Spanish online reading and listening practice - level C1
It seems every Hispanic country is absolutely crazy about fútbol! And the frenzy reaches fever-pitch in the run up to the World Cup. Check out this clever video supporting the Albicelestes (the sky blue and whites - the colours of the Argentinian national team). The premise is simple, comparing what's happening today in 2022 to what happened in 1986, which was the last time Argentina won the World Cup. It's got everything: superstition, cameos, music, friendship, rivalry and a nod to Argentinian soccer stars past and present. So much so that you might not even realise it's an advert for an Argentinian beer (Kwizbot says: drink with moderation and follow all local laws governing alcohol).
Here's some extra info to help you appreciate the video:
- Chile did not qualify for this year's tournament nor did they qualify in 1986
- Canada qualified for this year's competition, the last time they qualified was in 1986
- this year, Argentinian musicians Goyo (lead singer of the group Bandalos Chinos) and Louta collaborated to make a cover version of hit 1986 song Hablando a tu corazón, originally sung by Argentinian singers Charly García and Pedro Aznar (only Charly García does not appear in the ad)
- for much of his career, legendary Argentinian player Diego Maradona was considered the best in the world and he certainly gave a peak performance for the 1986 World Cup (after completing this exercise, check out our tribute to him Maradona - Song by Andrés Calamaro [B2]), today fellow Argentinian Lionel Messi is frequently ranked number one
Also a note about swearing: swear words that are literal translations of a Spanish word are often much more vulgar in English than they are in Spanish where they are often extremely mild and their usage almost mundane. The translation in the transcript reflects the register and tone of the terms rather than direct "word-for-word" translations.
This reading and listening exercise can help you practise using the Preterite, repetition of indirect object pronouns and you will also hear the very characteristic voseo and yeísmo rehilado present in Argentinian Spanish. If you are interested in learning more about this last phenomenon, see our video exercise Yeísmo.
Exercise: Coincidencias - Mundial Qatar 2022
Watch the video, then read the transcript. Click any phrase for the translation and links to related grammar lessons which you can add to your Kwiziq notebook to practise later.
- What's this?
- More Spanish reading practice
