De pronto
suddenlyDe pronto introduces something that happens unexpectedly.
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El ratón de la corte y el del campo
A1 · Chapter 2 of 3 · Edition 1
Un ruido en la puerta
A noise at the door
Adapted from El ratón de la corte y el del campo, by Félix María Samaniego.
Los ratones comen queso y saltan entre los alimentos. El ratón del campo quiere probar todo. En su casa no tiene una comida así. Por un momento, solo piensa en el queso y en su amigo.
De pronto, oyen un ruido. Una mujer entra en la despensa. Es la persona que cuida la comida. Los ratones tienen miedo. El ratón del campo busca una salida, pero no sabe dónde está.
—¡Por aquí! —dice su amigo. Los dos corren hacia un pequeño paso en la pared. Los ratones hacen estos pasos con los dientes. Pasan por el agujero y salen. Ya están lejos de la mujer, pero todavía tienen miedo.
The mice eat cheese and jump between the food. The country mouse wants to try everything. At home he does not have food like this. For a moment, he thinks only about the cheese and his friend.
Suddenly, they hear a noise. A woman enters the pantry. She is the person who looks after the food. The mice are afraid. The country mouse looks for a way out, but he does not know where it is.
‘This way!’ says his friend. The two run towards a small passage in the wall. Mice make these passages with their teeth. They go through the hole and get out. Now they are far from the woman, but they are still afraid.
Key Phrases
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tienen miedo
they are afraidSpanish uses tener miedo to say that someone is afraid.
agujero
holeThe opening in the wall that the mice use to escape.
Original source and edition
Adapted from El ratón de la corte y el del campo, by Félix María Samaniego.
Spanish prose adaptations by Read Spanish Daily. These versions retell one fable; they are not the original verse or the complete collection.
Fábulas en verso castellano, volume I, book I, fable VIII. Madrid: Oficina de Cano, 1818, pages 9–10. Original Spanish text in the public domain.
Original source and edition →