In this lesson of our English Spanish Parallel Texts course and we are going to practice more using the Spanish verb Tener (To Have) to describe The Family. Start by reading the text in Spanish below. The English translation is provided later but please try not to look at it until you have read the Spanish version various times and tried your best to understand it.

There may be some words and phrases in the text that you are unfamiliar with, but you should be aiming to capture the main essence of what is happening. There will always be words and phrases popping up in real-life situations that you have never heard before, so it is important never to get too distracted by details.

If you want to investigate some of the words you don’t know with a dictionary that would be great, please do, but do this after trying your best to understand with what you already have in your head.

Check out this video lesson with information relevant to this topic:

El verbo Tener and the family

Image by CD_Photosaddict from Pixabay

Spanish Text

Sara: ¿Dónde vives ahora Rodolfo?
Rodolfo: Desde el año pasado vivo en Barcelona. Vivo con mi hermano.
Sara: ¡Que guay! ¿Tus padres están todavía en Vitoria?
Rodolfo: Sí, ellos viven todavía en Vitoria, mi hermana también, en la misma casa.
Sara: ¿Te gusta Barcelona?
Rodolfo: Si, mucho. Hay muchas cosas para hacer y ver. Es una ciudad muy interesante y bonita.
Sara: ¿Qué monumentos tiene Barcelona?
Rodolfo: Hay muchos monumentos y no conozco todos. Pero conozco Casa Batlló, una pieza de arquitectura creada por el famoso arquitecto Gaudí en el año mil novecientos cuatro.
Sara: Creo que conozco ese edificio. Es muy famoso.
Rodolfo: Sí, está en el centro de la ciudad. También Barcelona tiene la Casa Milà. Otro edificio de Gaudí y su último trabajo.
Sara: Y, por supuesto, La Sagrada Familia.
Rodolfo: Claro. El monumento más famoso de Barcelona.
Sara: ¿Y en Barcelona hay muchos bares y restaurantes buenos?
Rodolfo: ¡Muchísimos! Mi bar favorito es El Xampanyet. Está en frente del museo de Picasso. Tiene una gran variedad de tapas y vinos.
Sara: ¿Tienes alguna recomendación de restaurante?
Rodolfo: Casi todos los restaurantes de Barcelona son buenos. Igual mi favorito es La Gastronómica. Yo soy vegano y este restaurante tiene muchas opciones veganas.
Sara: ¿Y discotecas?
Rodolfo: Bueno, yo no soy mucho de las discotecas, pero estoy seguro de que Barcelona tiene un montón de discotecas buenas.

English Text

Sara: Where do you live now Rodolfo?
Rodolfo: Since last year I live in Barcelona. I live with my brother.
Sara: How cool! Are your parents still in Vitoria?
Rodolfo: Yes, they still live in Vitoria, my sister too, in the same house.
Sara: Do you like Barcelona?
Rodolfo: Yes, a lot. There are many things to do and see. It is a very interesting and beautiful city.
Sara: What monuments does Barcelona have?
Rodolfo: There are many monuments and I don’t know all of them. But I know Casa Batlló, a piece of architecture created by the famous architect Gaudí in 1904.
Sara: I think I know that building. It is very famous.
Rodolfo: Yes, it is in the centre of the city. Barcelona also has the Casa Mila. Another Gaudí building and his last work.
Sara: And, of course, La Sagrada Familia.
Rodolfo: Sure. The most famous monument in Barcelona.
Sara: And in Barcelona are there many good bars and restaurants?
Rodolfo: Many! My favorite bar is El Xampanyet. It is in front of the Picasso museum. It has a great variety of tapas and wines.
Sara: Do you have any restaurant recommendations?
Rodolfo: Almost all restaurants in Barcelona are good. My favourite is the Gastronomic. I am vegan and this restaurant has many vegan options.
Sara: And clubs?
Rodolfo: Well, I’m not one for clubs, but I’m sure Barcelona has a lot of good clubs.

So, how did you get on? How much did you understand of the original text before checking the translation? Please let me know in the comments section below…

Don’t worry if you didn’t understand that much, practice makes perfect! Be patient and keep reading, hearing, writing, and speaking Spanish. See you next time!