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Listen and compare · 12

CEFR B1

Review the contrast after listening

Salí temprano, pero perdí el autobús.

/saˈli temˈpɾano ˈpeɾo peɾˈdi el autoˈbus/

I left early, but missed the bus; a linked contrast.

Salí temprano. Perdí el autobús.

/saˈli temˈpɾano peɾˈdi el autoˈbus/

I left early. I missed the bus; two separate statements.

What tells the two sounds apart

  • continuationBefore pero, leave room for the next clause: a short boundary without a fully final delivery.
  • closureAt a full stop, complete the first statement, then start a new group. A boundary can use timing and pitch as well as silence.

Why it is hard

Word-by-word reading can hide the relationship between events. The pair contrasts a connected narrative with two independent statements; it is not a minimal pair. This careful Spain model uses a non-final first group and a final fall at the end of a linked sentence. Other regional continuation contours are legitimate. Task: Listen to the first six utterances with the transcript, IPA and relationship labels closed. Mark the boundaries you actually hear, then describe how the four practice utterances connect their events. Open the support and compare your boundaries and interpretations. Tell a new three-event story using a cause, a contrast and a result; explain a planned boundary and a place where an internal pause would obscure a verb group.

Llevé agua porque hacía calor, pero no la bebí.

To practise

  1. Me llamó y fui a su casa./me ʝaˈmo i fui a su ˈkasa/He or she called me and I went to their house.
  2. Llevé agua porque hacía calor./ʝeˈbe ˈaɡwa ˈpoɾke aˈθia kaˈloɾ/I took water because it was hot.
  3. Quería ir, pero estaba cansado./keˈɾia iɾ ˈpeɾo esˈtaba kanˈsado/I wanted to go, but I was tired.
  4. Perdí el tren, así que volví a casa./peɾˈdi el tɾen aˈsi ke bolˈbi a ˈkasa/I missed the train, so I went home.