Day 136: Back From Madrid, Saying Vale
At an engineering consulting firm in Morelia, Elvira (A), a manager, calls in José Manuel (B), a new engineer who has just come back after six years in Madrid; vale (OK) and ordenador (computer) are what people say in Spain, where Mexicans say sale or está bien, and computadora.
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
Pase, José Manuel, no se asuste. Es que el licenciado Mendoza me llamó después de la reunión de ayer.
Come in, José Manuel, don't look so worried. It's just that Mr. Mendoza called me after yesterday's meeting.
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B
¿Hice algo mal? Pero si me dijo que el cálculo de la cimentación estaba impecable.
Did I do something wrong? But he told me the foundation calculations were flawless.
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A
Le encantó. Pero me contó, muerto de risa, que usted le pidió los planos para su “ordenador” y le contestó “vale” a todo.
He loved it. But he told me, laughing his head off, that you asked him for the plans for your “ordenador” and answered “vale” to everything.
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B
¡Qué pena! Fue en Madrid donde aprendí el oficio, y seis años allá se le pegan a cualquiera.
How embarrassing! It was in Madrid that I learned the trade, and six years there rub off on anyone.
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A
Eso mismo le dije yo. Y ya en confianza, me preguntó si habíamos contratado a un español para cobrarle en euros.
That's just what I told him. And between you and me, he asked me if we'd hired a Spaniard so we could bill him in euros.
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B
¿Quiere que cambie mi forma de hablar? Le advierto que es una costumbre arraigada: mi mamá lo intenta desde que regresé.
Do you want me to change the way I talk? I warn you, it's a deep-rooted habit: my mom's been trying since I got back.
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A
Para nada. El licenciado quedó tan contento que pidió que fuera usted quien llevara la segunda etapa del proyecto.
Not at all. Mr. Mendoza was so pleased that he asked for you to be the one to run the second phase of the project.
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B
¿En serio? Dígale que con mucho gusto, y que antes de la próxima reunión me quito la costumbre.
Really? Tell him I'd be delighted, and that I'll break the habit before the next meeting.
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A
Ya acepté por usted. Eso sí, me pidió que no se la quitara: según él, un ingeniero que diga “vale” le da caché al despacho.
I've already said yes for you. But he asked me to see that you don't break it: according to him, an engineer who says “vale” gives the firm a bit of class.
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