Day 161 of 215

Day 161: The Maintenance Fee Goes Up

At the pharmacy downstairs in her apartment building in Colonia Roma, Mexico City, Doña Aurelia (A), an older resident, stops to talk to Uriel (B), the young pharmacist, the morning after a residents' meeting (doña is a respectful title used with an older woman's first name).

How to study this lesson 3 steps
  1. Read the situation under the title. It says who is talking and how they know each other, which decides how politely they speak.
  2. 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.
  3. 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

  1. A

    ¿Ya supo, joven? Anoche en la junta se decidió subir la cuota.

    Have you heard, young man? At the meeting last night they decided to raise the maintenance fee.

  2. B

    Ya me contaron, doña Aurelia. ¿Y de cuánto es ahora?

    So I heard, Doña Aurelia. How much is it now?

  3. A

    Son 1,800 pesos, y se paga el día cinco. ¡Con mi pensión!

    1,800 pesos, due on the fifth. On my pension!

  4. B

    Pero con la cuota vieja el elevador fallaba cada semana, ¿no?

    But on the old fee the elevator broke down every week, didn't it?

  5. A

    Eso sí. Una vez se paró conmigo adentro casi una hora.

    That's true. Once it stopped with me inside for almost an hour.

  6. B

    Pues mejor pagar la cuota que pasar otra hora ahí.

    Well, better to pay the fee than spend another hour in there.

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 162: Grandma Sees the Tiny Kitchen 

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.