Heart (Cuore) (Corazón) for Spanish learners: level, words and how to read it
Cuore was for decades the most read children’s book in Italy and in much of Latin America, and many adults still remember crying over it. In Spanish it is a gentle, everyday read: school, family, friends. This is an uncredited Spanish translation from a Mexican edition. Here is how hard it is and how to read it.
- Author
- Edmondo De Amicis
- Translation
- Uncredited
- Level
- B1–B2
- Words
- 87,440
- Parts
- 10
- Reading time
- ≈ 10 h
Read Corazón in Booklex
Free in Booklex: tap any word for its translation in context.
What the book is about
Enrique, a boy in the third grade of a school in Turin, keeps a diary for one school year, from October to July. He writes about his teacher, his classmates (big, kind Garrón, the brilliant Deroso, the cruel Franti, the son of a bricklayer who can pull a hare’s face) and about the poor, the sick and the workers of the city.
Between the diary entries come letters from his father and mother, and every month the teacher reads a short story about a brave child, such as “De los Apeninos a los Andes”, in which a boy from Genoa crosses the ocean to find his mother in Argentina. The edition opens with a prize-winning essay on the book by J. M. Puig Casauranc.
Themes
- School and friendship. Classroom life, rivalries, kindness and the end of the year.
- Family. Parents who teach through letters full of love and sometimes reproach.
- Poverty and dignity. Chimney sweeps, greengrocers, bricklayers and blind children are treated with respect.
- Duty and courage. The monthly tales show children doing brave things for others.
How hard is Heart (Cuore) to read in Spanish?
How many unknown words will you meet? With a vocabulary of about 2,000 words, roughly 14 in every hundred, since those words cover 86.5% of the text. With 5,000 words it is about 8 in a hundred, with 10,000 about 5. Character names are not counted.
Measured by vocabulary alone, the book is B2: that is the level at which almost every word is already familiar (why 98% matters). Tap-to-translate covers the rest, so you can start at B1–B2. On our list it sits between The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, which is a little easier, and Niebla, which is a little harder.
What is hard: the book is long, almost ten hours, and it is sentimental, with many emotional words (sollozar, encarnado, semblante). The father’s letters are written in a formal, moralising style. The spelling is mostly modern, with a few old accents. What helps: the vocabulary is close to everyday Spanish, the entries are short (one or two pages), the dates give a clear structure, and the monthly stories can be read on their own.
Our take: B1–B2 with tap-to-translate (B2 by vocabulary). One of the easiest books on this list, ideal for reading a little every day.
Words to know before you start
The book’s own vocabulary: frequent in this text, much less common elsewhere. Ten minutes with this list makes the opening chapters smoother.
| Word | Meaning | Times in the book |
|---|---|---|
| sonreír | to smile | 35 |
| encarnado | red, flushed | 30 |
| sollozar | to sob | 19 |
| tintero | inkwell | 15 |
| asomar | to appear, to lean out | 14 |
| semblante | face, expression | 13 |
| ramito | small bunch of flowers | 12 |
| verdulera | greengrocer (woman) | 12 |
| regañar | to scold | 11 |
| deshollinador | chimney sweep | 7 |
How to read it in Spanish
- Read one entry a day. They are short, dated and follow the school year, so you can read along with the calendar.
- Start with a monthly story if you prefer plot. “De los Apeninos a los Andes”, in May, is the most famous.
- Skim the father’s letters at first. They are the most formal parts; come back to them later.
- Use it for everyday vocabulary. School, family and city words here are the ones you use every day.
The first line
Hoy ¡primer día de clase! ¡Pasaron como un sueño aquellos tres meses de vacaciones, consumidos en el campo!
Edmondo De Amicis, Corazónprimer día de clasefirst day of schoolphrase in context
Tap a highlighted word
“Today, the first day of school! Those three months of holidays in the countryside passed like a dream!” The first entry, dated Monday 17 October. Enrique writes the way a child talks, with exclamations and short sentences, which makes the first pages very easy to read.
Frequently asked questions
Is Heart (Cuore) hard to read in Spanish?
Not very. The vocabulary is close to everyday Spanish and the diary entries are short. The book is long and the father’s letters are formal, but with tap-to-translate it works from B1–B2.
What Spanish level do I need for Heart (Cuore)?
B1–B2 with tap-to-translate. By vocabulary alone the book is B2. If it feels too hard, start with The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, which is a little easier.
