The Big Tree: Spanish A1 Reading
Lucía wants shade and an apple. Under a big apple tree she sees autumn leaves, a nest and a squirrel, then picks up the fruit that falls.
El árbol grande
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About this article
What you'll learn
present tense, the verb querer, tree parts and autumn colors
On a hot day Lucía wants a cool place and an apple. She waits under a large apple tree, sees its trunk, the hidden root, colorful autumn leaves, insects in the bark, a nest and a squirrel, and picks the fallen apple up from the ground.
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.
Un árbol es muy grande
newA tree is very big. It has a trunk and branches.
Uses "ser" for permanent characteristics. "Muy" means "very".
Use ser + muy to describe size.
Tiene tronco y ramas
newIt has a trunk and branches.
"Tener" means "to have". It expresses possession.
Essential verb for expressing ownership or attributes.
La raíz está bajo tierra
newThe root is underground.
"Estar" is used for location. "Bajo tierra" = underground.
Location of things uses estar, not ser.
Las hojas son verdes
newThe leaves are green in spring and summer.
Colors use ser. Green = verdes (agrees with hojas plural).
Color adjectives agree in number.
Los pájaros hacen nidos
newBirds make nests.
"Hacen" is from "hacer" (to do/make). "Hacer nidos" = to make nests.
Common pattern for animal behaviors.
En otoño cambian de color
newIn autumn they change color.
Leaves turn yellow, orange, and red. "Cambian" from "cambiar" = to change.
Seasonal descriptions are common in everyday Spanish.
Key words
Vocabulary that carries the school-day topic.
Tree
árbol
tree
árbol = tree. A plant with a trunk and branches.
Essential nature vocabulary.
Trunk
tronco
trunk
tronco = trunk. The main central part of a tree.
Easy to remember — same concept in English.
Root
raíz
root
raíz = root. The part of a plant under the ground.
Similar to English "root". Good mnemonic.
Leaves
hojas
leaves
hojas = leaves (plural). Singular: hoja.
Remember: add -s for plural, like English.
Branches
ramas
branches
ramas = branches (plural). Singular: rama.
rama → ramas. Regular plural.
Shade
sombra
shade
sombra = shade/shadow. Also means coolness in hot climates.
Useful for weather and nature descriptions.
Grammar in context
Patterns from the text worth noticing after reading.
Articles: el, la, los, las
El tronco es el cuerpo del árbol.
Noun + article: el tronco, la raíz, las ramas
"El" for masculine, "la" for feminine. Plural: los/las.
Articles are mandatory before nouns in Spanish.
Ser vs Estar: location
La raíz está bajo tierra.
La raíz está bajo tierra — the root IS LOCATED underground
"Estar" for location. "Ser" for characteristics.
Estar = where, Ser = what it is.
Verb tener
Tiene tronco y ramas.
tiene = has (he/she)
"Tener" = to have. Instead of "tree has", we say "tree tiene".
Tener replaces the "to have" concept.
Gender and number of nouns
Las hojas / Los árboles
las hojas (feminine plural), los árboles (masculine plural)
Article shows gender: las (f.) + hojas, los (m.) + árboles.
Masculine: -o, Feminine: -a. Plural: -s.
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