This video is one of our "Trocitos de Real Spanish". Un trocito is a little bit of something — usually something to eat, like "un trocito de queso" (a little bit of cheese). This Trocito is a preview of a full lesson,”¡Es una chapuza!»” from our course Español con noticias y documentales 1: Entrevistas y reportajes.
It's about Spain's artistic heritage — and what happens when a restoration goes so badly wrong that it becomes a national embarrassment. You may already know of some examples. That even appeared in newsppers in other countries. What an embarrassment, indeed!
You'll also pick up one of the most notorious false friends in Spanish: embarazada does not mean embarrassed. Did you know that?
Note: This transcript has been lightly updated to reflect our current courses and resources. The video may vary slightly.
Hello and welcome to Real Spanish! Take a look at this clip from one of our video lessons — it's about two art restoration cases that went so badly wrong they became a source of national embarrassment.
Spain invests a great deal of money, technical expertise, and care in the upkeep and restoration of its artistic heritage: its monuments, buildings, paintings, sculptures, and other works of art. Spanish people are very proud of their monuments and works of art.
These words are used in the video:
invertir to invest
la destreza skill, expertise
el esmero care, diligence
el mantenimiento upkeep, maintenance
el patrimonio (artístico) artistic heritage
By the way, do you know the difference between ser orgulloso and estar orgulloso? For example:
Ellas están orgullosas de haberse graduado (they are proud to have graduated)
Me parece que este hombre es orgulloso por naturaleza (I think this man is proud by nature).
We explain the use of ser and estar with various adjectives in the grammar notes.*
Anyway — I said Spanish people are very proud of their monuments and works of art… but not always. Every so often, a restoration job comes to light that shocks everyone.
— ¡Por favor! ¡Madre mía!
— ¡Es una chapuza!
Chapuza is a colloquial word used to describe a job that has been done badly.
Antonio: Tenemos que llamar al fontanero, se nos ha vuelto a estropear el grifo de la cocina. (We need to call the plumber — the kitchen tap has broken again.)
Celia: ¿Otra vez? Bueno, pero esta vez llamamos a un profesional porque la última vez nos hicieron una chapuza. (Again? Right, but this time we're calling a professional — the last timer they did a botch job.)
Antonio: Sí, es verdad, es mejor pagar más por un trabajo bien hecho. (You're right, it's worth paying more for a job done properly.)
By the way — I imagine you already know that avergonzado/avergonzada means "embarrassed", while embarazada means "pregnant". Embarazada and embarrassed is one of the many false friends in Spanish and English.
Chico: ¿No vas a ir a la fiesta de tu amiga esta noche? (Aren't you going to your friend's party tonight?)
Chica: No, estoy avergonzada de lo mal que me comporté con ella anoche…. Bebí más de la cuenta y le dije cosas que no debía… (No, I'm embarrassed about how badly I behaved towards her last night… I drank too much and said things I shouldn't have…)
Chico: Pero si es tu mejor amiga, seguro que ya se le ha olvidado… (But she's your best friend — I'm sure she's already forgotten about it…)
See you later!
* The full video, vocabulary notes, grammar sheet, and interactive practice and test activities are all part of the complete lesson.
Curious about the two works of art that became a national embarrassment? All is revealed in the full lesson from the course Español con noticias y documentales 1: Entrevistas y reportajes. There you'll find the grammar notes and all the other components of the lesson. Click here to find out more about this course
As Carmen says, embarazada and embarrassed is one of the many false friends in Spanish and English. Can you think of any more? We're sure you can — tell us below! You're also welcome to leave a comment, a suggestion or a question. We'd love to hear from you.
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