So aside from basic tips—like trying to figure out words from context rather than looking them up right away in a dictionary and writing down new, important words/phrases—here are a few more ways you can use these stories to improve your Spanish level. Which rules can you deduce from this real-world usage? If you enjoy “La Sihunaba,” you’re in luck because there are tons of similar stories available in the Spanish language. It’s kind of hard to explain without giving things away, but trust us—this little story will make a nice break after the first two on our list, even if you do have to read it a few times to wrap your head around what’s going on! We’ve created these stories so it only takes 5 mins a day to learn Spanish. Born in Mexico City, Fuentes, a novelist and diplomat, earned international acclaim for stories that touched themes of social protest, fantasy, and psychology, most often examining life in Mexico through the decades.

The villagers, who originally sign on to his business plan, have no idea what they’re in for. While the stories in “Doce Cuentos Peregrinos” are fairly short, they do contain quite a few words that may be confusing, so be sure to keep your trusty dictionary and translator handy for this one.

If you liked this post, something tells me that you'll love FluentU, the best way to learn Spanish with real-world videos. Click here to get a copy. In the stories in English as well as in Spanish and other languages, the grammatical structure is very simple and the vocabulary is very basic because of their addressees, limiting themselves to describe very basic aspects or elements.. Often they are natural elements, like … Every learner has a truly personalized experience, even if they’re learning the same video. Also, the entire book is available for a free download here. If it’s your first time reading a short story in Spanish, this is a great one to start with. ... Perhaps one of the most widely-read Spanish language authors of today, Zafon's world famous books have been translated in over 50 languages. Hailed as one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, Colombian novelist, journalist, and short story writer Gabriel García Márquez was known as the perfecter of magical realism, a genre of fiction that folds matters of fantasy into realistic situations. The images, the vocabulary, the magic of his books, especially the enormous Hundred years of solitude, is …

Julio Cortázar is the second Argentine on our list, and though he was born 15 years after Borges, most consider them of the same literary generation. Great for kids... and adults too! FluentU brings Spanish to life with real-world videos. Kino [read it for free here] Scheherazade [read it for free here] Samsa in Love [read it for free here] Yesterday [read it for free here] Town of Cats [read it for free here] Toni Morrison Short Stories. Laura Freixas is another author originally from Barcelona, Spain. It doesn’t matter when, just find a time that suits you. Many credit the Argentine short-story writer, essayist, and poet's works with marking the beginning of the popular magical realism genre that swept Latin literature in the 20th century. You’ve got a lot of reading on your plate, spanning seven countries and just about a century, so it’s time to get exploring. Acclaimed as both a journalist and a novelist, Rosa Montero has been able to create incredible narratives while also conducting fascinating interviews. It’s great to study for an hour everyday, but the best option is to keep it sustainable. She's also written short stories, movies, and children's plays, often weaving in themes of—you guessed it—magic.

Don’t deny yourself this little pleasure. Haruki Murakami Short Stories. Notable works: The Family of Pascual Duarte, The Hive, San Camilo. A renowned journalist and long-time correspondent for Spain's El Pais newspaper, Montero's award-winning contemporary fiction is delves into the complexities of femininity and the rollercoasters of emotions and responsibilities that come with it. To peer out a telling window into the traditional role of women in Mexico and wider Latin America, this story is a great tool. Now you’ve got plenty of reading to keep you entertained as well as productive! Here are three solid reasons: Reading a novel can be a serious time investment in your first language—so imagine how long you might spend reading one in Spanish! Here are three solid reasons: For people who are new to learning Spanish. The short story tells the tale of a young girl who gets married to a cold older man and her subsequent slide into a mysterious illness. Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
Esquivel is known for her internationally best-selling magical realism romance novel, Like Water for Chocolate, which was adapted into a critically acclaimed foreign language film.

Also, it is possible that in the future, when the child hears those words in Spanish, they will ring a bell, that association of ideas would be and important step in itself. Capture your surprise, laughs, disgust, confusion—whatever emotions arise! Other characteristics of these brief educational stories related to language are:. While being informative, it’s also a great opportunity to try and be funny! Most striking about Llamazares’s style is its lyrical aesthetic that allows for the story to follow inanimate protagonists, such as nature. “El Ojo Silva” (“Silva the Eye”) follows a homosexual Chilean expatriate photographer who, though he tries his very best to avoid it, eventually encounters life’s “inescapable” violence while on assignment in India. The Shadow of the Wind was not only an international success that sold over 15 million copies, but it was also very well received by critics. Some questions you might want to explore include: Again, since they’re famous, you could also search for short story materials made for native Spanish speaking students, such as study guides, discussion questions or videos.
She has a National Prize for Literature and the Presidential Medal of Freedom given to her by President Barack Obama. Contact us to send your story, Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress.

The vocabulary flashcards found in the app focus on core words along with common phrases to help build your vocabulary. The story is not very lengthy or difficult to get through, and you can even download a short version of the story that comes with the background story as well as comprehension questions here. While this tale may sound a little dark, it’s widely used as a children’s book because of its moral and educational value. Select from one of the beginner stories below, Recieve new stories straight to your inbox each month.

So are you convinced? Often times speakers are quoted directly in tweets as well, so feel free to quote your story too. His works are acclaimed for their exploration of personal, cultural and political themes. Her novel La función delta (The Delta Function, 1981) has been regarded as a significant work of contemporary feminist thought and explores the dualities of life as a woman. All of the stories are very short to help with comprehension and ease of learning.

Spain’s literary output is both exciting and prolific.

Marías has received numerous awards, including the Rómulo Gallegos Prize in 1994, the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1997 and the Austrian State Prize for European Literature in 2011.

Known for his dark, at times even gothic style, Quiroga is sometimes called “the Edgar Allan Poe of Latin America.” Perhaps nowhere is this style more evident than in his short story “El almohadón de plumas,” or “The Feather Pillow.” Published in 1907 in an Argentinian magazine, it was this work that first brought him fame. His second novel, La mano de Fátima (The Hand of Fatima), which is set during the Moorish era, received the American-Italian Roma Prize for best foreign literature. Here are five famous tales to get you started, plus all of the tips you’ll need to maximize your learning with this rewarding source. Happy studies and ¡buena suerte! An example of this characteristic would be the words “arañar, arrastrar, agarrar, amarrar, agachar, etc.” in the story for kids in Spanish The Lake of Monsters. No matter how you prefer to learn new Spanish vocabulary, make sure to study these new words. Spanish textbooks are an almost-necessary tool for language learning, but they’re often so dry that you’d hardly count them as reading at all. In 2001, he stepped out of the young adult fiction genre with The Shadow of the Wind, a novel in which a child discovers and must protect a extremely rare book from a mysterious figure who wishes to destroy it. If you see an interesting word you don’t know, you can add it to a vocab list. Or why the crying woman is trapped between the living and the dead? Since 2013, he has released three books. New Pollito Tito Chicken Little.

New works are continually produced by heavyweights such as Javier Marías, while up-and-coming authors are rising to the limelight thanks to a crop of independent publishers. The most important thing for the Spanish learner, however, is that it distills the incomparable style of García Marquéz—best captured in novels like “Cien años de soledad” and “El amor en los tiempos del cólera”—into short story form. Other sites use scripted content. As both a novelist and journalist, Antonio Muñoz Molina adeptly weaves narratives into historic settings. Since they’re so approachable, you could easily focus on one story per week to build up your reading skills.