Dialogue

Vocabulary (Review)

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
John: Making Work Complaints in Mexico. John here.
Laura: Hola. I'm Laura.
John: In this lesson, you’ll learn about complaining at work. The conversation takes place during a business dinner.
Laura: It's between Alma Cordero, Alan Brown, and Fernando Rojas.
John: The speakers are co-workers and will be speaking informal Spanish. Okay, let's listen to the conversation.
DIALOGUE
Alma Cordero: Cambiando de tema, ¿han escuchado algo sobre el nuevo producto?
Alan Brown: Sí, lo he oído mencionar. Pero no han divulgado más información al respecto.
Fernando Rojas: Lo único que sé es que el departamento de Investigación y Desarrollo de España lo está diseñando.
Alan Brown: En mi opinión, es mejor que involucren a los otros centros de investigación. Para ahorrar tiempo y recursos.
Alma Cordero: Exacto, todos tenemos que estar en el mismo canal.
John: Listen to the conversation one time slowly.
Alma Cordero: Cambiando de tema, ¿han escuchado algo sobre el nuevo producto?
Alan Brown: Sí, lo he oído mencionar. Pero no han divulgado más información al respecto.
Fernando Rojas: Lo único que sé es que el departamento de Investigación y Desarrollo de España lo está diseñando.
Alan Brown: En mi opinión, es mejor que involucren a los otros centros de investigación. Para ahorrar tiempo y recursos.
Alma Cordero: Exacto, todos tenemos que estar en el mismo canal.
John: Listen to the conversation with the English translation
Alma Cordero: Cambiando de tema, ¿han escuchado algo sobre el nuevo producto?
Alma Cordero: On another matter, have you heard anything about the new product?
Alan Brown: Sí, lo he oído mencionar. Pero no han divulgado más información al respecto.
Alan Brown: Yes, I have heard about it. But they haven't released much information about it.
Fernando Rojas: Lo único que sé es que el departamento de Investigación y Desarrollo de España lo está diseñando.
Fernando Rojas: All I know is that the Research and Development department of Spain is designing it.
Alan Brown: En mi opinión, es mejor que involucren a los otros centros de investigación. Para ahorrar tiempo y recursos.
Alan Brown: In my opinion, it’s better to involve all the other research centers in order to save time and resources.
Alma Cordero: Exacto, todos tenemos que estar en el mismo canal.
Alma Cordero: Exactly, everybody has to be on the same page.
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
John: Alma had a few questions, and Alan and Fernando were quick to tell her what they knew.
Laura: Asking colleagues is a good way of finding out extra information.
John: They also shared their opinions on the matter. Is that something that people in Mexico often do?
Laura: Oh yes, sharing points of view is to be expected. People are usually open and expressive.
John: Is this the same in formal situations?
Laura: Yes. As long as you’re polite, it’s fine. It’s also important to listen to what other people have to say.
John: Listening is always important. You should always try to respond to what they say to show that you were listening.
Laura: You can share your opinions in the office, but try to keep more personal comments for more private situations.
John: Yes, things can be misinterpreted, so it’s best to discuss personal things directly with someone instead of talking about them in a big group.
Laura: I think so, too. It’s important to bring your opinions and points of view to the office.
John: But make sure that you have good reasons and evidence for them.
Laura: This will help others understand you.
John: Okay, now onto the vocab.
VOCAB LIST
John: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is..
Laura: cambiando de tema [natural native speed]
John: on another note
Laura: cambiando de tema[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Laura: cambiando de tema [natural native speed]
John: Next we have..
Laura: canal [natural native speed]
John: channel
Laura: canal[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Laura: canal [natural native speed]
John: Next we have..
Laura: mencionar [natural native speed]
John: mention
Laura: mencionar[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Laura: mencionar [natural native speed]
John: Next we have..
Laura: divulgar [natural native speed]
John: divulge
Laura: divulgar[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Laura: divulgar [natural native speed]
John: Next we have..
Laura: Departamento de Investigación y Desarrollo [natural native speed]
John: Research and Development Department
Laura: Departamento de Investigación y Desarrollo[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Laura: Departamento de Investigación y Desarrollo [natural native speed]
John: Next we have..
Laura: diseñar [natural native speed]
John: design
Laura: diseñar[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Laura: diseñar [natural native speed]
John: Next we have..
Laura: en mi opinión [natural native speed]
John: in my opinion
Laura: en mi opinión[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Laura: en mi opinión [natural native speed]
John: Next we have..
Laura: Centro de Investigación [natural native speed]
John: Research Center
Laura: Centro de Investigación[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Laura: Centro de Investigación [natural native speed]
John: Next we have..
Laura: involucrar [natural native speed]
John: involve
Laura: involucrar[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Laura: involucrar [natural native speed]
John: And last..
Laura: respecto [natural native speed]
John: regard
Laura: respecto[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Laura: respecto [natural native speed]
KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES
John: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first word is..
Laura: al respecto
John: meaning "about, regarding"
John: Let’s look at this phrase in more detail.
Laura: Al means “to the,” and the final word is respecto.
John: This means “regard.” This phrase can be translated to “in regard to.”
Laura: It can also be used and translated as “about” or “regarding.”
John: You can use this when referring to a specific topic, place or thing.
Laura: This phrase is usually used in formal situations.
John: Can you give us an example using this phrase?
Laura: Sure. For example, you can say.. Dame tu opinión al respecto.
John: ..which means "Give me your opinion about it."
John: Okay, what's the next phrase?
Laura: estar en el mismo canal
John: which means "to be on the same page"
John: Let’s break it down.
Laura: First is estar, meaning "to be." Next is en el.
John: This means “on the.” The next word means “same.”
Laura: Which is mismo. Finally, there’s canal.
John: “channel.” Put together it means “to be on the same channel,” or as we say in English, “to be on the same page.”
Laura: You use this when there is a consensus or agreement. You can use it in both formal and informal situations.
John: Can you give us an example using this phrase?
Laura: Sure. For example, you can say.. Estoy en el mismo canal que ella en cuanto a ese tema.
John: .. which means "I am on the same page as her regarding that topic."
John: Okay, now onto the lesson focus.

Lesson focus

John: In this lesson, you'll learn about complaining at work.
John: We’ll begin by looking at direct object pronouns. A direct object is the person, event or thing in a sentence that is being affected by the verb. The position of this pronoun in a sentence differs between Spanish and English.
Laura: In Spanish, it is placed before the verb and also replaces the article.
John: A direct object pronoun has to agree in number and gender with the proper noun that it replaces. Let’s introduce the direct object pronouns.
Laura: First is me.
John: In English, this means “me.”
Laura: te
John: The informal “you.”
Laura: lo, la
John: “him, her, it” and the formal “you.”
Laura: nos
John: “us.” And finally...
Laura: los, las
John: “them, you all.” In the case of infinitives and present participles, the direct object pronoun can be attached to the end of the verb,
Laura: For example, in the sentence Voy a hacerlo.
John: It is also correct to add the pronoun before the verb. Using the same example...
Laura: Lo voy a hacer
John: They both mean “I am going to do it.” Let’s hear a couple more examples using direct object pronouns.
Laura: Ella la cierra.
John: “She closes it.”
Laura: Lo estoy leyendo.
John: “I am reading it.” Now, let’s move onto complaining at work. Not all of these phrases are just for complaining. They can also be used to show your concerns or doubts, too.
Laura: The first phrase is Me preocupa...
John: “I am worried about...” And in a sentence, please, Laura?
Laura: Me preocupan las fechas de entrega.
John: “I am worried about the due dates.” The next phrase is...
Laura: No me parece que...
John: “It doesn’t seem to me that…” And in a sentence?
Laura: No me parece que es buena idea.
John: “It doesn’t seem to me like a good idea.” The last phrase we’ll introduce here is...
Laura: No estoy de acuerdo con...
John: “I don’t agree with…”
Laura: No estoy de acuerdo con el salario.
John: “I do not agree with the salary.” There are more phrases in the lesson notes, so don’t forget to check them out!

Outro

John: 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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