My grandfather's vegetable garden
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. My grandfather had a small vegetable garden on the outskirts of the village, between a stream and two enormous bushes.…
Text
- Mi abuelo tenía un huerto pequeño a las afueras del pueblo, entre un arroyo y dos arbustos enormes. Cada primavera echaba abono, sembraba semillas de tomate y de lechuga y quitaba las malas hierbas a mano. Yo iba con él los sábados y me sentaba a la sombra del árbol grande mientras él regaba los bancales. Un verano hubo sequía, no llovió en tres meses y la cosecha fue un fracaso; al siguiente cayó granizo en mayo. Él nunca se enfadaba: decía que el suelo es paciente y que el año que viene siempre hay otra cosecha.My grandfather had a small vegetable garden on the outskirts of the village, between a stream and two enormous bushes. Every spring he spread fertilizer, sowed tomato and lettuce seeds and pulled out the weeds by hand. I went with him on Saturdays and sat in the shade of the big tree while he watered the beds. One summer there was a drought, it did not rain for three months and the harvest was a failure; the next year hail fell in May. He never got angry: he used to say the soil is patient and that next year there is always another harvest.
Comprehension questions
The questions are asked in Russian on purpose: we test your understanding of the text, not your ability to read the question.
- Where was the garden?
- What did the grandfather do every spring?
- What happened one summer?
- How did the grandfather take the failed harvest?
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.