Gravity Keeps Us Down | Spanish A1
Inés wants a ball to stay in the air. In the patio she learns why it falls, and what gravity does with the Moon and the Sun.
La gravedad nos mantiene
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About this article
What you'll learn
Present tense, verbs of movement, and words such as gravedad, Luna and órbita
Inés throws a ball in the patio and wants to know why it comes back down. Her brother explains that Earth's gravity keeps us on the ground, that you weigh less on the Moon, and that the Moon and the planets stay on their paths because of gravity.
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.
La gravedad nos mantiene pegados al suelo
newGravity keeps us stuck to the ground.
Shows how gravity is described with the verb mantener (to keep).
Useful for describing what gravity does to us.
Sin gravedad flotaríamos en el aire
newWithout gravity we would float in the air.
The conditional tense shows what would happen without gravity.
Teaches the conditional tense naturally.
La gravedad nos permite caminar
newGravity allows us to walk.
The verb permitir means to allow/permit + infinitive.
Teaches permitir + infinitive structure.
La gravedad nos tira hacia abajo
newGravity pulls us down.
Tirar means to pull/drag in a direction.
Key verb for describing gravitational force direction.
Es como una cuerda invisible que nos conecta con la Tierra
newLike an invisible rope connecting us to Earth.
A simile that makes gravity easy to understand.
Useful metaphor for explaining gravity simply.
La gravedad mantiene la luna cerca de nosotros
newGravity keeps the moon near us.
Mantener used in third person singular.
Useful for describing cosmic relationships.
Key words
Vocabulary that carries the school-day topic.
Gravity
gravedad
gravitational force; the force that attracts objects
Gravedad comes from Latin gravitas meaning weight. Used in both scientific and everyday contexts.
Core science word essential for understanding the article.
Force
fuerza
force; ability to influence objects
Fuerza = force, strength. In the article: gravedad es una fuerza.
Key word for describing physics concepts.
Invisible
invisible
cannot be seen; hidden from eyes
Invisible = not visible. Gravity is described as invisible force.
Useful adjective for describing things that exist but cannot be seen.
Planet
planeta
celestial body orbiting a star
Planeta = planet. The article mentions planets orbiting the sun.
Core space vocabulary word.
Orbit
órbita
path of a planet around a star
Órbita = orbit. Planets follow their orbits around the sun.
Key word for understanding celestial motion.
Sky
cielo
space above the earth; heaven
Cielo = sky/heaven. Used in "hacia el cielo" (towards the sky).
Common everyday word.
Grammar in context
Patterns from the text worth noticing after reading.
Present tense: describing gravity
La gravedad es una fuerza invisible pero muy poderosa
Gravity is an invisible but very powerful force.
The article uses Present tense to describe gravity: "es", "mantiene", "tiene".
Good for learning how Spanish speakers describe permanent facts.
Conditional tense: hypotheses
Sin gravedad flotaríamos en el aire
Without gravity we would float in the air.
Verbs with -ía suffix show conditional mood: flotaríamos, pesaban.
Learn to express hypothetical situations.
Word order: subject before verb
Todos los objetos tienen gravedad
All objects have gravity.
Todos + noun + verb: Todos los objetos tienen gravedad.
Learn how to use "todos" in Spanish sentences.
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