Mi Vida Loca
Answer the following questions in English (unless otherwise noted) while watching the episode.
Episode 1:
1. How do they write street addresses in Spain?
C/ is the abbreviation for 'calle', street. Dos Hermanas, 30 is the name of the street. The house number comes after. 5º Dcha. is the flat number: 'quinto derecha', 5th right
2. What city are they in? What is your impression of the city? What does it look like?
Madrid
answers may vary
3. What money do they use there? How much does the taxi ride cost?
Euros
25 Euros
4. Who is Merche?
Teresa’s sister
Episode 2:
1. Where do you and Merche go?
to a café in Plaza de Oriente
2. What did Merche order?
coffee with milk and a piece of toast
3. What happened to Merche?
her phone rings and she needs to leave to “do something urgent”
Episode 3:
1. What are the directions (in Spanish & English) to the subway? How much does the subway trip cost?
todo recto – straight ahead
a la izquierda – to the left
2. What is "kilómetro cero" and why is it important?
Kilometre Zero
the point which all distances from Madrid are measured from
3. Why does the guy at the end look familiar and who is pictured on his document?
he is the guy chasing Merche
Merche is pictured on his document
Episode 4:
1. Where are you going to meet Merche? Be specific.
the bar in the UNED (Universidad Española a Distancia) building
2. What is unique about a person's last name in Spanish? Why is it like it?
you have two surnames: your father's and your mother's
3. How do you say "cheers" in Spanish?
¡Salud!
Episode 5:
1. What type of food does everyone eat in the epsiode?
tapas: aceitunas, pulpo a la gallega, pimientos de Padrón (also albóndigas con tomate, calamares a la romana, gambas al ajillo, pincho de tortilla)
2. What are two useful phrases (in Spanish) that you learned in this episode?
¿Un brindis?
¡Buen provecho!
¡Qué rico!
Perdon, ¿el servicio?
La cuenta, por favor.
3. What happens to Merche at the end of the episode?
she can’t find her tape recorder
Episode 6:
1. List 3 things, in Spanish, that you can buy at the Sunday market.
anillos, pulseras, un abánico, un par de pendientes, un collar
2. Where does Merche take you? How much does it cost?
on a cable car ride
5 Euros
3. What happens at the end of the episode?
Merche receives a threatening phone call
Episode 7
1. How is "la tarde" explained?
the afternoon; the time between lunchtime and sunset, never mind how late
2. What is the famous art museum? What is its schedule? When is the best day to go?
Prado Museum
Tuesday to Sunday, 9 am – 8 pm (de martes a domingo de las nueve de la mañana a las ocho de la tarde)
Sunday, because it’s free
3. Explain the typical schedule of small shops in Spain.
they are open from 10 am to 2:30 pm (diez de la mañana a dos y media de la tarde), then close for lunch and reopen from 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm (de cuatro y media de la tarde... a ocho y media de la noche)
they are closed on Sundays
Episode 8:
1. Where does Merche invite you? Where is it located?
to her friend Esther’s house
Medina de Rioseco
2. What are two useful phrases you learned in Spanish, and what do they mean?
hasta pronto
¿Qué tal?
de acuerdo
un billete de ida (y vuelta)
3. How does the episode end?
you get on the bus
Episode 9:
1. What is the name of the place that you go to meet Merche?
the bus terminal in Medina de Rioseco, Castilla y León
2. Where does the woman recommend that you stay? (Be specific.)
an inn called “La Posada de Canal” which is a Carmelite Convent
3. What is the price of the hotel? What does this include?
80 Euros with a shower and breakfast included
4. What is going to happen tomorrow?
Merche will come get us and we will stay with her friend Esther
Episode 10:
1. How would you say “nice to meet you” in Spanish?
encantado/a
2. When meeting a woman in an informal situation, what is the Spanish custom for meeting each other?
they kiss each other once on each cheek
3. What is Merche’s friend Esther’s profession?
Spanish teacher
4. List five new vocabulary words (in English and Spanish) that you learned in this lesson.
el váter – toilet, las cortinas – curtains, la ducha – shower, la agénda – diary, mucho gusto – must pleasure, profesora – female teacher, trabajo – I work
5. What happens at the end of the episode?
Merche gets scared by a spider
Episode 11:
1. What is a Spanish “tortilla” made out of?
onion, potatoes and eggs (cebolla, patatas y huevos)
2. What is the respectful way to ask “How are you?”
¿Cómo está (usted)?
3. What is Merche’s friend Esther’s profession?
Spanish teacher
4. Where are you in Spain when you go to at Esther’s house?
Castilla y León
5. What are the plains of Northern Castille called?
Tierra de Campos,' Land of Fields.
Episode 12:
1. Why is Wednesday a special day?
it is market day (día de mercado)
2. How do you ask for something at the market?
me pones
3. What kind of fruit do you buy at the market? (List at least two items and quantities in English and Spanish.)
un kilo de manzanas – apples
medio kilo de peras – pears
un melón – a melon
4. Who do you see at the bakery?
the man who has been following Merche
Episode 13:
1. What is the name of the local white wine?
Verdejo
2. What is the “menú del día” and what is included?
the menu of the day, which is common in most restaurants at lunchtime
you get three courses and it includes bread, a drink and a coffee
3. How do you ask where the bathroom is?
Perdón, ¿el servicio, por favor?
4. Why don’t Spaniards toast with water?
it’s unlucky
5. Who pays the bill at the end?
Esther
Episode 14:
1. Where do you go for the wine tasting?
una bodega
2. How do you say “I like” in Spanish?
me gusta
3. What are the three words you use to describe the man from Madrid?
tall, strong, blonde (alto, fuerte, rubio)
4. What was the man wearing?
a brown jacket (una chaqueta marrón)
5. What does Merche decide to do at the end?
give up the investigation
Episode 15:
1. What was the canal originally designed for?
it was originally designed to unite the north with the centre of Spain
2. When is the next departure?
at 11:00
3. How much does a ticket cost?
3 Euros
4. On what date did they start digging the canal? (Write your answer in Spanish).
el dieciséis de julio, mil setecientos cincuenta y tres (July 16, 1753)
5. Where does Merche go at the end of the episode?
she goes to the bus station to go back to Madrid
Episode 16:
1. What city do you and Merche go to in order to continue her research?
Las Palmas
2. What is the name of the island?
Gran Canaria
3. What is your room number? (Write out your answer in English and in Spanish.)
508 - quinientos ocho
4. What time does breakfast start and end?
7 to 11 (de siete a las once)
5. What kind of race do you and Merche go to?
a horse race
Episode 17:
1. Why is Merche in a hurry?
she has an important meeting in the south of the island
2. Why do you decide to go shopping?
because Merche spills all over your clothes
3. How much does the t-shirt cost?
15 (quince) Euros
4. What is a “guagua”?
in the Canaries, it’s a bus
5. Where do tourists usually go in Gran Canaria?
the South (Maspalomas)
Episode 18:
1. Where are you going to meet Merche? (in English and Spanish)
en el faro (in the lighthouse)
2. What two things do you need to rent a car? (in English and Spanish)
el permiso de conducir y el pasaporte (driver’s license and passport)
3. What kind of vehicle do they give you at the car rental place?
un todoterreno (a 4x4)
4. What is a “rotonda”?
a roundabout or a traffic circle
5. What happens at the end of the episode?
you pick up Merche
Episode 19:
1. What does Raul want you to do?
say that you want to see the duplex next door
2. Why?
so he can try to sneak into the other place around the back
3. What are some specific features the duplex has? (List at least two.)
a fully-furnished kitchen, a dishwasher, air conditioning, and a communal swimming pool
4. How much does the duplex cost including taxes and service charges? (Write out in Spanish and English).
396.000 – trescientos noventa y seis mil euros
Episode 20:
1. Why does Merche want to stop at the pharmacy?
her stomach aches and she feels sick; she also needs bandaids
2. List 3 new pharmacy-related vocabulary words you learned in this episode in Spanish and English.
tiritas – plasters/bandaids
los vómitos – vomiting
las pastillas – lozenges
3. What do you have to pick up from the receptionist back at the hotel?
keycards
Episode 21:
1. Describe the different weather in the north and south of the island.
cloudy in the north, but sunny in the south
2. Where do you go to take photos?
a nature reserve next to the beach
3. What is special about the lizards of Gran Canaria?
they are a species that doesn’t live anywhere else in the world
4. Who is the man from Madrid who has been following Merche?
the right-hand man of a corrupt developer who wanted to intimidate Merche so she wouldn't publish her article
Episode 22:
1. Who was Merche investigating?
Juan Rodríguez
2. What were the allegations against him? List at least 2.
illegal payments to the authorities
physical threats to anyone investigating him
3. What was Rodriguez’s defense?
“These accusations are totally untrue and have been invented by certain journalists who support the environmentalists.”
4. What does Merche suspect at the end?
the people close to her were involved