Before You Call Him Weird
Mateo is seventeen and hardly ever leaves his bedroom. He used to be cheerful and sociable, but something has changed. What can we learn when we look beyond first impressions?
In this Spanish Super Tutor lesson with Teacher Miguel, you’ll practise Spanish through a story about friendship, isolation and seeking support.
This lesson is designed for A2–B1 learners who want to develop their reading and listening skills, expand their vocabulary and describe changes between the past and the present.
Meet Mateo
Read this introduction in Spanish:
Mateo tiene diecisiete años y casi nunca sale de su habitación. Pasa gran parte del día jugando a los videojuegos frente a su ordenador. Antes era un chico alegre y sociable, pero dejó de salir con sus amigos.
How much did you understand?
We know where Mateo spends his time and how his habits have changed. However, we don’t yet know why.
That distinction is central to this lesson: describing someone’s behaviour is not the same as understanding their story.
Watch Video 1: What Is Happening to Mateo?
Watch the accompanying video once without pausing. Focus on the main events rather than trying to understand every word.
Listen for the answers to these questions:
¿Cómo era Mateo antes? What was Mateo like before?
¿Qué ha cambiado en su vida? What has changed in his life?
¿Qué descubren sus padres? What do his parents discover?
Then watch again and note the words or phrases that help you explain his situation.
Read Mateo’s Story
Mateo es un chico de diecisiete años que casi nunca sale de su habitación.
Pasa mucho tiempo aislado y evita relacionarse con otras personas.
Dedica gran parte del día a jugar a los videojuegos frente a su ordenador.
En el barrio, algunas personas lo consideran diferente e incluso dicen que es raro, aunque no conocen su historia.
Antes, Mateo era un chico muy simpático y alegre con todos.
Sin embargo, todo cambió cuando dejó de hablar y de salir con sus amigos.
Ahora juega hasta altas horas de la noche y duerme muy poco.
Un día, sus padres, muy preocupados por estos cambios, lo llevaron a un psicólogo.
Durante las consultas, empezaron a comprender qué le estaba ocurriendo.
El psicólogo explicó que Mateo tenía un problema de ansiedad social.
Además, descubrieron que había sufrido acoso escolar en el instituto.
Algunos compañeros lo trataban muy mal y se burlaban de él.
Después de aquella experiencia, Mateo había empezado a evitar el contacto con los demás.
Ahora, con el apoyo de sus padres y de su psicólogo, intenta recuperar la confianza y volver a salir poco a poco.
Useful Spanish Vocabulary
These expressions will help you understand the story and talk about changes in someone’s life:
Spanish | English |
Casi nunca | Hardly ever |
Aislarse | To isolate oneself |
Dejar de salir | To stop going out |
Hasta altas horas de la noche | Until late at night |
Preocuparse por alguien | To worry about someone |
Burlarse de alguien | To make fun of someone |
Sufrir acoso escolar | To experience bullying at school |
Recuperar la confianza | To regain confidence |
Volver a salir | To start going out again |
Poco a poco | Little by little |
Your turn: choose three expressions and write a sentence with each one. You can write about Mateo or invent another fictional character.
Grammar Focus: Before and Now
Mateo’s story gives you opportunities to compare past habits with present circumstances.
Describing the past
The imperfect tense describes what Mateo was like and what happened regularly:
Antes, Mateo era alegre y sociable.Before, Mateo was cheerful and sociable.
Algunos compañeros se burlaban de él.Some classmates used to make fun of him.
Identifying a change
The preterite helps move the story forward:
Mateo dejó de salir con sus amigos.Mateo stopped going out with his friends.
Sus padres lo llevaron a un psicólogo.His parents took him to a psychologist.
Explaining an earlier experience
The pluperfect refers to something that happened before another point in the past:
Descubrieron que Mateo había sufrido acoso escolar.They discovered that Mateo had experienced bullying at school.
Notice how the different tenses help organise the story: background, events and earlier experiences.
Two Structures to Remember
Dejar de + infinitive
Use this structure to explain that someone stops doing something:
Mateo dejó de hablar con sus amigos.Mateo stopped talking to his friends.
Volver a + infinitive
Use this structure to explain that someone does something again:
Mateo intenta volver a salir.Mateo is trying to start going out again.
Complete these sentences about the story:
Antes, Mateo era…
Después, dejó de…
Ahora, intenta volver a…
Check Your Understanding
Answer these questions in Spanish:
¿Cuántos años tiene Mateo?
¿Dónde pasa gran parte del día?
¿Cómo era antes?
¿Por qué se preocuparon sus padres?
¿Cómo lo trataban algunos compañeros?
¿Quiénes lo apoyan al final de la historia?
You don’t need long answers. Start with one clear sentence for each question.
Look Beyond First Impressions
At the beginning, some people judge Mateo without knowing what has happened to him.
Compare these two sentences:
Mateo es raro.
Mateo ha dejado de salir y pasa mucho tiempo solo.
The first labels him.
The second describes his behaviour.
As you discuss the story, try to distinguish between what the text tells us, what other characters think and what we might assume.
For example, the story mentions that Mateo plays video games for many hours. It does not establish that video games caused his anxiety.
Your task is to explain the information presented, not to add a cause that the story does not give.
Your Final Speaking Challenge
Record yourself speaking in Spanish for one to two minutes.
Answer this question:
¿Cómo ha cambiado la vida de Mateo y qué descubrimos sobre su historia?
Use this speaking frame if you need support:
Antes, Mateo…Sin embargo, dejó de…Sus padres se preocuparon porque…Durante las consultas, descubrieron que…Ahora, con ayuda, intenta…
Listen to your recording.
Have you explained the main events clearly? Have you used antes, ahora and at least one past tense?
Continue Learning with Spanish Super Tutor
Work through the accompanying Mateo’s Story: Behind the Screen programme to practise the vocabulary, revisit the grammar and complete the reading and speaking activities with Teacher Miguel.
Understand the story. Notice the language. Tell it in your own words.
Content note: This fictional learning story includes references to bullying, isolation and social anxiety.
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