You saw all the highlights of Sevilla and are now unwinding over a delicious dinner at a riverside restaurant. Here's a list of the verbs you'll need to talk about your adventure.
averiguar (to find out)
acabar (to finish, complete)
acercarse (to approach)
acordarse de (to remember)
agotarse (to wear oneself out)
buscar (to look for)
cansarse (to get tired)
continuar (to continue)
charlar (to chat)
descubrir (to discover)
encontrar (to find)
enseñar (to show, to teach)
equivocarse (to be mistaken)
escoger (to choose)
esperar (to expect, hope, wait for)
fijarse en (to take notice of)
gastar (to spend)
guiar (to guide, lead)
indicar (to indicate, point out)
informarse (to find out)
invitar (to invite, to treat)
ocurrir (to happen)
ofrecer (to offer)
parar (to stop)
parecer (to seem)
permitir (to permit)
preocuparse por (to worry about)
sentarse (to sit down)
sorprenderse (to be surprised)
subir (to go up)
suceder (to take place)
terminar (to finish)
tocar (to touch)
volver (to return)
Why Sevilla?
Sevilla is one of Spain's great historic cities. Located on the banks of the Guadalquivir River, Sevilla was an important trade center from ancient times. The Romans made the settlement one of the greatest cities in the empire, and you can still visit interesting Roman remains, including segments of aqueduct, the city wall, and the toll tower that controlled trade on the river. Sevilla underwent a second major transformation during its 500 years under Moorish rule from 712 to 1248. For much of this period, the city was famous as a center of three religions and cultures: Muslim, Jewish, and Christian. The arts and sciences flourished as scholars from the three great cultures taught and learned from each other, and shared their knowledge with the rest of the known world. Great works of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, science, mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and economics owed their conception to the extraordinary cultural melting pot that was Sevilla. Returned to Christian rule, Sevilla played an important role in politics and religion during the Middle Ages and was renowned as a cultural center through Spain's Golden Age. In modern days, Sevilla endures as an important tourist destination and lively economic center where flamenco dancing and bullfighting are as much a part of the scene as politics and world trade.
Be careful with the verbs regresar, volver, and devolver. To say that you are returning to a place, use regresar or volver: Regresamos (volvimos) al hotel muy tarde. (We went back to the hotel very late). To talk about returning something, use devolver: Devolvimos el plano al conserje (We returned the map to the concierge).
So, what might be on your list of things to do and places to visit on a trip to Sevilla? Just take a look:
la Torre de Oro: the city's iconic Roman toll tower on the banks of the Guadalquivir
la catedral: one of Europe's largest, and the resting place of Christopher Columbus
la Giralda: originally, the tower of Sevilla's mezquita (mosque), now the bell tower of the cathedral
el Alcázar: the royal palace, an outstanding example of Moorish architecture and gardens, still used today by Spain's royal family
el Archivo de Indias: the great archive of Spain's historic explorations of the Americas
el Barrio de Santa Cruz: the former Jewish quarter, now a labyrinth of shops, restaurants, and private residences
los tablaos: the flamenco clubs
los puentes: magnificent bridges grace the river
el Parque de María Luisa: Sevilla's most elegant park
la Tabacalera: now one of the university buildings, the tobacco factory made famous in Bizet's opera Carmen
Semana Santa: Sevilla's unique Holy Week celebration
Feria: Sevilla's horse-trading fair
The verbs ocurrir and suceder are really only used in the third-person singular and plural conjugations. For example, ¿Qué ocurrió en Sevilla durante la época medieval? (What happened in Sevilla during the Middle Ages?) and Sucedieron dos eventos muy importantes (Two very important events took place).
One Great Day
Let's see some of what our visitors did on their whirlwind tour. Complete Rosa's diary entry with the preterite of the verb indicated. Then check your work in Appendix D.
Querido diario,
Hoy Alberto y yo __________ (descubrir) las maravillas de Sevilla. Nosotros __________ (sorprenderse) de la variedad de los sitios de interés y __________ (acabar) el día muy cansados. Pero, déjame contarte, diario, todo lo que __________ (ocurrir).
Yo __________ (levantarse) a las seis de la mañana y __________ (sentarse) a leer un poco nuestra guía. También __________ (averiguar) los horarios de la catedral y el Alcázar porque me __________ (parecer) los sitios más importantes de la ciudad. Después, yo __________ (charlar) un ratito con el conserje y él me __________ (enseñar) otra guía turística de la ciudad y me __________ (indicar) los mejores sitios en el plano. Yo __________ (esperar) hasta las ocho y entonces __________ (despertar) a Alberto. A las nueve fuimos a la catedral donde __________ (admirar) sus tesoros. Entonces, nosotros __________ (subir) la torre de la Giralda desde donde hay una vista panorámica espléndida. Alberto __________ (cansarse) por la subida y bajada de la torre que es muy alta. Entonces, yo __________ (acordarse) de una plaza muy tranquila cerca de la catedral. Allí, Alberto me __________ (invitar) a un café y después de media hora __________ (continuar, nosotros). __________ (acercarse, nosotros) al Alcázar y __________ (buscar) la entrada. Yo la __________ (encontrar) sin dificultad mientras Alberto __________ (parar) un momento para comprar una guía en la librería. ¡Qué increíble es el Alcázar con su arquitectura extraordinaria y hermosos jardines! Nuestra guía nos __________ (informar) de muchos detalles interesantes. Después de más de dos horas, nosotros __________ (salir). Teníamos mucha hambre así fuimos al Barrio de Santa Cruz para buscar donde comer.
