Catalina and Gustavo want a child so badly that they build a robot together. They are so happy when everything works. They love spending time with their robot son, but he feels like something is missing.

This story is in the third person and the present tense with some future tense as well. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “reemplazar” (replace), “jardín trasero” (backyard), “vecinos” (neighbors), “rostro” (face), and “herida” (wound).

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/2024/08/28/simple-stories-in-spanish-el-hijo-robot-parte-2/

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Catalina and Gustavo are very happy together, but something, or someone, is missing. When they learn they can’t have children, Catalina decides they should build a child, not a monster like Frankenstein, but a robot child.

This story is in the third person and the present tense with some future tense as well. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “funciona” (works/functions), “crear” (create), “piel” (skin), “cerebro” (brain), and “á” and “emos” at the end of a verb (will).

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/2024/08/13/simple-stories-in-spanish-el-hijo-robot/

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Arturo the monster lives alone in the mountains. He is tired of being alone in his cave and decides to go to the city to make some animal friends. Some animals look down on him because of his size, looks, and smell, but one animal steals his heart.

This story is in the third person and the past tense with some present tense dialogue. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “apestaba” (stank/smelt bad),“lastimado” (hurt), “mono” (monkey), and “cerdo” (pig).

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/2024/07/30/simple-stories-in-spanish-el-monstruo/

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Laura almost died. She was bit by an enormous viper, but thankfully Mauricio arrived with an antidote just in time. Mauricio is confused. One minute he was battling in a competition of knights, drinking water offered by the princess and the next minute he finds out he has been married to her for a year. Fausto is a snake. He was never able to get to the potion that would turn him back into a person. How will this story end?

This story is in the third person and the past tense. It also includes complex grammar in the form of the conditional and past subjunctive and past perfect tenses. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “hada madrina” (fairy godmother),“varita mágica” (magic wand), “recordar” (to remember), and “parecía” (seemed).

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/2024/07/03/simple-stories-in-spanish-felices-para-siempre/

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Mauricio is a great knight who only wants one thing: to make his queen happy. But he doesn’t know how to do that because she is dying of a snake bite. The queen needs a doctor, not a silly knight. Perhaps the answer is in the books Laura is always reading.

This story is in the third person and the past tense. It also includes complex grammar in the form of the conditional and past subjunctive and past perfect tenses. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “caballero” (knight),“víbora” (viper/snake), “veneno” (venom/poison), and “enferma” (sick).

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/2024/06/16/simple-stories-in-spanish-el-caballero-mauricio/

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Fausto wants to be king so he is causing problems that only he can solve. First birds, then rats terrorized the town before he came in and led them away with his magic. The kingdom is impressed, but will they be impressed enough to overthrow Queen Laura and make him their king?

This story is in the third person and the past tense. It also includes complex grammar in the form of the conditional and past subjunctive tenses. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “culebra” (snake), “morder” (to bite), “escamas” (scales), veneno (venom/poison), and “cuerda” (rope).

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/2024/06/05/simple-stories-in-spanish-el-mago-fausto/

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Part 2 of "La princesa Laura"

Fausto is not happy that his plan to become king was ruined when Mauricio drank a potion intended for Laura. Now Laura is queen and Mauricio is everyone’s hero. If only Fausto could become more important to the people than Laura and Mauricio. Maybe if he causes problems that only he can solve with his magic, the people will see that they need him as their king.

This story is in the third person and the past tense. It also includes complex grammar in the form of the conditional and past subjunctive tenses. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “reina” (queen), “reino” (kingdom), “mago” (magician/wizard), “creía” (believed/thought), and encantar (to enchant/curse).

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/2024/05/21/simple-stories-in-spanish-problemas-en-el-reino/

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Hector is the king of a distant kingdom. He has one daughter who he wants to see married to a strong knight before he dies. Laura, his daughter, has no interest in marrying. She just wants to read and study to become a novelist. Hector turns to Fausto the wizard to enchant his daughter into marrying a valiant knight.

This story is in the third person and the past tense. It also includes complex grammar in the form of the conditional and past subjunctive tenses. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “rey” (king), “reino” (kingdom), “caballero” (knight), “espada” (sword), “escudo” (shield), and encantar (to enchant/curse).

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/2024/05/07/simple-stories-in-spanish-la-princesa-laura/

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