Fablingo / Fablingo Español / Level pre-A1
Episode 16 · Look how far you've come
Duration: 7:42
After this lesson you can:
Retrieve every Level 0 chunk on demand across all six threads, and recognise that the memorised verbs are about to open up.
In this episode
Lucía and the full cast wave Teo through the end-of-level door: he retrieves every chunk across all six threads, Rosa sets aside his table for good, he reads three words of Don Beto's flyer and decides to stay — and Lucía lines up his frozen verbs to show they're about to open up for tú/él/nosotros.
Look at you. When you first walked into this barrio fifteen episodes ago, everything was just noise. The words flew by too fast, the notebook was glued to your hands, and you didn't know a single soul. Today? Today, you are leaving that notebook at home.
¡Qué tal, hermano! Todo bien, ¿no?
Buenos días, señor Ruiz. Hasta luego.
Listen to that! Your ear didn't even stumble. From Kike's ultra-casual qué tal to Sra. Ortega's formal buenos días. You've mapped the whole barrio. Say them with me to warm up: hola, buenos días, qué tal, chao. Perfect.
hola / buenos días / ¿qué tal? / chao — hi / good morning / how's it going? / bye (greetings & register) · OH-lah / BWEH-nos DEE-ahs / keh TAHL / CHOW
¡Hola, Teo! Mira esto. Tu mesa.
Gracias, Rosa. Quiero un café, por favor.
quiero un café, por favor — I'd like a coffee, please · KYEH-roh oon kah-FEH, por fah-VOR
He doesn't even hesitate. You own this phrase now. Quiero un café, por favor. Remember to roll that r in por favor. Let's hear you order your coffee like it's your permanent table. Say: quiero un café, por favor.
quiero un café, por favor — I'd like a coffee, please · KYEH-roh oon kah-FEH, por fah-VOR
Teo, mi nombre es Mía. Yo soy de aquí. ¿Tú de dónde eres?
Me llamo Teo. Soy de Londres.
me llamo… / soy… / soy de… / mi nombre es… — my name is… / I'm… / I'm from… / my name is (formal) · meh YAH-moh / soy / soy deh / mee NOM-breh ess
Whether it's the formal mi nombre es on paperwork, or a friendly me llamo and soy de to Mía, you have this down. The double-L in llamo is that soft y sound. Try it. Say: me llamo Teo.
me llamo… / soy… / soy de… / mi nombre es… — my name is… / I'm… / I'm from… / my name is (formal) · meh YAH-moh / soy / soy deh / mee NOM-breh ess
Mira mi dibujo. ¿Qué es esto, Teo?
¿qué es esto? es un/una… — what is this? it's a… · keh ess ESS-toh? ess oon/OO-nah
She's testing him. ¿Qué es esto? What is this? Teo points to a blob and says, es un perro. It's a dog. Say it with him: ¿qué es esto? es un perro.
¿qué es esto? es un/una… — what is this? it's a… · keh ess ESS-toh? ess oon/OO-nah
¡No! Es un gato. Un gato azul. Y esto es un carro rojo.
rojo/azul… — red/blue… (colours) · ROH-hoh / ah-SOOL
Of course, it's a blue cat. Azul. And a red car. Rojo. Notice how Mía puts the color after the thing? Un carro rojo. Give it a try, roll the r slightly. Say: rojo. And now: azul.
rojo/azul… — red/blue… (colours) · ROH-hoh / ah-SOOL
¿Y en esta casa? Hay tres personas. ¿Es tu familia?
hay… — there is / there are… · EYE
Hay. That magical, tiny word that means there is or there are. The h is completely silent. Teo says hay tres personas. Try it yourself. Point out there are three people. Say: hay tres personas.
hay… — there is / there are… · EYE
Sí. Mi mamá, mi hermano, y yo.
mi mamá, mi hermano — my mum, my brother · mee mah-MAH, mee er-MAH-noh
Mi mamá, mi hermano. Teo felt the ache of a family he missed when she first said this, but today, he's just smiling. He has friends here now. Say it softly with Mía: mi mamá, mi hermano.
mi mamá, mi hermano — my mum, my brother · mee mah-MAH, mee er-MAH-noh
Yo tengo siete años. ¿Tú cuántos años tienes? Eres muy viejo.
tengo… años — I'm … years old · TEN-goh... AH-nyos
You are very old, she says. Teo replies calmly, tengo treinta años. I am thirty years old. Remember, in Spanish we don't 'am' our age, we 'have' our years. Tengo. Try it with thirty: tengo treinta años.
tengo… años — I'm … years old · TEN-goh... AH-nyos
Let's pause. Look at the ground you've covered, without opening a single book. From greeting Kike: hola, qué tal. To formal introductions: mi nombre es, soy de. Handling ordering: quiero un café, por favor. Naming things: ¿qué es esto?, es un carro rojo. Explaining your family and age: mi mamá, mi hermano, tengo treinta años. And saying what exists: hay. You are doing so well.
Hola, Don Beto. ¿Cuánto cuesta un kilo de manzanas?
cero–cien; ¿cuánto cuesta? / son… pesos — zero–hundred; how much is it? / that's… pesos · SEH-roh - SYEN; KWAN-toh KWES-tah / sohn... PEH-sos
Son sesenta pesos, muchacho.
cero–cien; ¿cuánto cuesta? / son… pesos — zero–hundred; how much is it? / that's… pesos · SEH-roh - SYEN; KWAN-toh KWES-tah / sohn... PEH-sos
Real money, real survival. ¿Cuánto cuesta? How much does it cost? Son sesenta pesos. It's sixty pesos. Notice how Don Beto uses son for the total amount. Practice it like you're haggling for those apples. Say: ¿cuánto cuesta?
cero–cien; ¿cuánto cuesta? / son… pesos — zero–hundred; how much is it? / that's… pesos · SEH-roh - SYEN; KWAN-toh KWES-tah / sohn... PEH-sos
Manzanas, ¿eh? ¿Te gustan las manzanas?
me gusta… — I like… · meh GOOS-tah
Sí, me gustan mucho. Y me gusta este mercado.
me gusta… — I like… · meh GOOS-tah
Oh, it's Vale. And he's not just buying apples, he's making a connection. Me gusta este mercado. I like this market. It's not just about apples, is it? Try sharing something you like. Say: me gusta.
me gusta… — I like… · meh GOOS-tah
Don Beto, ¿dónde está el anuncio de trabajo?
¿dónde está…? está en… — where is…? it's in/on… · DON-deh ess-TAH? ess-TAH en
Está en el árbol. Allí.
¿dónde está…? está en… — where is…? it's in/on… · DON-deh ess-TAH? ess-TAH en
Where is it? ¿Dónde está? And Vale answers, está en el árbol. It's on the tree. You use está for locations, remembering to stress that second syllable. Está. Ask where it is with me: ¿dónde está?
¿dónde está…? está en… — where is…? it's in/on… · DON-deh ess-TAH? ess-TAH en
Teo steps up to the jacaranda tree. He reads the top of the weathered flyer. Se busca ayudante. Wanted: assistant. He turns around. He looks at Rosa wiping down his table, at Mía coloring, at Don Beto arguing prices, at Vale waiting for him. He's deciding to stay.
And the language? You've been speaking in frozen blocks. Tengo, quiero, me gusta, es, está. Solid chunks that saved Teo's life here. But guess what? In our next level, these verbs are going to melt. They are going to crack wide open, and you'll learn how to switch them to you, he, she, we. You're ready.
¿Quieres trabajar aquí, Teo?
Before we find out if he takes the job, let's look at your entire foundation. You can count and pay: ¿cuánto cuesta?, son sesenta pesos. You can share your likes: me gusta. And find things: ¿dónde está?, está en el árbol. You lived this barrio. And you didn't even need the notebook.
This is just the end of the beginning. You are ready for what comes next. Join us every Tuesday and Friday to keep living the language. I'm Lucía, and I'll see you in Level 1. ¡Chao!
Vocabulary
| Phrase | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| hola / buenos días / ¿qué tal? / chao | hi / good morning / how's it going? / bye (greetings & register) | |
| me llamo… / soy… / soy de… / mi nombre es… | my name is… / I'm… / I'm from… / my name is (formal) | Register split, not different meanings: me llamo/soy are everyday, mi nombre es is the formal (usted) version. |
| cero–cien; ¿cuánto cuesta? / son… pesos | zero–hundred; how much is it? / that's… pesos | |
| tengo… años | I'm … years old | Age stays with tener ('to have years'), never ser — a chunk worth over-learning before it opens into the full verb in L1. |
| ¿qué es esto? es un/una… | what is this? it's a… | |
| rojo/azul… | red/blue… (colours) | |
| mi mamá, mi hermano | my mum, my brother | |
| hay… | there is / there are… | |
| quiero un café, por favor | I'd like a coffee, please | |
| me gusta… | I like… | |
| ¿dónde está…? está en… | where is…? it's in/on… |
Grammar in this lesson
Review of the whole level; explicit subject-pronoun set shown once whole (yo/tú/usted/él/ella/nosotros/ustedes/ellos) as the scaffold L1 will conjugate against; preview that me llamo→llamarse, quiero→querer, tengo→tener are about to open up.