Speaking Task: Mediate an Everyday Disagreement and Confirm the Agreement in Spanish
Speaking Task: Mediate an Everyday Disagreement and Confirm the Agreement in Spanish
In this speaking task, you will help two people clarify an everyday disagreement. Your job is not to decide who is right. You will restate each position neutrally, check that each person recognizes the restatement, identify common ground, propose one practical step, and confirm only the terms that both sides explicitly accept.
Scenario
Two flatmates disagree about noise in the evening.
Ana:
Trabajo temprano y necesito dormir a las once. Durante la última semana ha habido música después de medianoche tres veces. — I work early and need to sleep at eleven. During the last week there has been music after midnight three times.
Marcos:
Entiendo que necesites dormir, pero dos de esas noches había amigos en casa y no sabía que el ruido se escuchaba tanto en tu habitación. — I understand that you need to sleep, but on two of those nights there were friends at home and I did not know the noise could be heard so much in your room.
Restate Ana's position neutrally
Mediator:
Ana, si te entiendo bien, no estás pidiendo que nunca haya visitas; necesitas que después de las once el nivel de ruido te permita dormir. — Ana, if I understand you correctly, you are not asking for there never to be visitors; you need the noise level after eleven to allow you to sleep.
Ana:
Sí, eso es exactamente lo que quiero decir. — Yes, that is exactly what I mean.
Restate Marcos's position neutrally
Mediator:
Marcos, tú no estás diciendo que el ruido no importe. Dices que no eras consciente de cuánto se oía y que quieres poder recibir visitas algunas noches. — Marcos, you are not saying that noise does not matter. You are saying that you were not aware of how much could be heard and that you want to be able to have visitors some nights.
Marcos:
Sí. — Yes.
Identify common ground
Mediator:
Entonces los dos aceptan dos cosas: Ana necesita tranquilidad para dormir y Marcos quiere poder recibir visitas de vez en cuando. — So both of you accept two things: Ana needs quiet in order to sleep, and Marcos wants to be able to have visitors from time to time.
Propose a practical step
Mediator:
¿Qué les parecería acordar que después de las once no haya música alta y que Marcos avise con antelación si va a recibir a varias personas? — How would you feel about agreeing that after eleven there will be no loud music and that Marcos will give advance notice if several people are coming over?
Check each term separately
Ana:
Lo de la música me parece bien. También me ayudaría saber con tiempo si habrá gente. — The music part seems good to me. It would also help me to know in advance if people will be there.
Marcos:
Puedo avisar, pero no quiero tener que pedir permiso cada vez. — I can give notice, but I do not want to have to ask permission every time.
Do not invent agreement
Incorrect summary:
Han acordado que Marcos pedirá permiso antes de recibir visitas. — They have agreed that Marcos will ask permission before having visitors.
Marcos explicitly rejected that condition.
Reframe the unresolved point
Mediator:
De acuerdo. Entonces la propuesta no es pedir permiso, sino avisar con antelación. ¿Eso sí lo aceptan los dos? — All right. Then the proposal is not to ask permission, but to give advance notice. Do both of you accept that?
Ana:
Sí. — Yes.
Marcos:
Sí, eso sí. — Yes, that I do accept.
Add a practical limit
Mediator:
¿Les parece razonable que el aviso sea, cuando sea posible, antes de las ocho de la tarde? — Does it seem reasonable that the notice should be, when possible, before eight in the evening?
Ana:
Por mí, sí. — Fine by me.
Marcos:
Puedo intentarlo, pero no siempre podré avisar antes de las ocho. — I can try, but I will not always be able to give notice before eight.
Preserve the qualification
The phrase cuando sea posible remains important. Do not rewrite it as an absolute deadline.
Confirm the final agreement
Mediator:
Entonces, para confirmar: después de las once no habrá música alta. Marcos avisará con antelación cuando vaya a recibir a varias personas y, cuando sea posible, lo hará antes de las ocho. No es necesario pedir permiso para recibir visitas. — So, to confirm: after eleven there will be no loud music. Marcos will give advance notice when he is going to have several people over and, when possible, he will do so before eight. It is not necessary to ask permission to have visitors.
Ana:
De acuerdo. — Agreed.
Marcos:
De acuerdo. — Agreed.
Speaking mission
- Restate each person's position neutrally.
- Ask each person to confirm or correct the restatement.
- Identify at least one point of common ground.
- Propose one practical compromise.
- Separate accepted terms from rejected or unresolved terms.
- Preserve qualifications such as cuando sea posible.
- Read back the final agreement and obtain explicit confirmation from both sides.
Performance criteria
- Attribution remains neutral.
- Each participant recognizes the mediator's summary.
- The proposed solution addresses the actual disagreement.
- No agreement is invented before both sides accept it.
- Limits and qualifications are stated clearly.
- The final confirmation matches the terms both parties actually accepted.
From Mediation to Education and Access
You can now mediate an everyday disagreement without inventing consent. The next lesson expands your B2 social-issue vocabulary through education, equality, and access to opportunities.