Escuchar: Historia de Los Tres Cerditos

Los Tres Cerditos - click here

A delightful story from The Spanish Experiment with audio and translation. Listen, then read out loud, then listen again. 

Be sure to capture your own new words and listen until you don't need the available translation.

New words (para mi):

atado de paja ... bundle of straw
respetuosamente ... politely, respectfully
su boca comenzó a hacerse agua ... his mouth started to water
cerradura ... lock, keyhole
soplar ... blow, puff, huff
derrumbar ... topple, bring down
retumbar ... rumble, roar
rostizado ... roasted
ladrillos ... bricks
lamar ... lick
chuletas de cerdo  ... pork chops
remover ... remove, stir
¡Él no se rendiría! ... he would not give up
escalar ... climb up
aterrizar ... land
trasero ... butt, bottom
aullar ... howl
sobar ... rub
quemado ... scorched, burned

Escuchar: Historia de El Pájaro y la Ballena

Click here for video

A delightful (pero un poco triste) story from The Spanish Experiment with audio and translation. Listen, then read out loud, then listen again. Be sure to capture your own new words and listen until you don't need the available translation.

New words (para mi):

* sumergir (irregular)

se encontraron -- they met
chistes -- jokes
aguas cálidas -- warm waters 
se volvió - became
se sumergió -- she dived 
jadeando (jadear) -- panting
la superficie -- the surface
sin aliento -- without breath
los acantilados -- the cliffs
acogedor -- cozy
las aletas -- fins
aleteó (aletear) -- fluttered
salpicó (sapicar) -- splashed
sacudió (sacudir) -- shook

¿Y la moraleja de esta historia es .... ???

Caperucita Roja y El Lobo Feroz

Haz clic aquí para escuchar el vídeo.

It's a familiar story and a bit scary as a small girl has to face the big bad wolf ... in this version El Lobo Feroz.

Like many great stories, it starts out "Habia una vez ... " once upon a time. 

This is a great listening exercise as the story is broken down into short segments and here's a process to help you develop your listening skills.

• Listen to one Spanish segment at a time once or twice, following along with the words, just enjoying the story.
• Note all the unfamiliar words but don't let them stop you.

• Read the segment out loud.  
• Review the vocabulary cards below then listen to the story again. If there are still words you don’t understand, make note of them for later. Try not to use the translation button unless you are completely stuck.
• Read it out loud again and pay attention to your pronunciation. If you’re having trouble with a word, go to forvo.com and practice it until it’s fluid.

This may seem like a slow process but it is building your listening, speaking and reading skills, creating new memory traces that will eventually turn into fluency.

Here are some words which were new to me. Be sure to say the words out loud as you review them.