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Lesson 195 of 238

New here? This is lesson 195 of a free 238-lesson Spanish course.

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I can show you in Spanish

Justin's phone is acting up at Café Laurel, and today you learn how to explain a problem the way people really do: say when it happens, guess why, ask about a fix, and offer to sho

w it.

By the end, you'll walk someone through a problem step by step, in Spanish. Yako and Michael get a live demonstration they didn't ask for.

By the end of this lesson

Say when a problem happens and offer to show it.

  • El problema solo pasa cuando ___It only happens when ___
  • Me aparece un error cuando ___I get an error when I ___
  • Creo que puede ser porque ___I think it might be because ___
  • ¿Hay alguna forma de solucionarlo?Is there a way to fix it?
  • Te puedo mostrar qué pasaI can show you what happens
  • Primero ___ y luego ___First I ___, then I ___

Scene — a flickering screen

Morning at Café Laurel. Justin is at his usual table with his phone in one hand and a half-eaten concha in the other.

Yako is settled on his two chairs, watching. The phone screen flickers and goes black, then comes back.

Justin sits at his usual Café Laurel table holding a flickering phone and a half-eaten concha while Yako watches from two chairs pushed together.

Learn — when it happens, why, and a fix

Six lines that build one explanation: when the problem happens, what error you get, why you think it happens, whether there's a fix, and how to offer a demo.

Two of them have blanks you fill with your own words.

  1. Justin points at his glitching phone screen while explaining when the problem happens.

    El problema solo pasa cuando ___

    It only happens when ___

    When to use it: Say this to pin down exactly when a problem shows up.

    Solo here means only, and it goes right before the verb pasa.

    Say it: Pasa sounds like PAH-sah.

  2. Justin holds up his phone showing a broken error screen with a big X, describing what he was doing when the error appeared.

    Me aparece un error cuando ___

    I get an error when I ___

    When to use it: Say this when a screen or app shows an error message.

    Aparecer is like appear: the error shows up on you, so Spanish uses me.

  3. Yako, on his two chairs, taps a paw thoughtfully at the table edge as if theorizing why the phone fails.

    Creo que puede ser porque ___

    I think it might be because ___

    When to use it: Say this to offer a guess at the cause without committing.

    In puede, the ue sounds like the e in met; in que and porque the u is silent and you just hear the e.

    Say it: Que and porque: the ue sounds like the e in met.

  4. Justin spreads his hands in a hopeful question, asking whether the phone problem can be fixed.

    ¿Hay alguna forma de solucionarlo?

    Is there a way to fix it?

    When to use it: Say this to ask whether a problem can be fixed.

    Solucionarlo packs it together: fix it, all one word.

    Say it: Hay sounds like the English word eye.

  5. Yako, seated on his two chairs, places one paw on the phone as if offering to demonstrate the problem himself.

    Te puedo mostrar qué pasa

    I can show you what happens

    When to use it: Say this to offer a live demonstration of the problem.

    Te before puedo: I can show it to you.

  6. Yako taps the phone screen with a paw in a clear first-then demonstration sequence.

    Primero ___ y luego ___

    First I ___, then I ___

    When to use it: Say this to walk someone through the steps, one at a time.

    Primero is first in a sequence; luego covers what comes next.

Story — the black screen

Justin's phone screen has been misbehaving all morning, and now it does it right in front of witnesses.

Watch how he explains when it happens, why he thinks it happens, and offers to show it. Turn on Show English if you need it.

  1. Justin taps his phone. The screen flickers and goes dark.
  2. JustinTengo un problema con mi teléfono.I've got a problem with my phone.
  3. Yako¿Qué tipo de problema?What kind of problem?
  4. JustinEl problema solo pasa cuando abro la cámara.It only happens when I open the camera.
  5. Michael comes over with the coffee pot and glances at the dark screen.
  6. Michael¿No funciona?It doesn't work?
  7. JustinMe aparece un error cuando la uso.I get an error when I use it.
  8. Yako¿Y por qué pasa eso?And why does that happen?
  9. JustinCreo que puede ser porque actualicé la app.I think it might be because I updated the app.
  10. Michael¿Hay alguna forma de solucionarlo?Is there a way to fix it?
  11. JustinNo estoy seguro. Primero la abro y luego se pone negra.I'm not sure. First I open it, then it goes black.
  12. Yako leans over both chairs, very interested.
  13. YakoMuéstrame.Show me.
  14. JustinTe puedo mostrar qué pasa. Mira.I can show you what happens. Watch.
  15. Justin opens the camera. The screen goes black instantly.
  16. Yako¡Neta? Se apagó.No way? It went off.
  17. MichaelTal vez reinícialo.Maybe restart it.
  18. JustinYa lo reinicié, pero vuelve a pasar.I already restarted it, but it happens again.

Practice — explain the problem

Ten quick exercises: listen, match, fill gaps, and swap words. You'll rebuild the whole explanation piece by piece.

Nothing here needs typing; tap your way through and watch the story lines come back.

0 of 10 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. Match the pairs

    Spanish

    Primero ___ y luego ___Drop the English here
    Creo que puede ser porque ___Drop the English here
    No funcionaDrop the English here

    English

    Drag an English line onto its Spanish, or tap one and then the other.

  3. What do you say?

    Michael asks what's wrong with your phone. You want to offer him a live demonstration.

  4. Fill the gap

    It only happens when ___

    El problema solo pasa ____ ___

  5. What does it mean?

    Me aparece un error cuando ___

  6. Pick the reply

    Yako says:

    ¿Puedes mostrarme qué pasa?

    Can you show me what happens?

    And you reply with:

  7. Which one doesn’t belong?

  8. Fill the gap

    First I ___, then I ___

    Primero ___ y ____ ___

  9. Swap the word

    Same offer, but this time use mostrar, the word from this lesson.

    Te puedo ____ qué pasa

  10. Build the line

    I've got a problem

    Tap the words in order.

Say it — walk them through it

Now you're Justin, explaining the phone to Yako and Michael at the table. When it's your turn, tap the microphone and say the line.

Tap ▶ first if you want to hear the model line. Your recording stays on your device.

  1. Yako¿Qué pasó con tu teléfono?What happened to your phone?
  2. Justin (you)Say you've got a problem.

    Tengo un problema

    I've got a problem

0 of 5 said

Recap — what you can say now

SpanishEnglish
El problema solo pasa cuando ___It only happens when ___
Me aparece un error cuando ___I get an error when I ___
Creo que puede ser porque ___I think it might be because ___
¿Hay alguna forma de solucionarlo?Is there a way to fix it?
Te puedo mostrar qué pasaI can show you what happens
Primero ___ y luego ___First I ___, then I ___
Next: lesson 196This isn't what I asked for

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Keep practicing with Yak Cards

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A quick round with the Yak Cards each day keeps your cuando, porque, and solucionarlo lines ready to go.

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