Some students feel that they just don’t know anything, so why even try? Perhaps they just need a little bit of motivation and confidence. Daniel is not the smartest student, but he finds inspiration through a magic notebook. Through his magic notebook, he finds a recipe for success.

This story is told in the present tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: cuaderno -notebook, maestro -teacher, mochila -backpack, and respuesta -answer.

No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story and read along at: https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2025/08/17/simple-stories-in-spanish-told-faster-el-cuaderno-magico/

You can find the original recording of this story at: https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2020/05/22/simple-stories-in-spanish-el-cuaderno-magico/

¡Muchas gracias por escuchar! Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support. I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories in Spanish. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider buying me a taco at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher or donating to Small Town Spanish Teacher on Venmo or PayPal.

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Hannah is a curious girl. When a butterfly lands in her back yard, she wants to learn all about it. After visiting the library, she learns that these butterflies are special and that they fly all the way to Mexico from Canada. What else will she learn about the mariposa monarca?

This story is told in the present tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: mariposa -butterfly, alas -wings, biblioteca -library, algodoncillo -milkweed, and oruga -caterpillar.

No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story and read along at: https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2025/07/28/simple-stories-in-spanish-told-faster-las-mariposas-monarcas/

You can find the original recording of this story at: https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2022/01/16/simple-stories-in-spanish-las-mariposas-monarcas/

¡Muchas gracias por escuchar! Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support. I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories in Spanish. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider buying me a taco at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher or donating to Small Town Spanish Teacher on Venmo or PayPal.

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If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I love hiking in nature. At the beginning of July I did a few really difficult hikes in the mountains. While they were hard, they were also stunningly beautiful. Today’s story recounts the poetic beauty I find when hiking on the trail.

This story is in the first person and present tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “sendero” (trail),“árboles” (trees), “flores” (flowers), “cascada” (waterfall) and “sigue” (continues/follows).

No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2025/07/18/simple-stories-in-spanish-el-sendero/

¡Muchas gracias por escuchar! Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support. I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories in Spanish. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider buying me a taco at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher . You can also find me on Venmo and PayPal @Small Town Spanish Teacher

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The story of the three little pigs, or los tres cerditos, is one of the first many kids learn. This story of hard work, personal responsibility, and delayed gratification never goes out of style.

This story is told mostly in the past tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: cerditos -little pigs, lobo -wolf, bosque - forest, paja -straw, madera -wood, ladrillos -bricks, and fuerte - strong.

No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story and read along at: https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2025/07/03/simple-stories-in-spanish-told-faster-los-tres-cerditos/

You can find the original recording of this story at: https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2022/04/17/simple-stories-in-spanish-los-tres-cerditos/

¡Muchas gracias por escuchar! Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support. I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories in Spanish. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider buying me a taco at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher or donating to Small Town Spanish Teacher on Venmo or PayPal.

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In my recent trip to Mexico I learned about the aluxes, small elves that, according to Mayan folklore, protect the nature of the Yucatán Peninsula. Today’s story is about one of the aluxes and the mischief that they stir up when their environment is disturbed without their permission.

This story is in the third person and present tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “alux” (mayan word for a spiritual little person that causes chaos or brings luck, depending on how you treat it), “cenote” (“water-filled sinkhole, sometimes covered, sometimes open, often very deep and fed by underground rivers”), “dejar” (to leave),“divertirse” (to have fun), “se ríe” (laughs), “travieso” (mischievous), “herramientas” (tools), and “caras” (faces).

No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2025/06/23/simple-stories-in-spanish-eloy-el-alux/

¡Muchas gracias por escuchar! Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support. I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories in Spanish. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider buying me a taco at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher . You can also find me on Venmo and PayPal @Small Town Spanish Teacher

Support the show

Scary stories exist in every language, in every country. In the Spanish speaking world, none is more well known or widespread than the story of the weeping woman, La Llorona. La Llorona haunts rivers and lakes as she searches for her drowned children. If she can’t find them, she might just grab you.

This story is told in the third person using the present and past tenses. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “tiene miedo” (is scared), “niño” (child), “mujer” (woman), “hombre” (man), “hijos” (children), and “río” (river).

No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story and read along at: https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2025/06/04/simple-stories-in-spanish-told-faster-la-llorona/

You can find the original recording of this story at: https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2020/10/10/simple-stories-in-spanish-la-llorona/

¡Muchas gracias por escuchar! Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support. I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories in Spanish. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider buying me a taco at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher or donating to Small Town Spanish Teacher on Venmo or PayPal.

Support the show

The end of the school year sparks excitement for summer break, but it can also cause some sadness and students and teachers say goodbye - some for the summer, some for longer. Imani walks through the halls chanting “hasta luego” (see you later) to those she passes, until she realizes that she might not actually “see” some of them in the future. Will she have to say goodbye?

This story is told in the third person using the present tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “compañeros” (classmates), “maestro” (teacher), “termina” (ends), and “hasta luego” (see you later).

No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story and read along at: https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2025/05/19/simple-stories-in-spanish-told-faster-hasta-luego/

You can find the original recording of this story at: https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2020/05/30/simple-stories-in-spanish-hasta-luego/

¡Muchas gracias por escuchar! Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support. I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories in Spanish. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider buying me a taco at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher or donating to Small Town Spanish Teacher on Venmo or PayPal.

Support the show

I care a lot about mental health. I usually feel like I have a good grasp of my own mental health, but there are days I want to ignore the world and all my responsibilities in it. I have many activities that help boost my mental health and today I would like to share a few.

This story is told in the first person using mostly the present tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “me siento” (I feel), “salud” (health), “levantar pesas” (lift weights), and “felicidad” (happiness).

No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story and read along at: https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2025/05/05/simple-stories-in-spanish-told-faster-mi-salud-mental/

You can find the original recording of this story at: https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2023/10/10/simple-stories-in-spanish-mi-salud-mental/

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