Pre reading Activities

A leer

1. Can you guess what the story is about by reading the title of the short story "Los dos reyes y los dos laberintos"?

2. Read the first sentences of the story to predict what the story is about.

3. Scan the text and make a list of the cognates.

4. Identify the new vocabulary.

5. Define the next expressions:

a) Andar del tiempo _________________________________________________________

b) Hacer burla ______________________________________________________________

c) Simplicidad de una persona _________________________________________________

d) Una persona afrentada ___________________________________________

e) Declinación de la tarde ___________________________________________

f) Implorar socorro ________________________________________________

g) Dar con algo _____________________________________________________________

h) No proferir quejas ________________________________________________________

6. On your own, complete a first reading of “Los dos reyes y los dos laberintos”. What is the main idea?

As you know, there are cognates and false cognates. The following are some false cognates that we can find in Jorge Luis Borges' story. Translate the false cognates, found in the second column, into Spanish.

Abandonar: To leave, to quit. / Abandon: ___________________

Construir: To build / Construe: ______________________

Ejército: Army / Exercise: ______________________

Grande: Large / rand: _________________