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Illustration for “The night of the blackout”

Spanish dialogue with translation · A2 · 16 lines

La noche del apagón The night of the blackout

Comic · 15 panels

Panel 1 of 15 for “The night of the blackout”: “Pablo, guess what happened to me last night!” “No idea. Tell me, tell me!”
  1. Ana

    Pablo, ¿a que no sabes qué me pasó anoche?

    Pablo, guess what happened to me last night!

  2. Pablo

    Ni idea. ¡Cuenta, cuenta!

    No idea. Tell me, tell me!

Panel 2 of 15 for “The night of the blackout”: “It was eleven o'clock. I was reading on the couch, and outside there was lightning and thunder.”
  1. Ana

    Eran las once. Yo leía en el sofá y fuera había rayos y truenos.

    It was eleven o'clock. I was reading on the couch, and outside there was lightning and thunder.

Panel 3 of 15 for “The night of the blackout”: “Yes, there was an amazing storm. I saw the lightning from my window.”
  1. Pablo

    Sí, hubo una tormenta increíble. Yo vi los relámpagos desde mi ventana.

    Yes, there was an amazing storm. I saw the lightning from my window.

Panel 4 of 15 for “The night of the blackout”: “Well, suddenly I heard a very loud clap of thunder and the lights went out. There was a blackout in the whole neighborhood!”
  1. Ana

    Pues de pronto oí un trueno muy fuerte y se apagó la luz. ¡Hubo un apagón en todo el barrio!

    Well, suddenly I heard a very loud clap of thunder and the lights went out. There was a blackout in the whole neighborhood!

Panel 5 of 15 for “The night of the blackout”: “Oh my gosh! And did you have a flashlight?”
  1. Pablo

    ¡Madre mía! ¿Y tenías una linterna?

    Oh my gosh! And did you have a flashlight?

Panel 6 of 15 for “The night of the blackout”: “Yes, but I couldn't find it. And while I was looking for it, someone knocked on the door.”
  1. Ana

    Sí, pero no la encontraba. Y mientras la buscaba, alguien llamó a la puerta.

    Yes, but I couldn't find it. And while I was looking for it, someone knocked on the door.

Panel 7 of 15 for “The night of the blackout”: “Wait a moment. At eleven at night? And why didn't they ring the doorbell?”
  1. Pablo

    Un momento. ¿A las once de la noche? ¿Y por qué no tocó el timbre?

    Wait a moment. At eleven at night? And why didn't they ring the doorbell?

Panel 8 of 15 for “The night of the blackout”: “Because there was no power and the doorbell wasn't ringing. I was shaking with fear.”
  1. Ana

    Porque no había luz y el timbre no sonaba. Yo temblaba de miedo.

    Because there was no power and the doorbell wasn't ringing. I was shaking with fear.

Panel 9 of 15 for “The night of the blackout”: “How scary! And did you open the door?”
  1. Pablo

    ¡Qué miedo! ¿Y abriste la puerta?

    How scary! And did you open the door?

Panel 10 of 15 for “The night of the blackout”: “No. I slowly went up to it and asked: "Who is it?" Under the door I could see a light and a shadow.”
  1. Ana

    No. Me acerqué despacio y pregunté: «¿Quién es?». Debajo de la puerta veía una luz y una sombra.

    No. I slowly went up to it and asked: "Who is it?" Under the door I could see a light and a shadow.

Panel 11 of 15 for “The night of the blackout”: “And who was it?”
  1. Pablo

    ¿Y quién era?

    And who was it?

Panel 12 of 15 for “The night of the blackout”: “At that moment the shadow whispered: "Ana, it's Carmen, the neighbor from the sixth floor."”
  1. Ana

    En ese momento la sombra susurró: «Ana, soy Carmen, la vecina del sexto».

    At that moment the shadow whispered: "Ana, it's Carmen, the neighbor from the sixth floor."

Panel 13 of 15 for “The night of the blackout”: “Carmen, your landlady? And what did she want?”
  1. Pablo

    ¿Carmen, la dueña de tu piso? ¿Y qué quería?

    Carmen, your landlady? And what did she want?

Panel 14 of 15 for “The night of the blackout”: “She was afraid of the thunder and didn't want to be alone. I sighed, opened the door… and Carmen had candles and a cake with her!”
  1. Ana

    Tenía miedo de los truenos y no quería estar sola. Suspiré, abrí la puerta… ¡y Carmen traía velas y una tarta!

    She was afraid of the thunder and didn't want to be alone. I sighed, opened the door… and Carmen had candles and a cake with her!

Panel 15 of 15 for “The night of the blackout”: “Thank goodness! I want a neighbor like that too.”
  1. Pablo

    ¡Menos mal! Yo también quiero una vecina así.

    Thank goodness! I want a neighbor like that too.

Grammar for this text

Background and events. Ana paints the scene with the imperfect: eran las once, leía, había rayos y truenos, temblaba de miedo. Everything that happened is in the preterite: oí un trueno, se apagó la luz, llamó a la puerta, me acerqué, susurró.

Había and hubo. Fuera había rayos y truenos is the picture outside the window. Hubo una tormenta and hubo un apagón are whole events: the storm came and went, the power went out.

Mientras. In mientras la buscaba, alguien llamó a la puerta, one thing was going on (buscaba, I was looking) when another happened (llamó, someone knocked). No la encontraba means "I couldn't find it": the search went on with no result, so it's the imperfect.

Carmen traía velas y una tarta means "Carmen had candles and a cake with her". It isn't an action, it's the picture Ana saw at the door, so it's the imperfect too.

Colloquial. ¿A que no sabes…? is how friends start telling news, like "guess what". ¡Cuenta! means "tell me!" (from contar). La vecina del sexto is "the neighbor from the sixth floor": in Spain people often call neighbors by their floor. Carmen is Ana's landlady, and she lives one floor up (unit 5).

Words and grammar of the unit: Tell a story about something that happened.

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