Spanish GCSE Reading and Grammar – Constance e Imran Episode 17 (learn through a novel)
TOPIC: Spanish Irregular Verbs in the Present Tense (Yo → -go) Explained — Learn with Examples and Reading Practice
In every blog you will always find the same format:
- The story episode in Spanish.
- The translation into English.
- A grammar explanation with examples from the story.
This way you can practise reading, understanding and grammar, all at the same time.
Constance e Imran – episodio 17
Constance and Imran – Episode 17
Imran llega tarde. Su madre está esperándolo.
Imran arrives late. His mother is waiting for him.
—¿Dónde estabas? —pregunta sin mirarlo.
“Where were you?” she asks without looking at him.
—Fuera… necesitaba pensar. Mamá, tengo que decirte algo.
“Outside… I needed to think. Mum, I have to tell you something.”
—Si vas a decirme que te distraes con esa chica inglesa, no quiero oírlo.
“If you’re going to tell me that you’re distracted by that English girl, I don’t want to hear it.”
Él niega con la cabeza.
He shakes his head.
—No soy el hijo que esperas.
“I’m not the son you expect.”
—¿De qué hablas, Imran?
“What are you talking about, Imran?”
—No soy como los demás.
“I’m not like the others.”
Ella cierra los ojos, como si no quisiera escuchar.
She closes her eyes, as if she didn’t want to listen.
—Te sacrificamos todo, Imran. Todo.
“We sacrificed everything for you, Imran. Everything.”
Él siente que las palabras se le queman en la garganta.
He feels the words burning in his throat.
—Yo también hago sacrificios. Cada día me pongo una máscara para que no me odies.
“I also make sacrifices. Every day I put on a mask so that you don’t hate me.”
Ella se da vuelta.
She turns around.
—Entonces sigue poniéndotela.
“Then keep wearing it.”
Él la mira, con lágrimas que no caen.
He looks at her, with tears that don’t fall.
—Después, cuando ya no esté, vas a decir que no lo sabías. Soy gay.
“Afterwards, when I’m gone, you’ll say you didn’t know. I am gay.”
Ella aprieta los labios.
She presses her lips together.
—¿Cómo puedo aceptar esto?
“How can I accept this?”
—Esto se llama Imran y es tu hijo.
“This is called Imran, and it’s your son.”
📘 GRAMMAR:
We continue discussing irregular verbs in the present tense. There is a little group of verbs which take the go ending in the yo form. Here are some examples from our episode:
- Tengo que decirte algo. → I have to tell you something.
- Yo también hago sacrificios. → I also make sacrifices.
- Cada día me pongo una máscara. → Every day I put on a mask.
Here is the whole list of verbs with this irregularity:
| YO -GO | English meaning |
|---|---|
| yo caigo | I fall |
| yo digo | I say |
| yo hago | I do / I make |
| yo oigo | I hear |
| yo pongo | I put |
| yo salgo | I leave |
| yo tengo | I have |
| yo traigo | I bring |
| yo vengo | I come |
🔴 Remember: the only irregular form is yo, so you don’t see the g in the rest of the tense. Look at this example:
| Verbo | Forma | Traducción |
|---|---|---|
| hacer | yo hago | I do / I make |
| tú haces | you do / you make | |
| él, ella, usted hace | he/she makes or does, you (formal) make or do | |
| nosotros, nosotras hacemos | we do / we make | |
| vosotros, vosotras hacéis | you all do / make | |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes hacen | they / you (plural) do / make |
💡 TIP:
Then is not always the same in Spanish.
In English, we often use “then” for both time and consequence. But in Spanish, we use different words depending on what we mean:
- luego / después → talk about time (what happens after something).
- entonces → shows consequence (what happens because of something).
👉 Voy a comer y después (o luego) voy a dormir. → I’m going to eat and then I’m going to sleep.
👉 Tienes hambre, entonces come. → You’re hungry, then eat.
Remember:
If it means “after that”, use después or luego.
If it means “so / therefore”, use entonces.
Find all the episodes here: Spanish for London — Contents GCSE Spanish
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