Day 6: Who Takes Over the Carnitas Stand
Behind the family's carnitas stand in Quiroga, Michoacán, Efraín (A), who runs it, talks to his son Alonso (B), an architecture student in Morelia who is home on break.
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
Ahora que andas de vacaciones, mijo, quiero que te vayas quedando al frente del cazo.
Now that you're on vacation, son, I want you to start taking over at the cauldron.
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B
¿Del cazo? Apá, me falta un año para titularme, no me quemé las pestañas para acabar despachando maciza.
The cauldron? Dad, I've got a year left before I graduate, I didn't burn the midnight oil to end up dishing out lean pork.
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A
Con esa maciza te pago la carrera, arquitecto, y cuanto más la desprecias, más me duele.
That lean pork pays for your degree, Mr. Architect, and the more you look down on it, the more it hurts.
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B
No la desprecio, apá, pero cuanto más me lo pides, menos ganas me dan de venir.
I don't look down on it, Dad, but the more you ask me, the less I feel like coming home.
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A
Pues sin ti, el puesto se lo traspaso a los de enfrente, esos que le echan refresco al cazo.
Well, without you, I'll hand the stand over to those guys across the way, the ones who put soda in the cauldron.
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B
Si me quedo, voy a acabar como tú, levantándome a las cuatro sin haber construido nada mío.
If I stay, I'll end up like you, getting up at four without having built anything of my own.
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A
¿Y a poco esto no lo construí yo? Lo que me da miedo es que te avergüences de nosotros.
And you're telling me I didn't build this? What scares me is that you're ashamed of us.
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B
No me avergüenzo, apá; me da miedo no estar a tu altura, ni aquí ni en un despacho.
I'm not ashamed, Dad; I'm scared I won't live up to you, either here or at a firm.
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A
Entonces diséñame el local nuevo, arquitecto, y el cazo lo decidimos después. Eso sí, cuanto antes, mejor.
Then design me the new place, Mr. Architect, and we'll decide about the cauldron later. But the sooner the better.
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