Lesson 7.1 — El estrés y la vida moderna — Stress & modern life (Spanish B2)

Listen first

A coach explains why constant connectivity harms us.

🔊 Real audio — spoken by your browser in Spanish. Tap any word below to hear it.

New vocabulary — tap to hear

el agotamientoexhaustion / burnout 🔊

la salud mentalmental health 🔊

desconectar del trabajoto switch off from work 🔊

el ritmo frenéticothe frantic pace 🔊

sobrellevar la presiónto cope with the pressure 🔊

estar al borde del colapsoto be on the verge of collapse 🔊

Now say it

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« Lo importante es desconectar antes de llegar al agotamiento. » 🔊

The important thing is to switch off before reaching burnout.

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Pronunciation

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Lo preocupante es que mucha gente vive al borde del colapso sin darse cuenta. 🔊The worrying thing is that many people live on the verge of collapse without realising it.

Es verdad; el ritmo frenético acaba pasando factura a la salud mental. 🔊True; the frantic pace ends up taking a toll on mental health.

Lo más difícil es aprender a desconectar del trabajo de verdad. 🔊The hardest part is learning to truly switch off from work.

Yo intento sobrellevar la presión con deporte y horarios fijos. 🔊I try to cope with the pressure through exercise and fixed hours.

Buena idea; lo esencial es poner límites antes de llegar al agotamiento. 🔊Good idea; the essential thing is to set limits before reaching burnout.

Sin esos límites, tarde o temprano el cuerpo te obliga a parar. 🔊Without those limits, sooner or later your body forces you to stop.

Grammar in focus · « lo + adjective » and abstraction

« Lo + masculine singular adjective » turns a quality into an abstract noun ('the … thing / what is …'): « lo importante » = the important thing, « lo difícil » = the hard part, « lo preocupante » = the worrying thing. It can be intensified: « lo mucho que trabajas » = how much you work; « lo bien que canta » = how well she sings. This structure is everywhere in fluent B2 Spanish for foregrounding ideas: « Lo que más me agota es la incertidumbre ».

Write it yourself

Describe how modern life affects well-being (4–5 sentences), using « lo + adjective » at least twice.

Your answer

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Tip for this task
« ¡Bien! » Use « lo » + adjective to abstract: « Lo agotador es el correo constante ». You can also use « lo + adverb + que »: « Lo rápido que va todo ». Keep adjectives in the masculine singular after « lo ».

Quick check

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

1. « ___ difícil es desconectar » (the hard thing).

2. After « lo », the adjective is…

3. « Estar al borde del colapso » means…

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