Spanish B2.9 Listening Practice: Body Parts Happen To Me
Listen to a B2 Spanish dialogue about body parts happen to me, with audio, transcript, and grammar notes for language learning.
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Level
B2.9
Audio
Segmented audio
Transcript
23 segments
A short Spanish listening chapter with transcript.
Unit 8: add body-part ownership with indirect objects 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 back to the podcast! I'm Carmen, and today we're tackling a key B2 Spanish pattern: expressing body parts as things that happen to you using indirect object pronouns, such as 'me duele la pierna'. Let's listen to a short conversation between Álvaro and Lucía.
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2. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Oye, Lucía, ¿estás bien?
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3. Lucía · Native Speaker 2
La verdad es que me duele muchísimo la cabeza desde esta mañana.
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4. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Qué mala suerte; a mí ayer me dolía la pierna derecha después de correr.
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5. Lucía · Native Speaker 2
Y por si fuera poco, ahora se me ha dormido el pie de estar aquí sentada.
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6. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Anda, levántate un poco, que cuando te duele el cuerpo hay que moverse.
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7. Carmen · Teacher
Now, let's break down those five sentences together to see how Spanish native speakers express body-part ownership.
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8. Carmen · Teacher
First, Álvaro asks: 'Oye, Lucía, ¿estás bien?' 'Oye' is an informal attention-grabber in Spain, equivalent to 'Hey' or 'Listen'.
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9. Diego · Student
Is 'oye' appropriate to use with colleagues at work?
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10. Carmen · Teacher
Yes, Diego, among colleagues you know reasonably well, 'oye' is very natural and friendly in Peninsular Spanish.
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11. Carmen · Teacher
Second, Lucía responds: 'La verdad es que me duele muchísimo la cabeza desde esta mañana.' She uses the indirect object 'me' and the article 'la cabeza' rather than a possessive adjective.
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12. Diego · Student
Why do Spanish speakers avoid saying 'mi cabeza' here?
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13. Carmen · Teacher
Because saying 'mi cabeza' with pain verbs sounds unnatural in Spanish; ownership is already built into the pronoun 'me' combined with 'la cabeza'.
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14. Carmen · Teacher
Third, Álvaro says: 'Qué mala suerte; a mí ayer me dolía la pierna derecha después de correr.' Notice how he adds 'a mí' at the beginning.
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15. Diego · Student
Why add 'a mí' if he already includes 'me dolía'?
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16. Carmen · Teacher
The phrase 'a mí' provides contrast and emphasis, shifting the focus to his own experience compared to Lucía's.
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17. Carmen · Teacher
Fourth, Lucía says: 'Y por si fuera poco, ahora se me ha dormido el pie de estar aquí sentada.' Here she uses 'se me ha dormido el pie' for an unintentional physical sensation.
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18. Diego · Student
How does 'se me' work in this context?
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19. Carmen · Teacher
The 'se' marks an involuntary, accidental occurrence, while 'me' shows that her body part, 'el pie', is affected.
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20. Carmen · Teacher
Finally, Álvaro encourages her: 'Anda, levántate un poco, que cuando te duele el cuerpo hay que moverse.' He uses 'anda' as an encouraging interjection.
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21. Diego · Student
Does 'anda' literally mean 'walk' here?
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22. Carmen · Teacher
In this context, 'anda' means 'come on' or 'go ahead', serving as an encouraging push rather than a literal command to walk.
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23. Carmen · Teacher
Remember, in Spanish, your body parts belong to you through indirect objects, not possessive adjectives. Keep practicing these native patterns!
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