Yo soy Betty, la fea is the most successful telenovela in Colombia. It was written by Fernando Gaitán and produced by RCN Televisión between 1999 and 2001.

The main character is Beatriz Aurora Pinzón Solano, who is not a very attractive woman but is incredibly intelligent and works for a fashion company called “Eco Moda”. Betty, as she’s so kindly called, has to put up with insults from her co-workers, especially from the secretary, Patricia Fernández, the designer Hugo Lombardi and Marcela Valencia, who happens to be the boss’s fiancée.

The telenovela starts off with Betty going to a job interview.  After she’s finally hired her problems begin. It’s full of comedy and very dramatic moments and a good chance to check out the Colombian accent. Check out the first episode totally in Spanish on Youtube, which is a good exercise for listening comprehension.

Part 1 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFLcQIm69V0

Part 2 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvzajCe2HvA

Part 3 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inTA_yCKIcY

Part 4 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0cE33Ogzsg

Part 5 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ktac1S_8Tec

Nos vemos prontito!