Quick answer
Estoy leyendo una novela en español.
I am reading a novel in Spanish. Note leyendo, where the i of the ending turns into a y between vowels.
The words
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el libro | the book |
| la novela | the novel |
| el cuento | the short story |
| la página | the page |
| el capítulo | the chapter |
| el autor | the author |
| la escritora | the writer |
| la librería | the bookshop |
| la biblioteca | the library |
| el lector | the reader |
| la portada | the cover |
| el poema | the poem |
| el ejemplar | the copy |
| leer | to read |
| prestar | to lend |
The phrases you will actually say
Worth knowing
The classic trap is la librería, which is the shop that sells books, while the lending library is la biblioteca. Two more pairs to keep straight: el cuento is a short story, la cuenta is the bill or the account, and el poema is masculine although it ends in a, like el problema and el tema. Note prestar means to lend, while to borrow is expressed the other way round, usually pedir prestado: le pedí prestado un libro. In Catalonia, 23 April is Sant Jordi, when streets fill with book and rose stalls; the same date is marked elsewhere as the Día del Libro. For learners, look for lecturas graduadas, graded readers sold by level, which are far easier going than starting with García Márquez.
Practice
Practise your books and reading words
0/8 matched — tap a Spanish word, then its translation
Check yourself
Where do you go to buy a book?