Spanish B2.17 Listening Practice: Choose And Shift
Listen to a B2 Spanish dialogue about choose and shift, with audio, transcript, and grammar notes for language learning.
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Level
B2.17
Audio
Segmented audio
Transcript
18 segments
A short Spanish listening chapter with transcript.
Unit 8: add e to i forms in elegir-style verbs 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
Welcome to Spanish practice with Carmen! Today we are mastering e-to-i stem-changing verbs like elegir. Pay close attention to forms like elijo, elige, and que elija in action.
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2. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Cuando el equipo se enfrenta a un cambio de estrategia, yo siempre elijo adaptar mi horario primero.
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3. Lucía · Native Speaker 2
Es verdad, pero la directora prefiere que cada uno elija la opción que mejor se ajuste a sus proyectos.
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4. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Si ella elige mantener la flexibilidad, me encargo de que el resto siga el mismo criterio.
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5. Lucía · Native Speaker 2
Perfecto, entonces yo elijo esta opción para reorganizar nuestras tareas de la semana.
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6. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
De acuerdo, me parece estupendo que elijas con tanta claridad.
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7. Carmen · Teacher
Let's break down the dialogue. Álvaro said: 'Cuando el equipo se enfrenta a un cambio de estrategia, yo siempre elijo adaptar mi horario primero.' He used 'elijo' from 'elegir', where the stem vowel 'e' changes to 'i' in the first person present tense.
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8. Diego · Student
Why is 'elijo' written with a 'j' instead of a 'g'?
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9. Carmen · Teacher
Great observation! In Spanish, 'g' before 'o' sounds like a hard 'g' as in 'gato'. To keep the soft sound of 'elegir', we change 'g' to 'j' before 'o' and 'a'.
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10. Carmen · Teacher
Next, Lucía said: 'Es verdad, pero la directora prefiere que cada uno elija la opción que mejor se ajuste a sus proyectos.' The phrase 'prefiere que' triggers the present subjunctive, giving us 'elija'.
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11. Diego · Student
Does the e-to-i stem change carry over into the subjunctive mood as well?
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12. Carmen · Teacher
Yes, it does! All forms of the present subjunctive for 'elegir' keep the 'i' stem and use 'j', such as 'elija', 'elijas', and 'elijan'.
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13. Carmen · Teacher
Then Álvaro said: 'Si ella elige mantener la flexibilidad...' Here, 'elige' is the third-person singular indicative form, written with 'g' because 'g' before 'e' already makes that sound.
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14. Diego · Student
Does this stem change apply to other verbs like 'seguir'?
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15. Carmen · Teacher
Yes! Verbs like 'seguir', 'corregir', and 'pedir' follow the same e-to-i pattern, which is why Álvaro said 'que el resto siga' later in the dialogue.
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16. Carmen · Teacher
Finally, Lucía said our target challenge: 'Perfecto, entonces yo elijo esta opción para reorganizar nuestras tareas de la semana.' Which means 'Perfect, then I choose this option to reorganize our weekly tasks.'
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17. Diego · Student
Is 'elijo esta opción' common in professional environments?
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18. Carmen · Teacher
It is very common! Stating 'elijo esta opción' shows clear decision-making in meetings and collaborative settings.
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