El ascensor que no llega
A broken elevator in a Buenos Aires apartment building forces two neighbors from different generations into an unexpected conversation that changes their view of each other.
Today's learning
- 3-minute story
- 9 useful words
- 5 comprehension questions
- B2 Spanish
Pre-Reading Vocabulary
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Your Spanish story — tap highlighted words when you need help
El del edificio llevaba tres días y el cartel pegado en la puerta del lobby decía «Próximamente reparado» con una letra que alguien había tachado dos veces. Eran las ocho de la tarde de un jueves húmedo de noviembre. Paula, que vivía en el sexto, bajaba las escaleras cargada con dos mochilas y una bolsa de deporte cuando se encontró a don Ricardo en el del tercero. Don Ricardo tenía ochenta y dos años, vivía en el cuarto y salía. Esa tarde bajaba con una bolsa de pan y un sobre en la mano. Se miraron. Ninguno tenía energía para los cinco pisos restantes. —¿Quiere que le ayude? —dijo Paula señalando la bolsa. Don Ricardo dudó. «Bueno, si no es mucha ...» Subieron juntos. Paula caminaba despacio para que don Ricardo pudiera seguirle el ritmo. En el segundo piso, él se detuvo y dijo: «Antes de , trabajaba en una . Llevo cuarenta años en este edificio». Paula nunca había cruzado más de un «buenos días» con él. Ahora, en el silencio de la escalera, escuchaba cómo don Ricardo describía el Buenos Aires de los años setenta con una que la sorprendió. —Usted sabe cómo era la ciudad antes de que pusieran esos grises por todas partes —dijo él señalando la calle a través de la ventana del —. Todo era más humano. —A veces pienso que la ciudad no hubiera cambiado tanto —dijo Paula casi sin pensarlo. Don Ricardo la miró como si acabara de descubrir que la chica del sexto tenía opiniones. Llegaron al cuarto piso. Don Ricardo abrió la puerta de su y, en lugar de despedirse, dijo: «Si el ascensor no se arregla pronto, mañana a las seis la espero para bajar. Así no sube sola». Paula sonrió. «Ojalá el ascensor tarde un poco más en arreglarse», pensó mientras subía los últimos . No recordaba la última vez que alguien la había esperado al pie de las escaleras. Al dia siguiente, cuando Paula volvia del trabajo, vio a don Ricardo sentado en el banco del lobby con un libro en la mano. Al verla, sonrio y dijo: « lo arreglaron. La esperaba.» Subieron juntos y don Ricardo le conto que su nieta estudiaba , casi lo mismo que hacia Paula. Al llegar al cuarto, Paula dijo: «Manana la espero yo a usted.»
Show full English translation
The building's elevator had been broken for three days and the sign stuck on the lobby door said 'Soon to be repaired' in handwriting that someone had crossed out twice. It was eight o'clock on a humid Thursday evening in November. Paula, who lived on the sixth floor, was coming down the stairs loaded with two backpacks and a gym bag when she ran into Don Ricardo on the third-floor landing. Don Ricardo was eighty-two, lived on the fourth floor and rarely went out. That evening he was coming down with a bag of bread and an envelope in his hand. They looked at each other. Neither had the energy for the remaining five floors. 'Would you like me to help you?' Paula said, pointing at the bag. Don Ricardo hesitated. 'Well, if it's not too much trouble...' They climbed together. Paula walked slowly so Don Ricardo could keep pace. On the second floor, he stopped and said: 'Before I retired, I worked at a printing press. I've lived in this building for forty years.' Paula had never exchanged more than a 'good morning' with him. Now, in the silence of the stairwell, she listened as Don Ricardo described the Buenos Aires of the seventies with a precision that surprised her. 'You know how the city was before they put those grey containers everywhere,' he said, pointing at the street through the landing window. 'Everything was more human.' 'Sometimes I think I wish the city hadn't changed so much,' Paula said almost without thinking. Don Ricardo looked at her as if he had just discovered that the girl from the sixth floor had opinions. They reached the fourth floor. Don Ricardo opened the door to his apartment and, instead of saying goodbye, said: 'If the elevator isn't fixed soon, I'll wait for you tomorrow at six to go down. That way you won't walk up alone.' Paula smiled. 'I hope the elevator takes a little longer to get fixed,' she thought as she climbed the last flights. She couldn't remember the last time someone had waited for her at the bottom of the stairs. The next day, when Paula was returning from work, she saw Don Ricardo sitting on the lobby bench with a book in his hand. Upon seeing her, he smiled and said: They still havent fixed it. I was waiting for you. They went up together and Don Ricardo told her that his granddaughter studied graphic design, almost the same thing Paula did. When they reached the fourth floor, Paula said: Tomorrow I will wait for you.
Reading Comprehension Exercise
B2 Spanish Reading Comprehension Exercises
1. What makes Paula and Don Ricardo's encounter in the stairwell different from their usual interactions?
Correct: The broken elevator forces them to walk together and have an actual conversation
Paula had never exchanged more than 'buenos días' with him. The forced proximity of the stairs creates a space for real conversation.
2. What does Don Ricardo reveal about himself during the climb?
Correct: He used to work at a printing press and has lived in the building for forty years
Don Ricardo states 'Antes de jubilarme, trabajaba en una imprenta. Llevo cuarenta años en este edificio' — two biographical details that humanize him.
3. What does the phrase 'ojalá la ciudad no hubiera cambiado tanto' reveal about Paula?
Correct: She actually shares Don Ricardo's sentiment about urban change, using the pluperfect subjunctive
Paula's use of 'ojalá... no hubiera cambiado' (pluperfect subjunctive with ojalá) shows she shares his regret about urban transformation, expressing a wish for a counterfactual past.
4. What does Don Ricardo offer to do at the end of their encounter?
Correct: Wait for her at six the next day so she doesn't walk alone
Don Ricardo says 'Si el ascensor no se arregla pronto, mañana a las seis la espero para bajar. Así no sube sola' — an offer of companionship born from their conversation.
5. What is the significance of Paula's final thought, 'Ojalá el ascensor tarde un poco más en arreglarse'?
Correct: She secretly hopes the elevator stays broken so they keep meeting
Paula's ironic wish that the elevator take longer to fix reveals that the broken elevator has created a human connection she values — a subtle, B2-level emotional insight.
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Patterns to reuse
Subjunctive of desire with 'ojalá'
Ojalá la ciudad no hubiera cambiado tanto / Ojalá el ascensor tarde un poco más en arreglarse.
I wish the city hadn't changed so much / I hope the elevator takes a little longer to get fixed.
'Ojalá' always triggers the subjunctive — for past wishes or future hopes.
Ojalá + [pluperfect subjunctive / present subjunctive]
- Ojalá no hubiera vendido el piso
- Ojalá llegue pronto el técnico
- Ojalá pudiéramos tomar un café
'Ojalá' (from Arabic 'law šā llāh' — 'if God wills') is the most common Spanish expression for wishes. It takes the present subjunctive for future hopes and the pluperfect subjunctive ('hubiera cambiado') for impossible past wishes.
Hypotheticals with 'como si' + imperfect subjunctive
Don Ricardo la miró como si acabara de descubrir que la chica del sexto tenía opiniones.
Don Ricardo looked at her as if he had just discovered that the girl from the sixth floor had opinions.
'Como si' always requires the imperfect or pluperfect subjunctive.
como si + [imperfect subjunctive]
- Me miró como si me conociera de antes
- Hablaba como si fuera el dueño del edificio
- Caminaba como si tuviera todo el tiempo del mundo
'Como si' (as if) introduces an unreal comparison and always takes the subjunctive — either imperfect ('acabara') for present-like comparisons or pluperfect ('hubiera acabado') for past ones.
Connectors for spontaneous speech: 'total que', 'así que', 'en lugar de'
en lugar de despedirse, dijo: «Si el ascensor no se arregla pronto, la espero para bajar».
instead of saying goodbye, he said: 'If the elevator isn't fixed soon, I'll wait for you to go down.'
These connectors add natural rhythm to narrative dialogue.
en lugar de [infinitive], [new action]
- En lugar de quejarse, ofreció su ayuda
- Así que decidieron bjar juntos
- Total que el ascensor seguía roto
'En lugar de + infinitive' is a concise way to express contrast. 'Así que' and 'total que' are conversational connectors that move the story forward naturally.
Subtle emotional expression through internal thought
«Ojalá el ascensor tarde un poco más en arreglarse», pensó mientras subía los últimos tramos.
'I hope the elevator takes a little longer to get fixed,' she thought as she climbed the last flights.
Interior monologue reveals character growth without explicit summary.
«[internal wish]», [thought verb] [subject] mientras [action].
- «Qué bien que funcione el ascensor», pensó con ironía
- «Quizá mañana lo vuelva a ver», se dijo
- «Ojalá no termine esta conversación», pensó
Paula's unspoken wish that the elevator stay broken reveals her emotional shift more powerfully than any direct statement could — an advanced narrative technique.
Translator's Note
"In Buenos Aires, the word 'ascensor' (elevator) is a daily fixture of the 'colectivo' (bus) and building culture, but 'departamento' (apartment) is the standard term — never 'piso' as in Spain. The phrase 'como si acabara de descubrir' captures that moment of recognition between generations: the elderly man realizing a young person has inner depth. 'Ojalá' is one of Spanish's most beautiful borrowings from Arabic, and its use here — paired with the pluperfect subjunctive 'hubiera cambiado' — marks Paula's Spanish as educated and reflective. The broken ascensor becomes a metaphor for urban isolation: it's the failure of a machine that finally connects two humans."
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