/A1%20Collection/es-a1-story-1.webp)
Spanish version
Sofía tiene 24 años.
Es de Venezuela.
Hoy es su primer día en Madrid, España.
Está <span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="alone" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">sola</span>. Su <span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="family" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">familia</span> está en Venezuela.
No tiene <span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="friends" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">amigos</span> en Madrid.
No tiene <span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="money" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">dinero</span>.
<span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="she needs" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">Necesita</span> <span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="work" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">trabajo</span>.
<span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="she enters" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">Entra</span> en un restaurante grande.
—Buenos días. ¿Tiene trabajo aquí? —<span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="she asks" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">pregunta</span> Sofía.
—Hola. No hay trabajo, <span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="I'm sorry" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">lo siento</span> —dice un hombre.
<span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="she sees" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">Ve</span> <span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="another" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">otro</span> restaurante. Entra.
—Hola, buenas tardes. ¿Necesitan personas para trabajar?
—¿Eres <span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="waitress" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">camarera</span>? —pregunta una <span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="cook" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">cocinera</span>.
—No. Puedo <span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="to learn" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">aprender</span>.
—No, gracias. Adiós.
Sofía entra en muchos restaurantes. Todas las personas dicen "no".
Sofía está muy <span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="sad" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">triste</span>.
Ve otro restaurante.
El restaurante se llama "La Cocina de Rosa". Es un restaurante <span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="small" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">pequeño</span>. Sofía entra.
Una mujer <span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="she cleans" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">limpia</span> una <span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="table" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">mesa</span>. Ella es <span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="kind" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">amable</span>.
—Disculpe, buenas tardes... ¿tiene trabajo aquí? —pregunta Sofía.
—Hola. No, lo siento. Ahora no necesitamos personas —dice la mujer.
Sofía <span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="she cries" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">llora</span>.
—Ay, <span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="are you okay?" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">¿estás bien?</span> —pregunta la mujer—. <span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="what's wrong?" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">¿Qué pasa?</span> ¿Por qué lloras?
—Lo siento. Necesito trabajo… y dinero. Mi familia también necesita dinero —dice Sofía.
La mujer <span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="she looks" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">mira</span> a Sofía.
—Ven aquí. <span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="sit down" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">Siéntate</span>. No llores. ¿Cómo te llamas?
—Me llamo Sofía. ¿Y usted?
—Mucho gusto, Sofía. Yo me llamo Rosa.
—Encantada, Rosa.
—¿Cómo estás, Sofía?
—Estoy mal. Necesito trabajo.
—Tranquila. ¿Cuántos años tienes, Sofía?
—Tengo 24 años. Soy <span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="young" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">joven</span>. Trabajo bien.
—Claro que sí. ¿Eres <span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="student" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">estudiante</span>?
—Sí. Soy estudiante de medicina. Quiero ser doctora.
—¡Ah, doctora! Es una <span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="profession" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">profesión</span> buena. Muy importante —dice Rosa—. ¿Y de dónde eres? ¿Eres española?
—No, no soy española. Soy de Venezuela. Soy nueva en Madrid.
—¿De Venezuela? ¿De qué <span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="city" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">ciudad</span> eres?
—Soy de Caracas, la capital.
—<span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="it can't be!" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">¡No puede ser!</span> ¡Yo también soy de Caracas!
—¿Sí? <span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="really?" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">¿De verdad?</span>
—Sí. Nosotras somos del mismo país. ¡De la misma ciudad!
Rosa mira a Sofía.
—¿Tienes experiencia en restaurantes?
—No... no tengo experiencia. Lo siento.
Rosa <span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="she smiles" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">sonríe</span>.
—No importa. Tú eres de Venezuela. Yo soy de Venezuela. Nosotras somos venezolanas. El trabajo es tuyo.
—¿De verdad? —pregunta Sofía.
—Sí, de verdad. <span class="vocab-tooltip" fb-tooltip="true" fb-tooltip-message="welcome" fb-tooltip-position="top" fb-tooltip-theme="dark" fb-tooltip-animation="shift-away" fb-tooltip-show-delay="100" fb-tooltip-arrow="rounded">Bienvenida</span> a Madrid.
—¡Muchas gracias, Rosa!
Ahora Sofía tiene trabajo… y tiene una amiga.
Spanish story with English translation
Sofía tiene 24 años.
Sofía is 24 years old.
Es de Venezuela.
She is from Venezuela.
Hoy es su primer día en Madrid, España.
Today is her first day in Madrid, Spain.
Está sola. Su familia está en Venezuela.
She is alone. Her family is in Venezuela.
No tiene amigos en Madrid.
She has no friends in Madrid.
No tiene dinero.
She has no money.
Necesita trabajo.
She needs work.
Entra en un restaurante grande.
She enters a large restaurant.
—Buenos días. ¿Tiene trabajo aquí? —pregunta Sofía.
"Good morning. Do you have work here?" asks Sofía.
—Hola. No hay trabajo, lo siento —dice un hombre.
"Hello. There is no work, I'm sorry," says a man.
Ve otro restaurante. Entra.
She sees another restaurant. She enters.
—Hola, buenas tardes. ¿Necesitan personas para trabajar?
"Hello, good afternoon. Do you need people to work?"
—¿Eres camarera? —pregunta una cocinera.
"Are you a waitress?" asks a cook.
—No. Puedo aprender.
"No. I can learn."
—No, gracias. Adiós.
"No, thank you. Goodbye."
Sofía entra en muchos restaurantes. Todas las personas dicen "no".
Sofía enters many restaurants. All the people say "no".
Sofía está muy triste.
Sofía is very sad.
Ve otro restaurante.
She sees another restaurant.
El restaurante se llama "La Cocina de Rosa".
The restaurant is called "La Cocina de Rosa."
Es un restaurante pequeño. Sofía entra.
It is a small restaurant. Sofía enters.
Una mujer limpia una mesa. Ella es amable.
A woman is cleaning a table. She is kind.
—Disculpe, buenas tardes... ¿tiene trabajo aquí? —pregunta Sofía.
"Excuse me, good afternoon... do you have work here?" asks Sofía.
—Hola. No, lo siento. Ahora no necesitamos personas —dice la mujer.
"Hello. No, I'm sorry. Right now we don't need people," says the woman.
Sofía llora.
Sofía cries.
—Ay, ¿estás bien? —pregunta la mujer—. ¿Qué pasa? ¿Por qué lloras?
"Oh, are you okay?" asks the woman. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
—Lo siento. Necesito trabajo… y dinero. Mi familia también necesita dinero —dice Sofía.
"I'm sorry. I need work... and money. My family also needs money," says Sofía.
La mujer mira a Sofía.
The woman looks at Sofía.
—Ven aquí. Siéntate. No llores. ¿Cómo te llamas?
"Come here. Sit down. Don't cry. What's your name?"
—Me llamo Sofía. ¿Y usted?
"My name is Sofía. And you?"
—Mucho gusto, Sofía. Yo me llamo Rosa.
"Nice to meet you, Sofía. My name is Rosa."
—Encantada, Rosa.
"Pleased to meet you, Rosa."
—¿Cómo estás, Sofía?
"How are you, Sofía?"
—Estoy mal. Necesito trabajo.
"I'm not well. I need work."
—Tranquila. ¿Cuántos años tienes, Sofía?
"It's okay. How old are you, Sofía?"
—Tengo 24 años. Soy joven. Trabajo bien.
"I am 24 years old. I am young. I work well."
—Claro que sí. ¿Eres estudiante?
"Of course. Are you a student?"
—Sí. Soy estudiante de medicina. Quiero ser doctora.
"Yes. I am a medical student. I want to be a doctor."
—¡Ah, doctora! Es una profesión buena. Muy importante —dice Rosa—. ¿Y de dónde eres? ¿Eres española?
"Oh, a doctor! It is a good profession. Very important," says Rosa. "And where are you from? Are you Spanish?"
—No, no soy española. Soy de Venezuela. Soy nueva en Madrid.
"No, I'm not Spanish. I'm from Venezuela. I'm new in Madrid."
—¿De Venezuela? ¿De qué ciudad eres?
"From Venezuela? What city are you from?"
—Soy de Caracas, la capital.
"I'm from Caracas, the capital."
—¡No puede ser! ¡Yo también soy de Caracas!
"That can't be! I'm also from Caracas!"
—¿Sí? ¿De verdad?
"Really? Truly?"
—Sí. Nosotras somos del mismo país. ¡De la misma ciudad!
"Yes. We are from the same country. From the same city!"
Rosa mira a Sofía.
Rosa looks at Sofía.
—¿Tienes experiencia en restaurantes?
"Do you have experience in restaurants?"
—No... no tengo experiencia. Lo siento.
"No... I don't have experience. I'm sorry."
Rosa sonríe.
Rosa smiles.
—No importa. Tú eres de Venezuela. Yo soy de Venezuela. Nosotras somos venezolanas. El trabajo es tuyo.
"It doesn't matter. You are from Venezuela. I am from Venezuela. We are Venezuelan. The job is yours."
—¿De verdad? —pregunta Sofía.
"Really?" asks Sofía.
—Sí, de verdad. Bienvenida a Madrid.
"Yes, really. Welcome to Madrid."
—¡Muchas gracias, Rosa!
"Thank you very much, Rosa!"
Ahora Sofía tiene trabajo… y tiene una amiga.
Now Sofía has work... and she has a friend.
Vocabulary Flashcards
Story Challenge
Patterns Challenge
Listening Challenge
Writing Challenge
Question 1
Your best friend asks you about Sofía. Reply in Spanish: She is from Venezuela, from Caracas. She is a medical student.
Example 1: Es de Venezuela, de Caracas. Es estudiante de medicina.
Example 2: Sofía es venezolana. Es de Caracas. Es estudiante de medicina.
Example 3: Es de Caracas, Venezuela. Es estudiante de medicina.
Notes:
- There are three ways to express origin: "es de Venezuela" (is from Venezuela), "es venezolana" (is Venezuelan), or both together. All correct, but "es de + place" is the most versatile since it works for any city or country.
- "Venezolana" ends in -a because Sofía is female. For a man: "venezolano."
- No need for "ella" here. Since your friend asked about Sofía, it's already clear who you mean.
Question 2
You meet Sofía for the first time. Ask her in Spanish: What's your name? Where are you from? How old are you?
Example 1: ¿Cómo te llamas? ¿De dónde eres? ¿Cuántos años tienes?
Example 2: ¿Cuál es tu nombre? ¿De dónde eres? ¿Cuántos años tienes?
Notes:
- "¿Cómo te llamas?" (literally "How do you call yourself?") is much more common in everyday Spanish than "¿Cuál es tu nombre?" Both are correct, but the first one sounds more natural.
- Watch the "de" in "¿De dónde eres?" You need it. "¿Dónde eres?" is a common mistake that changes the meaning entirely.
- "¿Cuántos años tienes?" literally means "How many years do you have?" Spanish uses TENER (to have) for age, not SER (to be).
Question 3
Rosa asks about you at the restaurant. Answer in Spanish: My name is [your name]. I am from [your city], [your country]. I am not a cook. I am a student.
Example: Me llamo Ana. Soy de Lisboa, Portugal. No soy cocinera. Soy estudiante.
Notes:
- "No soy cocinera" puts "no" right before the verb. That's always where it goes in Spanish.
- Notice there's no "un/una" (a) before professions: "Soy estudiante," not "Soy un estudiante." In Spanish you drop the article when stating what you are.
- "Cocinera" (female cook) vs "cocinero" (male cook)
Question 4
Translate to Spanish: I am from Venezuela. You are a student. She is a cook. We are from the same city. They are waiters.
Example 1: (Yo) soy de Venezuela. (Tú) eres estudiante. (Ella) es cocinera. (Nosotros) somos de la misma ciudad. (Ellos) son camareros.
Notes:
- Five forms of SER in one go: soy, eres, es, somos, son. Each verb ending already tells you who's speaking, which is why the pronouns in parentheses are optional.
- "Camareros" covers an all-male group or a mixed group. If they're all women: "camareras."
- "La misma ciudad" needs "la" (the) and "misma" (same) to agree in feminine because "ciudad" is feminine.
Question 5
Translate to Spanish: Sofía is 24 years old. She is from Caracas, Venezuela. She is a student. She is new in Madrid.
Example: Sofía tiene 24 años. Es de Caracas, Venezuela. Es estudiante. Es nueva en Madrid.
Notes:
- Be careful with the switch: "tiene 24 años" (TENER for age) but "es de Caracas" and "es estudiante" (SER for origin and profession).
Question 6
Translate to Spanish: My name is Rosa. I am from Caracas. Sofía is also from Caracas. We are from the same city. We are friends.
Example 1: Me llamo Rosa. Soy de Caracas. Sofía también es de Caracas. Somos de la misma ciudad. Somos amigas.
Example 2: Mi nombre es Rosa. Soy de Caracas. Sofía también es de Caracas. (Nosotras) somos de la misma ciudad. Somos amigas.
Notes:
- "También" (also/too) goes before the verb: "también es de Caracas," not "es de Caracas también" (though the second is understood, the first is more natural).
- "Amigas" not "amigos" because both Rosa and Sofía are women. If the group were mixed, you'd say "amigos."
- "Nosotras" (we, all-female) vs "nosotros" (we, mixed or all-male).
Speaking Challenge
You're at "La Cocina de Rosa now"! Practice speaking by introducing yourself to Rosa, chatting with Sofía and talking about the story to your friends.
Introducing Yourself to Rosa
It's your first day at La Cocina de Rosa. Rosa wants to know about you before you start working.
Your task - tell Rosa about yourself:
- Say your name
- Say your age
- Say your country and nationality
- Say what you do
Speak for 30-45 seconds
Reveal sample answer
- Me llamo [name].
- My name is [name].
- Tengo [X] años.
- I'm [X] years old.
- Soy de [country]. Soy [nationality].
- I'm from [country]. I'm [nationality].
- Soy estudiante. / Soy camarero/a. / Trabajo en...
- I'm a student. / I'm a waiter/waitress. / I work at...
Getting to Know Sofía
You're on break at the restaurant. Sofía is sitting alone. You want to meet her.
Your task - talk to Sofía:
- Greet her
- Ask her name
- Ask how she is
- Ask where she's from
- Ask her age
- Ask if she's a student
- Ask who her best friend is
Speak for 45 seconds - 1 minute
Reveal sample answer
- ¡Hola!
- Hi!
- ¿Cómo te llamas?
- What's your name?
- ¿Cómo estás?
- How are you?
- ¿De dónde eres?
- Where are you from?
- ¿Cuántos años tienes?
- How old are you?
- ¿Eres estudiante?
- Are you a student?
- ¿Quién es tu mejor amigo/a?
- Who is your best friend?
Sofía Talks About Her Friend
Sofía mentions she has a good friend and you're curious about him.
Your task - ask Sofía about him:
- Ask what his name is
- Ask where he's from
- Ask how old he is
- Ask what he does (student?)
- Ask if he's Spanish
Speak for 45 seconds - 1 minute
Reveal sample answer
- ¿Cómo se llama él?
- What's his name?
- ¿De dónde es?
- Where is he from?
- ¿Cuántos años tiene?
- How old is he?
- ¿Qué hace? ¿Es estudiante?
- What does he do? Is he a student?
- ¿Es español??
- Is he Spanish?
Describing Rosa
Your friend asks: "Who's your boss at the restaurant?"
Your task - describe Rosa:
- Say who she is (the owner)
- Say where she's from (country and city)
- Say what the restaurant is called
- Say what she's like
Speak for 45 seconds - 1 minute
Reveal sample answer
- Rosa es la dueña del restaurante.
- Rosa is the owner of the restaurant.
- Es de Venezuela, de Caracas.
- She's from Venezuela, from Caracas.
- El restaurante se llama La Cocina de Rosa.
- The restaurant is called La Cocina de Rosa.
- Ella es muy amable. / Es muy simpática. / Es buena persona.
- She's very kind. / She's very nice. / She's a good person.
Tell Sofía's Story
Your friend asks: "You're learning Spanish with stories? Tell me about the first one. Is it good?"
Your task - tell the story in your own words:
- Who is Sofía? (name, age, country, city)
- Why does she go to Madrid?
- What happens when she looks for work? (how many restaurants? what do people say?)
- Where does she go last? (the restaurant name)
- Who is Rosa?
- What does Rosa ask Sofía?
- Why does Rosa give Sofía the job? (what do they have in common?)
- How does Sofía feel at the end? (is she happy? sad? nervous?)
- Now as yourself - what do you think about the story? (Esta historia es...)
Speak for 1.5-2 minutes
Reveal sample answer
- Sofía tiene 24 años. Es de Venezuela, de Caracas.
- Sofía is 24 years old. She's from Venezuela, from Caracas.
- Necesita trabajo en Madrid. No tiene dinero.
- She needs work in Madrid. She doesn't have money.
- Entra en muchos restaurantes. Todas las personas dicen "no".
- She goes into many restaurants. Everyone says "no".
- Entra en un restaurante pequeño. Se llama La Cocina de Rosa.
- She goes into a small restaurant. It's called La Cocina de Rosa.
- Rosa es la dueña. Es de Venezuela también, de Caracas.
- Rosa is the owner. She's from Venezuela too, from Caracas.
- Rosa pregunta: "¿Cómo te llamas? ¿De dónde eres? ¿Cuántos años tienes?"
- Rosa asks: "What's your name? Where are you from? How old are you?"
- Porque Rosa y Sofía son de la misma ciudad.
- Because Rosa and Sofía are from the same city.
- Sofía está muy contenta. Ahora tiene trabajo y tiene una amiga.
- Sofía is very happy. Now she has work and she has a friend.
- Esta historia es bonita. / Esta historia es triste y bonita. / Esta historia es interesante.
- This story is beautiful. / This story is sad and beautiful. / This story is interesting.
Culture
1. Why Sofía Left Everything Behind
Sofía should be studying medicine in Caracas but instead she's in Madrid looking for any job she can find and she's so desperate that she starts crying in front of Rosa.
So.. why did she leave Venezuela in the first place?
The "Infeliz Navidad" of 2017
Venezuelans called Christmas 2017 "Infeliz Navidad" (Unhappy Christmas) because of hyperinflation.
- Inflation rate - 863% in 2017 (over 4,000% by some estimates)
- Stores stopped using price tags - because prices were changing every hour
- Families couldn't afford Christmas dinner or gifts
- 2012 - Minimum wage was $476/month (the highest in Latin America)
- 2017 - It dropped to $11/month and then to $1.83-$4/month
- A 100-bolívar bill - you could buy 288 eggs in 2007 but only 0.2 eggs in 2017
So when Sofía says that her family needs money this is what she's talking about.
- 7.9 million Venezuelans have left - since the crisis began (23% of the population). Only Syria and Ukraine have similar numbers.
- Spain received almost 700,000 of them (January 2025) - which makes Venezuelans the third-largest immigrant group in the country
And Sofía is one of those people, she's twenty-four years old and completely alone with no money in a country where she doesn't know anyone.
2. Why Did Rosa Help Sofía?
Rosa hired Sofía without checking her CV and without asking further questions. I know that sounds kind of crazy but it actually happens in migrant communities.
The paisano code
For Latin American migrants in Spain helping someone from your same country (a paisano) is completely normal. I guess someone also helped Rosa when she first arrived in Spain years ago.
And something that I find really interesting is that unlike in the US where "Latino" defines a broad identity, in Spain people identify themselves by their nationality. So you are Venezuelan or Colombian or Ecuadorian... The Spanish census doesn't even have a "Latino" category which I think says a lot.
How big are these communities?
These communities are really big actually and as of January 2025 almost 6.9 million foreign nationals were living in Spain.
- Colombians - 676,000
- Venezuelans - 692,000
About a million Latin Americans live in Madrid and that's like one in every seven people in the city.
3. Sofía's New Home: Madrid
Madrid is a really different kind of city and not like the typical 9 to 5.
A capital that was chosen for being… nothing special
And Madrid wasn't always important.. it actually became the capital of Spain in 1561 for a funny reason: it had no history!
The King Philip II needed a place in the center that was neutral to run his empire from and cities like Toledo and Barcelona were too powerful and full of people who had a lot of influence. But Madrid was just a small town in the middle of the peninsula with no big river, no port, no powerful church and more importantly.. no political influence.
Perfect.
So Philip moved his court there and Madrid went from like 20,000 people to the centre of the Spanish Empire. It hasbeen the capital ever since except for a brief time when the court moved to Valladolid in the early 1600s but then Philip III brought it back and built Plaza Mayor and that was pretty much it.
And after that the city just got bigger and bigger. Think of palaces, churches, artists, writers... Cervantes and Velázquez for example both lived and worked here.
What Madrid actually feels like
Spain has more bars and tabernas per person than any other EU country which is like one for every 175 people. And just to give you an idea in Andalucía alone there are more bars than in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Ireland combined!
- People eat really late there - Lunch is from 2 to 4 PM and dinner is from 9 to 11 PM. If you go to eat at 7 PM you're going to be alone in the restaurant
- The metro is the main transport - it goes from 6 AM to 1:30 AM and it covers pretty much every area of the city
- Nobody is really in a hurry - a meal can go for like 2 hours and when someone says "mañana" they just mean "whenever"
- People talk really loud and restaurants are never quiet and basically everyone is always outside
Madrid is also the capital with the most sun in Europe with more than 2,900 hours of sun every year.
And it's at around 650 metres above sea level which makes it one of the highest capitals in Europe too and that's actually why the sunsets there look so amazing.
What to do when you get there
If you ever go to Madrid here's where I would start
- Puerta del Sol - it's basically the centre of Spain and Madrid's most famous square. There's a plaque on the ground that marks kilometre zero of all the Spanish roads. It's always full of people and always loud and it's also where everyone goes on New Year's Eve
- Gran Vía - Madrid's big avenue and it has a lot of theatres, shops, rooftop bars and buildings from the early 1900s that are really beautiful
- Plaza Mayor - this huge square is surrounded by red buildings and people just sit outside there and order a drink and watch other people. It's one of my favourite places in the city
- El Rastro - the Sunday flea market and it's been going on every Sunday morning since the 1700s with over 3,500 stalls. If you go there… be careful with your wallet
- Mercado de San Miguel - a glass food market right next to Plaza Mayor and it has small portions of pretty much everything Spanish like jamón, croquetas, olives, wine and vermouth.
- Museo del Prado - one of the best art museums in the world. Basically Spanish kings spent centuries collecting paintings just for themselves and now you can see all of it inside. And it's free to enter Mon-Sat from 6-8 PM
- Parque del Retiro - like 125 hectares of gardens and fountains right in the centre of the city. It used to be the king's private garden but now it's just where everyone goes for a Sunday walk.
And if you happen to see Sofía… take her to San Ginés near Puerta del Sol for churros con chocolate. That’ll make her feel better.
Did You Know?
- 🐻 Madrid's official symbol is a bear eating from a strawberry tree (madroño) and you can see the statue at Puerta del Sol
- 🍽️ Sobrino de Botín in Madrid has the Guinness Record as the oldest restaurant in the world and it's been open since 1725. Goya apparently worked there as a waiter
- 🎭 Gran Vía is called "the Spanish Broadway" and there are usually like 11 shows going on at any time which makes Madrid the third biggest city in Europe for musical theatre
- 🇻🇪 More Venezuelans live in Spain (692,000) than in the whole city of Málaga
- 🇪🇸 Latin Americans can apply for Spanish citizenship after just two years of living there legally and for most other nationalities it takes ten
- 🐱 People born in Madrid are sometimes called "gatos" (cats) and the nickname comes from a soldier in 1083 who climbed the city walls.. like a cat
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Sofía is from Venezuela, lives in Madrid, and is a medical student. What about you?
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