Listen and compare · 16
CEFR B2
Review the contrast after listening
El plan, según Laura, sigue en marcha.
/el plan seˈɡun ˈlauɾa ˈsiɡe en ˈmaɾtʃa/
Laura is the source, inserted as an aside.
Según Laura, el plan sigue en marcha.
/seˈɡun ˈlauɾa el plan ˈsiɡe en ˈmaɾtʃa/
Laura is the source, introduced before the main message.
What tells the two sounds apart
- asideGive según Laura its own short group, slightly lower in pitch in this model; return to the main register at sigue.
- initial frameIntroduce the source, make a brief boundary, and deliver the main message as a connected group.
Why it is hard
An aside can interrupt delivery without breaking the grammatical connection. The pair keeps the source and main claim but moves the source phrase; it is a discourse comparison, not a minimal pair. In this careful Spain model, the medial aside is slightly lower and the main line resumes afterwards. Pitch range and boundary timing vary legitimately across regions and speakers. Task: Listen to the first six utterances with the transcript, IPA and function labels closed. Mark the start and end of any aside you actually hear, recover the main clause and describe how delivery resumes. Then open the support and identify source, time limitation, assessment and location in the four practice examples. Move one medial aside to the beginning without changing its scope; read both versions and explain how your voice helps recover the main clause.
El plan, según Laura, sigue en marcha desde ayer.
To practise
- La reunión, según Pablo, termina pronto./la reuˈnjon seˈɡun ˈpablo teɾˈmina ˈpɾonto/The meeting, according to Pablo, ends soon.
- El taller, por ahora, sigue abierto./el taˈʝeɾ poɾ aˈoɾa ˈsiɡe aˈbjeɾto/The workshop, for now, remains open.
- La propuesta, en mi opinión, es útil./la pɾoˈpwesta en mi opiˈnjon es ˈutil/The proposal, in my opinion, is useful.
- El equipo, allí en el fondo, espera./el eˈkipo aˈʝi en el ˈfondo esˈpeɾa/The team, there at the back, is waiting.