I began this podcast in February of 2020. I love writing and storytelling. I also am passionate about the Spanish language. I use many of these stories in class with my own students. I am not a native speaker and I view these stories as a stepping stone for beginners.
Season 1: Simple Stories Season 1 featured short stories that I use in class to help my students acquire basic vocabulary and grammar. Most of the stories in this season are use the present tense. They repeat important verbs such as “hay” (there is/are), “es” (is – followed by a description), “está” (is – followed by a feeling or location), “tiene” (has), “va” (goes), “quiere” (wants), “le gusta” (likes). These verbs are often referred to as the “Super 7” as you can communicate quite a bit with just these 7 verbs.
Season 2: Personal stories Season 2 was created to focus on speaking in the first person (“yo” – I). I created 10 stories about myself that, once again, focused on the present tense and very common verbs, although this time with the subject “yo” (I). Verbs change with their subject so the verbs in these stories include many repetitions of “soy” (I am – followed by a description), “estoy” (I am – followed by a feeling or location), “tengo” (I have), “voy” (I go), “quiero” (I want), “me gusta” (I like), “como” (I eat).
Season 3: Hispanic Legends Season 3 was created to share stories that are common to the Spanish-speaking world. These stories are ingrained in memories and the culture of the regions they hail from. Some are scary and others are fascinating. Some explain the existence of birds or volcanoes, others remind children (and adults) that they shouldn’t be out after dark because that is when monsters come to take you away.
Season 4: Hispanic Celebrations Season 4 explores celebrations all over the Spanish-speaking world. Many Hispanic celebrations are based in religion, but some involve the melding of Spanish, African and native cultures. Each fiesta is unique to the region where it is celebrated.
Season 5: Zunzuncito’s Adventure Season 5 is a short novel I wrote called “La aventura de Zunzuncito”. Each episode is a chapter of the book about the tiny hummingbird Zunzuncito and his even smaller friend Monty search for a magic flower in the hills of Cuba.
Season 6: Listener Requests As I have shared stories over the last two years, I have received some requests from listeners for stories involving certain topics. Season 6 is a compilation of these requests. The stories cover a variety of topics from accidents to butterflies to soccer to family life. Happy listening!
Season 7: Story Retells I have now written and shared over 100 episodes! For this season, I decided to revisit some of my stories from seasons 1, 2, 3, and 6. Each story has a change, such as a change in tense (present to past), a change in perspective (third person to first person), added dialogue or added details.
Season 8: Personal Experiences I have received a lot of positive feedback about my second season of personal stories. I have also received many requests for stories to help my listeners with their personal experiences. So, season 8 will share more specific stories about events in my life and in the lives of my listeners. Many of these transcripts also include pictures of the event.
No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way.
Happy listening!