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Learn Spanish with Stories (B2): Una chica triste - Spanish Intermediate / Upper Intermediate
Her name is Loli. She is young, overweight and always looks sad. Her mum keeps telling her she needs to lose weight. If she wants to get a boyfriend, she needs to be slim. And she needs to smile. Why does she always look sad? She needs to lose weight and smile more often. That's all she needs to be happy.
Una chica triste is a short story specially written for students at intermediate or upper-intermediate level of Spanish.
Learn Spanish by Reading
This book is carefully designed to help learners revise and consolidate key vocabulary and key grammar structures of intermediate or upper-intermediate level of Spanish (B2) by reading a naturally flowing text.
Reading short stories like Una chica triste is one of the most effective and pleasant ways to learn a Foreign Language. By reading, you can learn vocabulary and grammar structures in context, without memorising lists of isolated words or studying endless grammar rules.
A good story
However, Una chica triste is not just a book to learn Spanish. It is also a really interesting story. A story that you will actually want to read. A story, which, I hope, will catch your attention from the beginning and will keep you motivated till the end. A story you won't put down easily.
Una chica triste is a story that may keep you so intrigued you may forget the main purpose you started reading was to learn Spanish!
Una chica triste is a short story specially written for students at intermediate or upper-intermediate level of Spanish.
Learn Spanish by Reading
This book is carefully designed to help learners revise and consolidate key vocabulary and key grammar structures of intermediate or upper-intermediate level of Spanish (B2) by reading a naturally flowing text.
Reading short stories like Una chica triste is one of the most effective and pleasant ways to learn a Foreign Language. By reading, you can learn vocabulary and grammar structures in context, without memorising lists of isolated words or studying endless grammar rules.
A good story
However, Una chica triste is not just a book to learn Spanish. It is also a really interesting story. A story that you will actually want to read. A story, which, I hope, will catch your attention from the beginning and will keep you motivated till the end. A story you won't put down easily.
Una chica triste is a story that may keep you so intrigued you may forget the main purpose you started reading was to learn Spanish!
218 pages, Paperback
Published March 30, 2017
194 people are currently reading
171 people want to read
About the author
Juan Fernández
89 books153 followersJuan Fernández is a Spanish teacher at University College London. He was born in the south of Spain, in Granada, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. In 1997 he moved to the UK, where he has been teaching Spanish for more than 15 years.
He is also the creator of 1001 Reasons To Learn Spanish, a website with games, videos, podcasts and many activities to help you learn Spanish in a pleasant way.
He is also the creator of 1001 Reasons To Learn Spanish, a website with games, videos, podcasts and many activities to help you learn Spanish in a pleasant way.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
August 15, 2021
Scritto in spagnolo ma con spiegazioni e traduzioni del vocabolario in inglese, questo libro mi ha aiutata moltissimo nella lingua e mi ha fatto scoprire che la comprendo più di quel che credevo! La storia all'inizio è molto lenta e ripetitiva, mentre dopo la metà prende una piega inaspettata che mi ha davvero incuriosita e mi ha portato a leggere più velocemente. Però il finale a mio parere ha rovinato tutto, mi aspettavo altri capitoli dopo quell'epilogo, perché insomma... so apprezzare un finale aperto se ben strutturato, ma questo lascia proprio con la sensazione di aver letto un libro incompiuto, dal momento che non si scopre assolutamente nulla della parte più interessante della trama che tiene col fiato sospeso fino a quel punto. Vorrei che ci fosse un seguito da qualche parte, perché la storia ha davvero del potenziale, ma non può lasciarmi così! Ho bisogno di sapere di più sulla famiglia di Loli e sui misteri del suo passato!
December 29, 2024
Another great book from Juan Fernandez. This one is written at the B2 level, so a bit challenging for my level. While certain words and phrases are highlighted and available in the end of the chapter glossary he recommends that you just continue reading without consulting it or a dictionary. It was nice to review it at the end of the chapter to see just how much you were able to understand.
At this level his book and chapters are longer but I found myself reading longer as the story was pretty interesting.
At this level his book and chapters are longer but I found myself reading longer as the story was pretty interesting.
November 14, 2017
¡Muy interesante, educativo y divertido!
Como I'm estudiante española me canso de la tarea lo que implica. A veces yo solo quiero leer un libro y perderse en las personajes. Este libro te permite hacer ambos. Este libro es fácil de seguir y bueno para practicar español.
Como I'm estudiante española me canso de la tarea lo que implica. A veces yo solo quiero leer un libro y perderse en las personajes. Este libro te permite hacer ambos. Este libro es fácil de seguir y bueno para practicar español.
July 15, 2020
Juan Fernández is one of the best Spanish teachers on the internet and I've really enjoyed his YouTube channel. This is the first graded reader I've read by him. It starts a bit slow, with a ton of unnecessary repetition - Loli is fat and eats too many potato chips, her family mistreats her, her classmates make fun of her, she can't seem to learn Spanish even though her parents are from Spain. In the second half of the book, the plot really takes off, and it really takes an unexpected turn toward the end. It kept me reading, although the ending was unsatisfying as you never really figure out why characters did certain things or what happened to other characters.
My biggest complaint is that when the characters speak English (which they do in much of the book, since it takes place in London), the dialogue is printed in English with a Spanish translation below. This is annoying and unnecessary for a B2 level book. Overall I found the book pretty easy for my level; I tend to be modest and say I'm B1, but for reading maybe I'm close to B2. At the end of each chapter, a few vocabulary words/phrases are highlighted with their English translations. The ones I didn't know were mostly slang from Spain.
Overall it was better than most graded readers. Interestingly a lot of graded readers on Amazon bill themselves as "novels" despite being nowhere near novel length. Fernández advertises this as a story even though it is actually a decent length--if you subtract the vocab pages, it's at least 100-150 pages all together, so more of a solid novella that you can really get immersed in. I hope he writes more books at a B2 and above level.
My biggest complaint is that when the characters speak English (which they do in much of the book, since it takes place in London), the dialogue is printed in English with a Spanish translation below. This is annoying and unnecessary for a B2 level book. Overall I found the book pretty easy for my level; I tend to be modest and say I'm B1, but for reading maybe I'm close to B2. At the end of each chapter, a few vocabulary words/phrases are highlighted with their English translations. The ones I didn't know were mostly slang from Spain.
Overall it was better than most graded readers. Interestingly a lot of graded readers on Amazon bill themselves as "novels" despite being nowhere near novel length. Fernández advertises this as a story even though it is actually a decent length--if you subtract the vocab pages, it's at least 100-150 pages all together, so more of a solid novella that you can really get immersed in. I hope he writes more books at a B2 and above level.
January 16, 2020
What a beautiful story! I had picked this book for two reasons - first, this was the last in series by one of my favorite Spanish Authors, Juan and second, to obviously improve my Spanish skills beyond B1.
However, after just a few chapters, I went deep into the story forgetting I was reading a Spanish book! Such engrossing was the story at the same time being funny and humorous. It had suspense gradually building up and beyond a certain point, I just couldn't put this down! Did a marathon sitting and finished the book in one swoop. A real page Turner.
Juan is an amazing story teller as he could keep the readers engaged even with the mundane and trivial things in life yet with so much Humor. The vocabulary does increase chapter by chapter but one would hardly notice it because of the engagement already with the story.
I definitely don't want to add any spoilers for future readers, however if you feel you are at least B1, this book is a must read. Not just B1, anyone who could read Spanish, the natives included!
However, after just a few chapters, I went deep into the story forgetting I was reading a Spanish book! Such engrossing was the story at the same time being funny and humorous. It had suspense gradually building up and beyond a certain point, I just couldn't put this down! Did a marathon sitting and finished the book in one swoop. A real page Turner.
Juan is an amazing story teller as he could keep the readers engaged even with the mundane and trivial things in life yet with so much Humor. The vocabulary does increase chapter by chapter but one would hardly notice it because of the engagement already with the story.
I definitely don't want to add any spoilers for future readers, however if you feel you are at least B1, this book is a must read. Not just B1, anyone who could read Spanish, the natives included!
January 8, 2024
Satisfying and Compelling
Simply stated, I started this book merely to increase my exposure to Spanish in context, basically a long Spanish comprehension practice session. As the story progressed, I read with interest and genuinely wanted to know how the protagonist and other characters would fare. Sometimes leveled stories in a target language can be simple and repetitive in the interest of reinforcing vocabulary and language structure, but this story deftly wanders away from that model and offers some complexity and some surprises.
I also like how Juan Fernández weaves cultural background tidbits into his stories.
A really nice added bonus is that I now have a new Spanish artist and beautiful song to check out.
Simply stated, I started this book merely to increase my exposure to Spanish in context, basically a long Spanish comprehension practice session. As the story progressed, I read with interest and genuinely wanted to know how the protagonist and other characters would fare. Sometimes leveled stories in a target language can be simple and repetitive in the interest of reinforcing vocabulary and language structure, but this story deftly wanders away from that model and offers some complexity and some surprises.
I also like how Juan Fernández weaves cultural background tidbits into his stories.
A really nice added bonus is that I now have a new Spanish artist and beautiful song to check out.
May 9, 2023
Este libro es bueno para practicar español. El personaje principal es un poco aburrido al principio. Ella no es una persona para ser el centro de una historia. A pesar de eso funcionó. Aunque es una perdedora, no es buena en la escuela, no es buena en el trabajo, tiene una dieta deficiente y su familia también es mala.
Afortunadamente, el libro se vuelve más interesante cerca del punto medio. El autor presentó una razón para motivar a Loli. Después de eso, terminé el libro rápidamente.
Pero, debo decir, el final del libro fue abrupto. Pasaron muchas cosas entre el final y el epílogo. Y me deja con preguntas.
El nivel de español, B2, parece correcto y aprendí algunas palabras más. Lo recomendaría para aprender español, pero probablemente solo para eso.
Afortunadamente, el libro se vuelve más interesante cerca del punto medio. El autor presentó una razón para motivar a Loli. Después de eso, terminé el libro rápidamente.
Pero, debo decir, el final del libro fue abrupto. Pasaron muchas cosas entre el final y el epílogo. Y me deja con preguntas.
El nivel de español, B2, parece correcto y aprendí algunas palabras más. Lo recomendaría para aprender español, pero probablemente solo para eso.
June 30, 2020
Well up to Juan's high standards; interesting plot & characters (including the boring language professor!), nice mix of humour, irony and empathy.
I gained great satisfaction from the realization that I was referring to the vocab. less & less as the story progressed because (a) my Spanish was improving & (b) I wanted to know what happened next.
I enjoyed it.
One small whinge,Juan. Lose that bloody cliched simile about turning as red as a tomato! I appreciate the need for repetition but.............
Mike
I gained great satisfaction from the realization that I was referring to the vocab. less & less as the story progressed because (a) my Spanish was improving & (b) I wanted to know what happened next.
I enjoyed it.
One small whinge,Juan. Lose that bloody cliched simile about turning as red as a tomato! I appreciate the need for repetition but.............
Mike
August 21, 2025
Could not get through this. Absolute slog and borring. There's no story at all, just endless descriptions of how fat and useless this girl is. I'm not sure what went wrong with this one as all the previous books were wonderful and interesting to read. I was looking forward to reading the next chapter in the previous books and would finish them in a matter of days. This one I've been reading for 4 weeks now and only got a third through before finally giving up. I hope the next books in the series are not going to be like this.
July 16, 2021
For me, I found this level book quite a challenge . There are many phrases I’d never come across in my Spanish classes . It also used the subjunctive, which I struggled to understand as well as the imperfect tense which I was okay with. I was engrossed with the story line but it was missing an explanation on one concluding part of the story which was a wee bit disappointing . Still worth a read to help you improve your language skills though!
August 5, 2023
Como siempre, Juan Fernández es un fantástico y divertido profesor de español. Con sus libros he comprobado que mi capacidad para leer en este idioma ha mejorado mucho.
Creo que es el segundo libro de nivel B2 que leo. Ahora tengo confianza para leer libros de un nivel superior. He comprado dos libros de nivel C1 y creo que pronto podré leer libros de ficción para adultos hispanohablantes. ¡Estoy muy emocionada!
Creo que es el segundo libro de nivel B2 que leo. Ahora tengo confianza para leer libros de un nivel superior. He comprado dos libros de nivel C1 y creo que pronto podré leer libros de ficción para adultos hispanohablantes. ¡Estoy muy emocionada!
March 18, 2019
As a Spanish-learning tool for upper-intermediate speakers, this book is great. It's at just the right level to add some new words and phrases without being annoyingly difficult.
The story itself is quite fun and strangely compelling, albeit repetitive. I feel it could have done with a bit less fat-shaming and class stereotypes.
The story itself is quite fun and strangely compelling, albeit repetitive. I feel it could have done with a bit less fat-shaming and class stereotypes.
April 16, 2020
Great Upper Intermediate Story
I enjoyed the flow of this book. I was tired of reading textbook or magazine material and I was frustrated with novels that were too above my level. This was perfect. I learned more vocabulary and benefited from seeing practical sentence structure. The chapter length was just right.
I enjoyed the flow of this book. I was tired of reading textbook or magazine material and I was frustrated with novels that were too above my level. This was perfect. I learned more vocabulary and benefited from seeing practical sentence structure. The chapter length was just right.
April 26, 2020
Lectura agradable - an enjoyable read
As a mature student of spanish, living in rural Andalusia, I wanted a book that was easy enough to follow but still challenging and with an engaging story. This fitted the bill perfectly. Enough repetition to develop understanding of the plot while learning different ways of expressing concepts. Just what I needed to continue my progress in learning spanish. Highly recommended.
As a mature student of spanish, living in rural Andalusia, I wanted a book that was easy enough to follow but still challenging and with an engaging story. This fitted the bill perfectly. Enough repetition to develop understanding of the plot while learning different ways of expressing concepts. Just what I needed to continue my progress in learning spanish. Highly recommended.
July 17, 2023
Just right
The story is pretty good, and the text was at just the right level. Was this really B2? I'm not sure, but it didn't seem too hard and most of the vocabulary was pretty easy. I was definitely reading much faster at the end of the book then when I started
Spoiler:
Why the ending gotta be like this?
The story is pretty good, and the text was at just the right level. Was this really B2? I'm not sure, but it didn't seem too hard and most of the vocabulary was pretty easy. I was definitely reading much faster at the end of the book then when I started
Spoiler:
Why the ending gotta be like this?
April 5, 2018
It took a while but we finished it! The story of crisp eating, coke drinking Loli and her horrid parents kept us entertained for several months in our Spanish group. We are still confused about the ending though.....
April 12, 2018
Very Enjoyable
I have enjoyed this book a lot and learned a lot from it. It was a good representation of level b2, challenging but not overwhelming like a book written for natives. Perfect for me at this moment in time.
I have enjoyed this book a lot and learned a lot from it. It was a good representation of level b2, challenging but not overwhelming like a book written for natives. Perfect for me at this moment in time.
August 1, 2018
The first half is so slow and repetitive--it's really just variations on the same two chapters over and over again. And it keeps bouncing back and forth in time, which is confusing. You could easily start at 40-45% and not miss anything. It does get more interesting in the second half.
November 25, 2018
Una historia encantadora con un beneficio adicional. Me complació mucho que me presentaran al legendario cantautor catalán Joan Manual Serrat y sus emotivas letras que juegan un papel inesperado pero importante a medida que se desarrolla este ingenioso trabajo. Memorable.
June 9, 2020
Engaging
This story held my interest because there was some mystery and good character development. I’m an advanced beginner in Spanish and I wanted a challenge that would move me beyond my level, and this story pushed me ahead.
This story held my interest because there was some mystery and good character development. I’m an advanced beginner in Spanish and I wanted a challenge that would move me beyond my level, and this story pushed me ahead.
March 16, 2021
I really enjoyed reading this book. I found that it was perfect for my level and comprehension of Spanish, and the expanded vocabulary allowed me to feel like I was learning while reading. I will definitely look to buy more books by Juan Fernández.
November 19, 2022
una técnica para aprendizaje
Me gusta que el vocabulario nuevo repetía en mucho de los capítulos. El libro lleva al lector a un viaje de secretos familiares y autodescubrimiento del protagonista.
Me gusta que el vocabulario nuevo repetía en mucho de los capítulos. El libro lleva al lector a un viaje de secretos familiares y autodescubrimiento del protagonista.
October 25, 2024
vale la pena!
Muy bien hecho Juan. Este libro fue interesante y amplió mi vocabulario y me permitía de leer con más confianza. Tengo ganas de leer todos los otros libros que has escrito. Este libro fue una auténtica pasada!
Muy bien hecho Juan. Este libro fue interesante y amplió mi vocabulario y me permitía de leer con más confianza. Tengo ganas de leer todos los otros libros que has escrito. Este libro fue una auténtica pasada!
November 19, 2019
Nice way to learn Spanish!
December 3, 2019
¡Un libro fantástico!
August 2, 2021
So bad it’s funny
November 30, 2021
Very smooth progression until the final quarter of the book where everything went sideways. It kept it interesting though. It was a pleasant read!
February 9, 2022
Rather a depressing story, but it was easy to follow. There's plenty of repetition to help you learn the vocabulary.
April 11, 2022
Like all of Juan Férnandez' stories this one is both a great educational experience and a good read. This doesn't always happen with graded readers. I thoroughly recommend the book.
January 16, 2023
Great book for learning Spanish - Intermediate (B2) level. Something just the right level of Spanish, with explanations of difficult phrases and a story with twists - so it's actually interesting!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews