Spanish C1.11 Listening Practice: Irregular Event Pasts
Listen to a C1 Spanish dialogue about irregular event pasts, with audio, transcript, and grammar notes for language learning.
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Level
C1.11
Audio
Segmented audio
Transcript
16 segments
A short Spanish listening chapter with transcript.
Unit 10: add high-use irregular preterites 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 ChickyTutor! Today at the C1 level, we're exploring high-use irregular preterites like puse, hice, and dije in real-world professional contexts. Listen closely to Álvaro and Lucía as they discuss handling a delicate business crisis.
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2. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Ayer me puse al frente de la crisis en cuanto vi que el cliente amenazaba con rescindir el contrato.
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3. Lucía · Native Speaker 2
¿Y qué hiciste exactamente para reconducir la negociación?
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4. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Pues hice un balance detallado de los costes y asumí la responsabilidad por los retrasos.
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5. Lucía · Native Speaker 2
Me parece una postura muy valiente haber dado la cara de esa manera.
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6. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Sin duda; dije la verdad sin rodeos y eso fue lo que realmente salvó el acuerdo.
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7. Carmen · Teacher
Let's break down those key sentences. First, Álvaro said: 'Ayer me puse al frente de la crisis'. Here, 'puse' is the first-person irregular preterite of 'poner'. The idiom 'ponerse al frente' means to step up or take charge of a situation.
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8. Diego · Student
Does 'me puse' always imply taking on a new role or entering a state at a specific past moment?
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9. Carmen · Teacher
Yes, reflexive 'ponerse' highlights a sudden or deliberate shift in state or position during a completed event.
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10. Carmen · Teacher
Next, Álvaro explained: 'Pues hice un balance detallado'. 'Hice' comes from 'hacer'. Notice how 'hacer un balance' means to assess or make a recap of a situation.
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11. Diego · Student
Why does the root change from 'hac-' to 'hic-' in 'hice' without any accent marks?
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12. Carmen · Teacher
Strong preterites in Spanish change their stem entirely and take unaccented endings, which is why we get 'hice', 'hiciste', and 'hizo'.
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13. Carmen · Teacher
Finally, Álvaro said: 'dije la verdad sin rodeos'. 'Dije' is the irregular preterite of 'decir', and 'sin rodeos' means 'without beating around the bush'.
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14. Diego · Student
Is 'dije la verdad' the standard expression when you want to emphasize speaking honestly about a past event?
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15. Carmen · Teacher
Exactly. 'Dije la verdad' directly states a completed act of telling the truth, which carries strong authority in C1 discourse.
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16. Carmen · Teacher
That concludes today's listening practice. Replay these sentences to lock in 'puse', 'hice', and 'dije' for your upcoming conversations!
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