El cuaderno azul de Paula
Paula's Blue Notebook
The test
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8 questions about this story. Two minutes. Nothing to sign up for, and nothing about you is saved.
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Exercises
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1 · Fill in the blank
Tomorrow she is going to get up early and go running.
She says: I am going to look for the notebook now.
The sun is low and the sky is golden.
2 · Write it in Spanish
She buys bread at the bakery every day.
But the blue notebook doesn't turn up.
It is a dry and very beautiful late afternoon.
It isn't there.
Now the restaurant is closed and Paula goes out.
3 · Put the words in order
4 · Word search
5 words from the story hide across and down.
- PERDER
- CORRER
- BUSCAR
- ENCONTRAR
- DORADO
5 · Match the word to the picture
Write the letter of the picture next to the word.
Vocabulary
18 words from this story. You will hear all of them in the song.
La canción · The song
The story, line by line
Read the Spanish first. Say it out loud. The English is there only when you need it.
Paula tiene veintitrés años y vive en Santiago.
Paula is twenty-three years old and lives in Santiago.
Santiago es una ciudad grande de República Dominicana.
Santiago is a big city in the Dominican Republic.
Hoy es el primer día de trabajo de Paula.
Today is Paula's first day of work.
El sol está bajo y el cielo está dorado.
The sun is low and the sky is golden.
No hay nubes.
There are no clouds.
Es un atardecer seco y muy bonito.
It is a dry and very beautiful late afternoon.
Paula trabaja en un restaurante pequeño del centro.
Paula works in a small restaurant downtown.
Ahora el restaurante está cerrado y Paula sale.
Now the restaurant is closed and Paula goes out.
Ella cierra la puerta y mira la calle.
She closes the door and looks at the street.
Está contenta, pero también está un poco cansada.
She is happy, but she is also a little tired.
Paula tiene un cuaderno pequeño y azul.
Paula has a small blue notebook.
En el cuaderno escribe todo: las horas, los precios.
In the notebook she writes everything: the hours, the prices.
También tiene la receta del mangú del desayuno.
It also has the recipe for the breakfast mangú.
El mangú es plátano, agua, sal y aceite.
Mangú is plantain, water, salt and oil.
Mañana ella va a hacer mangú en el restaurante.
Tomorrow she is going to make mangú at the restaurant.
Paula abre el bolso y busca el cuaderno.
Paula opens her bag and looks for the notebook.
El cuaderno no está.
The notebook isn't there.
Ella busca otra vez, despacio.
She looks again, slowly.
En el bolso hay un teléfono, agua y llaves.
In the bag there is a phone, water and keys.
Pero el cuaderno azul no aparece.
But the blue notebook doesn't turn up.
Paula suspira y mira el sol dorado.
Paula sighs and looks at the golden sun.
Ella dice: voy a buscar el cuaderno ahora.
She says: I am going to look for the notebook now.
Voy a ir a todos los lugares de hoy.
I am going to go to all of today's places.
Primero vuelve a la cocina del restaurante.
First she goes back to the restaurant kitchen.
Mira debajo de la mesa y detrás de la estufa.
She looks under the table and behind the stove.
Mira dentro de la nevera y en las sillas.
She looks inside the fridge and on the chairs.
El cuaderno no está en la cocina.
The notebook is not in the kitchen.
Paula sale y camina por la acera.
Paula goes out and walks along the sidewalk.
El sol está bajo y la luz es naranja.
The sun is low and the light is orange.
Ahora va a ir a la panadería de la esquina.
Now she is going to go to the bakery on the corner.
En la panadería compra pan todos los días.
She buys bread at the bakery every day.
Paula mira el suelo y las mesas pequeñas.
Paula looks at the floor and the small tables.
Mira cerca de la puerta y en la silla.
She looks near the door and on the chair.
El cuaderno azul tampoco está aquí.
The blue notebook isn't here either.
Paula piensa un momento y recuerda la tienda.
Paula thinks for a moment and remembers the store.
En la tienda compra plátanos para el mangú.
At the store she buys plantains for the mangú.
Ella dice: voy a mirar en la tienda.
She says: I am going to look in the store.
Camina rápido por la avenida con el sol detrás.
She walks fast along the avenue with the sun behind her.
En la tienda mira las cajas de plátanos.
At the store she looks at the boxes of plantains.
Mira el suelo, las bolsas y la mesa.
She looks at the floor, the bags and the table.
No está.
It isn't there.
Paula está un poco triste y preocupada.
Paula is a little sad and worried.
Pero no va a parar ahora.
But she is not going to stop now.
Ella dice: todavía hay un lugar más.
She says: there is still one more place.
Paula corre por las mañanas en el parque.
Paula runs in the mornings in the park.
Paula pasa por el parque todos los días.
Paula goes through the park every day.
Ahora va a volver al parque otra vez.
Now she is going to go back to the park again.
El parque está tranquilo y el aire está seco.
The park is calm and the air is dry.
Hay flores amarillas y una brisa suave.
There are yellow flowers and a soft breeze.
Paula camina despacio y mira el suelo.
Paula walks slowly and looks at the ground.
Mira cerca de las flores y debajo de una silla.
She looks near the flowers and under a chair.
Y ahí está el cuaderno azul.
And there is the blue notebook.
Paula sonríe y lo recoge con las dos manos.
Paula smiles and picks it up with both hands.
El cuaderno está seco y limpio.
The notebook is dry and clean.
Ella se sienta y abre el cuaderno.
She sits down and opens the notebook.
Dentro del cuaderno hay una nota pequeña.
Inside the notebook there is a small note.
Paula escribe notas para ella misma por las mañanas.
Paula writes notes for herself in the mornings.
La nota dice: Paula, hoy vas a estar bien.
The note says: Paula, today you are going to be fine.
Vas a trabajar con calma y vas a sonreír.
You are going to work calmly and you are going to smile.
Paula lee la nota dos veces y ríe.
Paula reads the note twice and laughs.
Es una nota pequeña, pero cambia el día.
It is a small note, but it changes the day.
Ella guarda el cuaderno en el bolso.
She puts the notebook in her bag.
El sol sigue bajo y el cielo sigue dorado.
The sun is still low and the sky is still golden.
Paula va a caminar a casa ahora.
Paula is going to walk home now.
Mañana va a levantarse temprano y va a correr.
Tomorrow she is going to get up early and go running.
Después va a desayunar mangú con queso.
Then she is going to have mangú with cheese for breakfast.
Y en el trabajo va a hacer mangú también.
And at work she is going to make mangú too.
Paula mira el cielo seco y respira.
Paula looks at the dry sky and breathes.
Su primer día termina muy bien.
Her first day ends very well.
Answers
Now watch it again with no subtitles.
The third pass of the video is the one that counts. Put the guide down and just listen.