Spanish C1.2 Listening Practice: Let And Tell
Listen to a C1 Spanish dialogue about let and tell, with audio, transcript, and grammar notes for language learning.
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Level
C1.2
Audio
Segmented audio
Transcript
22 segments
A short Spanish listening chapter with transcript.
Unit 9: add dejar/decir plus que clauses 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 to today's C1 Spanish lesson! Today we are mastering indirect commands and permissions using 'dejar' and 'decir' followed by 'que' clauses. Let me introduce Álvaro and Lucía in a busy office setting.
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2. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Si viene el inspector antes de tiempo, dile que espere un momento en el despacho.
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3. Lucía · Native Speaker 2
De acuerdo, pero no dejes que se impaciente demasiado con la demora.
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4. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Tranquila, deja que prepare esta última gráfica y me reúno con él en seguida.
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5. Lucía · Native Speaker 2
Perfecto, y si llama la directora, dile que revise el informe adjunto.
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6. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Muy bien, le diré que lo examine con detenimiento antes de la junta.
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7. Carmen · Teacher
Let's break down these five sentences. First, Álvaro said: 'Si viene el inspector antes de tiempo, dile que espere un momento en el despacho.' The structure 'dile que' plus the subjunctive 'espere' forms an indirect command meaning 'tell him to wait.'
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8. Diego · Student
Does 'dile que' always require the subjunctive when passing along a request?
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9. Carmen · Teacher
Yes, whenever 'decir' is used to convey an order or request rather than a simple fact, it triggers the subjunctive.
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10. Carmen · Teacher
In the second sentence, Lucía replied: 'De acuerdo, pero no dejes que se impaciente demasiado con la demora.' Here, 'no dejes que' combined with 'se impaciente' means 'don't let him get impatient.'
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11. Diego · Student
Is 'demora' a standard C1 term for delay in professional contexts?
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12. Carmen · Teacher
Exactly, 'demora' is commonly used in formal Castilian Spanish to refer to a delay or hold-up.
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13. Carmen · Teacher
Next, Álvaro said: 'Tranquila, deja que prepare esta última gráfica y me reúno con él en seguida.' The phrase 'deja que' followed by 'prepare' expresses permission or allowing an action: 'let me prepare.'
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14. Diego · Student
Can 'deja que' also be used to mean letting a third person do something?
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15. Carmen · Teacher
Absolutely, for instance, 'deja que lo haga él' means 'let him do it.'
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16. Carmen · Teacher
In the fourth sentence, Lucía noted: 'Perfecto, y si llama la directora, dile que revise el informe adjunto.' Once again, 'dile que revise' uses the subjunctive to deliver an indirect instruction.
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17. Diego · Student
What does 'informe adjunto' mean precisely?
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18. Carmen · Teacher
It means 'attached report,' referring to a document included with an email or package.
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19. Carmen · Teacher
Finally, Álvaro concluded: 'Muy bien, le diré que lo examine con detenimiento antes de la junta.' Notice how 'le diré que lo examine' pairs the future tense of 'decir' with the subjunctive to express a future instruction.
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20. Diego · Student
Does 'con detenimiento' mean thoroughly or meticulously?
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21. Carmen · Teacher
Precisely, 'con detenimiento' means with close attention to detail or thoroughly.
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22. Carmen · Teacher
That concludes our breakdown. Practicing 'dejar' and 'decir' with 'que' clauses will make your spoken Spanish far more natural and versatile at the C1 level!
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