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Illustration for “Ten words I hear every day”

Spanish story with translation · B1 · 18 lines

Diez palabras que oigo todos los días Ten words I hear every day

Comic · 12 panels

Panel 1 of 12 for “Ten words I hear every day”: I've been in Valencia for more than a year, and every day I hear expressions that aren't in any book. Out of curiosity, I made a list on my phone of the ten I hear the…
  1. Llevo más de un año en Valencia y cada día oigo expresiones que no están en ningún libro.

    I've been in Valencia for more than a year, and every day I hear expressions that aren't in any book.

  2. Por curiosidad, hice una lista en el móvil con las diez que más oigo.

    Out of curiosity, I made a list on my phone of the ten I hear the most.

Panel 2 of 12 for “Ten words I hear every day”: One: "vaya tela". My neighbor says it when she sees the price of oil, and it needs no translation.
  1. Uno: «vaya tela». Mi vecina lo dice cuando ve el precio del aceite, y no hace falta traducción.

    One: "vaya tela". My neighbor says it when she sees the price of oil, and it needs no translation.

Panel 3 of 12 for “Ten words I hear every day”: Two: "chungo". A "chungo" exam is hard, and a "chunga" street is a little scary.
  1. Dos: «chungo». Un examen chungo es difícil, y una calle chunga da un poco de miedo.

    Two: "chungo". A "chungo" exam is hard, and a "chunga" street is a little scary.

Panel 4 of 12 for “Ten words I hear every day”: Three: "movida". It's any long, difficult problem: "What a hassle with the bank!"
  1. Tres: «movida». Es cualquier problema largo y difícil: «¡Qué movida con el banco!».

    Three: "movida". It's any long, difficult problem: "What a hassle with the bank!"

Panel 5 of 12 for “Ten words I hear every day”: Four: "friki". Hugo is a TV show geek: he watches all of them, and twice. Five: "empollón". That's what they called him at school, because he studied a ton.
  1. Cuatro: «friki». Hugo es un friki de las series: las ve todas, y dos veces.

    Four: "friki". Hugo is a TV show geek: he watches all of them, and twice.

  2. Cinco: «empollón». Así lo llamaban en el colegio, porque estudiaba mogollón.

    Five: "empollón". That's what they called him at school, because he studied a ton.

Panel 6 of 12 for “Ten words I hear every day”: Six: "ir a su bola". At the office, until coffee time, everyone does their own thing.
  1. Seis: «ir a su bola». En la oficina, hasta la hora del café, cada uno va a su bola.

    Six: "ir a su bola". At the office, until coffee time, everyone does their own thing.

Panel 7 of 12 for “Ten words I hear every day”: Seven: "estar de bajón". On Sunday afternoons, everyone feels down. Eight: "rayarse". When I worry too much about something, my friends tell me: "Don't stress."
  1. Siete: «estar de bajón». Los domingos por la tarde todo el mundo está de bajón.

    Seven: "estar de bajón". On Sunday afternoons, everyone feels down.

  2. Ocho: «rayarse». Cuando me preocupo demasiado por algo, mis amigos me dicen: «No te rayes».

    Eight: "rayarse". When I worry too much about something, my friends tell me: "Don't stress."

Panel 8 of 12 for “Ten words I hear every day”: Nine: "ser la caña". If a movie "es la caña", it's excellent.
  1. Nueve: «ser la caña». Si una película es la caña, es buenísima.

    Nine: "ser la caña". If a movie "es la caña", it's excellent.

Panel 9 of 12 for “Ten words I hear every day”: Ten: "botellón". Young people buy beer at the supermarket and drink it in a square. It's prohibited, but all of society knows the word, from kids to grandparents.
  1. Diez: «botellón». Los jóvenes compran cerveza en el supermercado y la beben en una plaza.

    Ten: "botellón". Young people buy beer at the supermarket and drink it in a square.

  2. Está prohibido, pero la palabra la conoce toda la sociedad, desde los chavales hasta los abuelos.

    It's prohibited, but all of society knows the word, from kids to grandparents.

Panel 10 of 12 for “Ten words I hear every day”: Yesterday I wanted to use my list at work… and I messed up. At the meeting, Nuria asked about the new project and I answered: "It's awesome, but there's a ton of work."
  1. Ayer quise usar mi lista en el trabajo… y la lié.

    Yesterday I wanted to use my list at work… and I messed up.

  2. En la reunión, Nuria preguntó por el proyecto nuevo y yo contesté: «Es la caña, pero hay mogollón de curro».

    At the meeting, Nuria asked about the new project and I answered: "It's awesome, but there's a ton of work."

Panel 11 of 12 for “Ten words I hear every day”: Everyone went quiet. It was a pretty unpleasant moment. Then Nuria burst out laughing: "That's Hugo's doing, right?"
  1. Todos se callaron. Fue un momento bastante desagradable.

    Everyone went quiet. It was a pretty unpleasant moment.

  2. Entonces Nuria se puso a reír: «Eso es cosa de Hugo, ¿verdad?».

    Then Nuria burst out laughing: "That's Hugo's doing, right?"

Panel 12 of 12 for “Ten words I hear every day”: Since yesterday my list has one more rule: before I use a word, I look at who's listening to me.
  1. Desde ayer mi lista tiene una regla más: antes de usar una palabra, miro quién me escucha.

    Since yesterday my list has one more rule: before I use a word, I look at who's listening to me.

Grammar for this text

Words built from parts. Curiosidad comes from curioso (curious), traducción from traducir, and desagradable is des- + agradable. Sociedad is feminine, like all words ending in -dad; so is expresión: words ending in -sión work the same way.

No te rayes — "don't stress". It's a negative command (unit 16) of rayarse, built just like the familiar no te preocupes.

La lié — "I messed up", the preterite of liarla. Here la doesn't replace anything: it's part of the expression.

Cada uno va a su bola — "everyone does their own thing". The word before bola changes with the person: voy a mi bola, vas a tu bola.

Así lo llamaban, estudiaba mogollón — the imperfect: it happened many times.

La palabra la conoce toda la sociedad — when the object comes at the start of the sentence, it's repeated with a pronoun: la palabra la conoce…

Se puso a reír — "she burst out laughing": ponerse a + verb, "to suddenly start" (unit 6).

Words and grammar of the unit: Understand street Spanish.

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