Spanish C1.7 Listening Practice: The -go Family
Listen to a C1 Spanish dialogue about the -go family, with audio, transcript, and grammar notes for language learning.
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Level
C1.7
Audio
Segmented audio
Transcript
23 segments
A short Spanish listening chapter with transcript.
Unit 10: add present -go first-person family 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 listening practice. I'm Carmen. Today we are focusing on the present tense '-go' first-person verb family: tengo, vengo, salgo, pongo, hago, and digo. Pay close attention as Álvaro and Lucía discuss a high-stakes workplace scenario.
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2. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Lucía, siempre pongo todo de mi parte en los proyectos, pero hoy salgo de la oficina a las tantas.
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3. Lucía · Native Speaker 2
Tranquilo, yo hago la presentación inicial y te pongo al día en cuanto llegues.
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4. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Menos mal, porque vengo con datos actualizados y tengo ganas de exponer la nueva estrategia.
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5. Lucía · Native Speaker 2
Excelente, aunque de hecho, tengo que decir algo crucial antes de que cerremos el acta.
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6. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
De acuerdo, en cuanto entres, yo digo nuestra postura final y cerramos el trato.
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7. Carmen · Teacher
Let's break down this conversation line by line to explore these forms in detail.
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8. Carmen · Teacher
In the first sentence, Álvaro says: 'Lucía, siempre pongo todo de mi parte en los proyectos, pero hoy salgo de la oficina a las tantas.' He uses 'pongo' from 'poner' in the idiomatic sense of doing his part, and 'salgo' from 'salir' to mean leaving work.
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9. Diego · Student
Carmen, what does the phrase 'a las tantas' mean in this context?
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10. Carmen · Teacher
'A las tantas' is a idiomatic Spanish expression meaning 'extremely late' or at an ungodly hour.
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11. Carmen · Teacher
Next, Lucía responds: 'Tranquilo, yo hago la presentación inicial y te pongo al día en cuanto llegues.' Here, 'hago' comes from 'hacer', meaning 'I do' or 'I make', and 'pongo al día' uses 'poner'.
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12. Diego · Student
Is 'poner al día' always structured with 'pongo' when speaking in the first person?
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13. Carmen · Teacher
Yes, 'yo te pongo al día' specifically means 'I bring you up to speed' or 'I update you'.
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14. Carmen · Teacher
In the third sentence, Álvaro says: 'Menos mal, porque vengo con datos actualizados y tengo ganas de exponer la nueva estrategia.' He uses 'vengo' from 'venir' and 'tengo' from 'tener'.
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15. Diego · Student
How does 'tengo ganas de' differ from just saying 'quiero' at a C1 level?
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16. Carmen · Teacher
'Tengo ganas de' adds a layer of enthusiasm or eagerness, translating roughly to 'I'm really looking forward to' doing something.
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17. Carmen · Teacher
In the fourth sentence, Lucía says: 'Excelente, aunque de hecho, tengo que decir algo crucial antes de que cerremos el acta.' Here we hear our core challenge phrase: 'tengo que decir algo'.
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18. Diego · Student
Why does she combine 'tengo que' with the infinitive 'decir' instead of using 'digo' directly?
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19. Carmen · Teacher
'Tengo que' expresses obligation or necessity—'I have to'—which requires the infinitive 'decir', whereas 'digo' means 'I say' or 'I state'.
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20. Carmen · Teacher
Finally, Álvaro concludes: 'De acuerdo, en cuanto entres, yo digo nuestra postura final y cerramos el trato.' Here, 'digo' is the first-person present form of 'decir'.
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21. Diego · Student
Can 'digo' be used in professional contexts to mean 'I state' or 'I express'?
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22. Carmen · Teacher
Absolutely. In professional discussions, 'yo digo' indicates taking a clear stance or delivering an official opinion.
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23. Carmen · Teacher
That completes our breakdown of the '-go' verb family. Keep practicing these versatile forms in your daily listening and speaking!
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