Day 1
Unos días
A few days. Marta arrives at Lucía’s flat with one suitcase and an answer that nobody quite believes.
Read the whole lesson
The conversation: Unos días (A few days)
Marta arrives at Lucía’s flat with one suitcase and an answer that nobody quite believes.
- Lucía
- ¿Sí? ¿Quién es?Yes? Who is it?
- Marta
- ¡Hola! Soy Marta.Hi! It’s Marta.
- Lucía
- ¡Marta! ¡Sube, sube!Marta! Come up, come up!
- Lucía
- ¡Bienvenida! ¿Qué tal?Welcome! How are you?
- Marta
- Gracias. Bien… ¿Y tú?Thanks. Good… And you?
- Lucía
- ¡Muy bien! Pasa, pasa… ¿Solo una maleta?Really good! Come in, come in… Just one suitcase?
- Marta
- Sí… Unos días.Yeah. Just a few days.
Notes
1. ¿Sí?
¿Sí? means “Yes?” Spanish uses an opening mark:
- ¿ before a question
- ¡ before an exclamation
This helps you recognize the tone immediately.
2. ¡Hola!
¡Hola! means “Hi!” The h is silent, so hola sounds like “ola”. It works at any time of day and in most situations.
3. Soy Marta
Yo means “I” in Spanish. But in soy Marta, we leave out yo because soy already identifies the speaker.
4. ¡Sube, sube!
¡Sube, sube! means “Come up, come up!” Later, pasa, pasa means “Come in, come in.” Learn both as complete invitations; repeating them makes Lucía’s welcome sound warmer and more eager.
5. ¡Bienvenida!
When welcoming a woman, say ¡Bienvenida! For a man, say ¡Bienvenido!
6. ¿Qué tal?
¿Qué tal? is a casual “How are you?” Answer with bien (“good”) or muy bien (“really good”), then return the question with ¿Y tú? (“And you?”).
7. Unos días
Unos días means “a few days.” Here, unos expresses an approximate amount rather than an exact number. In Spain, “a few” is less a number and more a lifestyle. If you need an exact date or amount, good luck.
Los dos besos · The two kisses
Marta and Lucía are close friends, so when Marta comes inside they greet with dos besos: two light cheek kisses accompanied by a kissing sound.
This is a common informal greeting in Spain, especially between two women or between a woman and a man. A handshake is more usual in professional situations. If you are unsure, pause and follow the other person’s lead.