El Festival de San Fermín en Pamplona

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About this article

Level A1 Reading focus

What you'll learn

festival vocabulary months animals clothing emotions time

This article describes the San Fermin festival in Pamplona with its bull runs white clothing and red scarves. A1 level is suitable for Spanish beginners.

After reading

Article learning block

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

15 items

Phrases for training

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

Los mozos corren delante de los toros

new

Young men run in front of the bulls

Shows how "correr" (to run) is used in present tense for regular actions.

Useful for describing traditional festival actions.

Todos visten ropa blanca y pañuelos rojos

new

Everyone wears white clothes and red scarves

Verb "vestir" means "to wear". This phrase describes the traditional San Fermín outfit.

The white and red outfit is iconic to San Fermín. Remember this visual!

¡Viva San Fermín!

new

Long live San Fermín!

Classic festival cry. "Viva" means "Long live" - used for celebration and support.

The most famous shout at the festival. Use it to sound like a local!

Todo el mundo está muy contento y emocionado

new

Everyone is very happy and excited

"Todo el mundo" means "everyone". Use estar + adjective for emotions.

Perfect structure for describing how a crowd feels.

La gente baila en las plazas

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People dance in the squares

Simple present tense example. "La gente" always takes singular verb form.

Basic phrase for describing what people do in public spaces.

No puede faltar el vino de Navarra

new

The wine from Navarra cannot be missing

"No puede faltar" means "cannot be missing" - used for essential things.

Great expression to say something is a must-have.

Key words

Vocabulary that carries the school-day topic.

bull run

el encierro

bull run

The main event of San Fermín - bulls run through narrow streets at 8am for 800 meters.

The iconic event that makes San Fermín famous worldwide.

rocket

el cohete

rocket

The rocket launched at noon on July 6th signals the start of San Fermín.

Key time marker. "A las doce del mediodía, un cohete..."

pinchos

los pinchos

pinchos

Small snacks on bread, popular in Basque Country and Navarra. Eaten in bars with a glass of wine.

A must-try food experience in Spanish bar culture.

caldereta

la caldereta

caldereta

Traditional Navarra stew made of lamb or veal with vegetables. Served in bars during the festival.

Local dish worth trying during San Fermín celebrations.

fireworks

los fuegos artificiales

fireworks

Light show at night to close the day. The sky fills with bright colors.

Describes the nightly San Fermín event.

hope

la ilusión

hope

Feeling of anticipation and joy for the future. "Esperar con ilusión" = to look forward to something.

Key word for describing the anticipation for next year.

Grammar in context

Patterns from the text worth noticing after reading.

Present tense: regular verbs

Personas de todo el mundo vienen a ver los encierros

present_regular_verbs

"Vienen" (to come) is a regular -er verb in 3rd person plural. Stem "vendr-" + "-en".

Regular -er, -ir verbs follow the same pattern in present tense.

Time expressions with "por"

Por la mañana, seis toros corren por las calles estrechas

time_por

"Por la mañana" = in the morning, "por la noche" = at night. Use "por" for time periods.

Compare: "a las ocho" (at what time) vs "por la mañana" (when).

Indefinite pronoun: todo el mundo

Todo el mundo está muy contento

indefinite_todo

"Todo el mundo" = everyone (each person). Takes SINGULAR verb! "Todo el mundo está".