Skip to content
fluentbyear
🇪🇸 Spanish · Fluency Level 3

PART 1 · LESSON 1 OF 30 · 40 MINUTES Free

The Third Bean

On the day of the Three Kings, twenty days before the exam, Sarah pays her rent in King's cake, and bites into the bean for the third year running. Encarna sees an omen, Julian a coincidence, Sarah a conspiracy. Talk about omens and chance - it's a good omen, it must be a coincidence, once is coincidence and three times a sign, it's pure statistics, this isn't luck, what if I fail - and explain a custom to someone new to it.

Audio instruction: English

Report a problem with this lesson

Lesson 1 · The Third Bean

Spanish · 40 minutes

Press play. The words appear here as you hear them.

Just listen.

Let your ears lead. Show the words whenever you like.
0:0039:50
Tap a line to hear it again.Space to play · ← → skip · F fullscreen

THE STORY

It's Sunday, January 6th, 2030, the day of the Three Kings, noon in Encarna's patio in Triana. The exam is in twenty days. Sarah has paid for the King's cake, as she does every year - it's her rent, and last year she got the bean. Round the table are Encarna, Julian, Emily and Curro, back from Christmas in Boston, Manolo, and Lucia, sixteen weeks pregnant, with Pablo. It's Emily's first King's cake in Spain. That evening, in Manolo's bar, Manolo looks at his ticket for the Child's draw at last, and Encarna makes up a rule. This is the conversation you'll be able to say by the end of the lesson.

Hear it againConversation · 1:30

The conversation couldn’t be loaded. Check your connection and press play again.

Flashcards

The words and phrases of this lesson, one card each. Best after you’ve listened.

Create your account.

Create a free account and confirm your email to keep the cards you like and the decks you make.

Already have an account? Sign in

Build the sentence

Hear a sentence from the lesson, then put its words in order.

Words and phrases

The lesson is for your ears. Open this afterwards, to see what you learned.
Es el alquiler.ehs ehl ahl-kee-LEHRIt's the rent.
y la deuda del año pasadoee lah deh-OO-dah dehl AH-nyoh pah-SAH-dohand last year's debt
lo del habaloh dehl AH-bahthe bean thing
¿Y lo del haba, cómo era?ee loh dehl AH-bah KOH-moh EH-rahAnd the bean thing, how does it work?
Como por dos.KOH-moh pohr dohsI'm eating for two.
esperadehs-peh-RAHDwait, to a group
Aquí hay algo duro.ah-KEE eye AHL-goh DOO-rohThere's something hard in here.
¡Tres años seguidos!trehs AH-nyohs seh-GEE-dohsThree years running!
¿Qué os dije?keh ohs DEE-hehWhat did I tell you? To a group.
de buen agüerodeh bwehn ah-GWEH-roha good omen
Es de buen agüero.ehs deh bwehn ah-GWEH-rohIt's a good omen.
Este año apruebas.EHS-teh AH-nyoh ah-PRWEH-bahsThis year, you'll pass.
Será casualidad.seh-RAH kah-swah-lee-DAHDIt must be a coincidence.
Una vez, casualidad.OO-nah behs kah-swah-lee-DAHDOnce, coincidence.
una señalOO-nah seh-NYAHLa sign
Tres veces, una señal.trehs BEH-sehs OO-nah seh-NYAHLThree times, a sign.
estadísticaehs-tah-DEES-tee-kahstatistics
Es pura estadística.ehs POO-rah ehs-tah-DEES-tee-kahIt's pure statistics.
Esto no es suerte.EHS-toh noh ehs SWEHR-tehThis isn't luck.
¡A Lucía le ha tocado la figurita!ah loo-SEE-ah leh ah toh-KAH-doh lah fee-goo-REE-tahLucia's got the little figure!
Será niño.seh-RAH NEE-nyohIt'll be a boy.
Ni el reintegro.nee ehl rreh-een-TEH-grohNot even the money back.
¿Entonces el haba no da suerte?ehn-TOHN-sehs ehl AH-bah noh dah SWEHR-tehSo the bean doesn't bring luck?
El haba da suerte a quien le toca.ehl AH-bah dah SWEHR-teh ah kee-EHN leh TOH-kahThe bean brings luck to whoever gets it.
Tres habas, aprobado.trehs AH-bahs ah-proh-BAH-dohThree beans, a pass.
Por eso es nueva.pohr EH-soh ehs NWEH-bahThat's why it's new.
suspendersoos-pehn-DEHRto fail an exam
¿Y si suspendo?ee see soos-PEHN-dohAnd what if I fail?
Con tres habas, no suspende nadie.kohn trehs AH-bahs noh soos-PEHN-deh NAH-dee-ehWith three beans, nobody fails.
A quien Dios se la dé, San Pedro se la bendiga.ah kee-EHN dee-OHS seh lah DEH sahn PEH-droh seh lah behn-DEE-gahGood luck to whoever gets it.