Playing Baseball: One Sound on an Old Bat
A Spanish A1 story. Someone wants to hear a ball on a grandfather's wooden bat once. The first swing misses. The second is a soft tap, and a new mark stays on the wood.
Jugar al béisbol
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About this article
What you'll learn
Present tense, the verb querer, and simple words for a bat, a ball, and a swing.
On an empty field, the narrator wants one sound: the ball on a dark wooden bat from their grandfather. A friend pitches. The first swing hits only air. The narrator shortens the grip. The second pitch makes a small dry tap, and the ball rolls to the friend's foot. A new pale mark is on the wood. They keep no score.
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.
juega al béisbol
newplay baseball
Jugar al + sport: al before the sport name. Juega is 3rd person singular (grupo).
Main action of the article — weekly game with friends.
forman dos equipos
newform two teams
Formar equipos means to make teams before the match. Pequeños describes size.
Useful for describing how a game is set up.
hace un home run
newhit a home run
Hacer un home run means to hit the ball out of the field. Hace is 3rd person (Carlos).
Key moment of the match in the text.
se dan la mano
newshake hands
Darse la mano is reflexive se + dar la mano. Plural: se dan.
Sportsmanship after the match.
tiran una moneda
newflip a coin
Tirar una moneda decides who bats first. Para elegir means to choose.
Typical procedure before a baseball game.
gana la moneda
newwin the coin toss
Ganar la moneda means the team wins the toss and bats first.
Explains why Carlos's team bats at the start.
corre las tres bases
newrun the three bases
Correr las bases means to run around the bases after a hit. Las tres bases = all three.
Describes Carlos's run after the home run.
Key words
Vocabulary that carries the school-day topic.
Bat
bate
bat
Bate is the wooden stick for hitting. De madera antiguo means old wooden.
Central object in Carlos's story.
Ball
pelota
ball
Pelota is the baseball. La atrapa means a field player catches it.
Basic word for describing the game.
Pitcher
lanzador
pitcher
Lanzador is the player who throws the ball (Pedro, white team).
Important role in baseball.
Captain
capitán
captain
Capitán is the team leader. Del equipo azul means of the blue team.
Word for Carlos and his role.
Scoreboard
marcador
score
Marcador is the game score. Seis a cuatro means 6–4 for the blue team.
Needed to describe the match result.
Rematch
revancha
rematch
Revancha is a return match next week. Habrá is future from haber.
Closes the story with a promise of another game.
Teammates
compañeros
teammates
Compañeros are Carlos's team partners. Gritan de alegría means they shout with joy.
Word for team spirit after the home run.
Grammar in context
Patterns from the text worth noticing after reading.
Present: jugar
un grupo de amigos juega al béisbol
a group of friends plays baseball
Juega is jugar in 3rd person. Grupo is singular, so juega not juegan.
Basic present tense with the article's key verb.
Ser: role
Carlos es el capitán del equipo azul
Carlos is the captain of the blue team
Es + role identifies who someone is on the team.
Ser for identifying a player's role.
Reflexive: darse
Los jugadores se dan la mano
the players shake hands
Se dan la mano is plural reflexive. Se agrees with jugadores.
Shows reflexive verbs in a sports context.
Preterite: regalar
Su abuelo le regaló ese bate
his grandfather gave him that bat
Regaló is preterite of regalar. Le refers to Carlos (indirect object).
The only preterite in the text — the bat's backstory.
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