Javier and other Easy to Read Spanish StoriesEnglish and Spanish appearing side by sideCompiled by Iliana Correa

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.

Spanish World is a Canadian Company located in Beautiful British Columbia, Canada.

His founder has 10 years background as a university professor at the University of Mexico in Mexico City. Jesús Rivera has been teaching Spanish in Canada since 2006 in institutions like Malaspina University College now Vancouver Island University and group and private classes. In 2010 Jesus Rivera started Spanish World, a place where anyone interested in the language can find instruction, supportive learning material, translations and interpreting services.

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General Director: Jesús RiveraCompiler: Iliana Correa Text Contributors: Anna Strap

Daniela MondragónHeather O’Handley

Kim MoesLaura Ilge

Lynn WelburnSylvia Andrews

Tabea Rarcoe

Cover design: Photo Tepeji57 Photography: If not provided by authors,

Photo Tepeji 57

For more information, contact: Jesus Rivera: Spanish World (250) 585-1888

spanish.world@hotmail.com

Iliana Correa Product development and distribution

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Mi tía Yola

Mi tía Yola focuses on the Present tense. By filling in the blanks you can practice

the conjugations and vocabulary related to day-today activities and some reflexive verbs.

6

Ayer en el Valle de Guadalupe

This story focuses on the Past tense, also known as

Preterite. By filling in the blanks you will learn this tense that is so important for every day conversations.

12

Mis veranos en Puerto Vallarta

This story focuses on the Imperfect tense. By filling in

the blanks you can practice this tense and learn to differentiate it from the Past tense.

20

Section IGrammar Based Stories

Historias basadas en tiempos gramaticales

Mi tía YolaVOCABULARIO

Madrugada:Dawn, very early in the morning

Yerno: son in-law

Nieto:Grandchild (masculine) Nieta – granddaughter

Oraciones, plegarias,

rezos: prayers

Parientes: relativesSalud: health

Coqueta: flirtatious

Almuerzo: lunch

Por Anna Strap

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

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.

Ella __________ (12. Preparar) el café para Berenice y Miguel y __________ (13. Hacer) el desayuno para

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

de jamón, frijoles refritos y aguacate; una fruta y jugo. Los papás llevan arroz, pollo y verduras.

El PresenteThe present tense is used to report what is happening and 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 mediaThe broader, yet enclosed present:- Cada miércoles voy al cineThe general, ongoing present:- El Primer Ministro vive en OttawaSpanish verbs end on “AR”, “ER” and “IR”.

To create a sentence, you need a subject pronoun and a verb. To conjugate take the verb base (or stem) by stripping the infinitive of its -ar -er -ir ending and add the endings. Example:

To Walk = Caminar: remove the -ar, and you have camin, the verb base. Then add the Ending

I Walk = Yo + camin + o = Yo camino

My aunt Yola Receta: Huevos Rancheros

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.

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

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Section IIEasy to Read Stories

Historias fáciles de leer

Jimena

Daniela Mondragón

28

El cumpleaños de Spencer

Heather O’Handley

36

Montevideo

Lynn Welburn

42

Película de cine alternativo

Sylvia Andrews

48

Javier

Tabea Rarcoe

52

Rebote

Kim Moes

66

JimenaVOCABULARIO

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.

Por Daniela Mondragón

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 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

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.

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Also published by Spanish World

All México, The Pacific Coast

Javier and other Easy to Read Spanish StoriesEnglish 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. 

[1]

Visit MéxicoTHE PACIFIC COAST, THIS ISSUE:

•Rosarito Beach

•Ensenada

•San Felipe

Live México•Day to day Cultural Hints

•Retire in Mexico

Speak Spanish•CD recorded by native speakers to get the right pronunciation

•The Alphabet

•Useful expressions

•The Past Tense

•Spanish Idioms

•Special contribution from Cristina Rosas, read a “Negocios” bilingual article with Spanish and English appearing side by side

VOL 3. WINTER 2013-2014 VISIT IT LIVE IT SPEAK IT

ALL MÉXICOALL MÉXICOThe Pacific Coast

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