B2 · Unit 23 · 44 words, 3 texts with translation
Retell a conversation at the tax office
Retell what people at the tax office told you, asked you, asked you to do and promised, and talk about taxes and simple math.
Texts in this unit
Grammar in this unit
Retelling a whole conversation: informing, asking, ordering or promising
You already know how to retell other people's words one piece at a time: statements and questions (B1, unit 14), requests and promises (B2, units 14 and 15). Only one thing is new here: choosing. In real life, people inform, ask, request and promise all mixed together.
Before you retell each sentence, ask yourself: what did the person do with it?
| What they did | What they said | How you retell it | After the linking word |
|---|---|---|---|
| informed | "Falta un papel." | Me dijo que faltaba un papel. | que + the normal past (indicative) |
| asked | "¿Tiene cita?" | Me preguntó si tenía cita. | si or a question word, no que, + the normal past |
| told you to, asked you to | "Vuelva el jueves." | Me pidió que volviera el jueves. | que + imperfect subjunctive |
| promised | "La llamaremos." | Me dijo que me llamarían. | que + conditional |
The trickiest verb is decir: after me dijo que, three forms are possible, and each one means something different.
- Me dijo que esperaba. — He told me he was waiting: he informed me.
- Me dijo que esperara. — He told me to wait: an order.
- Me dijo que esperaría. — He told me he would wait: a promise.
A long retelling is a chain, and each link has its own form: Me dijeron que faltaba un papel, me preguntaron si tenía la nómina, me pidieron que volviera el jueves y me aseguraron que no tardarían nada. — They told me a document was missing, asked me if I had my pay slip, asked me to come back on Thursday and promised me it wouldn't take long at all.
Instead of dijo, you can use señaló que (pointed out), subrayó que (stressed), precisó que (specified), exclamó que (exclaimed), murmuró que (muttered). They all report information, so the normal past follows them.
Common mistake: using one form for everything. English shows the difference with two different structures: "he said he would come" and "he told me to come". Spanish has the same que for both, and only the verb form shows the difference: vendría or viniera.
Time and place words in retelling: mañana → al día siguiente, aquí → allí
When you retell, the verb tense shifts, and so do the words tied to the day and place of the original conversation. On Monday at the tax office they told you: "Vuelva mañana." On Friday you tell a friend about it, and that "tomorrow" is long gone. If you say mañana, she'll think you have to go on Saturday. English works the same way: "they told me to come back the next day."
| In the conversation | In the retelling | In English |
|---|---|---|
| hoy | aquel día, ese día | that day |
| mañana | al día siguiente | the next day |
| ayer | el día anterior | the day before |
| ahora | entonces, en aquel momento | then, at that moment |
| la semana que viene | la semana siguiente | the following week |
| hace dos días | dos días antes | two days before |
| dentro de dos días | dos días después | two days later |
| aquí | allí | there |
| este papel | ese papel, aquel papel | that document |
- "Vuelva mañana." → Me dijo que volviera al día siguiente. (He told me to come back the next day.)
- "Ayer la informaron mal." → Me explicó que el día anterior me habían informado mal. (She explained that I'd been given the wrong information the day before.)
- "Aquí solo damos información." → Me señaló que allí solo daban información. (She pointed out that they only gave out information there.)
- "Hoy no puedo atenderla." → Me dijo que aquel día no podía atenderme. (He told me he couldn't see me that day.)
When not to change them. The rule isn't mechanical. Ask yourself: does this word mean the same thing for my listener as it did for the speaker? If you walk out of the tax office and call your friend right away, "tomorrow" is still tomorrow: Me han dicho que vuelva mañana (they've told me to come back tomorrow). If you retell it without leaving the place, aquí stays aquí.
Remember the prepositions: "the next day" is al día siguiente, with al, but "the day before" has no preposition:
el día anterior— the day before
Words in this unit
la Hacienda — tax office, Spanish tax agency
Me han llamado de Hacienda. — I got a call from the tax office.
declaración de la renta — tax return, income tax return
Este año hago la declaración de la renta yo solo. — This year I'm doing my tax return by myself (man speaking).
la declaración — tax return, statement, declaration
Tengo que presentar la declaración antes de junio. — I have to file the tax return before June.
el impuesto — tax
Los impuestos suben cada año. — Taxes go up every year.
el IVA — VAT
¿Este precio lleva el IVA incluido? — Does this price include VAT?
el IRPF — personal income tax
En mi nómina aparece el IRPF cada mes. — Income tax shows up on my pay slip every month.
la gestoría — paperwork agency
Mi gestoría me hace los papeles cada año. — My paperwork agency does my paperwork every year.
la retención — withholding, tax withheld
La retención sale en tu nómina cada mes. — The withholding shows up on your pay slip every month.
la casilla — box (on a form)
Marca la casilla de la derecha. — Check the box on the right.
la deducción — tax deduction, deduction
En mi comunidad hay una deducción por el alquiler. — In my region there's a deduction for rent.
el trimestre — quarter, three months
Los autónomos pagan impuestos cada trimestre. — Self-employed people pay taxes every quarter.
el/la contribuyente — taxpayer
Cada contribuyente recibe una carta. — Every taxpayer gets a letter.
fiscal — tax, fiscal
Mi domicilio fiscal es el de mis padres. — My tax address is my parents' address.
sumar — to add, to add up
Suma estos números, por favor. — Add up these numbers, please.
el porcentaje — percentage
¿Qué porcentaje te quitan de la nómina? — What percentage do they take out of your paycheck?
la cifra — figure, number, amount
La cifra final es de trescientos euros. — The final figure is three hundred euros.
el cálculo — calculation
Hice un cálculo rápido en el móvil. — I did a quick calculation on my phone.
restar — to subtract, to take away
Resta el IVA y te queda el precio sin impuestos. — Subtract the VAT and you get the price without taxes.
la ganancia — profit, earnings
La ganancia del año fue pequeña. — The profit for the year was small.
bancario — bank, banking
Necesito mi número de cuenta bancaria. — I need my bank account number.
habitual — usual, regular, common
Es mi gestoría habitual. — It's my usual paperwork agency.
individual — individual, single
Quiero hacer la declaración individual. — I want to file an individual tax return.
hacer cuentas — to do the math, to work out the money
Hago cuentas antes de comprar un coche. — I do the math before buying a car.
dividir — to divide, to split
Dividimos la factura entre tres. — We split the bill three ways.
multiplicar — to multiply
Multiplica el precio por tres. — Multiply the price by three.
cuadrar — to add up, to balance
Las cuentas no cuadran. — The numbers don't add up.
señalar — to point out, to point to, to mark
Señala la casilla correcta. — Mark the correct box.
subrayar — to underline, to stress
Subraya lo importante en rojo. — Underline the important parts in red.
precisar — to specify, to clarify
El funcionario precisó que hacía falta el original. — The clerk specified that the original was needed.
desgravar — to be tax-deductible, to deduct from your taxes
Esta factura desgrava, guárdala. — This invoice is tax-deductible, so keep it.
exento — exempt
Este producto está exento de IVA. — This product is exempt from VAT.
la sanción — penalty, fine, sanction
Hacienda puede poner una sanción si te retrasas. — The tax office can give you a penalty if you're late.
el recargo — surcharge, late fee
Si pagas tarde, te pueden poner un recargo. — If you pay late, they can add a surcharge.
la inspección — inspection, audit
Hacienda hace inspecciones a algunas empresas. — The tax office carries out inspections at some companies.
el fraude — fraud
Es un fraude: me piden dinero por teléfono. — It's fraud: they're asking me for money over the phone.
el céntimo — cent (of a euro)
El café cuesta un euro con diez céntimos. — The coffee costs one euro and ten cents.
el/la contable — accountant
Mi contable lleva las cuentas de la tienda. — My accountant keeps the store's books.
el/la cónyuge — spouse
En la declaración conjunta aparece tu cónyuge. — Your spouse appears on a joint tax return.
el día anterior — the day before, the previous day
Me dijo que había llamado el día anterior. — He told me he had called the day before.
murmurar — to mutter, to murmur
Murmuró algo y se fue. — He muttered something and left.
exclamar — to exclaim
Ana exclamó que no era justo. — Ana exclaimed that it wasn't fair.
por aquel entonces — back then, at that time
Por aquel entonces vivía en Madrid. — Back then I lived in Madrid.
sonar a chino — to be all Greek (to someone)
Todo esto me suena a chino. — All of this is Greek to me.
al día siguiente — the next day, the following day
Me dijeron que volviera al día siguiente. — They told me to come back the next day.
Learn these words with flashcards
In the app, the unit’s words come to your flashcards a few at a time and repeat until they stick, and the texts show them in use. 15 minutes a day.
Start for freeEverything is open for free. No card needed to sign up.