Reading practice · A2 · 3 scenes · 9 questions

Spanish reading practice: read, check, understand

Three short scenes from everyday Spanish stories. Read each one, tap any sentence you're not sure about, then answer three Spanish reading comprehension questions. Every answer points you back to the sentence that holds it.

1Read the scene
2Tap for English when you need it
3Answer and see why

Score 0 / 9 9 questions to go

A2 Scene 1 of 3 · 8 sentences · 80 words · about 1 minute

El flan famoso The Famous Flan

Every December, Marisa's office has a potluck, and she always brings her famous homemade flan. This is the night before.

Tap a sentence for its English.

Este año, la noche antes de la comida, preparé el flan como siempre. Lo puse en el horno y me senté a descansar un rato. Estaba muy cansada y me quedé dormida en el sillón. A medianoche, me despertó un olor horrible.

El flan estaba negro y duro como una piedra.

«¡Ay, no, se me quemó el flan!»

Ya no había tiempo para hacer otro, y no tenía leche.

En la mañana, compré un pastel de chocolate en la panadería.

English translation

This year, the night before the potluck, I made the flan as always. I put it in the oven and sat down to rest for a while. I was very tired, and I fell asleep on the couch. At midnight, a horrible smell woke me up. The flan was black and as hard as a rock. “Oh no, I burned the flan!” There was no time left to make another one, and I didn't have any milk. In the morning, I bought a chocolate cake at the bakery.

Check your understanding

What woke Marisa up at midnight?
Why couldn't she make another flan?
What did she get in the morning?

A2 Scene 2 of 3 · 8 sentences · 72 words · about 1 minute

Cuando se va la luz When the Power Goes Out

The narrator has just moved into an apartment building. She doesn't know any of her neighbors yet.

Tap a sentence for its English.

Pero una noche de lluvia, se fue la luz. No tenía velas, así que abrí la puerta y salí.

En la escalera había luz: muchas velas y unas linternas. Los vecinos estaban sentados en los escalones, platicando.

«Buenas noches, ¿también se les fue la luz?»

«Pues sí, mija, se fue en todo el edificio.»

«Siéntese, vecina, aquí hay lugar.»

Me senté junto a doña Tere y su caja de galletas de nuez.

English translation

But one rainy night, the power went out. I didn't have any candles, so I opened the door and went out. On the stairs there was light: lots of candles and a few flashlights. The neighbors were sitting on the steps, chatting. “Good evening, did your power go out too?” “Well, yes, honey, it went out in the whole building.” “Sit down, neighbor, there's room here.” I sat down next to Doña Tere and her box of pecan cookies.

Check your understanding

Why did she open the door and go out?
What were the neighbors doing?
Who did she sit next to?

A2 Scene 3 of 3 · 7 sentences · 56 words · about 1 minute

Sin identificación, no No ID, No Package

Josefina goes to the parcel office to pick up a package in her name.

Tap a sentence for its English.

«Buenos días, joven, vengo por un paquete a mi nombre.»

«Claro, señora, ¿me permite su identificación, por favor?»

«Pues fíjese que no la tengo, se me perdió.»

«Sin identificación, no.»

«Es que ese paquete es mi credencial, joven.»

El muchacho me miró un momento, pero seguía igual de serio.

«Lo siento, señora, así son las reglas.»

English translation

“Good morning, young man, I'm here for a package in my name.” “Sure, ma'am, may I see your ID, please?” “Well, you see, I don't have it, I lost it.” “Without ID, no.” “The thing is, that package is my ID card, young man.” The young man looked at me for a moment, but he was still just as serious. “I'm sorry, ma'am, those are the rules.”

Check your understanding

What does the clerk ask her for?
What is inside the package?
How does the clerk respond?

Your result

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Spanish reading for beginners: how to practice

Pick a text that's almost easy. You should follow the main idea and meet only a few new words per paragraph. If every sentence needs a translation, choose something simpler.
Read it once all the way through. Don't stop at every word. Get the situation first: who, where, what goes wrong.
Check the meaning where you're stuck. Look at the English for that sentence, then read the Spanish again. Seeing what a word means while you read helps new words stick: in a review of 42 studies, readers who could see word meanings learned clearly more of them. More on the research.
Test yourself. Answer a few questions, or retell the scene in one or two sentences. If you can't, reread the part you missed.
Keep a few words, and bring them back. Pick three to five words you'd actually use and recall them in their own sentence tomorrow and a few days later. From one reading alone, most new words slip away.

Questions

What level are these scenes?

Level A2: short sentences, present and past tense, everyday words. If you're starting from zero, use the translations as much as you need; that's what they're for.

Should I read out loud?

Try it on the second read. It slows you down and makes you notice every word. If you'd rather hear it first, the listening practice plays real sentences at normal or slow speed.

What next

Keep going

PracticeSpanish listening practicePick what you heard, fill a gap by ear, follow a whole scene. Normal or slow audio.

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StoriesShort Spanish stories for beginnersEveryday stories you can finish in a few minutes.

Read a story a day. Keep the words.

In the Habloro app, every sentence has its English one tap away, and the words you keep come back for practice tomorrow, then in 3, 7 and 21 days.

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