Day 144: A 500-Peso Bill on the Playground
At dinner at home in Celaya, Viviana (A) notices that her daughter Zoé (B), who is in elementary school, seems to be hiding something from her and her husband Orlando (C).
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
Zoé, llevas toda la cena con una sonrisita sospechosa. ¿Qué escondes debajo de la servilleta?
Zoé, you've had a suspicious little smile all through dinner. What are you hiding under your napkin?
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B
Un billete de quinientos. Estaba tirado en el patio de la escuela, y ya decidí que me lo voy a quedar.
A five-hundred-peso bill. It was lying on the playground at school, and I've decided I'm keeping it.
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C
Un momento, señorita. Si fuese tuyo y lo hubieses perdido, ¿no querrías que quien lo encontrara se lo llevara a la directora?
Just a moment, young lady. If it were yours and you had lost it, wouldn't you want whoever found it to take it to the principal?
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A
Ay, ya salió el licenciado con sus “fuese” y “hubieses”. Un billete no trae nombre: ¿cómo va a llegar a su dueño?
Oh, here comes the lawyer with his fancy subjunctives. A bill doesn't have a name on it: how's it going to get back to its owner?
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C
No se trata de que llegue, sino de honradez. Si hoy se queda con lo ajeno porque nadie la vio, ¿mañana qué?
It's not about whether it gets back, it's about honesty. If she keeps what isn't hers today because nobody saw her, what about tomorrow?
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A
Tampoco exageres, no es una ladrona. Aunque, pensándolo bien, a lo mejor fue un niño de primero el que lo perdió.
Don't exaggerate, she's not a thief. Although, now that I think about it, maybe it was one of the little first graders who lost it.
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B
Ya, no se peleen. Lo entregué hace dos semanas, y fue la directora quien me lo regresó hoy, porque nadie lo reclamó.
OK, stop arguing. I handed it in two weeks ago, and it was the principal who gave it back to me today, because nobody claimed it.
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C
¿Y entonces para qué tanto misterio? Tu mamá y yo ya íbamos a llamar a un mediador.
Then why all the mystery? Your mom and I were about to call in a mediator.
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B
Para ver quién de los dos estaba de mi lado. Ya sé con quién negociar la próxima vez.
To see which of you was on my side. Now I know who to negotiate with next time.
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