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fluentbyear
🇪🇸 Spanish · Fluency Level 2

PART 2 · LESSON 15 OF 30 · 40 MINUTES

Christmas of What Year?

Three weeks into the work on the lift, the building is full of dust, noise and a foreman whose answer to everything is "no problem". Then he finds a beam that isn't on the plans. Speak the language of living with building work - could you start a little later, nobody can sleep like this, that's not drilling, that's preparing, more or less, or more or more, you'll have it for Christmas, does that hold up the work, give me a date, when he says no problem there's a problem - and get a straight answer, eventually.

Audio instruction: English

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THE STORY

It's Monday, October 8th, 2029, five past eight in the morning, in the patio of Encarna's building. The builders started on the lift three weeks ago. Since then, there has been a hole in the middle of the staircase, a skip in the street and a fine white dust on everything, including Encarna's jasmine. Sarah has just come home from a night shift and wants only one thing, to sleep. Downstairs, the drilling has already started. She goes down in her pyjamas to talk to the foreman, and Encarna follows her, for support. At a quarter to three, the foreman comes back with the plans under his arm, and news nobody wanted. This is the conversation you'll be able to say by the end of the lesson.

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Words and phrases

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¿Podrían empezar un poco más tarde?poh-DREE-ahn ehm-peh-SAHR oon POH-koh mahs TAHR-dehCould you start a little later? Politely, to a group.
Vengo de una guardia.BEHN-goh deh OO-nah GWAHR-dee-ahI've just come off a night shift.
el encargadoehl ehn-kahr-GAH-dohthe foreman
Sin problema.seen proh-BLEH-mahNo problem.
Taladramos a partir de las nueve.tah-lah-DRAH-mohs ah pahr-TEER deh lahs NWEH-behWe drill from nine.
Ya están taladrando.yah ehs-TAHN tah-lah-DRAHN-dohYou're already drilling. Politely, to a group.
Eso no es taladrar.EH-soh noh ehs tah-lah-DRAHRThat's not drilling.
Eso es preparar.EH-soh ehs preh-pah-RAHRThat's preparing.
Así no hay quien duerma.ah-SEE noh AH-ee kee-EHN DWEHR-mahNobody can sleep like this.
¿Cuándo acaban?KWAHN-doh ah-KAH-bahnWhen will you finish? Politely, to a group.

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