La Llamada — Session 1 of the Narcos Spanish Mini-Course

Session 1 of the Narcos Spanish mini-course begins exactly where you’d expect: Colombia, 1989, two people talking on the phone while the DEA desperately tries to keep up. This week’s BlanBla email gives you a preview of what real Spanish conversation practice looks like — no grammar drills, no textbook exercises. Just a phone call, some Colombian slang, and a fast warm-up that gets you speaking from day one.

The Original Email

Just a little piece.

Inside the Narcos mini-course, we start with Session 1, Episode 1, Class 1.

La llamada.

Not theory. Not grammar drills. Real context.

We go to Colombia. 1989.

Two narcos talking on the phone. The DEA listening. And Agent Steve Murphy in Bogotá.

That’s where we begin.

In the mini class you’ll find:

A fast warm-up (no overthinking)

Simple Spanish for beginners to upper — real story context

Key vocabulary you actually use

Short conversation practice

Cultural explanation

Here’s a tiny Colombian-style dialogue:

— Oiga, parcero, ¿sí o qué?

— Todo bien, hermano. ¿Entonces?

— Esta noche vamos al bar, ¿listo?

— De una. ¿A qué hora?

— A las nueve. Pero pilas…

— ¿Qué pasó?

— Creo que nos están escuchando.

Short. Simple. Real rhythm.

This is for people who don’t want to “study Spanish.”

They want to stop freezing. They want to sound human. They want to belong.

“Confía en ti. Porque el resto ya está demasiado ocupado dudando.” Mr. Wonderfuck.

Mañana, mañana.

Besos y amor, Mónica.

Colombian Dialogue Breakdown

Oiga, parcero, ¿sí o qué? — Hey mate, what’s up? ¿Sí o qué? is a Colombian filler greeting — literally “yes or what?” but functions as “what’s up?” or “how are things?”

Todo bien, hermano. ¿Entonces? — All good, bro. So? Hermano (brother) is used between male friends. ¿Entonces? as a question opener means “so?” or “well?”

De una — Immediately / right away / for sure. One of the most Colombian expressions. Equivalent to “absolutely” or “let’s do it.”

Pero pilas — But watch out / heads up. Pilas literally means “batteries” but in Colombian slang means “be alert, be careful.” ¡Pilas! on its own = “Watch out!”

Creo que nos están escuchando — I think they’re listening to us. Present progressive: estar + gerund. Useful for any ongoing action: estoy hablando (I’m talking), están trabajando (they’re working).

Why Start with Colombia 1989?

Context creates memory. “Colombia 1989, two narcos, DEA listening” is a vivid scene your brain can picture. When vocabulary is attached to a scene, an emotion, a moment — it stays. That’s the whole philosophy of the Narcos course: language through story, not through tables.

Access the full Narcos mini-course inside La Tribu. Join here — or start with the free Spanish book.

— Monica Bernabe Perez