Advanced, Task 12

Simplified and native speakers:

• Simplified example
• Natacha P.
• Juan E.
• Alejandro G.
• Fernando E.
• Javier C.

Click red links to download .m4v files for use in iPod:

• Simplified example
• Natacha P.
• Juan E.
• Alejandro G.
• Fernando E.
• Javier C.

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Key vocabulary for this task

Example phrases for this task

Grammar points for this task



		Simplified Example "Una diferencia muy importante entre la forma de hacer negocios en Costa Rica y en los Estados Unidos es..."



		Natacha P. Argentina, Buenos Aires "Bueno, yo soy diseñadora gráfica..."

		Juan E. México, D.F. "Anteriormente los antiguos mexicanos trabajaban por jornadas..."

		Alejandro G. Perú, Lima "Esta pregunta es muy importante. Cuando estuve en Texas estudiando..."

		Fernando E. España, Barcelona "Bueno, cuando nosotros negociamos y trabajamos con el mercado norteamericano..."

		Javier C. España, Castilla y León "Hay una diferencia cultural enorme entre el perfil del negociador americano..."

acciones (f)		stock
accionista (m)		stockholder / shareholder
bancarrota (f)		bankruptcy
bolsa (f)		stock exchange
compañía (f)		company
contrato (m)		contract
empresa (f)		business firm
empresario (m)		businessman / woman
fábrica (f)		factory
ganancias (f)		earnings / profits
gerente (m)		manager
hombre de negocios (m)		businessman

ingresos (m)		revenue
inversión (f)		investment
invertir		to invest
mercadeo (m) / mercadotecnia (m)		marketing
negociar		to negotiate
pagar a plazos		to pay in installments
pérdidas (f)		losses
préstamo (m)		loan
publicidad (f)		advertising
sindicato (m)		labor union
socio (m)		business partner

¿Cómo se llevan las negociaciones en México?	How are negotiations carried out in Mexico?
¿Cuál es la educación típica de los empresarios?	What's the typical educational level of businessmen?
Mi tío es accionista así que siempre lee acerca de la bolsa.	My uncle is a stockholder so he always reads up on the stock exchange.
El sindicato trata de proteger a los trabajadores y asegurar sus derechos.	Labor unions try to protect the workers and assure their rights.
Esa compañía esta por ir a la bancarrota, yo no invertiría ni un centavo en ella.	That company is about to go bankrupt, I wouldn't invest a cent in it.
Encontrar un buen socio no es nada fácil.	Finding a good partner isn't easy.
Pedimos un préstamo para montar nuestro negocio.	We got a loan to get our business up and running.
Carlos siempre ha querido ser gerente en una empresa multinacional.	Carlos has always wanted to be a manager in a multinational corporation.
La ventaja de comprar el coche de esta compañía es que se puede pagar a plazos.	The advantage of buying a car from that company is that you can pay in installments.
El mercadotecnia es un campo de estudios muy popular en este momento.	Marketing is a very popular field of studies right now.

Key Expressions

In order to speak Spanish more fluidly you should be able to employ some key expressions that will help you connect your ideas. Some common phrases that are used to express a contrast between one idea and another include: Sin Embargo, No obstante, A pesar de (que), De todos modos, and Aunque. Although there usually isn't a single word-for-word translation of these terms, they do tend to correspond to specific words in English.

Sin embargo - is used like "however," or "nevertheless."

Normalmente me gusta la cerveza, sin embargo esta marca no me agrada. I normally like beer; however, I don't care for this brand.

No obstante - often corresponds to "in spite of," or "nevertheless."

No obstante el calor, pasamos mucho tiempo afuera. In spite of the heat, we spend a lot of time outside.

A pesar de (que) - is often used like "despite."

En fin ganamos a pesar de la buena competencia. In the end we won despite the good competition.

De todos modos - is often equivalent to "anyway."

Estaba lloviendo pero anduvimos en bici de todos modos. It was raining but we went biking anyway.

Aunque - can be used like "even if," or "even though" depending on the level of probability that the action will occur.

Aunque está tu hermano no nos ayuda. Even though your brother is there he won't help us.

Aunque esté tu hermano no nos ayuda. Even if your brother is there (which I don't think is the case) he won't help us.

Aunque estuviera tu hermano no nos ayudaría. Even if your brother were there (which is not the case) he wouldn't help us.

There is also a group of useful terms for ideas that do not contrast, but rather support one another. For example: Así que, Por lo tanto, Por eso, etc.

Así que - is commonly used like "so" or "thus."

La película empieza a las siete así que tenemos que llegar un poco antes. The movie starts at seven so we have to get there a little before.

Por lo tanto - generally corresponds to "therefore" and is somewhat formal in tone.

Los resultados concuerdan con la hipótesis. Por lo tanto, se puede decir que el tiempo de reacción es influido por la visibilidad. The results agree with the hypothesis. Therefore, it can be said that reaction time is influenced by visibility.

Por eso - is a common term in spoken language that has many uses and equivalents like, "due to that," "because of this," or "that's why."

Juan es muy bajo y por eso nunca ha jugado bien el básquetbol. Juan is very short and that's why he has never played basketball well.