Spanish StoriesEl señor del acordeón
The Accordion Man
Every afternoon Mateo listens to an elderly street musician play the accordion in the plaza — until one day he finally finds the courage to speak to him, in a warm A1 story about music.
Topics
- music
- friendship
- community
- courage
Tap or hover any underlined word for its English meaning.
Listen to the story
Learner-paced · SpanishWhat you'll encounter
- Grammar
- Present tense verbs, Simple past tense (enseñó, practicaba), Imperative mood (pon, prueba), Indirect object pronouns (le enseña, le ofrece)
- Vocabulary
- Music and instruments (acordeón, teclas, notas, oído), Everyday adjectives (torpe, fiel, nervioso), Time and routine expressions (cada tarde, de camino a casa)
- Language skills
- Starting a conversation with a stranger, Describing a process step by step, Expressing gratitude and asking to return
Mateo tiene diez años y cada tarde, cuando sale del colegio, camina por la plaza mayor . En la plaza, casi siempre hay un hombre mayor que toca el acordeón. Se llama don Salvador y lleva un sombrero viejo en el suelo, delante de él, para las .
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A Mateo le encanta la música de don Salvador. Camina más despacio para escucharla y, algunas tardes, se sienta en un cercano unos minutos antes de seguir hacia casa. Nunca habla con él. Solo escucha.
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Un martes, Mateo llega a la plaza y algo es diferente: don Salvador está allí, pero no toca. Tiene el acordeón sobre las piernas y mira al suelo, un poco triste.
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Mateo despacio. «¿Está usted bien?», pregunta.
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Don Salvador levanta la mirada. «Sí, gracias, joven. Es que hoy toco mal. Tengo los dedos un poco . Llevo cincuenta años tocando este acordeón y hoy .»
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«A mí me gusta mucho cómo toca», dice Mateo. «Vengo casi todos los días a escucharlo.»
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Don Salvador sonríe por primera vez. «¿De verdad? No sabía que tenía un .»
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«¿Puedo sentarme un momento?», pregunta Mateo.
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«Claro que sí.»
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Mateo se sienta a su lado, en . Don Salvador empieza a tocar otra vez, despacio al principio, y después con más seguridad. La música suena diferente cuando Mateo está tan cerca: puede ver los dedos moviéndose sobre las y escuchar el aire dentro del instrumento.
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«¿Cómo aprendió a tocar?», pregunta Mateo cuando la canción termina.
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«Mi padre me enseñó, cuando yo tenía tu edad. Practicaba cada tarde, durante años, hasta que .»
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«Yo quiero aprender un instrumento algún día. Pero no sé cuál.»
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Don Salvador piensa un momento. «¿ este?» Le ofrece el acordeón a Mateo.
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Mateo . «No sé tocar nada.»
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«Nadie sabe al principio. Pon las manos aquí, así.»
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Mateo coloca los dedos donde le indica don Salvador y una tecla. Sale un sonido raro, como un largo. Los dos se ríen.
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«No está mal para ser tu primera vez», dice don Salvador.
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Durante quince minutos, don Salvador le enseña las notas más simples. Mateo aprende a tocar tres notas seguidas, muy despacio, pero . Cuando por fin consigue tocarlas , levanta los brazos, contento.
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«¡Lo hice!»
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«Lo hiciste muy bien», dice don Salvador. «Tienes .»
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El sol empieza a bajar y Mateo mira el reloj de la plaza. «Tengo que irme a casa. Mi madre me espera.»
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«Claro. .»
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Mateo se levanta, pero antes de irse, . «¿Puedo volver mañana?»
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Don Salvador sonríe. «Aquí estaré. Y si quieres, seguimos con la lección.»
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Mateo corre hacia su casa, más rápido que de costumbre, con una sonrisa enorme. Por primera vez en su vida, volver a la plaza no solo para escuchar, sino también para aprender.
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Desde ese día, Mateo pasa por la plaza cada tarde, y algunas veces también los sábados. Don Salvador nunca cobra por las lecciones. «La música se comparte», dice siempre. «No se vende.» Y Mateo, poco a poco, aprende a tocar su propia canción.
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Show English translation
Mateo is ten years old, and every afternoon, when he leaves school, he walks through the main plaza on his way home. In the plaza, there is almost always an older man playing the accordion. His name is Don Salvador, and he keeps an old hat on the ground in front of him for coins.
Mateo loves Don Salvador's music. He walks more slowly to listen to it, and on some afternoons he sits on a nearby bench for a few minutes before continuing home. He never talks to him. He only listens.
One Tuesday, Mateo arrives at the plaza and something is different: Don Salvador is there, but he isn't playing. He has the accordion on his lap and is looking at the ground, a little sad.
Mateo slowly approaches. "Are you all right?" he asks.
Don Salvador looks up. "Yes, thank you, young man. It's just that today I'm playing badly. My fingers are a little clumsy today. I've been playing this accordion for fifty years, and today nothing is coming out right."
"I really like how you play," says Mateo. "I come almost every day to listen to you."
Don Salvador smiles for the first time. "Really? I didn't know I had such a faithful listener."
"Can I sit for a moment?" Mateo asks.
"Of course you can."
Mateo sits down beside him, on the edge of the fountain. Don Salvador starts playing again, slowly at first, and then with more confidence. The music sounds different when Mateo is this close: he can see the fingers moving over the keys and hear the air inside the instrument.
"How did you learn to play?" Mateo asks when the song ends.
"My father taught me, when I was your age. I practiced every afternoon, for years, until my fingers hurt."
"I want to learn an instrument someday. But I don't know which one."
Don Salvador thinks for a moment. "Why don't you try this one?" He offers Mateo the accordion.
Mateo gets nervous. "I don't know how to play anything."
"Nobody knows at first. Put your hands here, like this."
Mateo places his fingers where Don Salvador shows him and presses a key. A strange sound comes out, like a long sigh. The two of them laugh.
"Not bad for your first time," says Don Salvador.
For fifteen minutes, Don Salvador teaches him the simplest notes. Mateo learns to play three notes in a row, very slowly, but recognizable. When he finally manages to play them without a mistake, he raises his arms, delighted.
"I did it!"
"You did it really well," says Don Salvador. "You have a good ear."
The sun starts to go down, and Mateo checks the plaza clock. "I have to go home. My mother is waiting for me."
"Of course. Off you go."
Mateo gets up, but before leaving, he turns around. "Can I come back tomorrow?"
Don Salvador smiles. "I'll be here. And if you want, we'll continue the lesson."
Mateo runs home, faster than usual, with a huge smile. For the first time in his life, he looks forward to going back to the plaza not just to listen, but also to learn.
From that day on, Mateo passes through the plaza every afternoon, and sometimes on Saturdays too. Don Salvador never charges for the lessons. "Music is shared," he always says. "It isn't sold." And little by little, Mateo learns to play a tune of his own.
Vocabulary in this story
- de camino a casa
- on the way home
- monedas
- coins
- banco
- bench
- se acerca
- approaches
- torpes
- clumsy
- no me sale nada bien
- nothing is coming out right
- oyente fiel
- faithful listener
- el borde de la fuente
- the edge of the fountain
- teclas
- keys
- me dolían los dedos
- my fingers hurt
- Por qué no pruebas
- why don't you try
- se pone nervioso
- gets nervous
- aprieta
- presses
- suspiro
- sigh
- reconocibles
- recognizable
- sin equivocarse
- without making a mistake
- buen oído
- a good ear
- Vete tranquilo
- off you go / don't worry
- se da la vuelta
- turns around
- tiene ganas de
- looks forward to / feels like
Comprensión(check what you understood)
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