Un cambio de última hora
A Last-Minute Change
1 · Spanish Story
La historia
El martes por la tarde, Clara sale de la oficina cansada. Quiere ir a casa y descansar un poco. Tiene una cena sencilla con su hermano. Él cocina arroz y ensalada. Clara quiere llegar pronto. Guarda el teléfono en la mochila.
En la calle, suena su teléfono. Es Marta, su amiga del curso. Marta habla deprisa. Dice: "¿Puedes venir al centro ahora?" La profesora cambió la hora. Clara cree que hay un error.
Clara mira el reloj. Ve la parada cercana. La cena sigue en pie. Su hermano trabaja hasta tarde. Entonces decide coger el autobús. No quiere perder la clase. Va al centro con su cuaderno. Necesita terminar un ejercicio.
En el aula, la profesora sonríe. No es una clase extra. Es una sesión corta. Es para practicar la presentación. Marta se confundió con el horario. Pero todo está listo. Clara llega a tiempo. Escucha y toma notas. Hace dos preguntas.
Al principio, Clara pensó que era una mala tarde. Al final, vuelve a casa contenta. La cena huele bien. Su hermano ya está allí. Calienta la cena. Los dos ríen por el cambio de planes. Ahora se siente tranquila.
2 · Key Phrases
Language to keep
suena su teléfono
her phone ringsThis is a simple way to say the phone starts ringing.
Suena mi teléfono en la mesa.
My phone rings on the table.
cambió la hora
changed the timeUse this when an appointment or class starts at a different time.
La doctora cambió la hora de la cita.
The doctor changed the time of the appointment.
coger el autobús
to catch the busThis is the normal verb phrase in Spain for taking a bus.
Usage: In Spain, this phrase is the normal way to say take the bus. In many Latin American places, people often say tomar el autobús.
Tengo que coger el autobús temprano.
I have to catch the bus early.
a tiempo
on timeUse this for arriving before it is too late.
Llegamos a tiempo a la cita.
We arrived on time for the appointment.
cambio de planes
change of plansUse this when an expected plan changes.
Hubo un cambio de planes por la tarde.
There was a change of plans in the afternoon.
3 · English Translation
The full story in English
On Tuesday afternoon, Clara leaves the office tired. She wants to go home and rest a little. She has a simple dinner with her brother. He cooks rice and salad. Clara wants to arrive early. She puts the phone in her backpack.
In the street, her phone rings. It is Marta, her friend from the course. Marta speaks quickly. She says: "Can you come to the center now?" The teacher changed the time. Clara thinks there is a mistake.
Clara looks at the clock. She sees the nearby stop. The dinner is still on. Her brother works until late. Then she decides to catch the bus. She does not want to miss the class. She goes to the center with her notebook. She needs to finish an exercise.
In the classroom, the teacher smiles. It is not an extra class. It is a short session. It is for practicing the presentation. Marta got confused with the schedule. But everything is ready. Clara arrives on time. She listens and takes notes. She asks two questions.
At first, Clara thought that it was a bad afternoon. In the end, she goes home happy. The dinner smells good. Her brother is already there. He heats the dinner. The two laugh about the change of plans. Now she feels calm.