La guitarra del vecino
The neighbor's guitar
1 · Spanish Story
La historia
El miércoles por la tarde, Daniel llegó a su departamento cansado. Había tenido un día de trabajo largo. Quería descansar, pero escuchó una guitarra muy cerca. La música venía del otro lado de la pared. Al principio, sonaba bien. Después de unos minutos, empezó a molestarle.
Daniel miró la hora y suspiró. Pensó que su vecino estaba haciendo ruido a propósito. Tomó su celular y escribió un mensaje. "Hola, ¿podrías bajar un poco el volumen? Estoy trabajando en la computadora", puso. Esperó una respuesta, pero nadie contestó.
Diez minutos después, alguien tocó la puerta. Daniel abrió y vio a su vecino, Luis, con una guitarra en la mano. Luis se veía apenado. "Perdón", dijo. "No estoy ensayando por gusto. Mi mamá cumple años el sábado y quiero tocar una canción para ella." Daniel se quedó callado por un momento.
Entonces entendió todo. La guitarra no era una molestia cualquiera. Era parte de un regalo. Daniel bajó un poco el tono de su voz y le dijo que lo sentía. También le explicó que en la tarde tenía una reunión por videollamada. Los dos buscaron una solución. Luis prometió practicar solo por ratos cortos y Daniel dijo que avisaría si necesitaba silencio.
Más tarde, Daniel terminó su reunión y oyó otra vez la guitarra. Esta vez, la canción sonaba más limpia. Incluso podía distinguir el ritmo. Cuando Luis tocó el final, Daniel aplaudió desde su puerta. Luis sonrió y le dijo: "Si quieres, el sábado pasa a escucharla completa. Va a quedar muy padre." Daniel aceptó y cerró la puerta con una sonrisa.
2 · Key Phrases
Language to keep
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La música venía del otro lado de la pared
The music came from the other side of the wallThis phrase says where a sound is coming from in a simple, natural way.
Escuché risas del otro lado de la pared.
I heard laughter from the other side of the wall.
empezó a molestarle
it started to bother himThis phrase is useful for saying that something becomes irritating over time.
El ruido empezó a molestarle después de las diez.
The noise started to bother him after ten o'clock.
bajar un poco el volumen
to lower the volume a littleThis is a common request when asking someone to make music or sound quieter.
¿Puedes bajar un poco el volumen de la televisión?
Can you lower the volume of the television a little?
se veía apenado
he looked embarrassedThis phrase describes the visible feeling of shame or embarrassment in a gentle way.
Se veía apenado cuando llegó tarde a la cita.
He looked embarrassed when he arrived late to the appointment.
por ratos cortos
for short periodsThis phrase helps describe an action done in brief sections instead of all at once.
Estudié por ratos cortos durante la tarde.
I studied for short periods during the afternoon.
Va a quedar muy padre
it is going to turn out really niceThis phrase is a friendly Mexican way to say something will come out very well.
Usage: Conversational; common in relaxed speech. In Mexico, Va a quedar muy padre casually means something will turn out very nice. Here, padre means great or nice, not father.
Con esas luces, la reunión va a quedar muy padre.
With those lights, the gathering is going to turn out really nice.
3 · English Translation
The full story in English
On Wednesday afternoon, Daniel arrived at his apartment tired. He had had a long day at work. He wanted to rest, but he heard a guitar very close by. The music came from the other side of the wall. At first, it sounded nice. After a few minutes, it began to bother him.
Daniel looked at the time and sighed. He thought his neighbor was making noise on purpose. He took his cellphone and wrote a message. "Hi, could you turn the volume down a little? I am working on the computer," he wrote. He waited for a reply, but nobody answered.
Ten minutes later, someone knocked on the door. Daniel opened it and saw his neighbor, Luis, with a guitar in his hand. Luis looked embarrassed. "Sorry," he said. "I am not practicing for fun. My mom's birthday is on Saturday and I want to play a song for her." Daniel stayed quiet for a moment.
Then he understood everything. The guitar was not just any annoyance. It was part of a gift. Daniel lowered his voice a little and told him he was sorry. He also explained that in the afternoon he had a video call meeting. The two of them looked for a solution. Luis promised to practice only for short periods and Daniel said he would let him know if he needed silence.
Later, Daniel finished his meeting and heard the guitar again. This time, the song sounded cleaner. He could even make out the rhythm. When Luis played the ending, Daniel clapped from his doorway. Luis smiled and said, "If you want, come by on Saturday to hear it in full. It is going to turn out very nice." Daniel agreed and closed the door with a smile.