Esteban: ¡Hola! Welcome back to another episode of A Zero to a Hero! The last one of this season!

Logan: Yes! ¡Hola! I’m low-key sad! But also happy I’m gonna be speaking Spanish in Mexico!

Esteban: Yes!

Logan: And this is a podcast for beginners starting with their Spanish, just like me. And it’s only been five weeks but I feel like I’ve learned a lot!

Esteban: It seems like this episode is like your graduation to the next level, Logan!

Logan: Absolutely!

Esteban: But still one more lesson to go. Before we start, a reminder to our listeners that they can find a transcript of the audio in the episode description!

Logan: And we also have a surprise for them, revealed at the end of this episode.

Esteban: Aha! That’s it. Ok, Logan, at this point you know what to do!

Logan: I do! ¡Empecemos!

Esteban: ¡Muy bien!

Esteban: ¿Cómo estás, Logan?

Logan: Muy bien. ¿Y tú?

Esteban: ¡Estoy bien! Estoy un poco triste, a little bit sad! The last episode of the season!

Logan: ¡Yo también! But I’ve learned so much, thanks to you, so I’m feeling pretty good!

Esteban: That’s so great. So, uhm, it’s really exciting that it’s the last episode because in a week from now you’ll be in Mexico and you’ll be able to test your Spanish! How are you feeling about that?

Logan: Ok, to coin the phrase that you commonly say: ¡Estoy listo! It’s always intimidating speaking another language, but I’m feeling pretty prepared with Spanish, so…

Esteban: That’s so great! You’re going to be talking in the real world, that’s so exciting! I think that’s the key, just try to be confident and just going for it, you know?

Yeah definitely! And I’m going to be meeting my family in Oaxaca, but right now I’m texting my cousin, who is arriving from El Paso, to meet and make plans, so I’m hoping to talk to him in Spanish.

Esteban: That’s perfect! I’m actually heading to Ecuador next week, so I want to surprise my mom for her birthday. So for this, our last episode, let’s talk about how to make plans and arrange meetings!

Logan: That sounds awesome! But I hope she’s not listening to this podcast!

Esteban: Yeah, I hope so too! It would ruin the surprise!

Logan: Yes!

Esteban: If you’re listening, mom, forget everything!

Esteban: So, Logan, several weeks ago you learned these very important question words: “dónde,” and “cuándo.”

Logan: Ok, so “dónde” is “where,” and “cuándo” is “when.”

Esteban: Alright, so… Yo llego a Ecuador el viernes. I arrive on Friday. Ok? So, question for you: ¿Cuándo llegas a México?

Logan: Hmm, ok. So that would be: “yo llego… a México… el lunes.”

Esteban: ¡Muy bien! “Yo llego a México el lunes.” Perfecto. Ok. Now the other thing is the reflexive verbs. We talked last week about reflexive verbs, like “despertarse” and “dormirse,” like “me despierto,” “me duermo.” remember?

Logan: Oh yes! So that was “to wake yourself up”?

Esteban: Right.

Or… What did we say… Oh, to “fall yourself to sleep”!

Exactly, ok. So I’m just bringing those up because when you want to make plans with someone you can use verbs that work similarly, that have the same kind of pronoun. For example, “encontrarse.”

Logan: Oh, what does that mean?

Esteban: Okay. “Encontrar” means “to find,” but because you’re kind of saying “Oh, let’s find each other!” you would need to use the pronoun for “we,” which is “nos.”

Logan: Ah, yeah, so it would be like, ehm, “nos… encontramos.”

Esteban: “Nos encontramos.” ¡Perfecto! Excelente.

Logan: So “encontrar” means “to find,” and “encontrarse” means “to meet”?

Esteban: ¡Exacto, perfecto! Wow, you’re brilliant! I feel like you’re going to blow your cousins’ minds with your knowledge of Spanish!

Logan: Thank you!

Esteban: You might also hear the verb “verse,” or “to see each other”, so just keep an eye on that one.

Logan: Oh, wait! So that’s like in “Nos vemos!”

Esteban: Exactly! You’re kind of saying, like, “See each other later!” or Whatever.

Logan: Oh, cool!

Esteban: Logan, are you ready? Ok, we are going to plan a meeting, alright? So imagine I’m your cousin, and, ehm, I’m giving you a call on an old phone, for some reason, I don’t know…

Logan: Okay…

Esteban: And you want to meet me at the airport. Ok? So…

Logan: Hola…

Esteban: Ah, ¿Aló? ¿Logan? ¿Cómo estás?

Logan: Muy bien, ¿y tú?

Esteban: ¡Muy bien! Logan, soy tu primo. Logan, ¿dónde nos encontramos?

Logan: Ok, I remember that “dónde” needed the preposition “en.” So… Nos encontramos en el… a… reo… puerto?

Esteban: Sí, ¡muy bien! That was very close, actually. A-ero-puerto.

Aha, muy bien. “Nos encontramos en el aeropuerto.” Now I’m going to ask you what day we’re meeting, ok? “Sí, muy bien…” By the way, how is my cousin’s… You’re cousin’s voice, I mean?

Logan: You sound exactly like him

Esteban: No way! Ok. Logan, ¿Cuándo nos encontramos?

Logan: Ok. Nos encontramos… el lunes.

Esteban: ¡Muy bien! Perfecto, “nos encontramos el lunes.” ¿A qué hora nos encontramos el lunes?

Logan: That means “at what time,” right?

Esteban: ¡Exacto! ¿Nos encontramos a las once?

Logan: No. Nos encontramos a las seis… ¡de la mañana!

Esteban: ¡Oh, no! Muy bien, nos encontramos el lunes, en el aeropuerto, a las seis de la mañana. ¡Qué temprano! How early! Necesitas café.

Logan: Necesitamos café… mucho.

Esteban: Bien! Alright, now you know how to arrange a meeting. Let’s talk about planning some activities! You can suggest plans by using the verb “quieres”, which means “do you want to?” or ”vamos”, let’s go. So if you and I want to plan for lunch tomorrow, what would you say?

Logan: Ok. Maybe… ¿Quieres comer tacos?

Esteban: Aha, ¡muy bien! “¿Quieres comer tacos?” Uhm… ¿Tacos? No sé. ¿Vamos a comer tapas?

Logan: Hmm… No… Vamos a comer tacos… ¡y tapas!

Esteban: Muy bien, ¿tacos y tapas?! Ok, sounds like you’re already on vacation mode, huh?

Logan: ¡Exacto!

Esteban: ¡Muy bien!

Esteban: Logan, as my trip is getting closer and I also need to plan some things with my family, today I won’t be talking to one of my colleagues from Babbel Live… But instead of that I’m going to be talking to my ñaña, which is slang for “hermana” in Ecuadorian Spanish!

Logan: ¿Hermana?

Esteban: Aha!

Logan: Oh your sister?

Logan: That’s xciting! Do I get to meet her?

Esteban: Well, we already recorded this conversation days ago, sadly. But if you ever want to come to Ecuador and meet my entire family, ¡estás invitado!

Logan: Oh, well, as long as I only speak Spanish with them, then definitely yes!

Esteban: ¡Claro! That’s a given. In the meantime let’s see how much you can understand of our conversation! ¿Estás listo?

Logan: ¡Estoy listo!

Esteban: Hola ñaña, ¿Cómo estás?

Gaby: Hola ñaño, ¿cómo están por allá?

Esteban: ¡Bien! Bien oye, empacando, alistándonos para el viaje, ¡que ya falta poco!

Gaby: ¡Sí, qué hermoso! ¿Cuándo llegaa?

Esteban: A ver, llego… el próximo viernes.

Gaby: Perfecto. ¿A qué hora llegas?

Esteban: Llego al aeropuerto a las once de la noche, más o menos.

Gaby: Perfecto.

Esteban: ¿Dónde nos encontramos? ¿Voy a tu casa?

Gaby: No. Encontrémonos en el aeropuerto. Yo te puedo recoger.

Esteban: Ok, me recoges del aeropuerto, ¡excelente! Entonces nos vemos a las once, el viernes, en el aeropuerto. ¡Perfecto!

Gaby: Sí, perfecto. Y cuándo sorprendemos a mamá?

Esteban: A ver, ¡démosle la sorpresa el sábado!

Gaby: Ok.

Esteban: ¿Te parece?

Gaby: ¡Sí!

Esteban: ¿Adónde vamos?

Gaby: Podríamos ir a un restaurante.

Esteban: Ok. Vamos a un restaurante ¡y de pronto yo pretendo ser el mesero! Qué te parece?

Gaby: Y llegas y “¡Aaah!” Perfecto. “¡Sorpresa!”

Esteban: “¡Sorpresa!” Buenísimo! Ya. Y de ahí no tenemos plan para el domingo.

Gaby: Ehm… ¿Qué podemos hacer? ¿Quieres ir a la playa?

Esteban: Me encanta la playa. Sí. Me encantaría ir a la playa. ¡Vamos a la playa!

Gaby: Excelente.

Esteban: Empacamos ternos de baño, y comida, y nos vamos…

Esteban: That was mi ñaña. How was it Logan? Did you understand it all?

Logan: I think I understood a lot! And your sister sounds so nice!

Esteban: Ah, thank you! Well, I mean… the 10 year-old me would disagree! But yeah, ¡mi ñaña es chévere! She's cool. Ok, Logan, so ¿Cuándo nos encontramos mi ñaña y yo? ¿Cuándo nos encontramos mi hermana y yo? Now, before you respond, I wanna talk about two things: first, notice that I say “nos,” because I speak about myself and my sister… but now you’re going to be talking about other people, so you’re going to have to use the pronoun “se” for responding this question. “Ustedes se encuentran.”

Logan: “Se.” So that’s like in the ending of the reflexive verbs?

Esteban: Yes, exactly! What we saw, yeah. That’s right! Also notice that the verb is irregular, so you’re going to have to say “Se encuentran” to respond to the question, ok?

Logan: Ok.

Esteban: So, ¿cuándo nos encontramos mi hermana y yo? ¿Cuándo nos encontramos?

Logan: Ok. So… Ustedes se encontran el virnes.

Esteban: Muy bien, “ustedes se encuentran el viernes.”

Logan: Ustedes se encuentran el virnes.

Esteban: Excelente, perfecto. Ustedes se encuentran el viernes. Can you say the day again, “viernes”?

Logan: Viernes?

Esteban: Muy bien, perfecto. Nosotros nos encontramos el viernes. ¿A qué hora nos encontramos?

Logan: Se encuentran… el viernes a las once.

Esteban: Muy bien, excelente. Nos encontramos el viernes a las once. You said “Ustedes se encuentran el viernes a las once.” Perfecto. Ok. Uhm… ¿Qué día sorprendemos a nuestra mamá?

Logan: Ok. So that’s “surprise…” ¿El sábado?

Esteban: Correcto, el sábado.

Logan: But how would I say the full sentence?

Esteban: Ok, let’s start with the subject: Us…

Logan: Ustedes…

Esteban: Ustedes, muy bien, now the verb, “sorprender" which in that form would be “sorprenden…”

Logan: Ustedes… sorprenden… a mamá el sábado.

Esteban: Muy bien. “Ustedes sorprenden a mamá el sábado.”

Logan: Ustedes sorprenden a mamá el sábado.

Esteban: ¡Perfecto! Excelente, ok. That’s awesome. I want to point out that right now we’re using the pronoun “ustedes,” which is the pronoun we use in Latin America, because we don’t use the “vosotros” form. In Spain you’ll mainly use this sentence with “vosotros,” right? So just a note on that. Keep that in mind because if you go to Spain you will hear this “vosotros” form instead of “usted.”

Logan: Oh!

Esteban: Here’s another question. ¿Dónde es la sorpresa?

Logan: Ok. La sorpresa es en un restaurante.

Esteban: Perfecto, Logan. Sí, “la sorpresa es en un restaurante.” I’m gonna pretend to be a waiter, basically. That’s the idea!

Logan: You better record a video of your mom’s reaction!

Esteban: Yeah I really want to do that! And you better record a video of you talking to your cousins!

Logan: I will! I’m really looking forward to practicing with them in a few weeks!

Esteban: Yeah, that’s… You’ve really learned so much, and so fast! It’s so incredible. I really want to catch up with you. Maybe we should do that when we come back! Just catch up with… maybe without microphones.

Logan: Sí, let’s make a plan now. En español.

Esteban: Ok, ¡vamos!

Ok, nos vemos… next month?

Esteban: El próximo mes, “el próximo mes.”

Logan: Ok. Ehmm, ¿el jueves once… por la tarde?

Esteban: ¡Muy bien! “Nos vemos el próximo mes, el jueves once, por la tarde. Can you do the whole thing?

Logan: Nos vemos el próximo mes… el jueves once… por la tarde.

Esteban: Boom! ¡Mírate! Look at you! Immediately…

Logan: We got there!

Esteban: Immediately we’re making plans in Spanish right after the lesson! I love it. I can’t believe how fast you’ve learned. It’s really been amazing to see it, Logan. So, ¡nos vemos el próximo mes!

Logan: ¡Hasta pronto!

Esteban: Adiós.

Esteban: And this was the last episode of season 2! I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as we did! We would love to hear what you think. We put a little survey for you in a link in the episode description, as well as the transcript of the audio! And I’m not forgetting about the surprise! We have a limited time Babbel Live offer, just for our listeners, that you can also find that in the episode description. So take a class with me or any of our amazing Babbel Live teachers in our conversational classes! And we hope to be back soon with more episodes of A Zero to A Hero, so this is not “adiós”, but “¡nos vemos pronto!”

Logan: ¡Nos vemos!