6 Spanish Short Stories to Put on Your Short List Eduardo vela ruiz

1. 6 Spanish Short Stories to Put on Your Short List By Eduardo vela ruiz

2. 1. “En el aeropuerto” (Beginner) The actual content of this story may not be suitable for younger students (since it does happen to mention drug-sniffing dogs and explosives) but the language is certainly simple enough for most beginner Spanish students. It’s all in present tense and written clearly. It’s also accompanied by an English translation and clearly-spoken Spanish audio with a rather natural-sounding accent. Check out all the other short stories for absolute beginners available on the Learn Practical Spanish Online website. By Eduardo vela ruiz

3. 2. “En la costa” (Beginner) This cheerful little tale of family life on the beach is perfect for beginners of all ages. There’s a bit of specific vocabulary related to the family’s daily activities, tropical fruits and more, but this is easily understandable through context and by looking at the accompanying images. For very recent beginners, you may want to quickly create a little vocabulary list to introduce these specific words before or while reading. There are dozens of charming, illustrated short stories for beginners like this one available on the Children’s Library website. By Eduardo vela ruiz

4. 3. “Al final del callejón” (Intermediate) Where do aspiring Spanish writers unleash their creative desires? Over at E-stories, there are tons of user-provided short stories which cover an immense range of genres, topics and skill levels. There you’ll find mystery, humor, coming of age tales, romance, horror and more. In general, the short stories found here tend to fit intermediate and lower-advanced level Spanish students, since the writing is typically modern, relevant to students and straightforward. This recommended story is short and sweet, and depicts a creepy, mysterious scenario. Andrés chases a ball down an alley and stumbles across a strange secret. Nothing too complex, but definitely intriguing. By Eduardo vela ruiz

5. 4. “Cuentos de Eva Luna” by Isabel Allende (Advanced) This collection of short stories is focused on Eva Luna, a character from one of Isabel Allende’s previous novels (“Eva Luna”). She was orphaned after a serious of dramatic and unfortunate events, and bounced from brothel rooms to jail cells, city streets and outbreaks of guerrilla warfare. An eventful life, to say the least. Now, this colorful character weaves tales of intrigue, love, death, revenge and black humor to entertain her lover. The tales are gritty, and may be thematically challenging for students, but this is a great read for advanced, older students who are comfortable with facing the oft-uncomfortable realities and injustices of life in Latin America. For these popular tales, there are versions which are perfect for Spanish students still looking for a leg up while reading. For example, this version contains both Spanish and English versions together, as well as a reading guide. By Eduardo vela ruiz

6. 5. “Docecuentosperegrinos” by Gabriel GarcíaMárquez (Advanced) The constant discussion of “foreignness” and feeling like “the other” makes this a fantastic read for learners and future travelers. Each story is 6-10 text-heavy pages long, not too long and not too short for advanced learners. That being said, the length and difficulty level make these stories best suited for at-home assignments. The language is all about leading readers through a clear, straightforward narrative, so there is little romantic, poetic or lofty language to tackle. By Eduardo vela ruiz