El barco de Teseo en clase

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About this article

Level B2 Reading focus

What you'll learn

Spanish B2 reading, philosophical argument, identity vocabulary, hypothetical conditions

A clearly fictional classroom discussion uses Plutarch's account of the Ship of Theseus to compare continuity and material criteria for identity. Students test a later reassembly variant and consider why two rival ships cannot both be identical to one original.

After reading

Article learning block

Phrases, words, grammar, and quick practice from this text.

14 items

Phrases for training

Add useful phrases to SRS or mark them as already known.

sin interrupciones

new

without interruption

Describes something that continues without breaks.

Useful for talking about continuity in time or activity.

con los años

new

over the years

Marks a gradual change across a long period.

Useful in narratives about development or aging.

forman parte de

new

are also part of

Shows that something belongs to a larger whole.

Useful for defining components and relationships.

qué cuenta

new

what counts for preserving its identity

Here contar means to matter, not to calculate.

Useful when weighing reasons or criteria.

Key words

Vocabulary that carries the school-day topic.

tabla

plank

A long flat piece of wood used in construction.

Central word in the Ship of Theseus problem.

nave

vessel, ship

A formal word for a boat or ship.

Common in historical and maritime texts.

remos

oars

Long poles used to move a boat through water.

Useful vocabulary for boats and rowing.

identidad

identity

What makes something the particular thing it is.

Essential for philosophical discussions about persistence.

criterios

criteria

Standards used to judge or decide something.

Useful in arguments and evaluations.

ocultar

to hide

To keep something from being seen or noticed.

Useful both literally and figuratively.

Grammar in context

Patterns from the text worth noticing after reading.

Real condition with si

Si cambiamos una tabla rota, ¿sigue siendo el mismo barco?

If we replace a broken plank, is it still the same ship?

Si plus present introduces a possible condition; the result also uses the present.

Useful for testing real or plausible consequences.

Contrasting past views

Unos sostenían que seguía siendo la misma; otros afirmaban que ya no lo era.

Some held that it remained the same; others said it no longer was.

The imperfect presents simultaneous, ongoing positions in the past.

Useful for reporting debates and contrasting opinions.

costar plus infinitive

Si ninguna tabla original permanece, le cuesta llamar «el mismo barco» al resultado.

If no original plank remains, he finds it hard to call the result the same ship.

Le cuesta plus infinitive expresses difficulty for a person.

Useful for saying that an action is difficult.

Hypothetical condition

Si ambas fueran idénticas al barco inicial, también tendrían que ser idénticas entre sí.

If both were identical to the original ship, they would also have to be identical to each other.

Si plus imperfect subjunctive pairs with the conditional for an unreal hypothesis.