Day 154: The Car Can't Leave Today
In Mexico City, on a day when an air-quality alert limits which cars may be driven, Sebastián (A), a teenager, sees his father Rogelio (B) picking up the car keys to go to work.
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
¡Alto ahí! Hay contingencia ambiental, y si hay contingencia, tu carro hoy no circula.
Stop right there! There's an air-quality alert, and if there's an alert, your car can't be driven today.
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B
¿Y desde cuándo hablas como si fueras policía de tránsito? Ya se me hizo tarde.
And since when do you talk as if you were a traffic cop? I'm running late.
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A
Desde que revisé tus placas. Si sales, te ponen una multa y te mandan el carro al corralón.
Since I checked your license plates. If you go out, they'll give you a fine and send the car to the pound.
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B
No exageres, es un ratito. Si me voy por el Periférico, nadie se va a dar cuenta.
Don't be so dramatic, it's only for a little while. If I take the Periférico, nobody's going to notice.
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A
Papá, vete en Metrobús: te deja a dos cuadras y ni tráfico agarras.
Dad, go by Metrobús: it drops you two blocks away, and you won't even hit any traffic.
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B
Está bien, oficial, tú ganas. Pero me prestas tu tarjeta, porque la mía no tiene saldo.
All right, officer, you win. But you're lending me your card, because mine's got no money on it.
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