Camilla Given

Simple Stories in Spanish: Eduardo busca novia

Season 1, episode 3

It can be hard to wander through life alone, especially on Valentine’s Day. Eduardo the elephant is searching for the perfect girlfriend. He wants someone who is nice (amable), fun (divertida), and patient (paciente). However, as Eduardo discovers, those traits can sometimes be hard to find. No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. Happy listening!

Eduardo busca novia

Hay un elefante gris. El elefante gris se llama Eduardo. Eduardo es grande, guapo y joven. Eduardo es amable, inteligente, y tímido. Eduardo tiene amigos, pero no tiene una novia. Eduardo quiere una novia porque es el Día de San Valentín. Eduardo quiere una novia buena. Eduardo quiere una novia amable, divertida y paciente.

Entonces, Eduardo camina al parque. En el parque, Eduardo ve muchas novias posibles. Eduardo ve una chica baja y muy, muy bonita. Eduardo corre a la chica. Corre y corre y no mira y se choca con la chica.

—Hola —dice Eduardo—. Usted es muy bonita. ¿Cuál es su nombre?

La chica mira a Eduardo y dice:

—Mi nombre es chau, elefante torpe —y la chica corre de Eduardo.

Eduardo no está bien. La chica no fue simpática con Eduardo. Fue muy antipática. Eduardo se siente muy tímido. Eduardo ve otra chica. La chica es alta y flaca y muy, muy bonita. Eduardo camina a la chica y dice:

—Hola, s-s-soy Eduardo. ¿Co-co-cómo se llama?

—Hola elefante, tímido —dice la chica—. Soy Selena Gomez.

—Mucho gusto, Selena —dice Eduardo—. Yo quiero una novia. ¿Es usted amable, divertida y paciente?

—¡Sí! —grita Selena—. Yo necesito un novio también. ¿Cómo es usted?

—Yo soy amable, paciente y trabajador —dice Eduardo.

—¡Oh No! —grita Selena Gomez—. Yo quiero un novio malo, impaciente y flojo. ¡Quiero mi Biiiibs!

Selena llora y llora. Eduardo piensa «¡Selena está muy loca!» y dice:

—Adiós.

Luego, Eduardo ve otra chica. La chica es castaña, mediana y muy, muy bonita. Eduardo mira la chica y pregunta:

—Hola, bonita. ¿Cómo se llama?

—Me llamo Kesha. ¿Qué quiere? —pregunta la chica.

—Quiero una novia. ¿Cómo es usted? —pregunta Eduardo.

—Soy mala y tengo 5 novios —responde Kesha—, no necesito otro.

—Okey —dice Eduardo—. Adiós.

Eduardo camina en el parque y piensa que es imposible encontrar la novia perfecta. Mira a todas las chicas. Ve chicas flojas, y chicas atléticas. Ve chicas gordas y chicas flacas. Ve chicas rubias, castañas, pelirrojas y morenas. Finalmente, ve una chica especial.

Eduardo camina a la chica y dice:

—¿C-c-cómo está?

—Jiji, estoy bien, papacito chulo —responde la chica—. Usted es muy tímido y guapo.

—Sí, soy tímido —dice Eduardo—, y usted es muy bonita. Quiero una novia. ¿Es usted una chica buena?

—¡Sí! —grita la chica—. ¡Soy amable, divertida y paciente!

—¿Cómo se llama?

—Mi nombre es Lori.

—Lori, ¿usted quiere ser mi novia?

—¡Sí! —grita Lori

Eduardo está muy bien porque tiene una novia perfecta. Eduardo ve su amigo Félix. Félix corre en el parque. Eduardo grita:

—¡Hola Félix! Tengo una novia. Se llama Lori y es amable, divertida y paciente.

—¿Cómo está, mamacita deliciosa? —dice Félix.

—Guau, ratón —exclama Lori—. Usted es pequeño, guapo y perfecto. ¡Adiós elefante gordo!

Félix no está feliz con la chica y dice:

—Tú no eres amable, tú eres mala. ¡Mi amigo Eduardo no es gordo! —Félix mira a la chica y pega a Lori en la cabeza. Lori llora y corre a la casa.

—Tú eres un amigo bueno, Félix. Gracias —dice Eduardo.

—De nada, Eduardo. Tú también eres un amigo bueno —responde Félix.

—Pero ahora no tengo una novia para el Día de San Valentín —dice Eduardo. Está triste.

—Tú no necesitas una novia —exclama Félix—. ¡Tú tienes amigos!

Eduardo piensa. Félix es correcto; no necesita una novia.

—Félix, —dice Eduardo— ¡Vamos a comer!

El fin.

You can watch a video of this story being told on YouTube!

¡Muchas gracias por escuchar! Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support. I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories in Spanish. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider buying me a taco!

You can download a printer-friendly PDF of this story. Looking for the English translation? I have a PDF for that too! Read a paragraph in Spanish and then read the English translation to see what you understood.

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I teach more than Spanish

I was teaching the Mayan number system. I was outlining how they wrote their numbers in column form and how it was a base-20 system. I showed them how each symbol meant something and how to add them together to get the final number. It was confusing, it was different, and for many students, it was hard to grasp.

After a short while, a student raised his hand. “Why are we learning this? What does this have to do with Spanish?” Another student chipped in. “Yeah, this isn’t Math class.”

I had an answer (a good teacher always does – whether or not it is satisfactory to the student). I had been teaching them the entire process in Spanish. The Mayans had (and continue to have) a large presence in the cultures of Mexico and Central America, which we were studying at the time. But rather than remind them of those simple facts, I said something different.

“Enseño más que el español.” (I teach more than Spanish). My class looked at me quizzically. I continued on (in Spanish, of course).

“Do you think that you are at school just to learn facts and information?” Lots of head nodding. “Well, you’re not. You are here to learn how to open your mind up to different ways of thinking. You are here to experience different perspectives so that later you can form your own. You are here to constantly re-wire your brain.”

There was a brief pause as students absorbed this and then we moved on with out lesson. But the question and the moment caused me to reflect on what exactly my role is as a high school teacher.

Yes, of course, I teach the Spanish language through stories and culture. But what else?

I do teach more than Spanish. I am required to help students prepare for the SAT/PSAT, so I teach study and test taking skills. I require papers to be written so I teach sentence, paragraph and essay structure. I ask students to figure out their own grades so I teach division and percentages. We use computers and I teach how to use different programs. I present artwork and teach art analysis. I play songs and teach music appreciation. I teach history and geography . I teach reading and listening comprehension. I teach communication skills.

I am under no illusions with my students. I know that many of them will not go on to study Spanish or even use it past my class. As a community college teacher I often heard: “Yeah, I took (1-4) years of Spanish in high school. I don’t understand any of it, though.” (Trust me, I work hard to combat that, but I know my own students say it too.)

So, perhaps the real lessons that occur in class are the not strictly content related. Perhaps they are the lessons that get kids who “don’t like to read” excited to read a book. The lessons that reinforce basic math skills. The lessons about how to be understanding of those around them. The lessons about looking at the world through different eyes. The lessons that force us to rethink our own patterns and norms. Perhaps even the lessons about another culture’s number system.

Simple Stories in Spanish: El elefante y el ratón

Season 1, episode 2

What do people do in the park? They run and walk and maybe even dance. What does an elephant do in the park? Well, he writes poetry and makes friends with a mouse, of course! Listen along as the Small Town Spanish Teacher tells the story of “El elefante y el ratón”. It repeats the verbs “mira” (sees/looks), “corre” (runs), “escucha” (listens), “dice” (says), “escribe” (writes) and “para” (stops) as well as multiple cognates. No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. Happy listening!

El elefante y el ratón

Un elefante se sienta en el parque. El nombre del elefante es Eduardo. Eduardo el elefante es grande y el color gris. Eduardo el elefante se sienta en el parque. No corre, no camina, no baila. Eduardo el elefante se sienta y escucha a la música y mira las personas. Otras personas corren y caminan y bailan. Eduardo no. Eduardo se sienta y observa.

Eduardo tiene una idea. Él mira un papel. Eduardo escribe un poema en el papel. Eduardo escucha a la música y mira las personas y escribe el poema. Cuando termina, Eduardo lee el poema. Es un poema bueno. No es un poema malo.

En el parque, hay un ratón. El ratón camina en el parque. El ratón es pequeño y el color gris. El ratón mira un elefante. El ratón está curioso y camina a Eduardo. El ratón toca Eduardo. Eduardo mira el ratón y dice:

—¡AAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Eduardo el elefante corre. Corre a las personas.

—¡Para! —dice el ratón—. Solo quiero un amigo.

Eduardo el elefante para y mira el ratón. El ratón es pequeño, no es malo. Eduardo dice:

—Hola ratón. Soy Eduardo. ¿Cuál es tu nombre?

—Mi nombre es Félix —dice el ratón.

—Mucho gusto, Félix —dice Eduardo el elefante.

—Encantado, Eduardo —responde el ratón.

Félix mira el papel. Está curioso. Él mira el poema en el papel del elefante. Félix lee el poema y exclama:

—¡El poema es magnífico!

—Gracias —dice Eduardo—. Tú eres un buen amigo.

El fin

You can also watch a video of me telling this story on YouTube!

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Los pasados: The past tense in Spanish

Speaking in the past can be tricky in Spanish, especially because there are two past tenses. The videos below will first help you to form the past tenses and begin using them in context. Then we will explore the differences between these two tenses and more specifics on when to use them.

If this is tricky for you, don’t worry! Differentiating between the past tenses takes a lot of time and exposure to the Spanish language before it comes easily. So just keep reading!

el imperfecto de verbos de AR

The above video will show you the past tense endings for AR verbs, as well as introduce the irregular verb “ir”. After watching, give formation a go with this practice, then check your work.

el imperfecto de verbos de ER/IR

Now that you have learned the -AR endings, discover the -ER/-IR endings with the above video. For some practice, check here, and then go over your answers.

el pretérito de verbos de -AR

The above video explains how to take a regular -AR verb and change it to the past (preterit) tense. See how much you learned with this practice and then check your work.

el pretérito de verbos de -ER/-IR

Now that you have seen how to conjugate -AR verbs, check out -ER and -IR verbs with the above video. Afterwards, practice and check your work.

el pretérito de verbos con cambios

The Spanish preterit tense can be very tricky. There are a lot of irregulares and verbs that just change one letter – but only for certain subjects. Learn about those verbs with spelling changes in this video. Check out this practice and answer key. But also realize that it takes a while to internalize these rules, so be patient with yourself!

irregulares del pretérito parte A

These irregulares follow their own rules. Continued reading and practice will help you master them. Here is a practice for you to try and then you can check the answers.

Irregulares del pretérito, parte B

Even more irregulares means even more practice! Check your answers afterwards.

Las diferencias de los dos pasados

This practice is designed to help you begin to differentiate between the tenses and recognize the basics of which tense to use. Check your work and see where you need to make improvements.

Las diferencias de los dos pasados, parte B

You can continue your practice of the two past tenses with this worksheet. It is designed to help you identify the differences. If you get stuck, please check out the answer sheet for explanations in addition to answers.

Simple Stories in Spanish: Carlos y el elefante

Season 1, episode 1

How does this teacher start her students on their language journey? With a story, of course! Listen along as the Small Town Spanish Teacher tells the story of “Carlos y el elefante” – the story she uses on day 1 of Spanish 1. It repeats the verbs “mira” (sees/looks), “corre” (runs), “se sienta” (sits), “se levanta” (stands) and “para” (stops) as well as multiple cognates. No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way.

Carlos y el elefante

Hay un chico. El chico está en el parque. El nombre del chico es Carlos. Carlos está en el parque. Muchas personas están en el parque. Las personas corren en el parque. Carlos no corre en el parque. Carlos se sienta en el parque. Carlos mira las personas que corren, pero Carlos no corre. Carlos se sienta y mira.

En el parque, Carlos mira un elefante. El elefante no se sienta, el elefante corre. El elefante corre en el parque. Carlos se levanta y mira el elefante. Carlos corre también. Carlos corre al elefante.

El elefante mira Carlos. El elefante para – no corre más. El elefante se sienta y mira Carlos. Carlos corre. Carlos corre al elefante. El elefante se levanta y Carlos para.

El elefante mira a Carlos. Carlos mira el elefante. Carlos toca el elefante. El elefante toca Carlos. El elefante se sienta en el parque. Carlos se sienta en el elefante.

Entonces el elefante se levanta. Se levanta con Carlos. El elefante corre. Corre con Carlos.

Ahora Carlos se sienta en un elefante en el parque. Hay muchas personas en el parque. Carlos no mira las personas. Carlos mira el elefante. Las personas miran el elefante con el chico.

El fin.

You can also watch a video of this story being told on YouTube!

I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories in Spanish. I work hard to provide tools and supports for those who want to learn Spanish and I like to keep it ad free. Please, consider buying me a taco to support my work!

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Los tiempos compuestos: The Formation of Past Participles and the Perfect Tenses in Spanish

There is a reason that the verb “haber” is the most used in the Spanish language: it is the first half of the perfect tense! Watch the videos below to learn about the formation of past participles and then learn how to combine them with “haber”.

Los participios pasados

After learning about past participles, practice what you have learned, the check your answers. If you are in my college course, don’t forget about the practice quiz on Canvas!

Spanish present perfect tense (El tiempo compuesto del presente)

Discover how to conjugate the verb “haber” in the present tense, add a past participle and create the present perfect tense in Spanish. After watching the instructional video, check out this practice worksheet followed by checking the answers.

El pluscuamperfecto (tiempo compuesto del pasado)

The difference between “have” and “had” is whether the narrator is speaking in the present or past tense. The video above will walk you through how to say someone “had” (past) done something. Afterwards, see what you are able to understand and produce in this practice (don’t forget to check your answers!)

The Future and Conditional Tenses

Did you know that there are some words that don’t exist in Spanish? We create some verb tenses in English by adding words (such as will and would) while in Spanish these are their own verb tenses. Check out the videos on the Future (will) and Conditional (would) tenses below!

Learn how to form the future tense (“will”)

The best way to learn grammar is by seeing it in context through reading. However, drill practice (like you did with math in elementary school) can also be beneficial in training your brain. Give the future tense a try with this practice, and then check your answers to see how you did!

Learn how to form the Conditional Tense (“would”)

The word “would” does not exist in Spanish. So, how would you say it? You would use the conditional tense, of course! Watch the video above to learn how to form the conditional tense and then practice. As always, check your answers!

Present Tense Verbs

Many students struggle with verb conjugations in Spanish and other languages. This page will present a series of videos about how to change verbs in the present tense.

The first video is just about what conjugation is. Check it out!

What is conjugating?

Learn how to change verbs for the regular present tense:

Regular present tense verbs

Practice conjugating regular verbs in the present tense with this practice sheet. Then you can check your answers.

Irregular “yo” verbs

Some verbs have irregular forms. These verbs are just irregular when the subject is “yo” (I). Watch the video above and then practice! Don’t forget to check your answers.

Verbs with stem-changes: o-ue

Some verbs have changes within the root of the verb. The video above will walk you through which subjects do and don’t have this small change. After watching the video see what you learned with this practice sheet. Then check your answers to discover what you still need to work on.

Verbs with stem-changes: e-ie

These verbs make an e-ie change. Practice and check your answers!

Verbs with stem-changes: e-i

There are only a few common verbs with the e-i stem change. Try this short practice then check your answers to see if you understand.

Differences between the two verbs that mean “to be”: ser and estar

Ser and Estar can be pretty tricky to get down, so don’t feel frustrated if you don’t understand it all at first. There are basic differences and more nuanced differences as well. Studies have shown that differentiating between “ser” and “estar” can take years to do without thinking about it. At any rate, practice doesn’t hurt, so see what you understand with this worksheet and then check your answers.

El verbo “IR”

The verb “IR” may be small, but it is mighty. Watch the video to learn more about how “IR” in the present tense can be used to talk about the future and more. Then practice and check your answers.

Basic Grammar Videos

I am not a huge fan of focusing a lot of my in class time and energy on Spanish grammar. However, I do have to cover a lot of the basics in my dual-enrollment Spanish 111-112 course. So, I will be uploading videos here for my students, but feel free to use them for yours as well!

La pronunciación

la pronunciación de las vocales en español

La pronunciación de consonantes especiales en español.

El género de palabras

Gender of nouns in Spanish – Which “the” should I use?

Try practicing which “the” to use with this worksheet: El género de palabras en español (You can check your answers here)

Los artículos indefinidos y los plurales

Indefinite Articles and Plurals

Try practicing which “a” and “some” to use with this link: los artículos indefinidos (You can check your answers here)

Practice making nouns plural with this practice sheet: Palabras plurales (You can check your answers here)

Los pronombres

Subject pronouns

You can practice which pronouns to use with this practice sheet: los pronombres (You can check your answers here)

La posesión

Showing Possession

The only way to become comfortable with expressing possession in Spanish is through practice. Here are some activities to get you started: La posesión (You can check your answers here)

Los gustos

Expressing likes and dislikes.

Practice expressing likes and dislikes with this free worksheet: Los gustos (You can check your answers here)

Los adverbios

Describing Childhood with the IMPERFECT

Childhood goes hand in hand with the imperfect tense. Here is a spin on the typical classroom activities!

Last week I explicitly taught the Imperfect past tense to my Spanish 2 students. It was not the first time they had been exposed, but it was the first time I explained the various verb endings.

This week was a difficult one with state testing. I needed something light and entertaining. Over Spring Break, I gave my students the homework of sending me a picture from their childhood. So, this week, I put those pictures to use.

My goal for this activity is for the students to be able to answer the questions ¿Cómo era? and ¿Qué hacía? (What were they like? and What did they do?). So, to start the activity, I write those two questions on the board. Then I ask students to Think, Pair, Share adjectives that especially describe childhood personalities. After time to think and time to share with a partner, I tell students to just shout them out and I write them on the board as fast as I can.

The next question pertains to activities in the past. Once again, students Think, Pair, Share childhood activities. I tell them to keep the activities in the past, and they do well remembering what verbs in the imperfect should sound like based on last week’s lesson. I also write these on the board.

I use the @ symbol to remind my students that these adjectives will end in ‘o’ when describing a boy and ‘a’ when describing a girl.

Now comes the fun part. Remember those pictures of my students? I organize them in folders for each class period. Then, I project them on the board.

First we try to guess who it is in the picture (some are obvious and some are more difficult – especially the baby photos). Then, I start describing them. I completely make it up, flying by the seat of my pants. If you have trouble improvising on the spot, you may consider writing a short description for the pictures you want to spotlight.

Project the photo and make up a story about it! Write words on the board that the students might need to make your story comprehensible.

I like to have fun with it. If I have a shy student, I talk about how social she or he was as a child. Her parents had to tell her to be quiet so often that now she is just quiet! If I have a loud student, I expound on how annoying he or she was, how they stomped and yelled all the time.

In the pictures, I try to take the opportunity to teach words like pesad@ (annoying), mimad@/consentid@ (spoiled), egoísta (selfish), and bien/mal educad@ (well/poorly mannered). I add these words to the board as I use them.

After each story, I would ask students to answer the two target questions of the day. Then I would ask the whole class the questions and get a choral response from them. To keep students awake, after each picture, they had to change seats and sit by someone new.

My students were impressed at times with how spot-on some of my impromptu stories were and they laughed at the ones that were obviously out in left field. At the end of it all, the most fun part was seeing classmates as kids and remembering our childhoods.

I did this lesson for two days that were divided by a day of state testing. It was a nice break from sitting and testing. I got through 8-10 pictures each day, depending on how much I elaborated. I didn’t get through all of the pictures, but that’s okay! Next week I will use them to review the target questions and possible have them as options for a timed write.

Author: Camilla Given