The renovation is dragging on in Spanish
A call to the contractor: the work has dragged on, setbacks, deadlines in Spanish. 9 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Buenas. Llamo porque la obra se está alargando mucho.» — Hello. I'm calling because the renovation is dragging on a lot. 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: a call to the contractor: the work has dragged on, setbacks, deadlines. 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.
- Buenas. Llamo porque la obra se está alargando mucho.Hello. I'm calling because the renovation is dragging on a lot.
- Lo sé. Tuvimos que interrumpir por un fallo en la instalación.I know. We had to interrupt because of a fault in the wiring.
- Llevo un mes y me da la sensación de que me dan largas.It's been a month and I feel like I'm being strung along.
- No es eso. El principal obstáculo fue el material.That's not it. The main obstacle was the material.
- Entonces, ¿cuándo reanudáis? Necesito una fecha.So when will you resume? I need a date.
- El lunes nos ponemos manos a la obra y no paramos.On Monday we get down to work and don't stop.
- Le pido una cosa: hágalo como es debido, sin prisas.I ask one thing: do it properly, no rush.
- Descuide. Falta dar el último retoque y se lo entrego.Don't worry. Only the last touch is left and I'll hand it over to you.
- Perfecto. Si se cumple el plazo, no habrá ningún problema.Perfect. If the deadline is met, there will be no problem.
Lines one by one
| Spanish | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Buenas. Llamo porque la obra se está alargando mucho. | — | Hello. I'm calling because the renovation is dragging on a lot. |
| Lo sé. Tuvimos que interrumpir por un fallo en la instalación. | — | I know. We had to interrupt because of a fault in the wiring. |
| Llevo un mes y me da la sensación de que me dan largas. | — | It's been a month and I feel like I'm being strung along. |
| No es eso. El principal obstáculo fue el material. | — | That's not it. The main obstacle was the material. |
| Entonces, ¿cuándo reanudáis? Necesito una fecha. | — | So when will you resume? I need a date. |
| El lunes nos ponemos manos a la obra y no paramos. | — | On Monday we get down to work and don't stop. |
| Le pido una cosa: hágalo como es debido, sin prisas. | — | I ask one thing: do it properly, no rush. |
| Descuide. Falta dar el último retoque y se lo entrego. | — | Don't worry. Only the last touch is left and I'll hand it over to you. |
| Perfecto. Si se cumple el plazo, no habrá ningún problema. | — | Perfect. If the deadline is met, there will be no problem. |
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?
“Buenas. Llamo porque la obra se está alargando mucho.” — Hello. I'm calling because the renovation is dragging on a lot.. 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.