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Illustration for “A week at home with a cold”

Spanish story with translation · A2 · 14 lines

Una semana en casa con un resfriado A week at home with a cold

Comic · 9 panels

Panel 1 of 9 for “A week at home with a cold”: Monday. I got up feeling awful: my throat hurts and I sneeze every two minutes. I look at the thermometer: thirty-eight degrees. Today I'm staying home.

  1. Lunes. Me he levantado fatal: me duele la garganta y estornudo cada dos minutos.

    Monday. I got up feeling awful: my throat hurts and I sneeze every two minutes.

  2. Miro el termómetro: treinta y ocho grados. Hoy me quedo en casa.

    I look at the thermometer: thirty-eight degrees. Today I'm staying home.

Panel 2 of 9 for “A week at home with a cold”: Tuesday. I went down to the pharmacy. The pharmacist told me: "Take this syrup three times a day and drink lots of water." (formal) He also gave me some nose drops. "And…

  1. Martes. He bajado a la farmacia. El farmacéutico me ha dicho: «Tome este jarabe tres veces al día y beba mucha agua».

    Tuesday. I went down to the pharmacy. The pharmacist told me: "Take this syrup three times a day and drink lots of water." (formal)

  2. También me ha dado unas gotas para la nariz. «Y cuídese», me ha dicho.

    He also gave me some nose drops. "And take care of yourself," he told me. (formal)

Panel 3 of 9 for “A week at home with a cold”: Wednesday. My mother called me on the phone: "Did they give you a shot? Have you had the flu shot?" "Mom, relax. It's just a cold."

  1. Miércoles. Mi madre me ha llamado por teléfono: «¿Te han puesto una inyección? ¿Tienes la vacuna de la gripe?».

    Wednesday. My mother called me on the phone: "Did they give you a shot? Have you had the flu shot?"

  2. «Mamá, tranquila. Es solo un resfriado».

    "Mom, relax. It's just a cold."

Panel 4 of 9 for “A week at home with a cold”: Thursday. Pablo and Lucía came over with oranges and a Spanish omelet (tortilla). "Come in, come in! Leave the bags in the kitchen and grab two chairs," I told them. (to…

  1. Jueves. Han venido Pablo y Lucía con naranjas y una tortilla de patatas.

    Thursday. Pablo and Lucía came over with oranges and a Spanish omelet (tortilla).

  2. «¡Pasad, pasad! Dejad las bolsas en la cocina y coged dos sillas», les he dicho.

    "Come in, come in! Leave the bags in the kitchen and grab two chairs," I told them. (to several people)

Panel 5 of 9 for “A week at home with a cold”: Lucía looked at me very seriously: "Eat well, sleep a lot and take care of yourself. That way you'll get better sooner."

  1. Lucía me ha mirado muy seria: «Come bien, duerme mucho y cuídate. Así te curas antes».

    Lucía looked at me very seriously: "Eat well, sleep a lot and take care of yourself. That way you'll get better sooner."

Panel 6 of 9 for “A week at home with a cold”: Friday. I don't have a fever anymore, but I'm still coughing a little and I'm weak.

  1. Viernes. Ya no tengo fiebre, pero todavía toso un poco y estoy débil.

    Friday. I don't have a fever anymore, but I'm still coughing a little and I'm weak.

Panel 7 of 9 for “A week at home with a cold”: Sunday. I'm finally healthy! I opened all the windows and cleaned the apartment. (woman speaking)

  1. Domingo. ¡Por fin estoy sana! He abierto todas las ventanas y he limpiado el piso.

    Sunday. I'm finally healthy! I opened all the windows and cleaned the apartment. (woman speaking)

Panel 8 of 9 for “A week at home with a cold”: But in the afternoon Pablo wrote to me: "We feel awful. Lucía has been sneezing since this morning and I have a fever."

  1. Pero por la tarde me ha escrito Pablo: «Estamos fatal. Lucía estornuda desde esta mañana y yo tengo fiebre».

    But in the afternoon Pablo wrote to me: "We feel awful. Lucía has been sneezing since this morning and I have a fever."

Panel 9 of 9 for “A week at home with a cold”: Now I'm the nurse. I wrote to them: "Take the syrup, drink lots of water and rest." (woman speaking, to several people) "And open the door in an hour: I'm bringing you…

  1. Ahora la enfermera soy yo. Les he escrito: «Tomad el jarabe, bebed mucha agua y descansad».

    Now I'm the nurse. I wrote to them: "Take the syrup, drink lots of water and rest." (woman speaking, to several people)

  2. «Y abrid la puerta dentro de una hora: os llevo naranjas. ¡Que os mejoréis!».

    "And open the door in an hour: I'm bringing you oranges. Get well soon!" (to several people)

Grammar for this text

Three kinds of commands in one text. The pharmacist talks to Ana with usted: tome, beba, cuídese. Lucía talks to her friend with tú: come, duerme, cuídate. Ana talks to two friends at once with vosotros: pasad, dejad, coged, tomad, bebed, descansad, abrid. The vosotros command is the infinitive with -r changed to -d.

Cuídese / cuídate — take care (of yourself). People in Spain often say this when saying goodbye, not only to sick people. se and te are attached to the end.

Me he levantado, he bajado, me ha dicho — the present perfect for things done today (unit 2): Ana writes her diary on the same day. In English, the simple past often sounds better here: I got up, I went down, he told me. Dicho, puesto, escrito, abierto are irregular past participles (unit 3).

Así te curas antes — that way you'll get better sooner: curarse — to get better, and antes here means "sooner." Dentro de una hora — in an hour. Ya no tengo fiebre — I don't have a fever anymore.

¡Que os mejoréis! — Get well soon! to two friends. mejoréis is a form of mejorarse (to get better) for vosotros; you'll learn these forms after que at level B1. For now, learn it as a set phrase.

Words and grammar of the unit: Understand what the doctor tells you.

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