| English |
Spanish |
| Do you like the music they play here? |
¿Te gusta la música que tocan aquí? |
| I love tango |
Adoro el tango |
| I have learned to dance. . . |
He aprendido a bailar. . . |
| Let's talk a bit about music |
Hablemos un poco de música |
| Who is your favorite singer? |
¿Quien es tu cantante favorito? |
| My favorite group is. . . |
Mi grupo favorito es. . . |
| Are you going to go to the concert? |
¿Vas a ir al concierto? |
| What type of music do you prefer? |
¿Qué tipo de música prefieres? |
| I love Latin music |
Me encanta la música Latina |
| Have you heard. . . latest song? |
¿Has escuchado la última canción de. . .? |
A Practice Conversation
Let's see how the two music lovers, Enrique and Julia, do in their favorite tango bar in Buenos Aires, where they enjoy their drinks while catching a break from the breathtaking performances. Don't worry if you don't understand all of the Spanish just yet. Instead, try to focus on how each phrase can be used within a conversation.
Enrique: ¿Te gusta la música que tocan aquí? (Do you like the music they play here?)
Julia: Si claro, ¡adoro el tango! He aprendido a bailar salsa y flamenco, pero el tango me falta. (Yes of course, I love tango! I've learned to dance salsa and flamenco, but tango is still missing.)
Enrique: Bueno, Buenos Aires es perfecto para ello. Hablemos un poco de música en general: ¿Quien es tu cantante favorito? (Well, Buenos Aires is perfect for that. Let's talk a bit about music in general: Who's your favorite singer?)
Julia: Uff, me gustan muchos cantantes. Diría que mis cantantes favoritos son Gilberto Gil y Alejandro Sanz. También me gusta Celia Cruz, la Reina del Salsa. Mi grupo favorito es Estopa. (Well, I like many singers. I would say that my favorite singers are Gilberto Gil and Alejandro Sanz. I also like Celia Cruz, the Queen of Salsa. My favorite group is Estopa.)
Enrique: He oído que Estopa van a venir a Buenos Aires. ¿Vas a ir al concierto? (I have heard that Estopa is going to come to Buenos Aires. Are you going to go to the concert?)
Julia: Me gustaría muchísimo ir. ¿Qué tipo de música prefieres? (I would love to go. What type of music do you prefer?)
Enrique: Me encanta la música Latina, y en concreto los estilos de cumbia, bachata y salsa. También me chifla el flamenco. ¿Has escuchado la última canción de Enrique Morente? (I love Latin music, and especially the cumbia, bachata, and salsa styles. I also absolutely love flamenco. Have you heard the latest song by Enrique Morente?)
Julia: Me temo que no. Ah mira, ¡ya empiezan a bailar tango de nuevo! (I'm afraid not. Ah look, they are starting to dance tango again!)
Let's learn some more vocabulary that we could bring into a conversation about music:
- la banda - the band
- el coro - the chorus
- la banda sonora - the film music
- el disco - the record
- la guitarra - the guitar
- cantar - to sing
- tocar un instrumento - to play an instrument
Lesson Summary
In this lesson, we learned a few phrases to start a conversation about music and keep it going. You might start with Hablemos un poco de música (Let's talk a bit about music). Along the way, you can ask questions, such as ¿Quien es tu cantante favorito? (Who is your favorite singer?) or ¿Qué tipo de música prefieres? (What type of music do you prefer?).
We also touched upon Spanish and Latin American music genres, such as flamenco, salsa, and tango, before introducing more vocabulary, from el coro (the chorus) to cantar (to sing). Remember that hablar español (to speak Spanish) and tocar un instrumento (to play an instrument) require the same thing: practice!
