The art of saying no
A short in Spanish text at level B1. The translation sits next to it: reading with a dictionary is still too early at this level, and without support it will not happen at all. When I arrived in Spain I thought speaking directly was the most polite thing, and I answered with a dry no every time…
Text
- Cuando llegué a España creía que hablar claro era lo más educado, y decía «no» a secas cada vez que no podía. Tardé meses en darme cuenta de que aquí un «no» se envuelve: primero se lamenta, luego se explica y solo al final se rechaza. Un compañero me lo resumió en una frase: «di me temo que no, y detrás pon un es que». También aprendí a pedir de otra manera, con un «¿podrías?» en vez de un «¿puedes?», y con un minutito en vez de un minuto. No es hipocresía, es gramática de la cortesía: la misma petición cambia de temperatura según el tiempo verbal que elijas.When I arrived in Spain I thought speaking directly was the most polite thing, and I answered with a dry no every time I could not. It took me months to understand: here a no gets wrapped up — first you express regret, then you explain, and only at the end do you refuse. A colleague summed it up for me in one phrase: say I'm afraid not, and follow it with the thing is. I also learned to ask differently: could you instead of can you, and a little minute instead of a minute. It is not hypocrisy, it is the grammar of politeness: the same request changes temperature depending on which verb tense you choose.
Comprehension questions
The questions are asked in Russian on purpose: we test your understanding of the text, not your ability to read the question.
- How did the narrator refuse at first?
- How do Spaniards build a refusal?
- What did the colleague advise?
- What is the narrator's conclusion?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Spanish?
B1. That means: you know the letters and have a stock of everyday words — about two or three hundred.
How to read a text in an unfamiliar language usefully?
First all the way through without peeking at the translation — just to catch the familiar words. Then with the translation. Then all the way through again: the second pass brings noticeably more, and that feeling matters more than any rule.