Ines wants to count the stars: Spanish A1 reading
Ines counts stars from a city window. They look like points because they are far, the sun is the nearest star, and a shooting star is not a star.
Inés quiere contar las estrellas
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About this article
What you'll learn
present tense, night-sky vocabulary, sentences with porque and por eso
Ines wants to count every star, but city light hides many of them. They look small because they are very far away: the nearest star is the sun. They are not kitchen fire; they are very hot and give light. A bright line is not a falling star: it is a very small rock or dust. Constellations are shapes people see, such as seven stars that look like a cart, and the stars are not tied together. When Pablo turns the lamp on, the stars almost disappear.
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.
Las estrellas están en el cielo
newStars are in the sky
Estar is used for location in Spanish.
Essential phrase for saying where things are located.
Son muy pequeñas y brillantes
newThey are very small and bright
Adjectives after ser describe permanent qualities.
Useful for describing appearance and properties.
Parecen puntos de luz
newThey look like points of light
Parecer means "to seem" or "to look like".
Useful for making comparisons in speech.
brillan porque son fuego
newThey shine because they are fire
Porque (because) introduces a cause.
Basic way to explain reasons in speech.
Se llaman constelaciones
newThey are called constellations
Se llaman is the passive construction for "are called".
Learn how to say what things are called in Spanish.
La estrella más cercana es el sol
newThe closest star is the sun
Más cercana is the superlative "closest".
Learn superlatives and basic description.
A veces una estrella se mueve rápido
newSometimes a star moves fast
A veces = sometimes. Rápido = fast (adverb).
Useful phrase for describing phenomena.
Key words
Vocabulary that carries the school-day topic.
el cielo
el cielo
sky
Sky — where we see stars. Used with estar for location.
Core vocabulary for describing places and phenomena.
brillantes
brillantes
bright
Adjective from the verb brillar (to shine).
Useful for describing light and phenomena.
las constelaciones
las constelaciones
constellations
Groups of stars that form figures in the sky.
Key astronomy vocabulary.
la estrella fugaz
la estrella fugaz
shooting star
Literally "fleeing star". A shooting star is a meteor.
Useful for astronomy topics.
pedir un deseo
pedir un deseo
to make a wish
Pedir (to ask/request) + un deseo (a wish). When you see a shooting star, you make a wish.
Useful everyday expression.
visible
visible
visible
Adjective meaning "able to be seen".
Useful for describing things you can or cannot see.
Grammar in context
Patterns from the text worth noticing after reading.
Location with estar
estar + location
Estar + location: Las estrellas están en el cielo
Estar is used for physical location (where something is).
Important to distinguish estar (location) from ser (description).
Ser vs Estar
ser vs estar
Ser: permanent qualities; Estar: location/state
Ser is used for permanent qualities (sun is fire), Estar for location (stars in the sky).
Key distinction in Spanish.
Why? — because (porque)
porque + clause (cause)
Las estrellas brillan porque son fuego
Porque (because) introduces the cause of an action or phenomenon. Comma before porque is optional.
Basic cause conjunction.
Passive se construction
se + 3rd person (passive)
Se llaman constelaciones = they are called
Se + 3rd person singular/plural = passive voice (something is called/done).
Learn passive construction without verb conjugation.
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