Spanish A2.6 Listening Practice: Greek -ma Exceptions
Listen to a A2 Spanish dialogue about greek -ma exceptions, with audio, transcript, and grammar notes for language learning.
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Level
A2.6
Audio
Segmented audio
Transcript
21 segments
A short Spanish listening chapter with transcript.
Unit 3: add masculine -ma nouns 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. Carmen · Teacher
Welcome to today's Spanish lesson! Today we're focusing on Greek origin nouns ending in '-ma', like 'el problema', 'el sistema', and 'el programa'. Even though they end in 'a', these nouns are masculine! Let's listen to Álvaro and Lucía talk about a work presentation.
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2. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Lucía, ¿ya tienes listo el programa para la presentación?
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3. Lucía · Native Speaker 2
Sí, pero tenemos un pequeño problema con el sistema.
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4. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
¿Qué pasa? El problema no es grande, ¿verdad?
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5. Lucía · Native Speaker 2
No, no es grave, el sistema solo está algo lento.
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6. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Vale, perfecto, entonces podemos usar este programa sin problema.
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7. Carmen · Teacher
Let's break that down line by line! First, Álvaro asked: 'Lucía, ¿ya tienes listo el programa para la presentación?' He is asking if the schedule or program is ready. Notice he uses 'el programa' with the masculine article 'el'.
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8. Diego · Student
Wait, so even though 'programa' ends in 'a', it takes 'el' instead of 'la'?
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9. Carmen · Teacher
Exactly, Diego! Words of Greek origin ending in '-ma' are almost always masculine in Spanish.
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10. Carmen · Teacher
Next, Lucía said: 'Sí, pero tenemos un pequeño problema con el sistema.' She mentions having a small problem with the system.
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11. Diego · Student
So both 'problema' and 'sistema' use masculine markers like 'un' and 'el'?
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12. Carmen · Teacher
That's right, and notice how the adjective 'pequeño' ends in '-o' to agree with masculine 'problema'.
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13. Carmen · Teacher
Then Álvaro asked: '¿Qué pasa? El problema no es grande, ¿verdad?' He asks if the problem isn't big.
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14. Diego · Student
Does 'grande' change form when describing a masculine noun?
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15. Carmen · Teacher
No, adjectives ending in 'e' like 'grande' stay the same for both masculine and feminine nouns.
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16. Carmen · Teacher
Lucía then replied: 'No, no es grave, el sistema solo está algo lento.' She reassures him that the system is just a bit slow.
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17. Diego · Student
Is 'lento' using the masculine '-o' ending because of 'el sistema'?
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18. Carmen · Teacher
Spot on, Diego! Since 'sistema' is masculine, describing words like 'lento' take the masculine form.
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19. Carmen · Teacher
Finally, Álvaro said: 'Vale, perfecto, entonces podemos usar este programa sin problema.' He concludes they can use this program without any issue.
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20. Diego · Student
So we say 'este programa' using 'este' instead of 'esta'?
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21. Carmen · Teacher
Precisely! Always use masculine demonstratives like 'este' with '-ma' nouns like 'programa'. Great job listening today!
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