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Illustration for “Carlos's present”

Spanish dialogue with translation · B1 · 14 lines

El regalo de Carlos Carlos's present

Comic · 13 panels

Panel 1 of 13 for “Carlos's present”: “Pablo, how was your brother Carlos's present? Have you gone skydiving yet?”
  1. Ana

    Pablo, ¿qué tal el regalo de tu hermano Carlos? ¿Ya has saltado en paracaídas?

    Pablo, how was your brother Carlos's present? Have you gone skydiving yet?

Panel 2 of 13 for “Carlos's present”: “Yes, on Saturday! Girl, I was blown away. I had never done anything like that before.”
  1. Pablo

    ¡Sí, el sábado! Tía, flipé. Nunca antes había hecho nada así.

    Yes, on Saturday! Girl, I was blown away. I had never done anything like that before.

Panel 3 of 13 for “Carlos's present”: “You? But you get sick on the bus!”
  1. Ana

    ¿Tú? ¡Pero si te mareas en el autobús!

    You? But you get sick on the bus!

Panel 4 of 13 for “Carlos's present”: “I know, and I got sick on the plane too. When they opened the door, I had already closed my eyes. It was so high!”
  1. Pablo

    Ya, y en el avión también me mareé. Cuando abrieron la puerta, yo ya había cerrado los ojos. ¡Qué altura!

    I know, and I got sick on the plane too. When they opened the door, I had already closed my eyes. It was so high!

Panel 5 of 13 for “Carlos's present”: “And what did you feel?”
  1. Ana

    ¿Y qué sentiste?

    And what did you feel?

Panel 6 of 13 for “Carlos's present”: “First, a lot of fear. Then I opened my eyes and… I was flying! You could see the sea and all of Valencia.”
  1. Pablo

    Primero, mucho miedo. Luego abrí los ojos y… ¡estaba volando! Se veía el mar y toda Valencia.

    First, a lot of fear. Then I opened my eyes and… I was flying! You could see the sea and all of Valencia.

Panel 7 of 13 for “Carlos's present”: “How brave! I'm a real coward about those things.”
  1. Ana

    ¡Qué valiente! Yo soy muy cobarde para esas cosas.

    How brave! I'm a real coward about those things.

Panel 8 of 13 for “Carlos's present”: “You, a coward? You came to live in another country on your own. Now that's a real feat. (to a woman)”
  1. Pablo

    ¿Cobarde, tú? Viniste sola a vivir a otro país. Eso sí que es una hazaña.

    You, a coward? You came to live in another country on your own. Now that's a real feat. (to a woman)

Panel 9 of 13 for “Carlos's present”: “Well… Before I came to Spain, I had never ridden a motorcycle. And I went on a boat for the first time here, on the Albufera.”
  1. Ana

    Bueno… Antes de venir a España nunca había montado en moto. Y en barco monté por primera vez aquí, en la Albufera.

    Well… Before I came to Spain, I had never ridden a motorcycle. And I went on a boat for the first time here, on the Albufera.

Panel 10 of 13 for “Carlos's present”: “And on a horse?” “Not yet. Horses scare me a little.”
  1. Pablo

    ¿Y a caballo?

    And on a horse?

  2. Ana

    Todavía no. Los caballos me dan un poco de miedo.

    Not yet. Horses scare me a little.

Panel 11 of 13 for “Carlos's present”: “Well, my uncle Luis has horses in a village near Seville. Someday I'll take you there.”
  1. Pablo

    Pues mi tío Luis tiene caballos en un pueblo de Sevilla. Algún día te llevaré.

    Well, my uncle Luis has horses in a village near Seville. Someday I'll take you there.

Panel 12 of 13 for “Carlos's present”: “OK, but I want an old, calm horse. And no parachute!”
  1. Ana

    Vale, pero quiero un caballo viejo y tranquilo. ¡Y sin paracaídas!

    OK, but I want an old, calm horse. And no parachute!

Panel 13 of 13 for “Carlos's present”: “Deal!”
  1. Pablo

    ¡Hecho!

    Deal!

Grammar for this text

Nunca antes había hecho nada así means "I had never done anything like that before". Pablo is talking about his life before the jump, so he uses the past perfect. Ana does the same: antes de venir a España nunca había montado en moto (before she came to Spain).

Ya había cerrado los ojos means "I had already closed my eyes": before they opened the door.

¡Pero si te mareas en el autobús! means "But you get sick on the bus!" Pero si at the start of an exclamation doesn't mean "but if": it's a surprised objection, like "but you…!"

Eso sí que es una hazaña means "now that's a real feat": sí que makes the statement stronger.

Todavía no means "not yet" here: Ana hasn't ridden a horse so far, up to today.

Montar: en moto, en barco, but a caballo. La Albufera is a lagoon near Valencia where you can take a boat ride.

¡Estaba volando! — estaba + gerund: the action was in full swing (unit 8). Se veía el mar means "you could see the sea": impersonal se (unit 7).

Algún día te llevaré means "someday I'll take you there": the future tense. ¡Hecho! means "Deal!" (word for word, "done"). Flipé is slang for "I was blown away"; use it only with friends.

Words and grammar of the unit: Explain why you were late.

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