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Illustration for “What are you doing?”

Spanish dialogue with translation · A2 · 16 lines

¿Qué estás haciendo? What are you doing?

Comic · 16 panels

Panel 1 of 16 for “What are you doing?”: “Hi, Pablo! A video call at last! Long time no see!”
  1. Ana

    ¡Hola, Pablo! ¡Por fin una videollamada! ¡Cuánto tiempo!

    Hi, Pablo! A video call at last! Long time no see!

Panel 2 of 16 for “What are you doing?”: “Ana! We haven't talked in a long time. But I can't see you: the screen is black.”
  1. Pablo

    ¡Ana! Hace tiempo que no hablamos. Pero no te veo: la pantalla está negra.

    Ana! We haven't talked in a long time. But I can't see you: the screen is black.

Panel 3 of 16 for “What are you doing?”: “It's the connection: there's almost no signal in my room. I'm going out onto the balcony... And now?”
  1. Ana

    Es la conexión: en mi habitación casi no hay cobertura. Salgo al balcón... ¿Y ahora?

    It's the connection: there's almost no signal in my room. I'm going out onto the balcony... And now?

Panel 4 of 16 for “What are you doing?”: “Yes, now I can see you really well. What's new? What are you doing?”
  1. Pablo

    Ahora sí, te veo muy bien. ¿Qué cuentas? ¿Qué estás haciendo?

    Yes, now I can see you really well. What's new? What are you doing?

Panel 5 of 16 for “What are you doing?”: “I'm resting for a while, with a coffee. And you? Why are you so serious? (to a man)”
  1. Ana

    Estoy descansando un rato, con un café. ¿Y tú? ¿Por qué estás tan serio?

    I'm resting for a while, with a coffee. And you? Why are you so serious? (to a man)

Panel 6 of 16 for “What are you doing?”: “Because I'm cooking. Right now I'm making a Spanish omelet (tortilla) for Lucía.”
  1. Pablo

    Porque estoy cocinando. Justo ahora estoy haciendo una tortilla para Lucía.

    Because I'm cooking. Right now I'm making a Spanish omelet (tortilla) for Lucía.

Panel 7 of 16 for “What are you doing?”: “You, cooking? Now that's real news! And what's Lucía doing?”
  1. Ana

    ¿Tú, cocinando? ¡Eso sí es una novedad! ¿Y Lucía qué está haciendo?

    You, cooking? Now that's real news! And what's Lucía doing?

Panel 8 of 16 for “What are you doing?”: “She's chatting with her mom on the phone. And it's not the last call of the day: they talk so much!”
  1. Pablo

    Está charlando con su madre por teléfono. Y no es la última llamada del día: ¡hablan tanto!

    She's chatting with her mom on the phone. And it's not the last call of the day: they talk so much!

Panel 9 of 16 for “What are you doing?”: “Of course. I call my mom a lot too.”
  1. Ana

    Claro. Yo también llamo mucho a mi madre.

    Of course. I call my mom a lot too.

Panel 10 of 16 for “What are you doing?”: “By the way, how's your first month in Valencia going? Are you having a good time?”
  1. Pablo

    Por cierto, ¿qué tal tu primer mes en Valencia? ¿Lo estás pasando bien?

    By the way, how's your first month in Valencia going? Are you having a good time?

Panel 11 of 16 for “What are you doing?”: “Really good. I don't know many people yet, but I'm really excited: I live near the sea! (woman speaking)”
  1. Ana

    Muy bien. Aún no conozco a mucha gente, pero estoy realmente emocionada: ¡vivo cerca del mar!

    Really good. I don't know many people yet, but I'm really excited: I live near the sea! (woman speaking)

Panel 12 of 16 for “What are you doing?”: “How nice! Sorry, my phone's ringing... It's OK, it's a message from work.”
  1. Pablo

    ¡Qué bien! Perdón, está sonando mi móvil... No pasa nada, es un mensaje del trabajo.

    How nice! Sorry, my phone's ringing... It's OK, it's a message from work.

Panel 13 of 16 for “What are you doing?”: “Pablo, what's going on in your kitchen? The tortilla is black!”
  1. Ana

    Pablo, ¿qué pasa en tu cocina? ¡La tortilla está negra!

    Pablo, what's going on in your kitchen? The tortilla is black!

Panel 14 of 16 for “What are you doing?”: “No! My tortilla! Oh well... today we're having sandwiches for dinner.”
  1. Pablo

    ¡No! ¡Mi tortilla! En fin... hoy cenamos bocadillos.

    No! My tortilla! Oh well... today we're having sandwiches for dinner.

Panel 15 of 16 for “What are you doing?”: “Relax, sandwiches are tasty too. OK, I'm hanging up. Say hi to Lucía! (to a man)”
  1. Ana

    Tranquilo, los bocadillos también están ricos. Bueno, cuelgo. ¡Un saludo a Lucía!

    Relax, sandwiches are tasty too. OK, I'm hanging up. Say hi to Lucía! (to a man)

Panel 16 of 16 for “What are you doing?”: “Thanks. I'll open the window right away. See you later!”
  1. Pablo

    Gracias. Abro la ventana enseguida. ¡Hasta luego!

    Thanks. I'll open the window right away. See you later!

Grammar for this text

Estar + gerund: "right now"

  • ¿Qué estás haciendo? — "What are you doing (right now)?"; estoy cocinando — "I'm cooking", está charlando — "she's chatting", está sonando mi móvil — "my phone is ringing".
  • In ¿Tú, cocinando? the gerund comes without estar: it's a short way to sound surprised — "You, cooking?"

And this is the simple present

  • hablan tanto — "they talk so much" (in general); vivo cerca del mar — "I live near the sea". Not "right now" but "always" — just like in English.

Yo-go verbs

  • salgo al balcón — "I'm going out onto the balcony" (salir → salgo).
  • Cuelgo ("I'm hanging up") only looks like it belongs to this group: colgar has the g in its stem, and what changes is o → ue, like poder → puedo.

The written accent changes the word

  • tú in ¿Y tú? is "you", but tu in en tu cocina is "your"; sí in Ahora sí is "yes".
  • In ¡Eso sí es una novedad! the same sí adds emphasis: "now that's real news".

Set phrases

  • ¿Qué cuentas? — "What's new?" (word for word, "what do you tell?").
  • ¡Cuánto tiempo! — "Long time no see!"
  • Hace tiempo que no hablamos — "We haven't talked in a long time": Spanish uses the present tense here, English the present perfect.
  • ¿Lo estás pasando bien? — "Are you having a good time?" (lo is part of the expression pasarlo bien).
  • tortilla is a Spanish omelet — a thick potato omelet, not a Mexican tortilla.

Words and grammar of the unit: Catch up with friends and family.

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