I got the little doll./ Me tocó el muñequito 5 minutos de español + Podcast English version

 Hello, how are you?

Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening, depending on where you are or what time you're listening to us.

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How are you? How did you end the year? With rest, with parties... or with lots of things you had to do?

Thank you for being here, participating in this podcast about Spanish, a language we love and that today, once again, brings us together. Malena, what's on the agenda today?

Today we're going to talk about some very common uses of the verb tocar, a verb we use all the time, especially when we talk about shifts, responsibilities, and situations in life.

Let's start with the most literal use: to touch something physically, as in “to touch” in English.

When we were children and entered a house full of decorations, we were told:

“No toques.” / Don’t touch.

O también:
“Se mira, pero no se toca.” / You can look, but you can’t touch.

Today, in many stores, the opposite is true. Salespeople want you to touch the products, try them out, feel them.

The new trends in marketing are that it's good to have experience with things or services.

We have experience with cooking, for example.

Another very common use is playing an instrument.

Mucha gente en Latinoamérica toca la guitarra. / To play the guitar.

 Do you play any instruments? Tell us on our social media pages on Facebook or Instagram.

And what about the reflexive form of tocar, tocarse?

We also use the reflexive form, tocarse.

For example:

Me toco el pelo cuando estoy nervioso. / I touch my hair when I’m nervous.

 

No te toques la cara. / Don’t touch your face.

 

Se toca la nariz cuando habla. / He touches his nose when he speaks.

 

Pero uno de los usos más interesantes de tocar es cuando hablamos de turnos o responsabilidades, cosas que no siempre elegimos.

 

Hoy me toca trabajar. / Today it’s my turn to work.

 

Mañana te toca pagar. / Tomorrow it’s your turn to pay.

 

A mí me toca cocinar. / I have to cook / It’s my turn to cook.

 

En la vida, muchas cosas nos tocan, aunque no las planeemos.

 

También usamos tocar cuando hablamos de suerte.

Te puede tocar ganar. / You might win.

 

Te puede tocar perder. / You might lose.

 

Te puede tocar una experiencia increíble.  You might get an amazing experience.

 

Y claro, en México decimos:In Mexico we say:

Te puede tocar el muñequito en la rosca de Reyes.Un 6 de enero como ayer.  You might get the little figurine in the Three Kings cake, like yesterday.

And if it's your turn...

you have to pay for the tamales on February 2, the Day of the Virgin of Candelaria.

Now, to close this podcast, we leave you with a question.

Thinking about the holidays...

Thinking about last year...

What did you have to do?

¿Te tocó trabajar? / Did you have to work?

 

¿Tuviste que organizarlo todo? / Did you have to organize everything?

O, ¿finalmente te tocó descansar? / Or. did you finally get to rest?

 

Because playing doesn't always mean obligation.

Sometimes it means what life puts in front of us.

And now that a new year is beginning...

What would you like to play?

Thank you for listening.

See you on the next podcast.

See you soon,

Bye, bye.