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Illustration for “My mother's first mascletà”

Spanish dialogue with translation · B2 · 18 lines

La primera mascletà de mi madre My mother's first mascletà

Comic · 18 panels

Panel 1 of 18 for “My mother's first mascletà”: “Sorry I'm late! A buddy gave me a ride in his amazing car, and it took us an hour to park.”
  1. Lucía

    ¡Perdón por el retraso! Un amiguete me ha traído en su cochazo y hemos tardado una hora en aparcar.

    Sorry I'm late! A buddy gave me a ride in his amazing car, and it took us an hour to park.

Panel 2 of 18 for “My mother's first mascletà”: “No wonder: during Fallas, a car is a huge problem. Look, Lucía, this is my mother, Galina.”
  1. Ana

    Normal: en Fallas el coche es un problemón. Mira, Lucía, esta es mi madre, Galina.

    No wonder: during Fallas, a car is a huge problem. Look, Lucía, this is my mother, Galina.

Panel 3 of 18 for “My mother's first mascletà”: “Nice to meet you (woman speaking). But... cochazo? Problemón? I don't know those words.”
  1. Galina

    Encantada. Pero... ¿cochazo? ¿Problemón? No conozco esas palabras.

    Nice to meet you (woman speaking). But... cochazo? Problemón? I don't know those words.

Panel 4 of 18 for “My mother's first mascletà”: “Sorry, Galina: a really good car and a really big mess. How was your first night here?”
  1. Lucía

    Perdona, Galina: un coche muy bueno y un lío muy grande. ¿Qué tal tu primera noche aquí?

    Sorry, Galina: a really good car and a really big mess. How was your first night here?

Panel 5 of 18 for “My mother's first mascletà”: “I didn't sleep much. At three I heard an explosion and thought, "A neighbor shut the door really hard."”
  1. Galina

    He dormido poco. A las tres he oído una explosión y he pensado: «Un vecino ha cerrado la puerta muy fuerte».

    I didn't sleep much. At three I heard an explosion and thought, "A neighbor shut the door really hard."

Panel 6 of 18 for “My mother's first mascletà”: “It wasn't a door slamming, Mom: it was a firecracker.”
  1. Ana

    No era un portazo, mamá: era un petardo.

    It wasn't a door slamming, Mom: it was a firecracker.

Panel 7 of 18 for “My mother's first mascletà”: “Here people set off firecrackers until all hours and nobody sleeps a wink. During Fallas it's totally normal.”
  1. Lucía

    Aquí se lanzan petardos hasta las tantas y nadie pega ojo. En Fallas es de lo más normal.

    Here people set off firecrackers until all hours and nobody sleeps a wink. During Fallas it's totally normal.

Panel 8 of 18 for “My mother's first mascletà”: “I've never seen a crowd like this. Have all these people come to hear the mascletà?”
  1. Galina

    Nunca he visto una multitud así. ¿Toda esta gente ha venido a oír la mascletà?

    I've never seen a crowd like this. Have all these people come to hear the mascletà?

Panel 9 of 18 for “My mother's first mascletà”: “Yes, and it's starting now. Come up front here: that man is blocking your view.”
  1. Ana

    Sí, y empieza ya. Ven aquí delante: ese señor te tapa la vista.

    Yes, and it's starting now. Come up front here: that man is blocking your view.

Panel 10 of 18 for “My mother's first mascletà”: “And don't cover your ears: open your mouth a little, like people from Valencia do.”
  1. Lucía

    Y no te tapes las orejas: abre un poco la boca, como hacen los valencianos.

    And don't cover your ears: open your mouth a little, like people from Valencia do.

Panel 11 of 18 for “My mother's first mascletà”: “My mouth? What for?... Oh! Look how they explode! The ground is shaking!”
  1. Galina

    ¿La boca? ¿Para qué?... ¡Ay! ¡Cómo explotan! ¡Tiembla el suelo!

    My mouth? What for?... Oh! Look how they explode! The ground is shaking!

Panel 12 of 18 for “My mother's first mascletà”: “That's it, Mom, it's over. Are you OK?”
  1. Ana

    Ya está, mamá, se acabó. ¿Estás bien?

    That's it, Mom, it's over. Are you OK?

Panel 13 of 18 for “My mother's first mascletà”: “I can't hear a thing, but it was spectacular. Is there another one tomorrow?”
  1. Galina

    No oigo nada, pero ha sido espectacular. ¿Mañana hay otra?

    I can't hear a thing, but it was spectacular. Is there another one tomorrow?

Panel 14 of 18 for “My mother's first mascletà”: “Every day at two, until the nineteenth! You look really happy (to a woman).”
  1. Ana

    ¡Todos los días a las dos, hasta el diecinueve! Te veo la mar de contenta.

    Every day at two, until the nineteenth! You look really happy (to a woman).

Panel 15 of 18 for “My mother's first mascletà”: “Well, now I'll show you the falla in my neighborhood. This year it's been a huge hit: they gave us a prize. (to several people)”
  1. Lucía

    Pues ahora os enseño la falla de mi barrio. Este año ha sido un exitazo: nos han dado un premio.

    Well, now I'll show you the falla in my neighborhood. This year it's been a huge hit: they gave us a prize. (to several people)

Panel 16 of 18 for “My mother's first mascletà”: “The falla is that huge figure in the street, right? And is it true that in the end everything burns?”
  1. Galina

    La falla es esa figura enorme de la calle, ¿no? ¿Y es verdad que al final arde todo?

    The falla is that huge figure in the street, right? And is it true that in the end everything burns?

Panel 17 of 18 for “My mother's first mascletà”: “Yes, on the night of the nineteenth everything burns: even that huge ninot from yesterday that represents the mayor.”
  1. Ana

    Sí, la noche del diecinueve arde todo: hasta ese ninot grandote de ayer, que representa al alcalde.

    Yes, on the night of the nineteenth everything burns: even that huge ninot from yesterday that represents the mayor.

Panel 18 of 18 for “My mother's first mascletà”: “You're a little crazy (to several people). But now I get it: this isn't a party, it's a huge party!”
  1. Galina

    Estáis un poco locos. Pero ya lo entiendo: esto no es una fiesta, ¡es un fiestón!

    You're a little crazy (to several people). But now I get it: this isn't a party, it's a huge party!

Grammar for this text

Words with suffixes. Galina hears words she doesn't know, but they're built from words she does: cochazo = coche + -azo (an amazing car), problemón = problema + -ón (a huge problem). amiguete (a buddy), grandote (huge) and exitazo (a huge hit) work the same way. But portazo isn't "a great door" — it's a door slam: dar un portazo — to slam the door. At the end, Galina builds a word herself on the same pattern: una fiesta → un fiestón (the gender becomes masculine).

Intensifiers. la mar de contenta — really happy; de lo más normal — totally normal.

Set phrases. no pegar ojo — to not sleep a wink. There's no no in the text because the negative is already in nadie: nadie pega ojo — nobody sleeps a wink. hasta las tantas — until all hours.

No te tapes las orejas is a negative command with a pronoun (B1, unit 16): "don't cover your ears".

Words and grammar of the unit: Talk about the Fallas festival.

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