Intermediate Spanish - The Paraguayan War
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This intermediate Spanish story is about the Paraguayan War, also known as the War of the Triple Alliance. In 1864, Paraguay's neighbours Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay declared war on President Francisco Solano López. Paraguay was small and had few adult soldiers, so López sent children and the elderly to the front. They fought for years, thousands died in battle and from hunger and illness, and by 1870 the country was left devastated, with most of its population gone.
Written for intermediate learners, the story uses full sentences, connectors like como resultado and por eso, and a mix of imperfect, preterite, and past perfect verbs.
Listen to the audio, follow the full transcript, and click any word for an instant translation. You can also download the full story as a free PDF to study offline.
The eleven verbs are:
era - was
había - there was or there were
empezó - started
declararon - declared
envió - sent
lucharon - fought
sufrieron - suffered
murieron - died
terminó - ended
quedó - was left
había desaparecido - had disappeared
Transcript
Select a Spanish word or phrase for a translation.
La guerra de Paraguay
The Paraguayan War
Also known as the War of the Triple Alliance,
the Paraguayan War saw Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay fight Paraguay.
Outnumbered, President López eventually sent children and the elderly to fight.
By the end of the war, almost all Paraguayan men were dead.
Vocabulario de la historia
conocida - known
vecinos - neighbours
valiente - brave
al frente - to the front
enfermedades - illnesses
como resultado - as a result
batallas - battles
Verbos de la historia
declararon - declared
le declararon la guerra al presidente - they declared war on the president
envió - sent
López envió a niños y ancianos al frente - López sent children and the elderly to the front
sufrieron - suffered
muchos sufrieron hambre y enfermedades - many suffered hunger and illness
quedó - was left
Paraguay quedó devastado - Paraguay was left devastated
Ahora, la historia
La guerra de Paraguay
La guerra de Paraguay, también conocida como la Guerra de la Triple Alianza,
empezó en mil ochocientos sesenta y cuatro.
Paraguay era un país pequeño,
pero sus vecinos, Brasil, Argentina y Uruguay,
le declararon la guerra al presidente Francisco Solano López.
El ejército paraguayo era valiente,
pero había muy pocos soldados adultos.
Por eso, López envió a niños y ancianos al frente.
Todos ellos lucharon con desesperación durante años,
y muchos sufrieron hambre y enfermedades.
Como resultado, miles de personas murieron en las batallas.
Finalmente, la guerra terminó en mil ochocientos setenta.
Paraguay quedó devastado,
y la mayoría de su población había desaparecido.