Good source for simple spanish reading?

Question

Hi folks,

Do any of you know of some good sources for simple spanish reading materials? Stuff geared for grade school or middle school vocabularies?

I think it would speed my learning considerably if I had some stories and articles to read that I could 'mostly' read and of course, look up the words that I didn't know. PDF or other downloadable text would probably be easier to work with, because cut and paste works nicely with translation tools.

Thanks for your review and consideration, Gordon

Many thanks for the great suggestions and answers! - gllincoln, SEP 13, 2009

Answer 1

Hi Gordon.

Here are a few links that have reading materials.

The first has beginner, intermediate, and advanced level reading on this website..

The second has stories and poems in Spanish and English on this website.

The third has beginner stories and is located on this website.

¡Buena suerte!

Very nice! Thanks! - Alicia-53, SEP 10, 2009

Third site is perfect for me, I can read some, and by looking accross at the odd word I can then get the rest. - Stig345, SEP 22, 2009

Google lead me here showing that all roads do in fact lead to SpanishDIcit ! Thank you Marianne - Stig345, SEP 22, 2009

Awesome chicky-poo! You've got my vote! - island_fever, SEP 25, 2012

Answer 2

I went to the public library and got 4th grade books that described things like Jamestowne Virginia, the Pilgrims, etc. Not only did I learn some Spanish, but, because the books were written by latinos, I got some interesting insights into the latin view of the history of the U.S.

Answer 3

My toddler and I read lots of bilingual books from the library together. If you're in a rural area, you may see if your library is connected to a larger system whereby you have an Inter-Library Loan program.
Go on your library's search engine and pick out what you want.

Talk to the folks at the reference desk; ask who orders the books and media for the library. Those that I have met are happy to order what you need as their job is to meet the demands of their patrons.

Another good option is music in Spanish. Again, the children's section or even the Gypsy Kings are a great place to start.

El Pais is an online newspaper from Spain that you can read for free.

Best of luck.

You can read it for free here on this site. Go to Spanish Media at the bottom of the home page. - 0074b507, SEP 10, 2009

I sometimes read El País and Le Monde online...they are good alternative news sources to what is available in the states - Izanoni1, SEP 10, 2009

Answer 4

Juvenile fiction has been a great help to me and there is a good selection of it in my local library. Right now I'm reading Roald Dahl's Matilda.

un saludo,

Dan

Yes I use my library quite frequently as a source for Spanish (as well as English) reading material - Izanoni1, SEP 10, 2009

Answer 5

I am surprised to read that many of us learning Spanish are reading stories for which the original is English. What about those for young people such as "La historia de una gaviota y el gato que le enseña a volar" by Luis Sepúlveda, a Chilean author? ...and others like that one.

Answer 6

I agree with Dan: the library is a wonderful source for juvenile/teen books for beginner/intermediate readers.

I started with Charlotte's Web and James and the Giant Peace and moved on to the Harry Potter books in Spanish!

I'm reading Charlotte's Web right now along with "Un Oso Llamado Paddington." - Izanoni1, SEP 10, 2009

Answer 7

Pratica Español is a new site with articles divided into diferent levels. Veinte mundos is online magazine for intermediate and advanced learners.

Answer 8

Welcome to the forum, Lincoln, this is another site I can recommend with graded reading

Instituto Cervantes

Answer 9

If we're talking news, let's not forget Yahoo Noticias.

Answer 10

I like ¿Y Qué Me Cuentas?.

Answer 11

You might find this site interesting

spanish reading passages

Answer 12

You should start reading books in Spanish once you have a basic understanding of the language. Once you've it, test out your reading ability with short novels. A good book “Noche de San Juan” by Miren López de Aberasturi, you won´t need a dictionary. http://librosparaextranjeros.blogspot.com.es/ ¡Te gustará!

Answer 13

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Answer 14

This is a really good website with guides to Spanish reading resources for all levels.

http://www.topspanishtips.weebly.com

Hope this helps !!!

Answer 15

Maybe you could find some Spanish sites that have books to read on them and newspapers!

Sorry if that doesn't answer your question!