Frida Kahlo is one of the greats of Mexican culture. She is also, increasingly, held up as a feminist icon.
In this listening, aimed at intermediate or advanced beginner students, we’ll find out some basic facts about her life.
We’ll also learn some new Spanish vocabulary too!
By OsBlanco – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=83571994
Key vocabulary
Vocabulary related to art and artists
| pintora | painter (female) |
| pintor | painter (male) |
| retrato | portrait |
| autorretrato | self-portrait |
| pintar | to paint |
Vocabulary related to relationships
| matrimonio | marriage |
| casarse | to marry / get married |
| divorciarse | to divorce / get divorced |
| relación sentimental | relationship |
| amante | lover |
| aventura amorosa | affair |
Frida Kahlo fue una pintora mexicana. Nació en Coyocán, Mexico el 6 de julio de 1907. Su nombre completo era Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo Calderón.
El 17 de septiembre de 1925 su vida quedó marcada por las graves lesiones que sufrió como consecuencia de un accidente de tráfico cuando viajaba en un autobús. Comenzó a pintar poco después de sufrir el accidente.
Muchos de los cuadros de Frida Kahlo son autorretratos. Reflejan el dolor que sufría debido a las secuelas del accidente y también su obsesión con su propio cuerpo.
La vida privada de Frida fue bastante complicada, especialmente debido a su relación sentimental con el muralista Diego Rivera. Los dos artistas se casaron el 21 de agosto de 1929 pero su matrimonio fue bastante ‘liberal’. Ambos tuvieron amantes y aventuras amorosas. Se cree que uno de los amantes de Frida fue el revolucionario, León Trotsky, que vivió en su casa entre 1937 y 1939. Frida y Diego se divorciaron en 1939 pero volvieron a casarse un año más tarde.
En los últimos años de su vida Frida solía decir que lo único que la mantenía viva era su relación con Diego.
Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter. She was born in Coyocan, Mexico, on 6 July, 1907. Her full name was Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo Calderón.
On 17 September 1925 her life would be changed irreparably, as a consequence of severe injuries which she suffered in a traffic accident when she was a passenger on a bus. She started to paint very soon after the accident.
Many of Frida Kahlo’s paintings are self-portraits. They reflect both the pain that she suffered as a result of her injuries from the crash, and the obsession that she had for her own body.
Frida’s private life was very complicated, due, specially, to her relationship with the mural painter, Diego Rivera, The two artists married on 21 August 1929, but their marriage was particularly ‘liberal’. Both had lovers and extramarital affairs. It’s believed that one of Frida’s lovers was the revolutionary, Leo Trotsky, who lived in her house from 1937 to 1939. Frida and Diego divorced in 1939, but they married again one year later.
In the last years of her life, Frida frequently said that the only thing that kept her alive was her relationship with Diego.
due to…
to get married
(another example of reflexive verbs)
Severe injuries
The verb ‘Ser’ in the past has the same form as the verb ‘ir’:
Fui – I was
Fuiste – You were
Fue – He/She/It was*
Fuimos – We were
Fuisteis – You were
Fueron – They were*
*also used for usted(es)
Reflexive verbs from the listening:
Casarse – Get married
Divorciarse – Get divorced
Creerse – To be believed
Spanish reflexive verbs are often used for RECIPROCAL actions (casarse, divorciarse). However, sometimes their use corresponds to the English passive voice (creerse).
By S. Bollmann - Own work This file was uploaded with Commonist., CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51154976 
Spanish reflexive verbs 
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