Un Rojo Amanecer
Here's a personal story from my childhood that was inspired by one of my students. I thought it would be a great opportunity to explore the grammatical function of "que" in Spanish a bit deeper. I've noticed many Spanish learners struggle with using "que" in their speech since it's used less frequently in English. I hope you enjoy the story!
Steps:
- Listen to the audio without reading the Spanish text, striving to listen attentively until you feel fully engaged.
- Try to grasp the majority of words in the text.
- Listen to the audio while reading the text in Spanish, aiming to follow the melody and intonation as closely as possible.
- Listen to the audio and read the Spanish text aloud at the same time, mimicking every single aspect of the narrator's speech.
- If you find the story presented in Spanish on one side and English on the other, use the English text as a reference when needed.
- Listen to the audio and pay attention to the highlighted sentences.
- Check these sentences and their explanations in the charts below; you will find interesting information.
Un rojo amanecer
Spanish | English |
| Hoy hace 23 años que ya no está más entre nosotros, fue una mañana muy calurosa en El Vigía cuando oímos aquella noticia. En ese entonces, había formas precarias de comunicación, y lo escuchamos por una llamada telefónica que recibió nuestra vecina. En aquel entonces nosotros no teníamos teléfono residencial. | Today marks 23 years since she's no longer with us, it was a very hot morning in El Vigía when we heard that news. Back then, communication methods were primitive, and we heard it through a phone call received by our neighbor. At that time, we didn't have a landline. |
| "Tu abuela Mireyita ha fallecido esta mañana en el hospital de Valle de la Pascua", dijo. Estaba muy sorprendida; no entendía muy bien lo abstracto de la muerte y dejar de existir. Todo era muy nuevo para mí con tan solo 12 años. Recuerdo que el primer pensamiento que cruzó mi mente fue el de qué se esperaría de mí, ¿habría que llorar? Recuerdo escuchar de lejos la conversación de mis padres sobre cómo se encontrarían nuestros parientes y sentir intriga por cómo respondería yo ante los llantos desconsolados de tantas personas. | "Your grandmother Mireyita passed away this morning at the Valle de la Pascua hospital," she said. I was very surprised; I didn't quite grasp the abstract concept of death and ceasing to exist. Everything was very new to me at just 12 years old. I remember the first thought that crossed my mind was what would be expected of me, should I cry? I recall overhearing my parents' conversation about how our relatives would be met and feeling intrigued by how I would respond to the inconsolable cries of so many people. |
| Emprendimos el viaje esa misma noche. Para quienes no conocen Venezuela, es un país grande y majestuoso en América del Sur, con gente muy amable y optimista. Nos gusta decir que somos la gente más simpática que conocerás, pero eso es otra historia. Las distancias entre ciudades son enormes, y la comunicación vial de aquellos años también era precaria. Pero nada nos detuvo: mi mamá, mi hermano menor y yo nos dirigimos a Valle de la Pascua. | We embarked on the journey that same night. For those unfamiliar with Venezuela, it's a large and majestic country in South America, with very friendly and optimistic people. We like to say we're the friendliest people you'll meet, but that's another story. Distances between cities are huge, and road communication back then was also precarious. But nothing stopped us: my mom, my younger brother, and I headed to Valle de la Pascua. |
| Pasamos horas y horas en aquel autobús esa noche, hasta llegar a Maracay, una ciudad en el centro del país. Desde allí, tomamos un 'carro por puesto', que es similar a un taxi, pero pagas por asiento en lugar del servicio completo. ¡Allá fuimos! El trayecto se realizó de día, unas 9 horas en ese 'carro por puesto'. La brisa era caliente y húmeda, y nos deteníamos ocasionalmente a lo largo de la carretera para descansar, comer algo y continuar. | We spent hours and hours on that bus that night, until we reached Maracay, a city in the center of the country. From there, we took a 'carro por puesto', which is similar to a taxi, but you pay per seat instead of the whole service. Off we went! The journey was done during the day, about 9 hours in that 'carro por puesto'. The breeze was hot and humid, and we occasionally stopped along the road to rest, grab a bite, and continue. |
| Hacía unos 5 o 6 años que no visitábamos aquellas tierras, mucho habían cambiado nuestras vidas desde aquellos años, venían muchas memorias a mi mente, eran como recuerdos fugaces y sin explicación, lagunas cruzaban mi mente y con ellas la nostalgia. Disfrutábamos mucho de las vistas de la sabana, árida, seca, dorada, con campos de trigo y maizales. El llano es impresionante. | It had been about 5 or 6 years since we had visited those lands; much had changed in our lives since those years. Many memories came to my mind, they were like fleeting and unexplained memories, gaps crossed my mind and with them, nostalgia. We enjoyed the views of the savannah, arid, dry, golden, with wheat fields and cornfields. The plain is impressive. |
| Llegamos al funeral esa misma noche, nuestros familiares nos esperaban con ansias. Estaba nerviosa; era mi primera vez en un funeral, y no sabía muy bien cómo comportarme, qué decir, qué hacer. Era un lugar humilde, con techos altos y sillas de plástico alrededor de una urna. Hacía frío para ser el llano; supongo que el aire acondicionado hacía bien su trabajo. | We arrived at the funeral that same night; our relatives awaited us eagerly. I was nervous; it was my first time at a funeral, and I didn't quite know how to behave, what to say, what to do. It was a humble place, with high ceilings and plastic chairs around an urn. It was cold for the plain; I suppose the air conditioning was doing its job well. |
| Recuerdo que la urna era de color caoba, y había muchas personas que no conocía en absoluto. Se acercaban a la urna y lloraban mientras observaban. A mí, a ratos, me invadía la angustia de no saber qué encontraría en aquella urna. Todo me parecía muy extraño, especialmente el olor de la funeraria, impecablemente limpio, como una forma extrema de limpieza, como si quisieran lavar las paredes de las lágrimas de tantos otros. Las superficies de metal estaban extremadamente frías, recordándome a los hospitales. No quería estar allí y no quería mirar. No tuve opción. | I remember the urn was mahogany-colored, and there were many people I didn't know at all. They approached the urn and cried as they observed. At times, I felt the anguish of not knowing what I would find in that urn. Everything seemed very strange to me, especially the smell of the funeral home, impeccably clean, like an extreme form of cleanliness, as if they wanted to wash the walls of tears from so many others. The metal surfaces were extremely cold, reminding me of hospitals. I didn't want to be there, and I didn't want to look. I had no choice. |
| Me fui acercando lentamente a la urna, como quien no quiere la cosa. Recuerdo sentir el palpitar acelerado de mi corazón y las palabras de mis tías que me decían: "Mira qué bonita quedó Mireyita". Para mí, era una sensación indescriptible. Intentaré ponerlo en palabras ahora, pero no recuerdo sentir ni pensar nada al observar a mi abuela a través de esa pantalla de vidrio que separaba la vida de la muerte. | I slowly approached the urn, as if reluctant. I remember feeling the rapid beating of my heart and my aunts' words telling me, "Look how beautiful Mireyita looks." For me, it was an indescribable sensation. I'll try to put it into words now, but I don't recall feeling or thinking anything as I looked at my grandmother through that glass screen that separated life from death. |
| La observé detenidamente, pasando de su frente a su nariz, recorriendo cada arruga. Aunque tenía muy pocas para ser llamada abuela, se veía fuerte y serena, sin dolor alguno. Me impresionaron sus cejas, gruesas y fuertes como era su carácter. Pude apreciar cosas que no recordaba y encontrar parte de mi familia en sus facciones; el pico de sus labios, que hoy todas las mujeres de la familia compartimos. No podía llorar, no sentía su partida. La veía tan tranquila y serena, sin signos de angustia, que me parecía, y me sigue pareciendo, que no existir en este plano es un descanso que nos tomamos | I watched her closely, from her forehead to her nose, tracing every wrinkle. Although she had very few to be called a grandmother, she looked strong and serene, without any pain. I was impressed by her eyebrows, thick and strong as her character. I could appreciate things I didn't remember and find part of my family in her features; the peak of her lips, which all the women in the family share today. I couldn't cry, I didn't feel her departure. She seemed so calm and serene, without signs of anguish, that it seemed to me, and still does, that not existing in this plane is a rest we take. |
| La mañana siguiente me desperté sintiéndome como otra persona. A mi corta edad, había experimentado la transformación que toda mujer debe experimentar en algún momento de su vida. Hacía calor, típico del llano. Había dormido en lo que solía ser el cuarto de mi abuela, y el olor a cachapas con un toque de sartén quemada que impregnaba el aire me despertó, un aroma que aún hoy solo vive en mi memoria. Toda la familia estaba reunida en la sala, algunos alrededor de la mesa del comedor, otros sentados en el sofá de flores. Todos reían, comían cachapas y compartían recuerdos de cómo Mireyita solía conquistar todo a su paso. Me sentía avergonzada y aún no sé por qué. Me dirigí al baño y noté que estaba completamente roja. Desde entonces, he asociado los funerales con el camino que seguramente todas las mujeres han transitado alguna vez en la vida. Hoy hace 23 años de ese día, y nuevamente me he despertado roja. | The next morning, I woke up feeling like a different person. At my young age, I had experienced the transformation that every woman must experience at some point in her life. It was hot, typical of the plain. I had slept in what used to be my grandmother's room, and the smell of cachapas with a hint of burnt pan that filled the air woke me up, an aroma that still lives only in my memory today. The whole family was gathered in the living room, some around the dining table, others sitting on the flower-patterned sofa. Everyone laughed, ate cachapas, and shared memories of how Mireyita used to conquer everything in her path. I felt embarrassed, and I still don't know why. I headed to the bathroom and noticed that I was completely red. Since then, I have associated funerals with the path that surely all women have walked at some point in life. Today marks 23 years since that day, and once again I have woken up red. |
How does "Que" work in Spanish
The word "que" in Spanish is incredibly versatile and can serve various functions in a sentence, depending on the context. Here's how "que" as a relative pronoun works:
Introducing Relative Clauses: One of the primary functions of "que" is to introduce relative clauses, which provide additional information about a noun in the main clause. These relative clauses are used to describe or specify the noun they modify.
- Introducing Subordinate Clauses: Apart from introducing relative clauses, "que" is also used to introduce subordinate clauses, which function as part of a larger sentence. These subordinate clauses can serve various purposes, such as indicating cause, purpose, time, manner, etc.
- Indicating Content or Complement: In some cases, "que" is used to introduce clauses that serve as the complement of a verb or express the content of a statement or thought. These clauses provide additional information about what the subject of the main clause is doing, feeling, thinking, etc.
- Indicating Possession: "Que" can also be used to indicate possession in relative clauses. In this case, it translates to "whose" in English.
- Restrictive vs. Non-Restrictive Clauses: Relative clauses introduced by "que" can be either restrictive or non-restrictive. Restrictive clauses provide essential information about the noun they modify and are not separated by commas. Non-restrictive clauses provide additional, non-essential information and are set off by commas.
In summary, "que" in Spanish is a versatile word that can introduce relative clauses, subordinate clauses, indicate content or complement, indicate possession, and be used in both restrictive and non-restrictive clauses. Its usage depends on the structure and meaning of the sentence.
| Type | Sentence |
| Subordinate Clauses |
|
| Relative clause |
|
| Non-restrictive relative clause |
|
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