Lynn Welburn A Vancouver freelance writer and editor with many years of journalism experience. She worked as the arts and entertainment editor of the Nanaimo Daily News.
Kim Moes Is a happily divorced mother of two boys who exploits everyday life in her creative writing.
Heather O’Handley
Creative writer, history lover and proud mom of two soon-to-be teenagers. An author who faces everyday challenges with a smile and lots of passion.
Javier and other Easy to Read Spanish Stories English and Spanish appearing side by side Compiled by Iliana Correa
Spanish World General Director: Compiler: Text Contributors:
Cover design: Photography:
Jesús Rivera Iliana Correa Anna Strap Daniela Mondragón Heather O’Handley Kim Moes Laura Ilge Lynn Welburn Sylvia Andrews Tabea Rarcoe
Photo Tepeji57 If not provided by authors, Photo Tepeji 57
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information in text, graphical, video and audio forms, designs, etc. are property of Spanish World, and is protected by Canadian and His founder has 10 years international copyright, trademark background as a university and other laws. This publication professor at the University of and its content may not be copied, Mexico in Mexico City. Jesús imitated, reproduced, republished, Rivera has been teaching Spanish uploaded, posted, transmitted, in Canada since 2006 in institutions modified, indexed, catalogued, like Malaspina University College mirrored or distributed in any way, now Vancouver Island University in whole or in part, without the and group and private classes. In express prior written consent of 2010 Jesus Rivera started Spanish Spanish World. World, a place where anyone interested in the language can find Spanish World welcomes any instruction, supportive learning comments related to content that material, translations and may help to improve its accuracy. interpreting services. All contributions will be properly acknowledged. Any similarities are coincidental. All content, images, other
Section I Grammar Based Stories Historias basadas en tiempos gramaticales
Mi tĂa Yola Mi tĂa Yola focuses on the Present tense. By filling in the blanks you can practice the conjugations and vocabulary related to daytoday activities and some reflexive verbs. 6
Ayer en el Valle de Guadalupe
Mis veranos en Puerto Vallarta
This story focuses on the Past tense, also known as
This story focuses on the Imperfect tense. By filling in
Preterite. By filling in the blanks you will learn this tense that is so important for every day conversations.
the blanks you can practice this tense and learn to differentiate it from the Past tense.
12
20
Mi tía Yola
VOCABULARIO
Por Anna Strap Madrugada: Dawn, very early in the morning Yerno: son in-law Nieto: Grandchild (masculine) Nieta – granddaughter Oraciones, plegarias, rezos: prayers Parientes: relatives Salud: health Coqueta: flirtatious Almuerzo: lunch
Mi tía Yola es una mujer excepcional. Como muchas mujeres mexicanas, se ____________ (1.levantar) muy temprano, casi de madrugada para alistarse y llevar a sus nietos a la escuela. Ella _____________ (2.vivir) con su hija Berenice, su yerno Miguel y sus 3 nietos, Jaime, Hector y Andreíta. Berenice y Miguel ______________ (3. Trabajar) todo el día y ______________ (4.tener) que salir de su casa a las 7 de la mañana para llegar a sus trabajos a las 9, es por eso que mi tía _____________ (5.llevar) a los niños a la escuela. Su día _____________ (6. Empezar) con algunas oraciones. Mi tía es muy católica, y siempre incluye a parientes y amigos en desgracia en sus plegarias y rezos. Nunca _____________ (7. Pensar) solo en ella, aún cuando seguramente podría ocupar todo su tiempo en pensar en su salud, que ya a
El Presente
The present tense is used to report what is happening an d what is true now. Basically, there are three uses of the present tense: The specific present - “right now” - It is 8:30 - son las 8 y media The broader, yet enclo sed present: - Cada miércoles voy al cine The general, ongoing present: - El Primer Ministro viv e en Ottawa
sus 74 años se va deteriorando cada día más. Una vez terminados sus rezos, mi tía se levanta, se ___________ (8. Bañar), se _________ (9. Vestir), se __________ (10. Peinar) y se ___________ (11. Maquillar) un poco. Ella siempre ha sido muy coqueta, no importa la edad ni el hecho de que es viuda desde hace muchos años.
Spanish verbs end on “AR”, “ER” and “IR”.
Ella __________ (12. Preparar) el café para Berenice y Miguel y __________ (13. Hacer) el desayuno para
To create a sentence, you need a subject pronoun and a verb. To conjugate take the ve rb base (or stem) by stripping the infini tive of its -ar -er ir ending and add the endings. Example:
todos. Su desayuno favorito son los huevos rancheros, los frijoles refritos, el jugo de frutas y el pan dulce con leche. También prepara el almuerzo que se llevarán los niños a la escuela y lo que comerán Berenice y Miguel en la oficina. Los niños _________ (14. Llevar) un sandwich
To Walk = Caminar: re move the -ar, and you have camin, the ve rb base. Then add the Ending
I Walk = Yo + camin +
o = Yo camino
de jamón, frijoles refritos y aguacate; una fruta y jugo. Los papás llevan arroz, pollo y verduras.
My aunt Yola
Receta: Huevos Rancheros By Anna Strap
My aunt Yola is an exceptional woman. Like many other Mexican women, she gets up very early, almost at dawn, to get ready and take her grandchildren to school. She lives with her daughter Berenice, her son-in-law Miguel and her 3 grandchildren: Jaime, Hector and Andreita. Berenice and Miguel work all day and they have to leave the house at 7 in the morning to get to work at 9. That’s why my aunt takes the kids to school. Her day starts with some prayers. My aunt is a faithful Catholic, and she always includes her relatives and suffering friends in her requests and prayers. She never thinks about herself, even when she could probably spend all her time thinking about her health, which is deteriorating every day due to her age of 74. Once she is done with her prayers, my aunt gets up, takes a shower, gets dressed, does her hair, and puts on some makeup. She has always been very flirtatious, despite her age and the fact that she has been a widow for many years. She prepares coffee for Berenice and Miguel and makes breakfast for everyone. Her favourite breakfast is huevos rancheros, refried beans, fruit juice, sweet bread and milk. She also makes a school lunch for the kids and one for Berenice and Miguel to take to work. The kids usually have a ham & avocado sandwich with refried beans, fruit and juice. Their parents bring rice, chicken and vegetables. Want to read more? Contact Spanish World (250) 585-1888 www.spanishworld.ca
Ingredientes: 2 huevos 2 tortillas 1 jitomate 1 trozo de cebolla 1 diente de ajo chile serrano al gusto aceite para freír sal y pimienta
Forma de Preparación: Ase el jitomate, pélelo y licúelo con el chile, la cebolla y el ajo. Añada sal y pimienta; fría hasta que sazone y espese un poco. Pase la tortilla por aceite caliente y por la salsa anterior. Fría los huevos en aceite, estrellándolos con cuidado para que no se rompan.Báñelos por arriba con aceite caliente, hasta que cuaje la clara y no se cueza la yema. En un plato coloque las tortillas y, encima de cada una, un huevo frito. Báñelos con la salsa y sirva muy
caliente.
Section II Easy to Read Stories Historias fáciles de leer
Jimena
El cumpleaños de Spencer
Montevideo
Daniela Mondragón
Heather O’Handley
Lynn Welburn
28
36
42
Película de cine alternativo
Javier
Rebote
Sylvia Andrews
Tabea Rarcoe
Kim Moes
48
52
66
Jimena
VOCABULARIO
Por Daniela Mondragón De pie: Standing, literally on your feet. Dar vueltas: Spinning around, the expression would mean give turns and it is also used when turning your car at an intersection, as a synomim of “girar”. Sintió ganas: Felt like, “sentir ganas” is not related to “ganar”, but it is a very common expression in Mexico. You can find “tener ganas” or “sentir ganas”, equally used. Se arremolinaban: Crowd around, it is reflexive as the thoughts crowd around on their own. Una broma: A joke, also a practical joke. “Un chiste” is also a joke and “chisme” is gossip; the last 2 are easy to confuse.
Jimena llegó a casa del trabajo, justo cuando Manuel ponía la última caja con sus cosas a su auto. Ninguno dijo nada, era un final esperado. Se cruzaron como dos desconocidos y Jimena subió para encontrar un departamento a medio amueblar, con algunas cosas fuera de lugar y recuerdos faltantes que Manuel se había llevado. De pie en la sala, el mundo de Jimena parecía dar vueltas, sintió ganas de salir corriendo y vencer con eso la terrible sensación de movimiento que sentían sus pies. No tenía a quien llamar, Jimena no tenía amigos de verdad, solo conocidos del trabajo frente a los que siempre aparentaba tener todo bajo control. Su madre se preocuparía demasiado, no tenía caso. Jimena repasó la lista de opciones en su mente y derrotada se sentó en el sillón sintiéndose más sola que nunca. Amaba a Manuel, pero sentimientos parecidos a la rabia y el rencor se arremolinaban también en su cabeza haciendo difícil decidir cual sentimiento ocupaba el lugar principal. Confundida, finalmente, lloró. Jimena y Manuel se conocieron ocho años atrás saliendo de un concierto. El principio había sido muy romántico, una noche de jueves, una broma y lo que pronto pareció una compatibilidad instantánea. No tenían amigos en común que hablaran sobre las características de uno u otro, solo las muchas preguntas y noches por conocerse a sí mismos. Era mágico y eso duraría algunos años. Ninguno supo bien que sucedió. Lentamente las distancias se alargaron, eran dos extraños compartiendo la misma casa, impacientes, intolerantes. Casi todo era personal y cualquier cosa era motivo de discusión.
Jimena
By Daniela Mondragón
Standing in the living room, Jimena's world seemed to be spinning. She felt like running and overcome the terrible sensation of movement that her feet were feeling. She didn't know who to call, as she didn't have any real friends, only coworkers to whom she appeared to have everything under control. Her mother would worry too much, so there was no point in calling her. Jimena went over the list of options in her mind and coming up with nothing, sat on the couch feeling lonelier than ever. She loved Manuel, but there were too many bad feelings that resembled wrath and resentment mixed up in her mind. Confused, she finally cried. Jimena and Manuel had met eight years before, while leaving a concert. The beginning had been really romantic - a Thursday night, a joke, and what seemed to be an instantaneous compatibility. They didn't have friends in common that would talk about the characteristics of one or the other, they only had their own questions and many nights to get to know each other. It was magical and that feeling would last for a few years. Neither of them knew what happened. Slowly the distance between the two grew larger; they were just two strangers sharing the same house, growing impatient and intolerant with one another. Almost everything was personal and the smallest thing always seemed to turn into an argument. Want to read more? Contact Spanish World (250) 585-1888 www.spanishworld.ca
Subjunctive The subjunctive is used in times of uncertainty and after certain words and and expressions. There are usually three triggers: 1. A main clause that expresses an opinion, a doubt, or negative idea, 2. the connector “que”, 3. A change in the subject in the subordinate clause. In this example, the main clause is in imperfect, therefore the subordinate is imperfect subjunctive. “No tenían amigos en común que hablaran” Other examples: “Esperaba que Manuel volviera” I hope that Manuel came back “No creí que Jimena tuviera muchos amigos” I didn’t think Jimena had many friends. Learn to form Imperfect Subjunctive on page 53
Javier and other Easy to Read Spanish Stories English and Spanish appearing side by side Offers you interesting Spanish and English stories side by side so you can practice and improve your reading skills in Spanish, with the support of your native language. As you read, you can check your comprehension by comparing the two versions of the story. At the same time, learn cultural hints and practical use of expressions in different Spanish speaking countries. Focus on grammar: learn the proper use of the different Spanish tenses, from present tense to subjunctive. Fill in the blanks and answer the questions to test yourself.
Also published by Spanish World
All México, The Pacific Coast VOL 3. WINTER 2013-2014
VISIT IT
LIVE IT
SPEAK IT
ALL MÉXICO The Pacific Coast Visit México THE PACIFIC COAST, THIS ISSUE:
Beach •Rosarito •Ensenada •San Felipe
Live México
to day Cultural Hints •Day •Retire in Mexico
Speak Spanish
recorded by native speakers •CD to get the right pronunciation Alphabet •The expressions •Useful Past Tense •The Idioms •Spanish contribution from •Special Cristina Rosas, read a “Negocios” bilingual article with Spanish and English appearing side by side
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