Fidel Castro was one of the most charismatic and controversial leaders of the twentieth century. In this two-minute audio class we’ll hear about his life and we’ll see some great examples of how to use past tenses in Spanish.
Key vocabulary
| revolución | revolution |
| líder | leader |
| gobierno | government |
| dictador | dictator |
| primer ministro | prime minister |
| presidente | president |
Fidel Castro nació en Birán, Cuba, en 1926. Fue uno de los líderes de la revolución comunista de finales de los años cincuenta. En 1959, después de derrocar al gobierno del dictador, Batista ,Fidel fue elegido primer ministro de Cuba y en 1976 fue elegido presidente de Cuba. Dejó la presidencia en 2011 debido a su mala salud y murió 5 años después, en 2016.
Fidel Castro was born in Biran, Cuba in 1926. He was one of the leaders of the communist revolution of the late 1950s. In 1959, after overthrowing the government of the dictator, Batista, Fidel was chosen as prime minister of Cuba, and In 1976 he was chosen as president of Cuba. He left the presidency in 2011 due to bad health and died 5 years later, in 2016.
One of…
due to…
after…
(he) was
(he) was born
(he) died
Nació – he/she/it was born
Fue – he/she/it was
Dejó – he/she/it left
Murió – he/she/it died
This tense corresponds to the English Simple Past and is used in a similar way.
Condemn me. It does not matter. History will absolve me.
Fidel Castro speaking after his 1953 trial for one of the early rebel attacks which heralded the start of the revolution. This statement is a good example of the Imperative tense.
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