Day 50: Grandma's Complaint About the Data Plan
At home in Zacatecas, Hermelinda (A), a retired civil servant, dictates a formal complaint about the family's cell phone data to her daughter Denisse (B), who types it up, while Denisse's teenage son Dylan (C) listens.
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
-
A
Escribe, Denisse: “La suscrita presenta formal queja contra el menor Dylan, quien viene gastando los datos del plan familiar”.
Write this down, Denisse: “The undersigned hereby lodges a formal complaint against the minor Dylan, who has been using up the family plan's data.”
-
B
Ay, mamá, ni que fuera fraude fiscal. Pero ándele, dicte, que yo tecleo.
Oh, Mom, it's hardly tax fraud. But go on, dictate, and I'll type.
-
A
Treinta años redactĂ© oficios en Finanzas del estado, y ni el gobierno se acababa el presupuesto el dĂa doce.
I spent thirty years drafting official letters at the state finance department, and not even the government got through its budget by the twelfth.
-
C
ÂżUna queja contra mĂ, abuela? Si nomás ando haciendo la tarea, se lo juro por mi abuelita. Digo, por usted.
A complaint against me, Grandma? I'm only doing my homework, I swear on my granny's life. I mean, on yours.
-
A
La tarea no grita “¡revĂvanme!” a las dos de la mañana. Anota: “En lo sucesivo, el menor se abstendrá de jugar en lĂnea de noche”.
Homework doesn't shout “Revive me!” at two in the morning. Take this down: “Henceforth, the minor shall refrain from playing online at night.”
-
B
¿A las dos, Dylan? Con razón batallo tanto para despertarte. Oiga, ¿y usted cómo sabe eso, mamá?
At two, Dylan? No wonder it's such a struggle to wake you up. Hang on, and how do you know that, Mom?
-
C
Buena pregunta, ma. Pásame la compu, que tengo derecho de réplica, ¿verdad, abuela?
Good question, Mom. Pass me the laptop, I have a right of reply, don't I, Grandma?
-
A
Concedido, pero nada de emojis, y cierras con “sin otro particular”, como la gente decente. Y tengo el sueño ligero, para que sepas.
Granted, but no emojis, and you close with “Sincerely,” like decent people. And I'm a light sleeper, just so you know.
-
C
“El suscrito informa que, conforme al historial, dieciséis de los veinte gigas se fueron en el celular de la abuela, de madrugada”.
“The undersigned reports that, according to the usage history, sixteen of the twenty gigabytes went on Grandma's phone, in the small hours.”
-
A
Eso es distinto: yo ando viendo las misas de Plateros. Bueno, y una que otra novela turca.
That's different: I've been watching the Masses from the Plateros shrine. Well, and the odd Turkish soap.
-
B
Pues resuelvo yo: el paquete extra lo pagan a medias usted y Dylan, y esto surte efecto hoy. Sin otro particular, mamá.
Well, I'll rule on it: you and Dylan split the cost of the extra data, and this takes effect today. Sincerely, Mom.
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 51: The Ambassador's Memoirs, Unedited
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.