SpanishB2Lesson 6.1
🇪🇸 Spanish B2 · Lesson 6.1

Ciencia e innovación — Science & innovation

Discuss scientific progress and its limits with precision.

Listen first

Two researchers discuss a promising but uncertain discovery.

🔊 Real audio — spoken by your browser in Spanish. Tap any word below to hear it.
New vocabulary — tap to hear
el avance científicoscientific advance 🔊
la investigación punteracutting-edge research 🔊
un ensayo clínicoa clinical trial 🔊
los efectos secundariosside effects 🔊
poner en dudato call into question 🔊
el hallazgothe finding/discovery 🔊

Now say it

Tap the phrase to hear it, then press the mic and repeat — we score your pronunciation for real (Chrome/Edge).

« El experimento aún no es concluyente; habrá que repetirlo varias veces. » 🔊
The experiment isn't conclusive yet; it'll have to be repeated several times.
—
Pronunciation

Live conversation lab

Practise this dialogue live with a native-trained tutor. Next session opens soon.

Read the dialogue

Tap any line to hear it. Grammar appears in context, never as a dry rule.

Este hallazgo podría revolucionar el tratamiento de varias enfermedades. 🔊This finding could revolutionise the treatment of several diseases.
Será prometedor, pero aún faltan ensayos clínicos a gran escala. 🔊It's probably promising, but large-scale clinical trials are still lacking.
Cierto; nadie debería anunciar una cura sin pruebas sólidas. 🔊True; no one should announce a cure without solid evidence.
Además, habrá que estudiar bien los efectos secundarios. 🔊Besides, the side effects will have to be studied carefully.
Algunos colegas ponen en duda la metodología del estudio. 🔊Some colleagues call the study's methodology into question.
La investigación puntera siempre genera debate; es parte del proceso. 🔊Cutting-edge research always sparks debate; it's part of the process.
Grammar in focus · future & conditional of probability

Spanish uses the future to express present probability/conjecture: « Será prometedor » = It is probably promising; « Tendrá unos cuarenta años » = He's probably about forty. The conditional expresses past probability: « Serían las tres cuando llegó » = It must have been three o'clock. The compound forms work similarly: « Habrá terminado » (he has probably finished); « Habría salido ya » (he had probably already left). This is a hallmark of natural B2 speech for hedging claims.

Write it yourself

Discuss a scientific advance and its uncertainties (4–5 sentences), using the future of probability at least once.

Saved to your writing portfolio
Tip for this task
« ¡Bien! » Use the future to hedge: « Será eficaz, aunque faltan datos ». Use the conditional for past conjecture: « Serían las pruebas preliminares ». Keep claims cautious — that's good scientific register.

Quick check

An adaptive quiz confirms you've got it and schedules the right words for review.

1. « ___ las tres cuando terminó el experimento » (it was probably three).
2. « Será prometedor » here expresses…
3. « Poner en duda » means…
Back to module