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Illustration for “The day I kept dropping everything”

Spanish story with translation · B2 · 18 lines

El día que todo se me caía de las manos The day I kept dropping everything

Comic · 14 panels

Panel 1 of 14 for “The day I kept dropping everything”: On Sunday night I forgot to set my alarm, which doesn't usually happen to me, and on Monday I woke up very late.
  1. El domingo por la noche se me olvidó poner el despertador, algo que no suele pasarme, y el lunes me desperté muy tarde.

    On Sunday night I forgot to set my alarm, which doesn't usually happen to me, and on Monday I woke up very late.

Panel 2 of 14 for “The day I kept dropping everything”: I showered in a hurry, and in the bathroom I dropped all my makeup on the floor.
  1. Me duché deprisa, y en el baño se me cayó al suelo todo el maquillaje.

    I showered in a hurry, and in the bathroom I dropped all my makeup on the floor.

Panel 3 of 14 for “The day I kept dropping everything”: I took my coffee to my desk and spilled it on some documents. I tried to clean the stain, but it was no use.
  1. Me llevé el café al escritorio y se me derramó sobre unos documentos. Intenté limpiar la mancha, pero fue inútil.

    I took my coffee to my desk and spilled it on some documents. I tried to clean the stain, but it was no use.

Panel 4 of 14 for “The day I kept dropping everything”: I ran out, and on the stairs I almost fell. A fall there is no joke: we live on the fifth floor.
  1. Salí corriendo y en la escalera por poco me caigo. Una caída allí no es ninguna broma: vivimos en un quinto.

    I ran out, and on the stairs I almost fell. A fall there is no joke: we live on the fifth floor.

Panel 5 of 14 for “The day I kept dropping everything”: Once I was on the bus, just as I was about to call Sonia, I realized I had left my phone at home.
  1. Ya en el autobús, cuando estaba a punto de llamar a Sonia, me di cuenta de que me había dejado el móvil en casa.

    Once I was on the bus, just as I was about to call Sonia, I realized I had left my phone at home.

Panel 6 of 14 for “The day I kept dropping everything”: At the office it wasn't any better: I dropped my keys twice and almost knocked over Sonia's coffee.
  1. En la oficina no fue mejor: se me cayeron las llaves dos veces y casi vuelco el café de Sonia.

    At the office it wasn't any better: I dropped my keys twice and almost knocked over Sonia's coffee.

Panel 7 of 14 for “The day I kept dropping everything”: In the evening, back home, I started packing the dishes. A glass slipped out of my hands and shattered on the floor.
  1. Por la tarde, ya en casa, me puse a empaquetar la vajilla.

    In the evening, back home, I started packing the dishes.

  2. Un vaso se me escurrió de las manos y se hizo añicos contra el suelo.

    A glass slipped out of my hands and shattered on the floor.

Panel 8 of 14 for “The day I kept dropping everything”: I picked up the broken glass piece by piece and thought, "I'm a klutz, so today it's better not to touch anything else" (woman speaking).
  1. Recogí los cristales uno a uno y pensé: «Soy una manazas, así que hoy es mejor no tocar nada más».

    I picked up the broken glass piece by piece and thought, "I'm a klutz, so today it's better not to touch anything else" (woman speaking).

Panel 9 of 14 for “The day I kept dropping everything”: But there wasn't much left to do: I took the pictures off the wall and picked up Carmen's vase to give it back to her. It was the same vase that Dani had saved by…
  1. Pero quedaba poco: quité los cuadros de la pared y cogí el jarrón de Carmen para devolvérselo.

    But there wasn't much left to do: I took the pictures off the wall and picked up Carmen's vase to give it back to her.

  2. Era el mismo jarrón que Dani había salvado por los pelos unos días antes.

    It was the same vase that Dani had saved by a hair a few days earlier.

Panel 10 of 14 for “The day I kept dropping everything”: Then Coco ran between my feet, I tripped, and I dropped the vase on the floor. Three pieces.
  1. Entonces Coco pasó corriendo entre mis pies, tropecé, y el jarrón se me cayó al suelo. Tres pedazos.

    Then Coco ran between my feet, I tripped, and I dropped the vase on the floor. Three pieces.

Panel 11 of 14 for “The day I kept dropping everything”: I stood still for a minute. Then I went up to the sixth floor with the pieces in a bag and knocked on the door (woman speaking).
  1. Me quedé quieta un minuto. Luego subí al sexto con los pedazos en una bolsa y llamé a la puerta.

    I stood still for a minute. Then I went up to the sixth floor with the pieces in a bag and knocked on the door (woman speaking).

Panel 12 of 14 for “The day I kept dropping everything”: —Carmen, I'm so sorry: I've accidentally broken your vase (formal). Carmen looked at the bag and started laughing.
  1. —Carmen, lo siento mucho: se me ha roto su jarrón.

    —Carmen, I'm so sorry: I've accidentally broken your vase (formal).

  2. Carmen miró la bolsa y se puso a reír.

    Carmen looked at the bag and started laughing.

Panel 13 of 14 for “The day I kept dropping everything”: —Oh, honey, my mother-in-law gave it to me thirty years ago, and I always thought it was hideous. —I dropped it twice, and it never broke. What bad luck!
  1. —Hija, me lo dio mi suegra hace treinta años y siempre me pareció horrible.

    —Oh, honey, my mother-in-law gave it to me thirty years ago, and I always thought it was hideous.

  2. —A mí se me cayó dos veces y no se rompió nunca. ¡Qué mala suerte!

    —I dropped it twice, and it never broke. What bad luck!

Panel 14 of 14 for “The day I kept dropping everything”: She invited me for coffee, and this time I didn't spill a single drop.
  1. Me invitó a un café, y esta vez no se me derramó ni una gota.

    She invited me for coffee, and this time I didn't spill a single drop.

Grammar for this text

Accidents in the past. This is a story about the past, so the accidents are in the preterite: se me olvidó, se me cayó, se me derramó, se me escurrió. With several things, the verb is plural: se me cayeron las llaves.

Something that just happened. But when Ana speaks to Carmen, she says se me ha roto su jarrón: the vase has just broken, so it's se me ha….

Por poco and casi. Por poco me caigo, casi vuelco el café (I almost fell, I almost knocked over the coffee): after por poco and casi, the present tense.

Me había dejado el móvil en casa. Dejarse means to leave something behind without meaning to; había dejado (past perfect) shows it happened even earlier, before the bus.

Vivimos en un quinto means "we live on the fifth floor": Spanish speakers often leave out the word piso here. Floors are counted the Spanish way: the ground floor first, then the first floor.

Carmen's joke. A mí se me cayó dos veces: "I dropped it twice myself", by accident. And she's sorry the vase survived back then.

Things you know. Algo que no suele pasarme (something that doesn't usually happen to me): soler + infinitive (B1). Cuando estaba a punto de llamar (just as I was about to call): B1, unit 8. Manazas is colloquial for "klutz": soy una manazas; the same form for men and women.

Words and grammar of the unit: Talk about little accidents at home.

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