Lucía is thirsty: Spanish A1 reading
Lucía walks with a dry mouth, does not drink from the river, and drinks tap water. An A1 text about thirst, rain, and closing the tap.
Lucía tiene sed
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About this article
What you'll learn
Present tense and water vocabulary: sed, río, grifo, lluvia, acuífero.
Lucía walks thirsty and hears a river, but she does not drink from it because the water can carry germs. At home she drinks from the tap, thinks about rain that fills rivers and aquifers, and closes the tap.
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.
El agua es esencial para la vida
newWater is essential for life.
The article opens with this statement of fact. "Es" (to be) in simple present for universal truths.
Useful for stating constants: "X is essential/important."
Nuestro cuerpo está compuesto en gran parte de agua
newOur body is largely made up of water.
The construction "estar compuesto de" is passive. Use it to describe what something is made of.
Useful for composition: "X is made up of Y".
Es recomendable beber al menos ocho vasos de agua al día
newIt is recommended to drink at least eight glasses of water a day.
Impersonal construction "es recomendable + infinitive". Shows advice or recommendation.
Useful for giving recommendations: "It is advisable to + action".
Cuando nuestro cuerpo necesita agua, sentimos sed
newWhen our body needs water, we feel thirsty.
Connector "cuando" (when) introduces a time clause. Simple present for regular events.
Useful for regular reactions: "When X, Y".
El agua limpia es un recurso limitado
newClean water is a limited resource.
Simple present for stating facts. "Limitado" (limited) is a passive-style adjective.
Useful for stating global facts: "X is Y".
El agua es vida y debemos protegerla
newWater is life and we must protect it.
Modal verb "deber" + infinitive means obligation. "La" = it (direct object, water).
Useful for expressing obligation: "We must + action".
Cerrar los grifos cuando no los usamos
newClose the taps when we are not using them.
Negative time clause with "cuando no". "Los grifos" (taps) is plural.
Useful for safety instructions: "When not X, Y".
Key words
Vocabulary that carries the school-day topic.
agua — water
agua
water
The most important word of the article. Feminine (la agua), but uses "el" due to phonetic rule.
Core topic word — water.
beber — to drink
beber
to drink
Verb "beber" (to drink). Also noun "la bebida" (drink).
Key verb for the hydration topic.
sed — thirst
sed
thirst
Noun "la sed" (thirst). Verb phrase "tener sed" (to feel thirsty). Article explains signs of dehydration.
Important for understanding body signals.
recurso limitado — limited resource
recurso limitado
limited resource
Phrase "recurso limitado" common in environmental texts. Adjective follows noun.
Useful environmental vocabulary.
grifo — tap (water)
grifo
tap (water)
Spanish "grifo" = water tap. "Cerrar el grifo" = to close the tap.
Practical everyday word for water conservation.
fuga — leak
fuga
leak
"La fuga" = leak (of water). "Reparar las fugas" = to fix leaks.
Useful for household water saving topic.
Grammar in context
Patterns from the text worth noticing after reading.
Simple present: stating facts
El agua es esencial para la vida
el agua es esencial para la vida
Verb "ser" in present: soy, eres, es, somos, son. Used for universal truths and definitions.
Foundation for stating facts: "X is Y".
Debemos + infinitive: obligation
debemos protegerla
debemos protegerla
"Deber" + infinitive = must/should. This is subjective obligation, not a mathematical rule.
Express obligation: "I must/should + action".
Cuando + present tense: time clauses
Cuando nuestro cuerpo necesita agua, sentimos sed
cuando nuestro cuerpo necesita agua sentimos sed
Connector "cuando" (when) introduces a dependent clause. In real sentences, both verbs are in present.
Build time sentences: "When X, Y".
Sequence with "y": A, B and C
El agua de los mares se evapora, forma nubes y luego vuelva a la tierra como lluvia
el agua se evapora forma nubes y vuelve como lluvia
Connector "y" (and) links three verb forms in sequence: evaporates → forms clouds → returns as rain.
Describe sequence of actions: "X, Y and Z".
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