Day 84: A Huipil for the Juchitán Vela
On a shared van into Juchitán, in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Oaxaca, María José (A), a young woman going to one of the town's velas, its all-night Zapotec festivals, for the first time, chats with Elvira (B), a local woman.
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
Disculpe, ¿este colectivo pasa por el centro? Voy a mi primera vela.
Excuse me, does this van go through downtown? I'm going to my first vela.
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B
Sí. Espero que haya traído vestido, porque pidieron que las mujeres fueran con traje regional.
It does. I hope you brought a dress, because the women were asked to wear traditional dress.
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A
Mi amiga me dijo que llegara temprano, pero nada del vestido.
My friend told me to get there early, but nothing about a dress.
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B
Híjole, sin huipil dudo que la dejen entrar.
Oh boy, without a huipil I doubt they'll let you in.
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A
¡Qué pena! ¿Habrá alguna tienda donde renten uno antes de la noche?
How embarrassing! Could there be a store where I can rent one before tonight?
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B
No se apure, le presto uno que mi hija ni ha estrenado. Nomás prométame que va a bailar.
Don't worry, I'll lend you one my daughter hasn't even worn yet. Just promise me you'll dance.
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