Elena quiere dormir

Practice reading

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About this article

Level A1 Reading focus

What you'll learn

Present tense and sleep vocabulary: cama, móvil, siesta, soñar.

Elena is in bed with the phone lit and she wants to sleep. She does not take a long nap, because for her it steals sleep at night. She puts the phone down, dreams of a sunny street, and in the morning she is no longer sleepy.

After reading

Article learning block

Phrases, words, grammar, and quick practice from this text.

15 items

Phrases for training

Add useful phrases to SRS or mark them as already known.

Dormir es una necesidad básica

new

Sleep is a basic need for all human beings.

This phrase teaches the structure "X is a basic Y". Very useful for general statements.

Use this to express that something is a fundamental need.

Los médicos recomiendan

new

Doctors recommend

The verb "recomendar" in third person plural. Used for expert advice.

Good for giving authority to recommendations.

dormir entre siete y ocho horas

new

sleep between seven and eight hours

The phrase "entre X e Y" means "between X and Y". Numbers and time expressions are key.

Useful for discussing healthy sleep schedules.

durante la noche

new

during the night

"Durante" means "during". A time marker for events.

Useful for describing nighttime events and habits.

Es importante acostarse

new

It is important to go to bed

Structure "Es importante + infinitive" expresses importance. "Acostarse" is reflexive.

Good for giving advice about habits.

Dormir bien nos ayuda a estar alertas

new

Sleeping well helps us stay alert

Structure "X nos ayuda a + infinitive" means "X helps us to do Y".

Good for explaining benefits of good sleep.

Key words

Vocabulary that carries the school-day topic.

sleep (noun)

el sueño

sleep

"El sueño" is a noun meaning the state of sleeping. "Tener sueño" = to feel sleepy.

Essential word for the sleep topic. Do not confuse with "dormir" (verb).

nap (siesta)

la siesta

nap

"La siesta" is a traditional short sleep after lunch. Culturally important in Spanish-speaking countries.

Useful for talking about Spanish culture and daily habits.

rest

el descanso

rest

"El descanso" is a noun meaning recovery. Verb form is "descansar".

Useful for health and recovery topics.

habit

el hábito

habit

"El hábito" is a noun meaning a regular action. Plural is "los hábitos".

Useful for discussing habits and healthy lifestyle.

health

la salud

health

"La salud" is a noun meaning physical and mental well-being.

Central word for health topics.

bedroom

el dormitorio

bedroom

"El dormitorio" is the room for sleeping. Synonym "la habitación" in sleep context.

Useful for describing ideal rest environments.

Grammar in context

Patterns from the text worth noticing after reading.

recommend that adults sleep

recomiendan que los adultos duerman

recommend that adults sleep

After "recomendar que", the subjunctive mood is used. "Duerman" is presente de subjuntivo of "dormir".

Key grammar pattern for Spanish subjunctive.

we feel tired

nos sentimos cansados

we feel tired

"Sentirse" is a reflexive verb. "Nos sentimos" = we feel (ourselves). Adjectives agree in gender.

Reflexive verbs are essential at A1 level.

to rest

para descansar