
Spanish dialogue with translation · B1 · 18 lines
El nuevo The new guy
Comic · 18 panels

- Sonia
Bueno, Ana, ¿qué te parece Óscar, el nuevo? Ya lleva dos semanas con nosotros.
So, Ana, what do you think of Óscar, the new guy? He's been with us for two weeks now.

- Ana
El primer día me pareció muy agradable: atento, educado… Pero es poco sociable, y ahora creo que es un poco aburrido.
On the first day he seemed very pleasant to me: considerate, polite… But he's not very sociable, and now I think he's a bit boring.

- Sonia
No, mujer. No es aburrido: está aburrido. Nuria todavía no le ha dado ningún proyecto y lleva dos semanas leyendo informes.
Oh, no. He's not boring: he's bored. Nuria still hasn't given him a single project, and he's been reading reports for two weeks.

- Ana
Ay, pobre. Yo pensaba que era su personalidad.
Oh, poor guy. I thought it was his personality.

- Sonia
Exacto. Además, es muy listo: ayer me arregló el ordenador en cinco minutos.
Exactly. Plus, he's very smart: yesterday he fixed my computer in five minutes.

- Ana
¿Listo? ¿Ese chico tan callado?
Smart? That really quiet guy?

- Sonia
Sí, mujer: callado, pero muy listo.
Yes, really: quiet, but very smart.

- Ana
Ya. Pues hoy el listo está de mal humor: le he dicho «buenos días» y ni siquiera me ha contestado.
I see. Well, today Mr. Smart is in a bad mood: I said "good morning" to him, and he didn't even answer me.

- Sonia
Es que está malo. Tiene fiebre desde ayer, pero es tan cabezota que no quiere irse a casa.
The thing is, he's sick. He's had a fever since yesterday, but he's so stubborn that he doesn't want to go home.

- Ana
¡Pobre! Y yo pensaba que era un poco falso: muy simpático el primer día y maleducado hoy.
Poor guy! And I thought he was a bit two-faced: really friendly on the first day and rude today.

- Sonia
¡Qué va! No es malo ni falso: es introvertido. Con tanta gente nueva se agobia.
No way! He's not bad or two-faced: he's introverted. With so many new people around, he gets overwhelmed.

- Ana
Lo entiendo. Yo también estaba agobiada mi primer mes en la oficina.
I get it. I was overwhelmed too in my first month at the office (woman speaking).

- Sonia
Y es generoso: el martes trajo una tarta para todos. Estaba muy rica.
And he's generous: on Tuesday he brought a cake for everyone. It was delicious.

- Ana
Generoso y listo. ¿Y también es rico?
Generous and smart. And is he rich too?

- Sonia
Rico no es: cobra menos que nosotras. Pero tacaño tampoco.
Rich, he's not: he earns less than we do. But he's not stingy either (women speaking).

- Ana
Entonces, ¿estás segura de que no tiene ninguna manía?
So, are you sure he doesn't have any quirks? (to a woman)

- Sonia
Bueno, una sí: su mesa. Todo está ordenado y guardado. Si le mueves un bolígrafo, lo nota.
Well, he has one: his desk. Everything is neat and put away. If you move one of his pens, he notices.

- Ana
Pues mi mesa no le va a gustar: yo soy bastante desordenada. ¿Le llevamos un té caliente?
Well, he's not going to like my desk: I'm pretty messy. Should we take him a hot tea? (woman speaking)
Grammar for this text
The whole conversation is built on pairs: ser — what he's like in general, estar — how he is right now.
- es aburrido — he's boring; está aburrido — he's bored;
- es muy listo — he's very smart; estar listo — to be ready. El listo with the article is "Mr. Smart";
- es malo — he's bad; está malo — he's sick;
- es rico — he's rich; trajo una tarta… Estaba muy rica — the cake was delicious;
- ¿estás segura? — are you sure?
Todo está ordenado y guardado — estar + past participle: a result. Everything has already been tidied up and put away.
Lleva dos semanas leyendo — "he's been reading for two weeks" (llevar + time, unit 1).
Colloquial bits: ¡Qué va! — "no way!", "not at all"; Es que… — "the thing is…", a way to start an explanation; No, mujer — a friendly "oh, no" (to a man: no, hombre). It doesn't mean "woman" here.
Words and grammar of the unit: Describe personality and mood.
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