And if it rains, what do we do? in Spanish
Two people plan a trip: probability, condition, a backup plan in Spanish. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Oye, ¿al final vamos el sábado a la sierra?» — Listen, are we finally going to the mountains on Saturday? 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 plan a trip: probability, condition, a backup plan. 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.
- Oye, ¿al final vamos el sábado a la sierra?Listen, are we finally going to the mountains on Saturday?
- Lo más probable es que sí, pero parece que va a llover.Most likely yes, but it looks like it's going to rain.
- Si llueve mucho, ¿lo dejamos para el domingo?If it rains a lot, shall we leave it for Sunday?
- En ese caso mejor el domingo, aunque hay que salir antes.In that case Sunday is better, though we have to leave earlier.
- Yo que tú miraría el tiempo el viernes por la noche.If I were you, I would check the weather on Friday night.
- Lo miro, pero de todas formas llevo botas por si acaso.I'll check it, but in any case I'm taking boots just in case.
- Si tuviéramos coche, subiríamos hasta el refugio sin mojarnos.If we had a car, we'd go up to the shelter without getting wet.
- Pues nada, autobús. Al menos así no hay que aparcar.Well then, the bus. At least that way there is no need to park.
Lines one by one
| Spanish | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Oye, ¿al final vamos el sábado a la sierra? | — | Listen, are we finally going to the mountains on Saturday? |
| Lo más probable es que sí, pero parece que va a llover. | — | Most likely yes, but it looks like it's going to rain. |
| Si llueve mucho, ¿lo dejamos para el domingo? | — | If it rains a lot, shall we leave it for Sunday? |
| En ese caso mejor el domingo, aunque hay que salir antes. | — | In that case Sunday is better, though we have to leave earlier. |
| Yo que tú miraría el tiempo el viernes por la noche. | — | If I were you, I would check the weather on Friday night. |
| Lo miro, pero de todas formas llevo botas por si acaso. | — | I'll check it, but in any case I'm taking boots just in case. |
| Si tuviéramos coche, subiríamos hasta el refugio sin mojarnos. | — | If we had a car, we'd go up to the shelter without getting wet. |
| Pues nada, autobús. Al menos así no hay que aparcar. | — | Well then, the bus. At least that way there is no need to park. |
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?
“Oye, ¿al final vamos el sábado a la sierra?” — Listen, are we finally going to the mountains on Saturday?. 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.