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Illustration for “My phone broke yesterday”

Spanish dialogue with translation · A2 · 16 lines

Ayer se estropeó mi móvil My phone broke yesterday

Comic · 16 panels

Panel 1 of 16 for “My phone broke yesterday”: “Good morning. Are you the technician? My phone broke yesterday. (formal)”
  1. Ana

    Buenos días. ¿Es usted el técnico? Ayer se estropeó mi móvil.

    Good morning. Are you the technician? My phone broke yesterday. (formal)

Panel 2 of 16 for “My phone broke yesterday”: “Good morning. Yes, that's me. What's wrong with the phone?”
  1. Técnico

    Buenos días. Sí, soy yo. ¿Qué le pasa al móvil?

    Good morning. Yes, that's me. What's wrong with the phone?

Panel 3 of 16 for “My phone broke yesterday”: “It doesn't turn on. I press the button and the screen stays black.”
  1. Ana

    No se enciende. Pulso el botón y la pantalla sigue negra.

    It doesn't turn on. I press the button and the screen stays black.

Panel 4 of 16 for “My phone broke yesterday”: “Have you tried another cable? And another outlet? (formal)”
  1. Técnico

    ¿Ha probado con otro cable? ¿Y en otro enchufe?

    Have you tried another cable? And another outlet? (formal)

Panel 5 of 16 for “My phone broke yesterday”: “Yes, with my roommate's cable. He says it's the battery.”
  1. Ana

    Sí, con el cable de mi compañero de piso. Él dice que es la batería.

    Yes, with my roommate's cable. He says it's the battery.

Panel 6 of 16 for “My phone broke yesterday”: “Let's see… The battery works, but this part is broken. That's why it isn't charging.”
  1. Técnico

    A ver… La batería funciona, pero esta pieza está estropeada. Por eso no carga.

    Let's see… The battery works, but this part is broken. That's why it isn't charging.

Panel 7 of 16 for “My phone broke yesterday”: “Can it be fixed? I need the phone as soon as possible: I use it for work.”
  1. Ana

    ¿Se puede arreglar? Necesito el móvil cuanto antes: lo uso para trabajar.

    Can it be fixed? I need the phone as soon as possible: I use it for work.

Panel 8 of 16 for “My phone broke yesterday”: “Yes, it can be fixed: the part needs to be replaced. The estimate is sixty euros.”
  1. Técnico

    Sí, tiene arreglo: hay que cambiar la pieza. El presupuesto es de sesenta euros.

    Yes, it can be fixed: the part needs to be replaced. The estimate is sixty euros.

Panel 9 of 16 for “My phone broke yesterday”: “That's pretty expensive… The phone is secondhand: I bought it at a store ten months ago.”
  1. Ana

    Es bastante caro… El móvil es de segunda mano: lo compré en una tienda hace diez meses.

    That's pretty expensive… The phone is secondhand: I bought it at a store ten months ago.

Panel 10 of 16 for “My phone broke yesterday”: “Ten months ago? Then it's still under warranty, and you don't have to pay anything.”
  1. Técnico

    ¿Hace diez meses? Entonces todavía tiene garantía y no hay que pagar nada.

    Ten months ago? Then it's still under warranty, and you don't have to pay anything.

Panel 11 of 16 for “My phone broke yesterday”: “Really? The seller says used phones don't have a warranty.”
  1. Ana

    ¿De verdad? El vendedor dice que los móviles usados no tienen garantía.

    Really? The seller says used phones don't have a warranty.

Panel 12 of 16 for “My phone broke yesterday”: “A lot of sellers say that, but it isn't true. I assure you they have at least a one-year warranty. (formal)”
  1. Técnico

    Eso dicen muchos vendedores, pero no es verdad. Le aseguro que tienen por lo menos un año de garantía.

    A lot of sellers say that, but it isn't true. I assure you they have at least a one-year warranty. (formal)

Panel 13 of 16 for “My phone broke yesterday”: “Great! Then I'll go back to the store with the receipt. And what do I tell them?”
  1. Ana

    ¡Qué bien! Entonces vuelvo a la tienda con el tique. ¿Y qué les digo?

    Great! Then I'll go back to the store with the receipt. And what do I tell them?

Panel 14 of 16 for “My phone broke yesterday”: “Tell them the phone isn't charging and that it's under warranty. (formal)”
  1. Técnico

    Dígales que el móvil no carga y que tiene garantía.

    Tell them the phone isn't charging and that it's under warranty. (formal)

Panel 15 of 16 for “My phone broke yesterday”: “And what if they say they don't repair phones?”
  1. Ana

    ¿Y si dicen que ellos no reparan móviles?

    And what if they say they don't repair phones?

Panel 16 of 16 for “My phone broke yesterday”: “Then come back to this shop. We'll repair it here in a day. (formal)”
  1. Técnico

    Entonces vuelva a este taller. Aquí lo reparamos en un día.

    Then come back to this shop. We'll repair it here in a day. (formal)

Grammar for this text

Reporting what someone says: dice que. Él dice que es la batería — he says it's the battery. El vendedor dice que los móviles usados no tienen garantía — the seller says used phones don't have a warranty. After dice que comes a normal sentence. Eso dicen muchos vendedores — that's what a lot of sellers say. With two ideas, que goes before each one: Dígales que el móvil no carga y que tiene garantía. Dígales = diga (the usted command, unit 15) + les (them): "tell them".

Hay que + infinitive — "you have to", "it needs to be done": hay que cambiar la pieza (the part needs to be replaced). With no it means "you don't have to": no hay que pagar nada. It doesn't mean "you must not".

¿Se puede arreglar? — "Can it be fixed?" Se puede means "you can", "it's possible": se + puede (from poder). With se it no longer means "he can" but "it's possible" in general. This impersonal se comes at B1 (unit 7); for now, learn it as a set phrase. Tiene arreglo — "it can be fixed"; no tiene arreglo — "it can't be fixed".

¿Ha probado con otro cable? — "Have you tried another cable?": ha probado is the present perfect in the usted form. The technician and Ana both use usted.

A local detail. In Spain, a used item bought from a store (not from a private seller) has a legal warranty of at least one year.

Words and grammar of the unit: Explain what's broken.

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