The Spanish reading room
One sentence of «Las medias de los flamencos»
Pero los flamencos, mientras se curan en el agua, no piden ocasión de vengarse, comiéndose a cuanto pescadito se acerca demasiado a burlarse de ellos.
But the flamingos, while they cure themselves in the water, never miss a chance to take their revenge, eating up any little fish that comes too close to mock them.
Where it stands
The sentences either side of it, each with its own page.
This is the story of the flamingos, who once had white legs and now have red ones.
Todos los pescados saben por qué es, y se burlan de ellos.
All the fish know why it is, and make fun of them.
Every word in it
| As printed | Dictionary form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Pero | pero | but (conj.) |
| los | el | the (def. art., m. pl.); also them (m. object pron., before a verb) |
| flamencos | flamenco | flamingo (n., m.) |
| mientras | mientras | while (conj.) |
| se | se | himself, herself, themselves (reflexive); stands in for le before lo/la (se la dieron — they gave it to her); one, people (se ve — one sees) (pron.) |
| curan | curar | to cure, heal, treat (v.) |
| en | en | in, on, at (prep.) |
| agua | agua | water (n., f. — takes el: el agua) |
| no | no | no, not (adv.) |
| piden | pedir | to ask for, request (v.) |
| ocasión | ocasión | occasion, chance (n., f.) |
| de | de | of, from (prep.) |
| vengarse | vengar | to avenge; vengarse — to take revenge (v.) |
| comiéndose | comer | to eat (v.) |
| a | a | to; at; on (prep.) |
| cuanto | cuanto | as much as; en cuanto — as soon as (adj./adv.) |
| pescadito | pescadito | little fish (n., m., diminutive of pescado) |
| acerca | acercar | to bring near; acercarse — to come closer (v.) |
| demasiado | demasiado | too, too much (adv./adj.) |
| burlarse | burlar | to mock, make fun of (burlarse de) (v.) |
| ellos | él | they, them (pron., m. pl.) |
Read «Las medias de los flamencos» in the room Every word glossed where it stands, the English a tap away. The whole tale is free and asks for no account.