Spanish dialogue with translation and audio: Emma says goodbye to her mom¶
Emma arrives at university, and her mom walks her to the campus. The dialogue has six short lines: this is how people say goodbye in real life, not in textbook dialogues. Below: the scene video, words with audio, five real-life phrases explained and a self-check quiz.
Words from the scene¶
| Word | Transcription | Translation | Listen | In the dialogue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| arreglárselas | /areˈɣlaɾselas/ | to manage, to get by | Me las arreglaré, no te preocupes. | |
| sola | /ˈsola/ | alone, by herself | Puedo llegar sola desde aquí. | |
| campus | /ˈkampus/ | campus | ¿Podrás encontrar tu campus…? | |
| ten cuidado | /ten kwiˈðaðo/ | be careful | Ten cuidado. | |
| más a menudo | /mas a meˈnuðo/ | more often | Y llámame más a menudo. | |
| tener que | /teˈneɾ ke/ | to have to | Me tengo que ir. | |
| querida | /keˈɾiða/ | dear | Y yo te quiero, querida. | |
| pasar | /paˈsaɾ/ | to happen | Si algo pasa… | |
| inmediatamente | /inmeðjataˈmente/ | immediately | …llámame inmediatamente. |
Five phrases you won't find in a textbook¶
Me las arreglaré — "I'll manage"¶
Arreglárselas means "to manage on your own, to get by". The pronoun las doesn't refer to anything; it's a fixed part of the expression, so you just learn it as a whole: me las arreglo — I manage, ¿te las arreglas sola? — are you managing on your own? Textbook dialogues usually have puedo hacerlo ("I can do it") here, but that's much less likely in a reply to your mom.
Por tu cuenta — "by yourself, without help"¶
Sola simply means "alone", while por tu cuenta adds "without anyone's help". Mom isn't asking whether Emma will walk alone, but whether she'll manage without her. Same with other persons: lo hice por mi cuenta — I did it by myself.
No te quedes a dormir — "don't stay overnight"¶
Quedarse a dormir means "to stay the night". Notice the form: "stay" is quédate, but "don't stay" is no te quedes. In a prohibition Spanish uses the subjunctive and puts the pronoun before the verb. A common mistake is no quédate.
Vale, vale — "okay, okay, I get it"¶
Vale means "okay, fine" and is extremely common in Spain. Repeated, vale, vale sounds a little impatient: "yes, I get it, Mom". In Latin America you'd more likely hear está bien or ok here, and in Argentina dale.
Me tengo que ir — "I have to go"¶
Literally "I have to leave". The pronoun can go at the start (me tengo que ir) or attach to the verb (tengo que irme), with the same meaning. In fast speech the first version sounds almost like one word, metengokeír.
Listening tip: in Mom's line en casa de amigos, the vowels at the word boundary merge: de amigos sounds like one word. Listen to line 4 below and try to catch the boundary.
Dialogue: listen and read¶
Listen to the line first, then read it, and only after that open the translation.
Emma: ¡Mamá, gracias! Puedo llegar sola desde aquí.
Translation
Mom, thank you! I'll go on my own from here.
Mom: ¿Podrás encontrar tu campus por tu cuenta?
Translation
Can you find your campus by yourself?
Emma: ¡Por supuesto! Me las arreglaré, no te preocupes.
Translation
Of course! I'll manage, don't worry.
Mom: Ten cuidado. No te quedes a dormir en casa de amigos. Y llámame más a menudo.
Translation
Be careful. Don't stay overnight at friends' places. And call me more often.
Emma: Vale, vale. Tendré cuidado. Te quiero. Me tengo que ir.
Translation
Okay, okay. I'll be careful. Love you. I have to go.
Mom: Y yo te quiero, querida. Si algo pasa, llámame inmediatamente.
Translation
I love you too, dear. If anything happens, call me immediately.
Check yourself¶
1. How do you say "dear" in Spanish? Por supuesto · querida · cuidado
Answer
Querida. Por supuesto means "of course", cuidado means "care, caution".
2. Listen and choose the missing word: ¡Mamá, gracias! Puedo llegar ___ desde aquí. — cuidado · sola · campus
Answer
Sola — "alone, by herself".
3. Which word do you hear? cuidado · pasar · campus
Answer
Pasar — "to happen".
4. How do you say "immediately" in Spanish? inmediatamente · pronto · otra vez
Answer
Inmediatamente. Pronto means "soon", otra vez means "again".
5. Write down what you hear:
Answer
Más a menudo — "more often".
This is the first scene of the free demo, and the following ones are free too. In the game you can tap any word to see its translation, replay any line and take a quiz after the scene. Next, Emma walks onto campus alone, and new acquaintances are waiting for her: she'll meet her roommates.
If Spanish TV series are still hard to follow, read about the step to take before series.
Questions and answers¶
What does me las arreglaré mean?¶
"I'll manage." It's the future tense of arreglárselas, "to manage, to get by on your own". The pronoun las doesn't refer to anything; it's a fixed part of the expression: me las arreglo, te las arreglas, se las arregla.
What's the difference between por tu cuenta and solo?¶
Solo (sola) means "alone", while por tu cuenta stresses "by yourself, without help". ¿Podrás encontrar tu campus por tu cuenta? — "Can you find your campus by yourself, without me?"
Which is correct: me tengo que ir or tengo que irme?¶
Both are correct and mean "I have to go". The reflexive pronoun can go before the conjugated verb (me tengo que ir) or attach to the infinitive (tengo que irme). In conversation you often hear the first.
Why no te quedes and not no quédate?¶
In negative commands Spanish uses the subjunctive form and puts the pronoun before the verb: quédate — "stay", but no te quedes — "don't stay".