Spanish · Intermediate (B1) · Chapter 12 of 12
Telling your story
Contar tu historia
Review B1 Spanish: tell a life story with all the past tenses, talk about plans and wishes, and react with the subjunctive.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Tell the story of a life with the preterite, the imperfect and the pluperfect
- Organise a story with dates and expressions like al principio and desde entonces
- Talk about plans and wishes: me gustaría, cuando + subjunctive, espero que
- Follow a longer formal interview
Listen
On a local radio programme in Cuenca, Noelia interviews Encarna Ruiz, 74, who ran a bookshop for forty years and has just written a book about her life. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Noelia
Buenas tardes, Encarna. Acaba de publicar un libro sobre su vida. ¿Por qué decidió escribirlo?
Good afternoon, Encarna. You've just published a book about your life. Why did you decide to write it?
Encarna
Porque mis nietos siempre me decían que tenía que escribir mis historias. Y un día pensé: ¿por qué no?
Because my grandchildren always told me I had to write down my stories. And one day I thought: why not?
Noelia
¿Cómo empezó todo?
How did it all begin?
Encarna
Nací en un pueblo pequeño, cerca de aquí. Mis padres trabajaban en el campo y en casa no había libros.
I was born in a small village near here. My parents worked on the land and there were no books at home.
Noelia
¿Y cuándo empezó a leer?
And when did you start reading?
Encarna
A los diez años. Una profesora me regaló mi primer libro, y desde entonces leía todo lo que encontraba.
At the age of ten. A teacher gave me my first book, and from then on I read everything I could find.
Noelia
Y en 1975 abrió su librería, aquí en Cuenca.
And in 1975 you opened your bookshop, here in Cuenca.
Encarna
Sí, con mi marido, Julián. Antes yo ya había trabajado muchos años en una tienda. Al principio no teníamos dinero, pero los vecinos nos ayudaron mucho.
Yes, with my husband, Julián. Before that, I had already worked in a shop for many years. At first we had no money, but the people in the neighbourhood helped us a lot.
Noelia
Hoy la librería la lleva su hija. ¿Está contenta?
Today your daughter runs the bookshop. Are you happy about that?
Encarna
Mucho. Me alegro de que siga abierta y de que mi hija la cuide tanto como nosotros.
Very. I'm glad it's still open and that my daughter looks after it as much as we did.
Noelia
¿Y qué planes tiene ahora?
And what are your plans now?
Encarna
Me gustaría escribir otro libro, esta vez para niños. Y cuando lo termine, espero que mis nietos sean los primeros en leerlo.
I'd like to write another book, for children this time. And when I finish it, I hope my grandchildren will be the first to read it.
Understand
Telling a life story
A life story uses all the past tenses together: the preterite for the main events (, ), the imperfect for background and habits (, ) and the pluperfect for what had happened before ().
Years are said like other numbers: 1975 is , 2024 is . These time expressions help to organise the story.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| in 1975 | |
| at the age of ten | |
| at first, at the beginning | |
| since then, from then on | |
| years later | |
| nowadays |
Plans and wishes
To talk about plans and wishes, combine what you've learned in B1: the conditional, + subjunctive for the future, + subjunctive, and + imperfect subjunctive for things that aren't real.
| Structure | Example |
|---|---|
| + infinitive | (I'd like to write another book.) |
| + subjunctive | (When I finish it, I'll give it to my grandchildren.) |
| + subjunctive | (I hope they like it.) |
| + imperfect subjunctive | (If I were twenty years younger, I'd open another bookshop.) |
When to use the subjunctive: a summary
In B1 you've met the present subjunctive after doubt (), after for the future, and after feelings, wishes, advice and purpose when the second verb has a different subject. After facts and opinions (, , ), use the indicative.
| After… | Example |
|---|---|
| (ch. 2) | |
| (ch. 4) | |
| (ch. 5) | |
| + future (ch. 6) | |
| (ch. 8) | |
| (ch. 9) |
More in the grammar: The imperfect: describing the past · The preterite: talking about the past · Relative pronouns: que, quien, lo que, donde · The conditional and if-clauses: haría, si tuviera · The pluperfect and reported speech: había hecho · The present subjunctive: que sea, que tenga
New words
- publicarto publish · preterite: , …
- la vidalife · feminine
- decidirto decide · + infinitive:
- el nieto / la nietagrandson / granddaughter · : my grandchildren
- nacerto be born · , , …; : I was born in 1950
- el campothe countryside; field · masculine; : to work on the land
- a los diez añosat the age of ten
- desde entoncessince then, from then on
- la libreríabookshop · feminine; a library is
- el maridohusband · masculine; : my partner
- al principioat first, at the beginning
- llevar un negocioto run a business · also means to wear, to carry; : her daughter runs the bookshop
- cuidarto look after, to take care of
Practise
1.Complete: “Cuando lo …, espero que mis nietos sean los primeros en leerlo.”
2.Complete with the pluperfect of : “Before that, I had already worked in a shop for many years.”
Before that, I had already worked in a shop for many years.
3.Complete with the subjunctive of : “I'm glad it's still open.”
I'm glad it's still open.
4.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.I'd like to write another book.
5.Match the Spanish with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
6.Complete the background of the story: “Mis padres … en el campo.” (they worked on the land)
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Nací en un pueblo pequeño.
I was born in a small village.
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.