Day 114: Should I Call Him Licenciado?
At a university in Monterrey, Julio (A), a student about to start an internship at a big company, goes to his professor, Dr. Patricia Garza (B), for some advice; licenciado and ingeniero are titles Mexicans use for graduates and engineers.
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
-
A
Doctora, el lunes empiezo mis prácticas en el corporativo y no sé cómo dirigirme a la gente.
Professor, I start my internship at headquarters on Monday, and I don't know how to address people.
-
B
Depende de la jerarquía, que nadie escribe pero todos respetan. ¿Cómo se hablaban en la entrevista?
It depends on the hierarchy, which nobody writes down but everyone respects. How did they address each other at your interview?
-
A
Puro “ingeniero” y “licenciado”, aunque la gerente me pidió que le hablara de tú.
Nothing but “ingeniero” and “licenciado,” although the manager asked me to use tú with her.
-
B
Hágale caso. Con los demás, formalidad total: usted y título hasta que le digan otra cosa.
Do as she says. With everyone else, full formality: usted and their title until they tell you otherwise.
-
A
¿Y cómo sé quién es ingeniero y quién licenciado? No quisiera degradar a nadie por error.
And how do I know who's an ingeniero and who's a licenciado? I wouldn't want to demote anyone by mistake.
-
B
Fíjese en cómo firman. Si tiene dudas, dígale ingeniero: en Monterrey, nadie se ofende por un ascenso.
Look at how they sign off. If in doubt, call them ingeniero: in Monterrey, nobody takes offense at a promotion.
-
A
¿Lo dice por experiencia? ¿A usted le tocó algo así cuando empezó a trabajar?
Are you speaking from experience? Did something like that happen to you when you started work?
-
B
Mi primer jefe me pidió que le dijera “ingeniero” delante de los clientes. Luego supe que estudió Contaduría.
My first boss asked me to call him “ingeniero” in front of clients. Later I found out he'd studied accounting.
-
A
O sea que, ante la duda, un título de más. ¿Y yo ya puedo firmar como “ingeniero”?
So when in doubt, one title too many. Then can I sign myself “ingeniero” already?
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 115: The Hacienda Owner's Great-Granddaughter
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.