Spanish A2.1 Listening Practice: We Ending Switchboard
Listen to a A2 Spanish dialogue about we ending switchboard, with audio, transcript, and grammar notes for language learning.
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Level
A2.1
Audio
3m 20s
Transcript
27 segments
A short Spanish listening chapter with transcript.
Unit 3: add present we endings to what you already control, then say one short answer that reuses earlier Spanish instead of starting from a memorized phrase.
Read while you listen.
1. Teacher
Welcome to ChickyTutor. Today we are focusing on the 'we' form in the present tense. In Spanish, we use different endings for 'we' depending on the verb type. Let's listen to a conversation between two neighbors in Madrid.
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2. Native Speaker 1
¡Hola! Ahora nosotros vivimos en un apartamento muy bonito en el centro de Madrid.
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3. Native Speaker 2
¡Qué buena noticia! Mi hermano y yo también vivimos cerca y comemos en un restaurante de la plaza los domingos.
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4. Native Speaker 1
¡Qué bien! Nosotros comemos comida típica allí y siempre hablamos con los camareros en español.
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5. Native Speaker 2
Claro, porque nosotros vivimos aquí y hablamos español todo el día para mejorar.
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6. Native Speaker 1
¡Exacto, así practicamos y aprendemos juntos!
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7. Teacher
Now, let's break down each sentence to understand the structure. Here is the first sentence again.
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8. Native Speaker 1
¡Hola! Ahora nosotros vivimos en un apartamento muy bonito en el centro de Madrid.
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9. Teacher
This means: 'Hello! Now we live in a very nice apartment in downtown Madrid.' The verb here is 'vivir', which means 'to live'. For '-ir' verbs, the 'we' ending is '-imos', giving us 'vivimos'.
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10. Student
Ah, so the ending changes based on the verb group? Is it different for '-ar' or '-er' verbs?
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11. Teacher
Yes, exactly! They each have their own vowel. Let's look at the next sentence to see an '-er' verb.
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12. Native Speaker 2
¡Qué buena noticia! Mi hermano y yo también vivimos cerca y comemos en un restaurante de la plaza los domingos.
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13. Teacher
This translates to: 'What great news! My brother and I also live nearby and eat at a restaurant in the plaza on Sundays.' Here we have 'comemos' from 'comer', which means 'to eat'. Since it is an '-er' verb, the 'we' ending is '-emos'.
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14. Student
So 'mi hermano y yo' counts as 'we' even though they didn't say the word 'nosotros'?
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15. Teacher
Spot on! Any time you say 'someone and I', it naturally triggers the 'we' form of the verb.
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16. Native Speaker 1
¡Qué bien! Nosotros comemos comida típica allí y siempre hablamos con los camareros en español.
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17. Teacher
Meaning: 'How great! We eat local food there and always speak with the waiters in Spanish.' Here we use 'hablamos' from the '-ar' verb 'hablar'. The 'we' ending for '-ar' verbs is '-amos'.
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18. Student
Is the pronoun 'nosotros' mandatory here, or can we drop it?
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19. Teacher
You can absolutely drop it. The ending '-amos' is so specific to 'we' that the pronoun is usually optional.
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20. Native Speaker 2
Claro, porque nosotros vivimos aquí y hablamos español todo el día para mejorar.
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21. Teacher
This means: 'Of course, because we live here and speak Spanish all day to improve.' This sentence combines both 'vivimos' and 'hablamos'.
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22. Student
I noticed 'vivimos' has an 'i' and 'hablamos' has an 'a'. Is it easy to mix those up?
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23. Teacher
It can be at first, but just remember they match the infinitive vowel: 'vivir' goes to '-imos', 'hablar' goes to '-amos'.
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24. Native Speaker 1
¡Exacto, así practicamos y aprendemos juntos!
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25. Teacher
Finally, we hear: 'Exactly, that way we practice and learn together!' Here we have 'practicamos' from 'practicar' and 'aprendemos' from 'aprender'.
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26. Student
So even with new verbs like 'practicar' and 'aprender', the rules stay exactly the same?
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27. Teacher
Yes! Regular verbs will always follow this 'we' ending pattern. Keep listening to lock in these sounds, and we'll see you next time!
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