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It’s El Misterio de la Calle de Cervantes episode 4, and the mystery seems (close) to being solved, and the first season of Palabras Bravas inches toward its end. We listen to the story dialogues, and Paula and Fidi break down the key vocabulary. Then, they invite David on to talk about how the vocabulary is used differently in Latin American Spanish. You can listen to the full episode in the Spotify embed below, or wherever you get your podcasts. And if you want a bit more of a play-by-play breakdown, read on for our guide to the episode.
‘El Misterio De La Calle De Cervantes’ Episode 4
Introduction
Paula and Fidi introduce us to another episode of ‘El Misterio de la Calle de Cervantes.’ They review what’s happened in the show so far and prepare you for this week’s primary dialogue.
Listen To The Introduction [2 Minutes]
First Dialogue
Lola, Diego and Carlota are gathered together, hoping that the note they left on their neighbor’s door was effective. When they hear a woman’s scream, however, they have no choice but to call the police.
Listen To The First Dialogue [1 Minute]
Key Vocabulary
This week’s vocabulary is a bit different, and the theme is that they’re all muletillas. This word doesn’t have an exact translation in English (the closest might be “filler word”), and it comes from the Spanish muleta, meaning “crutch.” So these words are kind of like a crutch for informal language that are used quite a bit to animate the conversation. You may have heard some of these words before, but you might not know they’re muletillas.
Listen To The Introduction To The Key Vocabulary [3 Minutes]
hombre [1 Minute] — this word plainly translates as “man,” but it can be used as a muletilla to indicate surprise
¿sabes? [1 Minute] — this is kind of like a tag, where you want the person you’re speaking to to indicate they understand or agree with you. It’s similar to ending a sentence in English with “you know?”
o sea [1.5 Minutes] — similar to es decir, this phrase is used like “I mean” in English, and can be used to clarify what you’re saying
bueno [1 Minute] — literally translates as “good,” but as a muletilla you can use it to introduce an idea
escucha, mira, oye [1 Minute] — these literally mean “listen,” “look” and “listen,” but as muletillas are used to get the listener’s attention
Quiz
Paula and Fidi switch things up by having Paula quiz Fidi on all the key vocabulary terms. Follow along to test your knowledge!
Listen To The Quiz [4.5 Minutes]
Vocabulary Review
A brief review of all the key vocabulary and their plain definitions.
Listen To The Vocabulary Review [0.5 Minutes]
Latin American Spanish Insights
Muletillas are a bit different from the other key vocabulary covered in Calle de Cervantes, because they are not just colloquial phrases. The muletillas in this episode are used pretty much throughout Latin America, though there might be some small differences (bueno can be used to answer the phone in Mexico).
David also mentions other muletillas, like este, which is used in Mexico, Argentina and Uruguay to indicate a pause in conversation. Others include cachay in Chile, che in Argentina and digamos (que) in Colombia. Listen on to learn more!
Listen To Latin American Spanish Insights [5 Minutes]
Second Dialogue
The roommates finally confront their neighbor, accompanied by a police officer. After laying out their accusations, the neighbor says it’s not what it looks like. But the explanation will have to wait until the next episode.
Listen To The Second Dialogue [1.5 Minutes]
Wrapping Up El Misterio De La Calle De Cervantes Episode 4
Paula and Fidi respond to the second dialogue and wrap up the episode. As usual, you can follow along with the podcast in corresponding Babbel lessons, which can be found here.
Listen To Wrapping Up El Misterio De La Calle De Cervantes Episode 4 [2 Minutes]