A Bird Notebook in El Retiro | Spanish A2
Read a Spanish A2 bird-observation story set in Madrid's El Retiro. Practice past tenses and estar + gerund.
Un cuaderno de pájaros en El Retiro
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A child and grandparent observe birds in El Retiro and learn a verified fact about adult European robins.
Cerca de unos arbustos, estábamos observando los pájaros en silencio. Yo estaba anotando los colores y mi abuelo estaba dibujando formas sencillas. Después vimos un petirrojo europeo con el pecho rojo y la espalda marrón.
En una guía leímos un dato interesante: los machos y las hembras de los petirrojos europeos adultos se parecen mucho. Por eso, no pudimos saber si el que vimos era macho o hembra solo por su aspecto. Ese dato cambió nuestra lista: no escribimos «macho» ni «hembra».
Luego hicimos una lista de las palabras nuevas: el pecho, la espalda, el arbusto y el canto. También escribimos dónde vimos cada pájaro para recordar los detalles. No era un concurso. Queríamos comparar nuestras notas al llegar a casa.
Al final, nos sentimos contentos con el cuaderno. Mi abuelo dijo que el próximo sábado podemos volver al parque y buscar otros colores. Yo quiero aprender más nombres de pájaros antes de ir.
¿Qué pájaro has visto cerca de tu casa?
¿Qué colores recuerdas de ese pájaro?
¿Qué palabras escribirías en tu cuaderno de pájaros?
About this article
What you'll learn
Narrating a bird-observation outing with the preterite and imperfect, using estar + gerund, bird and note-taking vocabulary
A child and grandparent observe birds in El Retiro and learn a verified fact about adult European robins.
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.
Queríamos escribir lo que veíamos
newwe wanted to write what we saw
“Queríamos” and “veíamos” are imperfect forms. They describe an intention and an ongoing view in the past.
Use this phrase to explain the aim of an outing.
En una guía leímos un dato interesante
newwe read an interesting fact in a guide
“Leímos” is the preterite of “leer” for we. It names one completed reading action.
Use it to say where you found a fact.
se parecen mucho
newthey look very similar
“Parecerse” means to resemble each other. “Se parecen” is the plural form for they.
Use it to compare two people or animals.
no pudimos saber
newwe could not tell
“Pudimos” is the preterite of “poder” for we. Here it says that one completed attempt did not give an answer.
Use it to say that you could not find something out.
hicimos una lista
newwe made a list
“Hicimos” is the preterite of “hacer” for we.
Use it to report a finished group action.
nos sentimos contentos
newwe felt happy
“Sentirse contento” means to feel happy or pleased. “Nos sentimos” is the preterite form for we.
Use it to describe a completed feeling.
Key words
Vocabulary that carries the school-day topic.
a notebook
un cuaderno
a notebook
A “cuaderno” is a notebook for writing notes or drawings.
Useful for talking about school or observations.
some bushes
unos arbustos
some bushes
An “arbusto” is a low woody plant, smaller than a tree.
Useful for describing a park or garden.
the breast or chest
el pecho
the breast or chest
“Pecho” names the front part of the body. In the text it describes the bird's red breast.
Useful for describing an animal's colors.
the back
la espalda
the back
“Espalda” names the back part of a person or animal.
Useful for describing an animal's colors.
a guide
una guía
a guide
A “guía” is a book or text that gives information about a subject.
Useful when you look for reliable information.
birdsong
el canto
birdsong
“Canto” is the song or call of a bird.
Useful for describing what you hear in nature.
Grammar in context
Patterns from the text worth noticing after reading.
Preterite of ir: fuimos
fuimos al Parque del Retiro
we went to El Retiro
“Fuimos” is the preterite of “ir” for we. It tells about one completed trip.
Use it to tell where a group went.
Estar + gerund in the imperfect
estábamos observando los pájaros
we were watching the birds
“Estábamos observando” uses imperfect “estar” plus the gerund “observando”. It describes an action that was in progress in the past.
Use it to set the background of a past scene.
Para + infinitive
para recordar los detalles
to remember the details
After “para”, Spanish uses an infinitive when the purpose has the same subject. “Para recordar” means “in order to remember.”
Use it to express a purpose.
Imperfect of saber: no sabíamos
no sabíamos qué pájaro buscar
we did not know which bird to look for
“Sabíamos” is the imperfect of “saber” for we. It describes an ongoing state of not knowing in the past.
Use it to give background information in a past story.
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