Day 95: Poached by His Uncle's Rival
At home in Mérida, José Luis (A) notices that his son Matías (B), a young carpenter who works in his uncle's workshop, has come home with something on his mind.
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
Te noto raro desde que llegaste del taller, hijo. ¿Te peleaste con tu tío?
You've seemed odd since you got back from the workshop, son. Did you get into a fight with your uncle?
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B
No, pa. Los Pech me ofrecieron el doble de lo que me paga mi tío, con seguro del IMSS.
No, Dad. The Pechs offered me twice what my uncle pays me, with IMSS health coverage.
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A
¿Los Pech, la competencia? Fue tu tío quien te enseñó el oficio cuando nadie te quería ni de aprendiz.
The Pechs, his competitors? It was your uncle who taught you the trade when nobody would even take you on as an apprentice.
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B
Y se lo agradezco, pero la gratitud no paga las cuentas, y ya me quiero casar.
And I'm grateful to him, but gratitude doesn't pay the bills, and I want to get married.
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A
Tendría yo unos veinte años cuando un hotel de Cancún me ofreció el triple, y me quedé en el taller con tu abuelo.
I must have been about twenty when a hotel in Cancún offered me three times as much, and I stayed in the workshop with your grandpa.
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B
Serían otros tiempos, pa. Hoy nadie deja pasar el doble por pura lealtad.
Times must have been different, Dad. Nowadays nobody passes up twice the money out of loyalty alone.
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A
Y me arrepentí durante años. No te pido que te quedes, solo que tu tío se entere por ti.
And I regretted it for years. I'm not asking you to stay, just that your uncle hears it from you.
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B
Mañana se lo digo. Aunque, conociéndolo, me iguala la oferta nomás por no darles el gusto a los Pech.
I'll tell him tomorrow. Although, knowing him, he'll match the offer just so as not to give the Pechs the satisfaction.
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