The Valencia marathon | Spanish A1
An A1 Spanish scene at the Valencia marathon, a race a little longer than forty-two kilometres. Ana does not stop. She lifts a hand as she passes.
El maratón de Valencia
Tap any word to see its translation
. . . . . . .
. . . , . . , .
. , . . , .
. . . . . «¡!» . . . . , , . . . . .
. , . : . «», .
. . , . . .
Keep reading with translations
Create a free account: 7 days of Pro, then 20 word translations a day or a paid plan.
About this article
What you'll learn
Present tense, querer, and race words: marathon, bib, barrier and finish.
The narrator wants Ana to stop and say hello. She passes the barrier, raises a hand and keeps running. No time and no record.
After reading
Article learning block
Phrases, words, grammar, and quick practice from this text.
Phrases for training
Add useful phrases to SRS or mark them as already known.
Cada año
newevery year
Cada año expresses regularity: something happens each year.
Key time marker from the opening paragraph about the annual marathon.
participan en este evento deportivo
newtake part in this sports event
Participar en + noun is the standard pattern for joining an event.
Describes the scale of the marathon: thousands of participants.
Se calientan los músculos
newthey warm up their muscles
Se calientan is the reflexive form of calentarse (to warm up).
Typical runner action before the start in the text.
todos los años
newevery year
Todos los años is synonymous with cada año for recurring habits.
Describes the brother's regular marathon participation.
anima desde las aceras
newcheer from the sidewalks
Anima desde las aceras describes spectators encouraging runners by the road.
Captures the supportive atmosphere during the race.
va a ver el maratón
newgo to watch the marathon
Ir a ver expresses the intention to go and watch an event.
Family activity from the text: watching the race together.
Key words
Vocabulary that carries the school-day topic.
Marathon
maratón
marathon
Maratón is a 42 km race; the central topic of the article.
Main word throughout the sports event article.
Runners
corredores
runners
Corredores are the people who run the marathon.
Key participants mentioned from early morning onward.
Volunteers
voluntarios
volunteers
Voluntarios dan agua — they help at aid stations along the route.
Important support role for runners during the race.
Medal
medalla
medal
Medalla de participación is an award for taking part, not just winning.
Children receive a medal even in the short kids' race.
Trophy
trofeo
trophy
Trofeo grande is the main prize for the winner.
Word from the paragraph about the marathon winner.
Podium
podio
podium
Podio is the platform winners stand on; suben a un podio.
The top three runners step onto the podium.
Grammar in context
Patterns from the text worth noticing after reading.
Cada año + verb
Cada año mi ciudad organiza un maratón
every year my city organizes a marathon
Cada año + present tense describes a recurring event.
First sentence of the article — model for describing annual events.
Reflexive calentarse
Se calientan los músculos y se preparan mentalmente
they warm up their muscles and prepare mentally
Se calientan / se preparan — the action is directed at themselves.
Two reflexive verbs in one sentence about runner preparation.
Hay + noun
Hay música y mucha energía positiva
there is music and a lot of positive energy
Hay + noun expresses existence: there is / there are.
Describes the atmosphere at the marathon start.
Present: empieza
El maratón empieza en la plaza central
the marathon starts in the central square
Empieza is the 3rd person singular of empezar (to start).
Shows exactly where the race begins in the city.
Read a book in Spanish
All A1 books
Comments
Log in to leave a comment
LoginNo comments yet. Be the first!