CoffeeBreakSpanish.com
In this edition:
listening
practice; rmore
subjunctives
Lesson 79
Notes
Quizás sea mejor ir en taxi
Perhaps it’s better to go by taxi
Programme Notes
Coffee Break Spanish notes guide you through the content of each lesson. In lesson 79 Andrew
and his friend Michael are heading to the ayuntamiento where Michael has to sign up for his course.
They cannot find the ayuntamiento and Andrew (A) asks a passer-by (B) for some help. The
constructions included in this dialogue are explained in the notes which follow.
.
Conversation
A
Perdóneme, ¿es usted de aquí?
B
Sí, soy de aquí. ¿Puedo ayudarles?
A
Sí, estamos perdidos. Tenemos una reunión en el ayuntamiento a las dos. ¿Nos
sabe decir dónde está?
B
¿A las dos? Ay, no tienen mucho tiempo. A ver. La verdad es que está bastante
lejos de aquí. No creo que vayan a llegar allí antes de las dos. Quizás sea mejor ir
en taxi.
A
Y ¿dónde podemos coger un taxi?
B
Hay una parada en la calle San Juan. Crucen la plaza y ya están en la calle San
Juan. La parada está en frente de la iglesia. Miren, quieren que les acompañe?
A
No, no. Está bien. Muchas gracias.
B
No hay problema. Espero que lleguen con tiempo.
A
Gracias. Que tenga un buen día.
The language notes overleaf should help you get more out of the conversation and will outline any
difficult or noteworthy points of grammar and vocabulary covered.
Language notes
perdóneme
excuse me (formal)
Note that this is the formal
imperative. It is formed by
using the present subjunctive
of the usted form, ie. perdone
(would be usted perdona in the
indicative) and adding the
pronoun me to the end. Note
also that the accent has to be
placed on the ó to maintain the
correct stress.
¿puedo ayudarles?
can I help you?
The pronoun les is the formal
form of “you” (masculine
plural)
Coffee Break Spanish: Lesson 79
page 1
Language notes
perdido
lost
una reunión
meeting
el ayuntamiento
town hall
¿nos sabe decir...?
can you tell us...?
a ver...
let’s see
la verdad es que...
the truth is that...
no creo que vayan a llegar
allí
I don’t think you’re going to
get there
No creo que is followed by the
subjunctive. In this case, vayan
is the present subjunctive of ir
in the ustedes form
quizás sea mejor
perhaps it’s better
Quizás is followed by the
subjunctive.
coger un taxi
to catch a taxi
Note that in much of Latin
America it is more natural to
say tomar un taxi
una parada
stop, (taxi) rank
The word parada can refer to a
bus stop or a taxi rank.
crucen la plaza
cross the square
Again, the subjunctive of the
verb (in this case cruzar) is
used in the ustedes form as
the imperative.
miren
look
As above.
masculine plural agreement:
perdidos
Literally, “do you know how to
tell us...”. Alternative form:
¿sabe decirnos...?
¿quieren que les acompañe? do you want me to go/come
with you? (Literally: “do you
want me to accompany you?”)
In English we can say “do you
want me to come with you?”,
ie. using the infinitive of the
verb “to come”. In Spanish you
must say “do you want that I
come with you?” and in this
situation the “come” has to be
in the subjunctive.
espero que lleguen con
tiempo
I hope (that) you arrive on time
Esperar que is followed by the
subjunctive. Note that in this
phrase in English the word
“that” is optional. However, in
Spanish it must be included.
que tenga un buen día
have a nice day
This is very similar to an
imperative, or you could think
of it as the equivalent of saying
“I hope that you have a nice
day”, and since esperar que
takes the subjunctive, it makes
sense that que tenga un buen
día should also be in the
subjunctive.
While the dialogue in this lesson was shorter than normal, the learning content is significant and
the further explanations of the subjunctive below should help you get to grips with its use.
Coffee Break Spanish: Lesson 79
page 2
Further subjunctive situations
So far we have learned that the subjunctive is used after the following “triggers”:
Subjunctive triggers
antes de que
before
cuando
when (referring to future)
Based on what we have covered in this lesson, we can add the following triggers to the table:
Subjunctive triggers
no creo que
I don’t think that...
quizás / quizá
perhaps
espero que
I hope that ...
que...
eg. que tenga un buen día
may you ...
(eg. may you have a nice day)
“double subject” situations*
Perhaps some further clarification of “double subject” situations is required. Consider the following
sentences:
I want to do my homework
I want you to do my homework
In English, these two sentences are very similar, the only difference being that the second sentence
includes the word “you”. The inclusion of “you” here changes the entire sentence, however. In the
first sentence only one subject is involved: I want to do my homework and I will end up doing my
homework. In the second sentence, I am doing the “wanting”, but “you” will be doing the “doing”!
There are therefore two subjects in the second sentence. Consider another example below:
She hopes to go to the theatre
She hopes that you go to the theatre
Again, the first sentence is an example of a single subject: “she” is doing the “hoping” and
ultimately “she” will also be doing the “going” too. In the second example, “she” is doing the
“hoping” and “you” will be doing the “going”, therefore two different subjects.
Now let’s consider how these would be translated into Spanish. The table below provides the
translations:
Subjunctive triggers
Coffee Break Spanish: Lesson 79
I want to do my homework
quiero hacer mis deberes
I want you to do my homework
quiero que (tú) hagas mis deberes
She hopes to go to the theatre
espera ir al teatro
She hopes (that) you go to the theatre
(ella) espera que (tú) vayas al teatro
page 3
Pay close attention to the word highlighted in bold in the Spanish translations. When there is only
one subject, the infinitive is used for the second verb. Where the second verb is a different subject,
the subjunctive is used.
Bonus podcast test
This short exercise will test both your mastery of the constructions included in this lesson’s
dialogue, and your understanding of the informal imperative. Note that this exercise is featured in
the bonus podcast for lesson 79 so you may wish to listen to that first.
English
Spanish
1
I want you to sing tomorrow
quiero que cantes mañana
2
they hope to come next week
esperan venir la semana que viene
3
she wants to read the book
quiere leer el libro
4
I want you to be nice
quiero que seas simpático/a
5
I don’t think that you want to come
no creo que quieras venir
6
she hopes that I learn French
(ella) espera que (yo) aprenda el francés
7
do you (informal plural) want me to say it
now?
¿queréis que lo diga ahora?
8
I hope I understand the subjunctive
espero entender el conjuntivo
All materials ©Copyright Radio Lingua Ltd 2008
Coffee Break Spanish: Lesson 79
page 4