Post by Wynette: For the past year, I’ve been studying Spanish and found a great podcast/website that provides listening practice: notesinspanish.com
It is done by a delightful young couple who live here in Madrid. Ben is originally from England and Marina is from Madrid. In one of their conversations for listening practice they mention how people in Spain like to complain. (Charlie and I have been trying to write a song about that, maybe fitting in the word “plain” somewhere, but haven’t come up with much yet.)
When we were in Cadaques we found a little bar that served great coffee so we went there several times. On one visit the woman behind the counter greeted us with a warm hola, took our order for dos cafe con leche, served us our coffee, then carried on her conversation with the only other person in the bar. She was talking loudly in the small room so I was getting in some good listening practice. I heard her say “Como, duermo, y … nada mas”. I think she was saying, “I eat, I sleep, and nothing else.” Then I heard her say “Yo sufro”, which means, “I suffer”. Too bad I didn’t get many of the details. I was thinking she might have been talking with her boss. I hope she was just complaining and didn’t really live such a terrible life.