The fish in the sea: a live fish near the coast
Lucía wants to see a live fish near the coast. She watches a yellow fish among the plants, a jellyfish, and a bag in the water.
El pez en el mar
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About this article
What you'll learn
Present tense, the verb querer, and sea words: pez, branquias, medusa, costa.
Lucía wades in with her brother to see a live fish. She watches its gills, steps back from a jellyfish, sees a large fish farther out, and a bag among the plants.
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.
en el mar
newin the sea
"En el mar" means "in the sea". The preposition "en" indicates location.
Useful for describing where things are located.
hay peces grandes y peces pequeños
newthere are big fish and small fish
"Hay" is an impersonal verb meaning "there is/are". Used to express existence.
Essential for talking about what exists.
tener cuidado
newto be careful
"Tener cuidado" is an infinitive construction meaning "to be careful".
Important phrase for safety and warnings.
pescar para comer
newto fish to eat
"Pescar para comer" means "to fish in order to eat". "Para" indicates purpose.
Useful for expressing the purpose of an action.
la cadena de la vida
newthe chain of life
"La cadena de la vida" is the natural cycle where big fish eat small fish.
Links ecological theme to a practical example.
mantener el mar limpio
newto keep the sea clean
"Mantener" + adjective expresses a state. "Mantener limpio" means "to keep clean".
Useful for environmental topics.
cuidar los océanos
newto take care of the oceans
"Cuidar" means "to take care of". "Los océanos" is the plural of "océano".
"Cuidar" is useful for everyday conversation.
Key words
Vocabulary that carries the school-day topic.
gills
las branquias
gills
"Las branquias" are the respiratory organs of fish. They allow fish to breathe underwater.
Key word for understanding how fish live underwater.
coast
la costa
coast
"La costa" is the land along the edge of the sea where water meets land.
Useful for describing places near the sea.
shark
el tiburón
shark
"El tiburón" is a large predatory fish. Some sharks are dangerous to humans.
A well-known marine animal you should know.
jellyfish
la medusa
jellyfish
"La medusa" is a marine creature that floats in water. Some jellyfish can sting.
Good to know for beach safety.
fish (food)
el pescado
fish (food)
"El pescado" is fish as food. Fish is healthy: it has proteins and helps the brain.
Important to distinguish "pez" (living fish) from "pescado" (fish as food).
trash
la basura
trash
"La basura" means trash or waste. Trash harms fish and sea plants.
Environmental vocabulary for understanding pollution issues.
to breathe
respirar
to breathe
"Respirar" means "to breathe". Fish breathe with gills, not air.
Useful for describing how living things function.
to swim
nadar
to swim
"Nadar" means "to swim". You swim in water using your arms and legs.
A movement verb useful for describing water activities.
Grammar in context
Patterns from the text worth noticing after reading.
Present tense: regular -ar verbs
Los peces respiran con branquias.
los peces respiran con branquias
"Respirar" is a regular -ar verb in present: respire, respiras, respira, respiramos, respiran.
The -ar ending gives: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -an.
There is/There are (hay)
Hay peces grandes y peces pequeños.
hay peces grandes y peces pequenos
"Hay" is the impersonal form of "haber". Used to express existence: "there is", "there are".
Essential for talking about what exists.
Construction "Es importante + infinitive"
Es importante mantener el mar limpio.
es importante mantener el mar limpio
"Es importante" + infinitive means "It is important to do something". It is an unchanging structure.
Used to express the importance of an action.
Negation with "no"
La mayoría de los peces no hacen daño.
la mayoría de los peces no hacen daño
Negation in present tense: "no" + verb. "No hacen daño" means "they don't cause harm".
Basic negation pattern in Spanish.
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