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Lesson 72 of 238

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Free Spanish CourseLesson 72 of 238

To be honest in Spanish

Justin finds a strange note at Café Laurel, but he isn't sure what it means.

This lesson gives you four natural pauses for careful opinions: to be honest, I guess, anyway, and let me see.

You'll use them when you need a moment, want to soften your answer, or are still deciding what you think.

By the end of this lesson

Soften an opinion with four natural Spanish pause phrases.

  • La verdad, ___To be honest, ___
  • Supongo que ___I guess ___
  • En fin, ___Anyway, ___
  • A ver, ___Let me see, ___

Scene — the mysterious note

At Café Laurel, Justin and Yako find a folded note under Yako's coffee cup.

Michael is serving another table, so they quietly read the note together and try to decide whether it is a joke.

At Café Laurel, Yako and Justin quietly read a folded note found under Yako's coffee cup while Michael serves another table.

Learn — softening your opinion

These four chunks help you sound thoughtful instead of too certain.

Learn each one as a complete piece, then notice how it introduces an opinion or buys you time.

  1. Justin points uncertainly at the folded note as he gives an honest opinion, while Yako listens beside him.

    La verdad, ___

    To be honest, ___

    When to use it: Use this before giving an honest opinion, especially when it may surprise someone.

    La verdad means “the truth”; learn the whole opening as one piece.

    Say it: lah sehr-DAHD

  2. Yako cautiously lifts the coffee cup and looks at the note as he offers a tentative guess, while Justin rests his hand on his chin.

    Supongo que ___

    I guess ___

    When to use it: Use this when something seems likely but you are not completely sure.

    Supongo softens your statement by presenting the idea as a guess.

    Say it: soo-PON-goh keh

  3. Justin carefully folds the note again and gestures aside as he speaks, while Yako looks toward the café doorway.

    En fin, ___

    Anyway, ___

    When to use it: Use this to move on after a pause, side thought, or unresolved point.

    En fin suggests an ending, but it often moves the conversation forward.

    Say it: en FEEN

  4. Yako opens the note flat for a closer look as he speaks, while Justin leans back and watches carefully.

    A ver, ___

    Let me see, ___

    When to use it: Use this when you need a moment to look, think, or work something out.

    A ver means “let me see”; it is different from haber, meaning to have.

    Say it: ah BEHR

Story — a possible joke

Watch Justin and Yako pause over the note before giving their honest opinions.

The highlighted lines include the four new chunks and three earlier thinking phrases. Turn on Show English if needed.

  1. A folded note sits under Yako's cup. Its handwriting is unusually dramatic.
  2. Yako¿Qué dice la nota?What does the note say?
  3. JustinDéjame pensar. La verdad, creo que es una broma.Let me think. To be honest, I think it's a joke.
  4. Yako¿Una broma? Supongo que sí.A joke? I guess so.
  5. JustinA ver, déjame revisar la nota.Let me see, let me check the note.
  6. Justin turns the note over. The back is completely blank.
  7. Yako¿Hay algo atrás?Is there something on the back?
  8. JustinLa verdad, no hay nada.To be honest, there's nothing.
  9. YakoEn fin, seguimos con el café.Anyway, let's get back to the coffee.
  10. JustinSupongo que sí. O quizá no.I guess so. Or maybe not.
  11. Yako¿Entonces es una broma?So is it a joke?
  12. JustinA ver, no estoy seguro.Let me see, I'm not sure.
  13. YakoEn fin, mejor no tocarla.Anyway, we'd better not touch it.

Practice — pause and answer

You'll identify the pauses, match meanings, choose replies, and rebuild a useful chunk.

The exercises return to the same mysterious note from several angles.

0 of 11 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. Match the pairs

    Spanish

    La verdad, ___Drop the English here
    Supongo que ___Drop the English here
    En fin, ___Drop the English here
    A ver, ___Drop the English here

    English

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

  3. What do you say?

    Yako asks whether the note is a joke. You think it probably is, but you are not sure.

  4. Fill the gap

    To be honest, ___

    La ____, ___

  5. What do you say?

    You've stared at the note long enough. Shrug and change the subject back to the coffee.

  6. What does it mean?

    Déjame pensar

  7. True or false?

    This chunk can help you move on after an unresolved point.

  8. Build the line

    Let me think

    Tap the words in order.

  9. What does it mean?

    Pues, ___

  10. What does it mean?

    Lo que pasa es que ___

  11. What do you say?

    You need time to inspect the front and back of the note before answering.

Say it — give your honest version

Now you're Justin, and Yako wants your honest opinion about the note.

Tap ▶ to hear each model line, then tap the microphone on your turns. Your recording stays on your device.

  1. Yako¿Qué dice la nota?What does the note say?
  2. Justin (you)Give your honest first opinion.

    La verdad, ___

    To be honest, ___

0 of 6 said

Recap — what you can say now

SpanishEnglish
La verdad, ___To be honest, ___
Supongo que ___I guess ___
En fin, ___Anyway, ___
A ver, ___Let me see, ___
Next: lesson 73What's the word

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Review these pause phrases when you want to sound thoughtful instead of too certain.

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