Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Notes

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
James: Giving Your Opinion in Spanish. James Here.
Laura: Hola. I'm Laura.
James: In this lesson, you’ll learn about giving opinions. The conversation takes place at the office.
Laura: It's between Alma Cordero and Alejandra Soto.
James: The speakers are co-workers, and they will speak informal Spanish. Okay, let's listen to the conversation.
DIALOGUE
Alma Cordero: Hola Alejandra. Te quiero pedir tu opinión sobre un asunto respecto a la solicitud de personal adicional.
Alejandra Soto: Por supuesto, platícame de este asunto. ¿Algún acontecimiento reciente sobre el cual podemos hablar el día de hoy?
Alma Cordero: Cabe mencionar la apertura de dos nuevas oficinas centrales, sobre todo la más grande, con espacio para 20 nuevas vacantes.
Alejandra Soto: Justo te iba a preguntar sobre eso. ¿Cuántas vacantes se abrieron este mes?
Alma Cordero: Solamente diez. Y según Recursos Humanos no cabe ni una más. Pienso que son muy pocas, así que ya puse el tema como prioritario.
Alejandra Soto: Mi sugerencia es que platiquemos seriamente con el jefe. Me encuentro cabe su oficina y escuche a su Secretaría mencionar que hoy llega sobre las 11 de la mañana.
Alma Cordero: Perfecto ¿Me dejas la propuesta?
Alejandra Soto: Ya la puse sobre tu escritorio.
James: Listen to the conversation one time slowly.
Alma Cordero: Hola Alejandra. Te quiero pedir tu opinión sobre un asunto respecto a la solicitud de personal adicional.
Alejandra Soto: Por supuesto, platícame de este asunto. ¿Algún acontecimiento reciente sobre el cual podemos hablar el día de hoy?
Alma Cordero: Cabe mencionar la apertura de dos nuevas oficinas centrales, sobre todo la más grande, con espacio para 20 nuevas vacantes.
Alejandra Soto: Justo te iba a preguntar sobre eso. ¿Cuántas vacantes se abrieron este mes?
Alma Cordero: Solamente diez. Y según Recursos Humanos no cabe ni una más. Pienso que son muy pocas, así que ya puse el tema como prioritario.
Alejandra Soto: Mi sugerencia es que platiquemos seriamente con el jefe. Me encuentro cabe su oficina y escuche a su Secretaría mencionar que hoy llega sobre las 11 de la mañana.
Alma Cordero: Perfecto ¿Me dejas la propuesta?
Alejandra Soto: Ya la puse sobre tu escritorio.
James: Listen to the conversation with the English translation.
Alma Cordero: Hola Alejandra. Te quiero pedir tu opinión sobre un asunto respecto a la solicitud de personal adicional.
Alma Cordero: Hello Alejandra. I want to ask your opinion on an issue regarding requesting additional staff.
Alejandra Soto: Por supuesto, platícame de este asunto. ¿Algún acontecimiento reciente sobre el cual podemos hablar el día de hoy?
Alejandra Soto: Of course, tell me about this issue. Any recent event on which we can discuss today?
Alma Cordero: Cabe mencionar la apertura de dos nuevas oficinas centrales, sobre todo la más grande, con espacio para 20 nuevas vacantes.
Alma Cordero: It is worth mentioning the opening of two new central offices, especially the biggest one, with space for 20 new vacancies.
Alejandra Soto: Justo te iba a preguntar sobre eso. ¿Cuántas vacantes se abrieron este mes?
Alejandra Soto: I was just about to inquire about that. How many vacancies were opened this month?
Alma Cordero: Solamente diez. Y según Recursos Humanos no cabe ni una más. Pienso que son muy pocas, así que ya puse el tema como prioritario.
Alma Cordero: Only ten. And according to Human Resources we cannot afford even one more. I think there are too few, so I already set that issue as a priority.
Alejandra Soto: Mi sugerencia es que platiquemos seriamente con el jefe. Me encuentro cabe su oficina y escuche a su Secretaría mencionar que hoy llega sobre las 11 de la mañana.
Alejandra Soto: My suggestion is that we speak seriously with the boss. I am next to his office and I heard his secretary mention he will come today around 11 in the morning.
Alma Cordero: Perfecto ¿Me dejas la propuesta?
Alma Cordero: Perfect. Will you leave me the proposal?
Alejandra Soto: Ya la puse sobre tu escritorio.
Alejandra Soto: I already put it on your desk.
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
James: We heard a discussion about staffing levels in the conversation this time.
Laura: Yes, Alma and Alejandra had a few opinions about that.
James: I hope that they can make their opinions known to their boss.
Laura: I hope so, too! In Mexico, it’s important to let your opinion be known.
James: That’s good to know. That’s not always the case in some countries.
Laura: It’s important to remember that although you can be expressive, you should be formal.
James: Yeah, things are toned down when you’re in the office so be respectful.
Laura: As long as you’re respectful and use formal language, you’ll be okay.
James: Your opinions will be seen as constructive and they will be welcomed.
Laura: When you speak to a boss, hold back on the more personal comments.
James: And have a good base for what you’re saying. Okay, now onto the vocab.
VOCAB LIST
James: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is...
Laura: sobre [natural native speed]
James: "about, upon, on top of, over, above, envelope"
Laura: sobre [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Laura: sobre [natural native speed]
James: Next we have...
Laura: cabe [natural native speed]
James: "close to"
Laura: cabe [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Laura: cabe [natural native speed]
James: Next we have...
Laura: cabe [natural native speed]
James: "fit"
Laura: cabe [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Laura: cabe [natural native speed]
James: Next we have...
Laura: respecto a [natural native speed]
James: "regarding"
Laura: respecto a [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Laura: respecto a [natural native speed]
James: Next we have...
Laura: solicitar [natural native speed]
James: "to request, to solicit, to apply for"
Laura: solicitar [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Laura: solicitar [natural native speed]
James: Next we have...
Laura: prioritario, prioritaria [natural native speed]
James: "priority"
Laura: prioritario, prioritaria [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Laura: prioritario, prioritaria [natural native speed]
James: Next we have...
Laura: sobre todo [natural native speed]
James: "especially"
Laura: sobre todo [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Laura: sobre todo [natural native speed]
James: Next we have...
Laura: pedir [natural native speed]
James: "ask"
Laura: pedir [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Laura: pedir [natural native speed]
James: Next we have...
Laura: mencionar [natural native speed]
James: "mention"
Laura: mencionar [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Laura: mencionar [natural native speed]
James: And last...
Laura: sugerencia [natural native speed]
James: "suggestion"
Laura: sugerencia [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Laura: sugerencia [natural native speed]
KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES
James: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first phrase is...
Laura: cabe mencionar
James: meaning "it is worth mentioning."
James: Let’s look at this phrase.
Laura: The first word is cabe, it means "fit." The last word is mencionar.
James: This means "to mention." Together they mean "it is worth mentioning."
Laura: cabe mencionar
James: You can use this to express the opinion that something is worth saying.
Laura: It’s usually used in formal settings.
James: Can you give us an example using this phrase?
Laura: Sure. For example, you can say... Cabe mencionar que es una carrera larga.
James: … which means "It is worth mentioning that it's a long race."
James: Okay, what's the next phrase?
Laura: te quiero pedir tu opinión
James: meaning "I want to ask your opinion."
James: Let’s break down this phrase.
Laura: First is te quiero, which means "I want you to." Next is pedir, which means "ask." Finally is tu opinión.
James: This is "your opinion." Altogether it means "I want to ask your opinion."
Laura: te quiero pedir tu opinión
James: You can use this to ask for someone else’s input.
Laura: It is informal. The formal version is le quiero pedir su opinión.
James: Can you give us an example using this phrase?
Laura: Sure. For example, you can say... Te quiero pedir tu opinión sobre el nuevo producto.
James: ... which means "I want to ask your opinion on the new product."
James: Okay, what's the next phrase?
Laura: mi sugerencia es
James: meaning "my suggestion is."
James: This is our last phrase.
Laura: The first word is mi, it means "my." Next is sugerencia, this means "suggestion." Finally is es.
James: This means "is." Altogether it is "my suggestion is."
Laura: mi sugerencia es
James: You can use this when you want to give an opinion or proposal.
Laura: It can be used in both formal and informal settings.
James: Can you give us an example using this phrase?
Laura: Sure. For example, you can say... Mi sugerencia es tomarlo con calma.
James: ... which means "My suggestion is to take it slow."
James: Okay, now onto the lesson focus.

Lesson focus

James: In this lesson, you'll learn about giving opinions.
James: But first, what prepositions can help us accomplish this?!
Laura: sobre and cabe. First is sobre.
James: This has a similar meaning to "on", "on to", "about", "over", "regarding", "upon", "concerning" and "with regard to." It can be used to mean "on top of."
Laura: For example: La hoja cayó sobre mi sombrero.
James: "The leaf fell on my hat." It can also express "about" or "additionally."
Laura: Sobre lo ocurrido, todos estamos bien.
James: "In addition to what happened, we are all fine." It can also be used to express proximity to a quantity or number.
Laura: Tengo sobre doscientos pesos.
James: "I have around two hundred pesos." There are some other uses in the Lesson Notes. Make sure to check them out. Now, what was the other preposition?
Laura: cabe. This can mean "close to", "near", "next to", "by", or "beside."
James: It is used to show proximity. For example:
Laura: Sentí pasar cabe mi cabeza un pájaro.
James: "I felt a bird fly close to my head."
Laura: Note that this preposition is not commonly heard anymore nowadays, but since we are covering all of the Spanish prepositions, we wanted you to know its meaning and usage.
James: Now let’s continue this lesson by showing some sentence patterns you can use when giving an opinion. If you want to straightforward express your opinion, say:
Laura: En mi opinión... el proyecto necesita revisiones.
James: "In my opinion ... the project needs revisions." Another common way to express your opinion is:
Laura: Pienso que... tenemos que agregar más gráficas.
James: "I think that... we should add more graphics." You can also say:
Laura: Creo que... es mejor no arriesgarse.
James: "I believe that... it’s best not to risk it." If your opinion is based on intuition, you can say:
Laura: Siento que... te irá muy bien en el examen.
James: "I feel that... you will do very well on the exam." If you would like to politely emphasize something, say:
Laura: Cabe mencionar que... la película fue bien recibida.
James: "It is worth mentioning that... the film was well received."

Outro

James: Okay, that’s all for this lesson. Thank you for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time! Bye!
Laura: Hasta la próxima.

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