Day 47: Packing for the Hurricane
At home in Mazatlán, under a hurricane warning, Elena (A), a Civil Protection officer, packs an emergency backpack with her young son David (B).
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
A ver, David, ya estamos en alerta naranja. En la mochila de emergencia solo va lo indispensable para tres dÃas.
OK, David, we're on orange alert now. Only the essentials for three days go in the emergency backpack.
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B
¿Y mi consola? Si se va la luz, alguien tiene que entretener a la familia. Yo la empaco.
What about my console? If the power goes out, someone's got to keep the family entertained. I'll pack it.
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A
Una consola sin luz es un pisapapeles carÃsimo, mi amor. Y cuanto menos llevemos, más rápido salimos.
A console without power is a very expensive paperweight, sweetheart. And the less we take, the faster we get out.
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B
Entonces llevo la pelota y el hueso de Canelo. Les tiene pánico a los truenos, y con sus juguetes se calma.
Then I'm taking Canelo's ball and his bone. He's terrified of thunder, and his toys calm him down.
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A
El hueso sÃ, siempre y cuando quepa junto a la linterna. La pelota se queda, a menos que la cargues tú.
The bone, yes, as long as it fits next to the flashlight. The ball stays, unless you carry it yourself.
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B
Mamá, ¿y si el huracán se lleva la casa? ¿Y si en el refugio no dejan entrar a Canelo?
Mom, what if the hurricane takes the house? What if they don't let Canelo into the shelter?
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A
MÃrame. Te lo digo como funcionaria de Protección Civil: la casa es de concreto, la marejada no llega hasta acá y en el refugio de la secundaria sà aceptan perros.
Look at me. I'm telling you this as a Civil Protection officer: the house is concrete, the storm surge doesn't reach this far and the shelter at the middle school does take dogs.
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B
¿Palabra? Entonces saco la consola y meto más croquetas, por si nos quedamos muchos dÃas.
Promise? Then I'll take the console out and put more dog food in, in case we're there for days.
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A
Muy bien, negociador. Cuanto menos cargues, más libres te quedan las manos para la correa.
Very well, negotiator. The less you carry, the freer your hands are for the leash.
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B
Pero que conste en el acta: la consola se queda bajo protesta, y Canelo me debe una.
But let the record show: the console stays behind under protest, and Canelo owes me one.
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