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Illustration for “We're going to arrive late”

Spanish story with translation · A2 · 14 lines

Vamos a llegar con retraso We're going to arrive late

Comic · 7 panels

Panel 1 of 7 for “We're going to arrive late”: 17:10. Hi, guys! I'm already on the train to Valencia, car seven. We left on time. The ride is short: the train takes only two hours to get there.

  1. 17:10. ¡Hola, chicos! Ya estoy en el tren para Valencia, vagón siete.

    17:10. Hi, guys! I'm already on the train to Valencia, car seven.

  2. Hemos salido a tiempo. El trayecto es corto: el tren tarda solo dos horas en llegar.

    We left on time. The ride is short: the train takes only two hours to get there.

Panel 2 of 7 for “We're going to arrive late”: The distance is almost 400 kilometers, but it's a high-speed train. I'm bringing a cake from Madrid for everyone. I'll be at the restaurant by nine, for sure!

  1. La distancia es de casi 400 kilómetros, pero es un tren de alta velocidad.

    The distance is almost 400 kilometers, but it's a high-speed train.

  2. Llevo una tarta de Madrid para todos. Para las nueve estoy en el restaurante, ¡seguro!

    I'm bringing a cake from Madrid for everyone. I'll be at the restaurant by nine, for sure!

Panel 3 of 7 for “We're going to arrive late”: 18:20. Bad news: we've been in the same spot for twenty minutes. Out the window I only see countryside. They've announced a breakdown on the track. We're going to arrive…

  1. 18:20. Malas noticias: estamos en el mismo sitio desde hace veinte minutos. Por la ventanilla solo veo campo.

    18:20. Bad news: we've been in the same spot for twenty minutes. Out the window I only see countryside.

  2. Han anunciado una avería en la vía. Vamos a llegar con retraso.

    They've announced a breakdown on the track. We're going to arrive late.

Panel 4 of 7 for “We're going to arrive late”: The passengers are nervous: a man is walking along the aisle and a little girl is crying. I talked to the conductor. We're going to be here another half hour, at least.

  1. Los viajeros están nerviosos: un señor camina por el pasillo y una niña llora.

    The passengers are nervous: a man is walking along the aisle and a little girl is crying.

  2. He hablado con el revisor. Vamos a estar aquí media hora más, por lo menos.

    I talked to the conductor. We're going to be here another half hour, at least.

Panel 5 of 7 for “We're going to arrive late”: 19:15. Finally! The train is heading toward Valencia again, but very slowly. I'm letting you know just in case: I don't know if I'll make it by nine. You can start without…

  1. 19:15. ¡Por fin! El tren va otra vez hacia Valencia, pero muy despacio.

    19:15. Finally! The train is heading toward Valencia again, but very slowly.

  2. Os aviso por si acaso: no sé si llego para las nueve. Podéis empezar sin mí.

    I'm letting you know just in case: I don't know if I'll make it by nine. You can start without me (to several people).

Panel 6 of 7 for “We're going to arrive late”: Lucía, thanks for coming to the station to pick me up. New arrival time: 20:50. 20:55. I'm in Valencia now, but I don't see you at the exit. Lucía, where are you?

  1. Lucía, gracias por venir a la estación para recogerme. Nueva hora de llegada: las 20:50.

    Lucía, thanks for coming to the station to pick me up. New arrival time: 20:50.

  2. 20:55. Ya estoy en Valencia, pero no te veo en la salida. Lucía, ¿dónde estás?

    20:55. I'm in Valencia now, but I don't see you at the exit. Lucía, where are you?

Panel 7 of 7 for “We're going to arrive late”: You've been stuck in a traffic jam for half an hour? No way! Don't worry, I'll wait for you here. But if you take too long, I'm starting the cake without you guys! (to a…

  1. ¿Estás en un atasco desde hace media hora? ¡Qué fuerte!

    You've been stuck in a traffic jam for half an hour? No way!

  2. Tranquila, te espero aquí. Pero si tardas mucho, ¡empiezo la tarta sin vosotros!

    Don't worry, I'll wait for you here. But if you take too long, I'm starting the cake without you guys! (to a woman)

Grammar for this text

Desde hace + a length of time: the action started earlier and is still going on, so the verb is in the present tense: estamos en el mismo sitio desde hace veinte minutos — we've been in the same spot for twenty minutes. At the end, Ana repeats Lucía's answer, which we don't see: ¿Estás en un atasco desde hace media hora?

Por and para in one line. gracias por venir… para recogerme: thanks for what? — por (cause); why is she coming? — para (purpose). recogerme = recoger + me, "to pick me up".

More para: tren para Valencia — where to; para las nueve — by what time; para todos — for whom. More por: por el pasillo, por la ventanilla — the route: along the aisle, out the window. por fin and por si acaso are set phrases.

Tardar. tarda solo dos horas en llegar — it takes only two hours to get there; si tardas mucho — if you take a long time.

Hemos salido, han anunciado, he hablado — present perfect. In Spain it's used for things that happened earlier today; English often uses the simple past here: "we left", "I talked".

Words. hacia — "toward": they're heading to Valencia but aren't there yet. viajeros — what the railway calls its passengers. La distancia es de casi 400 kilómetros: you give a distance with es de. no sé si llego — "I don't know if I'll make it": here si means "if" or "whether".

Words and grammar of the unit: Ask about platforms and transfers.

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