Spanish B1.3 Listening Practice: Receiver Pronouns
Listen to a B1 Spanish dialogue about receiver pronouns, with audio, transcript, and grammar notes for language learning.
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Level
B1.3
Audio
Segmented audio
Transcript
25 segments
A short Spanish listening chapter with transcript.
Unit 5: add le and les as receivers to what you already control, then say one short answer that reuses earlier Spanish instead of starting from a memorized phrase.
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1. Carmen · Teacher
¡Hola a todos! Welcome to ChickyTutor. I'm Carmen, and today we are focusing on Spanish receiver pronouns: 'le' and 'les'.
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2. Diego · Student
Hi Carmen! I'm Diego. I always get confused about when to use 'le' versus 'les' in real conversations.
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3. Carmen · Teacher
Don't worry, Diego! Today we'll hear Álvaro and Lucía use phrases like 'le doy' and 'les digo' in a workplace setting. Let's listen to their conversation first.
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4. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Lucía, ¿qué haces cuando un compañero te pide ayuda con un proyecto?
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5. Lucía · Native Speaker 2
Normalmente le doy una respuesta inmediata para no hacerle esperar.
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6. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
A veces mis clientes llaman todos a la vez y no sé qué decirles.
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7. Lucía · Native Speaker 2
Si no tienes tiempo en ese momento, les dices que los llamarás más tarde.
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8. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Tienes razón, hoy mismo les digo la verdad sobre los plazos.
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9. Carmen · Teacher
Let's break down those five sentences! First, Álvaro asks: 'Lucía, ¿qué haces cuando un compañero te pide ayuda con un proyecto?' which means 'Lucía, what do you do when a colleague asks you for help with a project?'
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10. Diego · Student
Does 'compañero' specifically mean coworker in this context?
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11. Carmen · Teacher
Yes, Diego! In a professional context, 'compañero' means colleague or coworker.
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12. Carmen · Teacher
Next, Lucía responds: 'Normalmente le doy una respuesta inmediata para no hacerle esperar.' This translates to 'Normally I give him a prompt answer so as not to keep him waiting.'
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13. Diego · Student
Why does she use 'le' in 'le doy una respuesta'?
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14. Carmen · Teacher
Because 'le' is the indirect pronoun representing the receiver—the colleague who gets the answer.
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15. Carmen · Teacher
Then Álvaro says: 'A veces mis clientes llaman todos a la vez y no sé qué decirles.' meaning 'Sometimes my clients call all at once and I don't know what to tell them.'
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16. Diego · Student
Why is 'les' attached directly to the end of 'decir'?
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17. Carmen · Teacher
With infinitives like 'decir', object pronouns attach directly to the end of the verb to form 'decirles'.
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18. Carmen · Teacher
Lucía suggests: 'Si no tienes tiempo en ese momento, les dices que los llamarás más tarde.' meaning 'If you don't have time at that moment, you tell them you'll call them later.'
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19. Diego · Student
Is 'les' used here because 'clientes' is plural?
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20. Carmen · Teacher
Exactly! 'Les' is the plural receiver pronoun used for 'them'.
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21. Carmen · Teacher
Finally, Álvaro agrees: 'Tienes razón, hoy mismo les digo la verdad sobre los plazos.' which means 'You're right, today itself I'll tell them the truth about the deadlines.'
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22. Diego · Student
So 'les digo' means 'I tell them'?
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23. Carmen · Teacher
Spot on! 'Les' stands for 'them' and 'digo' means 'I tell' or 'I say'.
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24. Carmen · Teacher
Great work today! Practicing receiver forms like 'le doy' and 'les digo' will make your spoken Spanish much more natural.
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25. Diego · Student
¡Muchas gracias, Carmen! I am ready to start using 'le' and 'les' in my own conversations.
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