A news story that doesn't add up in Spanish
Two people examine a rumor: source, evidence, verification in Spanish. 9 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Corre el rumor de que cierran el centro de salud.» — There's a rumor going around that the health center is closing. Every line can be played right on the page. The conversation is predictable: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: two people examine a rumor: source, evidence, verification. The conversation is short and predictable — which is exactly what makes it good for a first try: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
- Corre el rumor de que cierran el centro de salud.There's a rumor going around that the health center is closing.
- ¿Y de dónde sale eso? La fuente no me parece fiable.And where does that come from? The source doesn't seem reliable to me.
- Lo sé de oídas, la verdad. Nadie lo ha visto por escrito.Honestly, I know it by hearsay. Nobody has seen it in writing.
- Entonces no hay ninguna prueba, solo una idea equivocada.Then there is no proof, only a wrong idea.
- Hay un indicio: quitaron dos médicos en enero.There is one clue: they removed two doctors in January.
- Eso no es un argumento convincente. Puede ser otra cosa.That's not a convincing argument. It could be something else.
- Tienes razón. Habría que profundizar en el asunto.You're right. It would be worth looking deeper into the matter.
- Vuelve a comprobar la noticia y luego lo hablamos a fondo.Check the news again and then we'll discuss it thoroughly.
- Vale. Si sale a la luz algo serio, te aviso.Okay. If something serious comes to light, I'll let you know.
Lines one by one
| Spanish | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Corre el rumor de que cierran el centro de salud. | — | There's a rumor going around that the health center is closing. |
| ¿Y de dónde sale eso? La fuente no me parece fiable. | — | And where does that come from? The source doesn't seem reliable to me. |
| Lo sé de oídas, la verdad. Nadie lo ha visto por escrito. | — | Honestly, I know it by hearsay. Nobody has seen it in writing. |
| Entonces no hay ninguna prueba, solo una idea equivocada. | — | Then there is no proof, only a wrong idea. |
| Hay un indicio: quitaron dos médicos en enero. | — | There is one clue: they removed two doctors in January. |
| Eso no es un argumento convincente. Puede ser otra cosa. | — | That's not a convincing argument. It could be something else. |
| Tienes razón. Habría que profundizar en el asunto. | — | You're right. It would be worth looking deeper into the matter. |
| Vuelve a comprobar la noticia y luego lo hablamos a fondo. | — | Check the news again and then we'll discuss it thoroughly. |
| Vale. Si sale a la luz algo serio, te aviso. | — | Okay. If something serious comes to light, I'll let you know. |
How to prepare for a conversation like this
Memorizing the lines is not enough: the other person will say their own thing, not what is written. What helps more is catching the key words by ear and keeping three rescue phrases ready: “I don't understand”, “repeat, please”, “slower”.
And one more thing phrasebooks do not mention: awkwardness gets in the way more than not knowing the words.
- Fear of making mistakes gets in the way of learning a language, and it gets in the way badly. It is one of the most reliably measured findings in the entire field.checked many timesTeimouri, Goetze & Plonsky, 2019, Studies in Second Language Acquisition 41(2) · 19,933 participants from 23 countries; correlation with results r = −0.36.
- That fear can be dealt with — the methods have been tested and they work.checked many timesXiong et al., 2024, Journal of Language and Social Psychology · 37 studies, anxiety reduced by −0.61. Of the seven conditions examined, only age turned out to matter.
Frequently asked
How do you start a conversation in Spanish in this situation?
“Corre el rumor de que cierran el centro de salud.” — There's a rumor going around that the health center is closing.. The first line in such a conversation is almost always the same, and that is the one worth learning: the other person will carry it from there.
What if you did not understand the reply?
Say “I don't understand” and “repeat, please” — both are in the rescue set. Admitting your language is still shaky almost always makes the other person more patient.
Should you memorize the dialogue?
No. It is more useful to catch the key words by ear: the other person will say their own thing, and a memorized line will not always fit their reply.