Learn how to discuss plans using verbs of potential
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Fernando: Can I Stay Longer? In this lesson, you will learn about expressing potential. This conversation takes place at the hotel reception, and the conversation is between Jimmy and the receptionist. The speakers will be using the formal register. |
| Fernando: Let's listen to this conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| RECEPCIONISTA: Buenos días, señor McSherry. |
| JIMMY: Hola. Voy a hacer checkout, por favor. |
| RECEPCIONISTA: Muy bien, señor. Tiene unos recados. |
| JIMMY: Ah ¿sí? Gracias. |
| RECEPCIONISTA: ¿Le pasa algo, señor? |
| JIMMY: Es que no quiero irme. |
| RECEPCIONISTA: Bueno, pues quédese en México. |
| JIMMY: Es que tengo que regresar al trabajo. Y vivo en Los Ángeles. |
| RECEPCIONISTA: Bueno, ni modo. ¿Usted no puede trabajar en México y vivir aquí? |
| JIMMY: Mmm, a lo mejor sí puedo. Gracias, joven. |
| JP: One more time, with the translation. |
| RECEPCIONISTA: Buenos días, señor McSherry |
| JP: Good morning, Mr. McSherry. |
| JIMMY: Hola. Voy a hacer checkout, por favor. |
| JP: Hi. I'd like to check out please. |
| RECEPCIONISTA: Muy bien, señor. Tiene unos recados. |
| JP: Very well, sir. You have some messages. |
| JIMMY: Ah ¿sí? Gracias. |
| JP: Oh yeah? Thank you. |
| RECEPCIONISTA: ¿Le pasa algo, señor? |
| JP: Is something wrong sir? |
| JIMMY: Es que no quiero irme. |
| JP: I don't want to leave. |
| RECEPCIONISTA: Bueno, pues quédese en México. |
| JP: Well then stay in Mexico. |
| JIMMY: Es que tengo que regresar al trabajo. Y vivo en Los Ángeles. |
| JP: I have to go back to work. And I live in LA. |
| RECEPCIONISTA: Bueno, ni modo. ¿Usted no puede trabajar en México y vivir aquí? |
| JP: Well, then nothing you can do. You can't work in Mexico? And live here? |
| JIMMY: Mmm, a lo mejor sí puedo. Gracias, joven. |
| JP: Mmm, maybe I could. Thank you, sir. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| JP: Aww, Jimmy doesn't want to go back to LA. |
| Fernando: Well, the Mayan Riviera is a special place. So he's checking out of the hotel, and the receptionist is giving him his messages, and he notices, Jimmy's looking a little down. |
| JP: Jimmy should just stay in Mexico. Get a job, move there. |
| Fernando: Well, that's what the receptionist is suggesting. |
| JP: You know, it's a good thing Jimmy studied Spanish, it ended up changing his life. |
| Fernando: Well, he hasn't moved there yet. |
| JP: No, but the point is that if he never learned Spanish, it wouldn't have ever been a possibility. |
| JP: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Fernando: regresar [natural native speed] |
| JP: to return |
| Fernando: regresar [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Fernando: regresar [natural native speed] |
| JP: Next. |
| Fernando: ¿Le pasa algo? [natural native speed] |
| JP: Is everything ok? |
| Fernando: ¿Le pasa algo? [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Fernando: ¿Le pasa algo? [natural native speed] |
| JP: Next. |
| Fernando: poder [natural native speed] |
| JP: to be able to |
| Fernando: poder [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Fernando: poder [natural native speed] |
| JP: Next. |
| Fernando: ni modo [natural native speed] |
| JP: there's nothing anyone can do about it |
| Fernando: ni modo [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Fernando: ni modo [natural native speed] |
| Fernando: a lo mejor [natural native speed] |
| JP: maybe |
| Fernando: a lo mejor [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Fernando: a lo mejor [natural native speed] |
| VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE |
| JP: Ok, now let's have a closer look at the way we use these words and phrases. So what’s first? |
| Fernando: I want to look at regresar. |
| JP: Regresar. To go back. Usually it has the connotation of going home, going back to the place of origen. Regresar. |
| Fernando: Ok, next is the receptionist showing his concern... ¿Le pasa algo? |
| JP: ¿Le pasa algo? Is something happening to you, literally, but I would translate this as is something wrong? ¿Le pasa algo? here you can see we're using the verb pasar, to occur, to happen. |
| Fernando: ¿le pasa algo? Next, the verb poder. |
| JP: Poder. now we'll go into more detail about the verb poder later in the podcast; for now I should just mention that poder means can, or to be able. poder. |
| Fernando: Poder. Next we have a lo mejor. |
| JP: A lo mejor. This is a way of saying maybe. A lo mejor. |
| Fernando: A lo mejor. Finally, the expression ni modo. |
| JP: Ok, ni modo, this is a translation land mine... it can mean a couple of things, but here in the dialog it means like, oh well. you know, a kind of resignation. oh well, nothing anyone can do about it. We're all just going to have to live with it. |
| Fernando: Ni modo. Ok, JP: time for grammar. |
| JP: Pues ni modo. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| JP: Ok, as I promised, we're going to talk about the verb poder, it means can or to be able. Like when the receptionist asked Jimmy if he couldn't just work and live in Mexico. How did he say that, Fernando? |
| Fernando: ¿Usted no puede trabajar en México y vivr aquí? |
| JP: Ok, perfect now you hear the usted form of poder, which is puede, used with a couple of infinitives. The first one is to work |
| Fernando: trabajar... usted no puede trabajar... |
| JP: So can you not work... |
| Fernando: ...en México |
| JP: Can you not work in Mexico... And also there's another infinitive later in sentence that goes with poder.. it's the verb for to live |
| Fernando: vivir... usted no puede vivir aquí. |
| JP: Right. vivir is to live, so usted no puede vivir aquí, can you not live here? |
| Fernando: Ok... |
| JP: So the point of poder is that if you conjugate poder in whatever tense, and you follow it with an infinitive, the meaning of the phrase is to be able to do something. So Fernando, give us some poder plus infinitive phrases. |
| Fernando: Poder dormir |
| JP: To be able to sleep |
| Fernando: Poder... comer. |
| JP: to be able to eat. Yo siempre puedo comer, I can always eat. |
| Fernando: poder bailar |
| JP: to be able to dance. Yo no puedo bailar. |
| Fernando: ¿ah no? poder continuar |
| JP: to be able to keep going, to be able to continue. |
| Fernando: JP, no podemos continuar. |
| JP: We can't keep going? |
| Fernando: Nah. Podcast is getting long. I think people get the picture. |
| JP: Ok. poder + infinitive, to be able to do something. |
Outro |
| JP: It's time to say goodbye. Hasta luego. |
| Fernando: ¡Hasta luego! |
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