Spanish StoriesEl tren que casi perdí
The Train I Almost Missed
A past-tense story about a rushed, chaotic morning, a near-missed train, and a small kindness from a stranger.
Topics
- travel
- family
- everyday life
Tap or hover any underlined word for its English meaning.
Listen to the story
Learner-paced · SpanishWhat you'll encounter
- Grammar
- Preterite tense (past narration), Imperfect tense (background description), Reflexive verbs (levantarse, vestirse), Accidental "se" construction (se me cayó)
- Vocabulary
- Travel and transportation (billete, andén, estación), Time expressions (de repente, esa mañana, la noche anterior), Family (abuela)
- Language skills
- Narrating a sequence of past events, Expressing urgency and nervousness, Thanking someone for their help
El sábado pasado, decidí visitar a mi abuela en Valencia. Vivo a dos horas de su casa, compré un billete de tren para las nueve de la mañana. , preparé mi mochila y puse el a las siete. Pensé que todo estaba listo.
Show English
Pero esa mañana, mi despertador no sonó. Cuando abrí los ojos, ya eran las ocho y media. de un salto y en cinco minutos. No tuve tiempo de desayunar; solo la mochila y de casa.
Show English
La estación de tren estaba a quince minutos , pero yo solo tenía diez minutos antes de que saliera el tren. Empecé a correr por las calles, a la gente y a las bicicletas. Estaba muy nervioso porque no quería el tren y a mi abuela.
Show English
Cuando llegué a la estación, vi el número de mi andén en la pantalla: andén 4. Corrí hacia las escaleras, pero el billete de la mano. que estaba cerca lo y me lo dio con una sonrisa. «¡Corre, joven, todavía puedes llegar!», me dijo.
Show English
rápidamente y . Llegué al andén justo cuando las puertas del tren todavía estaban abiertas. Subí y, dos segundos después, las puertas se cerraron detrás de mí.
Show English
Me senté, , y miré por la ventana. Todavía no podía creer que lo había . Pensé en el que me ayudó y sonreí. A veces, un pequeño gesto puede cambiar toda tu mañana.
Show English
Cuando llegué a casa de mi abuela, le conté toda la historia. Ella se rió y me dijo: «, siempre hay alguien ayudar, si sabes pedirlo.» Esa tarde, mientras tomábamos café juntos, decidí que la próxima vez pondría dos despertadores.
Show English
Show English translation
Last Saturday, I decided to visit my grandmother in Valencia. I live two hours from her house, so I bought a train ticket for nine in the morning. The night before, I packed my bag and set my alarm for seven. I thought everything was ready.
But that morning, my alarm didn't go off. When I opened my eyes, it was already eight thirty. I jumped out of bed and got dressed in five minutes. I didn't have time for breakfast — I just grabbed my bag and ran out of the house.
The train station was a fifteen-minute walk away, but I only had ten minutes before the train left. I started running through the streets, dodging people and bicycles. I was very nervous because I didn't want to miss the train and disappoint my grandmother.
When I got to the station, I saw my platform number on the screen: platform 4. I ran toward the stairs, but suddenly the ticket slipped out of my hand. An older man standing nearby picked it up and handed it back to me with a smile. "Run, kid, you can still make it!" he said.
I thanked him quickly and kept running. I reached the platform just as the train doors were still open. I got on, and two seconds later, the doors closed behind me.
I sat down, catching my breath, and looked out the window. I still couldn't believe I'd pulled it off. I thought about the stranger who had helped me and smiled. Sometimes a small gesture can change your whole morning.
When I arrived at my grandmother's house, I told her the whole story. She laughed and said, "You see, there's always someone willing to help, if you know how to ask." That afternoon, over coffee together, I decided that next time I'd set two alarms.
Vocabulary in this story
- así que
- so
- La noche anterior
- the night before
- despertador
- alarm clock
- Me levanté
- I got up
- me vestí
- I got dressed
- agarré
- grabbed
- salí corriendo
- rushed out / ran out
- a pie
- on foot
- esquivando
- dodging
- perder
- to miss
- decepcionar
- to disappoint (not 'deceive')
- de repente
- suddenly
- se me cayó
- I dropped it (lit. 'it fell from me')
- Un hombre mayor
- an older man
- recogió
- picked up
- Le di las gracias
- I thanked him (lit. I gave him thanks)
- seguí corriendo
- kept running
- respirando con dificultad
- breathing heavily
- logrado
- managed it / pulled it off
- desconocido
- stranger
- Ya ves
- You see
- dispuesto a
- willing to
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.