Spanish story with translation · B1 · 18 lines
Cómo nos conocimos How we met
Comic · 9 panels
«¿Cómo os conocisteis Sergio y tú?», me ha preguntado hoy Ana en el piso nuevo.
"How did you and Sergio meet?" Ana asked me today at the new apartment.
No fue amor a primera vista, te lo juro. La culpa fue de una escalera.
It wasn't love at first sight, I swear. A ladder was to blame.
Hace unos años mi amiga Paula se mudó y pidió ayuda a todos sus amigos.
A few years ago my friend Paula moved and asked all her friends for help.
Sergio y yo no nos conocíamos, pero teníamos una amiga común: ella.
Sergio and I didn't know each other, but we had a mutual friend: her.
Ese sábado coincidimos por casualidad en su piso nuevo. Al entrar, me fijé en un chico alto: estaba en una escalera y cambiaba una bombilla.
That Saturday, by chance, we were both at her new apartment. When I walked in, I noticed a tall guy: he was on a ladder, changing a light bulb.
Me pareció serio y un poco borde: ni siquiera me saludó.
He seemed serious and a bit rude to me: he didn't even say hello.
Solo me dijo: «Tú, la del jersey rojo: sujétame la escalera, por favor».
He just said to me: "You, the one in the red sweater: hold the ladder for me, please."
La agarré con las dos manos. «Ahora pásame la bombilla. No, esa no: dame la otra».
I grabbed it with both hands. "Now pass me the light bulb. No, not that one: give me the other one."
En ese momento sonó mi móvil. Solté la escalera un momento para mirarlo…
At that moment my phone rang. I let go of the ladder for a second to look at it…
…y Sergio se cayó desde el tercer peldaño.
…and Sergio fell off the third rung.
No fue grave, pero se dio un golpe en un dedo. «¡Perdóname!», grité. Estaba muy avergonzada.
It wasn't serious, but he banged one of his fingers. "Forgive me!" I shouted. I was very embarrassed (woman speaking).
Lo llevé a urgencias en mi coche. Esperamos tres horas, y en tres horas se habla de muchas cosas.
I took him to the ER in my car. We waited three hours, and in three hours you talk about a lot of things.
Resultó que teníamos en común muchas cosas: a los dos nos gustaban las películas antiguas, la montaña y la tortilla sin cebolla.
It turned out we had a lot in common: we both liked old movies, the mountains and tortilla without onion.
Al salir, me dijo muy serio: «Me debes un favor. Invítame a cenar».
When we left, he told me very seriously: "You owe me a favor. Take me out to dinner."
Cenamos el viernes. El sábado nos vimos otra vez. Y el domingo también.
We had dinner on Friday. On Saturday we saw each other again. And on Sunday too.
Desde entonces nos vemos todos los días, nos escribimos mensajes tontos y nos ayudamos mutuamente.
Since then, we've been seeing each other every day, texting each other silly messages and helping each other out.
Hoy Sergio se ha subido a una escalera para cambiar la primera bombilla de nuestro piso.
Today Sergio climbed a ladder to change the first light bulb in our apartment.
Me ha mirado y me ha dicho: «Lucía, esta vez sujétala bien. Y dame el móvil».
He looked at me and said: "Lucía, this time hold it properly. And give me the phone."
Grammar for this text
"Each other". ¿Cómo os conocisteis? (how did you two meet?), no nos conocíamos (we didn't know each other), nos vimos (we saw each other), nos escribimos (we write to each other), nos ayudamos mutuamente (we help each other).
Commands with a pronoun. Sujétame la escalera (hold the ladder for me), pásame (pass me), dame (give me), perdóname (forgive me), invítame (take me out, treat me), sujétala (hold it).
La del jersey rojo — the one in the red sweater: the word chica (girl) is dropped and only the article is left.
Se habla de muchas cosas — you talk about lots of things: impersonal se (unit 7).
Set phrases. Te lo juro — I swear. Se dio un golpe en un dedo — he banged his finger: darse un golpe means to hit or bump yourself. Me debes un favor — you owe me a favor.
Tortilla without onion. In Spain people argue endlessly about whether a Spanish omelet (tortilla) should have onion in it or not.
Words and grammar of the unit: Ask friends to help you move.
Learn the words from the texts with flashcards
In the app, you can tap any word in a text to see its translation, forms and examples, and new words stick with flashcards. 15 minutes a day.
Start for freeEverything is open for free. No card needed to sign up.