Spanish · Intermediate (B1) · Chapter 11 of 12
Travel stories
Historias de viajes
Tell the story of a trip that went wrong in Spanish, report what people told you, react with ¡No me digas! and say what you would do if you could.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Tell the story of a trip with a problem
- Report what someone had said: dijeron que se había cancelado
- React with surprise and sympathy: ¡No me digas! ¡Qué mala suerte!
- Talk about unreal situations: si tuviera…, iría…
Listen
In a café in Valencia, Carla meets her friend Raúl, who has just come back from a holiday in Lanzarote. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Carla
¡Raúl! ¿Ya has vuelto de Lanzarote? ¿Qué tal?
Raúl! Are you back from Lanzarote already? How was it?
Raúl
Volví anoche. La isla es preciosa, pero no te imaginas lo que nos pasó.
I got back last night. The island is beautiful, but you can't imagine what happened to us.
Carla
¿Qué os pasó?
What happened to you?
Raúl
Cuando llegamos al aeropuerto, nos dijeron que el vuelo se había cancelado por una huelga.
When we got to the airport, they told us the flight had been cancelled because of a strike.
Carla
¡No me digas! ¿Y qué hicisteis?
You're kidding! And what did you do?
Raúl
Tuvimos que volver a casa y salimos al día siguiente. Pero al llegar a Lanzarote, mi maleta no estaba.
We had to go back home and we left the next day. But when we got to Lanzarote, my suitcase wasn't there.
Carla
¿En serio? ¡Qué mala suerte!
Seriously? What bad luck!
Raúl
Sí. En el aeropuerto me explicaron que la habían enviado a Tenerife por error. Estuve dos días con la misma ropa.
Yes. At the airport they explained that they had sent it to Tenerife by mistake. I wore the same clothes for two days.
Carla
¡Qué horror! ¿Y la isla? ¿Te gustó?
How awful! And the island? Did you like it?
Raúl
Me encantó. Nunca había visto un paisaje así: volcanes, playas negras…
I loved it. I had never seen a landscape like that: volcanoes, black beaches…
Carla
¡Qué envidia! Si tuviera vacaciones, iría mañana mismo.
I'm so jealous! If I had some holiday, I'd go tomorrow.
Raúl
Pues si pudiera, yo volvería ahora mismo. Pero esta vez llevaría la ropa en la mochila.
Well, if I could, I'd go back right now. But this time I'd take my clothes in my rucksack.
Understand
Reporting the past: dijeron que se había cancelado
In chapter 3 you saw that after , a present becomes an imperfect. When the person was talking about something that had already happened, use the pluperfect (chapter 1): → (They told us the flight had been cancelled).
The pluperfect with is also useful for new experiences: (I had never seen a landscape like that).
| What they said | Reported |
|---|---|
Reacting to a story
Good listeners react. These short expressions show surprise, sympathy or envy. ¡Qué…! + a noun or an adjective is very common: ,
+ infinitive means “when…” or “on …ing”: (when we got to Lanzarote).
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| You're kidding! / No way! | |
| Seriously? / Really? | |
| What bad luck! | |
| How awful! | |
| What a coincidence! | |
| How lucky! | |
| I'm so jealous! |
If I had…: si tuviera, iría
For situations that aren't real, or are unlikely, Spanish uses + the “imperfect subjunctive” + the conditional: (If I had some holiday, I'd go tomorrow). Compare a real condition (chapter 6): (If I have some holiday, I'll go).
To make the imperfect subjunctive, take the form of the preterite, drop -ron and add -ra. The and / forms are the same. For now, learn these common forms; you'll see the whole tense at B2.
| Infinitive | Preterite () | Imperfect subjunctive |
|---|---|---|
| / | ||
More in the grammar: Relative pronouns: que, quien, lo que, donde · The conditional and if-clauses: haría, si tuviera · The pluperfect and reported speech: había hecho · Reported speech: dijo que vendría · The imperfect subjunctive: hablara, tuviera, fuera
New words
- imaginarseto imagine · …: you can't imagine…
- la islaisland · feminine
- el vueloflight · masculine
- cancelarto cancel · : it has been cancelled
- la huelgastrike · feminine; : to be on strike
- al llegarwhen (we) arrived, on arriving · + infinitive: when…, on …ing
- la suerteluck · feminine; : What bad luck!
- explicarto explain · preterite: , …
- por errorby mistake
- asílike that, like this; this way
- el paisajelandscape, scenery · masculine
- el volcánvolcano · masculine; plural:
- ¡Qué envidia!I'm so jealous! Lucky you! · : envy
- las vacacionesholiday(s) · feminine plural; : to be on holiday
Practise
1.Complete: “Nos dijeron que el vuelo se … cancelado.”
2.Complete with the pluperfect of : “I had never seen a landscape like that.”
I had never seen a landscape like that.
3.Complete with the imperfect subjunctive of : “If I had some holiday, I'd go tomorrow.”
If I had some holiday, I'd go tomorrow.
4.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.If I could, I'd go back right now.
5.Match the Spanish with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
6.A friend tells you the airline lost her suitcase. What's a good reaction?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
¡No me digas! ¿Y qué hicisteis?
You're kidding! And what did you do?
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.