Susan Sarandon y su regreso al cine: una historia de valentía
Sep 7, 2026·1 min read·Graded Spanish · word-by-word audio
Read along
Free preview — playback stops here. Full audio comes with Plus.
Susan Sarandon es una actriz famosa de Estados Unidos. En febrero, ella habló con la prensa española y dijo que en Hollywood había un veto contra los actores que apoyaban a Palestina.
Por suerte, rodó una película en Italia. Se llama 'The Echo Chamber' y se presentó en el Festival de Venecia. La película está dirigida por Andrea Pallaoro y el guion es de Bernardo Bertolucci. En la película, Sarandon interpreta a una cantante que escucha a un hombre.
Sarandon dijo que la gente ahora entiende mejor la historia de Palestina y los lazos entre Estados Unidos e Israel. Pero en Hollywood, el poder estructural no ha cambiado. Todavía hay agencias que no quieren contratarla. Sin embargo, ella se siente bienvenida a nivel internacional.
Go Plus
You've reached the end of the free preview.
Plus unlocks everything on SpanishReadingDaily:
Every article in full — no daily limit
Word-by-word audio read-along
Smart review that brings saved words back until you own them
Free full article every day — see today's. No card needed.
Have a Plus activation code?
Watch out, English speaker
English speakers often use 'is directed by' and think it's the same as Spanish 'está dirigida por'. But Spanish uses 'estar + past participle' for resulting states, while 'ser + past participle' is for passive actions. For example, 'La película es dirigida por...' sounds like an event, but 'está dirigida por...' describes the finished film. Also, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject, unlike English where it never changes.
English uses 'it is called' or 'one calls it', but Spanish prefers 'se llama' for impersonal statements. English speakers might try to say 'Es llamado' or 'Se llaman' incorrectly. Remember: 'se' + third-person singular verb is for general facts, no subject needed. Don't add a subject like 'ello' or 'la gente'—it's already impersonal.
English often uses 'you' or 'they' for general statements, but Spanish uses 'se' without a subject. For example, 'Se vende' means 'It is sold' or 'They sell it', not 'You sell'. English speakers may mistakenly add 'tú' or 'ellos', which changes the meaning. Also, 'se' can be passive or impersonal, so context matters—but the verb stays singular for things, plural for people.
Key vocabulary
actrizf.
actress
“La actriz habla con la prensa.”— The actress speaks with the press.
Pattern actriz famosa famous actress
Compare intérprete (f.)
Plural: actrices
💡 The masculine form is actor; note that the -triz ending is a feminine suffix.
apoyarv.
to support
“Ella apoya la causa palestina.”— She supports the Palestinian cause.
Pattern apoyar a alguien to support someone
Compare respaldar
Conjugation: apoyo, apoyas, apoya...
💡 Derived from a- + poyo (support); you can associate 'support' with 'to support'.
vetom.
ban, veto
“Hay un veto contra la actriz.”— There is a ban against the actress.
Pattern veto contra alguien veto against someone
Compare prohibición
Plural: vetos
💡 From Latin veto, meaning 'I forbid'.
agentem./f.
agent
“Su agente rompió con ella.”— Her agent broke up with her.
Pattern agente de actores actors' agent
Compare representante
Plural: agentes
💡 Can refer to an agent or a representative; the same form is used for both masculine and feminine.
rodarv.
to shoot (a film)
“Rodó una película en Italia.”— She shot a film in Italy.
Pattern rodar una película to shoot a movie
Compare filmar
Conjugation: ruego, ruedas, rueda... (o→ue)
💡 Originally means 'to roll'; when film rolls, it means 'to shoot'.
guionm.
script, screenplay
“El guion es de Bertolucci.”— The script is by Bertolucci.
Pattern escribir un guion to write a script
Compare libreto
Plural: guiones
💡 According to current orthography, the accent mark can be omitted, but traditionally it is written guión.
dirigirv.
to direct
“Andrea Pallaoro dirige la película.”— Andrea Pallaoro directs the film.
Pattern dirigir una película to direct a movie
Compare realizar
Conjugation: dirijo, diriges, dirige...
💡 Note that g before e/i sounds like j, as in dirijo.
interpretarv.
to play, interpret
“Sarandon interpreta a una cantante.”— Sarandon plays a singer.
💡 Composed of inter- (between) + pretar (to negotiate), extended to mean 'to interpret'.
lazosm. pl.
ties, bonds
“Hay lazos entre los dos países.”— There are ties between the two countries.
Pattern lazos entre... bonds between...
Compare vínculos
Singular: lazo
💡 lazo originally means 'knot', extended to mean 'bond'.
bienvenidaadj./f.
welcome (adj./noun)
“Ella se siente bienvenida.”— She feels welcome.
Pattern dar la bienvenida to welcome
Compare acogida
Masculine: bienvenido
💡 Composed of bien (good) + venida (coming), meaning 'good coming'.
Grammar spotlight
Passive voice: ser + past participle
A2
The passive voice emphasizes the receiver of the action. It is formed with ser + past participle, and the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject. For example, La película está dirigida por... uses estar + past participle to express a state.
“La película está dirigida por Andrea Pallaoro.”— The film is directed by Andrea Pallaoro.
⚠️ Remember that the past participle must change with the subject, e.g., dirigida (feminine singular).
Impersonal sentences: se + third-person singular verb
A2
Using se + a third-person singular verb can express an impersonal or passive meaning, often used to describe general facts. For example, Se llama... means 'It is called...'.
“Se llama 'The Echo Chamber'.”— It is called 'The Echo Chamber'.
⚠️ Do not use se + a plural verb unless the subject is plural.
Sentence patterns to steal
Susan Sarandon es una actriz famosa de Estados Unidos.
Susan Sarandon is a famous actress from the United States.
ser + noun + adjective + de + countrynoun (e.g., cantante), adjective (e.g., talentosa), country (e.g., España)
Por suerte, rodó una película en Italia.
Luckily, she filmed a movie in Italy.
Por suerte, + sentenceverb (e.g., vivir, trabajar) and place (e.g., en Francia)
Todavía hay agencias que no quieren contratarla.
There are still agencies that do not want to hire her.
hay + noun + que + verbnoun (e.g., personas) and verb (e.g., entender)
Sin embargo, ella se siente bienvenida a nivel internacional.
Sarandon dijo que la gente ahora entiende mejor la historia de Palestina.
Sarandon said that people now understand the history of Palestine better.
decir que + statementverb (e.g., creer, pensar) and clause content
Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival is one of the oldest film festivals in the world, founded in 1932 and held annually on the Lido di Venezia in Italy. It is known for its artistic and independent spirit, and it is an important platform for many European directors to showcase their work.