Simple Stories in Spanish

This seventh season of Simple Stories in Spanish is updating some of my favorite episodes. Today’s remake is from Season 6, episode 7: La pequeña Victoria. Victoria was feeling nervous and scared about leaving her small town and going to university in a big city. Her friend Piper didn’t seem scared at all. Victoria learned that some of Piper’s confidence came from her success in a martial arts class. Victoria decided to give the classes a try and she learned that small girls like her can be fierce opponents. This story is written mostly in the past tense and the first person. Repeated words and phrases include “miedo” (fear), “confianza” (confidence), “apalancamiento” (leverage), “golpear” (to punch/hit), “patear” (to kick), “rodar” (to roll), “agarrar” (to grab), “entrenar” (to train) and “aprender” (to learn). No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2022/11/21/simple-stories-in-spanish-la-pequena-victoria-2/ Support the show

This seventh season of Simple Stories in Spanish is updating some of my favorite episodes. Today’s remake is from Season 1, episode 3: Eduardo busca novia. It can be hard to wander through life alone, especially during the holidays. Eduardo the elephant searches for the perfect girlfriend. He doesn’t care how she looks - she doesn’t even need to be an elephant! He just wants someone who is nice, fun, and patient. However, as Eduardo discovers, those traits can sometimes be hard to find. This story is written in the past tense and contains dialogue. Repeated words and phrases include “novia” (girlfriend), “novio” (boyfriend), “amable” (kind/nice), “divertido” (fun), “tímido” (shy), “valiente” (brave), “quería” (wanted), “compartir” (share) and “lo siento” (sorry). No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2022/11/13/simple-stories-in-spanish-eduardo-busca-novia/ Support the show

This seventh season of Simple Stories in Spanish is updating some of my favorite episodes. Today’s remake is from Season 1, episode 7: La muchacha está enferma. It is that time of year in the northern hemisphere when sicknesses start to appear. When a child is sick, they should stay home from school. However, some kids will fake being sick to avoid doing their schoolwork. Such is the case of Jessica, who would rather be at home on her phone than in school taking tests. She fakes a cold so she can stay at home. What a great actress she is! That is, until she actually does get sick.This story includes dialogue, commands, body parts, the past tense and some complex verb phrases.. Repeated words and phrases include “resfriada” (stuffed up), “tos” (cough), “estornudar” (to sneeze), “me duele” (it hurts me), “garganta” (throat), “queda” (stay) and “fingió” (faked/pretended). No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2022/11/07/simple-stories-in-spanish-la-muchacha-enferma/ Support the show

This seventh season of Simple Stories in Spanish is updating some of my favorite episodes. Today’s remake is from Season 3, episode 3: La leyenda del Caleuche. In southern Chile there is an island named Chiloé. The fishermen of Chiloé tell the tale of a ghost ship: the Caleuche. This ship is different from others because it is driven by a lovely mermaid queen who throws parties for her court. But before they can have their party, they need to harvest souls. This story includes dialogue and both the present and past tenses. Repeated words and phrases include “barco” (ship), “pescador” (fisherman), “sirena” (mermaid), “olas” (waves), “cielo” (sky), “hacia” (towards) and “lubina” (seabass). No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2022/10/31/simple-stories-in-spanish-la-leyenda-del-caleuche-2/ Support the show

This seventh season of Simple Stories in Spanish is updating some of my favorite episodes. Today’s remake is from Season 2, episode 8: ¿Dónde vivo yo? A couple of months ago I moved into a new home. I am still in the same area of Colorado, but there are some differences in my new abode from my previous homes. In today’s remake, I focus more on the description of my home as well as previous homes I have lived in in this area. This story is told in the present and past tenses. Repeated words and phrases include “casa” (house), “había” (there were), “quería” (I wanted), “vecinos” (neighbors), “ventanas” (windows), “comedor” (dining room), “sótano” (basement), and “jardín” (yard/garden). No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2022/10/23/simple-stories-in-spanish-donde-vivo-yo-2/ Support the show

This seventh season of Simple Stories in Spanish is updating some of my favorite episodes. Today’s remake is from Season 1, episode 14: Ramona en la playa. If you go to Costa Rica, you will probably go to the beach. And if you go to the beach, you will see animals. If you see animals, you will probably see a capuchin monkey. And if you see a capuchin monkey, they will probably steal something from you. This story is told in an “if-then” format using the present and future tenses and both the second and third person. Repeated words and phrases include “si” (if), “vas” (you go), “verás” (you will see), “mono” (monkey), “playa” (beach), “arena” (sand), “olas” (waves), and “quizás” (perhaps). No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2022/10/16/simple-stories-in-spanish-si-vas-a-costa-rica/ Support the show

This seventh season of Simple Stories in Spanish is updating some of my favorite episodes. Today’s remake is from Season 3, episode 5: La Leyenda del Quetzal. In the middle of the Guatemalan flag there is a beautiful green bird with a bright red chest and a long flowing tail. It is the quetzal, a symbol of liberty and a nahual, or spirit guide, of the Maya and Quiché people. There are many legends surrounding this stunning and elusive bird and today’s story shares one of them.  This story is in the past tense. Repeated words and phrases include “tribu” (tribe), “cacique” (chieftan), “guerreros” (warriors), “pecho” (chest), and the verbs “iba” (was going), “era” (was), and “fue” (was/went). No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2022/10/09/simple-stories-in-spanish-la-leyenda-del-quetzal/ Support the show

This seventh season of Simple Stories in Spanish is updating some of my favorite episodes. Today’s remake is from Season 1, episode 13: Las vacas perdidas. I really enjoyed writing Las vacas perdidas. In the remake, I changed the story from the third person to the first person. I put the story in the past tense, and I added more numbers. Paula enjoys living in the mountains with her dog Bobo and her 150 cows, which she counts every day. One time Paula’s cows got into some sticky situations, but helping them brought her a real surprise. This story starts in the present tense and moves into the past. Repeated words and phrases include “vaca” (cow), “perdida” (lost), “oyó” (heard), “ladró” (barked), “tras” (after/behind) and “metida” (stuck). No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2022/09/25/simple-stories-in-spanish-las-vacas-perdidas-2/  Support the show

This seventh season of Simple Stories in Spanish is updating some of my favorite episodes. Having written more than 100 stories for this podcast, I have decided to give a few of them a facelift. After some big changes in my personal life, I would like to start by updating my own personal story with a remake of Season 2, episode 1: ¿Quién soy yo? This story is told in the present and past tenses. Repeated words and phrases include “soy” (I am), “he enseñado” (I have taught), “además” (in addition/furthermore), “también” (also/too), and “difícil” (dificult). No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2022/09/18/simple-stories-in-spanish-quien-soy-yo-2/ Support the show

This sixth season of Simple Stories in Spanish is inspired by requests from my listeners. Before the Spanish sailed across the ocean and spread the language of Castellano, the Americas were filled with multiple dialects of rich languages. Little by little, these diverse native tongues are disappearing. There are people that want to save the indigenous tongues of their ancestors, and they are doing so in interesting ways. This story is told in the present and past tenses. Repeated words and phrases include “lengua” (tongue), “lenguaje” (language), “gente” (people), “orgulloso” (proud), “orgullo” (pride), “raíces” (roots), and “hay que” (one must). No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2022/08/03/simple-stories-in-spanish/  Learn more about Juchirap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMEQf4SrYy4 Learn more about Kumbarikira: http://latinalista.com/columns/globalviews/childrens-rap-video-gives-new-life-to-peruvian-indigenous-language Support the show