A2 · ElementaryAdapted from ElDiario.es

Spanish Student Killed in Mexico: A Case That Shocked the Nation

Una estudiante española en México

Sep 15, 20261 min readGraded Spanish · word-by-word audio

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Una estudiante española de 21 años murió en México. Ella estaba de intercambio en la Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos. El sábado, la policía encontró su cuerpo en Cuautla, un municipio cerca de la Ciudad de México.

La joven se llamaba Claudia Tacoronte Aguilera. Ella venía de la Universidad de Granada. La gobernadora de Morelos confirmó la noticia. El Consulado de España en México está en contacto con la familia. La Universidad también dio apoyo a los compañeros de Claudia.

En México, muchas mujeres mueren cada día. Diez mujeres son asesinadas al día, según datos oficiales. Una cuarta parte de estos crímenes se investigan como feminicidio. El gobierno y las ONG piden más protección para las mujeres.

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Watch out, English speaker

English speakers often use the present perfect (e.g., 'has found') for past events, but Spanish simple past (pretérito indefinido) is used for completed actions in the past. For example, 'La policía encontró su cuerpo' means 'The police found her body' (not 'has found'). Also, be careful with irregular verbs like 'encontrar' (to find) and 'morir' (to die) – they don't follow the regular -ar or -er patterns. In English, passive voice is formed with 'be' + past participle, but Spanish uses 'ser' + past participle, and the participle must agree in gender and number with the subject. For instance, 'Diez mujeres son asesinadas al día' means 'Ten women are murdered a day' – note that 'asesinadas' is feminine plural to match 'mujeres'. English speakers might forget this agreement and say 'son asesinado' or 'son asesinados'. Another common trap is that Spanish passive voice is less frequent than in English; it's often replaced by 'se' passive or active voice. For example, instead of 'El caso es investigado', Spanish often says 'Se investiga el caso' or 'Investigan el caso'. So, while 'ser + past participle' is correct, overusing it can sound unnatural.

Key vocabulary

estudiantem./f.
student (male/female)
“Ella es una estudiante española.”— She is a Spanish student.
Pattern estudiante de intercambio exchange student
Compare alumno student
Plural estudiantes
💡 Root estudiar (to study), -ante indicates a person.
morirv.
to die
“La estudiante murió en México.”— The student died in Mexico.
Pattern morir en to die in a place
Compare fallecer to pass away
Past murió, Present mueren
💡 o→ue stem change, but no change in the past tense.
intercambiom.
exchange (program)
“Ella estaba de intercambio en México.”— She was on an exchange program in Mexico.
Pattern estar de intercambio to be on an exchange
Compare canje exchange
Plural intercambios
💡 inter- (between) + cambio (exchange).
encontrarv.
to find
“La policía encontró su cuerpo.”— The police found her body.
Pattern encontrar a alguien to find someone
Compare hallar to find
Past encontró
💡 o→ue stem change, but no change in the past tense.
feminicidiom.
femicide (gender-based murder)
“El caso se investiga como feminicidio.”— The case is being investigated as a femicide.
Pattern investigar como feminicidio to investigate as femicide
Compare asesinato de mujeres murder of women
Plural feminicidios
💡 femi- (female) + -cidio (killing).
consuladom.
consulate
“El Consulado está en contacto con la familia.”— The consulate is in contact with the family.
Pattern Consulado de España Consulate of Spain
Compare embajada embassy
Plural consulados
💡 cónsul (consul) + -ado (institution).
apoyom.
support
“La Universidad dio apoyo a los compañeros.”— The university gave support to her classmates.
Pattern dar apoyo a to support someone
Compare ayuda help
Plural apoyos
💡 From the verb apoyar (to support).
asesinarv.
to murder
“Diez mujeres son asesinadas al día.”— Ten women are murdered every day.
Pattern ser asesinada to be murdered
Compare matar to kill
Past participle asesinada
💡 asesino (murderer) → asesinar.
gobiernom.
government
“El gobierno pide más protección.”— The government calls for more protection.
Pattern el gobierno de México the government of Mexico
Compare administración administration
Plural gobiernos
💡 From gobernar (to govern).

Grammar spotlight

Pretérito Indefinido (Simple Past)

Used to describe a completed, one-time action in the past. For regular -ar verbs, add the endings -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron; for -er/-ir verbs, add -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron.

“La policía encontró su cuerpo.”— The police found her body.

⚠️ Don't confuse it with the imperfect past tense; the pretérito indefinido emphasizes that the action is completed.

Passive Voice (ser + past participle)

The structure is 'ser + past participle'. The past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject. It indicates that the subject receives the action.

“Diez mujeres son asesinadas al día.”— Ten women are murdered every day.

⚠️ The past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject, e.g., asesinadas is feminine plural.

Sentence patterns to steal

Ella estaba de intercambio en la Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos.
She was on an exchange program at the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos.
estar de + nounReplaceable nouns: intercambio, vacaciones, viaje, etc.
La Fiscalía investiga el caso como feminicidio.
The Prosecutor's Office is investigating the case as a feminicide.
investigar algo como + nounReplaceable nouns: delito, accidente, etc.
El Consulado de España en México está en contacto con la familia.
The Spanish Consulate in Mexico is in contact with the family.
estar en contacto con + person/institutionCan be replaced with: mantener contacto con.

Feminicide (Feminicidio) in Mexico

In Mexico, feminicide (feminicidio) is a serious crime in the penal code, defined as the killing of a woman because of her gender. According to official data, an average of 10 women are murdered every day in Mexico, and about a quarter of these cases are classified as feminicide. Many civil organizations are calling on the government to take more measures to protect women's safety.

Source: Based on official Mexican data and Amnesty International reports

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