Tomato seeds: from the plate to one red tomato (A1)
Hugo dries flat beige seeds from a ripe tomato, learns not to bury them deep, and later cuts one red tomato on the balcony.
Semillas de tomate
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About this article
What you'll learn
Present tense and growing words: semilla, germinar, tierra húmeda, sol and trasplantar.
Hugo wants a tomato from his own plant. He dries small flat beige seeds, buries them too deep, and nothing grows. He sows them again under a thin cover in a warm place, sees two first leaves, transplants the stronger plants into bigger pots, and ties a tall plant to a stick. One morning he cuts a red tomato on the balcony and eats it.
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.
Para plantar tomates
newIn order to plant tomatoes
Para + infinitive expresses purpose. A classic construction for stating intention.
Useful for describing why you do something.
Ponemos la maceta en un lugar cálido
newWe put the pot in a warm place with light
Poner means to put/place. Construction poner algo en algún lugar.
For describing where you place things.
Después de algunos días
newAfter some days the seed germinates
Después de means after. Used with nouns or gerunds: después de + noun/gerund.
For describing sequence of events in time.
La tierra debe estar húmeda
newThe soil should be moist but not wet
Debe + infinitive expresses obligation or probability. "Should be" / "must be".
For expressing requirements and expectations.
Necesita cuidados especiales
newThis little plant needs special care
Necesitar + noun means "to need something". Also: necesitar + infinitive.
For expressing needs and requirements.
El tomate necesita sol
newThe tomato needs sun to grow
Necesitar + noun for physical needs. Sol = sunlight.
For describing natural plant needs.
Ver cómo crece
newWatching something grow from a seed is magical
Infinitive construction Ver + cómo + verb. "See how..." — observe a process.
For describing observation of processes.
Key words
Vocabulary that carries the school-day topic.
seed
semilla
seed
Femenino: la semilla. Small part of a plant from which a new plant grows. Every tomato contains many seeds.
Central word of the article — key to understanding the whole text.
to plant
plantar
to plant
Infinitive. Action: placing seeds or plants in soil. Also: plantar un árbol — to plant a tree.
Verb for describing planting and gardening.
to water
regar
to water
Infinitive: regar. Essential verb for plant care. Stem-changing e→ie: yo riego, tú riegas.
Needed for understanding plant care.
germinates
germina
germinates
Third person singular present from germinar. The moment when a seed begins to transform into a plant.
For describing the natural process of germination.
we transplant
trasplantamos
we transplant
First person plural present from trasplantar. When a plant is moved to a bigger pot or to the ground.
For describing the stage of moving a plant.
to harvest
cosechar
to harvest
Infinitive. Final stage of cultivation — collecting what grew. Cosechar tomates, cosechar trigo.
For describing the final stage of farming.
Grammar in context
Patterns from the text worth noticing after reading.
Present simple for describing processes
La semilla germina
The seed germinates
Present Simple is used for natural processes and general truths. Verb germinar in third person singular.
For describing how plants grow and what happens in nature.
Necesitar + noun/infinitive
Necesita cuidados especiales
Needs special care
Verb necesitar is used with a noun (necesitar + noun) or with an infinitive (necesitar + infinitive) to express needs.
For expressing what someone or something needs.
Direct object pronouns
Las cubrimos con tierra
We cover them with soil
Direct object pronouns: me, te, lo, la, nos, os, los, las. Here: las semillas → las. "Las cubrimos" = "We cover them".
To avoid repeating nouns in a sentence.
Passive construction with se
Las semillas se secan
The seeds dry
Se + verb construction is used for passive voice when the agent is unknown. "Se secan" = "are dried" or "dry".
For describing actions without specifying the doer.
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