Illustration for “I wonder what the owner is like”

Spanish dialogue with translation · B2 · 18 lines

¿Cómo será el dueño? I wonder what the owner is like

Comic · 18 panels

Panel 1 of 18 for “I wonder what the owner is like”: “It's a quarter past five and the owner still isn't here. Where can he be?”

Ana
Las cinco y cuarto y el dueño no aparece. ¿Dónde estará?
It's a quarter past five and the owner still isn't here. Where can he be?

Panel 2 of 18 for “I wonder what the owner is like”: “He's probably looking for parking. It's impossible to park in Ruzafa, you know that.”

Lucía
Estará buscando aparcamiento. En Ruzafa es imposible aparcar, ya lo sabes.
He's probably looking for parking. It's impossible to park in Ruzafa, you know that.

Panel 3 of 18 for “I wonder what the owner is like”: “And I wonder what he's like. On the phone he sounded like an older man. He's probably about seventy.”

Ana
¿Y cómo será? Por teléfono tenía voz de señor mayor. Tendrá unos setenta años.
And I wonder what he's like. On the phone he sounded like an older man. He's probably about seventy.

Panel 4 of 18 for “I wonder what the owner is like”: “He's probably an elegant gentleman, the kind with a cane and a hat. And a bit fussy, for sure.”

Lucía
Será un señor elegante, de los de bastón y sombrero. Y un poco maniático, seguro.
He's probably an elegant gentleman, the kind with a cane and a hat. And a bit fussy, for sure.

Panel 5 of 18 for “I wonder what the owner is like”: “Fussy? How do you deduce that?”

Ana
¿Maniático? ¿De dónde lo deduces?
Fussy? How do you deduce that?

Panel 6 of 18 for “I wonder what the owner is like”: “From the ad: two lines about the apartment and ten lines of rules. I don't trust people like that.”

Lucía
Del anuncio: dos líneas sobre el piso y diez de normas. Yo desconfío de la gente así.
From the ad: two lines about the apartment and ten lines of rules. I don't trust people like that.

Panel 7 of 18 for “I wonder what the owner is like”: “You're suspicious of everyone. I trust him: the building looks good, and they've just painted the facade.”

Ana
Tú desconfías de todo el mundo. Yo me fío: el edificio tiene buen aspecto y acaban de pintar la fachada.
You're suspicious of everyone. I trust him: the building looks good, and they've just painted the facade.

Panel 8 of 18 for “I wonder what the owner is like”: “Sure, but it's a top-floor apartment with no elevator: do the math, five floors on foot every day. And in the summer it must be horribly hot.”

Lucía
Ya, pero es un ático sin ascensor: calcula, cinco pisos a pie cada día. Y en verano debe de hacer un calor horrible.
Sure, but it's a top-floor apartment with no elevator: do the math, five floors on foot every day. And in the summer it must be horribly hot.

Panel 9 of 18 for “I wonder what the owner is like”: “Even better: I love the heat. How funny, someone across the street is playing the guitar... I wonder who lives there.”

Ana
Pues mejor: a mí el calor me encanta. Qué curioso, enfrente alguien toca la guitarra... ¿Quién vivirá ahí?
Even better: I love the heat. How funny, someone across the street is playing the guitar... I wonder who lives there.

Panel 10 of 18 for “I wonder what the owner is like”: “A widow with seven cats and more books than a library. Or a student who never sleeps. Who knows.”

Lucía
Una viuda con siete gatos y más libros que una biblioteca. O un estudiante que no duerme nunca. Vete a saber.
A widow with seven cats and more books than a library. Or a student who never sleeps. Who knows.

Panel 11 of 18 for “I wonder what the owner is like”: “Quiet, someone's coming up. It must be him... No, it can't be: she looks like a student.”

Ana
Calla, que sube alguien. Debe de ser él... No, no puede ser: tiene pinta de estudiante.
Quiet, someone's coming up. It must be him... No, it can't be: she looks like a student.

Panel 12 of 18 for “I wonder what the owner is like”: “Ana? Sorry I'm late: I couldn't find a place to park. I'm Claudia, the owner's granddaughter.”

Claudia
¿Ana? Perdona el retraso: no encontraba sitio para aparcar. Soy Claudia, la nieta del dueño.
Ana? Sorry I'm late: I couldn't find a place to park. I'm Claudia, the owner's granddaughter.

Panel 13 of 18 for “I wonder what the owner is like”: “The granddaughter! And here we were, picturing an old man with a cane and wrinkles (women speaking).”

Lucía
¡La nieta! Y nosotras imaginando a un señor con bastón y arrugas.
The granddaughter! And here we were, picturing an old man with a cane and wrinkles (women speaking).

Panel 14 of 18 for “I wonder what the owner is like”: “He does have a cane: that's why he doesn't come up here anymore. Come in, I'll show you the apartment and the terrace (to several people).”

Claudia
Bastón sí que tiene: por eso ya no sube hasta aquí. Pasad, os enseño el piso y la terraza.
He does have a cane: that's why he doesn't come up here anymore. Come in, I'll show you the apartment and the terrace (to several people).

Panel 15 of 18 for “I wonder what the owner is like”: “How pretty! You can see half of Valencia. And how much is your grandfather asking?”

Ana
¡Qué bonita! Se ve media Valencia. ¿Y cuánto pide tu abuelo?
How pretty! You can see half of Valencia. And how much is your grandfather asking?

Panel 16 of 18 for “I wonder what the owner is like”: “Twelve hundred a month. On the plus side, there's room for the bikes in the basement, and a very quiet widow who gives guitar lessons lives across the street.”

Claudia
Mil doscientos al mes. Eso sí, hay sitio para las bicis en el sótano, y enfrente vive una viuda muy tranquila que da clases de guitarra.
Twelve hundred a month. On the plus side, there's room for the bikes in the basement, and a very quiet widow who gives guitar lessons lives across the street.

Panel 17 of 18 for “I wonder what the owner is like”: “See? A widow! I should be a detective.”

Lucía
¿Lo ves? ¡Una viuda! Debería ser detective.
See? A widow! I should be a detective.

Panel 18 of 18 for “I wonder what the owner is like”: “Well, now guess where there's an apartment like this for 800 euros. At this price, I'll have to keep looking.”

Ana
Pues adivina ahora dónde hay un piso así por 800 euros. Con este precio tendré que seguir buscando.
Well, now guess where there's an apartment like this for 800 euros. At this price, I'll have to keep looking.

Grammar for this text

Future of probability. The friends are waiting for the owner and guessing about things they don't know: ¿Dónde estará? (Where can he be?), Estará buscando aparcamiento (he's probably looking for parking), Tendrá unos setenta años (he's probably about seventy), ¿Quién vivirá ahí? (I wonder who lives there). All of this is about now.

And here's a real future: Tendré que seguir buscando (I'll have to keep looking). Same form, but it's about what will happen later.

Deber de + infinitive is a conclusion from a clue: Debe de ser él (someone's coming up the stairs), debe de hacer un calor horrible (the apartment is right under the roof).

No verb. Y nosotras imaginando a un señor con bastón y arrugas (and here we were, picturing an old man with a cane and wrinkles): in an exclamation like this, Spanish drops estar and keeps only the -ando form.

Debería ser detective (I should be a detective): Lucía is talking about herself. Debería is the same form for "I" and "he" — the conversation shows who is meant.

Words. Ático — a top-floor apartment, often with a terrace. De los de bastón y sombrero — the kind with a cane and a hat. Tiene pinta de estudiante — she looks like a student. Vete a saber — who knows. Ruzafa — a trendy neighborhood in Valencia.

Words and grammar of the unit: Guess who it might be.

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