Sagrada Familia, still under construction
A visit in Barcelona. Gaudí designed it, work began in 1882, and the Jesus tower now rises. The Glory facade is still not built.
La Sagrada Familia
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About this article
What you'll learn
Present tense for the visit and simple past for Gaudí: diseñó, empezó, trabajó. Words: tower, facade, plan, construction.
Someone in Barcelona wants to check that the Sagrada Familia is famous and still unfinished. Gaudí designed it, work began in 1882, and he worked on it for more than forty years. Of three facades, the Glory facade is not built. The plan has eighteen towers, and the Jesus tower already rises.
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 iglesia más famosa de Barcelona
newla iglesia más famosa de Barcelona
Notice the pattern: subject + es + adjective + de + city. Standard way to say something is the most in a place.
Reusable pattern for describing landmarks: X es el lugar más... de Y.
El arquitecto Antoni Gaudí la diseñó
newEl arquitecto Antoni Gaudí la diseñó
Diseñar in pretérito indefinido: diseñó. A completed past action — Gaudí did it and it was finished.
Use it to say who designed a building: X lo diseñó.
La construcción empezó en mil ochocientos ochenta y dos
newLa construcción empezó en mil ochocientos ochenta y dos
Numbers: mil ochocientos ochenta y dos = 1882. Empezar in pretérito: empezó. Both are preterite indefinite.
Learn dates and numbers together: empezó en + year is a common pattern.
Aún no está terminada
newAún no está terminada
Aún no = still not. Estar terminada — adjective agrees with iglesia (feminine), so terminada ends in -a.
Pair with ya está terminada — contrasting opposites helps memorization.
La Sagrada Familia no tiene líneas rectas
newLa Sagrada Familia no tiene líneas rectas
No tiene = does not have. Líneas rectas = straight lines. Notice the plural subject with singular verb — normal in Spanish.
Learn X no tiene Y to say what something does not have.
Millones de turistas visitan cada año
newMillones de turistas visitan cada año
Millones de = millions of (no plural marking needed on noun). Cada año = every year. Verb stays in present.
Cada día, cada semana, cada mes — swap the time word easily.
Key words
Vocabulary that carries the school-day topic.
architect
arquitecto
arquitecto
Arquitecto (m) / arquitecta (f). Related: arquitectura (architecture), arquitectónico.
Essential for talking about buildings: El arquitecto X diseñó Y.
construction
construcción
construcción
Related verbs: construir (to build). Adjective: constructivo. Both share the constru- root.
La construcción empezó — common pattern to say construction began.
facades
fachadas
fachadas
Fachada (singular) / fachadas (plural). The facade is the face of a building.
Remember fachada in singular too — you will see both forms.
nature
naturaleza
naturaleza
Le gustaba la naturaleza = he/she liked nature. The construction gustar + infinitive/noun is essential.
Le gustaba la naturaleza is a great example of gustar with imperfect.
towers
torres
torres
Torre (singular) / torres (plural). La Sagrada Familia will have 18 towers representing apostles, saints, and Jesus.
Hay dieciocho torres — hay + number + noun is the standard Spanish existence construction.
interior / inside
interior
interior
As adverb: inside. As noun: the interior space. Antonym: exterior.
El interior es un espacio para la meditación — use it to describe inside of buildings.
Grammar in context
Patterns from the text worth noticing after reading.
Ser for permanent descriptions (es la iglesia más famosa)
La Sagrada Familia es la iglesia más famosa de Barcelona
Ser + descriptive adjective
Ser = identity, origin, profession, description. Es la iglesia más famosa uses ser + superlative adjective — permanent characteristic.
Use ser for what something permanently is: X es el más... de Y.
Pretérito indefinido: single completed past action (diseñó)
El arquitecto Antoni Gaudí la diseñó
Pretérito indefinido: diseñó
diseñó = designed. Pretérito indefinido answers when? or what happened? — a single completed action in the past.
Use it when describing something someone did and it was finished: pretérito indefinido.
Imperfect: duration or habitual action (trabajó cuarenta años)
Trabajó en esta iglesia cuarenta años
Imperfecto: trabajó
trabajó here is imperfect (not preterite) because it emphasizes duration: forty years. The imperfect stresses ongoing process, not completion.
To say how long someone did something, use imperfect.
Future simple: prediction or plan (habrá)
Habrá dieciocho torres altas
Futuro simple: habrá
Habrá = there will be (from haber). Used to express future existence: habrá 18 torres = there will be 18 towers. This is futuro simple.
For plans or predictions: Se espera que termine en 2026 or habrá 18 torres.
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