Day 61: No Source on the Record
In the newsroom of a regional paper in Durango, Esteban (A), a junior reporter, pitches a story to his editor, Cuauhtémoc (B).
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
Jefe, le traigo una primicia: una colonia del oriente lleva tres semanas sin una gota de agua.
Boss, I've got a scoop for you: a neighborhood in the east has gone three weeks without a drop of water.
-
B
¿Tres semanas? ¿Y quién te lo confirmó, aparte de los vecinos?
Three weeks? And who confirmed it for you, apart from the residents?
-
A
Solo los vecinos, pero tengo fotos de los tinacos vacíos y testimonios de veinte familias.
Only the residents, but I've got photos of the empty water tanks and statements from twenty families.
-
B
El tema me late, pero sin fuente oficial no hay exclusiva que valga. Confirmada la información, la publicamos.
I like the subject, but without an official source, an exclusive is worth nothing. Once the information's confirmed, we'll run it.
-
A
Ya lo intenté: no hay ningún funcionario que quiera hablar, salvo un ingeniero que pidió el anonimato.
I've tried: there isn't a single official willing to talk, apart from an engineer who asked to stay anonymous.
-
B
Entonces no tienes fuente, tienes un chisme bien informado. Sin nombre y cargo, no hay nota.
Then you haven't got a source, you've got well-informed gossip. Without a name and a job title, there's no story.
-
A
¿Y si mañana le pregunto al director del agua en su rueda de prensa, frente a todos?
What if I ask the head of the water board at his press conference tomorrow, in front of everyone?
-
B
Eso es periodismo. Grabada la respuesta, la nota se escribe sola, y si se queda callado, también.
That's journalism. Once his answer's on tape, the story writes itself, and if he keeps quiet, it still does.
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 62: Reviewing a Horror Movie for Class
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.