A Fish in an Aquarium: Spanish A1
Read a short Spanish A1 observation of a fish. Learn present-tense actions and words for fins, scales and gills.
Un pez en el acuario
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A Spanish A1 classroom observation introduces how a fish moves and breathes in water. It practises present-tense actions, preference questions and words for fins, scales and gills.
El pez no es una persona. No habla ni juega conmigo, pero puedo observarlo con calma. Cuando nada, mueve la cola de un lado a otro. Muchos peces tienen escamas. Estas escamas cubren el cuerpo y lo protegen.
En la clase aprendemos una cosa importante. Los peces usan branquias para respirar en el agua. Las branquias están a los lados de la cabeza. Nosotros respiramos aire con los pulmones, pero un pez respira de otra manera. Por eso, un pez puede vivir en el agua.
Mi amiga Ana mira el pez conmigo. Ella dice: "El pez naranja nada muy bien." Yo respondo: "Sí, y sus aletas son grandes." Después dibujamos un pez: una cabeza, una cola, aletas y escamas. El dibujo tiene color naranja, azul y verde.
Ahora piensa en el pez.
¿Te gustan los peces?
¿Qué color tiene tu animal favorito?
¿Puedes nombrar tres partes del cuerpo de un pez?
About this article
What you'll learn
present-tense actions, questions with gustar, fish body-part vocabulary
A Spanish A1 classroom observation introduces how a fish moves and breathes in water. It practises present-tense actions, preference questions and words for fins, scales and gills.
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.
Un pez en el acuario
newA fish in the aquarium
The title names the animal and the place where it is observed.
It gives you a simple way to introduce an observation.
Hoy miro un pez naranja
newToday I look at an orange fish
Miro is the present form of mirar for yo. Hoy places the action in today.
It helps you describe what you are looking at now.
También nada junto a una planta verde
newIt also swims next to a green plant
También adds another action. Junto a means next to.
It helps you add a location to a simple description.
Mi amiga Ana mira el pez conmigo
newMy friend Ana looks at the fish with me
Conmigo means with me. It combines con and mí.
It is useful for saying who does an activity with you.
El pez no es una persona
newThe fish is not a person
No goes before es to make a negative sentence.
It shows a simple way to say what something is not.
Los peces usan branquias para respirar en el agua
newFish use gills to breathe in water
Usan is the present form of usar for ellos. Para plus an infinitive explains the purpose of an action.
It connects a fish fact with a useful present-tense pattern.
Key words
Vocabulary that carries the school-day topic.
Fins
aletas
fins
Aletas are parts that help a fish move and keep balance in water.
It is a key body-part word for understanding the text.
Gills
branquias
gills
Branquias are the organs fish use to take oxygen from water.
It names the body part behind the main fish fact in the text.
Scales
escamas
scales
Escamas are small hard parts that cover and protect the bodies of many fish.
It adds a useful anatomy word to the fish topic.
Tail
cola
tail
Cola means tail. In this text, the fish moves it from side to side.
It helps you describe a visible part of an animal.
Lungs
pulmones
lungs
Pulmones are the organs people use to breathe air.
It helps you contrast how people and fish breathe.
To move
moverse
to move
Mover means to move something. Moverse means to move oneself, as the fish does in water.
It helps distinguish an action on an object from an action of the subject.
Grammar in context
Patterns from the text worth noticing after reading.
Present tense: nada
El pez nada cerca de una piedra grande
The fish swims near a large stone
Nada is the present-tense form of nadar for él, ella or usted. It describes one action happening now or regularly.
It helps you describe what an animal does.
Questions with gustar
¿Te gustan los peces?
Do you like fish?
With gustar, the thing liked is the subject. Te gustan is used with a plural noun such as los peces.
It lets you ask about another person's preferences.
Colour adjective: naranja
El pez es pequeño y naranja
The fish is small and orange
Naranja is used as a colour adjective. It stays the same with a masculine or feminine noun: un pez naranja, una planta naranja.
It helps you describe colour simply.
Present tense: mueve
mueve la cola de un lado a otro
moves its tail from side to side
Mueve is the present-tense form of mover for él, ella or usted. The o changes to ue in this form.
It shows a common stem change in a useful action verb.
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