The siesta and the sixth hour (A1)
Nuria wants to go out after lunch, while her aunt Elena rests in a chair. An A1 story about the word siesta, shop hours and a street that is awake.
La siesta: una palabra de la hora sexta
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About this article
What you'll learn
present tense, clock times, words for rest, meals and shops
After lunch at her aunt Elena's, Nuria wants to go down to the street. Elena closes her eyes in a chair before she returns to the shop. The word siesta comes from the Latin sixth hour, which for the Romans was midday. Today it is a nap after eating and also a time to rest without sleep. They eat at two, and many restaurants in Spain serve lunch between one and four. Not everyone sleeps: the bakery across the street is closed, the big shop is open, and people are walking. Elena's shop closes from two to five. Many shops stay open from ten in the morning until nine at night. Nuria opens the door. The afternoon is not closed.
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.
formas diferentes para cada persona
newdifferent forms for each person
The phrase highlights that people may do something in different ways.
Useful for talking about personal habits.
después de comer
newafter eating
Después de marks a time after an action.
Useful for describing a daily routine.
sin pausa
newwithout a break
Sin indicates that there is no break.
Useful for describing opening hours.
sobre todo en verano
newespecially in summer
Sobre todo highlights the most relevant case.
Useful for qualifying a general statement.
Key words
Vocabulary that carries the school-day topic.
mediodía
mediodía
midday
The middle of the day, around twelve o'clock.
A basic word for talking about time.
descanso
descanso
rest or break
Time without work or activity in order to recover.
Useful for talking about daily habits.
ojos
ojos
eyes
The parts of the body used for seeing.
A basic word for describing the body and actions.
duermen
duermen
they sleep
This is the third-person plural form of dormir.
Useful for describing the habits of several people.
cierran
cierran
they close
This is the third-person plural form of cerrar.
Useful for talking about opening hours.
breve
breve
brief or short
It describes something that lasts for little time.
Useful for talking about duration.
costumbre
costumbre
custom or habit
A usual practice of a person or group.
Useful for talking about culture and daily life.
Grammar in context
Patterns from the text worth noticing after reading.
La palabra siesta viene del latín
La palabra siesta viene del latín
The word siesta comes from Latin
The subject La palabra siesta is singular, so the verb takes the form viene.
Helps with subject-verb agreement in the present tense.
Una persona puede dormir
Una persona puede dormir
One person can sleep
The infinitive dormir follows the conjugated form puede.
Useful for talking about possibilities.
No todas las personas duermen la siesta
No todas las personas duermen la siesta
Not everyone takes a siesta
No comes before todas las personas and limits the general statement.
Useful for making a limited negative statement.
¿A qué hora comes tú?
¿A qué hora comes tú?
What time do you eat?
Qué has a written accent in a direct question.
Useful for asking about time.
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