I began the podcast Simple Stories in Spanish in February 2020. The first season involves stories in the present tense that 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.
The links below will bring you to the audio, transcript, video, and pdf handout of each of the stories.
Episode 1: Carlos y el elefante 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.
Episode 2: El elefante y el ratón 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.
Episode 3: Eduardo busca novia 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.
Episode 4: Eduardo es gordo Friends can be similar, but also quite different. Eduardo the elephant decides to change his lifestyle after his tiny friend Felix the mouse calls him fat. He runs (corre) and eats (come) good food. Perhaps now Felix should change his lifestyle too!
Episode 5: El cumpleaños de Félix Every party has potential for fun and for disaster. Eduardo the elephant wants to create a perfect birthday party for his friend Félix. He invites guests (invitados), decorates (decora) and prepares (prepara) food – including lots and lots of cheese (queso). He even buys a piñata! It will sure be a party to remember.
Episode 6: La banda de animales The world is full of musical styles and instruments. Some people like to sing while others like to play and even more just like to listen. Music truly has the potential to bring people together. Eduardo and Feliz enjoy making music and want to create a band. Eduardo sings (canta), Félix and others play (toca) instruments and others just listen (escucha) to the música. Discover where their music adventure leads them and the other animals that join their band.
Episode 7: La muchacha está enferma When a child is sick, they should stay home. However some kids fake being sick to get out of schoolwork. Such is the case of Jessica, who would rather be at home than taking tests. She fakes a cough (tos), and a cold (está resfriada) so she can stay at home on her teléfono. What a great actress! That is until she actually does get sick (enferma).
Episode 8: Pastel para el desayuno Birthdays are a special time, especially for young kids. Ruthie wakes up on her birthday wanting something special to eat for breakfast (desayuno): cake (pastel)! Her parents think that she should eat what they do, but Ruthie is determined to have her pastel and eat it too. Can she convince her sweet grandmother to make her cake for breakfast? With multiple repetitions of desayuno (breakfast), debes (you should), puedes (you can) and parece (it seems), this story is great for reviewing foods and common verbs.
Episode 9: El oso curioso Most people know the story of Goldilocks and the three bears, but what if the bear is the intruder? Berry is an “oso curioso” (curios bear). He just wants to know what life is like inside of a house (casa). Berry looks through windows (ventanas) and sees (ve) and touches (toca) a lot of different things. What will this curious bear find?
Episode 10: Las botas Luis enjoys his life as a ranchero. He likes taking care of animals. But being on a ranch requires specific footwear, namely boots (botas). Luis has a special friend that he wants to spend time with on the ranch, but she does not have boots, so Luis decides to get her some. Luis goes (va) all over town, including the shoe store (zapatería) the bank (banco) and the gas station (estación de gas) as he tries to buy (comprar) the perfect boots. Will he be able to get what he wants? Find out in “Las botas”.
Episode 11: La mentira de Miguel Miguel just wants to go to a concert, but his mom says no, even when he begs (suplica). So, Miguel and his friend come up with a plan that involves just a little lie (mentira). Miguel typically tells the truth (verdad), so lying is not easy for him. Will he be able to maintain the lie, or will he cave under pressure?
Episode 12: La madre ocupada When things get lost, the logical solution is to look for them. Sometimes we are so busy looking that we don’t see what is right under our noses. Lourdes is busy (ocupada). She tries to make time for her son’s problems, but sometimes her own problems get in the way, such as when she needs some ginger (jengibre) for her cake (pastel). This story has multiple repetitions of ¿buscaste? (did you look?) And busqué (I looked) as well as places around the house. Will there be time to find everything?
Episode 13: Las vacas perdidas Paula enjoys living in the mountains with her dog Bobo and her one hundred and fifty cows (vacas). But sometimes her cows wander off and need help getting out of some sticky situations. Paula counts (cuenta) her coas and when they are missing (le faltan), she looks for them. Paula will do anything to help her cows if they get stuck (metida). She will pull (jala), cut (corta) and even sing (canta) to help them. Will she be able to help them all?
Episode 14: Ramona en la playa Who doesn’t enjoy a day at the beach? Ramona certainly does. She goes to the beach (playa) every day and watches the tourists (turistas) as they take pictures (toman fotos) play in the waves (olas) and play in the sand (arena). Ramona is not a tourist. She is a capuchin monkey (mono capuchino). She is also a famous thief (ladrona). Listen in to find out how Ramona swindles beachgoers in “Ramona en la playa”.
Episode 15: Te quiero, mamá Mothers are very important people in the lives of many. Nadia is mother to Luisa and Perla. Luisa loves (quiere) her family and she loves to help (ayudar). But sometimes her help can lead to headaches for her mother. All is well, though, when Luisa hugs (abraza) her mom and tells her “I love you” (te quiero).
Episode 16: Estoy aburrido We all get bored. Jorgito has a room full of things, but he still gets bored. When he tells people he is bored, they just send him away to do something else. Will he just stay bored forever? Or will he find something to entertain the day away? This story features multiple repetitions of “estoy aburrido” (I’m bored) as well as “juguetes” (toys) such as “carritos” (toy cars) “dinosaurios” (dinosaurs) “oso de peluche” (teddy bear) and “muñecas” (dolls).
Episode 17: El cuaderno mágico Some students feel that they just don’t know anything, so why even try? Perhaps they just need a little bit of motivation and confidence. Daniel is not the smartest student, but he finds inspiration through a “cuaderno mágico” (magic notebook). Daniel “se da cuenta” (realizes) that maybe he is smart after all.
Episode 18: Hasta luego The end of the school year sparks excitement for summer break, but it can also cause some sadness and students and teachers say goodbye – some for the summer, some for longer. Imani walks through the halls chanting “hasta luego” (see you later) to those she passes, until she realizes that she might not actually “see” some of them in the future.
No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. Happy listening!