Spanish Stories

    A1Easy · 5 min read · 448 words

    El paraguas verde

    The Green Umbrella

    A forgotten umbrella that only wakes up when it rains finds an unlikely friend in an absent-minded boy, in this warm A1 story for young Spanish learners.

    Part of Spanish Stories for Kids: short, family-friendly stories for young learners.

    Topics

    • magical objects
    • friendship
    • weather
    • everyday life

    Tap or hover any underlined word for its English meaning.

    Listen to the story

    Learner-paced · Spanish

    What you'll encounter

    Grammar
    Present tense verbs, Time expressions (todos los días, desde ese día), Short exclamations and dialogue
    Vocabulary
    Weather vocabulary (lluvia, aguacero, ráfaga), Everyday objects (paraguas, mochila, llaves), Feelings (feliz, sorprendido, contento)
    Language skills
    Following a simple story told from two points of view, Understanding a recurring daily routine, Recognizing cause and effect with weather

    En la plaza de un pueblo pequeño, hay un banco de madera. Debajo del banco, , hay un paraguas verde. Nadie lo recuerda. Pero cuando llueve, pasa algo curioso: el paraguas abre los ojos y despierta.

    Show English
    In the plaza of a small town, there's a wooden bench. Underneath the bench, forgotten for a long time, there's a green umbrella. Nobody remembers it. But when it rains, something curious happens: the umbrella opens its eyes and wakes up.

    El paraguas verde no es un paraguas normal. Cuando la lluvia cae sobre la plaza, sus se mueven como brazos, y su tela verde brilla un poco. «¡Por fin!», piensa. «Hoy también va a llover.» A él le encanta la lluvia, porque solo entonces puede moverse y hablar.

    Show English
    The green umbrella isn't a normal umbrella. When rain falls on the plaza, its ribs move like arms, and its green fabric shines a little. "Finally!" it thinks. "It's going to rain today too." It loves the rain, because only then can it move and talk.

    Todos los días, un niño llamado Tomás cruza la plaza para ir a la escuela. Tomás es un poco : siempre olvida su mochila, sus llaves, o su merienda. Y esa mañana, olvida algo más importante: su paraguas.

    Show English
    Every day, a boy named Tomás crosses the plaza on his way to school. Tomás is a little absent-minded: he always forgets his backpack, his keys, or his snack. And that morning, he forgets something more important: his umbrella.

    El cielo se pone gris, y empieza a llover fuerte. Tomás corre hacia el banco de madera para protegerse, y ahí, debajo del asiento, ve algo verde. «¡Un paraguas!», dice, sorprendido. Lo abre rápido y camina bajo la lluvia, feliz de no mojarse.

    Show English
    The sky turns gray, and it starts raining hard. Tomás runs to the wooden bench for shelter, and there, under the seat, he sees something green. "An umbrella!" he says, surprised. He opens it quickly and walks through the rain, happy not to get wet.

    Lo que Tomás no sabe es que el paraguas también está feliz. «Por fin alguien me usa», piensa el paraguas. «Hace mucho tiempo que nadie camina conmigo bajo la lluvia.» Y en silencio, la cabeza de Tomás.

    Show English
    What Tomás doesn't know is that the umbrella is happy too. "Finally someone is using me," the umbrella thinks. "It's been a long time since anyone walked with me in the rain." And silently, it holds the rain well away from Tomás's head.

    Desde ese día, cada vez que llueve, Tomás busca el paraguas verde debajo del banco. Y cada vez, después de usarlo, lo deja otra vez en su lugar, con cuidado, como si fuera un amigo que necesita descansar.

    Show English
    From that day on, every time it rains, Tomás looks for the green umbrella under the bench. And every time, after using it, he puts it back in its place, carefully, as if it were a friend who needs to rest.

    Una tarde, mientras caminan juntos bajo un , Tomás dice en voz alta, casi sin pensar: «Gracias por cuidarme, paraguas.» El paraguas se sorprende tanto que casi se cae de las manos de Tomás. Nadie, en todos esos años, le había dado las gracias.

    Show English
    One afternoon, while they walk together through a downpour, Tomás says out loud, almost without thinking: "Thanks for taking care of me, umbrella." The umbrella is so surprised it almost falls out of Tomás's hands. In all those years, no one had ever thanked it.

    «¿Sabes?», le dice Tomás, sin esperar respuesta (porque, claro, un paraguas no habla), «a mí también me gusta la lluvia. Es el único momento en que caminamos juntos tú y yo.» El paraguas, por dentro, .

    Show English
    "You know," Tomás says to it, not expecting an answer (because, of course, an umbrella doesn't talk), "I like the rain too. It's the only time you and I walk together." Inside, the umbrella smiles with all its ribs.

    Un día de mucho viento, mientras Tomás camina con el paraguas abierto, una fuerte casi . Tomás lo agarra fuerte con las dos manos y se ríe. «¡Casi vuelas sin mí!», le dice. Y el paraguas, feliz, se queda quieto, sin querer volar solo nunca más.

    Show English
    One very windy day, while Tomás walks with the umbrella open, a strong gust almost carries it away flying. Tomás grabs it tightly with both hands and laughs. "You almost flew away without me!" he tells it. And the umbrella, happy, stays still, never wanting to fly away alone again.

    Ahora, cuando el cielo se pone gris sobre la plaza, ya no es solo Tomás quien espera la lluvia. El paraguas verde también la espera, debajo del banco, sabiendo que pronto llegará su amigo.

    Show English
    Now, when the sky turns gray over the plaza, it isn't only Tomás who waits for the rain. The green umbrella waits for it too, under the bench, knowing that its friend will arrive soon.
    Show English translation

    In the plaza of a small town, there's a wooden bench. Underneath the bench, forgotten for a long time, there's a green umbrella. Nobody remembers it. But when it rains, something curious happens: the umbrella opens its eyes and wakes up.

    The green umbrella isn't a normal umbrella. When rain falls on the plaza, its ribs move like arms, and its green fabric shines a little. "Finally!" it thinks. "It's going to rain today too." It loves the rain, because only then can it move and talk.

    Every day, a boy named Tomás crosses the plaza on his way to school. Tomás is a little absent-minded: he always forgets his backpack, his keys, or his snack. And that morning, he forgets something more important: his umbrella.

    The sky turns gray, and it starts raining hard. Tomás runs to the wooden bench for shelter, and there, under the seat, he sees something green. "An umbrella!" he says, surprised. He opens it quickly and walks through the rain, happy not to get wet.

    What Tomás doesn't know is that the umbrella is happy too. "Finally someone is using me," the umbrella thinks. "It's been a long time since anyone walked with me in the rain." And silently, it holds the rain well away from Tomás's head.

    From that day on, every time it rains, Tomás looks for the green umbrella under the bench. And every time, after using it, he puts it back in its place, carefully, as if it were a friend who needs to rest.

    One afternoon, while they walk together through a downpour, Tomás says out loud, almost without thinking: "Thanks for taking care of me, umbrella." The umbrella is so surprised it almost falls out of Tomás's hands. In all those years, no one had ever thanked it.

    "You know," Tomás says to it, not expecting an answer (because, of course, an umbrella doesn't talk), "I like the rain too. It's the only time you and I walk together." Inside, the umbrella smiles with all its ribs.

    One very windy day, while Tomás walks with the umbrella open, a strong gust almost carries it away flying. Tomás grabs it tightly with both hands and laughs. "You almost flew away without me!" he tells it. And the umbrella, happy, stays still, never wanting to fly away alone again.

    Now, when the sky turns gray over the plaza, it isn't only Tomás who waits for the rain. The green umbrella waits for it too, under the bench, knowing that its friend will arrive soon.

    Vocabulary in this story

    olvidado desde hace mucho tiempo
    forgotten for a long time
    varillas
    ribs
    despistado
    absent-minded
    sujeta bien la lluvia lejos de
    holds the rain well away from
    aguacero
    downpour
    sonríe con todas sus varillas
    smiles with all its ribs
    ráfaga
    gust of wind
    se lo lleva volando
    carries it away flying
    Comprensión(check what you understood)

    Answer a few quick questions about the story. This is just for you: there's no account or score saved.

    1. ¿Cuándo despierta el paraguas verde?
    2. ¿Qué olvida Tomás una mañana?
    3. ¿Qué hace Tomás con el paraguas después de usarlo?
    4. ¿Qué pasa un día de mucho viento?