Next you will listen to six people recounting situations in which they made a fool of themselves or made themselves look bad. Listen to each person twice. Then, select the statement, a) – j) that corresponds to the topic each person is talking about, 19 – 24. There are ten statements, but only six are valid.
Example Person 0
Hombre: Yo soy periodista y nunca podrè olvidar mi primera entrevista. Estaba muy nervioso porque era mi opertunidad de demostrar al director del periòdico que era un buen profesional. Tenìa que entrevistar a un actor que pasaba por nuestra ciudad. Preparè las preguntas, me documentè sobre èl… Perodurante la entrevista, me di cuenta de que con quien estaba hablando era con Victor Valverde y no Màximo Valverde como yo habìa pensado…
Man: I am a journalist and I will never be able to forget my first interview. I was very nervous because it was my opportunity to show the newspaper’s director that I was a good professional. I had to interview an actor who was passing through our city. I prepared the questions, I researched him… But during the interview, I realized that the person I was talking to was Victor Valverde and not Màximo Valverde as I had thought…
Person 0 – Statement e) I thought I was talking to another person.
Questions and Answers
Person 1
Mujer: Resulta que me llarmaron para decirme que habìa muerto el padre de una amiga muy querida. Salì corriendo para llegar al funeral. Estaba muy lejos y hacìa un calor insoportable. Cuando lleguè, fui hacia mi amiga, la abracè y le dije: ¡Vengo muerta! De repente, me di cuenta de lo que habìa dicho, pero lo mejor es que a las dos nos entrò l risa nerviosa y estuvimos riendo diez minutos.
Woman: It turns out that they called me to tell me that the father of a very dear friend had died. I ran to get to the funeral. It was very far away and it was unbearably hot. When I arrived, I went to my friend, hugged her and told her: I’m dead! Suddenly, I realized what I had said, but the best thing is that we both started laughing nervously and we laughed for ten minutes.
Person 2
Hombre: Pues yo estaba de luna de miel en Lanzarote y una mañana, al salir de la habitaciòn, veo a una persona boca abajo1 flotando en la piscina. Empecè a gritar pidiendo ayuda y me tirè vestido. Resulta que el hombre era buceador y estaba practicando. Todo el mundo se rio mucho y lo bueno es que estancia en el hotel me saliò gratis.
Man: Well, I was on my honeymoon in Lanzarote and one morning, when I left the room, I saw a person face down1 floating in the pool. I started to shout asking for help and threw my clothes off. It turns out that the man was a diver and was practicing. Everyone laughed a lot and the good thing is that my stay at the hotel was free.
Person 3
Mujer: Esto me pasò en Bangkok hace mucho, cuando la gente no viajaba tanto y no conocìamos las costumbres de otros pueblos. Fuimos a un templo budista. Habìa unos niños de granate y amarillo, preciosos. Sin pensarlo dos veces, los besè a todos en la cabecita. El guìa me dijo que por mi culpa tendrìan que estar dos meses rezando porque para los monjes budistas la cabeza es una parte prohibida.
Woman: This happened to me in Bangkok a long time ago, when people didn’t travel so much and we didn’t know the customs of other towns. We went to a Buddhist temple. There were some children in maroon and yellow, beautiful. Without thinking twice, I kissed them all on the head. The guide told me that because of me they would have to spend two months praying because for Buddhist monks the head is a forbidden part of the body.
Person 4
Hombre: Pues estaba en un semàfro, esperando para cruzar y enfrente habìa un señor muy elegante, tambièn esperando. Cuando se puso verde y los dos empezamos a andar, el hombre hizo un movimiento raro y yo corrìa èl pensando que se iba a caer. Entonces èl me dijo que es que tenìa un problema en la pierna y andaba asi. Algunas veces nos vemos por la calle y me saluda.
Man: Well, I was at a traffic light, waiting to cross and in front of me was a very elegant man, also waiting. When it turned green and we both started walking, the man made a strange movement and I ran thinking he was going to fall. Then he told me that he had a problem with his leg and he was walking like that. Sometimes we see each other on the street and he waves to me.
Person 5
Mujer: Esto me pasò el otra dia. Resulta que me encuentro con una compañera de trabajo en la cafeterìa y le notè algo raro en la boca. Le dije delante de todo el mundo: Oye, ¿te pasa algo? ¿te sientes mal? Ella contestò No, no, no me pasa nada. Y yo insistìa. Pues creo que tiene que verte un mèdico, tienes los labios mal. ¡Y es que se habìa puesto botox! La pobre se puso roja.
Woman: This happened to me the other day. It turns out that I met a co-worker in the cafeteria and I noticed something strange about her mouth. I told her in front of everyone: Hey, is something wrong with you? you feel bad? She answered No, no, nothing is wrong with me. And I insisted. Well, I think you need to see a doctor, you have bad lips. And it was that she had had botox! The poor thing turned red.
Person 6
Hombre: Pues resulta que el otra dia habìamos estado algunos compañeros de la oficina el dia anterior de fiesta hasta muy tarde y por la mañana, en el trabajo, les puse un mensaje de esos colectivos diciendo ¡Me estoy durmiendo! Yno me di cuenta de que habìa incluido al jefe en las direcciones, hasta que una companera me lo dijo. Corrì a su despacho para explicarle. Menos mal que no se enfadò.
Man: Well, it turns out that the other day with some colleagues from the office we had been partying until very late the day before and in the morning, at work, I sent them a message to the group saying “I’m falling asleep!” And I didn’t realize that I had included the boss in the addresses until a colleague told me. I ran to the office to explain. Thank goodness they didn’t get angry.
Statements
| Enunciados | Statements |
|---|---|
| a) Tuvo un error intercultural | a) He had an intercultural error |
| b) Entrar en un lugar prohibido | b) Enter a prohibited place |
| c) La persona no caminaba bien | c) The person was not walking well |
| d) Se rio en una situación triste | d) he laughed in a sad situation |
| e) Pensaba que hablaba con otra persona. | e) he thought he was talking to someone else. |
| f) Hablò de tù a una persona importante | f) he spoke about you to an important person |
| g) Escribò a alquien que no debía | g) he wrote to someone that he should not have |
| h) Llegó tarde a una cita importante | h) he was late for an important appointment |
| i) intentò ayudar a alguien que no lo necesitaba | i) he tried to help someone who didn’t need it |
| j) Creyó que la otra persona estaba enferma | j) he thought the other person was sick |
Footnotes
1 In Spanish, the term “boca abajo” (or “bocabajo”) is used. “Boca abajo” literally means “mouth down.”
face down estar tumbado boca abajo - to be lying face down se cuelgan los manojos boca abajo - hang the bunches upside down