Coffee Break Spanish - CBS 1.39 | Making progress in Spanish

Episode Date: December 15, 2009

In this week’s lesson Mark and Kara talk to Bea, a student they met while recording in Spain. The conversation is the first of two dialogues focusing on language-learning. Please note that lesson 39 of Season 1 was originally known as lesson 139 of Coffee Break Spanish. We have renumbered the lessons of each season as lessons 1-40 to make things more simple for our listeners.This season of Coffee Break Spanish features a total of 40 lessons, all of which will be included in the podcast feed. Just stay subscribed to the podcast to enjoy each episode. If you’d like to benefit from video versions, lesson notes and bonus audio materials, you can access the premium version of Coffee Break Spanish in the Coffee Break Academy.Don’t forget to follow Coffee Break Spanish on Facebook where we post language activities, cultural points and review materials to help you practise your Spanish. Remember - a few minutes a day can help you build your confidence in the language. Access the Coffee Break Spanish Facebook page here.If you’d like to find out what goes on behind the scenes here at Coffee Break Languages, follow @coffeebreaklanguages on Instagram.You can also check out our Coffee Break Spanish Twitter page and the Coffee Break Languages YouTube channel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello and bienninoidoz a coffee break Spanish. Welcome back to Coffee Break Spanish. Today I'm here to talk about lesson 39. And in this lesson, we were having a conversation with Bea, who's a student from Murcia. And Bea tells us a little about herself, and we use lots of phrases that you learned way back at the beginning of the course when we were talking about getting to know people

and introducing yourself. So we hope that you find this lesson useful. Now, as we've done in previous weeks, we're going to begin by listening to the whole of the conversation that I had with Beatrice, or Bea, in San Pedro del Pinatar, which is just next to Santiago de la Rivera. This conversation is about languages, or in particular, about English, and whether or not Beaia feels confident in her English. So have a listen to the short conversation and see how much you can understand. Well, I'm here in San Pedro del Pinnatard, and I'm with... Vea. Hello, Bea.

Hello, Bea. And tell me, Bea, you are you a Spanish? Yes. Where do you live? In Murcia. And studies or you're doing? Estudio. What studies?

Estudio, sciences empresariales in the University of Murcia. And you do you like? Yes. And you, do you? And you're English? Very Bogo.

So, you have to study English in your career? No, only if you,

it's and you do you? I'm not. So, since how much time

you study English? I've studied only a year. And not is

studying in the college? Well, yes, in the college and in the

institute. And in total, then how many years? Quattro. And

you you that after after four years, you can't very easily or other other idiom?

No, because I don't practice much. And there many many tourists here to this

area? Yes, because there have a place, there's much a place.

And then you can practice your English with the English or the British or

Americans who come so we'll stop the conversation there and

go back to the beginning and start to listen to the conversation

in section so that we can try to identify what Beah and I were talking about. Listen to the beginning of the conversation. Well, I'm here in San Pedro del Pinatar, and I'm with... Bea. Hello, Beah. How about? Very well.

So I began by saying, I am here in San Pedro del Pinatar. In San Pedro del Pinatar, the name of the place. And that's actually just beside Santiago de la Rivera. You'll be familiar now with Santiago de la Rivera because that's where we did most of our recording. San Pedro del binatar, just an area of Santiago. I said,

Estoy con and Bea filled in her name. Stoy con. I am with Bea, Beatrice. Now, why did I use Estoy and not Soi there? The reason for this is that estoy, from the verb estar is used

when we're talking about location or a temporary thing. I am with I am with. I am in San Pedro del Pinnatar

I am in San Pedro del Pinatar. Estoy Estar is used for temporary situations or describing

location. So after asking me how she was, how you tell? And she said very

I think want to ask her a question. Have a listen to the question. And Dime, Bea, do you are Spanish? Yes. Where do you live? Em Murcia. I say to Bea, Dime Bea. Dime means tell me. It's the informal version of Digame.

Digame or Dime. Dime, Bea. Tell me, Bea. Eres Spaniola? Are you Spanish? Spanola, the feminine form of the adjective for Spanish. The masculine form is Español. This adjective, like many other adjectives, ends in a, Spaniola.

Española, the feminine form of Spanish. The masculine form is Español. so it doesn't have an extra vowel at the end. Take another example. Americano. Americano has O at the end. And if you're from the United States, you're more likely to say

North American, because obviously Americano, Americana, can have the meaning of Latin American. So if you want to say, I am North American, you would say, Soi, North Americano. And if you're feminine, or if you're female, you would say,

I'm North Americana. North Americana. North American. In this case, BEA is Española. Española. And I would say, I'm Scoce. Scots. Kara would say, Scocesa.

These are all the adjectives linked to nationality. And Estudias or Travajas? This is a fairly straightforward question to understand. Estudias or Travajas? Estudiar is the verb to study and Travajar is the verb to work. So I'm asking Bea,

Estudias or Travaz? Do you study or do you work? Now obviously here I'm wanting to find out what Beia does with her time. But in fact, Estudias or Travazas is, is one of those phrases that's used very often in sort of chat-up situations. Estudias or you study or do you work? It's really just a conversation starter so you can use it to start off those conversations when you want to find out what someone does or if you just want to start talking to them. Estudias or Travajas. And it's obviously aimed at a particular

age group. So I go on to ask Mea what she studies. What? Estudias. What studies? What Now, my Godi, celsius in the University of Murcia. Now, Bea does speak quite quickly. Listen again

to what she says. She studies. Estudio, ciences and the university of Murcia. Estudio

sciences empresariales in the University of Murcia. So we know that she studies in the

University of Murcia, Murcia University. But what does she study? Thienthias, Thienthias. Now, you should know that the

th sound there is a C, Thienthias. So if you look at the word, or if you imagine the word, the enthias, that would be spelled C-I-E-N-C-I-A-S.

Fianthias. Thienthias would be Sincis. In Latin America, would be pronounced Siencius. And in a sense, that's perhaps easier to identify in this particular situation. Ciancianthias.

Ciencias, impresareales. Now, you may be familiar with the English word impresario. Impresario is someone who does very well in business, someone who takes risks and achieves things in a business sense. So, empresariales are linked in some way to business. Ciencies Empresariales business science or marketing and

economics and all the business type subjects together so that's what Beaas studies Ciencius Empresariales in La Universidad of Murcia in Murcia University

let's go on and you'd like you shouldn't have too much of a problem understanding my question do you like it do you like studying the sciences and Bia says

she does. I then ask about whether or not she speaks English. Have a listen. And you, Ablas English? Very bogo.

So, you have to study English in your career? No, only if you do you, you know,

and much people do you? I ask, Bea, you, Ablas English? Ablas English? English, do you speak English? And she answers,

mu ypococ, literally very little. Very little. Very little. I go on to ask Bea another question. I say, se tini kee studiar ingles in your career. Now there's something that you need to understand here to understand this whole sentence and that's the word carrera. Carera, it's linked to the English word career. career means in this sense

your university studies your studying life your education life so so it has one have to study English to study English

in your line of studies so keeping in mind my question have a listen to Bea's answer no So from Bea's first word there, we know that the answer is no, no. She goes on to say,

solo si la eligees. Eligees comes from the verb, Elegier. Elegir means literally to elect, to choose. It comes from the same route as the word elect in English. Elegir to choose. Okay, we'll be back in just a moment. moment. When you're not listening to Coffee Break Spanish, you can still practice your Spanish

with our regular posts on social media. Find us on Facebook, just search for Coffee Break Spanish. We're Learn Spanish on Twitter, and you can keep up with the team through our regular posts on Instagram. Follow Coffee Break Languages. It's our mission to help you turn your downtime into your due time. Okay, let's get on with the lesson. Now, we've got to think a little about this. Si la elijes. Si la elizes means if you choose it. So you only need to study English if you choose it as part of your studies. But why is it la elige?

Si la elizes. Normally, if we're looking at the word for it, it's more likely that it would be lo. Lo and la can both mean it. If, for example, I said lobeo, that would mean I see it. And it comes before the verb, lo, it, beo, I see. So if you say lo-eo, it means it, I see. If we were talking about English, and if I said, I speak it, I would say lo, ablo. Lo, referring to El English.

Ablo English. I speak English. Lo ablo. It, I speak. I speak it. But why is it la eligees? Here, si la eligees. Well, in fact, Bea is referring to la assignatura.

The subject. So because we're talking about choosing subjects at university in Beyes case, she says la eligees, it you choose. Only if it you choose, solo si la eligees. And she's talking about the subject, which is la assignatura, assignatura.

La assignatura is a feminine noun. So if you choose it, just if la elizhes That's quite complicated Don't worry too much about it I just thought it would be useful to explain exactly how we come up with La elijes

Solo si laeliches Only if you choose it So you don't need to study English Unless you choose it To be part of your degree Part of your career Your university studies My next question is something

That we've already come across I say because how much time literally since how much

time ago have you studied English or are you studying English Desde how do you

do you in the answer we'll be looking for a time see if you can hear

a time it might be a certain number of years so the word for year is

an an year so see if you can hear a year in the answer. So, since how much time you study English? I've studied only a year. So in fact,

B.A says, I studied only one year. Solo one year. Only one year. I have studied only one year. And not is to study in the college? Well, yes, in the college and in the instituto.

Now, I'm looking for a little more clarification here. I ask the question, and no you has studied, in el colegio, it sounds a bit like college. Collegio means school. And they clarifies this by saying, si, in the college, and in the institute. In Spain, this system is, collegeio is primary, and instituto is instituto. secondary, your high school. So she studied English both in college,

La Escuela, Primary school, and in Instituto, and in secondary school. So just to be clear, I ask her exactly how many years. And in total, then how many years?

Quadro. And hopefully you picked up that Bea has in fact been studying for four years in total. Four years in total. And you think you that

after four years can have a question again to this

question. I'm asking Bea if she thinks something, do you think,

that one can, about one can, about very fastilment., to speak. and for the so, so, so easily

another language. Listen to that whole question again. And you think you that after

four years can be very easily another another so the question

means do you think that it's possible to speak very easily another

language after four years? Listen to Bea's response. No, because

I don't do practice much. In her case, she says, no proctico much. No lo practico, practicar

means to practice, as in to practice a language or to practice a skill. No lo practico much. She doesn't think she can speak it well, because she doesn't practice it much. No lo practico much. So I go on to ask another question about the possibilities of her

practicing her English. And I ask a question about the tourists. And there are many tourists here at this area? Yes, because

there's a place, there much a place. I ask, there are many tourists here at this zone.

Do lots of tourists come to this area? This area, Zona is spelled Z-O-N-E and it's

obviously pronounced Sona in Latin America. Pienin' much tourists here this zone. One thing I wanted to say about the word tourista. Tourista ends in a, and therefore you would

probably guess that it's a feminine noun, but in fact, you see el turista and la tourist. So if you're talking about a tourist, you'd be talking about an tourist. And if it's a feminine tourist, a female tourist,

a female tourist, una tourist. but even the masculine word ends in a or a a tourista so bea answers the question by giving a reason yes because there's a blaya there's playa literally there is beach meaning there are lots of beaches and there are lots of parties again using the singular there is lots of partying

almost. So then no you can practice your English with the English or the

British or those Americans or the Americanos so my final question is, can't you practice your English

with the English people those Britannical the British people Los Americanos the Americans who come

so Let's listen to the whole conversation again and see how much you understand. Well, I'm here in San Pedro del Pinnatar, and I'm with... Vea. Hello, Bea. How do you? Very well. And tell me, Bea, you are Spanish?

Yes. Where do you live? In Murcia. And studies or you? Studio. What do you? Studio, cciences empresiaries in the University of Murcia. And you

And you And you And you know? And You have English? Very Bogo

So, So you have To study English In your No, just if You know

And so And much And it And I So, So, So, So,

I've I've studied Only I'm Soer In the College?

Well, Yes, in the College and in the Institute. And in total,

then how many years? Four. And you think you that after four years you can't talk very easily or other idiom? No, because

I don't know I practice much. And there are many tourists here at this area? Yes, because

there are a blaya, there's a and so then you can't practice your English or

the British or the American or the American who are so this conversation this week's lesson has been, in a way, an introduction to the topic that we're going to be covering next week. Normally, at the end of a unit, we cover a cultural topic,

so we're looking at something a little less connected to the transactional language that we've been covering over the past few weeks. But we'll finish off here for today. And that's where we're going to leave it today for this edition of Coffee Break Spanish. Thanks for joining us, and we hope it's been useful. You can join the Coffee Break Spanish community, on Facebook at facebook.com slash coffeebreak Spanish

and follow at Learn Spanish on Twitter. Much a gratis and hasta Pronto. This is the production of the Radiolingua Network. Find out more at radiolingua.com.