Sep 28, 2026·1 min read·Graded Spanish · word-by-word audio
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Iberdrola es una empresa española de energía. Su capitalización bursátil es de 135.665 millones de euros. NextEra es una compañía estadounidense del mismo sector. Su capitalización es de 139.304 millones de euros. Las dos empresas llevan años compitiendo por el primer puesto mundial.
No es la primera vez que las dos empresas se enfrentan. Durante años, han tenido disputas en diferentes países. Por ejemplo, NextEra recibió luz verde de un tribunal en Singapur para reclamar a España un laudo de 290 millones de euros. Estas disputas muestran la fuerte competencia entre ambas.
Además, Iberdrola busca un nuevo socio para su negocio de energía eólica en el Reino Unido. También quiere invertir 13.000 millones en Finlandia. Estas acciones demuestran que Iberdrola no solo compite con NextEra, sino que también expande su presencia global.
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Watch out, English speaker
English speakers often try to translate 'llevar + time + gerund' literally as 'I carry years competing,' which makes no sense. In Spanish, 'llevar' expresses duration, so 'Llevo años compitiendo' means 'I have been competing for years.' Remember: use 'llevar' + time + gerund, not a literal 'carry' translation.
English speakers may default to 'not only... but also' and forget that Spanish requires 'sino que' before a clause. If you write 'no solo compite, sino también expande,' it's incorrect because 'sino' alone cannot introduce a conjugated verb. Always use 'sino que' when the second part is a full clause, and 'también' is optional.
Key vocabulary
capitalizaciónf.
market capitalization; market value
“Su capitalización bursátil es de 135.665 millones de euros.”— Its market capitalization is 135.665 billion euros.
💡 From the verb capitalizar (to capitalize), root capital (capital)
disputaf.
dispute, argument
“Durante años, han tenido disputas en diferentes países.”— For years, they have had disputes in different countries.
Pattern tener una disputa to have a dispute
Compare conflicto conflict
Plural: disputas
💡 From the verb disputar (to dispute), note the cognate with English dispute
liderazgom.
leadership, leading position
“Por eso, la empresa española quiere alcanzar el liderazgo mundial.”— That is why the Spanish company wants to achieve global leadership.
Pattern alcanzar el liderazgo to achieve leadership
Compare primacía primacy
Plural: liderazgos
💡 From líder (leader), the suffix -azgo indicates a position or status
eólicaadj.
wind (energy)
“Iberdrola busca un nuevo socio para su negocio de energía eólica en el Reino Unido.”— Iberdrola is looking for a new partner for its wind energy business in the United Kingdom.
Pattern energía eólica wind energy
Compare del viento of the wind
Masculine: eólico; plural: eólicos/eólicas
💡 From Eolo (Aeolus), the Greek god of wind
laudom.
arbitration award, ruling
“NextEra recibió luz verde de un tribunal en Singapur para reclamar a España un laudo de 290 millones de euros.”— NextEra received the green light from a court in Singapore to claim a 290 million euro arbitration award from Spain.
Pattern laudo arbitral arbitration award
Compare sentencia judgment
Plural: laudos
💡 Legal term, from Latin laudare (to judge)
sociom.
partner, business partner
“Iberdrola busca un nuevo socio para su negocio de energía eólica en el Reino Unido.”— Iberdrola is looking for a new partner for its wind energy business in the United Kingdom.
Pattern buscar un socio to look for a partner
Compare colaborador collaborator
Feminine: socia; plural: socios
💡 From Latin socius (companion), cognate with English social
invertirv.
to invest
“También quiere invertir 13.000 millones en Finlandia.”— It also wants to invest 13,000 million in Finland.
💡 From Latin invertere (to turn), note the cognate with English invest
expandirv.
to expand, to spread
“Estas acciones demuestran que Iberdrola no solo compite con NextEra, sino que también expande su presencia global.”— These actions show that Iberdrola not only competes with NextEra, but also expands its global presence.
Pattern expandir su presencia to expand its presence
Compare ampliar to expand
Conjugation: expando, expandes, expande...
💡 From Latin expandere, cognate with English expand
Grammar spotlight
llevar + time + present participle
B1
This structure expresses how long someone has been doing something. Use a time expression after llevar, followed by a present participle (-ando/-iendo).
“Las dos empresas llevan años compitiendo por el primer puesto mundial.”— The two companies have been competing for the world's number one spot for years.
⚠️ Do not use llevar + infinitive, e.g., llevar años competir (incorrect).
no solo... sino que también...
B1
This structure means 'not only... but also...'. Sino que is followed by a clause, and también can be omitted.
“Iberdrola no solo compite con NextEra, sino que también expande su presencia global.”— Iberdrola is not only competing with NextEra, but also expanding its global presence.
⚠️ After sino que, you must use a conjugated verb; you cannot directly follow it with a noun.
Sentence patterns to steal
Las dos empresas llevan años compitiendo por el primer puesto mundial.
The two companies have been competing for the world's number one spot for years.
llevar + time + present participleYou can replace the subject and the present participle, e.g., Llevo dos horas estudiando.
No es la primera vez que las dos empresas se enfrentan.
This is not the first time the two companies have faced off.
No es la primera vez que + clauseYou can replace the clause, e.g., No es la primera vez que viajo a España.
Estas acciones demuestran que Iberdrola no solo compite con NextEra, sino que también expande su presencia global.
These actions show that Iberdrola is not only competing with NextEra, but also expanding its global presence.
no solo... sino que también...You can replace the two verb phrases, e.g., No solo estudia, sino que también trabaja.
Iberdrola: A Spanish Energy Giant
Iberdrola is one of Spain's largest electric utility companies, headquartered in Bilbao, with operations in many countries around the world and a leading position in renewable energy. Its chairman, Ignacio Galán, has led the company since 2001, driving its international expansion.