Free Spanish audio course (Spain)
Learn by copying everyday conversations.
Hear a short scene, understand the useful phrases, copy them out loud, then try your own answers in the pauses.
Episode 2
Going up?
Spanish (Spain) · A1 beginner · 11 minutes · No signup
Free to play, download, and read, with no account or email needed.
Voices are AI-generated. Lucía, the teacher, and Sam, the learner, are fictional characters.
All episodes
Take them in order: each episode builds on the phrases before it. Every one is free to play, download, and read.
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Episode 1
A1 beginner · 11 minutes
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Episode 2
Going up?
A1 beginner · 11 minutes · Playing on this page
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Episode 3
A1 beginner · 10 minutes
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Episode 4
A1 beginner · 10 minutes
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Episode 5
A1 beginner · 11 minutes
More episodes are coming
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Episodes 1–5 out now · more coming soon
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Episodes 1–5 out now · more coming soon
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Spanish (Spain)
Episodes 1–5 out now · more coming soon
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Episodes 1–5 out now · more coming soon
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Episodes 1–5 out now · more coming soon
How the lesson works
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1
Hear the scene
Sam plays Dani, the new neighbour in a block of flats in Madrid. Clara gets into the lift carrying something big. First, you just listen for what she's carrying.
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2
Understand the useful phrases
Lucía explains each phrase in English, only as much as helps your next try.
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3
Copy them out loud
Say each phrase in the pause after you hear it. Copy the sound and rhythm before worrying about grammar.
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4
Try your answers
Ask if someone is going up or down from memory, offer to help, then play Dani in the lift. A spoken answer follows every pause, so you can compare.
Missed an answer? Keep listening. The words come back, and you don’t need to touch the screen once the episode is playing.
After this episode
You can say good morning, ask if someone is going up or down, say who you are, ask how someone is, offer to help, and say thank you.
Level A1. Written for adult English speakers starting Spanish, with the Spanish of Spain. You don’t need any Spanish to begin.
Phrases you’ll say
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Buenos días.
Good morning.
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Perdona, ¿subes?
Excuse me, are you going up?
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¿Bajas?
Are you going down?
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Yo también. Soy Dani, el vecino nuevo.
Me too. I'm Dani, the new neighbour.
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Encantado. ¿Qué tal?
Nice to meet you. How are you?
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Te ayudo.
I'll help you.
Phrases you’ll recognize
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Sí, gracias. Voy al quinto.
Yes, thanks. I'm going to the fifth floor.
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Bien, pero esta planta pesa mucho.
Fine, but this plant is very heavy.
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El ascensor es muy lento.
The lift is very slow.
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Gracias. Bienvenido al edificio.
Thanks. Welcome to the building.
Listening with your screen off
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The speaking pauses are optional. If you’re driving, keep your attention on the road: just listen, or skip the speaking parts. The episode says the same.
Transcript
Every word of Episode 2. Choose a time to play from there. “Your turn” marks a pause for you to speak; Spanish is in bold.
Welcome
Sam: New flat, new building, and this morning I meet the neighbours.
Lucía: Welcome back to Copycat Cafe. I'm Lucía.
Sam: And I'm Sam.
Lucía: Sam and I are AI-generated voices. Today you'll learn to greet a neighbour in Spanish as it's spoken in Spain: say good morning, ask if someone's going up, say who you are, ask how they are, and offer to help. Listen first. Copy the sound. Then try the words for yourself. We'll leave space for you to speak.
Lucía: If you miss an answer, that's fine. Join in again at the next one. If you're driving, keep your attention on the road and skip the speaking exercises.
Warm-up
Lucía: First, a quick warm-up from Episode 1. If this is your first episode, just listen. Say hi, and say that you're Sam.
Your turn · 5-second pause
Lucía: Hola, soy Sam. Hi, I'm Sam. Keep soy, I am, handy. You'll need it in a lift today.
In the lift
Lucía: Here's the whole scene. It's morning in a block of flats in Madrid. Sam plays Dani, who has just moved in. I'm Clara, who lives upstairs, and I'm carrying something big. Listen for one thing: what am I carrying?
Sam: Buenos días. Perdona, ¿subes?
Lucía: Sí, gracias. Voy al quinto.
Sam: Yo también. Soy Dani, el vecino nuevo.
Lucía: Ah, encantada. Soy Clara.
Sam: Encantado. ¿Qué tal?
Lucía: Bien, pero esta planta pesa mucho.
Sam: Te ayudo. El ascensor es muy lento.
Lucía: Gracias. Bienvenido al edificio.
Sam: Gracias. Mi primera amiga aquí es una planta.
Lucía: So, what was I carrying? A plant. Una planta. A very heavy one.
Sam: And Dani's first friend in the building is the plant. In fairness, it's a very good listener.
Good morning
Lucía: Dani starts with: buenos días. Good morning. Copy it: buenos días.
Your turn · 4-second pause
Lucía: Then: perdona. Excuse me. It's the friendly form, for someone you'd speak to casually, like a neighbour. Copy it: perdona.
Your turn · 4-second pause
Lucía: And he asks: ¿subes? Are you going up? Notice that subes ends like eres from Episode 1. Here, that ending means you. Let your voice rise: ¿subes?
Your turn · 4-second pause
Lucía: Now the whole line: buenos días. Perdona, ¿subes?
Your turn · 6-second pause
Me too
Lucía: Clara answers: sí, gracias. Voy al quinto. Yes, thanks. I'm going to the fifth. Quinto means fifth. The word for floor, piso, is understood, so she leaves it out. Al is a and el squeezed together: to the. Then Dani says: yo también. Me too. Copy it: yo también.
Your turn · 4-second pause
The new neighbour
Lucía: Next, Dani says who he is: soy Dani, el vecino nuevo. I'm Dani, the new neighbour. You know soy. Vecino means neighbour, and nuevo means new. Here, new comes after the word: el vecino nuevo. Copy that part: el vecino nuevo.
Your turn · 4.5-second pause
Lucía: Now Dani's whole line: yo también. Soy Dani, el vecino nuevo.
Your turn · 6.5-second pause
Lucía: A woman would say la vecina nueva. The endings change, just like encantado and encantada. Today you'll keep Dani's words.
How are you?
Lucía: Clara replies: ah, encantada. Soy Clara. Oh, nice to meet you. I'm Clara. She says encantada because she's a woman. Dani is a man. What does he say back? Say it.
Your turn · 4-second pause
Lucía: Encantado. Then he asks: ¿qué tal? How are you? Copy it: ¿qué tal?
Your turn · 4-second pause
Lucía: Clara says: bien, pero esta planta pesa mucho. Fine, but this plant is very heavy. Literally, it weighs a lot. Bien, fine, is all you need to answer ¿qué tal?
Sam: That sounds like a hint.
Lucía: It's definitely a hint.
Offer to help
Lucía: And Dani takes the hint: te ayudo. I'll help you. Literally, I help you. For an offer you're making right now, Spanish uses the present. You'll also hear it as a question, ¿te ayudo?, shall I help? Both are friendly. Copy Dani's version: te ayudo.
Your turn · 4-second pause
Lucía: Once more, as a warm, simple statement. Te ayudo.
Your turn · 4-second pause
Lucía: He adds: el ascensor es muy lento. The lift is very slow. Clara says: gracias. Bienvenido al edificio. Thanks. Welcome to the building. She says bienvenido because Dani is a man; to a woman, she'd say bienvenida. And Dani finishes: gracias. Mi primera amiga aquí es una planta. Thanks. My first friend here is a plant.
Sam: I stand by it. The plant and I have a connection.
Up or down
Lucía: Now a small switch. ¿Subes? means are you going up. ¿Bajas? means are you going down. Same ending, same friendly you. Copy it: ¿bajas?
Your turn · 4-second pause
Lucía: Now without hearing the Spanish first. You're holding the lift door for someone. Say excuse me, and ask if they're going up.
Your turn · 6-second pause
Lucía: Perdona, ¿subes? Now say excuse me again, and ask if they're going down.
Your turn · 5-second pause
Lucía: Perdona, ¿bajas? Your neighbour is carrying heavy bags. Offer to help.
Your turn · 4.5-second pause
Lucía: Te ayudo. And ask your neighbour how they are.
Your turn · 4.5-second pause
Lucía: ¿Qué tal?
You're Dani
Lucía: Now let's put it together. You're Dani, the new neighbour. I'll be Clara. Sam will stay quiet. You're holding the lift door. Say good morning, say excuse me, and ask if I'm going up.
Your turn · 7-second pause
Lucía: Sí, gracias. Voy al quinto.
Lucía: Now say me too, and say you're Dani, the new neighbour.
Your turn · 7-second pause
Lucía: Ah, encantada. Soy Clara.
Lucía: Say nice to meet you, and ask how I am.
Your turn · 6-second pause
Lucía: Bien, pero esta planta pesa mucho.
Lucía: Offer to help me.
Your turn · 4-second pause
Lucía: Gracias. Bienvenido al edificio.
Lucía: Now thank me.
Your turn · 3.5-second pause
Lucía: Here's one version of Dani's part. Buenos días. Perdona, ¿subes? Yo también. Soy Dani, el vecino nuevo. Encantado. ¿Qué tal? Te ayudo. Gracias. If you missed a line, that's fine. You'll get another go.
Listen again
Lucía: Here's the original scene again. No explanations this time. Notice how much you recognise.
Sam: Buenos días. Perdona, ¿subes?
Lucía: Sí, gracias. Voy al quinto.
Sam: Yo también. Soy Dani, el vecino nuevo.
Lucía: Ah, encantada. Soy Clara.
Sam: Encantado. ¿Qué tal?
Lucía: Bien, pero esta planta pesa mucho.
Sam: Te ayudo. El ascensor es muy lento.
Lucía: Gracias. Bienvenido al edificio.
Sam: Gracias. Mi primera amiga aquí es una planta.
The next morning
Lucía: Now the next morning. You're Dani again, holding the lift door, and Clara is coming. This time you're going down. Say good morning, say excuse me, and ask if I'm going down.
Your turn · 6-second pause
Lucía: Sí, gracias.
Lucía: Ask me how I am.
Your turn · 4-second pause
Lucía: Bien. La planta también.
Lucía: If you heard Episode 1, answer with Spain's everyday word for OK. If not, just listen for it.
Your turn · 4-second pause
Lucía: Here's one version: buenos días. Perdona, ¿bajas? ¿Qué tal? And then: vale. Vale is how people in Spain say OK.
Sam: Good news all round. Clara's fine, and so is the plant.
Keep the phrases
Lucía: One last line from memory. A neighbour is carrying a heavy box. Offer to help.
Your turn · 4.5-second pause
Lucía: Te ayudo. Today you said good morning, asked if someone was going up or down, said who you are, asked ¿qué tal?, and offered to help. Come back and use the gaps again whenever you like. In the next episode, Sam is in a busy café, looking for somewhere to sit. This is the free Copycat Cafe audio course. The optional paid app adds pronunciation feedback and conversations that respond to you. Today's matching lesson is A Plant in the Elevator. ¡Hasta luego!
Sam: ¡Hasta luego!
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About this episode
Episode 2 of the free Copycat Cafe Spanish audio course. It’s adapted from “A Plant in the Elevator”, lesson 2 of our Spanish (Spain) course.
Lucía and Sam are fictional characters with AI-generated voices. The music is original.
Want feedback on your pronunciation?
The free course gives you the phrases, the pauses, and an answer to compare with. It can’t hear you. The Copycat Cafe app is a paid app that adds a pronunciation score on every word you say, and conversations with Copy, your AI conversation partner, that respond to what you actually say. In the app, “A Plant in the Elevator” uses the same scene.
See how Copycat works