The Little Brother Wants the Clown Dance (A1)
A Spanish A1 story. At home the radio plays a fast, happy song about a clown. A little brother wants to dance too, but he copies late. His sister shows arms up and down. Mom claps, and after one song they drink fresh water.
El baile del payaso
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About this article
What you'll learn
Present tense, querer, bailar and mover, plus home and movement words such as radio, salón, brazos, saltar and girar.
The narrator dances at home every day and puts on a favorite radio song about a clown. The music is happy and fast. The living room has space and a smooth floor for jumping and turning. A little brother wants to dance along, but his arms arrive late and he passes close to the table. Their sister moves her arms up and down and teaches that part slowly. Then the clown song plays once. Mom watches and claps. For a moment they feel like artists. They end tired and happy, drink fresh water, and turn the radio off.
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.
Me gusta bailar
newI like to dance
gustar + infinitive: me gusta + verb. Use gustar to express being pleased by something.
Essential phrase for expressing preferences.
Es muy divertido
newIt is very fun
Adjective divertido agrees with gender: divertido (m) / divertida (f).
Useful for describing activities and emotions.
Yo me muevo con el ritmo
newI move to the rhythm
Reflexive pronoun me attached to verb: muevo. Pattern: reflexive verb.
Useful for describing movements to music.
Mi hermana baila conmigo
newMy sister dances with me
Preposition con + pronoun mí = conmigo. Mi is possessive adjective.
Learn to talk about family.
Nos reímos mucho
newWe laugh a lot
Verb reírse is reflexive. Nos = we. Form: nos reímos.
Express emotions during shared activities.
Nos sentimos como artistas
newWe feel like artists
Reflexive verb sentirse for emotions. Como = like/as.
Learn to describe feelings.
Me hace sentir bien
newIt makes me feel good
Pattern: hacer + infinitive = to cause. Me hace sentir = it makes me feel.
Express how activities affect your mood.
Estoy muy feliz
newI am very happy
Estoy from estar for temporary state. Compare: soy feliz for permanent traits.
Learn when to use ser vs estar with emotions.
Key words
Vocabulary that carries the school-day topic.
to dance
bailar
to dance
Regular verb bailar: bailo, bailas, baila... The article key activity.
Central word of the article.
music
música
music
Feminine noun (la música). Poner música = to play music.
Everyday word.
song
canción
song
Feminine noun (la canción). Mi canción favorita = my favorite song.
Useful for talking about music.
rhythm
ritmo
rhythm
Masculine noun (el ritmo). Con el ritmo = to the rhythm.
Related to music and dancing.
to jump
saltar
to jump
Verb to jump. Yo salto is present tense.
Movement verb for physical actions.
funny
gracioso
funny
Adjective gracioso = funny/amusing.
To describe things that make you laugh.
tired
cansado
tired
State adjective cansado. Use with estar, not ser.
Learn to describe physical state.
Grammar in context
Patterns from the text worth noticing after reading.
Present simple: regular actions
Bailo en mi casa todos los días
Bailo en mi casa todos los días
Verb bailar first person singular: bailo. Habit markers: todos los días.
Shows how to talk about regular habits.
gustar + infinitive
Me gusta bailar
Me gusta bailar
Gustar works backwards: me gusta = is pleasing to me.
Learn to express preferences correctly.
Reflexive verbs: present
Yo me muevo con el ritmo
Yo me muevo con el ritmo
Moverse is reflexive. Pronoun me repeats.
Learn reflexive verb structure.
When + finished action
Cuando terminamos de bailar
Cuando terminamos de bailar
Cuando = when. Terminar de + infinitive = to finish doing. Temporal connector.
Learn to connect sentences with time markers.
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