Level B1 · Chapter 66.5
Review 12: lessons 63 to 66
The vocabulary from lessons 63 to 66 that does not come back, the grammar of the block in one table, and two exercises. The end of B1.
What you will learn
- Check, word by word, how much of the vocabulary from lessons 63 to 66 you actually remember.
- Compare two things and say which one is the best of all.
- Describe a person, choosing between ser and estar in each sentence.
The story in easy Spanish
Por el camino vieron un carro conducido por un demonio con cuernos.
On the road they saw a cart driven by a devil with horns.
«¡Qué cuernos más grandes lleva ese demonio!», gritó Sancho.
“What enormous horns that devil is wearing!” shouted Sancho.
Eran comediantes de una compañía que representaba un auto de la Muerte.
They were actors from a company performing a religious play about Death.
Los trajes engañan a cualquiera que los mire desde lejos.
The costumes fool anybody who looks at them from a distance.
Un actor vestido de bufón hizo sonar unas vejigas hinchadas y Rocinante salió disparado.
An actor dressed as a fool cracked some inflated bladders and Rocinante shot off.
Su amo cayó y quiso vengarse, pero la compañía lo esperaba en fila con piedras.
His master fell and wanted revenge, but the company was waiting for him in a line with stones.
Una noche oyeron en un bosque a otro caballero con la armadura cubierta de espejitos.
One night in a wood they heard another knight whose armour was covered with little mirrors.
Decía que su dama era la más hermosa y él el más desdichado del mundo.
He said his lady was the most beautiful and he the most wretched man in the world.
Contó que había vencido a don Quijote, y el nuestro le dijo que habría vencido a alguien parecidísimo.
He claimed he had beaten Don Quixote, and our knight told him he must have beaten somebody extremely like him.
Con la primera luz, Sancho miró al desconocido y se quedó helado.
With the first light, Sancho looked at the stranger and was stunned.
Era igualito que el bachiller Sansón Carrasco.
He was the spitting image of the graduate Sansón Carrasco.
Rocinante corrió más deprisa y don Quijote lo derribó en el primer encuentro.
Rocinante ran faster and Don Quixote knocked him down at the first charge.
Apenas hizo esfuerzo, y dijo que los magos son tan hábiles como crueles.
He barely made an effort, and said that magicians are as skilful as they are cruel.
Aquel era el encantamiento más asombroso de todos.
That was the most astonishing enchantment of all.
Detrás quedó Sansón, más furioso de lo que había estado nunca.
Behind them Sansón was left more furious than he had ever been.
Al día siguiente encontraron a un hidalgo en una yegua tordilla, con gabán de paño verde.
The next day they met a country gentleman on a dapple grey mare, in a coat of green cloth.
Todo en él parecía limpio y ordenado.
Everything about him looked clean and orderly.
Contó su vida sin presumir y miró al caballero sin disimular su curiosidad.
He told his life without showing off and watched the knight without hiding his curiosity.
No sabía si reírse de él o quitarse el sombrero.
He did not know whether to laugh at him or take off his hat.
Sancho le dijo, muy convencido, que su amo era tonto por fuera y sabio por dentro.
Sancho told him, quite convinced, that his master was a fool outside and a wise man inside.
Poco después el carretero pidió paso, con la gorra en la mano y dos jaulas detrás.
A little later the carter asked to go by, cap in hand and two cages behind him.
«¿Leoncitos a mí? Abrid las jaulas», dijo, y todos le suplicaron que no lo hiciera.
“Lion cubs, to me? Open the cages,” he said, and they all begged him not to do it.
El guardián abrió temblando, y el caballero se plantó delante con la espada.
The keeper opened it shaking, and the knight planted himself in front with his sword.
El león se levantó, bostezó, se limpió la cara con la pata y se echó dentro.
The lion got up, yawned, cleaned its face with its paw and lay down again inside.
Sin haber ganado nada, don Quijote se sintió más grande que nunca.
Without having won anything at all, Don Quixote felt greater than ever.
Vocabulary
The cart of the players (lesson 63)
- el comediante
- the actor
- la compañía
- the theatre company
- el auto
- the religious play
- el traje
- the costume
- el bufón
- the fool, the jester
- la vejiga
- the inflated bladder
- hinchado
- inflated
- sonar
- to make a noise
- vengarse
- to take revenge
- la fila
- the row, the line
- el cuerno
- the horn
The Knight of the Mirrors (lesson 64)
- el espejo
- the mirror
- la armadura
- the suit of armour
- desdichado
- wretched, unlucky
- el desconocido
- the stranger
- quedarse helado
- to be stunned
- derribar
- to knock down
- el encuentro
- the charge, the clash
- asombroso
- astonishing
- hábil
- skilful
- furioso
- furious
- apenas
- barely
- igualito
- the spitting image
The green coat (lesson 65)
- la yegua
- the mare
- tordilla
- dapple grey
- el paño
- the woollen cloth
- ordenado
- tidy, orderly
- presumir
- to show off
- disimular
- to hide what you feel
- quitarse el sombrero
- to take off your hat
- convencido
- convinced
The lions (lesson 66)
- la jaula
- the cage
- el carretero
- the carter
- la gorra
- the cap
- suplicar
- to beg
- el guardián
- the keeper
- temblar
- to shake
- plantarse
- to plant yourself
- bostezar
- to yawn
- la pata
- the paw
Lessons 63 to 66, and the whole of B1, in one table
Start with the vocabulary list above. This is the last checklist of the level, so be strict with yourself.
| point | rule | from the summary above |
|---|---|---|
| exclamations | qué plus a noun or adjective, and qué plus noun plus más plus adjective | ¡Qué cuernos más grandes lleva! |
| comparing | más que, menos que, tan como | tan hábiles como crueles |
| superlative | el más, la más, and de where English says in | la más hermosa del mundo |
| the -ísimo ending | very, with nothing to compare it to | alguien parecidísimo |
| más de lo que | used when a verb follows, not a noun | más furioso de lo que había estado nunca |
| ser with people | what somebody is, and has been all along | Era tonto por fuera y sabio por dentro. |
| estar with people | how somebody is today, or in this one scene | El guardián abrió temblando. |
| the whole of B1 at once | the lion scene asks for the subjunctive, a comparative and a verb chain on one page | Todos le suplicaron que no lo hiciera. |
That is the whole of B1: the present subjunctive and what triggers it, negative orders, the pluperfect, reported speech, conditions with si, the passive with ser, verb chains, cuando and the subjunctive, lo and lo que, exclamations, comparatives and ser against estar. The full conjugations are in the verb tables at the back. What comes next is B2, where Cervantes starts speaking with his own words instead of ours.