El vuelo reprogramado
Pablo reached Atocha with a small suitcase and his coat half-buttoned; the concourse smelled of machine coffee and recent rain.
What you'll learn
- Bilingual graded story
- Native narration
- 8 useful words
- 3 comprehension questions
Then shadow
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1Listen first
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Native Spanish narration of this exact text. Keep the transcript visible on the first pass.
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2Then shadow
Pablo llegó a Atocha con la maleta pequeña y el abrigo a medio abrochar; el vestíbulo olía a café de máquina, a lluvia reciente y a anuncios que se solapaban en los altavoces.Warm-up vocabulary
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Your Spanish story
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Pablo a Atocha con la maleta pequeña y el abrigo ; el olía a café de máquina, a lluvia reciente y a anuncios que se solapaban en los . Abrió la app de la aerolínea: la pantalla y el vuelo de las diez por en Lisboa. Los altavoces anunciaron en voz metálica; Pablo apretó el teléfono contra la oreja, miró el panel de salidas y esperó veinte minutos atrapado en la . «Solo quedan en la de mañana», dijo la agente, «o un tren nocturno con al ». Pablo , corrió al de la compañía y mostró el DNI entre dos viajeros que por una maleta perdida. La empleada , suspiró y le entregó un : «Tiene hasta las ocho para el tren en la app». el enlace por la mañana, compró un bocadillo en la cafetería del y guardó el billete en el móvil. Cuando sonó la del andén 8, Pablo la maleta y caminó entre turistas que miraban interminables. El tren entró con un suave; subió, encontró su asiento junto a la ventana y por primera vez en horas. Mientras Madrid por la vía hacia el sur, escribió a su hermana: «No , pero llego a Lisboa al mediodía; guarda el y el billete nuevo».
Show full English translation
Pablo reached Atocha with a small suitcase and his coat half-buttoned; the concourse smelled of machine coffee and recent rain. He opened the airline app: the screen flickered, and they cancelled the ten o’clock flight because of fog in Lisbon. The loudspeakers announced delays in a metallic voice; Pablo pressed the phone to his ear and waited twenty minutes to hold music. “Only seats on tomorrow’s rescheduled flight remain,” said the agent, “or a night train with a connection at dawn.” Pablo hung up, ran to the company counter, and showed his ID between two travellers arguing over a lost suitcase. The clerk typed, sighed, and handed him a code: “You have until eight to confirm the train in the app.” He accepted the morning connection, bought a sandwich at the platform café, and saved the ticket on his phone. When platform 8 was called over the PA, Pablo picked up his bag and walked among tourists staring at endless screens. The train rolled in with a gentle brake; he boarded, found his seat by the fogged window, and breathed properly for the first time in hours. As Madrid fell away, he texted his sister: “I didn’t fly, but I’ll reach Lisbon by noon—save me lunch.”
Vocabulary recap
Reading Comprehension Exercise
B2 Spanish Reading Comprehension Exercises
1. What happened to Pablo’s original flight?
Correct: It was cancelled because of fog in Lisbon
The airline app and the agent both cite fog in Lisbon («niebla en Lisboa») as the reason the flight was cancelled, not a simple delay.
2. Why does Pablo go to Atocha instead of staying at the airport?
Correct: His new plan combines a train to Lisbon with a morning connection
The agent offers a night train plus a morning connection; Pablo accepts and heads to platform 8 with a new ticket on his phone.
3. Which detail shows preterite narration of completed events?
Correct: «La pantalla parpadeó y cancelaron el vuelo de las diez»
«Parpadeó» and «cancelaron» are preterite: the screen blinked once, and the airline cancelled the flight—finished actions pushing the plot forward.
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