Scenes Season 2 | Chapter 4: ¡Por fin, jubilado!

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Muy bien, ¿y tú Pablo? Pues nada, aquí entusiasmado una vez más de estar contigo y nada, a punto de empezar esta grabación. Sí, y yo también muy contento de estar otra vez en el estudio para otro episodio de Scenes from the Coffee Break Spanish Café. Of course, this is our podcast series and course series where we are following the events of a Spanish Café with all the regulars and some new customers too. This time we're going to be meeting Don Julián. Yes, yes, and it has a very interesting story, the truth. And I think it's something that happens to a lot of people, this one that he will tell us. We'll see. Okay, as always, we'll read the text first and then talk about the grammar and the vocabulary and everything that there is in the text and then we'll listen to the text once again. Okay, perfect. Don Julián es, o más bien, era un médico del hospital de al lado. Lo cierto es que llevaba tiempo sin verlo. Esta mañana ha venido a desayunar Álvar y hemos estado hablando un buen rato. Llegó sobre las 9 de la mañana, cuando la cosa estaba más tranquila, pues los desayunos solemos servirlos sobre todo entre las 7 y media y las 8 y media. Y más tarde, entre las 10 y media y las 11 y media, servimos a la gente que aprovecha el descanso de media mañana para tomar algo. Don Julián ha trabajado como médico de digestivo en el hospital durante los últimos 37 años. Y hace unos días se jubiló por fin. Por fin. Así me lo decía él porque estaba un poco sorprendido. Desubicado. Llevaba unos años con ganas de jubilarse. Todos sus amigos le hablaban de lo maravilloso que era estar jubilado. Pero él, después de unos días en casa, se sentía raro. Había ordenado su despacho, renovado el armario con ayuda de su mujer e incluso había montado la bicicleta estática que le regaló su hijo por su último cumpleaños. ¡Hace ya casi un año! Me contaba que no sabía qué más hacer, que llevaba tanto tiempo trabajando que no sabía vivir sin trabajar. Supongo que debe ser normal sentirse un poco extraño. It's a big change. After a while talking about things that he likes to do, he has come up with some ideas. He has inspired me to play a dance class to my gold teacher. He also has a club of senderism. And, better than, he will retake the painting. I'm sure he will be great. Don Julian is, he is, or more than he is, he is. Era, or rather, was. So this idea of más bien, literally, more well. Sí, literalmente sí. Más bien is what we use to say rather. Era un médico del hospital de al lado. He was a doctor at the hospital next door. Y ya vimos en la primera temporada dondoña, que es como una manera de referirse a alguien con... Con respeto. Sí, muy bien. Lo cierto es que llevaba tiempo sin verlo. So lo cierto, literally the certain thing or the truth is, que llevaba tiempo sin verlo. So this is this idea of llevar tiempo haciendo algo. But this time we're using an infinitive with sin. So llevaba tiempo literally I was carrying time sin verlo without seeing him So it had been a while since I seen him Exacto Esta ma ha venido a desayunar al bar y hemos estado hablando un buen rato So this morning, esta mañana, and that's one of those triggers for a perfect tense, certainly in Spain. Esta mañana ha venido a desayunar al bar. So he came to have breakfast at the bar y hemos estado hablando un buen rato. and we chatted for quite a while. So we spent quite a while chatting. Así es. Llegó sobre las nueve de la mañana cuando la cosa estaba más tranquila, pues los desayunos solemos servirlos sobre todo entre las siete y media y las ocho y media. Okay, some technical information about when they serve things. There's quite a lot of detail here. So llegó sobre las nueve de la mañana. So he arrived around nine in the morning cuando la cosa estaba más tranquila. Now, we saw that la cosa before. We use it to translate things. Sí. But it's in the singular. Sí, en español, cuando nos referimos a una situación, al ambiente, usamos el singular, la cosa. So, cuando la cosa estaba más tranquila. So, when things were calmer, pues los desayunos solemos servirlos, sobre todo entre las siete y media y las ocho y media. Because, or since the breakfasts, We tend to serve them between half past seven and half past eight. And this is very Spanish word order feeling, isn't it? Sí, sí, porque además tenemos los desayunos, solemos servirlos. Es una reduplicación del complemento directo porque tenemos los desayunos, solemos servirlos. Por si no te queda claro lo que sirven. So, los desayunos, the breakfasts, solemos servirlos. We tend to serve them. In English, we would just say because we usually serve breakfasts mainly between half past seven and half past eight. Sí. Y más tarde, entre las diez y media y las once y media, servimos a la gente que aprovecha el descanso de media mañana para tomar algo. So, more information about how things work in the bar. Y más tarde, and later, entre las diez y media, between half past ten, y las once y media, and half past eleven, servimos a la gente que aprovecha el descanso de media mañana. So we serve the people who take advantage of their mid-morning break. So la gente que aprovecha el descanso de media mañana para tomar algo, to have something. Claro que sí. Okay, so we're talking here about un descanso de media mañana. I think we need a descanso de medio podcast. Me parece bien, venga. We're not quite there at the middle, but I think the next section of the story, it all happens together. Sí, sí, tiene más sentido. We'll pause here for just a moment and we'll be back very soon. In each episode of the Scenes from the Coffee Break Café podcast, you'll enjoy listening to the story and our discussion of key words and phrases from each chapter. But what if you could explore the language even further and take your learning to the next level? That's where the Scenes online course comes in. For every chapter, you'll get comprehensive lesson notes, a video version of the reading, exercises, vocabulary, and even spotlight videos that help break down the key expressions and grammar points with additional examples. It's the perfect way to deepen your understanding and get even more from the story. To access this wealth of learning resources, visit coffeebreaklanguages.com. Okay, welcome back. We are now going to continue with the rest of the story. Don Julián ha trabajado como médico de digestivo en el hospital durante los últimos 37 años. Y hace unos días se jubiló por fin. OK, so here we're seeing a couple of different tenses, and I think it's interesting to spot what's going on here. Don Julián ha trabajado. So that's our perfect tense. And he worked, or he has worked, como médico de digestivo, as a digestive doctor, a gastroenterologist, perhaps? Tenemos la palabra gastroenterólogo en español, pero incluso yo acabo de… me acaba de costar bastante decirla. A tricky word. So a gastroenterologist en el hospital, en the hospital, durante los últimos 37 años, for the past 37 years. So, we're using a perfect tense there, despite the fact we're talking about something that started 37 years ago, because it happened right up until recently. Eso es, eso es. Y hace unos días, and a few days ago, se jubiló, por fin, he retired, he finally retired. Pablo, here, could we have said Don Julián trabajó como médico? Sí, efectivamente, sí, no habría ningún problema. Ok, perfecto. Por fin. Así me lo decía él porque estaba un poco sorprendido, desubicado. So this is a little complicated because we're talking here about the narrator basically quoting Don Julián. Por fin, finally, or at last, así me lo decía. That's how he put it to me porque estaba un poco sorprendido. because he felt a little bit surprised, a little bit desubicado, a little bit out of place. Muy bien. Me encanta esta palabra desubicado. Llevaba unos años con ganas de jubilarse. Todos sus amigos le hablaban de lo maravilloso que era estar jubilado, pero él, después de unos días en casa, se sentía raro. So this is, I think, something very common. Sí, sí, sí, ¿verdad? He had been wanting to retire for a few years Todos sus amigos le hablaban de lo maravilloso que era estar jubilado All of his friends spoke to him or told him about how wonderful it was to be retired Pero él, después de unos días en casa. But he, after a few days at home, se sentía raro. He felt a bit strange. Se sentía raro. Can we go back to de lo maravilloso que era estar jubilado, Pablo? Because this is a little bit tricky, because if we're going from English into Spanish, we would be seeing all his friends were telling him how wonderful it was to be retired. De lo maravilloso que era estar jubilado. Give us another example of how we use this, the lo with an adjective, in this kind of construction. Pues, por ejemplo, me han hablado de lo interesante que era trabajar para esa empresa. OK, so they told me de lo interesante que era, of the interesting it was, trabajar para esta empresa. Para esa empresa. Working for that company. So we're seeing de lo adjective, que part of ser, then an infinitive. Sí, es bastante compleja. It is, isn't it? In a sense, it's complejo in the sense that there are a lot of different parts of it. But once we get that construction… Es siempre lo mismo. Exacto. Okay, so give us another example. Me han hablado de lo bonito que es visitar esa ciudad. Okay, so they talked to me about how nice it is to visit this town. You get the idea. Okay, let's continue on. So this is all the things he's done just in the past few days. So, había ordenado su despacho. He had tidied his office, renovado el armario, he had refreshed his wardrobe con ayuda de su mujer with his wife's help, E incluso había montado la bicicleta estática. And he even had set up the exercise bike que le regaló su hijo, which his son had given him, por su último cumpleaños, for his last birthday, hace ya casi un año, almost a year ago now. Y aquí estamos usando el verbo montar, en el sentido, como has dicho, to set up or to assemble. Cuidado, porque si hubiéramos dicho Había montado en la bicicleta estática To say he He got on it and started building Exacto, así que cuidado porque en este caso necesitamos la preposición en Pero utilizamos la preposición a Si decimos montar a caballo Sí, interesante So montar, useful word, but it does have these different meanings So montar a caballo montar en bici and then when you're just montaring the bici, you're setting it up Muy bien Me comentaba que no sabía qué más hacer, que llevaba tanto tiempo trabajando que no sabía vivir sin trabajar. Uy, esto me suena Le pasa a mucha gente So me comentaba he told me que no sabía qué más hacer. He didn't know what else to do que llevaba tanto tiempo trabajando. He had been working for so long que no He knew how to live without working. But he didn't know how to live without working. I think he should learn a new language. Well, yes. He's referring to Coffee Break languages. Let's read it. It's phenomenal. I suppose it should be normal to feel a little strange. It's a big change. I suppose. Very common, I suppose. It should be normal. It must be normal to feel a little strange. It's a big change. Quick question. It's a great change. That would change. You've named me my apocope, that we like and that we're so hard to say. We could say, exactly. It's a great change. And the meaning wouldn't change. Maybe it would take the meaning of great. Yeah, so it's a great change. In a positive sense, so it's a great change. But here, we're just saying, It's a big change when the word comes at the end, one of these kind of adjectives when it comes at the end after the word. Then it's the physical sense. It's a big change. Después de un rato hablando de las cosas que le gusta hacer, se nos ocurrieron algunas ideas. Okay, so después de un rato hablando, so after a little while talking, de las cosas que le gusta hacer, about the things that he enjoys doing, se nos ocurrieron algunas ideas. some, well, some ideas occurred to us. We came up with some ideas. I find this really quite tricky, Pablo. Y lo es, lo es. El verbo es ocurrirsele algo a alguien. Okay, so we could see, we could imagine this as a kind of reflexive verb. Officially, I think it would be a pronominal verb. Okay, so that's when it looks like a reflexive, but it doesn't actually have a reflexive sense. You're not washing your teeth or putting on your makeup or anything like that. So, se nos ocurrieron algunas ideas. Some ideas occurred to us and they occurred themselves to us, in a sense. So, give us another example of this. Por ejemplo, Marc, podrías decir, se me ocurre una idea que podríamos hacer. Okay, so, se me ocurre una idea. An idea has occurred to me or I've come up with an idea that we could do. I think I know which idea you're talking about, Pablo. A ver, a ver, miedo me das. Pablo always, always says to me that he thinks it would be a great idea to do a course all about Spanish swear words. Me encantaría, es mi sueño. You could let us know if that's something that would interest you. I know that's not everyone's cup of tea. But anyway so coming back to this se me ocurre you using the present tense there una idea An idea to me occurs itself That might help you work out Es muy peculiar la estructura porque it is as if something even though you are coming up with this idea, but the idea is like approaching you. Yeah. One of the ways I quite like to think about it is if you imagine if someone were approaching you and they introduced themselves to you, se presenta. Okay, so that person presents themselves. So I like to imagine it as an idea walking up to me and presenting itself to me saying, Hmm, me presento. Es una buena estrategia, sí, sí. Okay, but that's, se nos ocurrieron algunas ideas. So they had some ideas, they came up with some ideas. Le he animado a apuntarse a las clases de baile a las que van mis chicos de oro. Va a unirse también a un club de senderismo y lo mejor va a retomar la pintura. Lots of good ideas. So, le he animado. So, I literally animated him. So, I suggested to him, I encouraged him more. Apuntarse a las clases de baile. To sign up for the dance classes. A las que van mis chicos de oro. That my chicos de oro go to. Va a unirse también a un club de senderismo. He's also going to join a hiking club. Y lo mejor, and the best thing, best of all, va a retomar la pintura. He's going to take up painting again. Sí. Estoy segura de que le irá genial. So I am sure that it will go great for him. So irle genial a alguien to go really well for someone. So le irá genial. It will go great for him. Y si esta estructura fuese en negativo, necesitaríamos… El subjuntivo. Eso es, diríamos, no estoy segura de que le vaya genial. Ok. Muy bien, pues ahora vamos a reescuchar el texto. Esta vez un poco más a una velocidad normal. Don Julián es, o más bien era, un médico del hospital de al lado. Lo cierto es que llevaba tiempo sin verlo. Esta mañana ha venido a desayunar al bar y hemos estado hablando un buen rato. Llegó sobre las nueve de la mañana, cuando la cosa está más tranquila, because we have to serve the food for between 7.30 and 8.30. And later, between 10.30 and 11.30, we serve people who take a break from half a day to eat something. Don Julián has worked as a digestive doctor in the hospital during the last 37 years. And he has been married for a few days. Por fin, así me lo decía él, porque estaba un poco sorprendido, desubicado. Llevaba unos años con ganas de jubilarse. Todos sus amigos le hablaban de lo maravilloso que era estar jubilado. Pero él, después de unos días en casa, se sentía raro. Había ordenado su despacho, renovado el armario con ayuda de su mujer, e incluso había montado la bicicleta estática que le regaló su hijo por su último cumpleaños. Hace ya casi un año. Me contaba que no sabía qué más hacer, que llevaba tanto tiempo trabajando que no sabía vivir sin trabajar. Supongo que debe ser normal sentirse un poco extraño. Es un cambio grande. After a while talking about the things he likes to do, he came to some ideas. He animated to be able to play the dance classes to the girls' children of Oro. He also joined a club of senderism. And, well, he's going to retomar the painting. I'm sure he'll be able to play it. So there we have it. This episode has been a part of our course that we have for scenes from the Coffee Break Cafe. And you can access that over at the Coffee Break Academy, where you'll be able to access additional materials to help you understand everything. There are lesson notes, there's exercises, there are vocabulary lists, and there's spotlight video where we focus on a particular thing. Pablo, what's the spotlight video about for this particular episode? Nuestro spotlight tratará sobre la palabra ganas y todas las expresiones que hay con esta palabra. So, tener ganas. Sí, sí, sí. Muy bien. So that's the spotlight video and you can find that along with all of the other materials for all of the episodes of SINZA Season 2 over at coffeebreakacademy.com. And if you want to receive weekly lessons on grammar, vocabulary and plenty of other things, straight to your inbox, sign up anytime at cofibrikespanish.com. Pues muchas gracias, Pablo. Nada, muchas gracias a ti, como siempre, Mark. Y a ver qué pasa. A ver qué pasa, a ver qué pasa, que hay muchos frentes abiertos y yo tengo mucha curiosidad de ver qué les pasa a nuestros personajes de Sins. Perfecto. Pues esto lo dejaremos para el próximo episodio. Sí. Hasta entonces. Adiós. 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