Day 71: Grandpa's Eulogy, Feud Included
At the kitchen table in Zacatecas, the night before his grandfather's funeral mass, Leonardo (A), a teenager, reads the eulogy he has written to his father Javier (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
Pa, ¿me escuchas tantito el discurso del abuelo? El perro ya lo oyó tres veces y no opina.
Dad, will you listen to my speech for Grandpa for a minute? The dog's already heard it three times and has no comment.
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B
Léelo despacio, que en Santo Domingo retumba todo y el padre nos dio cinco minutos.
Read it slowly: everything echoes in Santo Domingo, and the priest has given us five minutes.
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A
“Mi abuelo Higinio fue un hombre cuyo único pleito duró treinta años por un durazno, lo cual dice mucho de su paciencia”.
“My grandfather Higinio was a man whose only feud lasted thirty years over a peach tree, which says a lot about his patience.”
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B
Ahí párale. Lo de los Robles se corta, a menos que quieras que doña Conchita se salga a medio discurso.
Stop right there. The Robles business comes out, unless you want Doña Conchita walking out halfway through your speech.
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A
¿Cortarlo? Si era lo más abuelo que tenía: decía que todo durazno que cruzara la barda pedía asilo.
Cut it? It was the most Grandpa thing about him: he used to say any peach that crossed the wall was claiming asylum.
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B
Y cada Navidad les llevaba mermelada de sus propios duraznos, lo cual doña Conchita tomaba como declaración de guerra.
And every Christmas he took them jam made from their own peaches, which Doña Conchita took as a declaration of war.
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A
¿Y no es lo más bonito? Treinta años de pleito y ni una Navidad sin tocarles la puerta.
And isn't that the loveliest part? Thirty years of feuding and not one Christmas without knocking on their door.
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B
Te lo dejo, siempre y cuando lo cuentes con cariño. Acuérdate de que tu tía Lilia se va a sentar con su suegra.
You can keep it, as long as you tell it with affection. Remember your Aunt Lilia will be sitting with her mother-in-law.
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A
¿Con doña Conchita? Entonces cierro así: “Y la mermelada de este año se la llevo yo, con tal de que me abra”.
With Doña Conchita? Then I'll finish like this: “And this year I'll take her the jam myself, provided she opens the door.”
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B
Con eso llora hasta ella. Nomás que esta vez los duraznos se los pides, que el asilo se acabó con tu abuelo.
That'll make even her cry. Only this time you ask her for the peaches, because the asylum ended with your grandpa.
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A
Se los pido. Aunque, conociéndolo, a estas horas ya está alegando con San Pedro que lo que cruza una nube pide asilo.
I'll ask her. Although, knowing him, by now he's already arguing with Saint Peter that whatever crosses a cloud is claiming asylum.
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