Reading Aloud: A Teacher's Secret to Real Literacy
Leer en voz alta: el secreto de un profesor
Sep 13, 2026·1 min read·Graded Spanish · word-by-word audio
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Joan Manuel Soldevilla es profesor de Lengua y Literatura. Trabaja en un instituto de Figueres. Lleva 40 años enseñando a adolescentes. Este curso se jubila. A él le gusta mucho leer en voz alta en clase.
Soldevilla lee el Quijote y otros libros a sus alumnos. Él dice que la lectura pública es muy importante. Los estudiantes entienden menos los textos ahora. Antes leían novelas complejas, pero ahora no pueden. Saben leer, pero una novela les desborda.
¿Por qué pasa esto? Las pantallas dificultan la concentración. También hay otro problema: los jóvenes tienen poco vocabulario. Aprendemos palabras cuando leemos. Si lees poco, tu mochila de vocabulario está vacía. Leer es como hacer gimnasia: necesitas practicar cada día.
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Watch out, English speaker
Spanish present tense often describes habitual actions, just like English simple present. But English speakers sometimes overuse 'usually' or 'always' because they think the plain present isn't clear enough. In Spanish, Leo todos los días already means 'I read every day'—no extra adverb needed.
When talking about learning vocabulary, Spanish uses the present tense in a general sense: Aprendemos palabras cuando leemos. English would often say 'We learn words when we read'—also present. But beware: English speakers may slip into present continuous ('We are learning') for habits, which is wrong in both languages for repeated actions.
The verb leer is a common -er verb, but its past participle is leído, not 'leído' with an accent on the i? Actually it's leído. English speakers might forget the accent and write 'leido', which is a spelling error. Also, 'leer en voz alta' means 'to read aloud', not 'to read in high voice'—a literal translation trap.
Key vocabulary
profesorm.
teacher, professor
“Soldevilla es profesor de Lengua y Literatura.”— Soldevilla is a Language and Literature teacher.
Pattern profesor de Lengua language teacher
Compare maestro teacher
plural profesores
💡 From Latin professor, referring to a person who imparts knowledge
institutom.
high school, secondary school
“Trabaja en un instituto de Figueres.”— He works at a high school in Figueres.
Pattern instituto de secundaria secondary school
Compare colegio school
plural institutos
💡 In Spain, secondary school is called instituto, abbreviated insti
jubilarsev.
to retire
“Este curso se jubila.”— He is retiring this school year.
Pattern jubilarse a los 65 retire at 65
Compare retirarse retire
me jubilo, te jubilas, se jubila
💡 From jubileo (jubilee), originally meaning to cheer and celebrate
leerv.
to read
“A él le gusta mucho leer en voz alta en clase.”— He really likes reading aloud in class.
Pattern leer en voz alta read aloud
Compare ojear browse
leo, lees, lee, leemos, leéis, leen
💡 Past participle leído, note the accent
pantallaf.
screen
“Las pantallas dificultan la concentración.”— Screens make concentration difficult.
Pattern pantalla del móvil mobile screen
Compare monitor monitor
plural pantallas
💡 Refers to screens of TVs, phones, computers, etc.
vocabulariom.
vocabulary
“Los jóvenes tienen poco vocabulario.”— Young people have a limited vocabulary.
Pattern ampliar vocabulario expand vocabulary
Compare léxico vocabulary
plural vocabularios
💡 From Latin vocabulum, referring to words
mochilaf.
backpack
“Tu mochila de vocabulario está vacía.”— Your vocabulary backpack is empty.
Pattern mochila de vocabulario vocabulary backpack
Compare bolsa bag
plural mochilas
💡 In the text, metaphorically refers to knowledge reserves, like a backpack
gimnasiaf.
gymnastics, exercise
“Leer es como hacer gimnasia.”— Reading is like doing gymnastics.
Pattern hacer gimnasia do gymnastics
Compare ejercicio exercise
plural gimnasias
💡 From Greek gymnasia, referring to physical training
Grammar spotlight
Present tense for habits
A1
The Spanish present tense can describe actions that happen regularly or as habits. For example: Leo todos los días. (I read every day.)
“Aprendemos palabras cuando leemos.”— We learn words when we read.
⚠️ Don't use the present tense to describe an action in progress; use estar + gerundio instead.
Sentence patterns to steal
Saber leer no es lo mismo que entender un libro.
Knowing how to read is not the same as understanding a book.
Saber + inf. no es lo mismo que + inf.Replace the verbs: Saber nadar no es lo mismo que nadar bien. (Knowing how to swim is not the same as swimming well.)
Leer es como hacer gimnasia: necesitas practicar cada día.
Reading is like doing gymnastics: you need to practice every day.
A es como B: necesitas + inf.Replace A and B: Estudiar es como correr: necesitas constancia. (Studying is like running: you need consistency.)
PISA and Reading Education in Spain
PISA is the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment, which tests 15-year-olds in reading, math, and science every three years. Spain's reading scores dropped in the most recent test. Many teachers believe that besides the influence of screens, the curriculum's heavy focus on projects and fragmented knowledge are also to blame.
Source: OECD PISA report and ElDiario.es interviews