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Lesson 205 of 238

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Free Spanish CourseLesson 205 of 238

It's a nice spot in Spanish

Justin spent the weekend in Tepoztlán with Amanda, and now everyone at Café Laurel wants to hear about it.

In this lesson you'll learn to paint a place with words: what kind of place it is, how it looks, where it sits, and whether it's worth the trip.

You'll also practice recommending something with a condition: go if you like walking, skip it if you don't.

By the end of this lesson

Describe a place and say whether it's worth it.

  • Es un lugar ___It's a ___ kind of place
  • Se ve ___It looks ___
  • Vale la penaIt's worth it
  • No vale la penaIt's not worth it
  • Queda entre ___ y ___It's between ___ and ___
  • Lo recomiendo si te gusta ___I'd recommend it if you like ___

Scene — weekend photos

Monday morning at Café Laurel. Justin has his phone out, full of weekend photos, and Michael is wiping tables nearby.

Yako is on his two chairs at the back table, ears already pointed at the conversation.

Amanda comes down for a coffee before work.

Justin shows weekend photos on his phone while Michael wipes tables and Amanda arrives for coffee, Yako listening from the back.

Learn — a place worth it

Six chunks that turn a vague "it was nice" into a picture the other person can actually see.

Two of them are frames, so you'll fill them with your own adjectives and places. Two of them are opposites: worth it and not worth it.

  1. Justin describes the kind of place while showing a photo of a lakeside park on his phone.

    Es un lugar ___

    It's a ___ kind of place

    When to use it: Say this to say what kind of place something is.

    Lugar is masculine, so it takes un, not una.

  2. Michael looks at the photo over Justin's shoulder and says it looks peaceful.

    Se ve ___

    It looks ___

    When to use it: Say this to describe how something looks, from photos or from a distance.

    Se ve literally means it sees itself, but it means it looks.

    Say it: Se ve is two short words: seh BEH.

  3. Justin insists it is worth the trip, tapping the phone photo enthusiastically.

    Vale la pena

    It's worth it

    When to use it: Say this when the effort or the price is justified.

    Pena here means effort or trouble, not shame.

  4. Amanda waves a dismissive hand and says it is not worth it, sipping her coffee.

    No vale la pena

    It's not worth it

    When to use it: Say this when something isn't worth the money, time or walk.

    One no before the whole phrase is enough to flip it.

  5. Michael points in two directions with the cloth, explaining where the park is located.

    Queda entre ___ y ___

    It's between ___ and ___

    When to use it: Say this to place something between two landmarks.

    Queda means it's located; it's the natural verb for where a place sits.

    Say it: The qu in queda sounds like k: KEH-dah.

  6. Amanda smiles and recommends the park to Justin if he likes quiet walks, gesturing toward the window.

    Lo recomiendo si te gusta ___

    I'd recommend it if you like ___

    When to use it: Say this to recommend something with a condition attached.

    Si te gusta stays indicative because it's a real, open condition, not a hypothetical one.

Story — the Sunday trip

Monday-morning debrief at Café Laurel. The highlighted lines are the ones you just learned.

Watch how Justin makes one small town sound real: kind of place, how it looks, where things sit, worth it or not.

Turn on Show English if you need it.

  1. Monday morning. Justin's phone is full of weekend photos.
  2. MichaelJustin, ¿cómo estuvo tu fin de semana?Justin, how was your weekend?
  3. JustinFui a Tepoztlán con Amanda. Es un lugar muy tranquilo.I went to Tepoztlán with Amanda. It's a very quiet kind of place.
  4. Yako¿Tranquilo? Yo nunca he ido. ¿Cómo es?Quiet? I've never been. What's it like?
  5. JustinSe ve precioso desde el mirador. Hay murales por todas partes.It looks gorgeous from the lookout. There are murals everywhere.
  6. Michael leans over the counter to see the photos.
  7. Michael¿Vale la pena ir un domingo?Is it worth going on a Sunday?
  8. JustinSí, vale la pena. Pero lleguen antes de las diez.Yes, it's worth it. But get there before ten.
  9. Yako¿Y el mercado de comida? Ese me late.And the food market? That one's my style.
  10. JustinQueda entre la iglesia y el museo. No tiene pérdida.It's between the church and the museum. You can't miss it.
  11. Amanda arrives, still smiling about the quesadillas.
  12. AmandaEl mercado, uy. Comimos quesadillas todo el sábado.The market, wow. We ate quesadillas all Saturday.
  13. Michael¿Qué me recomiendas para una primera visita?What do you recommend for a first visit?
  14. JustinLo recomiendo si te gusta caminar. La subida es larga.I'd recommend it if you like walking. The climb is long.
  15. Michael¿Y contratar guía para la pirámide? Dicen que está carísimo.And hiring a guide for the pyramid? They say it's really expensive.
  16. JustinNo vale la pena. Con el mapa llegas solo.It's not worth it. With the map you get there on your own.
  17. AmandaDefinitivamente volvería. Aunque sea por las quesadillas.I'd definitely go back. If only for the quesadillas.
  18. YakoYo ya hice mi caminata: de la cama a mis dos sillas.I already did my hike: from the bed to my two chairs.
  19. AmandaEntonces nos vemos el domingo en el mirador, ¿va?Then see you Sunday at the lookout, okay?

Practice — recommend or not

Ten short exercises: listen, match, fill, swap and rebuild the lines you just met.

Watch the last one — you'll put a whole chat back in order, just like the story.

0 of 11 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. Match the pairs

    Spanish

    Es un lugar ___Drop the English here
    Se ve ___Drop the English here
    Queda entre ___ y ___Drop the English here

    English

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

  3. What do you say?

    You're telling a friend on the phone what your colonia is like, with no photos involved.

  4. Fill the gap

    It's not worth it

    No ____ la pena

  5. Swap the word

    You paid for the guided tour and it was a waste. The walk alone is enough.

    ____ la pena

  6. True or false?

    This line recommends something only if the other person likes a certain thing.

  7. What does it mean?

    Se ve ___

  8. What does it mean?

    Definitivamente volvería

  9. What do you say?

    It's lunchtime at Café Laurel and you want Michael to suggest a dish.

  10. Build the line

    It's worth it

    Tap the words in order.

  11. Put the chat in order

    1. YakoWhat comes first?
    2. Justin…
    3. Michael…
    4. Justin…

    Tap the line that comes next, or drag it into the chat.

Say it — sell the place

Now you're Justin, back from the weekend, and the table wants details. When it's your turn, tap the microphone and say the line.

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

  1. YakoCuéntame, ¿cómo es el lugar?Tell me, what's the place like?
  2. Justin (you)Tell him what kind of place it is: quiet.

    Es un lugar ___

    It's a ___ kind of place

0 of 6 said

Recap — what you can say now

SpanishEnglish
Es un lugar ___It's a ___ kind of place
Se ve ___It looks ___
Vale la penaIt's worth it
No vale la penaIt's not worth it
Queda entre ___ y ___It's between ___ and ___
Lo recomiendo si te gusta ___I'd recommend it if you like ___
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A quick round with the Yak Cards each day keeps vale la pena ready when you need it.

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