La renuncia por correo
After a bruising performance review, Marta drafts her resignation from a Barcelona office while voices still echo through the glass walls.
Today's learning
- 3-minute story
- Native narration
- 10 useful words
- 3 comprehension questions
- B2 Spanish
Pre-Reading Vocabulary
Review these key words and phrasing examples before you begin reading.
Your Spanish story — tap highlighted words when you need help
Era casi las siete cuando Marta entró en el de la Diagonal; el aire a café recalentado, a de la impresora y a lluvia que golpeaba los ventanales. La del martes en la pantalla: comentarios en rojo que parecían más duros cada vez que los , como si alguien hubiera escrito el veredicto antes de escucharla. Mientras la puerta de cristal, oía a su jefe en la sala contigua; detrás, alguien reía con nerviosismo, como si el pasillo un altavoz. Abrió el portátil y escribió el : «», con manos que ya no del todo. «Quería el tiempo en el equipo», , aunque lo que deseaba era no volver a aquella reunión. « hablar antes de que la decisión», añadió, probando un que sonaba a carta antigua. cada frase: si el correo, mañana ya no tendría llave del parking ni azul. Fuera, la Diagonal bajo una de mayo; dentro, el ascensor subía con un cansado que mezclaba voces y anuncios lejanos. «enviar» cuando el reloj las seis; el servidor tardó un segundo eterno en , y el borrador quedó vacío con la firma automática todavía pegada al pie. Guardó el portátil en la mochila, y salió respuesta, como quien cierra un capítulo sin ni despedida en el ascensor.
Show full English translation
It was nearly seven when Marta stepped into her office on the Diagonal; the air smelled of reheated coffee, fresh printer ink, and rain tapping the glass walls. Tuesday’s review was still open on her screen—red comments that seemed harsher every time she read them again. As she shut the glass door, she could hear her boss raising his voice in the next room; behind that, someone laughed nervously, as if the hallway were a loudspeaker. She opened her laptop and typed the subject line: “Voluntary resignation,” with hands that no longer trembled quite so much. “I wanted to thank you for my time on the team,” she wrote, even though what she wanted was never to sit through that meeting again. “I wish I could have spoken before you made the decision,” she added, testing a subjunctive that sounded like an old-fashioned letter. She read every sentence again: if she sent the email, tomorrow she would no longer have the parking pass or the blue badge. Outside, the Diagonal gleamed under a fine May rain; inside, the lift climbed with a tired hum that blended voices and distant announcements. She hit “send” as the clock struck six; the server took an endless second to confirm it. She slid the laptop into her backpack, drew a deep breath, and left without waiting for a reply—like someone closing a chapter with no epilogue and no goodbye in the lift.
Vocabulary recap
Reading Comprehension Exercise
B2 Spanish Reading Comprehension Exercises
1. Why does Marta write the email that evening?
Correct: She is responding to a tense review and overheard criticism
The review comments are still on her screen, and she hears her boss raising his voice next door—she decides to resign rather than repeat that meeting.
2. What does Marta lose if she sends the message?
Correct: Her parking pass and blue company badge
She re-reads the consequences: «mañana ya no tendría llave del parking ni credencial azul»—tomorrow she would no longer have the parking key or the blue badge.
3. Which line shows formal regret with the subjunctive?
Correct: «Ojalá hubiera podido hablar antes de que tomaran la decisión»
«Ojalá hubiera podido…» uses the pluperfect subjunctive for a past wish, and «antes de que tomaran» triggers imperfect subjunctive after «antes de que»—typical of careful resignation register in Spain.
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Patterns to reuse
Talking about ongoing actions in the past
Mientras cerraba la puerta de cristal, oía a su jefe alzar la voz
As she shut the glass door, she could hear her boss raising his voice
Use 'mientras' with the imperfect for actions happening at the same time in the past.
Mientras [imperfect action 1], [imperfect action 2]
- Mientras escribía el correo, pensaba en la reunión
- Mientras llovía fuera, Marta leía los comentarios
Use this structure to describe two things happening at once in the past.
Wishing things were different (I wish...)
Ojalá hubiera podido hablar antes de que tomaran la decisión
I wish I could have spoken before you made the decision
Use 'ojalá' with the past subjunctive to express an unreal wish about the past.
Ojalá [hubiera/hubieras/etc.] [past participle]
- Ojalá no hubiera leído esos comentarios
- Ojalá hubiéramos terminado antes
This pattern shows regret or unreal wishes for things that didn't happen.
Describing how things seemed, felt, or looked (imperfect tense)
el aire olía a café recalentado, a tinta fresca de la impresora y a lluvia
the air smelled of reheated coffee, fresh printer ink, and rain
The imperfect is often used for background descriptions in stories.
[something] [imperfect verb] a [detail]
- La lluvia golpeaba los ventanales
- El ascensor subía con un zumbido cansado
Use the imperfect tense to set the background scene or describe an ongoing feeling in the past.
Translator's Note
"Spanish resignation emails in Barcelona offices often mix warm thanks with careful distance. Notice how Marta tests subjunctive forms that sound like a letter from another era—learners at B2 use them to sound professional, not dramatic. «Credencial azul» evokes the plastic company badge; losing it the next day is a very concrete image of leaving a job in Spain."
Story complete
You just understood 242 Spanish words.
- 10 new expressions
- 1 grammar pattern
- B2 level unlocked
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