Welcome to The Spanish Intermediate Plateau Podcast — the podcast that will help you move from passive understanding to real speaking.
Today you’ll hear a relaxed conversation between two friends in natural European Spanish as they talk about their early days in Madrid and the challenges that come with starting a new life in a new city.
Want to study this conversation further?
Download the transcript here: [Download Script – Google Doc]
Or listen to the full audio on YouTube: [Listen on YouTube]
Alright, let’s jump into the conversation.
Script
Carlos:
Oye, Edu, ¿te acuerdas de cuando llegaste a Madrid? ¿Cómo fue aquello?
Hey Edu, do you remember when you first arrived in Madrid? What was that like?
Edu:
Puf… un cambio enorme. Llegué hace tres años, en pleno invierno. Hacía un frío que no me esperaba, la verdad. Fue un choque total.
Phew… it was a huge change. I arrived three years ago, right in the middle of winter. It was way colder than I expected. A total shock.
Carlos:
¿Y venías muy perdido o qué?
And were you totally lost at first or what?
Edu:
Bastante. No conocía a nadie y todo me resultaba un lío. Los primeros días iba mirando Google Maps para todo, hasta para volver a casa.
Yeah, pretty much. I didn’t know anyone and everything felt confusing. During the first days I used Google Maps for literally everything, even to get back home.
Carlos:
Normal, Madrid al principio impone. ¿Dónde vivías?
Makes sense. Madrid can be overwhelming at first. Where were you living?
Edu:
En un piso compartido en Lavapiés. Pequeñito, viejillo… pero barato. Que era lo importante en ese momento.
In a shared flat in Lavapiés. Small, kinda old… but cheap. Which was the important part at the time.
Carlos:
¿Y el casero? ¿Qué tal era?
And the landlord? What was he like?
Edu:
Hablaba rapidísimo. No entendía nada. El español se me daba fatal. Me hablaba como si yo fuera de aquí de toda la vida, y yo solo asentaba.
He talked super fast. I didn’t understand anything. My Spanish was terrible back then. He spoke to me like I was a local who’d lived here forever, and I just nodded along.
Carlos:
Aquí la gente habla a toda velocidad. Te lanzan diez frases en un segundo.
People here speak at full speed. They throw ten sentences at you in one second.
Edu:
Total. Un día en el súper la cajera me dijo: “¿Tienes suelto?”. Y yo no entendía nada. Me quedé bloqueado.
Exactly. One day at the supermarket the cashier told me, “Do you have change?” And I had no idea what she meant. I just froze.
¡Qué gracioso! Típica situación de recién llegado.
That´s so funny! Classic newcomer moment.
Edu:
Y encima me puse a buscar el móvil para traducir, con la cola detrás. Qué vergüenza. Pensé: “Madre mía, ¿qué hago viviendo aquí?”.
And on top of that I started looking for my phone to translate, with the whole line behind me. So embarrassing. I thought, “Oh my god, what am I doing living here?”
Carlos:
Tranquilo, eso nos pasa a todos. Forma parte del proceso.
Don’t worry, that happens to all of us. It’s part of the process.
Edu:
Ya… pero gracias a esas situaciones espabilé rápido. Me obligaron a ponerme las pilas.
Yeah… but thanks to moments like those I learned quickly. They forced me to step up.
Carlos:
¿Y cuándo empezaste a sentirte más cómodo?
And when did you start feeling more at ease?
Edu:
Cuando hice amigos y empecé a trabajar aquí en Madrid. Ahí todo cambió.
When I made friends and started working here in Madrid. That’s when everything shifted.
Carlos:
¿Te costó adaptarte?
Was it hard for you to adapt?
Sí, el idioma, el ritmo, el frío… todo me parecía nuevo. Me sentía fuera de lugar.
Yeah, the language, the pace, the cold… everything felt new to me. I felt out of place.
Carlos:
Es normal. Vivir fuera te hace crecer. Te obliga a conocerte más.
That’s normal. Living abroad makes you grow. It forces you to understand yourself better.
Edu:
El primer día de trabajo llegué media hora antes por miedo a perderme. Estaba súper nervioso.
On my first day of work, I arrived half an hour early because I was scared I’d get lost. I was super nervous.
Carlos:
Qué exagerado, eh. Pero oye, mejor llegar de más que de menos.
That´s so extra. But hey, better early than late.
Edu:
Ahora llego por los pelos, pero oye… llego. Aunque siempre voy corriendo.
Now I barely make it on time, but hey… at least I make it. Even if I’m always rushing.
Carlos:
Lo importante es que sigues aquí y te va bien. Se nota que te has adaptado.
The important thing is you’re still here and doing well. You’ve clearly adapted.
Edu:
Sí. Ha merecido la pena. He aprendido muchísimo, más de lo que imaginaba.
Yeah. It’s been worth it. I’ve learned a lot, more than I ever expected.
Carlos:
Se nota. Madrid te ha sentado bien.
You can tell. Madrid has been good for you.
Edu:
Antes todo se me hacía cuesta arriba, pero poco a poco me fui soltando. Cada día me siento más yo.
Before, everything felt like such a struggle, but little by little, I loosened up. Every day, I feel more like myself.
Carlos:
Y ahora hablas español muy bien. Has avanzado muchísimo.
And now you speak Spanish really well, you know? You’ve improved a lot.
Bueno, mejor… pero aún me bloqueo cuando no me salen las palabras. Me frustró un montón.
Well, better… but I still freeze when the words don’t come out. It frustrates me a lot.
Carlos:
Nos pasa a todos. No te ralles.
It happens to all of us. Don’t stress about it.
Edu:
Sí, con paciencia todo llega. Poco a poco voy mejorando.
Yeah, with patience everything comes. Little by little I’m improving.
Important Note (from one learner to another):
Just a quick reminder before we jump in — everything you’ll see in the grammar rules and vocabulary list comes from my own learning process. These explanations are short on purpose because I’m not trying to teach Spanish formally. I’m simply highlighting the structures I’m practicing myself and the phrases I’m trying to get familiar with.
So please read them with that in mind: if something isn’t fully clear or you need more detail, feel free to look it up and go deeper. I leave these notes here so you can see what I’m focusing on as an intermediate learner, and maybe they’ll help you notice the same things.
Also, keep in mind that many of the words and expressions I include—especially the slang and colloquialisms—can change depending on the context. I pick them up from real conversations with locals here in Madrid, not from textbooks or apps, because those usually stay very formal to sound “academic” or “professional.”
This whole project is just my way of learning and a way to share the process with anyone who feels stuck in the intermediate plateau, as I do. Hope this helps.
Grammar Rules
1. Pretérito Imperfecto (hablar del pasado / describir en pasado / acciones habituales)
Grammar Objective: Describe past situations, feelings, background details, or repeated actions. The imperfect is essential for storytelling and talking about how things used to be in the past, what someone used to do, habitual actions, and past feelings or descriptions. Structure: Regular -AR verbs (e.g., hablar)- yo hablaba → I used to… / I was…
- tú hablabas → you used to… / you were…
- él/ella/usted hablaba → he/she/you (formal) used to…
- nosotros hablábamos → we used to… / we were…
- vosotros hablabais → you all used to… (Spain)
- ellos/ellas/ustedes hablaban → they / you all used to…
- yo comía / vivía → I used to… / I was…
- tú comías / vivías → you used to… / you were…
- él/ella/usted comía / vivía → he/she/you used to…
- nosotros comíamos / vivíamos → we used to…
- vosotros comíais / vivíais → you all used to… (Spain)
- ellos/ellas/ustedes comían / vivían → they / you all used to…
- No entendía nada.
→ “I didn’t understand anything.” - Todo me parecía un lío.
→ “Everything felt like a mess to me.” - El español se me daba fatal.
→ “Spanish was really hard for me.” - Hablaba rapidísimo.
→ “He used to talk super fast.” - Los primeros días iba mirando Google Maps para todo.
→ “During the first days I used Google Maps for everything.” (habitual action)
2. Pretérito Indefinido (acciones que ocurrieron una vez / tiempo terminado)
Grammar Objective: Talk about specific, completed actions that happened at a defined moment in the past. Structure: Regular -AR verbs (e.g., hablar)- yo hablé → I spoke / I talked
- tú hablaste → you spoke
- él/ella/usted habló → he/she/you (formal) spoke
- nosotros hablamos → we spoke
- vosotros hablasteis → you all spoke (Spain)
- ellos/ellas/ustedes hablaron → they / you all spoke
- yo comí / viví → I ate / I lived
- tú comiste / viviste → you ate / you lived
- él/ella/usted comió / vivió → he/she/you ate / lived
- nosotros comimos / vivimos → we ate / we lived
- vosotros comisteis / vivisteis → you all ate / lived (Spain)
- ellos/ellas/ustedes comieron / vivieron → they / you all ate / lived
The pretérito indefinido is used when the time period is over / finished. Some examples of finished time expressions:
- ayer → yesterday
- anoche → last night
- la semana pasada → last week
- el mes pasado → last mont
- el año pasado → last year
- hace dos días → two days ago
- hace tres años → three years ago
- Ayer comí con unos amigos.
→ “Yesterday I had lunch with some friends.” - Anoche vi una película.
→ “I watched a movie last night.” - La semana pasada empecé un curso.
→ “I started a course last week.” - El mes pasado me mudé.
→ “I moved last month.” - Hace tres años llegué a Madrid.
→ “I arrived in Madrid three years ago.”
3. Se me daba mal (expresar habilidad o dificultad en el pasado)
Grammar Objective: Express how easy or difficult something was for you in the past using a natural, native-sounding structure. It’s a helpful alternative to saying “era malo en…” (I was bad at) or “era bueno en…” (I was good at) and sounds much more natural. Structure: Se me daba(n) + bien/mal + noun / infinitive Meaning: “I was good at…” / “I struggled with…” Example from script:- El español se me daba fatal.
→ “Spanish was really hard for me.”
Vocabulary Highlights
- Puf… qué día tan largo. → “Phew… what a long day.”
Explanation: Used when a situation feels complicated, hard to manage, or chaotic.
Example:
- Organizar todo fue un lío. → “Organizing everything was such a mess.”
Explanation: These are diminutivos, a very common form in Spanish used to make a description sound friendlier, less direct, or more affectionate. Spain often uses -ito and -illo to soften the tone or add warmth.
Example:
- Vivo en un piso pequeñito, pero es acogedor. → “I live in a small place, but it’s cozy.”
Explanation: Common expression to describe someone speaking, moving, or doing something very quickly.
Example:
- Habla a toda velocidad. → “He speaks super fast.”
Explanation: Used to express shame, awkwardness, or a moment where you’d rather disappear.
Example:
- Me caí delante de todos. → “I fell in front of everyone.”
- Qué vergüenza. → “So embarrassing.”
Explanation: Describes something that feels tiring, difficult, or emotionally heavy.
Example:
- Al principio todo se me hacía cuesta arriba. → “At the beginning everything felt like such a struggle.”
Explanation: Very common in Spain. Means to spiral mentally, worry too much, or get stuck in your thoughts.
Example:
- Creo que metí la pata… → “I think I messed up…”
- No te ralles. (subjunctive) → “Don’t stress yourself out.”
