The Hiroshima Paper Crane: B1 Spanish Reading
A B1 reading about Sadako Sasaki, the Children's Peace Monument, and origami cranes sent to Hiroshima.
La grulla de papel del Monumento a la Paz de los Niños
Tap any word to see its translation
6 1945, . , 1,6 . 1955.
, . , . .
1957 . .
5 1958, . . .
, . . .
. : , .
, . .
¿ ? ¿ ? ¿ ?
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
Origami vocabulary, historical memory, and past tenses
The text explains how Sadako's classmates promoted a monument unveiled in 1958 and how the paper crane became an offering for peace.
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.
Quedó expuesta a la bomba atómica
newshe was exposed to the atomic bomb
The phrase means that Sadako was within the area affected by the explosion.
It helps with historical accounts of Hiroshima.
pusieron en marcha una campaña
newthey launched a campaign
Poner en marcha means starting an organized activity.
This phrase is common in accounts of collective projects.
fue inaugurado el 5 de mayo de 1958
newit was unveiled on 5 May 1958
Inaugurar un monumento means officially opening or unveiling it.
It states an official opening date.
como deseo de paz
newas a wish for peace
Como introduces the symbolic function of the cranes.
It explains the meaning of an offering.
Key words
Vocabulary that carries the school-day topic.
Folds
pliegues
folds
These are lines or creases made by folding paper.
This is essential origami vocabulary.
Crane
grulla
crane
It is a long-legged, long-necked bird and also the paper figure in the text.
This is the central figure in the story.
Hypocenter
hipocentro
hypocenter
Here it is the point on the ground directly beneath the explosion.
It explains the distance reported by the Hiroshima museum.
Classmates
compañeros
schoolmates or classmates
These are people who study at the same school or in the same class.
It identifies who began the campaign.
Collective offering
ofrenda colectiva
collective offering
It is something offered by many people with a shared intention.
It describes the cranes placed near the monument.
Grammar in context
Patterns from the text worth noticing after reading.
Age in the imperfect
Sadako tenía dos años
Sadako was two years old
Spanish uses tener in the imperfect, tenía, for age at a past moment.
It states someone's age during a historical event.
Impersonal se in the past
se decidió construir
it was decided to build
The structure highlights the decision without naming one person as its author.
It is common in institutional accounts.
Seguir plus gerund
las grullas siguen llegando
the cranes keep arriving
Siguen llegando shows that the action began earlier and continues.
It connects the past with an ongoing action.
Sin plus infinitive
sin dejar de ser una figura de papel
without ceasing to be a paper figure
Sin followed by dejar shows that one condition remains true.
It joins two ideas that remain true together.
Conditional for imagining
¿Qué mensaje escribirías
What message would you write?
Escribirías asks for a possible response in an imagined situation.
It asks for a hypothetical idea.
Read a book in Spanish
All B1 books
Comments
Log in to leave a comment
LoginNo comments yet. Be the first!