La cena en casa de los vecinos
Dinner at the neighbors' house
1 · Spanish Story
La historia
El jueves por la tarde, Lucía llegó a su departamento y encontró una nota bajo la puerta. Sus vecinos, Marta y Daniel, la invitaban a cenar. Decían que la cena era “a las ocho en punto” y que querían conocer mejor a la gente del edificio.
Lucía sonrió. “Qué padre”, pensó. Quería llegar puntual, así que dejó su trabajo en la computadora y se puso un suéter limpio. Luego le escribió a Marta en su celular para confirmar. Pero el mensaje no entró bien y ella no vio la respuesta.
A las ocho y media, Lucía salió al pasillo con una botella de jugo. Tocó la puerta de los vecinos y escuchó silencio. Miró su reloj y se puso nerviosa. “Tal vez me equivoqué”, dijo. Bajó con el guardia del edificio para preguntar y él le explicó que Marta había dicho que podían llegar “ahorita”, después de terminar de cocinar.
Lucía entendió el problema y se sintió mal. Subió otra vez y llamó con más fuerza. Esta vez Daniel abrió y se rió un poco. “No te preocupes”, dijo. “La comida todavía no sale.” En la cocina, Marta estaba cortando verduras y sonrió al verla. “Nos faltaba la ensalada”, comentó.
Lucía dejó el jugo sobre la mesa y ayudó a lavar los platos que ya estaban en el fregadero. Mientras trabajaban, Marta explicó que su mensaje había sonado claro en su cabeza, pero no para todos. Lucía también contó que había interpretado “ahorita” como “ahora mismo”. Los tres se rieron y siguieron cocinando.
Más tarde, cenaron juntos en la mesa pequeña del departamento. Había sopa, arroz y la ensalada que Lucía ayudó a preparar. Daniel dijo que querían repetir la cena el próximo mes. Lucía aceptó con gusto. Ya no se sentía fuera de lugar. Al contrario, pensó que había encontrado buenos vecinos.
2 · Key Phrases
Language to keep
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a las ocho en punto
at eight o'clock sharpUse it for an exact time, with no extra minutes.
La entrevista es a las ocho en punto.
The interview is at eight o'clock sharp.
qué padre
how nice, how greatThis is a common Mexican expression for something pleasant or cool.
Usage: Conversational; common in relaxed speech. This phrase is common in Mexico and sounds informal. It fits friendly conversation, not formal writing.
Tu nueva casa está muy padre.
Your new house is really nice.
en su celular
on her cellphoneIn Mexico, celular is the usual word for mobile phone.
Te escribo en mi celular.
I'll text you on my cellphone.
ahorita
right away or in a little whileThe exact timing can change with context, so people often use it for something soon, but not always immediately.
Usage: Conversational; common in relaxed speech. This phrase is very common in Mexico. It can mean now, right away, or in a little while, depending on context.
Ahorita te llamo.
I'll call you in a moment.
No te preocupes
Don't worryA very common way to calm someone down.
No te preocupes, todo está bien.
Don't worry, everything is fine.
se sintió mal
felt badThis can mean emotionally bad or guilty, depending on context.
Se sintió mal por llegar tarde.
He felt bad for arriving late.
3 · English Translation
The full story in English
On Thursday afternoon, Lucía arrived at her apartment and found a note under the door. Her neighbors, Marta and Daniel, were inviting her to dinner. They said that the dinner was “at eight o'clock sharp” and that they wanted to get to know the people in the building better.
Lucía smiled. “How nice,” she thought. She wanted to arrive on time, so she left her work on the computer and put on a clean sweater. Then she wrote to Marta on her cellphone to confirm. But the message did not go through well, and she did not see the reply.
At eight thirty, Lucía went out into the hallway with a bottle of juice. She knocked on the neighbors' door and heard silence. She looked at her watch and got nervous. “Maybe I got it wrong,” she said. She went down with the building guard to ask, and he explained that Marta had said that they could come “ahorita,” after finishing cooking.
Lucía understood the problem and felt bad. She went back up and knocked harder. This time Daniel opened the door and laughed a little. “Don't worry,” he said. “The food is not ready yet.” In the kitchen, Marta was cutting vegetables and smiled when she saw her. “We were missing the salad,” she said.
Lucía set the juice on the table and helped wash the dishes that were already in the sink. While they worked, Marta explained that her message had sounded clear in her head, but not to everyone. Lucía also said that she had understood “ahorita” as “right now.” The three of them laughed and kept cooking.
Later, they had dinner together at the small table in the apartment. There was soup, rice, and the salad that Lucía helped prepare. Daniel said that they wanted to repeat the dinner next month. Lucía accepted gladly. She no longer felt out of place. On the contrary, she thought that she had found good neighbors.