Capitulo 6, Scenas 5 e 6, Curso de conversation

(Languages of this post: Interlingua, English)

SCENA 5: Petro ha retornate a Geneva. Illac ille trova Francesca, qui ha comenciate su travalio. Ille vole saper si illa ha habite problemas in habituar se a su nove travalio. Illa responde que omne va assatis ben ma que omne essera melior post unes altere dies de practica. Illa demanda a Petro si su viage a Frankfurt vadeva ben.

Postea illa vole saper quando ille arrivava a Geneva. Petro tunc vole saper si Catherina es in su officio e si illa es occupate. Francesca dice que illa es libere, e Petro va a vider la. Catherina vole saper si le viage a Frankfurt vadeva ben, e Petro narra a illa le detalios sur lor decisiones pro le proxime reunion e sur le programma que illes ha establite.

Francesca tunc les interrumpe con un message urgente e mysteriose. Illa ha recipite in le telex alique que debe esser de grande interesse pro Petro e Catherina.

Francesca: Bon die, senior Minelli.

Petro: Bon die, eh ...

Francesca: Francesca.

Petro: Ah, si. Francesca. Me place multo vider vos. Il pare que vos nunc ha comenciate vostre travalio, e iste loco nunc ha le aer de un ver officio. Como va toto?

Francesca: Multo ben, gratias.

Petro: Vos ha potite instalar vos assatis facilemente?

Francesca: Si. Toto ha vadite multo ben. Ma io ha besonio de plus tempore pro adaptar me.

Petro: Naturalmente. Illo prendera unes septimanas.

Francesca: Si.

Petro: Multo ben. Esque vos ha habite ulle problemas usque nunc?

Francesca: No. Nulles.

Petro: Ah, perfecte.

Francesca: E vostre viage a Frankfurt, illo vadeva ben?

Petro: Si, gratias. Excellente.

Francesca: Le bira german vos ha placite?

Petro: No, iste vice io ha bibite plus vino que bira.

Francesca: E quando ha retornate vos a Geneva?

Petro: Oh, iste matino. Dice me, esque Catherina se trova in su officio?

Francesca: Si. Illa es illac.

Petro: Esque vos sape si illa es occupate in iste momento?

Francesca: Eh, no. Illa nunc es sol in su officio. Vos pote entrar.

Petro: Gratias.

Catherina: Bon die, Petro.

Petro: Bon die, Catherina.

Catherina: Vos ha habite un bon viage?

Petro: Si, multo bon, gratias.

Catherina: E como esseva Frankfurt?

Petro: Oh, multo bon. Illo esseva multo agradabile.

Catherina: Nulle problemas?

Petro: No. Nulle problemas.

Catherina: E omne es organisate pro le mense proxime?

Petro: Si. Omne se ha organisate. Illes ha unes ideas multo bon illac. Io ha visitate un ex lor fabricas.

Catherina: Ah, si. Io ha audite que illos es vermente multo bon. Tunc como es le organisation pro le proxime reunion?

Petro: Eh, ben, le commission de liaison es formate. Illo ha quatro membros, que es un bon numero. Un parve commission es multo plus efficace que un grande. Le prime reunion essera hic le tres del mense, o sia lunedi. Illos essera hic pro le hora del jentaculo, e le reunion comenciara postea. Le agenda pro le prime reunion es ...

Catherina: Vos ha un programma?

Petro: Si, certemente. Nos lo ha establite omnes conjunctemente.

Catherina: Multo ben.

Petro: Nos non ha perdite ulle tempore.

Catherina: Tunc, que ha il sur le programma?

Petro: Unes provisiones pro le dece annos proxime, un studio de facibilitate pro un evaluation centralisate.

Catherina: Illo es multo impressionante, omne illo. (Francesca entra.) Si, Francesca?

Francesca: Excusa me pro interrumper vos.

Catherina: Non vos preoccupa vos.

Francesca: Io ha alique que va interessar vos.

Catherina: Ah, si? Que es illo?

Francesco: Lege iste message ex le telex.

EXERCITIO 5: Questiones cortese.

Guida: Io volerea saper lo que ha arrivate sur le telex, naturalmente. Ma intertanto, io volerea audir un altere vice iste questiones de cortesia.

Un homine: Si alicuno retorna de un viage, vos poterea demandar ...

Un femina: Esque vos ha habite un bon viage?

Un homine: Oh, excellente, gratias.

Un altere homine: E si iste persona retorna de London, vos poterea demandar ...

Un femina: Como ha trovate vos London?

Un homine: Multo agradabile, ma un pauco car.

Un femina: Si, le vita illac es car. Io mesme retorna de New York.

Un homine: Como ha trovate vos New York?

Un femina: Interesantissime. Exhauriente, ma fascinante.

Un homine: Vos ha facite unes cosas interessante illac?

Un femina: Si, New York vermente me place multissimo.

Un homine: E etiam a me.

Un femina: Io ha retornate per avion.

Un homine: E le viage, como vadeva illo?

Un femina: Ben. Un pauco longe, naturalmente, e un pauco fatigante.

Un homine: Si, post un tal viage on es sempre multo fatigate.

Un femina: Il es bon retornar al focar.

Un homine: E como va toto?

Un femina: Ah, multo ben. Omne va multo ben. E pro vos, como va toto?

Un homine: Non multo mal, gratias.

Un femina: Ben.

Guida: Bon. Que nos nunc vide lo que il habeva sur le telex.

SCENA 6: Francesca monstra a Petro e Catherina le message sur le telex, que justo ha arrivate ex Cairo. Le egyptianos, il pare, vole construer un citate completemente nove, e le ministro de planification egyptian va a arrivar a Geneva le die sequente. Catherina le habeva cognoscite antea quando illes travaliava sur un projecto in Alexandria.

Catherina es assatis confidente que Marex Mundial ganiara le contracto. Naturalmente, Petro anque debera participar in le reunion quando veni le ministro. Petro exprime su confidentia que Marex ganiara le contracto proque Marex potera offerer le melior precios. Lor personal anque es plus competente, e illes fini lor travalio multo rapidemente.

Le telephono sona, e Francesca responde. Il es Alan Tanner, qui invita que Catherina sorti con ille. Ma illa responde firmemente que illa non vole facer isto e que il esserea melio que ille non la telephonava sur cosas personal proque illes non ha ullo plus a discuter.

Petro e Catherina tunc continua lor conversation. Francesca va a teleponar le hotel in Geneva ubi le ministro se trova, e illa anque va a informar Martijn Ockrente e Olivero Rossi del reunion. Petro mentiona que ille ha audite le conversation de Catherina con Alan Tanner, e ille essaya a sympathisar con illa, ma illa non pare anxie o irate de ulle maniera. Petro la invitava a dinar con ille, e ille demanda a illa si ille potera sortir con illa ille vespere.

Francesca: Il ha qualque que vos debe vider.

Catherina: Ah, si? Que?

Francesca: Iste telex. Reguarda.

Petro: Que es illo?

Francesca: Illo veniva de Egypto, de Cairo.

Petro: Que vole illes?

Francesca: Illes construe un nove citate.

Petro: Que?

Francesca: E illes vole construer un rete de transporte pro le citate.

Catherina: Illes vole un studio complete. Toto. Desde le initio.

Petro: De que grandor?

Catherina: Duo centos mille a duo milliones o plus.

Petro: Vos me permitte leger le message?

Catherina: Si, ecce lo.

Francesca: Illo veni de un certe Mohammed Chahine. Ille arriva iste vespere.

Catherina: Ah, si.

Francesca: Ille es le ministro de planification.

Catherina: Si, si.

Francesca: Vos le cognosce?

Catherina: Si. Nos travaliava conjunctemente sur un projecto in Alexandria. Io le cognosceva durante iste travalios.

Francesca: E vos crede que vos obtenera le contracto?

Catherina: Que nos dice que ... io crede que nos poterea ganiar lo, si.

Petro: Illo esserea formidabile! ... Deman matino. Catherina, esque vos vole vider le sol, o esque vos vole que omne nos le vide?

Catherina: Omne nos.

Petro: In ille caso io va lustrar mi scarpas.

Catherina: Ah, si, per favor. Nos debe facer le melior impression possibile.

Petro: E io mesmo portara un camisa munde.

Catherina: De omne manieras, on non pote facer multo in vinti quatro horas.

Petro: No vos preoccupa. Nostre precios es le melior, nos es plus competente, nos pote provider le melior servicio post le construction del projecto, e nos travalia plus rapidemente que nostre competition. Io es confidente que nos ganiara iste contracto.

(Le telephono sona.)

Francesca: Marex Mundial, Geneva. Bon die. Si, senior Tanner, illa es in le officio. Illo es pro vos, Catherina, le senior Tanner.

Catherina: Hello, Alan? No, io non pote. No, io lo regretta, il es vermente impossibile. Vos sape multo ben proque. Ascolta, Alan, le cosas es assi. Accepta los como illos es, e que nos non ha ulle altere conversationes sur illos. No, vermente, io non vole.

Francesca: Esque vos crede que il esserea melior que nos parti?

Petro: No, io vole ascoltar. Illo me interessa.

Catherina: Francamente, Alan, il esserea melio que vos non me telephona pro parlar de iste cosas. Nos essera sempre amicos, collegas, ma illo es toto. No, io vermente non ha ulle altere cosas a dicer. A revider, Alan. (Catherina dirige su attention a Francesca.) Ben. De que parlava nos?

Francesca: Io va contactar le hotel del ministro.

Catherina: Si, multo ben. E postea nos debera notificar Martijn Ockrente e Olivero Rossi que nos ha un reunion deman.

Francesca: Si. Io va monstrar le telex a illes.

Petro: Catherina, ... Io non poteva prevenir me de audir vostre conversation. Io regretta multo que le cosas non vadeva ben inter Alan e vos.

Catherina: Ah, de omne manieras, illo non poteva durar.

Petro: Ma de omne manieras, le nova de un ruptura es sempre un nova mal.

Catherina: No, non vermente.

Petro: Ma mesmo assi, tal rupturas sempre es difficile.

Catherina: Possibilemente si. ... Petro?

Petro: Si?

Catherina: Le altere die, vos me invitava a dinar.

Petro: Si?

Catherina: Eh, ben, ...

Petro: Eh ben que?

Catherina: Eh ben, esque vos ha alique a facer iste vespere?

Petro: Iste vespere?

Guida: Aha! On dicerea que Petro e Catherina nunc va devenir amicos. Il pare que le cosas va vader melio pro illes.

---

SCENE 5: Petro has returned to Geneva. There he finds Francesca, who has started her work. He wants to know if she has had any problems in getting used to her new work. She answers that everything is going well enough but that everything will be better after a few more days of practice. She asks Petro if his trip to Frankfurt went well. Afterwards she wants to know when he arrived in Geneva.

Petro then wants to know if Catherina is in her office and if she is busy. Francesca says that she's free, and Peter goes in to see her. Catherina wants to know if the trip to Frankfurt went well, and Petro gives her the details about their decisions for the next meeting and about the program that they have established.

Francesca then interrupts them with an urgent and mysterious message. She has received on the telex something that should be of great interest for Petro and Catherina.

Francesca: Good morning, Mr. Minelli.

Petro Good morning, uh ...

Francesca: Francesca.

Petro: Ah, yes. Francesca. I'm very happy to see you. It seems that you have now started your work, and this place now seems like a real office. How's everything going?

Francesca: Just fine, thanks.

Petro: Have you been able to settle in easily enough?

Francesca: Yes. Everything's gone quite well. But I need more time to get used to things.

Petro: Naturally. It will take some weeks.

Francesca: Yes.

Petro: Fine Have you had any problems up to now?

Francesca: No, none.

Petro: Ah, perfecto.

Francesca: And your trip to Frankfurt, was everything okay?

Petro: Yes, thanks. Just fine.

Francesca: Did you like the German beer?

Petro: No, this time I drank more wine than beer.

Francesca: And when did you get back to Geneva?

Petro: Oh, this morning. Tell me, is Catherina in her office?

Francesca: Yes, she's there.

Petro: Do you know if she's busy right now?

Francesca: Uh, no. She's now alone in her office. You can go in.

Petro: Thanks.

Catherina: Good morning, Petro.

Petro: Good morning, Catherina.

Catherina: Did you have a good trip?

Petro: Yes, very good, thanks.

Catherina: And how was Frankfurt?

Petro: Oh, very good. Things were very nice there.

Catherina: No problems?

Petro: No, no problems.

Catherina: And everything is organized for next month?

Petro: Yes. Everything has been organized. They have some very good ideas there. I toured one of their factories.

Catherina: Oh yeah? I've heard they're really very good. So how's the organization for the next meeting?

Petro: Okay, the liaison commission has been formed. It has four members, which is a good number. A small commission is much more efficient than a large one. The first meeting will be here on the third of the month, or Monday. They will be here for breakfast, and the meeting will start out afterward. The agenda for the first meeting is ...

Catherina: Do you have a program?

Petro: Yes, certainly. All of us made it up together.

Catherina: Very good.

Petro: We lost no time at all.

Catherina: Then, what is there on the program?

Petro: Some provisions for the next ten years, a feasibility study for a centralized evaluation.

Catherina: That's very impressive, all that. (Francesca comes in.) Yes, Francesca?

Francesca: Excuse me for interrupting you.

Catherina: Don't worry.

Francesca: I have somethiing that you will find interesting.

Catherina: Oh yeah? What is it?

Francesca: Read this message from the telex.

EXERCISE 5: Polite questions:

Guide: I'd like to know what came in on the telex, naturally. But in the meantime, I'd like to hear once again these questions of courtesy.

A man: If someone comes back from a trip, you could ask ...

A woman: Have you had a good trip?

A man: Oh, just fine, thanks.

Another man: And if this person is coming back from London, you could ask ...

A woman: How did you like London?

A man: Very nice, but a little expensive.

A woman: Yes, things are expensive there. I myself am coming back from New York.

A man: What did you think of New York?

A woman: Very interesting. Exhausting, but fascinating.

A man: Did you do some interesting things there?

A woman: Yes, I really like New York a lot.

A man: Me too.

A woman: I returned by plane.

A man: And the trip, how was it?

A woman: Fine. A little long, naturally, and a little tiring.

A man: Yes, a trip like that is always very tiring.

A woman: It's nice to return home.

A man: And how's everything going?

A woman: Ah, very well. Everything's going very well. And for you, how're things going?

A man: Not too bad, thanks.

A woman: Fine.

Guide: Good. Let's find out what there was on the telex.

SCENE 6: Francesca shows Petro and Catherina the telex message that has just come in from Cairo. The Egyptians, it seems, want to build a completely new city, and the Egyptian planning minister is going to arrive in Geneva the following day. Catherina got to know him earlier when they worked together on a project in Alexandria.

Catherina is rather confident that Marex Mundial will get the contract. Naturally, Petro also will have to participate in the meeting when the minister comes. Petro expresses his confidence that Marex will get the contract because Marex will be able to offer the best prices. Their personnel are also more competent, and they finish their work very fast.

The phone rings, and Francesca answers. It is Alan Tanner, who invites Catherina to go out with him. But she answers firmly that she can't do this and that it will be better that he not call her up about personal things because they have nothing further to discuss.

Petro and Catherina then continue their conversation. Francesca is going to call up the hotel in Geneva where the minister is staying, and she is also going to tell Martijn Ockrente and Olivero Rossi about the meeting. Peter mentions that he has heard Catherina's conversation with Alan Tanner, and he tries to console her, but she does not seem anxious or angry in any way. Finally, she says that not all that long ago Peter asked her out for dinner, and he asks if he can go out with her that evening.

Francesca: There's something that you should see.

Catherina: Oh, yes? What?

Francesca: This telex. Take a look.

Petro: What is it?

Francesca: It came from Egypt, from Cairo.

Petro: What do they want?

Francesca: They're building a new city.

Petro: What?

Francesca: And they want to build a transportation network for the city.

Catherina: They want a complete study. Everything. From the beginning.

Petro: What's the size?

Catheinra: Two hundred thousand to two million or more.

Petro: Can I read the message?

Catherina: Yes, here it is.

Francesca: It comes from a Mr. Mohammed Chahine. He's arriving this evening.

Catherina: Oh yes?

Francesca: He's the planning minister.

Catherina: Yes, yes.

Francesca: Do you know him?

Catherina: Yes. We worked together on a project in Alexandria. I met him while we were working there.

Francesca: And you think that you will get the contract?

Catherina: Let's say that ... I think that we could get it, yes.

Petro: That would be really great! ... Tomorrow morning. Catherina, do you want to see him alone, or do you want all of us to see him.

Catherina: All of us.

Petro: In that case I'm gonna polish my shoes.

Catherina: Ah, yes, please. We must make the best impression possible.

Petro: And I will also wear a clean shirt.

Catherina: All in all, we can't do much in twenty-four hours.

Petro: Don't worry. Our prices are the best, we are more competent, we can provide the best service after the construction of the project, and we work faster than our competition. I'm confident that we'll win this contract.

(The phone rings.)

Francesca: Marex Mundial, Geneva. Good morning. Yes, Mr. Tanner, she's in the office. It's for you, Catherina, Mr. Tanner.

Catherina: Hello, Alan? No, I can't. No, I'm sorry, it is really impossible. You know very well why. Listen, Alan, things are like that. Accept them the way they are, and let's not talk any further about them. No, really, I don't want to.

Francesca: Do you think it would be better for us to leave?

Petro: No, I want to listen. I find that interesting.

Catherina: Frankly, Alan, it would be better for you not to call me up to talk about these things. We will always be friends, colleagues, but that's all. No, I really don't have anything else to say. See you later, Alan. (Catherina directs her attention to Francesca.) What were we talking about?

Francesca: I'm hoping to contact the minister's hotel.

Catherina: Yes, fine. And afterwards we will have to notify Martijn Ockrente and Olivero Rossi that we will be having a meeting tomorrow.

Francesca: Yes. I'm gonna show them the telex.

Petro: Catherina, ... I couldn't help hearing your conversation. I'm very sorry that things did not go well between you and Alan.

Catherina: Oh well, it really couldn't have lasted very long.

Petro: But any case, the news of a breakup is always a bad piece of news.

Catherina: No, not really.

Petro: But even so, such breakups are always difficult.

Catherina: Maybe so. ... Petro?

Petro: Yes?

Catherina: The other day you asked me out to dinner.

Petro: Yes?

Catherina Well, ...

Petro: Well, what?

Catherina: Well, do you have anything to do this evening?

Petro: This evening?

Guide: Aha! It looks as though Petro and Catherina are now going to become freinds. It seems that things are going better for them.