I'm your lesson assistant. Ask me to explain any concept, drill you on the grammar, or give you extra practice for what you're studying right now.
Shared by Colombia Conversa learners and visitors. Every submission is reviewed before publication.
Loading approved comments…
It is Saturday morning in Santa Marta. The sun has barely cleared the Sierra Nevada and the heat is already pressing down on the city. Your friend Daniela calls you: "¡Epa! ¿Tú qué hace' hoy? Vamo' pa'l Rodadero que el agua ta' bacanísima. Yo llevo la hielera con cerveza' y tú compra' el pesca'o frito en el camino. ¿Dale?" In thirty seconds she has planned your entire day — beach, drinks, food — using nothing but tú forms, Costeño phonology, and the warm directness that defines coastal communication.
This is the lesson where everything comes together. You have learned the phonology (Lesson 1), the tú paradigm (Lesson 2), the vocabulary (Lesson 3), the heritage (Lesson 4), and the connected speech patterns (Lesson 5). Now you will practice sustained conversation in the Costeño register — complete dialogues about the three pillars of coastal life: la playa (the beach), la música (music), and la comida (food).
In this lesson, you will engage in extended Costeño dialogues, practicing informal/formal register switching and using all the skills from Lessons 1-5 in realistic scenarios.
B1 Language Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
On the coast, invitations and suggestions are direct. The tú imperative (command) forms are essential for this:
Regular tú imperatives (same as the él/ella present tense form):
| Infinitive | Tú imperative | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| mirar | mira | look | Mira esa puesta de sol. (Look at that sunset.) |
| probar | prueba | try/taste | Prueba este jugo de corozo. (Try this corozo juice.) |
| comprar | compra | buy | Compra el pesca'o en ese puesto. (Buy the fish at that stand.) |
| escuchar | escucha | listen | Escucha esa champeta. (Listen to that champeta.) |
| esperar | espera | wait | Espera, ya vengo. (Wait, I will be right back.) |
Irregular tú imperatives (high-frequency):
| Infinitive | Tú imperative | Example |
|---|---|---|
| venir | ven | Ven acá, mira esto. (Come here, look at this.) |
| decir | di / dime | Dime, ¿tú qué quiere'? (Tell me, what do you want?) |
| ir | ve | Ve y compra hielo. (Go and buy ice.) |
| poner | pon | Pon la música má' duro. (Turn the music up.) |
| salir | sal | Sal de ahí, que el sol ta' fuerte. (Get out of there, the sun is strong.) |
| hacer | haz | Haz lo que tú quiera'. (Do what you want.) |
| tener | ten | Ten, prueba esto. (Here, try this.) |
A Day at El Rodadero — Full Dialogue
Daniela (D) and You (Tú) plan a beach day in Santa Marta:
D: "¡Epa! ¿Tú qué hace' hoy? Vamo' pa'l Rodadero." (Hey! What are you doing today? Let's go to El Rodadero.)
Tú: "Dale, ¿a qué hora salimo'?" (Sure, what time do we leave?)
D: "Como a la' diez, ante' de que el sol esté muy fuerte. Tú lleva' la sombrilla y yo llevo la hielera." (Around ten, before the sun gets too strong. You bring the umbrella and I'll bring the cooler.)
Tú: "Listo. ¿Tú quiere' que compre algo de comer?" (Ready. Do you want me to buy something to eat?)
D: "Sí, compra patacone' y pesca'o frito en el camino. Y no se te olvide el bloqueador que la última vez tú quedaste como un camarón." (Yes, buy patacones and fried fish on the way. And don't forget sunscreen because last time you turned into a shrimp.)
Tú: "Ja, es verdad. ¿Llevamo' música?" (Ha, true. Should we bring music?)
D: "Claro, yo tengo una bocina. Pon la playlist de champeta que tú tiene'." (Of course, I have a speaker. Put on the champeta playlist that you have.)
Tú: "Bacano. Entonce' no' vemo' a la' diez." (Cool. Then we'll see each other at ten.)
D: "Dale, no llegue' tarde. Chao, mi rey." (Sure, don't be late. Bye, my king.)
Grammar in this dialogue:
At a Champeta Picot in Cartagena
You are at an outdoor champeta party (picot) in the Cartagena neighborhood of Olaya Herrera. Your friend Julio introduces you to the scene:
Julio (J): "Hermano, e'to es un picot. Aquí es donde nació la champeta. ¿Tú escucha' esos bafle'? Son de do' metro' de alto." (Bro, this is a picot. This is where champeta was born. Do you hear those speakers? They are two meters tall.)
Tú: "E'to está brutal, vale. ¿Qué canción e' e'ta?" (This is incredible, buddy. What song is this?)
J: "E' de Kevin Florez. Él es de aquí, de Cartagena. Ven, vamo' a baila' que la champeta se baila así..." (It's by Kevin Florez. He's from here, from Cartagena. Come, let's dance because champeta is danced like this...)
Tú: "Hermano, yo no sé bailar champeta." (Bro, I don't know how to dance champeta.)
J: "Tranquilo, tú solo mueve la' cadera' y sigue el ritmo. No piense' tanto. Mira cómo baila esa pelada." (Relax, just move your hips and follow the rhythm. Don't think too much. Look at how that girl dances.)
Tú: "Ta' bien, vamo' a intenta'." (Alright, let's try.)
New vocabulary from this dialogue:
In Julio's line 'no piense' tanto,' what grammar structure is he using?
Lunch at a Comedor in Barranquilla — Register Switching
You enter a small family restaurant. The owner, Doña Carmen (60s), greets you. Notice how the register shifts slightly with an elder:
Doña Carmen (C): "Buena', mijo. ¿Tú qué va' a almorzá'?" (Good afternoon, dear. What are you going to have for lunch?)
Tú: "Buenas, señora. ¿Qué tiene de especial hoy?" (Good afternoon, ma'am. What is the special today?)
C: "Tenemo' arroz de coco con pesca'o frito, y de sopa hay sancocho de ñame." (We have coconut rice with fried fish, and for soup there is yam sancocho.)
Tú: "El sancocho, por favor. Y un jugo natural." (The sancocho, please. And a fresh juice.)
C: "¿De qué lo quiere', mi rey? Tenemo' de lulo, de mango, de maracuyá y de corozo." (What flavor do you want, dear? We have lulo, mango, passion fruit, and corozo.)
Tú: "De corozo. ¿Es dulce?" (Corozo. Is it sweet?)
C: "Claaro, mijo. El corozo de aquí es el má' dulce que hay. Tú va' a ve'. Ya te lo traigo." (Of couuurse, dear. The corozo from here is the sweetest there is. You'll see. I'll bring it right out.)
Register observation: Doña Carmen (older) still uses tú with a stranger — this is the coast. But notice: (1) she uses mijo (softer, maternal), (2) the speaker uses señora (respectful address for the elder). This is Costeño "soft formality" — not switching to usted, but showing respect through vocabulary choices within the tú framework.
"Buena', ¿cómo está'?" or simply "Buena'."
"¿Qué hay hoy?" or "¿Qué tiene de especial?"
"Dame el pesca'o frito con patacón." or "Yo quiero el arroz de coco."
Which of these is a correct Costeño negative tú imperative?
Conversation Practice for This Week
Monday-Tuesday: Memorize the 7 irregular tú imperatives: ven, di, ve, pon, sal, haz, ten. Use each in a Costeño sentence: "Ven acá, hermano. Dime qué tú quiere'."
Wednesday-Thursday: Write one full 8-turn dialogue for each topic: beach, music, food. Use at least 5 Costeño vocabulary items per dialogue and apply phonological reductions.
Friday-Weekend: Practice with a partner or record yourself. Read the beach dialogue aloud in Costeño style (delete /s/ sounds, reduce está → ta', use tú). Then improvise responses to unexpected questions: "¿Tú sabe' nadar?" "¿Tú ha' probá'o el ceviche de aquí?"
"Y un jugo de [lulo / mango / corozo / maracuyá], por favor."