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Illustration for “What were you like as a kid?”

Spanish dialogue with translation · A2 · 15 lines

¿Cómo eras de pequeño? What were you like as a kid?

Comic · 15 panels

Panel 1 of 15 for “What were you like as a kid?”: “Look, Pablo, a school. The kids are at recess.”
  1. Ana

    Mira, Pablo, un colegio. Los niños están en el recreo.

    Look, Pablo, a school. The kids are at recess.

Panel 2 of 15 for “What were you like as a kid?”: “How they scream! As a kid, I also used to play ball in the yard every day (man speaking).”
  1. Pablo

    ¡Cómo gritan! De pequeño yo también jugaba a la pelota en el patio todos los días.

    How they scream! As a kid, I also used to play ball in the yard every day (man speaking).

Panel 3 of 15 for “What were you like as a kid?”: “And what were you like as a kid? Did you behave? (to a man)”
  1. Ana

    ¿Y cómo eras de pequeño? ¿Te portabas bien?

    And what were you like as a kid? Did you behave? (to a man)

Panel 4 of 15 for “What were you like as a kid?”: “Not at all. I was very naughty: I used to jump on the tables and fight with my friends over the swing (man speaking).”
  1. Pablo

    Para nada. Era muy travieso: saltaba encima de las mesas y me peleaba con mis amigos por el columpio.

    Not at all. I was very naughty: I used to jump on the tables and fight with my friends over the swing (man speaking).

Panel 5 of 15 for “What were you like as a kid?”: “No way! And didn't your teacher punish you?”
  1. Ana

    ¡Qué fuerte! ¿Y tu maestra no te castigaba?

    No way! And didn't your teacher punish you?

Panel 6 of 15 for “What were you like as a kid?”: “Of course she did. She used to punish me with no recess almost every week. And you? What were you like?”
  1. Pablo

    Claro que sí. Me castigaba sin recreo casi todas las semanas. ¿Y tú? ¿Cómo eras?

    Of course she did. She used to punish me with no recess almost every week. And you? What were you like?

Panel 7 of 15 for “What were you like as a kid?”: “I was very calm and I loved school. I used to draw all day and play with my dolls (woman speaking).”
  1. Ana

    Yo era muy tranquila y me encantaba el colegio. Dibujaba todo el día y jugaba con mis muñecas.

    I was very calm and I loved school. I used to draw all day and play with my dolls (woman speaking).

Panel 8 of 15 for “What were you like as a kid?”: “And did you always do your homework?”
  1. Pablo

    ¿Y siempre hacías los deberes?

    And did you always do your homework?

Panel 9 of 15 for “What were you like as a kid?”: “Always. And I loved drawing: I still remember my first drawing, a blue dog.”
  1. Ana

    Siempre. Y me encantaba dibujar: todavía me acuerdo de mi primer dibujo, un perro azul.

    Always. And I loved drawing: I still remember my first drawing, a blue dog.

Panel 10 of 15 for “What were you like as a kid?”: “A blue dog! And you always did your homework: you were the perfect girl.”
  1. Pablo

    ¡Un perro azul! Y siempre hacías los deberes: eras la niña perfecta.

    A blue dog! And you always did your homework: you were the perfect girl.

Panel 11 of 15 for “What were you like as a kid?”: “Well, not so much. I was pretty spoiled. When Mom didn't buy me a toy, I used to cry in the middle of the store (woman speaking).”
  1. Ana

    Bueno, no tanto. Era bastante mimada. Cuando mamá no me compraba un juguete, lloraba en medio de la tienda.

    Well, not so much. I was pretty spoiled. When Mom didn't buy me a toy, I used to cry in the middle of the store (woman speaking).

Panel 12 of 15 for “What were you like as a kid?”: “That's so funny! You used to cry over a toy, and now you haggle at the street market.”
  1. Pablo

    ¡Qué risa! Antes llorabas por un juguete y ahora regateas en el mercadillo.

    That's so funny! You used to cry over a toy, and now you haggle at the street market.

Panel 13 of 15 for “What were you like as a kid?”: “And you used to jump on the tables, and now you behave. Well, almost always.”
  1. Ana

    Y tú antes saltabas encima de las mesas y ahora te portas bien. Bueno, casi siempre.

    And you used to jump on the tables, and now you behave. Well, almost always.

Panel 14 of 15 for “What were you like as a kid?”: “Thanks! Childhood is a great time, right?”
  1. Pablo

    ¡Gracias! La infancia es una época genial, ¿verdad?

    Thanks! Childhood is a great time, right?

Panel 15 of 15 for “What were you like as a kid?”: “Yes. Sometimes I miss it.”
  1. Ana

    Sí. A veces la echo de menos.

    Yes. Sometimes I miss it.

Grammar for this text

The imperfect for childhood habits. Everything that was normal in childhood and happened again and again is in this tense: jugaba a la pelota en el patio todos los días — I used to play ball in the schoolyard every day, me castigaba sin recreo casi todas las semanas — almost every week she took away my recess, dibujaba todo el día — I used to draw all day. The ending -aba is for -ar verbs, -ía for the others: hacías los deberes.

Era, eras are the verb ser in the same tense: ¿Cómo eras de pequeño? — What were you like as a kid?

De pequeño / de pequeña — as a kid. It changes for gender: Pablo says de pequeño about himself, and Ana would say de pequeña.

Reflexive verbs work as usual, with the pronoun in front: te portabas bien, me peleaba. Me acuerdo de… — I remember…, always with de.

Antes… ahora… — I used to… now I… After antes comes the imperfect, after ahora the present tense: Antes llorabas por un juguete y ahora regateas.

La echo de menos — I miss it. echar de menos is a set phrase: to miss someone or something. La here is la infancia — childhood.

Words and grammar of the unit: Talk about your childhood.

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