How well do you know your movies — and your Spanish vocabulary? In this reading comprehension challenge, we've taken five popular films and rewritten their plots in Spanish, leaving out the title, of course! Your job is to read each summary, review the key vocabulary terms, and use the hint so you can try to guess the movie before checking the answer at the end. Ready to put your Spanish skills to the test?
Un hombre con un coeficiente intelectual por debajo del promedio vive una vida llena de momentos históricos casi por accidente. A pesar de las dificultades, su lealtad, su inocencia y su gran corazón lo llevan a convertirse en un atleta talentoso, un héroe de guerra y un exitoso hombre de negocios. Sin embargo, lo único que realmente le importa es volver a estar junto a la mujer que ama desde la infancia.
Key terms:
coeficiente intelectual (IQ)
momentos históricos (historical moments)
lealtad (loyalty)
convertirse (to become)
la mujer que ama (the woman he loves)
Este es el primer paso para convertirse en la persona feliz y superficial que me comentaba.
This is the first step to becoming the happy and superficial person you were telling me about.
Captions 33-34, Cortometraje Triunfadores - Part 3
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📌 Hint: It's a name — two words.
Un programador descubre que el mundo en el que vive no es real, sino una simulación creada por máquinas para mantener a los humanos bajo control. Guiado por un grupo de rebeldes, debe elegir entre seguir viviendo en la ignorancia o conocer la verdad y luchar para liberar a la humanidad.
Key terms:
simulación (simulation)
bajo control (under control)
rebeldes (rebels)
ignorancia (ignorance)
liberar (to free/liberate)
pero antes tengo que liberar a Willy, ¿cierto, jefecito?
but before I have to free Willy, right, dear boss?
Caption 46, Kikirikí Animales - Part 5
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📌 Hint: Sigue al conejo blanco 🐇
Un hombre adulto que vive con su madre sueña con ser comediante y se gana la vida como payaso haciendo publicidad. Un día se cansa de ser humillado y cambia radicalmente su vida, convirtiéndose en un asesino.
Key terms:
payaso (clown)
se cansa de ser humillado (gets tired of being humiliated)
asesino (murderer)
he hecho de payaso también.
I've been a clown as well.
Caption 12, Circo Berlín José Romero - Part 2
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📌 Hint: It's one word.
Una mujer se casa con un hombre por conveniencia, para ayudarlo a obtener la residencia legal y para que ella pueda alquilar un apartamento que solo acepta parejas casadas. Cuando las autoridades sospechan que el matrimonio es falso, ambos deben fingir que están realmente enamorados.
Key terms:
conveniencia (convenience)
parejas casadas (married couples)
sospechar (to suspect)
fingir (to pretend)
pero también debemos mencionar la conveniencia.
but we should also mention convenience.
Caption 20, Fermín y Manuel Los móviles - Part 1
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📌 Hint: Monticello
Un profesor y su alumna descubren que un evento catastrófico amenaza con destruir a toda la humanidad. Sin embargo, sus advertencias se encuentran con una sociedad más interesada en la política, la fama y las redes sociales que en enfrentar la inminente catástrofe.
Key terms:
evento catastrófico (catastrophic event)
advertencias (warnings)
inminente (imminent)
para evitar una catástrofe.
to avoid a catastrophe.
Caption 51, Vocabulario de noticias Política internacional - Part 3
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📌 Hint: Es una orden, en forma de título (It's a command, in the form of a title).
The answer is Forrest Gump (1994) — in Spanish, the title stays the same: Forrest Gump. Despite having a below-average IQ, Forrest experiences countless historical moments almost by accident. His unwavering loyalty and good heart help him become a war hero, a champion runner, and a successful businessman — though all he really wants is to be with the woman he loves, Jenny, the love of his life.
Vocabulary recap: coeficiente intelectual (IQ), momentos históricos (historical moments), lealtad (loyalty), convertirse (to become), la mujer que ama (the woman he loves)
The answer is The Matrix (1999) — known in Spanish-speaking countries simply as Matrix. A programmer discovers that the world he lives in is actually a simulation kept under control by machines. Guided by a group of rebels, he must choose between living in ignorance or learning the truth and fighting to free humanity. As for the hint, Sigue al conejo blanco (Follow the white rabbit) is the famous phrase that first leads Neo down the path to discovering the truth.
Vocabulary recap: simulación (simulation), bajo control (under control), rebeldes (rebels), ignorancia (ignorance), liberar (to free/liberate)
The answer is Joker (2019) — in Spanish, the title stays the same: Joker. A man who makes a living as a clown dreams of becoming a comedian, but one day gets tired of being humiliated and radically transforms his life, becoming a murderer.
Vocabulary recap: payaso (clown), se cansa de ser humillado (gets tired of being humiliated), asesino (murderer)
The answer is Green Card (1990) — in Spanish, often known as Matrimonio de conveniencia. A woman marries a man out of convenience so he can get legal residency and she can rent an apartment that only accepts married couples. When authorities suspect the marriage is fake, both must pretend to be truly in love. As for the hint, "Monticello" refers to the face cream brand the couple must memorize details about to convince immigration officials their marriage is real.
Vocabulary recap: conveniencia (convenience), parejas casadas (married couples), sospechar (to suspect), fingir (to pretend)
The answer is Don't Look Up (2021) — known in Spanish as No mires arriba. A professor and his student discover that a catastrophic event threatens to destroy all of humanity, but their warnings are met with a society more interested in politics, fame, and social media than in facing the imminent threat. As for the hint, Es una orden, en forma de título — the movie's title, No mires arriba / Don't Look Up, is literally a command.
Vocabulary recap: evento catastrófico (catastrophic event), advertencias (warnings), inminente (imminent)
Well, that's our movie lineup for today. Whether you nailed all five or only recognized one from its hint or key terms, we hope this challenge gave you a fun new way to practice Spanish vocabulary while flexing your movie trivia knowledge. Keep an eye out for future rounds with new films and new words to discover — and if you have a favorite movie you'd love to see turned into a quiz, we'd love to hear about it. Send us your guesses, your suggestions, and any questions along the way!
¡Hasta la próxima!
Have you ever wondered when to write aun with an accent mark in Spanish? This small tilde can completely change the meaning of the word. In this lesson, we'll explore the difference between aun and aún, when to use the accent mark, and how to avoid common mistakes that even native speakers make.
Before we dive in, let's test your knowledge. Which word would you use in the following sentences, aun or aún?
____ si te digo la verdad, no me crees
Even if I tell you the truth, you don't believe me
Estamos ____ en la fase de entrevistas.
We are still in the interview phase.
Keep reading to discover the answer!
The word aun without a graphic accent is an unstressed adverb that means "even," "including," "also," or "not even" (ni siquiera). Let's break down when to use it:
When aun is unstressed and equivalent to incluso (including/even), hasta (even/up to), también (also), or (ni) siquiera (not even), you write it without the tilde. Here are some examples:
Aun estudiando mucho, no pasó el examen
Even studying hard, he did not pass the exam
Yo hice aun más de lo que quería
I did even more than I wanted
he vivido demasiado
I have lived too much
aun con tanta historia
even with so much history
Captions 7-8, Kany Garcia - Estigma de amor
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This is where many Spanish speakers get confused! The connector aun así (without a tilde) is equivalent to pese a eso (despite that), a pesar de eso (in spite of that), con todo (even so), or sin embargo (however). It never carries an accent mark:
Revolvimos los planetas
We stirred the planets
Y aun así te vas
And even so you leave
Captions 16-17, Belanova - Y aun así te vas
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However, the sequence aún así (with a tilde) is different. When aún carries the tilde, it means todavía así (still like that), with aún functioning as a temporal adverb. Compare these examples:
Llovió todo el día, pero, aun así, decidimos salir (It rained all day, but even so, we decided to go out) → connector meaning "despite that"
Mi hermano vive aún así, sin preocupaciones (My brother still lives like that, without worries) → aún = todavía (still)
Similarly, the conjunction aun cuando is always written without a tilde:
Saldría aun cuando pegó y se resistió bastante.
He would get released even though he struck (them) and resisted quite a lot.
Caption 65, Yago 11 Prisión - Part 4
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Now let's look at when you need to add that accent mark. The adverb aún is a stressed word that requires a tilde when it means todavía (still or yet). Here are the three main cases:
When aún expresses that something continues to happen or hasn't happened yet, you need the accent mark:
Para los que aún no me conocen, mi nombre es Natalia.
For those who still don't know me, my name is Natalia.
Caption 3, Natalia de Ecuador - Consejos: haciendo amigos como adultos
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Así que aún queda la pequeña esperanza.
So, there's still a little hope.
Caption 44, Rosa - Fuente de Piedra
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Durante este período, México aún tenía el nombre de la Nueva España.
During this period, Mexico still had the name New Spain.
Caption 16, Paseando con Karen - Monterrey - Museo de Historia Mexicana
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When aún expresses contrast or surprise and can be replaced by todavía (still), it needs the tilde:
Le sirvieron la comida a él primero y aún se quejó
They served him the food first and he still complained
In this example, aún shows surprise or contrast (despite being served first, he still complained) and can be replaced with todavía: Le sirvieron la comida a él primero y todavía se quejó.
When aún is used for emphasis, typically with words like más (more), menos (less), mejor (better), or peor (worse), it carries a tilde. Although you might translate this as "even," the pronunciation is stressed (tonic), which is why the accent mark is required:
la situación se ha deteriorado aún más, desencadenando una grave crisis humanitaria.
the situation has deteriorated even more, triggering a serious humanitarian crisis.
Captions 38-39, Vocabulario de noticias Política internacional - Part 3
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To help you remember when to use each form, here's a quick summary:
• It means incluso (even, including), hasta (up to, even), también (also), or (ni) siquiera (not even)
• You use the connector aun así (even so, despite that)
• You use the conjunction aun cuando (even when/although)
• It means todavía (still, yet) in a temporal sense
• It expresses contrast or surprise and can be replaced by todavía
• It's used for emphasis with más, menos, mejor, or peor
Let's go back to our initial quiz and see the correct answers:
Aun si te digo la verdad, no me crees
Even if I tell you the truth, you don't believe me
Estamos aún en la fase de entrevistas.
We are still in the interview phase.
Caption 19, Negocios - La solicitud de empleo
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And that's it for today. We hope this lesson has cleared up any confusion about when to use aun versus aún in Spanish. Remember, that little tilde makes a big difference in meaning! Ready to share your thoughts? We'd love to hear from you with any questions or comments you might have!
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