Thursday's procession
A short in Spanish text at level A2. The translation sits next to it: reading with a dictionary is still too early at this level, and without support it will not happen at all. In my city Holy Week begins on Thursday, when the bells of all the churches ring. The procession leaves the temple at…
Text
- En mi ciudad la Semana Santa empieza el jueves, cuando suenan las campanas de todas las iglesias. La procesión sale del templo a las ocho y da la vuelta al centro con música lenta y cientos de cirios. Mi abuela reza toda la noche, mi padre mira desde el balcón y yo hago fotos que luego no mira nadie. No soy religioso, pero cuando la calle se queda en silencio y solo se oye el tambor, entiendo por qué la gente sale.In my city Holy Week begins on Thursday, when the bells of all the churches ring. The procession leaves the temple at eight and goes around the center to slow music, with hundreds of candles. My grandmother prays all night, my father watches from the balcony, and I take photos that nobody looks at afterwards. I am not religious, but when the street falls silent and you can only hear the drum, I understand why people come out.
Comprehension questions
The questions are asked in Russian on purpose: we test your understanding of the text, not your ability to read the question.
- How does Thursday begin?
- What does the narrator's grandmother do?
- How does the narrator feel about the ritual?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Spanish?
A2. That means: you know the letters and have a stock of everyday words — about two or three hundred.
How to read a text in an unfamiliar language usefully?
First all the way through without peeking at the translation — just to catch the familiar words. Then with the translation. Then all the way through again: the second pass brings noticeably more, and that feeling matters more than any rule.