarenta? Pues ya tengo el principio: “Maestro, he de confesarle que yo sí llegué a la ciento doce, y vengo por mis corundas”.
You got as far as page forty? Then I've got my opening: “Professor, I must confess that I did get to page a hundred and twelve, and I've come for my corundas.”
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