Books and Reading

  • Familiarise yourself with vocabulary related to books and reading. For example, “el libro” (book), “la novela” (novel), “el autor” (author), “la página” (page), “el capítulo” (chapter), and “la biblioteca” (library).

  • Learn phrases to express your opinions about reading. For example, “Me gusta leer” (I like to read), “Prefiero leer revistas” (I prefer to read magazines), or “No me interesa la literatura” (I am not interested in literature).

  • Be prepared to describe different types of books such as “la ciencia ficción” (science fiction), “la biografía” (biography), or “el cuento de hadas” (fairy tale).

  • Knowing how to discuss your reading habits will be useful. For example, you could say “Leo todos los días” (I read every day), “Leo antes de dormir” (I read before going to sleep) or “Nunca leo en el autobús” (I never read on the bus).

  • Understand and be able to use verbs related to reading such as “leer” (to read), “hojear” (to browse or leaf through), “reservar” (to reserve) and “devolver” (to return).

  • Learn how to discuss favourite authors, books and the themes within these books.

  • Prepare sentences that demonstrate a range of tenses such as “Ayer leí un libro muy interesante” (Yesterday I read a very interesting book), “Normalmente leo antes de acostarme” (Normally, I read before I go to bed) and “La semana que viene, iré a la biblioteca” (Next week, I will go to the library).

  • Work on your ability to express both positive and negative opinions about books and reading, as well as your ability to agree or disagree with someone else’s opinion. For example “Estoy de acuerdo, este libro es fascinante” (I agree, this book is fascinating) or “No estoy de acuerdo, este libro es aburrido” (I disagree, this book is boring).

  • Practice asking and answering questions about books and reading, such as “¿Qué tipo de libros te gusta leer?” (What type of books do you like to read?), “¿Quién es tu autor favorito?” (Who is your favourite author?) or “¿Cuál fue el último libro que leíste?” (What was the last book you read?).