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Illustration for “What did the landlady say?”

Spanish dialogue with translation · B1 · 18 lines

¿Qué dijo la casera? What did the landlady say?

Comic · 18 panels

Panel 1 of 18 for “What did the landlady say?”: “Ana, what's wrong? You've been quiet all through dinner.”
  1. Dani

    Ana, ¿qué te pasa? Llevas toda la cena callada.

    Ana, what's wrong? You've been quiet all through dinner.

Panel 2 of 18 for “What did the landlady say?”: “It's just that last night, while I was watching a cooking show, Carmen, the landlady, called me. You weren't home.”
  1. Ana

    Es que anoche, mientras veía un programa de cocina, me llamó Carmen, la casera. Tú no estabas.

    It's just that last night, while I was watching a cooking show, Carmen, the landlady, called me. You weren't home.

Panel 3 of 18 for “What did the landlady say?”: “And what did she want? Another rent increase?”
  1. Dani

    ¿Y qué quería? ¿Otra subida del alquiler?

    And what did she want? Another rent increase?

Panel 4 of 18 for “What did the landlady say?”: “Worse. She told me she was going to sell the apartment.”
  1. Ana

    Peor. Me dijo que iba a vender el piso.

    Worse. She told me she was going to sell the apartment.

Panel 5 of 18 for “What did the landlady say?”: “No way! In the summer she told me she had no intention of selling it.”
  1. Dani

    ¡Qué fuerte! A mí en verano me dijo que no tenía intención de venderlo.

    No way! In the summer she told me she had no intention of selling it.

Panel 6 of 18 for “What did the landlady say?”: “Well, she's changed her mind. She said she had already talked to an agency and that the ad was going to come out this month.”
  1. Ana

    Pues ha cambiado de idea. Dijo que ya había hablado con una agencia y que el anuncio iba a salir este mes.

    Well, she's changed her mind. She said she had already talked to an agency and that the ad was going to come out this month.

Panel 7 of 18 for “What did the landlady say?”: “What about us? Did you ask her if she was going to renew our lease?”
  1. Dani

    ¿Y nosotros? ¿Le preguntaste si nos iba a renovar el contrato?

    What about us? Did you ask her if she was going to renew our lease?

Panel 8 of 18 for “What did the landlady say?”: “Of course. I asked her if we could stay, and until when.”
  1. Ana

    Claro. Le pregunté si podíamos quedarnos y hasta cuándo.

    Of course. I asked her if we could stay, and until when.

Panel 9 of 18 for “What did the landlady say?”: “And what did she answer you?”
  1. Dani

    ¿Y qué te contestó?

    And what did she answer you?

Panel 10 of 18 for “What did the landlady say?”: “I had to ask her twice, because she talks super fast on the phone. She answered that she didn't know yet.”
  1. Ana

    Tuve que preguntárselo dos veces, porque por teléfono habla rapidísimo. Contestó que todavía no lo sabía.

    I had to ask her twice, because she talks super fast on the phone. She answered that she didn't know yet.

Panel 11 of 18 for “What did the landlady say?”: “So we have to look for another apartment.”
  1. Dani

    O sea, que tenemos que buscar otro piso.

    So we have to look for another apartment.

Panel 12 of 18 for “What did the landlady say?”: “Not yet: according to her, the sale may take months. She insisted there was no rush.”
  1. Ana

    Todavía no: según ella, la venta puede tardar meses. Insistió en que no había prisa.

    Not yet: according to her, the sale may take months. She insisted there was no rush.

Panel 13 of 18 for “What did the landlady say?”: “OK. And what else did she tell you?”
  1. Dani

    Vale. ¿Y qué más te dijo?

    OK. And what else did she tell you?

Panel 14 of 18 for “What did the landlady say?”: “She warned me that people were going to come to see the apartment. In other words, we have to clean and tidy up everything.”
  1. Ana

    Me advirtió que iba a venir gente a ver el piso. Es decir, hay que limpiar y ordenar todo.

    She warned me that people were going to come to see the apartment. In other words, we have to clean and tidy up everything.

Panel 15 of 18 for “What did the landlady say?”: “Tidy up? Was she referring to my room?”
  1. Dani

    ¿Ordenar? ¿Se refería a mi habitación?

    Tidy up? Was she referring to my room?

Panel 16 of 18 for “What did the landlady say?”: “Exactly. She didn't mention your name, but she asked twice if "the guy" was still leaving the bike in the hallway.”
  1. Ana

    Exacto. No mencionó tu nombre, pero preguntó dos veces si «el chico» seguía dejando la bici en el pasillo.

    Exactly. She didn't mention your name, but she asked twice if "the guy" was still leaving the bike in the hallway.

Panel 17 of 18 for “What did the landlady say?”: “So basically, we know almost nothing. Tomorrow I'm going upstairs to talk to Carmen and find out more.”
  1. Dani

    Total, que no sabemos casi nada. Mañana subo a hablar con Carmen y averiguo algo más.

    So basically, we know almost nothing. Tomorrow I'm going upstairs to talk to Carmen and find out more.

Panel 18 of 18 for “What did the landlady say?”: “Thanks. Carmen said there was no reason for concern, but it didn't reassure me at all.”
  1. Ana

    Gracias. Carmen dijo que no había motivo de preocupación, pero a mí no me tranquilizó nada.

    Thanks. Carmen said there was no reason for concern, but it didn't reassure me at all.

Grammar for this text

Retelling yesterday's phone call. The call was yesterday, so after dijo que the tense moves back into the past:

  • me dijo que iba a vender el piso — she told me she was going to sell the apartment (her words: Voy a vender el piso);
  • dijo que ya había hablado con una agencia — she said she had already talked to an agency (her words: Ya he hablado con una agencia);
  • insistió en que no había prisa — she insisted there was no rush (her words: No hay prisa). After insistir you need the preposition en.

Reporting questions. Le pregunté si podíamos quedarnos — I asked her if we could stay (the question: ¿Podemos quedarnos?); preguntó dos veces si «el chico» seguía dejando la bici — she asked twice if "the guy" was still leaving the bike (the question: ¿Sigue dejando la bici…?).

Según ella — according to her. Here the tense doesn't move back (la venta puede tardar): you only need the shift after dijo que, contestó que and other speech verbs in the past, not after según.

Linking words. O sea and es decir — that is, I mean (o sea is more casual). Total, que… — so, long story short. Preguntárselo — to ask her about it: le + lo = se lo (unit 10).

Words and grammar of the unit: Report what someone said.

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