URLLesson Introduction
When you get to your Spanish-speaking destination, you gotta buy a phone card. No, do not use cell phone roaming; too expensive. No, do not bring your card from home that nobody will know how to use when you get there; no, no, no. You're going to buy a phone card, in Spanish. And we are here to help you with this lesson.
Comments 
To comment, please login.
Comments Policy
Allowed comments do not necessarily represent the views of SpanishPod.com. We also reserve the right to reject personal attacks, false/unsubstantiated allegations, spamming of any kind, and comments that include vulgar language or libelous statements.
New lesson idea? Please let us know at spanishpod@praxislanguage.com.
estibalitz says
April 28, 2008
Querid@s usuari@s, la pregunta del día es: ¿Utilizan los teléfonos públicos?, o ¿prefieren llamar desde su teléfono móvil? Prefiero llamar con mi móvil, porque siempre lo llevo en mi bolso, cerca de mí. Dear users, todays question: Do you ever use public phones?, or do you prefer to call from your cell phone? I prefer my cell phone because it´s always in my purse, next to me.
perla says
April 28, 2008
personalmente, hace mucho tiempo que uso los telefonos publicos. Es que ya me acostumbro mucho a usar mi telefono movil , ademas en estos dias no es economica al utilizar los telefonos colgados en la calle. A lo mejor si deseo hablar con algunos amigos o unos miembros de familia, seria aconsejable usar el telefono privado gracias a la existencia del sistema util que sirve para descontar algunos casos (hay mucha regla optativa para que la gente pudea eligir algunos sistemas especiales a fin de gastar menos dinero cuanto antes)
lilianamata says
April 28, 2008
Yo uso mi celular pero cuando estoy en otros países y no sirve mi teléfono, entonces compro tarjetas de teléfono y uso los teléfonos públicos.
cantinflas says
April 29, 2008
Me gustó la lección que trata de las tarjetas de teléfono. A veces, mis amigos sudamericanos dicen el término --tarjetas telefónicas--. Es correcto decirlo así?
russhuntley says
April 29, 2008
I have a question concerning the polite way to ask for something. In the Podcast JP says "me da " is the polite way to say "Give me..." If I'm at a restaurant of something, I ask "May I have a beer?" (Tengo una cerveza?) Is there a way to say this in Spanish, or is "me Da" the correct/polite way? ~Russ
russhuntley says
April 29, 2008
Uso mi cellular ~R
stevestrv says
April 29, 2008
Rok "Tengo una cerveza?" meansm, "I have a beer?" You can ask for a beer using the command from of dar (to give" "deme una cerveca por favor”. But it is softer if you actual say “me da una cerveca por favor” which literally translates as “you give me a beer please” And don’t for get “me gustaría una cerveza por favor” “ I would like a beer please”
anna8 says
April 29, 2008
Hola Russ! ¿Me podrías (o podría) traer una cerveza? Could you bring me a beer? May I have a beer? This is the most formal way to say it. ¿Me puedes (o puede) traer una cerveza? Can you bring me a beer? this is a little less formal. ¿Me traes (o trae) una cerveza? Bring me a beer? Can I have a beer? This is casual, but still polite. Of course, "Una cerveza por favor" works too! Y ahora, tengo mucho sed...:-)
stevestrv says
April 29, 2008
How embarrassing. I posted my comment where I said the you can for a beer by saying “me da una cerveza?” before listening to the lecture. Excuse me for basically repeating what JP said.
yardbird says
April 29, 2008
Hi, More choices for asking for something. First of all, it doesn't work to try translating the familiar polite English request (may I have?) directly into Spanish. In Spanish, none of it involves something to do with a word for possession, like "have." As someone said above, you'd only wind up sounding as if you were holding a bottle of Carta Blanca in your hand and, for some reason, asking someone else, a waiter or waitress in this case, whether or not what you're holding in your hand is actually a beer. The word "have" just isn't involved in any of the alternative requests. Me gustaría more precisely means "it would please me," and that's fine for a gentle request, but again, it's not a direct translation of the English "may I have." What we're after here is the social and tonal equivalent, not a translation. Not only the question mark/rise at the end of "me da x" indicates that it's not a harsh demand. Word order matters, too. The actual demand/command form would be "dame una cerveza" in the usted (formal) form and "deme una cerveza" in the familiar tú form. That literally means "Give me." Another polite option is to start with the expression "quiero una cerveza" (I want a beer),but temper it by using the (help JP, is it the subjunctive form? The conditional?)of quiero: Quisiera una cerveza. I would say that this one most closely approximates the polite tone and meaning of "May I have." But literally, it means "I would like a beer," as opposed to "I *want* a beer." And whoever suggested that just saying "Una cerveza, por favor," would work is spot on.A beer, please. Works every time. :-) The rest is just more eloquent and formal, and very nice, but this simple utterance should serve well and sound sufficiently civil. Hope some of the above is accurate and helpful. Ahora, me gustaría mucho bebir una cerveza negra muuy fría con tortilla chips (?) and a bowl of freshly-made pico de gallo. Yummy!
mkpelland says
April 29, 2008
Yo bebo cerveza con hielo, y solamente una vez al año. Yo sé - ¡es terrible! ¿No? BTW - Venga leer el blog - SpanishPod Intermediate, por favor -- http://blogs.spanishpod.com/intermediate excuse the blatant commercial message! :-)
estibalitz says
April 29, 2008
cantinflas, Sí, también se puede decir tarjeta telefónica. rok769, You can say: Me da una cerveza, por favor.
estibalitz says
April 29, 2008
yardbird, Muy bien, ese es el imperfecto del subjuntivo del verbo querer. Así que podrías decir "quisiera una cerveza" o "quisiera tomar una cerveza".
russhuntley says
April 30, 2008
Muchas Gracias Todos I think I have a lot to work with now. I think Yardbird and Esti hit on what I am asking most clearly. I am looking for the politeness and tonal equivalent of "may I have... a beer...a turn....a taco...etc. and I wanted to know if "Me da" covers that. So probably "Quisiera" or "me da" is what I should use in a very polite situation? Esti, JP, Lili, Leo....this website is the Best!!
paulohenriques says
April 30, 2008
Cuando empezó el "boom" de teléfonos celulares acá en Brasil, los celulares eran grandes y la tarifa cara. En esa epoca no me importaba en tener un celular.Después de años se tornó necesario tener un celular. Pero hasta hoy no me gusta celular.
luisita says
May 4, 2008
Cuando fui de vacaciones en Mexico trate muchas veces de utilizar mi cellular pero sin exito asi que compre una tarjeta de telefono y llame desde un telefono publico.
estibalitz says
May 5, 2008
querido rok769, Quisiera una cerveza, por favor. = I would like a beer, please. Me da una cerveza, por favor. = Would you give me a beer, please. So, yes, both are polite ways of asking for something.
russhuntley says
May 5, 2008
Gracias Esti!
cobre says
May 5, 2008
Esti, amiga mia, No tengo dinero. Puedo cambio esta tarjeta telef
cobre says
May 5, 2008
Esti, amiga mia, No tengo dinero. Puedo cambio esta tarjeta telef
cobre says
May 5, 2008
Esti, amiga mia, No tengo dinero. Puedo cambio esta tarjeta de telef
cobre says
May 5, 2008
very odd, this is truncating my messages. always after in the middle of the same word I wonder if it is the letter combination or whether I have too many letters in the box, which of course doesn
cobre says
May 5, 2008
esta tarjeta de teleph
cobre says
May 5, 2008
Hmmm, it does not seem to like accents and appostrophies. Esti, amiga, mia! No tengo dinero. Puedo cambio esta tarjeta de telefono para una cerveza, por favor? the things you need to do to get a beer around here, sheeesh.
estibalitz says
May 5, 2008
amigo cobre, sorry, we are working on it, you are right the system does not like the accents, appostrpphies. Thanks for your patience, and for making me laugh,je you are very persistent, igual que yo,je. Y claro que te cambio la tarjeta de telefono por una cerveza, brindemos!
michaelaprende says
May 6, 2008
Me gusta esta discusio'n sobre tarjetas y cerveza! Si tengo que llamar un colegio rapido y brevemente, utilizo mi celular. Pero si quiero charlar con mi novia, un tele'fono fijo es mejor, porque puedo oirla mas claremente. Michael
melodycooper says
June 13, 2008
Donde vivo , en Key West, Florida en los Estados Unidos, no estan mucho de teléfonos publicos. En esta pais son menor y menor teléfonos publicos. Cuando viajo es necesario tener un teléfono móvil para emergencias.
Voy a Madrid esta Julio y me pregunto si es posible comprar un teléfono temporales. ¿ O hacen muchos teléfonos publicos en esta ciudad ?
Estoy muy nuevo en la escritura en español, ayuadarme por favor.
gracias
Melody
russhuntley says
June 20, 2008
I have another "me da" question. How would I order beer for both of us or 4 icecreams for the whole family? I guess I'm asking "Give US"..."May we have" Probably a simple answer, but it's plague-ing me ~ "Nos Da?"
Gracias Amigos
stevestrv says
June 20, 2008
russhuntley
¿Nos da? Is fine.
russhuntley says
June 20, 2008
Gracias Stevestrv!