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La oferta equivocada
The Wrong Offer
At the checkout, Daniel discovers that the buy-one-get-one-free deal applies to a different brand and size of coffee.
Three short parts. Read each part in Spanish first; tap “Show English” under a paragraph when you need the translation.
Part 1
Cuando llegó a la caja, Daniel dejó sobre la cinta dos paquetes de café de la misma marca. Había elegido uno de cada sabor porque, según el cartel del pasillo, la oferta era: «Llévate uno y el segundo te sale gratis».
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When he reached the checkout, Daniel placed two packets of coffee from the same brand on the conveyor belt. He had chosen one of each flavor because, according to the sign in the aisle, the offer was: “Buy one and get the second one free.”
La cajera pasó el primero por el lector y, después, el segundo. En la pantalla apareció el precio completo de ambos, y Daniel frunció el ceño.
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The cashier scanned the first packet and then the second. The full price of both appeared on the screen, and Daniel frowned.
—Perdona, ¿no se supone que el segundo sale gratis?
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“Excuse me, isn’t the second one supposed to be free?”
La cajera miró los paquetes y luego señaló el pequeño cartel del pasillo, que Daniel había fotografiado con el móvil.
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The cashier looked at the packets and then pointed to the small sign in the aisle, which Daniel had photographed with his phone.
—Sí, pero la oferta es para la marca Montaña. Estos son de Valle Verde.
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“Yes, but the offer is for Montaña brand. These are Valle Verde.”
Daniel volvió a mirar sus compras. Había escogido Valle Verde porque era la marca que compraba siempre, sin fijarse en el nombre que aparecía en el cartel. Detrás de él, una mujer empezó a colocar sus productos impacientemente sobre la cinta.
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Daniel looked at his groceries again. He had chosen Valle Verde because it was the brand he always bought, without noticing the name on the sign. Behind him, a woman began impatiently placing her items on the conveyor belt.
—Entonces… —dijo Daniel, mirando la cola y luego el total de la pantalla—. ¿Podría cambiar estos por los de la oferta?
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“So…” Daniel said, looking at the line and then at the total on the screen. “Could I exchange these for the ones in the offer?”
La cajera asintió y apartó los paquetes. Daniel tendría que decidir si ahorraba dinero o se quedaba con su café habitual.
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The cashier nodded and set the packets aside. Daniel would have to decide whether to save money or stick with his usual coffee.
Part 2La letra pequeña(The Fine Print)
Daniel respiró hondo y decidió cambiar los paquetes. Al fin y al cabo, el ahorro era considerable, y la marca Montaña no podía ser tan distinta. Se apartó de la caja y volvió al pasillo, mientras la mujer de detrás ocupaba su lugar con expresión de alivio.
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Daniel took a deep breath and decided to exchange the packets. After all, the savings were considerable, and Montaña couldn’t be that different. He stepped away from the checkout and went back to the aisle, while the woman behind him took his place with a look of relief.
Encontró la estantería enseguida. El cartel seguía allí, colocado justo encima de los paquetes de Montaña, pero ahora Daniel lo leyó con más atención: la oferta solo se aplicaba al café molido de doscientos cincuenta gramos. Los paquetes que había cogido eran de quinientos.
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He found the shelf right away. The sign was still there, placed just above the Montaña packets, but this time Daniel read it more carefully: the offer applied only to 250-gram packs of ground coffee. The packets he had picked up were 500 grams.
—Claro —murmuró—. Faltaba la letra pequeña.
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“Of course,” he muttered. “The fine print.”
Tomó dos paquetes pequeños y regresó a la caja. La cajera comprobó los códigos y, esta vez, el descuento apareció en la pantalla.
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He took two small packets and returned to the checkout. The cashier checked the codes, and this time the discount appeared on the screen.
—Ya está —dijo—. El segundo sale gratis.
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“There you go,” she said. “The second one is free.”
Daniel sonrió, aunque la mujer de la cola ya esperaba con los brazos cruzados. Entonces miró los paquetes y dudó. Había ahorrado dinero, sí, pero ahora tenía la mitad de café y una marca que no conocía. ¿De verdad era una buena compra?
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Daniel smiled, although the woman in line was already waiting with her arms crossed. Then he looked at the packets and hesitated. He had saved money, yes, but now he had half as much coffee and a brand he didn’t know. Was it really a good buy?
Part 3La compra sensata(The Sensible Purchase)
Daniel volvió a mirar la pantalla y después los paquetes pequeños. El ahorro era real, pero, al llevar menos cantidad, no resultaba tan grande como había pensado. Además, no le apetecía comprar dos paquetes de un café que quizá no le gustara.
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Daniel looked at the screen again and then at the small packets. The savings were real, but since he was getting less coffee, they weren’t as substantial as he had thought. Besides, he didn’t feel like buying two packets of a coffee he might not like.
—¿Podría quedarme con los de Valle Verde? —preguntó—. Prefiero pagar un poco más que llevarme algo solo porque está de oferta.
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“Could I keep the Valle Verde ones?” he asked. “I’d rather pay a little more than take something just because it’s on sale.”
—Claro —respondió la cajera—. Todavía no he cerrado la compra.
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“Of course,” the cashier replied. “I haven’t completed the sale yet.”
Daniel regresó por última vez al pasillo, dejó los paquetes de Montaña en su sitio y recogió los dos paquetes de quinientos gramos de Valle Verde. La mujer de la cola lo miró con impaciencia, pero él ya no se sintió tan incómodo. Al fin y al cabo, había tardado más en decidirse que en hacer el cambio.
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Daniel went back to the aisle one last time, put the Montaña packets back in their place, and picked up the two 500-gram packets of Valle Verde. The woman in line looked at him impatiently, but he no longer felt so uncomfortable. After all, he had taken longer to make up his mind than to exchange the items.
Cuando volvió a la caja, la cajera anuló los productos anteriores y pasó los paquetes correctos. Daniel pagó el precio completo y guardó el recibo.
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When he returned to the checkout, the cashier voided the previous items and scanned the right packets. Daniel paid the full price and put away the receipt.
Salió de la tienda sin ahorrar dinero, pero con su café de siempre y la sensación de haber hecho una compra sensata.
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He left the store without saving any money, but with his usual coffee and the feeling that he had made a sensible purchase.
Practise this Spanish story
Vocabulary in context
Important words and phrases
la letra pequeña
noun phrasethe fine print
Siempre leo la letra pequeña antes de aceptar una oferta.
I always read the fine print before accepting an offer.
sin fijarse en
prepositional phrasewithout noticing / without paying attention to
Se fijó en el precio, pero no en la fecha de caducidad.
He noticed the price, but not the expiration date.
se aplicaba a
verb phraseapplied to
El descuento se aplicaba a los productos de la misma marca.
The discount applied to products of the same brand.
el precio completo
noun phrasethe full price
Si no cumples las condiciones, tendrás que pagar el precio completo.
If you do not meet the conditions, you will have to pay the full price.
el ahorro era considerable
clausethe savings were significant
Para una compra grande, el ahorro era considerable.
For a large purchase, the savings were significant.
no resultaba tan grande como había pensado
clauseit was not as big as he had thought
El descuento no resultaba tan grande como había pensado.
The discount was not as big as he had thought.
quedarse con
verb phraseto keep / to stick with
Al final se quedó con su opción de siempre.
In the end, he stuck with his usual option.
anular
verbto cancel / void
La cajera anuló el artículo equivocado y pasó el correcto.
The cashier voided the wrong item and scanned the correct one.
cerrar la compra
verb phraseto finalize the purchase
Todavía no he cerrado la compra, así que puedo cambiar algo si quiero.
I have not finalized the purchase yet, so I can change something if I want.
con expresión de alivio
prepositional phrasewith a relieved expression
Salió de la reunión con expresión de alivio.
He left the meeting with a relieved expression.
Check your understanding
Comprehension questions
Choose an answer, check it, then move to the next question.
Question 1 of 3
- Question 1: current not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
Notice the language
Language notes
al fin y al cabo
This expression introduces a conclusion or justification that re-evaluates what came before. It often means "after all" and is useful when you want to present a decision as reasonable rather than abrupt. Example: "Al fin y al cabo, no me compensa comprar dos paquetes de algo que no voy a usar."
Al fin y al cabo, no me compensa comprar dos paquetes de algo que no voy a usar.
After all, it is not worth it for me to buy two packs of something I am not going to use.
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