Coffee Break Spanish - CBS Mag 3.05 | El Canal de Panamá

Episode Date: January 31, 2020

Join Fernanda, Sofía and Mark in the latest episode of the Magazine as they discuss the story behind the impressive Panama Canal. Listener Jean asks a question about pronunciation and Sofía shares some Panamanian colloquial words.In each episode of this 10-lesson season for intermediate learners you can build your vocabulary, increase your understanding of grammar and learn to use the Spanish language in a more natural way. This series is aimed at intermediate Spanish learners. If you have a question for the show, call our voicemail lines: UK - [phone]; US [phone]; Australia [phone], or visit coffeebreakquestions.com and leave us your message.There will be a total of 10 episodes of Season 1 of the Coffee Break Spanish Magazine. If you'd like to benefit from lesson notes, transcripts, vocabulary. lists and exercises, you can access the premium version of the Magazine on 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, and access regular language challenges, follow @coffeebreaklanguages on Instagram.For all information on Coffee Break Spanish, visit https://radiolingua.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Coffee Brick Spanish Magazine Season 3, Episode 5. Hello, all, how are we are doing? Hello, I'm sorry, and I'm Fernando. We're very content of being with you, with other episode of the Coffee Brick Spanish Magazine. How is Fernanda? Very well, and you, Mark? Very well, I've been playing a little bit of salsa from the ultimate interview.

Very well, very good. Okay, we're back with another episode. Of course, this is the Coffee Brick Spanish Magazine. It's a show for intermediate to advance Spanish speakers. we'll be talking a lot in Spanish, but we'll also be explaining some things in English too. This week, we're joined once again by Sophia, and she has a text for us about a subject that's very, well, Panama. Yes, so Sophia coming from Panama, she wants to talk about something from Panama. So let us find out more about that. We'll also have a question from a listener coming up. Something interesting about participles. And of course, Sophia will be back at the end with our guinda del pastel. of ceresa of the pastel.

Yes, yes, let's get on with the show. We'll start. Empeasem. As we're going to start, we're going to the text.

And then we'll traducerable and we're also to do you know the word to Sophia. Hello, Sophia, how

you're doing? Hello, Sophia. Hello, Mark, hello, Fernanda. I'm very, very well, thanks, and

I'm very excited to share a part of this thing, that is the channel of Panama. Very well,

we're for it. When you When you listen about Panama, probably the first that you get in the mind is the

canal of Panama. This pass of 77 kilometers of the area of the ocean

pacific with the mar carive by the point the point the most the country.

But what is the history behind this wonderful of the engineering? All of

when the Spanioles got to America and discovered a pass

that was that was that the world to

the other. You did you did that before the canal

there was that that was very popular during

centuries and not was after 1855 that for

finally so for final it was a car

of the American Then, then 880, the Frenches tried to constructs

a canal for this famous way, but failed thanks to the conditions climatic and

various environments tropicales like the malaria and the fever amarial.

Finally, the States built the channel that we've today.

Using the technology more advanced of the time, they've built

exclusas that they're and they have done and they do you know of

about a essential to go to an ocean to other. The construction

of this work during 10 years, until that was

inaugurated the 15 August of 2014. The Canal was

under the mando of the United for many years and

not was until the 31 of December of 1999 that

was in its totality to Panama. Today, it's administered by the authority of the Canal of Panama, ACP, and it's a piece clave for the

commercial world, yeah that around of 12,000 embarkations via through it every year. Thanks to the

amplification of the canal, culminated in the 2015, this generates an apport of the country of around

7703 million of dollars annuales. Definitiously a work marvellousa that it

is a the thing to a world, yeah, a lot of a time very important

for you, no? Yes, we learn. We're all to find them to see a man.

Fernanda, you have been a one of no, I've had been the

sure, but maybe now we see a Sophia. A Sophia and

a channel and all. We're very very well. Well, we're

going to talk We'll get them a little of the vocabulary, of the grammatica that there in this text. Okay, then we'll say, Very well. When you're going to hear about Panama, probably the first that you get in mind is the canal of Panama. Okay.

There's a tricky grammatical thing in this first sentence that we're going to talk about a little. But let's just translate the first part. When you listen around Panama, okay, or about Panama. when you hear people talking about Panama, probably the first thing probably that comes to mind, the first thing probably that comes to mind, is the Panama Canal. But this se te vienna in mind is a little bit complicated.

I'm thinking if I'm coming from English, which comes to you in mind, that te vienna in mind. But no you can't say that in the Spanish. No, no. We're using Venise, so

it comes to the mind we're using as we're using

because to you're so you're thinking about this it's basically the idea

is kind of in there and then it comes to yourself they're they're another

other example is for say it's me occurred an idea so

so so so me occurred an idea it

always happens itself to you see me occurred an idea.

It's a little complicated, no? You know? Yeah, it's in your mind.

Yeah. It's in your mind and something. Something, probably probably

the first thing that's the channel of Panama. So the first thing

that probably comes to mind is the Panama Canal. This pass of

77 kilometers of long connect to the ocean pacific

with the Mar Carive. So this path is a different

type of from the salsa passos. Yes, so this path of 77 kilometers long, the large, connecta al-Ocean pacifico, so it connects the

Pacific Ocean with the Caribbean Sea or the Caribbean Sea. Yes. For media of the point more estrecho of the country and is clave for the communication maritime of many countries.

So it connects the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea by medium del Ponto Mastretto de Pais by means of the narrowest point of the country

so if you imagine Panama and how it sort of tapers to a very very narrow point right at that narrow point is where

the Panama Canal is and this facilitates maritime communication of many countries is clave

para so it's a key for it's a really important element for the maritime communication of many countries. But what is the history behind this marvelous

work of the engineering? But what is the story or the history behind this marvelous work of engineering? Now, let's take a little moment here to talk about qual. Qual is the history. Why would that not be what is the history? Because

what of all the histories of the world is the history of the channel? So if you imagine all the stories in the world, which one is the story behind this marvel of engineering? And that's really a good way of thinking about qual, because when we say which or what is the story behind this, we think of what one is it out of a range of lots of different ones. And also the fact that it's followed by es, Qual es, La History helps us determine that it's going to be qual. Yes, very well, Mark. Okay.

All All right. All good when the Spanioles came and discovered a pass

that was that was to transport the world to one to the other.

So everything began. All good stories began like this. All good people came to America.

So when the Spaniards, when Spanish people arrived in America, the continent, and they

discovered a path that that they were that was that was that

was which allowed to them to them, to them, so that they could transport the loan to transport gold

to one coast to the other. Yes, very well, Mark. You know, I have a new dot anecdotal. Ah, v,

well, there's a union between Panama and Chile with this. Okay, tell us. Before

that's the channel of Panama, the only route to connecter into oceanos was the

stretch of Magallanes. So this is the, the Magellan or the Magellan Streets. Yes, Mark, yeah. And where are these? It's the most australal of Chile.

As South. Al-Sour. Okay, so we've got the most southern part of Chile. And to be honest, if they've just got a little bit further, they could have just got around Cape Horn, no? Yeah, it's more dangerous. So the Magellan streets allows the ships to pass through safer waters rather than going round the bottom of Chile.

Yes, it was a passage natural. Well, it's a passage natural. So this predated, obviously, if it's natural, it predated the Panama Canal. But that was the only way to get through from one ocean to the other. Yes, the barcos had to give to all the world. So the Panama Canal obviously helped shipping and the economy. Yes, it has helped. Well, let's find out a little more about how it did help.

So let's come back to our text. And there's a Saviaske here. So we've got another did you know. Savias that before the canal, there was a ferrocarrill. I love that word. Ferrocarryl. It's a great word for practicing your R's. If our listeners find it difficult to roll their R's,

one of the things I always say is that if you put your tongue towards the top of your mouth and then blow air through it, it's like it sort of vibrates against the roof of your mouth. The most fervrocarryl. Let's hear it in a proper Chilean accent. Ferrocarryl. Okay, there you go. So did you know that before,

the canal, there was a ferrocaril, which is a railway. Yes, that's it. That's right. So the route, we're talking here about the original route that was used by the Spaniards, that was used for centuries. But then the railway was constructed. And not was until 1855 that for fin so a ferrocarryl

to transport the gold. And it wasn't until 1855 when finally a railway was created

to transport gold. And this was created by the Americans. Or at least they were in charge of it a cargo

of this ferrocaril. Then, in 180, the Frenches tried to construct

a canal for this famous way. So then in 1880 the

French tried to construct a canal through this famous way,

through this famous path. But failed because the conditions climatic

and various in various epid diseases tropical like

the malaria and the failed failed failed because

to the conditions climatic we would probably say here

rather than thanks to we would say as a result of the climatic conditions and various illnesses, tropical illnesses,

like malaria and yellow fever. Can we talk a little more about this? Graziea, because I think normally we tend to associate Graziea as a positive thing, so thanks to you, Fernanda, I can speak good Spanish. You taught me everything I need to know.

But we can use Grazieaza with a negative. Yes, almost with a tono-ironic. So an ironic tone. and give us an example. For example, thanks to the fact that you got here so late, I wasn't able to go out. And you see the voice, the tone of your voice,

then you're saying, thanks to you. But there is another way that we could see this in Spanish with a different word. Yes, for example, we could say, devido. So due to something, because of the conditions

climaticas and so on. So, it comes from the verb de ver and it just means

due to as thanks to or due to or something like that it's maybe a little

more formal. Yes, a little more formal and also for the reason. For the

reason. Okay. Very well. Okay. So let's come back to the text. We've talked

about the climatic conditions and the things like malaria and yellow fever. Finally, what happened? Finally, the

US US built built the canal that we've been today. So finally, or in the end, the United States

constructed the canal which we see these days, which we see currently. Using the technology more advanced technology of the

time, they've done constructs that they can't and they're and back barcos

a an altitude of 85 pies. So are the escruces, the locks? Yes, Mark. Okay, so these are the technical things which allow boats and

the canal boats or the ships that are going through the canal to be lowered and to be raised to the different heights of water. I'm sure everyone knows where the lock is. I don't know why I'm explaining this. Manage in the level of the water. Exactly, yes. So they manage the level of the water.

So let's go back to this, they've built exclusas that are a

height and 85 pies. So they managed to build the locks which raise

and lower boats to a height of 85 feet. Essential to go to

an ocean to to go. This is essential to be able to

go. There's a double infinitive. Our friend from last time, Navita,

was asking about double infinitive. So, to be able to to go to go to one ocean to the other.

From one ocean to the other. The construction of this work, of this magnificent feat, lasted 10 years. Until that, for fin, was inaugurated the 15th of August of 2014. Until it was finally inaugurated the 15th of August, 1914.

Before we go on, let us just stop a little and talk about, After that in the past year, until that for fin was inaugurado or inaugurada in the case of the

obra. But asa ke when we're referring to the future is a little bit different. Think back to when we were talking

about when a couple of episodes ago, when he arrives, or when we begin. If we're

thinking about until we begin, when it happens in the future, then that also needs a subjunctive. So we would say,

"'After that "'Cege, "'for example, "'Sta Kege Sophia "'this afternoon, "'so I will continue working "'until Sophia gets here "'this afternoon

"'because we're going to be doing "'some recording. "'So Asta "'Kiege Sophia, "'we don't know if she's going to arrive. "'She might not arrive. "'There's a doubt in there. "'So that's why we need a subjunctive

"'after, asa, when it's referring to the future. "'In the past, we know it happened. So there's no doubt. So we know here it should be after that for fin was inaugurated. Talking about the work

of the construction of the Panama. Yes, because it's something sure and we know what happened. Exactly. Okay, so let us

continue on here. The canal was under the Mando of the United Sets for muchimos years. So the canal

was under the management, it was under control by Americans for many years. And not was until the 31 of December

of 1999 that was otorgado in his totality to Panama. And it wasn't until the 31st December 1999 that it was handed over to Panama in its totality and the entire project

was handed over and the management of the project and so on to Panama in 1999 at the end of the 20th century. Otorgar is an interesting word. Yes, Mark. What can you otorgargar? For example, you can

an So in that case, it would be a word, to award a prize. Puedes an honor. Yeah, so to award an honor or what about a, uh,

an beka? Otorgar a beca. So to award, what do you call a beca in English? Scholarship. Thank you. No, think of the word in English there.

That's terrible. Yeah. Very bien, Native speaker. Yeah, okay. So thank you for that. So otorgar, an interesting word,

possibly one that our listeners haven't come across before. Yes, very interesting. Let's continue. Today, it's administered by the authority of the Canal of Panama, ACP. So these days, it's administered by the authority of the Panama Canal,

that's the ACP. And it's a piece clave for the commercial world, yeah that around of 12,000 embarkations via through it every year. Right, so a little bit long on this. It's a key piece, a key element

for the commercial worldwide commerce because since around of 12,000 embarkations around 12,000

ships have traveled through the channel, so they travel through the canal every year. Thanks to

the ampliation of the canal culminated in 2015, this generates an apport to to around 7703 million

annuales. Okay, very precise there. So thanks to, and this time it's a positive thing, thanks to the enlargement of the canal, which was completed in 2015,

Este, and that este is referring back to the canal, this one, literally, genera an report to the country, generates an income to the country

of around $1,703 million dollars Annually. Bastanty Dinear. Definitely, a work

that is definitely a marvelous work, it's something amazing that it's well worth the trouble to see. Yeah,

that connect a whole continent and the world. Given that it connects a whole continent and the world. It's very interesting.

Much great, Sophia. Okay. We're going to take a short break and we'll be back and we will have a question from one of our listeners after the break. If you'd like to get more out of your experience with the Coffee Break Spanish magazine, then you can use the premium version of this course. That includes lesson notes and transcripts,

and also vocabulary and exercises to help you get more out of each lesson. The Coffee Break Spanish Magazine Premium Edition is available at the Coffee Break Academy, and you can head to Coffeebreakacademy.com for more information. Welcome back. You are listening to the Coffee Break Spanish magazine, and we now have a question from a listener. And this time it's over to Jean. From Jean Stewart. I'm just a bit confused about the Spanish pronunciation of being V, which sounds similar, and I'm not sure when you use which. Thank you.

Thank you, Jean. Much gracias, Jean. It is a tricky question. And I think lots of listeners, lots of learners do worry about this. But I would say don't worry. No, no, no. We are really lucky today because we've got both Fernanda and Anabel in the studio. And I think it would be a really interesting idea to have Fernanda and Annabelle talk a little bit of this from two different country perspectives.

So I'm going to hand over to the two of you. Thank you. Hello, Anabel. How are you? Hello. How are you? Very good. Thank you.

Well, the question is very interesting and a question that many students always have in fact.

Yes. But, well, the first that said Mark, no, so

because another not it's a word we we have a we can't

have this sound in Spanish. It's not something that we are going to say,

oh, I don't understand what you mean. So don't worry about that. But it's

even easier because we do not make any difference. No, we usually don't

recognize at all. So if you say, the classic example of baca, if you say baca or vaca, I'm going to understand you no matter what. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. And it's the same in all those countries. So basically, Jean,

the answer here is don't worry about it. When you're hearing a Spanish speaker, sometimes I

feel that when it's the start of a word, sometimes it feels a little bit more kind of plosive,

like a b, sound, but then when it's in the middle of a word, sometimes it's a little more

but there's no real rule and there's no real sort of distinction between the different

sounds. However, what there is is a distinction between what we call these letters

in different parts of the Spanish-speaking world. So in Spain, Annabelle, what do we call B and V, and perhaps we'll throw in W as well, okay? So in Spain, B is B and V is UB and W-W-W-W. And, Fernando, how is in Chile? Another story. So B is B-larga. V be corta

And W is W is WB So my advice here is just to think of The names of the letters are more complicated than the actual pronunciation That's my advice to you, Jean. Exactly. We hope this helps. Well, much thanks to Fernanda and also to Annabelle.

Thank you. Thank you, Mark. And of course, thank you to Jean for sending in the question. Now, if you have a question like Jean, then you can call our voicemail line and that is in the UK 416-880. In the U.S.

It's 347-474-6-880 and in Australia it's 08-7200-6-880. Or if it's easier for you, just head to coffeebreakquestions.com where you'll be able to leave your voicemail on the site. Well, here we're again with Sophia.

Hello, Sophia. Hello, all. And I've got a question for you. How do you, B and V? Well, I go U. For

V. V, like V as a V as V as U S as in Spain And B B. B, okay,

then it's the same than in Spain Yeah B and V but how do you say W? W. W.

W. Oh, okay. So, that's different. Okay, so what you've learned here in this episode is that there are lots of different ways of saying the letters be V and W, depending on where you are in the Spanish speaking world. But again, don't worry about this. You understand me if I say Baca and Vaca and

so on, yeah? Suna equal. Perfect. Okay. Coming back to our topic today, because you're obviously very happy. You're very happy. You're very content today because we're talking about Panama. So, what do you have for us? Well, for the influence Estanianian in the country

The Panameans have adopted various Slangs Slang, okay So some Panamanian slang today, go for it Well

This is one Seng Fren Fren Fren Could you mean Maybe

maybe Amigo? Yes, yeah It's friend Okay, but you're Or you're

You're Fren Yeah, que so pa fring. That's so perimenous slang. So give me that again? Ke so pa friend. Yeah. So, Ke sopa, there's a verb,

sopare? No. It's, what happened, but al-re-re-vest. Ah, okay, what happened? Al-re-reve-a. Sopa-pso.

Yeah. So what happened, friend, or, you know, what's up? What's up? Yeah. Okay, what's up, friend. I'm going to start that next. time with you, okay? What else do you have?

Well, we have chilling. Chilling? Like chilling? Yeah. Relagant to be. It's like, chilling.

It's relaxed, something cool. Okay. So, it's an adjective. It's can describe something like chilling. For example, I've passed

one day chilling, a year? Yes, a day, a time time, a time, chilling,

yeah? Well, a Sometimes we use Palazas but with super panaminized basically.

Okay, so Panamanianified words, yeah? Yes. Okay. So give us an example of one of these. Okay. Popcorn.

Yeah? Let's say porcon. Porcon? So you wouldn't say popcorn, you would say porcon? Yes, the porcon.

Okay. There was one other word that you told me about earlier and that was the word for 25 cents, 25 centavos. Yes. In Panama, we say quara.

Quara. Yes. Okay, so it's scribes C-U-A-R-A? Yes, a quara. But it's, well, it's here a quarter. Exactly. Okay, so this is a Panamanian version of 25 cents,

which would become a un or una quara. Un quara. Okay, un quara. I think it's really interesting here, because when we teach a single R sound in Spanish, very often we try to get people to think of how you would say the word, for example, butter in a kind of American accent or a New York accent or something like that. And I'm going to embarrass myself here by saying this, kind of like butter.

So that double T sound there is almost identical to a singular sound in Spanish. Wow. So if you say en quara, the quara, that is kind of like the same sound that you would hear in butter or bottle, like a bottle of. water and that bottle that Spanish R, single R, there we go. Wow,

never I've ever and it's a lot. Yes, yes, yeah, yeah, sure. So, yeah, yeah, sure. Okay, well, much thanks a you, and thanks,

for having compared to a little bit of your culture there. A order of Fernanda, and we'll see

the next time. Perfect. Well, that is it for another episode of the Coffee Break Spanish magazine. We hope you've enjoyed learning a little

about Panama today. And, of course, if you'd like more, if you'd like access to the transcript, then you can do so over at the Coffee Break Academy. If you simply head to coffeebreakacademy.com, you can look for the Coffee Break Spanish magazine season three, and you'll find the transcript with lesson notes and also vocabulary and exercises to help you get more out of our text today. Amigos, remember that

our episodes of Coffee Break Spanish are in two weeks and there are much content to practice.

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and we are just Learn Spanish on Twitter. We will be back next time and Annabel will be joining us next time and we've got an interesting text from Annabelle. It was nice to hear today. But we'll see you all very soon. Mucha grazie. Adas. Adios.

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