📖LearnModule 15 · Lesson 13 of 30Proficient User · CEFR C2 mastery — the capstoneUnit 3 · La exposición preparada
La pregunta difícil
Module 15 of the free Spanish course (CEFR C2 mastery — the capstone), lesson 13 of 30: Every prepared case has one question it does not want. On this page: 9 words with their genders and respellings, the rule, a watch-out line, the conjugation table and the audio — the study notes behind the workbook's QR.
The words
Spanish
English
Say it
el punto débil
the weak point
ehl POON-toh DEH-beel
lo mantengo de todos modos
I stand by it anyway
loh mahn-TEHN-goh deh TOH-dohs MOH-dohs
mantener
to uphold
mahn-teh-NEHR
la respuesta honesta
the honest answer
lah rrehs-PWEHS-tah oh-NEHS-tah
fingir
to pretend
feen-HEER
reconocer una debilidad
to admit a weakness
rreh-koh-noh-SEHR OO-nah deh-bee-lee-DAHD
creíble en el debate
credible in debate
kreh-EE-bleh ehn ehl deh-BAH-teh
preparar primero
to prepare first
preh-pah-RAR pree-MEH-roh
yo mantengo mi postura
I stand by my position
yoh mahn-TEHN-goh mee pohs-TOO-rah
Respellings follow the course’s say-it key; the stressed syllable is in capitals. Print this lesson’s flashcards (PDF) — the words on the front, the English and respelling on the back.
La regla · The rule
Every prepared case has one question it does not want. Prepare that one first, and prepare an honest answer rather than a clever one: es el punto débil de mi argumento, y lo mantengo de todos modos.
Y también · And also
Admitting a weakness and keeping the position is the most credible thing you can do in a Spanish debate. Pretending the weakness is not there is the least.
Ojo · Watch out
Prepare the question you least want FIRST, and answer it honestly: es el punto débil de mi argumento, lo mantengo de todos modos. fingir (pretending the weakness is not there) is the least credible move in a debate.
mantener, presente — the table
yo mantengo · tú mantienes · él/ella/usted mantiene · nosotros mantenemos · ustedes mantienen · ellos/ellas mantienen
Do it now — on paper
Say all 9 words aloud twice from the respelling, then once from the Spanish spelling alone — begin with el punto débil.
Copy every word with its accents on paper; then cover the English column and write each meaning back from the Spanish.
Write out mantener, presente in full from memory, every person, and check each form against the table above.
This free course is the reading half. The writing half — write-in lessons, daily practice pages with built-in review, self-checks and a full answer key — is the companion workbook series, The Spanish Ladder: one workbook per module, fifteen in all, released band by band with the Basic band (Modules 1–5) first.
Keep these words
Turn this lesson’s words into flashcards, then space your reviews — the two habits the research behind our study guides backs hardest.