Spanish Pronto Reading Practice Welcome! This story is about students in Buenos Aires celebrating the Day of the Student and the first day of spring when, every year, students have the day off from school, to get together with their friends for picnics in city parks and to listen to concerts sponsored by the city. INSTRUCTIONS: Click on the following link to open the original article in a separate window or tab. The rest of this page will help you understand the beginning of the article. There is also a list of words that will help you get some idea about paragraphs four through seven. Hopefully this will help you pick up a little more Spanish. At the end of this page there is also a link for downloading two-page PDF version of this page.

This Spanish reading practice is brought to you by: stillness and activity. We benefit from having both every day. As Mr. Potuzak pointed out to us, "Music is made up of two things: notes and what else?" The "what else," of course, is rests, those planned silences between the notes. Americans, especially, are taught to go, go, go, and to always be active. Other cultures, though, know the value of the siesta (nap or resting period). It is probably not coincidental that those same cultures also know the value of the fiesta (party). In English, we say, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." Something similar could probably be said about keeping a balance in life between activity and down time, between "la fiesta" and "la siesta."

Más música con baile y menos picnic

More music and dancing and less picnicking

Recién después del mediodía, se notó la presencia de los jóvenes; no hubo una concentración masiva en un solo punto, sino un reparto por casi todos los espacios verdes de la ciudad; un gran operativo de prevención ayudó a evitar incidentes

Shortly after midday, the presence of young people was noticeable; there was not a massive crowd in a single place, but rather a distribution among almost all of the city's green spaces; a large prevention operation helped avoid incidents

Ramos de flores en cada esquina, vidrieras repletas de mariposas de colores y jóvenes entusiasmados que jugaban al fútbol, tomaban sol y escuchaban música fueron la postal del día de ayer, en la que la ciudad -y los estudiantes en particular- festejaron la llegada de la primavera.

al at the, to the ayer yesterday cada each, every ciudad city colores de colores = "of colors" (colored, colorful) de of del of the día (m.) day en on, in entusiasmados enthusiatic escuchaban (they) listened to esquina corner estudiantes students festejaron (they) celebrated flores (f.) flowers fueron (they) were fútbol el fútbol = soccer jóvenes (m. or f.) young people

jugaban a (they) played (at) la the la en la que = in (the) which llegada arrival los the mariposas butterflies música music particular particular postal postcard primavera spring que who, which que which ramos bouquets repletas full sol (m.) sun tomaban sol "they took sun" (they sunbathed) vidrieras shop windows y and

Plaza Francia, un buen lugar para el picnic con mate y buena onda.

La mañana arrancó fría, con 3 grados, lo que, seguramente, desanimó a los que esperaban empezar el festejo desde temprano. Recién después del mediodía, los parques y las plazas se fueron cubriendo con una mayor cantidad de jóvenes con termos, guitarras y mochilas.

3 tres a "personal a" arrancó (it) started off buen good buena good cantidad (f.) quantity con with cubriendo covering de of del of the desanimó discouraged desde from después de after el the empezar to start esperaban (they) were hoping festejo celebration Francia France fría cold fueron se fueron cubriendo = they were (becoming) covered grados degrees guitarras guitars jóvenes (m. or f.) young people la the

las the lo that los those los the lugar place mañana morning mate (m.) yerba mate (similar to tea, but with more caffeine) mayor greater, larger mediodía el mediodía = midday mochilas backpacks onda wave (buena onda = good time(s), cool, fun) para for parques parks picnic (m.) picnic plaza plaza que which, who recién shortly seguramente surely temprano early termos Thermoses un a una a y and

Other words to look for, in order of appearance: años (years), el Río de la Plata (in English, "the River Plate" [literally, "the river of silver"]), bosques (woods), Palermo (the part of Buenos Aires with the most parks), campañas de difusión (public awareness campaigns), violencia de género ("gender violence" = domestic violence), noviazgos (dating relationships), agentes (officers), las policías (the police forces), redoblantes (drums), panchos (Argentinean word for hot dogs), hamburguesas (hamburgers), suerte (luck), seguridad (security), gente (people), disfrutar (to enjoy), descansar (to rest), lago (lake).

http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1510815-mas-musica-con-baile-y-menos-picnic

Downloadable PDF file of this page: readingpractice_2013_005.pdf

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