Simple Stories in Spanish

This fourth season of Simple Stories in Spanish is focusing on celebrations. One of my favorite fiestas occurs in March in the city of Valencia, España. San José (St. Joseph) is the patron saint of Valencia and in his honor, they build impressive life-like sculptures. They also decorate a tall statue of the Virgen María with sweet-smelling carnations and light up the sky with “fuegos artificiales”, or fireworks.

This legend is told in the both the present and past tenses. Repeated words and phrases include “madera” (wood), “quema” (burn), “fuego” (fire), “vestido” (dress) and “calle” (street). 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/2021/04/04/simple-stories-in-spanish-la-celebracion-de-las-fallas/

¡Muchas gracias por escuchar! Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support. I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories in Spanish. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider buying me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher 

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This fourth season of Simple Stories in Spanish is focusing on celebration. It is said that every day there is a celebration somewhere. This is especially true in the Spanish-speaking world. With patron saint festivities in every city, celebrations of independence and various sacred native ceremonies, there are many opportunities to witness festivals of culture. 

This story includes mostly the present tense with a few past verbs. Repeated words and phrases include “raíces” (roots), “ropa” (clothing), “iglesia” (church), and “misa” (mass). 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/2021/03/28/simple-stories-in-spanish-las-celebraciones-hispanas/

¡Muchas gracias por escuchar! Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support. I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories in Spanish. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider buying me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher 

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Mate is a popular drink in South America and is becoming ever more prevalent around the world. Known for its high caffeine content and, some claim, health properties, it is possible to find cans of Yerba Mate in health shops and even on grocery store shelves. The original mate, however, is drunk from a hollowed out gourd through a metal “bombilla” straw. The plant itself was a gift from the gods. Today’s legend explains the origin story of this popular plant

This legend is told in the both the present and past tenses. Repeated words and phrases include “bebe” (drinks), “vaso” (cup), “tierra” (land, earth), “regalo” (present, gift), “luna” (moon), “dioses” (gods), and “cielo” (sky). 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/2021/03/07/simple-stories-in-spanish-la-leyenda-de-la-yerba-mate/

¡Muchas gracias por escuchar! Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support. I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories in Spanish. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider buying me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher 

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This third season of Simple Stories in Spanish is focusing on legends. There are many legends of monstrous women that roam the streets looking for victims. We have already heard the stories of la Llorona, la Patasola and la Tunda. Today’s legend of la Siguanaba has many similarities. Like the three other women, she did not begin as a monster, but became one because of her own bad choices. Now, she is doomed to cause havoc and scare away the men that once adored her. I hope you enjoy la leyenda de la Siguanaba. 

The first half of this legend is told in the past tense and the second half is in the present tenses. Repeated words and phrases include “hermoso/hermosa” (beautiful), “cara” (face), “piel” (skin), “cabeza” (head), “caballo” (horse), “estaba enamorado/a” (was in love), “se enamoró” (fell in love) and “cambió” (changed). 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/2021/02/28/simple-stories-in-spanish-la-leyenda-de-la-siguanaba/

¡Muchas gracias por escuchar! Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support. I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories in Spanish. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider buying me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher 

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Today’s legend comes from Perú. Huatyacuri lived a lonely life in the Andes mountains. While his father, Pariacaca, the god of wind and storms, loved him, he could not physically hug him, as he only existed in the wind, rain and snow. Huatyacuri longed for ams to hold him. Then he met the beautiful Chaupiñaca and called upon his father to help him overcome the trials presented by her brother Kamachiq to be able to marry her. I hope you enjoy this simplified version of la leyenda de Huatyacuri.

This legend is told in the present tense. Repeated words and phrases include “viento” (wind), “hermoso/hermosa” (beautiful), “flauta” (flute), “promesa” (promise), “casarse” (marry), “ropa” (clothing), and “abraza” (hug). 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/2021/02/22/simple-stories-in-spanish-la-leyenda-de-huatyacuri/

¡Muchas gracias por escuchar! Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support. I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories in Spanish. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider buying me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher 

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Today’s legend comes from the African communities on the Pacific coast of Colombia and Ecuador. According to legend, the diablo, or devil, seduced a beautiful African princess who arrived on a slave ship. Not knowing he was the devil, she loved him and had many children. One of those children is La Tunda - a very smelly woman who can change her appearance and put people in a trance by feeding them food cooked in her “trasero”, or bum.

I think it is important to note that this legend was very likely altered to scare enslaved people into submission, which is not okay. But if we look closer, as an Afro-Ecuadorian writer recently pointed out, perhaps la Tunda was just trying to free people from enslavement. As a free woman roaming the jungle, she simply wanted to bring more people to her way of life. I hope you enjoy la leyenda de la Tunda.

This legend is told in the present tense. Repeated words and phrases include “jungla” (jungle), “esclavos” (slaves), “apesta” (stinks), “trasero” (bum), “víctima” (victim), “diablo” (devil), and “rezar” (pray). 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/2021/02/14/simple-stories-in-spanish-la-leyenda-de-la-tunda/

¡Muchas gracias por escuchar! Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support. I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories in Spanish. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider buying me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher 

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This third season of Simple Stories in Spanish is focusing on legends. Few Hispanic legends have spread as far as the rather recently discovered “chupacabras. Formed from the words “chupa”, meaning “sucks” and “cabras”, meaning goats, this legendary creature sucks the blood of animals and leaves their corpses behind. I hope you enjoy today’s overview of the legend of “el chupacabras”.

This legend is told in the past tense. Repeated words and phrases include “chupa” (sucks), “sangre” (blood), “heridas” (wounds), “monstruo” (monster), “reptil” (reptile), “patas” (legs, paws), and “vacas” (cows). 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/2021/02/07/simple-stories-in-spanish-la-leyenda-del-chupacabras/

¡Muchas gracias por escuchar! I began this podcast one year ago and it has grown bigger than I ever expected. I hope to continue to provide simple, comprehensible stories in Spanish in the coming year. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider buying me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher 

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This third season of Simple Stories in Spanish is focusing on legends. Listener discretion is advised for this episode. El Coco, el Cuco y el Cucuy are the Spanish equivalent of the Bogeyman. Parents tell stories of this creature to scare their children into behaving. But el coco is not just a myth. This character is based in a very real, very disturbing event from Spain in the early 1900s. I hope you enjoy today’s exploration of the origin of “el coco”. This legend is told in the present, past and future tenses. Repeated words and phrases include “comerá” (will eat), “lleva” (takes, carries), “sangre” (blood), “fue” (was/went), “llegó” (arrived). 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/2021/01/31/simple-stories-in-spanish-la-leyenda-del-coco/

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A woman roams the mountains of la República Dominicana. She is not like other women. She is a protector of nature. Many have tried to trap her, but she is difficult to find because her feet are backwards and lead you in the wrong direction. This woman is a “Ciguapa”. She hypnotizes men with her dark eyes and beauty and leads them to their death. This legend is told in the present tense. Repeated words include “protege” (protects), “naturaleza” (nature), “bosque” (forest), and “tiene miedo” (fears/is scared). 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/2021/01/24/simple-stories-in-spanish-la-leyenda-de-la-ciguapa/

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Today’s legend comes from the country of Guatemala, although it is a popular story in many countries. According to the legend, a “carruaje” or carriage appears in the night driven by death (“la muerte”) himself, or herself, to carry souls to the afterlife. This legend is told mostly in the present tense. Repeated words include “tiene miedo” (is scared), “ruido” (noise), “sonido” (sound), “espantoso” (scary), “se esconde” (hides) and “caballos” (horses). 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/2021/01/21/simple-stories-in-spanish-la-leyenda-del-carruaje-de-la-muerte/

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