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A2🇲🇽 Mexico2 min read

Una canción para la fiesta

A song for the party

1 · Spanish Story

La historia

El sábado, Sofía llegó a la casa de su tía en Guadalajara. Había una fiesta familiar en el patio. Su primo Carlos llevaba la comida. Su tía acomodaba las sillas. Sofía traía una lista de canciones en su celular. Quería poner música para animar la tarde. “Qué padre”, dijo Carlos.

Sofía conectó su celular a la bocina. Al principio, todo salió bien. Sonó una cumbia y luego una canción pop. Los niños empezaron a bailar. Pero después, la música se detuvo. La bocina ya no respondía. Sofía revisó el cable. También probó con otra canción. Nada funcionó. “¿Qué pasó?”, preguntó su tía.

Carlos se acercó con una sonrisa. “Ahorita la arreglo”, dijo. Sacó su computadora de la sala. Tenía una aplicación de audio. Conectó la bocina y encontró el problema. El volumen estaba muy bajo. Sofía se rió. “Pensé que estaba descompuesta”, dijo ella. Carlos subió el volumen y puso una canción de rock suave.

La fiesta siguió con más energía. Los adultos platicaron y los niños corrieron por el patio. La tía de Sofía llevó más agua fresca. Al final, todos pidieron otra canción. Sofía eligió una balada conocida. Su tía levantó el vaso y sonrió. “Sale, esa está buena”, dijo. La música quedó sonando mientras cerraban la noche.

2 · Key Phrases

Language to keep

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01

traía una lista de canciones

was carrying a song list

This says she had the list with her at that moment.

Marta traía una lista de tareas en su bolsa.

Marta was carrying a task list in her bag.

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02

para animar la tarde

to liven up the afternoon

This shows the purpose of the music at the party.

Puso una mesa pequeña para animar la reunión.

She set out a small table to liven up the gathering.

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03

la música se detuvo

the music stopped

This describes the moment the sound stopped working.

De pronto, la película se detuvo en la pantalla.

Suddenly, the movie stopped on the screen.

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04

no respondía

did not respond

This is useful for devices that stop working correctly.

Mi celular no respondía después de la lluvia.

My cell phone did not respond after the rain.

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05

Ahorita la arreglo

I’ll fix it right now

This is a common Mexican way to say something will be done soon.

Usage: Informal; best for casual conversation.

Ahorita te arreglo la impresora.

I’ll fix the printer for you right now.

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06

quedó sonando

kept playing

This tells us the music continued after the problem was solved.

La radio quedó sonando toda la tarde.

The radio kept playing all afternoon.

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3 · English Translation

The full story in English

On Saturday, Sofía arrived at her aunt’s house in Guadalajara. There was a family party in the patio. Her cousin Carlos was bringing the food. Her aunt was arranging the chairs. Sofía was carrying a song list on her cell phone. She wanted to play music to liven up the afternoon. “How cool,” said Carlos.

Sofía connected her cell phone to the speaker. At first, everything went well. A cumbia played and then a pop song. The children started to dance. But after that, the music stopped. The speaker no longer responded. Sofía checked the cable. She also tried another song. Nothing worked. “What happened?”, asked her aunt.

Carlos came closer with a smile. “I’ll fix it right now,” he said. He took his computer from the living room. He had an audio app. He connected the speaker and found the problem. The volume was very low. Sofía laughed. “I thought it was broken,” she said. Carlos turned up the volume and played a soft rock song.

The party continued with more energy. The adults chatted and the children ran through the patio. Sofía’s aunt brought more fresh water. In the end, everyone asked for another song. Sofía chose a well-known ballad. Her aunt raised her glass and smiled. “Okay, that one is good,” she said. The music kept playing while they closed the night.