Spanish B2.13 Listening Practice: What As A Chunk
Listen to a B2 Spanish dialogue about what as a chunk, with audio, transcript, and grammar notes for language learning.
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Level
B2.13
Audio
Segmented audio
Transcript
25 segments
A short Spanish listening chapter with transcript.
Unit 8: add lo que as what/that which 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 Spanish listening podcast! I'm Carmen, your teacher. Today, we're focusing on a key pattern for B2 learners: using 'lo que' as 'what' or 'that which'.
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2. Diego · Student
Hi everyone! I'm Diego. I often get confused between 'qué' and 'lo que'. When do we use 'lo que'?
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3. Carmen · Teacher
Great question, Diego! While 'qué' asks a question, 'lo que' links ideas together, referring to an abstract concept, fact, or situation. Let's listen to Álvaro and Lucía discuss an unexpected situation at work.
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4. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Oye, Lucía, la verdad es que no entiendo lo que pasa en la oficina hoy.
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5. Lucía · Native Speaker 2
Bueno, lo que pasa es que han cambiado la dirección del proyecto sin avisarnos.
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6. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Entiendo, pero lo que quiero saber es si esto va a retrasar nuestras entregas.
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7. Lucía · Native Speaker 2
Exacto, lo que nos preocupa a todos es si tendremos suficiente tiempo.
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8. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Eso es; al final, lo que necesitamos es una respuesta clara del equipo.
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9. Carmen · Teacher
Now, let's break down those five sentences to see how 'lo que' functions in practice.
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10. Carmen · Teacher
In the first sentence, Álvaro said: 'Oye, Lucía, la verdad es que no entiendo lo que pasa en la oficina hoy.' Here, 'no entiendo lo que pasa' means 'I don't understand what is happening'.
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11. Diego · Student
Why couldn't Álvaro just say 'no entiendo qué pasa' here?
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12. Carmen · Teacher
You can say 'qué pasa' if it's an indirect question, but 'lo que pasa' refers to the entire ongoing situation as a noun chunk meaning 'that which is happening'.
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13. Carmen · Teacher
In the second sentence, Lucía responded: 'Bueno, lo que pasa es que han cambiado la dirección del proyecto sin avisarnos.' The phrase 'lo que pasa es que' is a very common Castilian chunk meaning 'what's happening is that' or 'the thing is that'.
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14. Diego · Student
Is 'lo que pasa es que' used to introduce an explanation or excuse?
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15. Carmen · Teacher
Exactly. Native speakers use 'lo que pasa es que' constantly when softening an explanation or clarifying a reason.
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16. Carmen · Teacher
In the third sentence, Álvaro said: 'Entiendo, pero lo que quiero saber es si esto va a retrasar nuestras entregas.' He uses 'lo que quiero' to emphasize his key point.
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17. Diego · Student
Can I replace 'quiero' with other verbs in this pattern, like 'lo que busco' or 'lo que pienso'?
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18. Carmen · Teacher
Yes, absolutely! Combining 'lo que' with conjugated verbs gives you flexible chunks like 'lo que busco' (what I'm looking for) or 'lo que pienso' (what I think).
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19. Carmen · Teacher
In the fourth sentence, Lucía said: 'Exacto, lo que nos preocupa a todos es si tendremos suficiente tiempo.' Here, 'lo que nos preocupa' means 'what worries us'.
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20. Diego · Student
Does 'lo que' always take a singular verb like 'es' right after it, even if 'todos' comes later?
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21. Carmen · Teacher
Yes, because 'lo que' represents a single abstract clause or concept, so it connects to 'es' regardless of who is affected.
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22. Carmen · Teacher
Finally, Álvaro concluded: 'Eso es; al final, lo que necesitamos es una respuesta clara del equipo.' He uses 'lo que necesitamos' to state 'what we need'.
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23. Diego · Student
How does 'al final' work in this context?
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24. Carmen · Teacher
In Castilian Spanish, 'al final' works like 'in the end' or 'ultimately', helping summarize the essential need.
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25. Carmen · Teacher
Well done today! Keep practicing chunks like 'lo que pasa' and 'lo que quiero' to make your Spanish sound natural and fluid.
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