Beginner Spanish readings
Purpose-written and gently adapted books for brand-new readers.
How much Spanish do I need to read Beginner stories?
If you know basic greetings, the verbs ser, estar, and tener, and a few hundred common words, you're ready. Glossed words cover the rest. Brand new to Spanish? Start with the Beginner lessons: each story below says which lesson it's best after, and the list runs from easiest to hardest.
Short stories
100 original stories written for this level, each with a comprehension check.
Mi piso
Luis describes his small flat in the city.
Best after Beginner lesson 23
Un trabajo nuevo
Carmen starts a new job at a bank.
Best after Beginner lesson 49
En el mercado
Jorge buys fruit for the week at the market.
Best after Beginner lesson 61
Mi semana
Elena's week: work, Spanish class and the weekend.
Best after Beginner lesson 23
Una cena con amigos
Pablo cooks dinner for three friends.
Best after Beginner lesson 69
Mi hermana en Lima
Daniel talks to his sister in Peru every Sunday.
Best after Beginner lesson 30
El fin de semana
Two flatmates plan a quiet weekend.
Best after Beginner lesson 63
En el médico
Raúl has a headache and goes to the doctor.
Best after Beginner lesson 42
Un domingo sin luz
Two flatmates plan a lazy Sunday of films, but a power cut gives them a very different evening.
Best after Beginner lesson 59
El desayuno en la cama
Two kids surprise their mother with breakfast in bed on a Sunday morning.
Best after Beginner lesson 104
Un día en la granja
A city girl spends a day on her uncle's farm and discovers where her breakfast comes from.
Best after Beginner lesson 74
La limpieza del sábado
A family turns boring Saturday chores into a game with music and a prize.
Best after Beginner lesson 50
El piano de la tía Rosa
A girl visits her aunt every Wednesday to learn piano and prepares a surprise concert for her family.
Best after Beginner lesson 46
El estuche perdido
Carlos loses his special pencil case at school, and his friend Rosa helps him find it.
Best after Beginner lesson 45
El loro parlanchín
A family's new parrot learns to repeat funny words around the house.
Best after Beginner lesson 39
La carta de la abuela
A girl receives a real letter in the mail from her grandmother and decides to write back.
Best after Beginner lesson 55
La clase de pintura
A girl who thinks she can't paint joins an outdoor painting class and finds her own style.
Best after Beginner lesson 63
La araña en el baño
Nobody in the family wants to deal with the spider in the bathroom, until the youngest has a plan.
Best after Beginner lesson 36
La noche de estrellas
A girl and her grandfather stay up late to watch a meteor shower and each make a wish.
Best after Beginner lesson 96
El arcoíris
Two sisters are bored inside on a rainy afternoon, until the sun comes out and they learn a secret about rainbows.
Best after Beginner lesson 50
El examen de conducir
Marta is very nervous about her driving theory test, but she knows more than she thinks.
Best after Beginner lesson 59
Las llaves perdidas
Lucía has a job interview in an hour, and she can't find her keys anywhere.
Best after Beginner lesson 50
Las flores de primavera
A family plants colorful flowers in their garden to welcome the arrival of spring.
Best after Beginner lesson 63
La noche de preguntas
Every Thursday, Elena's team plays the quiz at her local bar. Tonight is the final of the year.
Best after Beginner lesson 59
La tormenta de la noche
A family gathers together at home to stay cozy during a nighttime thunderstorm.
Best after Beginner lesson 62
Papá arregla la silla
A dad and his son fix a broken kitchen chair together on a Sunday afternoon.
Best after Beginner lesson 40
El hámster escapa
A family's pet hamster gets out of its cage and hides somewhere in the house.
Best after Beginner lesson 43
El día de la mudanza
A girl is sad to leave her old house, until she sees her new bedroom and meets the girl next door.
Best after Beginner lesson 36
La cena en el restaurante
A girl orders her own food at a restaurant for the first time and gets something unexpected.
Best after Beginner lesson 63
El perro de la vecina
A girl who is afraid of dogs agrees to walk her neighbor's old dog and changes her mind about dogs.
Best after Beginner lesson 83
El tren de las ocho
Marta takes the same train to work every morning.
Best after Beginner lesson 55
El parque de atracciones
Tomás rides a roller coaster for the first time with his cousins and wins a stuffed bear.
Best after Beginner lesson 60
El barco pequeño
Sara rides her uncle's small boat for the first time and sees a group of dolphins at sea.
Best after Beginner lesson 85
El nido en la ventana
A family watches a pair of birds build a nest outside their kitchen window and raise their chicks.
Best after Beginner lesson 68
Un café, por favor
Ana orders breakfast at the café next to her office.
Best after Beginner lesson 42
Acampando en las montañas
A family's first camping trip is nearly ruined by rain until they spot something magical in the sky.
Best after Beginner lesson 74
La mochila vieja
On his first day at a new office job, Raúl feels embarrassed by his grandfather's old leather backpack, until it surprises everyone.
Best after Beginner lesson 55
La cena familiar del domingo
Cousins from out of town visit for a big Sunday dinner, and a shy boy finds a new friend.
Best after Beginner lesson 59
La primera nieve
A boy who has never seen snow before wakes up to a white world and builds his first snowman.
Best after Beginner lesson 74
La tortuga lenta
A boy searches the whole house for his slow, missing pet turtle.
Best after Beginner lesson 48
La visita al dentista
A boy is afraid of his first dentist appointment, but the dentist turns out to be kind and funny.
Best after Beginner lesson 69
El pastel de cumpleaños de mamá
A family bakes a birthday cake together to surprise their mother.
Best after Beginner lesson 98
La feria de empleo
Two friends go to a job fair: an engineer with ten copies of his CV and a cook with a box of biscuits.
Best after Beginner lesson 84
El helado de fresa
On the hottest day of summer, a girl learns that sharing her ice cream is sweeter than eating it alone.
Best after Beginner lesson 84
El conejo en el jardín
A pet rabbit gets loose in the yard and eats the family's vegetables.
Best after Beginner lesson 48
La abuela teje una bufanda
A grandmother teaches her granddaughter how to knit a warm scarf for winter.
Best after Beginner lesson 74
El autobús número diez
Miguel gives up his bus seat for an elderly woman and enjoys hearing about her garden.
Best after Beginner lesson 64
La fiesta sorpresa
Friends secretly plan a surprise birthday party for a classmate who thinks everyone forgot.
Best after Beginner lesson 50
La sopa de la abuela
A boy visits his grandmother and learns the secret ingredient in her famous vegetable soup.
Best after Beginner lesson 55
Las hojas de otoño
Two siblings spend an autumn afternoon collecting colorful leaves for a school project.
Best after Beginner lesson 74
La pizza familiar
A family makes homemade pizza together, each person choosing their own toppings.
Best after Beginner lesson 70
La biblioteca del barrio
Nora enjoys a storytime at her neighborhood library and checks out a book about space.
Best after Beginner lesson 55
El viaje en tren
Elena's family takes their first train ride to visit a big city near the sea.
Best after Beginner lesson 50
El tren de juguete
A boy and his grandfather repair an old toy train together over one winter.
Best after Beginner lesson 55
Ventana con hielo
On the coldest morning of the year, two siblings discover ice patterns on their bedroom window.
Best after Beginner lesson 49
El desfile del pueblo
Pedro and his family watch their town's annual parade, from a school band to a fire truck.
Best after Beginner lesson 43
Una noche en el cine
Two brothers go to the movies with their aunt and learn that the best part isn't only the film.
Best after Beginner lesson 59
La fiesta de disfraces
A boy has no money for a store-bought costume, so he and his mom make one from cardboard boxes.
Best after Beginner lesson 40
El globo rojo
A little boy's red balloon flies away at the fair, but it brings him a surprise.
Best after Beginner lesson 74
La estudiante nueva
A shy new girl at school makes her first friend at lunchtime through a shared love of drawing.
Best after finishing Beginner
El jardín de tomates
A family grows tomatoes together and turns them into a tasty dinner.
Best after Beginner lesson 84
Vacaciones en la ciudad
Diego explores a big city on vacation, visiting an art museum and riding an open-top tour bus.
Best after Beginner lesson 80
El corte de pelo
A boy with very long hair goes to the barber and worries about what his friends will say.
Best after Beginner lesson 36
La mariposa amarilla
A boy tries to catch a butterfly in a jar, then decides it is happier flying free.
Best after Beginner lesson 37
El señor Martín necesita ayuda
A boy helps his elderly neighbor fix his fence and discovers a new friendship.
Best after Beginner lesson 37
Panqueques del sábado
A dad and his kids make pancakes for a fun Saturday breakfast.
Best after Beginner lesson 48
El chocolate caliente
On a very cold afternoon, a grandmother makes hot chocolate for her grandchildren.
Best after Beginner lesson 56
La bicicleta nueva
Vera learns to ride her new bike without training wheels with help from her older brother.
Best after Beginner lesson 56
La clase de baile
Clara practices hard for a dance recital and performs salsa with her partner in front of the families.
Best after Beginner lesson 49
El acuario
Rosa's class visits the aquarium and sees sharks, an octopus, penguins, and sea turtles.
Best after Beginner lesson 55
La revisión médica
A boy goes to the doctor for his yearly checkup and learns how much he has grown.
Best after Beginner lesson 107
La excursión al castillo
A class visits a medieval castle, and a shy student surprises everyone with what he knows.
Best after Beginner lesson 62
La estación de bomberos
Javier's class visits the fire station, and he decides he wants to be a firefighter too.
Best after Beginner lesson 74
Mi hermano pequeño
An older sister is annoyed by her little brother, until he protects her drawing from the rain.
Best after Beginner lesson 69
El gato no quiere el baño
A girl tries to give her stubborn cat a bath, with messy but funny results.
Best after Beginner lesson 43
La clase de ajedrez
Iván loses a chess match to a new classmate but learns a valuable new strategy from her.
Best after Beginner lesson 45
Un día en la playa
A family spends a sunny day at the beach and builds a giant sandcastle together.
Best after Beginner lesson 38
La cometa en el parque
A girl and her father build a homemade kite and fly it for the first time on a windy day.
Best after Beginner lesson 74
El jardín del abuelo
A girl plants her first tomato seeds with her grandfather and watches them grow all summer.
Best after Beginner lesson 84
La lección de guitarra
A frustrated beginner almost gives up on guitar until he finally plays his first full song.
Best after Beginner lesson 65
El paraguas olvidado
A girl forgets her umbrella on the bus, and an old man she has never met returns it the next day.
Best after Beginner lesson 64
El primer día en el zoológico
Daniel starts a new job as an assistant elephant keeper, and a young elephant gives him a very wet welcome.
Best after Beginner lesson 69
El club de lectura
A shy girl named Ana makes a new friend at her school's Thursday reading club.
Best after Beginner lesson 43
La mañana con niebla
A family wakes up to a thick, mysterious fog covering their whole street.
Best after Beginner lesson 49
El concurso de dibujo
Isabel draws a dolphin for the town library's drawing contest and wins second place.
Best after Beginner lesson 70
La panadería de la esquina
Lucía visits the corner bakery alone for the first time and does a perfect job buying bread.
Best after Beginner lesson 107
Aprendo a nadar
A boy who is afraid of the water overcomes his fear during summer swimming lessons.
Best after Beginner lesson 76
El mapa del tesoro
Two cousins find an old treasure map at their grandparents' house and follow it to a surprise.
Best after Beginner lesson 55
La venta de libros usados
A boy spends his last coins on an old book and finds a message from its previous owner inside.
Best after Beginner lesson 59
El nuevo cachorro
A boy adopts a new puppy and patiently teaches it to sit.
Best after Beginner lesson 42
El trabajo nuevo de papá
A girl helps her father get ready for the first day of his new job as a bus driver.
Best after Beginner lesson 155
El picnic en el río
A family's picnic by the river gets a surprise visitor: a hungry duck.
Best after Beginner lesson 46
El día de la ropa
A boy helps with the laundry and makes a colorful mistake with a red sock.
Best after Beginner lesson 98
El primer gol de Marcos
A boy who always sits on the bench finally gets his chance to play and score.
Best after Beginner lesson 44
Un día de mucho viento
A very windy day blows the family's laundry all over the yard.
Best after Beginner lesson 107
Galletas para el vecino
A family bakes cookies together to welcome their new elderly neighbor.
Best after Beginner lesson 74
Sábado en el mercado
A boy helps his mother shop at the outdoor market and discovers a new fruit he loves.
Best after Beginner lesson 107
El pez dorado
A boy cleans his goldfish's tank and gives it a bigger new home.
Best after Beginner lesson 77
El actor nuevo
A shy new student named Pablo auditions for the school play and wins an important role.
Best after Beginner lesson 74
El equipo de baloncesto
Hugo is nervous about basketball tryouts but makes the school team thanks to his speed.
Best after Beginner lesson 77
Books
14 books to buy and read at your own pace.
Short Stories in Spanish for Beginners
Olly Richards
Eight short stories written specifically for Beginner-Elementary learners, with a full glossary and summaries after each chapter. The standard first "real book" for brand-new readers.
El Principito
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
The Spanish edition of The Little Prince. Simple, direct sentences and short chapters make it one of the most forgiving "first novels" in the language.
Cuentos para estudiantes de español: Principiantes
J.A. Bravo
Twenty familiar fairy tales (Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and others) rewritten in true Beginner vocabulary, so a plot you already know carries you through Spanish that's brand new to you.
Amnesia
José Luis Ocasar Ariza
A short mystery about a man who wakes up with no memory of who he is, written from the ground up for absolute beginners, with pre-reading activities and comprehension checks built in.
La peña
José Luis Ocasar Ariza, Abel Murcia Soriano y José Carlos Ortega Moreno
An Edinumen graded reader following a group of friends, with sentences and vocabulary tightly controlled for first-time readers of Spanish.
El misterio de la llave
Elena Moreno González
A gentle mystery from the University of Salamanca's "Leer en español" series, written specifically for level-one learners, with a glossary and audio included.
Una mano en la arena
Fernando Uría
A short, simple story from that same beginner series, built so new learners can finish an entire Spanish book cover to cover and feel like real readers.
Lola Lago, detective: Vacaciones al sol
Neus Sans y Lourdes Miquel López
The first case in a popular detective series written for absolute beginners, following private investigator Lola Lago through a simple, dialogue-heavy mystery.
Spanish Novels: Ana, estudiante
Paco Ardit
A short novel about an exchange student in Argentina, told mostly in present tense with the controlled, repetitive vocabulary this well-loved beginner series is known for.
Spanish Novels: Muerte en Buenos Aires
Paco Ardit
A simple mystery set in Buenos Aires, part of the same Beginner series, built from short chapters and everyday sentence patterns.
Una aventura de WhatsApp
María Danader
A very short beginner novel told partly through text messages, with downloadable audio, made for learners just starting to read connected Spanish sentences.
Abuelita Anita y el pirata
Jane Cadwallader
An illustrated Young ELI Readers picture book about a grandmother's pirate adventure, pitched at the very first level of the series for young Spanish learners.
Easy Spanish Reader
William T. Tardy
A classic three-part reader that opens with very short, simple passages before gradually lengthening, with a glossary and comprehension questions throughout.
Spanish Short Stories for Beginners
Lingo Mastery
Twenty short stories, each built around a specific grammar point, with bilingual summaries and vocabulary lists aimed squarely at brand-new learners.
Free Spanish short stories for beginners
These Beginner Spanish stories are written for people in their first months of learning. They stick mostly to the present tense, with short sentences and the everyday vocabulary you meet first: family, food, school, the weather, and getting around town.
Every story is original, free to read, and ends with a short comprehension check in English so you can confirm you understood it. Words a beginner probably hasn't met yet have a dotted underline; tap one to see what it means without leaving the page.
A good way to use them: read a story once for the gist, then read it again aloud. When a story feels easy, move on to the Elementary stories.
Grammar to know at this level
- Ser vs. Estar: When to Use Each
- How to Use Gustar (and Verbs Like It)
- Spanish Reflexive Verbs: A Beginner's Guide
- Saber vs. Conocer: The Difference
- Spanish Subject Pronouns: Yo, Tú, Usted and When to Drop Them
- Spanish Articles and Noun Gender: El, La, Un, Una
- Spanish Adjective Agreement and Position
- The Spanish Present Tense: Regular -AR, -ER and -IR Verbs
- Stem-Changing Verbs in Spanish (e→ie, o→ue, e→i)
- Irregular Present Tense Verbs: Ser, Ir, Tener, Hacer and the Yo-Go Verbs
- Hay vs. Está: "There Is" or "It Is"?
- Spanish Demonstratives: Este, Ese and Aquel
- Spanish Possessives: Mi, Tu, Su and Mío, Tuyo, Suyo
- Spanish Question Words: Qué, Cuál, Dónde, Cuándo and More
- The Present Progressive: Estar + Gerund
- Spanish Prepositions: A, En, De and Con
Are these stories really free?
Yes. Every story on this page is free to read with no account needed.