Una salida que salió bien
An outing that went well
1 · Spanish Story
La historia
Sofía cerró su portátil a las seis y miró el celular. Tenía un mensaje de Camilo. "¿Sí seguimos para hoy?", decía. Ellos habían planeado salir a cenar y después ver una película en el centro comercial.
Ella respondió enseguida. "Claro. Nos vemos a las siete en la entrada." Luego se fue a cambiar. Quería llegar puntual, porque Camilo siempre decía que odiaba esperar.
A las seis y media, Sofía salió de su casa. Tomó un taxi hasta el centro comercial. En el camino, revisó otra vez el chat. No había más mensajes, así que pensó que todo seguía igual.
Cuando llegó, vio a Camilo cerca de la puerta. Él llevaba una camisa azul y parecía sorprendido. "Qué pena", le dijo. "Yo entendí que era a las ocho. Vine antes para comprar las entradas del cine." Sofía se quedó quieta un segundo.
"No, era a las siete", respondió ella. Después sacó el celular y le mostró el mensaje. Camilo miró la pantalla y rió con pena. Había leído mal la hora, pero todavía tenían tiempo.
Entraron al restaurante y pidieron algo rápido. Mientras comían, hablaron del trabajo y de un viaje que querían hacer en diciembre. Después fueron al cine, compraron palomitas de maíz y encontraron puestos juntos en la mitad de la sala.
La película les gustó mucho. Al salir, Camilo le dijo que la próxima vez iba a confirmar la hora con más cuidado. Sofía sonrió y le respondió: "Con mucho gusto te ayudaré, pero tendrás que leer bien mis mensajes." Los dos rieron y se fueron caminando hacia la salida.
2 · Key Phrases
Language to keep
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cerró su portátil
closed her laptopDescribes closing the lid of a laptop.
Antes de salir, Marta cerró su portátil y lo guardó en la mochila.
Before leaving, Marta closed her laptop and put it in her backpack.
enseguida
right awaySays that an action happens immediately.
Cuando lo llamó, él salió enseguida para ayudarla.
When she called him, he left right away to help her.
Nos vemos a las siete
Let's meet at sevenA natural way to agree on a meeting time.
Nos vemos a las siete frente al teatro.
Let's meet at seven in front of the theater.
Qué pena
SorryCamilo uses this expression to apologize for his misunderstanding.
Usage: In Colombia, Qué pena often introduces a polite apology. Here it means sorry, rather than what a pity.
Qué pena, llegué un poco tarde por el tráfico.
Sorry, I arrived a little late because of traffic.
le mostró el mensaje
showed him the messageA useful phrase for describing how someone shares a message to clarify information.
Ella le mostró el mensaje al profesor para aclarar la hora.
She showed the message to the teacher to clarify the time.
Con mucho gusto
gladlyExpresses willingness to help in a polite, friendly way.
Con mucho gusto les explico el camino.
I'll gladly explain the way to you.
3 · English Translation
The full story in English
Sofía closed her laptop at six and looked at her cellphone. She had a message from Camilo. "Are we still on for today?" it said. They had planned to go out for dinner and then watch a movie at the mall.
She replied right away. "Of course. Let's meet at seven at the entrance." Then she went to change. She wanted to arrive on time, because Camilo always said that he hated waiting.
At six thirty, Sofía left her house. She took a taxi to the mall. On the way, she checked the chat again. There were no more messages, so she thought everything was still the same.
When she arrived, she saw Camilo near the door. He was wearing a blue shirt and looked surprised. "Sorry," he told her. "I understood it was at eight. I came early to buy the movie tickets." Sofía stood still for a second.
"No, it was at seven," she answered. Then she took out her cellphone and showed him the message. Camilo looked at the screen and laughed awkwardly. He had read the time wrong, but they still had time.
They went into the restaurant and ordered something quick. While they ate, they talked about work and about a trip they wanted to take in December. Then they went to the cinema, bought popcorn, and found seats together in the middle of the theater.
They liked the movie very much. When they left, Camilo told her that next time he was going to confirm the time more carefully. Sofía smiled and answered, "I'll gladly help you, but you'll have to read my messages carefully." The two of them laughed and walked toward the exit.