Spanish B2.19 Listening Practice: There Is
Listen to a B2 Spanish dialogue about there is, with audio, transcript, and grammar notes for language learning.
Podcast listening pages are in beta while chapter audio, transcripts, and discussion flows are still being completed.
Level
B2.19
Audio
Segmented audio
Transcript
25 segments
A short Spanish listening chapter with transcript.
Unit 8: add hay and habia 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 our Spanish podcast! I'm Carmen, your teacher. Today we're looking at how to express existence using 'hay' and 'había' at a B2 level.
Audio ready
2. Diego · Student
Hi everyone, I'm Diego! I often get confused about when to switch between present existence and past background descriptions.
Audio ready
3. Carmen · Teacher
That's completely natural, Diego. Let's listen to Álvaro and Lucía in an office setting to see how they use these forms naturally.
Audio ready
4. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Lucía, ayer cuando llegué a la oficina, me pareció que había bastante barullo por el pasillo.
Audio ready
5. Lucía · Native Speaker 2
Es verdad, pero hoy no hay prácticamente nadie trabajando de forma presencial.
Audio ready
6. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Oye, ¿has oído eso? Me parece que hay alguien aquí en la sala de reuniones.
Audio ready
7. Lucía · Native Speaker 2
Tienes razón, antes no había luz encendida y ahora se ve resplandor.
Audio ready
8. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Vamos a comprobar si hay algún problema o si solo es el técnico.
Audio ready
9. Carmen · Teacher
Great job listening! Now let's break down each sentence together.
Audio ready
10. Carmen · Teacher
First, Álvaro said: 'Lucía, ayer cuando llegué a la oficina, me pareció que había bastante barullo por el pasillo.' He uses 'había' to set the past background scene, and 'barullo' means noise or commotion.
Audio ready
11. Diego · Student
So 'había' stays singular even if he's describing a situation with multiple noisy people?
Audio ready
12. Carmen · Teacher
Exactly. Just like 'hay' in the present, 'había' is impersonal and remains singular when expressing existence.
Audio ready
13. Carmen · Teacher
Next, Lucía replied: 'Es verdad, pero hoy no hay prácticamente nadie trabajando de forma presencial.' She switches to 'hay' for current present existence, noting that hardly anyone is working in person.
Audio ready
14. Diego · Student
Is 'de forma presencial' the standard Spanish way to say 'in person' at work?
Audio ready
15. Carmen · Teacher
Yes, 'de forma presencial' or 'presencialmente' is extremely common in professional settings in Spain.
Audio ready
16. Carmen · Teacher
Then Álvaro said our challenge phrase: 'Oye, ¿has oído eso? Me parece que hay alguien aquí en la sala de reuniones.' This translates to 'there is someone here in the meeting room.'
Audio ready
17. Diego · Student
Why did Álvaro say 'hay alguien aquí' instead of using 'está'?
Audio ready
18. Carmen · Teacher
Because he is declaring the mere existence or presence of an unspecified person rather than locating a known person.
Audio ready
19. Carmen · Teacher
Lucía then observed: 'Tienes razón, antes no había luz encendida y ahora se ve resplandor.' She uses 'había' to contrast the past state with what she notices now.
Audio ready
20. Diego · Student
What does 'resplandor' mean in this context?
Audio ready
21. Carmen · Teacher
It means a glow or light reflection, referring to the light visible under the meeting room door.
Audio ready
22. Carmen · Teacher
Finally, Álvaro concluded: 'Vamos a comprobar si hay algún problema o si solo es el técnico.' He uses 'si hay' to express checking if any issue exists.
Audio ready
23. Diego · Student
And 'comprobar' means 'to check' or 'to verify', right?
Audio ready
24. Carmen · Teacher
Precisely! 'Comprobar' is the ideal verb when you want to verify a situation in Spanish.
Audio ready
25. Carmen · Teacher
That wraps up our breakdown for today. Remember to listen out for 'hay' and 'había' whenever you describe scenes in Spanish!
Audio ready