The homeowners' meeting in Spanish
A residents' meeting: the argument over the elevator, points, the vote in Spanish. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Antes de votar, quiero dar mi opinión sobre lo del ascensor.» — Before voting, I want to give my opinion about the elevator. 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 residents' meeting: the argument over the elevator, points, the vote. 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.
- Antes de votar, quiero dar mi opinión sobre lo del ascensor.Before voting, I want to give my opinion about the elevator.
- Adelante, pero sin levantar la voz, que el año pasado acabamos mal.Go ahead, but without raising your voice, we ended up badly last year.
- La ventaja es clara: sube el valor del piso y no hay que subir a pie.The advantage is clear: the apartment goes up in value and you don't have to climb on foot.
- Es un hecho, sí, pero el inconveniente son doce mil euros por vecino.It's a fact, yes, but the drawback is twelve thousand euros per resident.
- Según dice la administradora, hay una ayuda del ayuntamiento.According to the property manager, there is a subsidy from the town hall.
- Eso habrá que demostrarlo. No creo que la den este año.That will have to be proven. I don't think they'll give it this year.
- Entiendo tu punto de vista, pero hay que tener en cuenta a los mayores.I understand your point of view, but the elderly have to be taken into account.
- En eso estoy de acuerdo. Votamos, y el que esté en contra que lo diga.I agree on that. Let's vote, and whoever is against should say so.
Lines one by one
| Spanish | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Antes de votar, quiero dar mi opinión sobre lo del ascensor. | — | Before voting, I want to give my opinion about the elevator. |
| Adelante, pero sin levantar la voz, que el año pasado acabamos mal. | — | Go ahead, but without raising your voice, we ended up badly last year. |
| La ventaja es clara: sube el valor del piso y no hay que subir a pie. | — | The advantage is clear: the apartment goes up in value and you don't have to climb on foot. |
| Es un hecho, sí, pero el inconveniente son doce mil euros por vecino. | — | It's a fact, yes, but the drawback is twelve thousand euros per resident. |
| Según dice la administradora, hay una ayuda del ayuntamiento. | — | According to the property manager, there is a subsidy from the town hall. |
| Eso habrá que demostrarlo. No creo que la den este año. | — | That will have to be proven. I don't think they'll give it this year. |
| Entiendo tu punto de vista, pero hay que tener en cuenta a los mayores. | — | I understand your point of view, but the elderly have to be taken into account. |
| En eso estoy de acuerdo. Votamos, y el que esté en contra que lo diga. | — | I agree on that. Let's vote, and whoever is against should say so. |
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?
“Antes de votar, quiero dar mi opinión sobre lo del ascensor.” — Before voting, I want to give my opinion about the elevator.. 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.