Coffee Break Spanish - Season 3 – Lesson 09 – Coffee Break Spanish

Episode Date: July 5, 2011

In this 9th episode of Coffee Break Spanish Season 3, Mark and Alba discuss Christmas traditions in Spain. José introduces a couple of phrases which you can tell someone not to take something the wrong way in this week’s intermedio. Grammar points covered include al + infinitive, por and para, volver a hacer algo, and expressions which are followed by the subjunctive including antes de que, sin que and para que. Please note that lesson 09 of Season 3 was originally known as lesson 309 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.

Shoot Time Spanish, Episode 9. It's hour to pass to the next level, of the ensigners to the spectacle. This is your moment. That's the turn. Showtime! Hello, and welcome to Showtime Spanish.

I'm Mark. Hello, I am Alva. And we're here to help you to help us with your Spanish. What time is this time, Alva? Well, very well, and you, Mark? Yes, we'll get well. This week, we're going to

a matter of an issue very interesting. Yeah, we're in December, and only are some days, maybe a little less than two months, before that get Christmas. We're going to the traditions Navideans

that I know of Spain. Well, let's. Diciember is a special for almost all the world. In every country, in

every culture, and even in every family, it's the occasion perfect to to see a your people, to your

family, to your friends. Well, I personally, I'm with my family, and

me and I really, I'm really, I'm just the one of December, we put

the calendaries of the day, and every day, to my kids, it's

to make every ventanita, each pestauna of the calendar. And, and during the month of December, we're doing all those preparations for Naviad. But the truth is that the fiestas of Navidav are a little distinct in every

country. Alba, tell us a little, how you celebrate you the days of Navidate. I celebrate the Navidates of a very typical, I think. is with my family. Basically, what we do we do we're

we're doing and we're together. For example, the day 24 of December, for the night, we're reunimed to those of

eight and we and we're a time you know, you know, we're example, we have the pavo that's come in Navi-Aidate.

Do you any place typical of Navidat in Spain? Well, I think more well

we're more we're much variety of platos typical of Navidates. It's we're going to seven or eight different

that are all the days festivos. And the day 25? Well, the day 25

we do we're doing in the house of my abuela and we come we're all

together. And you do you go to the church? No, in my family

no it's tradition. Well, for us the 24 of December is more

a day of preparatives or another day of preparatives and it's always a good and then we're

to get to the tiendas and the real that is that's the time is the 24 of December

is horrible it's like an infirno a new a new a new there's there in

the stances that's that's people in the stuff in the estanteries that

one person want and other person want and now they're to

start to play. But apart of that I'm like the preparatives for

the Naviative for the never put the leech and the ranorio for the

Renor Rodolf and also the coiac for the Papa Noel

that will come during the night of 25 because we're

we're the tradition of the children have the

children the day 25 for the morning and then

then we'll, we'll all to the misa. But for you not it's Papa Noel that's the presents the present.

Well, there are people that there's there's he has he has the time.

So, but there much people, as my case, that receive the

day six of the year of the morning. Because... But it's very

very very. Yeah, but Mayes magos tardan much to come to the

Orient. Sure, so so tell us a lot of those Braes Magos.

Who are? Well, are Melchor, Gazpar and Baltasar and

they're they're for the little other other the people.

Well, the the children of the people, the

not not not not not to have to

have to until the day six of they can do

they do for to change the Rieges Tardan and

the day to be a day of let me a little Alba how

you know I'm I'm in Gerona and I see a thing

a little strange in the in the the descaparats

there were like troncos with cars painted and

with a gar a roja what is what is

that that well that is a part super important of

the Naviadalana. The Cagatio is a a trough of a trunk of a tree that has a painted a car as you well and you know

a garra. This gore is a barratina in Catalan and it the campesinos Catalanes traditionally.

But tell me, one one thing, the name Cagatio is a little vulgar?

Okay, Yes, yes, it is, much. Maybe we should we're for our for our

our people okay, so you know, so in in castellano the word Cagar and it

says, well, well, it's not it's going to say, to be a time quite

maybe we're to say to be in a number two, but no a number one. But,

no it's It's what does that in Spanish. The Spanioles not are the number one and the number

doses. No, we're more clear. As we've we've seen, we're a representative

Navideean that's called Caga Tio. So, so Tio, what do you do this part? Tio

is what is the tronco that we're using. Well, for favor explain us

for what this person of this person of Navi to do a-a- -a-

because caga? Well, go to because we're the things are the thing,

the cagatio caga the gaga the for all the children and it's a person

very, but very very very very very for all I'm

I'm to hear you this episode of show time

Spanish and you you're thinking but what they're going

going going all all all not we're not

to be not Oh, yes, I promise, you'll promise. Venga, then he cagas the regalos, but I've said, me have said,

that there's a question that the children that the children can't, what do you do? A bit, the history is that we're

we're going to the cagatio on a taburete. He tap we tap us with a mantle

for that not coha free and for that it's that's to be preparing

to put up the little we're doing to eat a mandarin a

example or a other and then the little we're we're

one one we're going going the back the

with a paltor and while we're we're we're

can't a can't a Tio de nadal, no cagis aranguadas, that are masses salas cagaturons

that are more bans and if not I'll don't a cup of a bastor Well, there you have a little moucester of our navidates

Catalanas But one What's at final? Caga or not caga? At final If you've

You've been, uh, clear that cagher and he'll try to give a regalitos, well, very well.

So as usual, we're now going to go through what we've talked about and more straightforward Spanish. Dicember is a special for

almost all the world. Today we've talked of the traditions that we're we're not we're

during the Navidates. Alba has said that has been much time with your family,

Comying and passandall it A Mark He loved the preparatives Navideos to his children to make the pastimes

of the calendar of Adventio Sin embargo they agobian the Compras at the last time

he also usually pass the day of Navidat in family Alba Alba

us has explained a tradition Catalana very important that has a

name a little different. It's the tradition of the Kagatio and we're we're going to the explanation without that you

have seen you have been offended. Well, just to get with the intermediate of this time.

The to you Alba. Well, we're going to the Chiste Semanal. This week we

we're going a woman that's a manido. You'd take example of our

Vecinos, has seen how he besa a his woman all the days when he gets to do you

do you do you do this and the marid he said I'm I'm

I'm did a bofetada well this time we don't know we're much

time so we don't we're we're we're we're that you

think there's there's the question in the notice well Jose

it's you're I've done your Compras to buy, Mark, still still in it. No,

I've terminated to mandar my targetas as Alba pointed out in Spain, we get longer to buy presents because most of

us have to wait until January the 6th can you imagine? For sure, Alva, look that

are you are rare those Catalans, eh? You know some traditions a little,

how I say I , excentricas? Well, well, well, I'm

know, here in the Intermediio, in Showtime Spanish, is where we show you what it takes to get to the next stage. The goal is to make your Spanish sound more, well, Spanish. I'm a bit worried now, though. I hope Alba is not upset with me about what I said about her Catalan traditions. We all say things sometimes that came out wrong or simply wish we never said. Well, if that ever happens to you in Spanish, why not say, not te lo tomes a mal, which means, don't get me wrong or don't take it the wrong way.

Sometimes it might be too late, you might have to say, no te enfadhes, which means don't get upset, literally, don't get angry. So let's say those again and repeat after me. No te lo tomes a mal. No te enfades. So, Alba, I'm, I'm sure that no te lo tomes a mal. A me in reality me encauntan

those Catalans soys magyzimus Now, only me care to you Mark and Alba and to

all the Oyentes of Showtime Spanish a very very good new

until the year next a year As someone who's working on Spanish at an intermediate level, you may also be interested in our Coffee Break Spanish Magazine podcast. This is a podcast for intermediate learners, and we focus on texts,

which allow you to develop your linguistic knowledge and also your cultural knowledge. We have presenters from Spain and also various parts of Latin America, so you'll be building your understanding of different accents throughout the series. Find out more about the Coffee Break Spanish magazine at coffeebreakacademy.com. Welcome back to this week's episode of Showtime Spanish. This is Act 2 of our festive edition.

Well, now Mark will explain what language we've used during the first act? Well, thanks, Alba. I'm going to try to explain the language that we've used in the first act. In fact, this week in terms of constructions, there possibly hasn't been as much

in the way of difficult. content for you to understand. Perhaps the more challenging thing this week has been all the specific vocabulary linked to the various festivals that are celebrated in the various parts of the world at this time of year. There's been quite a lot of technical vocabulary and obviously all this is explained in the notes. But I'm going to run through one or two things just now. First of all the word navidad. Navidad is Christmas. But in Spanish you also talk about navidades. Navidates, referring to the whole Christmas period. So in Spain, that lasts right up until Los Reyes,

the day that the Three Kings come, which is January the 6th, known as the Epiphany. So Navidades refers to the whole season, whereas Navidad normally refers to Christmas in terms of Christmas day. Now, the adjective relating to Christmas is Navideno. When I was talking about going to the shops at Christmas, I talked about Un Inferno Navineo,

which would translate as a Christmas hell, because everyone's looking for the same things in the shops, and it's not particularly pleasant going with so many people around. Some of the other things that we mentioned were El Candario de Alviento, which is an Advent calendar. And for anyone not familiar with this, it's normally some kind of picture with a Christmas scene,

and there are normally 24 pestañas, which are little flaps or ventanitas. I also said little windows, a ventana, a window, a ventanita, a little window. So, these are the flaps or the windows of the Advent calendar, and I was saying that my boys like opening their windows each day of the Advent calendar. We talked about El Reno Rodolfo. El Reno Rodolfo is Rudolph the Reindeer. We mentioned Papa Noel, Father Christmas. We talked about, indeed, leaving the thanaoria, or sanaioria, out for Rudolph, and that's the carrot. And we also talked about Los Reyes Magos.

Los Reyes Magos are the three kings, the wise men who come from the Oriente, from the East, and they have names, in English Melchi or Caspar and Balthasar, but in Spanish Melchor, Gaspar, and Baltasar. Alba also spoke about the cagatio tradition in Catalonia and no doubt the explanation of all this probably had you wondering a little about what we were talking about this week now by using the vocabulary on the notes for this week I'm sure you'll understand much better what the cagatio is but if you have a look for cagatio on YouTube

then you're bound to find some videos of children hitting their cagatio with sticks and the cagatio finally distributing the presence in the way the cagatio does. I think it's probably better that you have a look for that yourself before I go into too much detail there. Okay, a couple of language points as well

from this lesson. First of all, we've come across before the use of the progressive tenses. For example, I'm speaking. When we combine a part of the verb estar with the gerund. And the gerund is the part of the verb

that ends in ando or yendo. There's another way of using this gerund, and that's with the verb, ir. And there were a couple of examples of this in this week's discussion. When Alba was describing what they do, what the children do, to the cagadio with their sticks,

she said, Bamos golpeandole. Now, Bamos is obviously a part of iir, so literally we go hitting him. Now, that makes sense. I'm sure you understand that the children go on hitting him. They go hitting him. However, this use of ir plus the gerund, in this case,

Golpeando, and it's got a le, staccount to the end, Golpeandole, hitting him. And just a word there, because the cagatio takes on a character, it's a personality within this whole Christmas tradition, then it's seen as a person, and therefore it needs to have the personal eye. So that's why you would say Colpear a

or rather in this case Golpear Al Tronco, Colpear al Cagatio. And since the personal A is used, it becomes Golpearlle. So it's Colpear al Tronco, Golpearlene.

But let's get back to the Iir plus the gerent. So, vamos golpeandole and also the other example that was used was again talking about the cagatio so in order that it goes getting warmer now again that's not a good translation there

but it's this idea of that something is continuing to do something so by calentando it's continuing to get warmer I'm continuing to get to know lots of people. Van Apprendiando more Spanish every day. They are continuing to learn more Spanish every day. So it's a good thing to recognize this use of ear plus the gerund, and you'll get used to using it yourself the more you recognize it. Let's take a moment to look at the phrases in this week's episode,

which have caused us to use the subjunctive. there have been some that we've come across before. For example, antes de que. Antes de ke means before something happens. So the example was, solo falten some days,

antes de ke yege navidad. So before Christmas arrives. Antes de ke yege, being the subjunctive from Yegar. And then another one was para que in order that. And the example was

para que So in order that, it continues to get warm, or it continues to heat up. One that we've not come across before is sinke. Sinke means without something happening. Now, this was used in the resumen when we were explaining what we'd said about the cagatio. I said, we know that Esperamos, that

that Iyae's understood the expletion. Now, we know that Esperak takes the subjunctive, so we hope

that you have understood the explanation sin that you have said without

that you have felt offended. Now, obviously the offended is referring back to the

whole thing around Kagatio, which I'm sure you understand by now, but it's

this sin-ke, Sinke us you have said offended so

without that you have felt offended so basically we hope that you've

understood the explanation without feeling offended okay let's give

another example of Sinke because that's quite a complicated one

for example I am doing this without you knowing about it

so I'm doing this so I'm doing this I'm doing this I'm doing this without you knowing about it

sin que lo sepas too so without that you know it, lo sepast you know and too is put in there to give a little more emphasis

I'm doing this so so okay there's one other word that needs a little explanation and that's the word macho. It's a word that Jose used. He said you're majissimos los Catalanes. You are really

nice, you Catalan people. So Sois using the Bosotros form of the verb ser. But macho is a word that's particular to Spain. I'm not sure whether it's used in many Latin American countries and indeed if you've come across it before then do let us know. Maho means

a really nice person. If someone's macho, they're just really nice. how nice you are. And of course it becomes magissimo when you're using the superlative form. That's making it very strong. It is magissimo, you're really nice. So Jose described Alba and the other Catalanis as magisimos. So he's magisimos. Okay, hopefully that's helped you get to grips with some of this language. No, we'll have an episode

normal and current of Showtime Spanish. We'll have an episode special, the second chapter of

the Verano Spanish. You know what what was in the first

chapter? Well, as know, Laura is the daughter of Antonio

and Aona. Laura and her mother are in Spain. They've happened to

get to Spain where they're to go to the but what will

to pass in this second episode? So, you have to hear you the next chapter. In the meantime,

thanks very much once again for listening. We would like to wish you from the whole team here at Radio Lingua, Felic Navidad,

and a prosperous year new. Felices for all. And in Catalan, Bon Nadal.

Venga, as the next. Bye next time.