Read › B1
B1 Spanish reading practice
Intermediate. Longer stories with the imperfect and the preterite, traditions, first subjunctive. Every text has tap-to-translate, an English version and questions.
Aprendí a nadar a los treinta
I learned to swim at thirty. A man explains why he never learned to swim as a child and how he finally did. Preterite vs. imperfect, feelings, «hasta que».
B1El altar de mi casa
The altar in my house. A young woman describes how her family prepares the Day of the Dead altar. Imperfect vs. preterite, and a first look at the subjunctive.
B1El kiosco de don Rubén
Don Rubén's kiosk. A student in Buenos Aires tells the story of the neighborhood kiosk owner who knew everyone. Argentine Spanish with «vos», imperfect for habits.
B1En tren por el norte
By train through the north. A slow train journey from León to Galicia and a conversation with a stranger. Pluperfect, descriptions of landscape, Spain vocabulary.
B1Mi abuela y el celular
My grandmother and her phone. A grandson teaches his grandmother to use a smartphone, and she ends up teaching him something. Subjunctive after «para que», «cuando» and «ojalá».