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Ice cream around Seville: Spanish and English reading

This edited reading companion follows Lucía’s first vlog as she tries three ice cream shops and explores Seville. It condenses the conversations and translates their meaning; it is not a word-for-word transcript. Prices and opening observations belong to the visit in the video, published in May 2024, and the rankings are her personal tastes. Songs and song lyrics are omitted. Open a timestamp to hear the original scene.

0:29 — Ice cream for breakfast

Spanish: Hoy no he desayunado porque voy a desayunar con vosotros algo que me encanta: helado. Nunca lo he tomado para desayunar, pero solo se vive una vez.

English: Today I have not had breakfast because I am going to have something I love for breakfast with you: ice cream. I have never had it for breakfast, but you only live once.

Spanish: Hace un día precioso y el cielo está despejado. No parece que vaya a llover, así que no me he traído paraguas. Espero que no llueva.

English: It is a beautiful day and the sky is clear. It does not look as though it will rain, so I have not brought an umbrella. I hope it does not rain.

0:59 — Orange trees and the bus

Spanish: Estos árboles son naranjos: dan naranjas. Muchos naranjos de las calles de Sevilla dan naranjas amargas, que no se suelen comer frescas como las dulces.

English: These trees are orange trees: they produce oranges. Many orange trees in Seville’s streets produce bitter oranges, which are not usually eaten fresh like sweet oranges.

Spanish: Ahí está la parada de autobús. Vamos a coger el autobús para ir al centro y buscar el mejor helado de Sevilla; mejor, en este vídeo, significa el favorito de Lucía.

English: There is the bus stop. We are going to take the bus into the center and look for Seville’s best ice cream; best, in this video, means Lucía’s personal favorite.

2:05 — Dying of hunger

Spanish: Son las diez menos cuarto y tengo mucha, mucha hambre. Me muero de hambre. También decimos me muero de sed o me muero de ganas de verte.

English: It is quarter to ten and I am very, very hungry. I am starving. We also say I am dying of thirst or I cannot wait to see you.

Spanish: Lucía se monta en el autobús y se sienta atrás, al lado de una ventana, para ver las vistas. Al bajar, ve a la policía y bromea: ¡Socorro!

English: Lucía gets on the bus and sits at the back, beside a window, to look at the view. After getting off, she sees the police and jokes: Help!

3:21 — Too early for the ice cream shop

Spanish: Ya estamos en el centro, pero la heladería que le gusta está cerrada a las diez y media de la mañana. Lucía dice que no son horas de comer helado.

English: We are already in the center, but the ice cream shop she likes is closed at half past ten in the morning. Lucía says it is not the time of day for ice cream.

Spanish: Vamos a dar una vuelta y luego volveré a desayunar mi helado. Mientras tanto, sigue teniendo muchísima hambre.

English: Let us go for a walk, and then I will come back to have my ice cream for breakfast. In the meantime, she is still very hungry.

3:48 — The cathedral

Spanish: Esta es la catedral de Sevilla. A Lucía le parece gigante y preciosa, especialmente por dentro, y muestra las colas de turistas que esperan para entrar.

English: This is Seville Cathedral. Lucía thinks it is enormous and beautiful, especially inside, and shows the queues of tourists waiting to go in.

Spanish: Una catedral es la iglesia donde un obispo tiene su sede o cátedra. Su nombre no depende simplemente de ser la iglesia más grande de una ciudad.

English: A cathedral is the church where a bishop has his seat, or cathedra. Its name does not simply depend on being the largest church in a city.

5:07 — A hotel and saying goodbye

Spanish: Lucía muestra las palmeras y el Hotel Alfonso XIII. Le parece muy bonito y muy caro. Después se despide diciendo chao.

English: Lucía shows the palm trees and the Hotel Alfonso XIII. She thinks it is very beautiful and very expensive. Then she says goodbye with chao.

Spanish: Chao es una despedida informal en español, como adiós o hasta luego. Viene del italiano ciao, que en italiano sirve tanto para saludar como para despedirse.

English: Chao is an informal farewell in Spanish, like goodbye or see you later. It comes from the Italian ciao, which in Italian is used both to greet someone and to say goodbye.

5:57 — Too warm for a coat

Spanish: Otra frase con me muero de es me muero de calor. Lucía ha traído un abrigo muy gordo y abrigado, pero ahora tiene mucho calor.

English: Another phrase with me muero de is me muero de calor: I am boiling. Lucía has brought a very thick, warm coat, but now she feels very hot.

Spanish: Dice que en primavera puede hacer frío por la mañana y por la noche, mientras que durante el día hace calor al sol. Se va a quitar el abrigo.

English: She says that in spring it can be cold in the morning and at night, while it is hot in the sun during the day. She is going to take off her coat.

6:35 — A reusable spoon

Spanish: Por fin ha abierto la heladería. Lucía ha traído una cucharita de casa para ayudar al medio ambiente y evitar usar otra.

English: The ice cream shop has finally opened. Lucía has brought a spoon from home to help the environment and avoid using another one.

Spanish: Se tiene que acordar de pedirles a las dependientas que no le den una cucharita. Mira los sabores y le gustan el de cheesecake, el de Kinder Bueno y varios de fruta.

English: She needs to remember to ask the shop assistants not to give her a spoon. She looks at the flavors and likes cheesecake, Kinder Bueno and several fruit flavors.

7:27 — Ordering the first ice cream

Spanish: Quería una tarrina pequeña: mitad tocino de cielo y mitad Kinder Bueno. Cucharita tengo ya. Y con tarjeta, porfa.

English: I would like a small cup: half tocino de cielo and half Kinder Bueno. I already have a spoon. And I will pay by card, please.

Spanish: La tarrina cuesta cuatro euros en esta visita. Lucía recuerda que antes costaba tres y cree que ahora la llenan menos: es su comparación personal con visitas anteriores.

English: The cup costs four euros during this visit. Lucía remembers it previously costing three and thinks they now fill it less: this is her personal comparison with previous visits.

8:19 — My bench!

Spanish: Ahora hay que buscar un sitio para comerse el helado antes de que se derrita. Lucía encuentra un banco y bromea: ¡Mío! ¡Mi banco!

English: Now she needs to find somewhere to eat the ice cream before it melts. Lucía finds a bench and jokes: Mine! My bench!

Spanish: Sentada entre naranjos, disfruta del helado de tocino de cielo. Cree que puede ser su favorito del mundo y que será difícil encontrar un sabor que le gane.

English: Sitting among orange trees, she enjoys the tocino de cielo ice cream. She thinks it may be her favorite in the world and that it will be difficult to find a flavor that beats it.

9:27 — Desayunar and finishing breakfast

Spanish: Para hablar de esta comida, Lucía recomienda desayunar o tomar el desayuno. Voy a desayunar helado es una forma natural y breve de decirlo.

English: To talk about this meal, Lucía recommends desayunar or tomar el desayuno. Voy a desayunar helado is a natural, concise way to say I am going to have ice cream for breakfast.

Spanish: Voy a seguir comiendo y nos vemos cuando termine de desayunar. Después busca una papelera para tirar la tarrina de papel.

English: I am going to keep eating, and I will see you when I finish having breakfast. Afterward, she looks for a bin to throw away the paper cup.

10:17 — Two fruit flavors at Frescura

Spanish: En la siguiente heladería, Lucía pregunta si la tarrina pequeña puede llevar dos sabores. Pide mitad fragola, que en italiano significa fresa, y mitad frutos del bosque.

English: At the next ice cream shop, Lucía asks whether the small cup can have two flavors. She orders half fragola, which is Italian for strawberry, and half mixed berries.

Spanish: La dependienta pregunta si quiere copia del recibo. No me hace falta, muchas gracias. Luego Lucía se da cuenta de que se le ha olvidado pedir que no le pongan cucharilla.

English: The shop assistant asks whether she wants a copy of the receipt. I do not need it, thank you very much. Then Lucía realizes she forgot to ask them not to include a spoon.

11:10 — Finding some shade

Spanish: Esta tarrina ha costado tres euros con cincuenta y, para Lucía, está muy llena. Busca un banco que tenga algo de sombra porque hace mucho sol.

English: This cup cost three euros fifty, and Lucía thinks it is very generously filled. She looks for a bench with some shade because it is very sunny.

Spanish: Un señor se sienta en el banco que ella quería y Lucía bromea con que le ha robado la sombrita. No pasa nada: encontrará otro sitio y probará el helado.

English: A man sits on the bench she wanted, and Lucía jokes that he has stolen her little patch of shade. Never mind: she will find another spot and taste the ice cream.

11:51 — Strawberry and a walk

Spanish: De estos dos sabores, le gusta más el de fresa porque es más dulce. Le encanta notar el sabor de la fruta y cree que puede competir con el tocino de cielo.

English: Of these two flavors, she prefers strawberry because it is sweeter. She loves tasting the fruit and thinks it can compete with tocino de cielo.

Spanish: Está llenísima, así que antes de ir a por otro helado va a dar un paseo. Dice que hay que bajar el helado: aquí significa caminar un poco después de comer.

English: She is absolutely full, so before going to get another ice cream she is going for a walk. She says she needs to bajar el helado: here she means to walk around a little after eating.

13:07 — Plaza de España

Spanish: La Plaza de España es el lugar favorito de Lucía en Sevilla. Le encantan los bancos y las escenas históricas representadas en azulejos.

English: Plaza de España is Lucía’s favorite place in Seville. She loves the benches and the historical scenes depicted in tiles.

Spanish: Los cuarenta y ocho bancos de azulejos representan provincias españolas, no todas las ciudades del país. Es un lugar con muchos detalles que observar durante el paseo.

English: The forty-eight tiled benches represent Spanish provinces, rather than every city in the country. It is a place with many details to look at during the walk.

14:12 — Crossing to Triana

Spanish: Lucía mira las nubes y espera que no llueva. La última heladería está al otro lado del río, en el barrio de Triana.

English: Lucía looks at the clouds and hopes it will not rain. The final ice cream shop is across the river, in the Triana neighborhood.

Spanish: Cruza el puente de Triana sobre el Guadalquivir. Bromea con que es un río aceptable y se pregunta cómo estará su barriga después de tanto helado.

English: She crosses the Triana bridge over the Guadalquivir. She jokes that it is an acceptable river and wonders how her stomach will feel after so much ice cream.

15:51 — Cherry ice cream at Martonela

Spanish: Ya hemos llegado a la heladería Martonela. La tarrina pequeña solo puede llevar un sabor, así que Lucía pide cereza y paga con tarjeta.

English: We have arrived at the Martonela ice cream shop. The small cup can have only one flavor, so Lucía orders cherry and pays by card.

Spanish: Cuesta dos euros con ochenta y viene con una galleta. De las tres tarrinas pequeñas que ha comprado ese día, esta es la más barata.

English: It costs two euros eighty and comes with a biscuit. Of the three small cups she bought that day, this one is the cheapest.

16:59 — Her personal ranking

Spanish: El helado de cereza es un poco ácido, pero también dulce. Lucía lo pone en primer lugar; después vienen el tocino de cielo de La Abuela y la fresa de Frescura.

English: The cherry ice cream is a little tart, but also sweet. Lucía puts it first; next come La Abuela’s tocino de cielo and Frescura’s strawberry.

Spanish: Aun así, dice que los tres podrían estar en primer lugar porque son maravillosos. Pide que los espectadores comenten si les ha gustado este formato de videoblog.

English: Even so, she says all three could take first place because they are wonderful. She asks viewers to comment on whether they enjoyed this video-blog format.

18:12 — The next day

Spanish: Al día siguiente, Lucía dice que le duele mucho la garganta y cree que también tiene fiebre. Sospecha que tomar tantos helados por la calle no le ha sentado bien.

English: The next day, Lucía says her throat really hurts and thinks she also has a fever. She suspects that eating so much ice cream while out and about did not agree with her.

Spanish: Es su comentario al final del vlog, no una causa demostrada de sus síntomas. Su paseo nos ha servido para practicar pedidos, sabores, lugares y expresiones cotidianas.

English: That is her comment at the end of the vlog, rather than a proven cause of her symptoms. Her walk has given us practice with ordering, flavors, places and everyday expressions.

Useful words and expressions

• heladería / tarrina: Ice cream shop / small ice cream cup or tub in these orders.
• naranjo / naranja amarga: Orange tree / bitter orange. Bitter oranges are used for products such as marmalade; the fresh fruit is different from a sweet eating orange.
• el cielo está despejado: The sky is clear.
• me muero de hambre / sed / calor: I am starving / dying of thirst / boiling. These exaggerations express a strong feeling, not literal dying.
• me muero de ganas de verte: I cannot wait to see you.
• las diez menos cuarto: Quarter to ten: 9:45.
• dar una vuelta: Go for a walk or wander around here.
• catedral: Cathedral: the church where a bishop has his seat. Size alone is not the definition, and cathedral is not restricted to Catholic churches in English.
• chao / ciao: Spanish chao is an informal goodbye. Italian ciao can mean both hello and goodbye.
• desayunar / tomar el desayuno: Have breakfast. These are Lucía’s recommended natural expressions in this lesson.
• tocino de cielo: A set egg-yolk and syrup dessert. Here it names an ice cream flavor; it does not mean bacon in the ice cream.
• con tarjeta, porfa: By card, please. Porfa is an informal shortening of por favor.
• se me va a derretir: It is going to melt on me; here she means her ice cream.
• papelera / copia: Rubbish bin (US: trash can) / copy of the payment receipt here.
• fragola / fresa / frutos del bosque: Italian strawberry / Spanish strawberry / mixed berries.
• sombra / sombrita: Shade / a little patch of shade. English shade suits the place she wants to sit; shadow would suggest a particular cast shape.
• llenísima / ácido: Absolutely full / tart or sour when describing this fruit flavor.
• bajar el helado: Walk around a little after eating, in Lucía’s informal description; it is not a nutritional rule.
• banco / provincia: Bench in these scenes, rather than bank / province. The tiled benches at Plaza de España represent provinces, not all Spanish cities.
• me duele la garganta: My throat hurts. Her final symptoms and suspicion are personal observations, not a diagnosis or proven cause.

Replay an ordering scene with subtitles, then order your own two flavors aloud. Retell a short part of Lucía’s walk in three simple Spanish sentences.