Nico's heart: Spanish A1 reading
Nico climbs the stairs, feels his heart, and waits for the beat to slow. An A1 text about blood, atria, and ventricles.
El corazón de Nico
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About this article
What you'll learn
Present tense and body vocabulary: corazón, sangre, oxígeno, aurícula, ventrículo.
Nico climbs fast and his heart hammers in his chest. He waits on a step until the beat slows, and then he opens the door. Toward the muscles the blood carries oxygen and returns to the heart with less.
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 corazón es un órgano muy importante que está dentro del pecho.
newThe heart is a very important organ inside the chest.
Use of «ser + adjective» to describe what something is. Ser describes essential characteristics.
Essential for talking about body parts and their functions.
Late día y noche, incluso cuando dormimos.
newIt beats day and night, even when we sleep.
«Día y noche» means continuously. Present tense shows habitual action.
Useful for describing continuous or habitual processes.
El corazón bombea sangre a todas las partes del cuerpo.
newThe heart pumps blood to all parts of the body.
Verb «bombear» with direct object «sangre». Shows function of the heart.
Key phrase for understanding the heart's function.
El corazón late aproximadamente setenta veces por minuto.
newThe heart beats approximately seventy times per minute.
Number «setenta» (70) and phrase «veces por minuto» for rate.
Useful for expressing frequency and rate.
Cuando hacemos ejercicio, el corazón late más rápido.
newWhen we exercise, the heart beats faster.
«Cuando» + present tense for when something happens. Comparative «más rápido».
Teaches the «cuando + present» pattern for describing conditions.
Para tener un corazón sano debemos comer alimentos saludables.
newTo have a healthy heart we must eat healthy food.
«Para + infinitive» construction to express purpose or goal.
Teaches how to express purpose with «para + infinitive».
Key words
Vocabulary that carries the school-day topic.
el corazón — the heart
el corazón
heart (noun, masculine)
Always used with the masculine article «el». Core body vocabulary.
Essential anatomy word you will encounter frequently.
la sangre — blood
la sangre
blood (noun, feminine)
Feminine noun, so it takes «la». Learn it in the phrase «la sangre lleva oxígeno».
Key word for understanding circulation.
bombear — to pump
bombear
to pump (verb)
Third person present: «El corazón bombea sangre». Infinitive: «bombear».
Describes the main function of the heart.
el oxígeno — oxygen
el oxígeno
oxygen (noun, masculine)
Masculine noun with «el». Pairs with «sangre» in the sentence about blood carrying oxygen.
Links blood, heart and oxygen together.
las arterias — arteries
las arterias
arteries (noun, feminine, plural)
Plural of «la arteria → las arterias». Carry blood away from the heart.
Part of the circulatory system worth knowing.
las venas — veins
las venas
veins (noun, feminine, plural)
Plural of «la vena → las venas». Return blood to the heart.
Learn together with arteries to understand circulation.
Grammar in context
Patterns from the text worth noticing after reading.
Present tense: daily actions
Late día y noche.
«Late día y noche» — present tense for habitual actions.
Verb «latir» (to beat) in third person singular present. This is an example of regular daily actions.
present_regular_actions
Cuando + present
Cuando hacemos ejercicio, el corazón late más rápido.
«Cuando hacemos ejercicio, el corazón late más rápido» — «cuando + present» pattern for conditions.
Connector «cuando» (when) uses present tense to describe conditions under which something happens.
connectors_sequence
Comparative: más rápido
late más rápido
«Late más rápido» — adverbial comparative for speed.
«Más» + adjective/adverb forms the comparative. «Más rápido» = faster.
present_frequency_time
Purpose: para + infinitive
Para tener un corazón sano debemos comer alimentos saludables.
«Para tener un corazón sano» — construction to express purpose.
«Para» + infinitive means «in order to». Expresses goal or purpose.
present_regular_actions
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