Spanish · Upper intermediate (B2) · Chapter 4 of 12
Science and technology
Ciencia y tecnología
Explain how something works in Spanish with the passive, estar + participle and se, and talk about causes and effects.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Explain how a technology works, step by step
- Use the passive with ser and estar + participle: fue inaugurada, está controlado
- Use se with modal verbs: se puede, se deben
- Talk about causes and effects: debido a, gracias a, por lo tanto, hacer que
Listen
Amparo, a guide at a solar power station near Seville, shows a group of visitors round. Rafael, a retired teacher, and Samuel, an engineering student, ask questions. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Amparo
Buenos días a todos. Esta central fue inaugurada en 2011 y hoy produce electricidad para unos veinticinco mil hogares.
Good morning, everyone. This power station was opened in 2011, and today it produces electricity for about twenty-five thousand homes.
Samuel
Perdone, ¿para qué sirven todos esos espejos?
Excuse me, what are all those mirrors for?
Amparo
Buena pregunta. Hay más de dos mil, y todos concentran la luz del sol en lo alto de la torre. Como el sol se mueve, los espejos también se mueven con él.
Good question. There are more than two thousand, and they all concentrate the sunlight at the top of the tower. As the sun moves, the mirrors move with it.
Rafael
¿Y cómo se controlan tantos espejos?
And how are so many mirrors controlled?
Amparo
Todo está controlado por ordenador. En la torre, la luz calienta unas sales hasta más de quinientos grados.
Everything is controlled by computer. In the tower, the light heats some salts to more than five hundred degrees.
Samuel
¿Quinientos grados? ¿Y qué se hace con tanto calor?
Five hundred degrees? And what's done with so much heat?
Amparo
Con ese calor se produce vapor de agua, y el vapor hace que gire una turbina. Así es como se genera la electricidad.
That heat is used to make steam, and the steam makes a turbine turn. That's how the electricity is generated.
Rafael
¿Y qué pasa por la noche, cuando no hay sol?
And what happens at night, when there's no sun?
Amparo
Esa es la gran ventaja de esta central. El calor se almacena en las sales durante muchas horas. Por lo tanto, se puede producir electricidad también de noche.
That's the great advantage of this power station. The heat is stored in the salts for many hours. So electricity can be produced at night as well.
Samuel
Entonces, ¿por qué no se construyen más centrales como esta?
So why aren't more power stations like this one built?
Amparo
Debido al precio: son más caras que los paneles solares normales. Sin embargo, gracias a la investigación, los precios están bajando, y ya se han construido centrales como esta en Chile, en China y en Marruecos.
Because of the price: they're more expensive than normal solar panels. However, thanks to research, prices are coming down, and power stations like this have already been built in Chile, China and Morocco.
Rafael
Muy interesante. Así que, gracias al sol, esta noche también tendremos luz en casa.
Very interesting. So, thanks to the sun, we'll have light at home tonight too.
Understand
The passive in any tense, and estar + participle
The passive with (B1) works in every tense: (was opened), (has been built), (will be extended). The participle agrees with the subject. It's typical of explanations, reports and the news.
+ participle describes the result or state, not the action: (Everything is controlled by computer). Compare (someone closed it at ten: the action) and (it's closed: the state).
| Form | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| (preterite) | The power station was opened in 2011. | |
| (present perfect) | The power station has been visited by thousands of people. | |
| (future) | The power station will be extended. | |
| + participle | Everything is controlled by computer. |
Se in explanations
To explain how something works, (B1) is the most natural choice: (steam is produced), (the heat is stored). With a modal verb, goes before it, and the modal normally agrees with the thing: , , .
When the verb is about people (with ), always use the singular: (Technicians from the area are hired). (Those responsible are being sought).
- El calor se almacena en las sales.The heat is stored in the salts.
- Se pueden hacer fotos, pero no se puede tocar nada.You can take photos, but you can't touch anything.
- Se contrata a gente de los pueblos de la zona.People from the villages in the area are hired.
Causes and effects
(because of, due to) and (thanks to) go before a noun. is for good results. and (so, therefore) introduce a result; sounds more formal.
+ subjunctive means “to make something happen”: (The steam makes a turbine turn). (This made prices fall).
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| + noun | because of, due to |
| + noun | thanks to |
| therefore, so | |
| so, so that | |
| + subjunctive | to make (something happen) |
More in the grammar: The passive and se: fue construido, se vende · Discourse markers: sin embargo, por lo tanto, o sea
New words
- la central (solar)(solar) power station · feminine
- producirto produce · ; preterite ,
- el hogarhome, household · masculine
- servir parato be for, to be used for · e → i like : What's it for?
- el espejomirror · masculine
- la luzlight · feminine; plural:
- la torretower · feminine
- moverseto move · o → ue:
- calentarto heat (up) · e → ie:
- almacenarto store
- por lo tantotherefore, so
- debido abecause of, due to
- gracias athanks to
- bajarto go down, to fall (prices); to go down (stairs)
Practise
1.Complete: “Todo … controlado por ordenador.” (it's the state, not the action)
2.Complete with + : “From here you can see the whole tower.”
From here you can see the whole tower.
3.Complete with the passive of : “The power station was opened in 2011.”
The power station was opened in 2011.
4.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.What are all those mirrors for?
5.Match the Spanish with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
6.Complete: “… la investigación, los precios están bajando.” (a good result)
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
¿Para qué sirve esto?
What's this for?
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.