A2 · ElementaryAdapted from ElDiario.es

Spain Heatwave: How Hot Is Your Province?

El calor en España: ¿cómo está tu provincia?

Sep 6, 20261 min readGraded Spanish · word-by-word audio

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En España, el año 2026 está siendo muy caluroso. Los mapas muestran la temperatura máxima de cada provincia en las últimas 24 horas.

Muchas provincias tienen temperaturas más altas de lo normal. Algunas han batido récords de calor este año. La Agencia Estatal de Meteorología (AEMET) recopila estos datos desde 1950.

El calentamiento global afecta a todo el país. Los gráficos muestran que cada año hace más calor. Es importante entender estos cambios para cuidar el medio ambiente.

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Watch out, English speaker

Spanish uses 'más + adjective + de lo normal' to mean 'more ... than usual,' but English speakers often try to translate 'than normal' literally with 'que normal' or 'que lo normal.' The correct structure is 'de lo normal,' where 'lo' is neuter and refers to a general standard, not a specific noun. For example, 'más altas de lo normal' means 'higher than normal,' not 'más altas que normal.' Spanish 'estar + gerundio' (e.g., 'está siendo') expresses an ongoing action or state, similar to English 'is being.' English speakers may avoid this because 'being' sounds awkward in English, but in Spanish it is perfectly natural and often required for temporary or evolving situations. Also, remember that the gerund is invariable: it never changes for gender or number, unlike English '-ing' forms that can feel more flexible.

Key vocabulary

calurosoadj.
hot, very warm (weather)
“Hoy es un día muy caluroso.”— Today is a very hot day.
Pattern día caluroso a hot day
Compare cálido
Feminine calurosa; plural calurosos/calurosas
💡 Derived from calor (heat), -oso means 'full of...'.
mapam.
map
“El mapa muestra las temperaturas de España.”— The map shows the temperatures in Spain.
Pattern mapa del tiempo weather map
Compare plano
Plural mapas
💡 Cognate with English map.
temperaturaf.
temperature
“La temperatura máxima de hoy es 35 grados.”— Today's maximum temperature is 35 degrees.
Pattern temperatura máxima maximum temperature
Compare calor
Plural temperaturas
💡 From Latin temperatura, cognate with English temperature.
provinciaf.
province
“Mi provincia está en el sur de España.”— My province is in the south of Spain.
Pattern provincia de Madrid province of Madrid
Compare región
Plural provincias
💡 Spain is divided into 50 provinces (provincias).
mediaf.
average
“La media de temperaturas en verano es alta.”— The average temperature in summer is high.
Pattern media histórica historical average
Compare promedio
Plural medias
💡 Related to English mean, meaning 'average'.
récordm.
record (highest/lowest)
“Este año se batió un récord de calor.”— This year a heat record was broken.
Pattern batir un récord break a record
Compare marca
Plural récords
💡 From English record, commonly used in sports and weather contexts in Spanish.
calentamientom.
warming
“El calentamiento global es un problema serio.”— Global warming is a serious problem.
Pattern calentamiento global global warming
Compare recalentamiento
Plural calentamientos
💡 Formed from calentar (to heat) + -miento (noun suffix).
afectarv.
to affect
“El calor afecta a la salud.”— Heat affects health.
Pattern afectar a alguien affect someone
Compare influir
Present: afecto, afectas, afecta, afectamos, afectáis, afectan
💡 Cognate with English affect.

Grammar spotlight

Comparative: más...de lo normal

Use más + adjective + de lo normal to say "more...than normal," comparing something to the usual situation. This structure is common when talking about weather, prices, or other measurable conditions.

“Muchas provincias tienen temperaturas más altas de lo normal.”— Many provinces have higher temperatures than normal.

⚠️ Don't use que instead of de; in the de lo normal structure, you must use de.

estar + gerundio (present progressive)

Use the correct form of estar plus the gerund (-ando/-iendo) to describe an action in progress or an ongoing state. It often corresponds to the English present progressive.

“El año 2026 está siendo muy caluroso.”— The year 2026 is being very hot.

⚠️ Pay attention to the gerund form: -ar verbs become -ando, and -er/-ir verbs become -iendo.

Sentence patterns to steal

Muchas provincias tienen temperaturas más altas de lo normal.
Many provinces have higher temperatures than normal.
tener + noun + más + adjective + de lo normalThe noun can be replaced with other nouns (e.g., lluvias), and the adjective can be replaced with other adjectives (e.g., fuertes).
Es importante entender estos cambios para cuidar el medio ambiente.
It is important to understand these changes in order to protect the environment.
Es importante + infinitive + para + infinitiveImportante can be replaced with necesario, fundamental, etc.; the infinitive parts can also be replaced.
Los gráficos muestran que cada año hace más calor.
The graphs show that it is getting hotter every year.
Los gráficos muestran que + clauseGráficos can be replaced with datos, estudios, etc.; the clause content can be replaced.

Spain's Hot Summers

Summer temperatures in Spain often exceed 40°C, and southern Andalusia is especially hot. AEMET (the State Meteorological Agency) has been recording temperatures since 1950, providing important data for studying climate change.

Source: AEMET official website

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