Spanish C1.4 Listening Practice: Again With Volver A
Listen to a C1 Spanish dialogue about again with volver a, with audio, transcript, and grammar notes for language learning.
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Level
C1.4
Audio
Segmented audio
Transcript
22 segments
A short Spanish listening chapter with transcript.
Unit 9: add volver a plus infinitive 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
¡Hola a todos! I'm Carmen. Welcome to Spanish Podcast. Today we are exploring nuanced ways to express repetition at a C1 level using 'volver a' followed by an infinitive.
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2. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Tras el fiasco del último trimestre, vuelvo a intentar la negociación con el consejo de administración.
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3. Lucía · Native Speaker 2
Haces bien, pero conviene analizar los escollos anteriores para no caer en las mismas trampas.
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4. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Sinceramente, no quiero que pase otra vez lo de quedarnos sin liquidez.
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5. Lucía · Native Speaker 2
Si volvemos a tropezar con la misma piedra, dudo que nos den otra oportunidad.
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6. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Por eso me he asegurado de blindar el contrato antes de volver a convocar la reunión.
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7. Carmen · Teacher
Let's analyze Álvaro's first sentence: 'Tras el fiasco del último trimestre, vuelvo a intentar la negociación con el consejo de administración.' He uses 'vuelvo a intentar' to express 'I am trying again'.
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8. Diego · Student
Is 'volver a' plus infinitive always preferred over using 'otra vez' at a C1 level?
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9. Carmen · Teacher
In professional and formal Spanish, 'volver a' plus an infinitive sounds far more integrated and natural than tacking 'otra vez' onto the end of a clause.
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10. Carmen · Teacher
Next, Lucía said: 'Haces bien, pero conviene analizar los escollos anteriores para no caer en las mismas trampas.' She uses 'escollos' to mean 'pitfalls' or 'hurdles'.
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11. Diego · Student
Does 'conviene' always take an infinitive directly when speaking generally?
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12. Carmen · Teacher
Yes, 'conviene' followed directly by an infinitive is an elegant way to say 'it is advisable to' do something.
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13. Carmen · Teacher
Then Álvaro said our challenge phrase: 'Sinceramente, no quiero que pase otra vez lo de quedarnos sin liquidez.' Notice 'no quiero que pase otra vez', meaning 'I don't want it to happen again'.
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14. Diego · Student
Why does Álvaro use the subjunctive verb 'pase' here instead of the indicative 'pasa'?
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15. Carmen · Teacher
Because 'no quiero que' expresses a negative wish about an event, which triggers the present subjunctive 'pase'.
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16. Carmen · Teacher
Lucía warned him: 'Si volvemos a tropezar con la misma piedra, dudo que nos den otra oportunidad.' Here, 'volvemos a tropezar' means 'if we stumble again'.
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17. Diego · Student
Is 'tropezar con la misma piedra' a fixed idiom in Spanish?
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18. Carmen · Teacher
Precisely. It means 'to make the same mistake twice' or 'stumble over the same stone'.
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19. Carmen · Teacher
Finally, Álvaro concluded: 'Por eso me he asegurado de blindar el contrato antes de volver a convocar la reunión.' He uses 'volver a convocar' to mean 're-convene' or 'call again'.
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20. Diego · Student
What does 'blindar' mean in this corporate context?
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21. Carmen · Teacher
'Blindar' literally means to armor, so 'blindar un contrato' means to make a contract ironclad or legal-proof.
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22. Carmen · Teacher
That brings us to the end of today's breakdown. Keep practicing 'volver a' plus infinitive to sound more fluent and natural. ¡Hasta la próxima!
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