English and the World · Spain · 42 · Seville · A1–C2 · A1–A2 free
A building where merchants once traded, now full of the papers of an empire; a twelve-sided tower that guarded the river; and the quay from which five ships left to sail around the world. Choose your level.
The Archive of the Indies
Between the Cathedral and the Alcázar there is a big, square building with a courtyard. It was built in the 16th century as an exchange, a place for merchants to do business. Today it is an archive: the Archive of the Indies.
Inside, there are millions of pages about the history of Spain in the Americas and the Philippines: letters, maps, lists of ships and drawings. Historians come from all over the world to read them. Visitors can see some of the documents in the exhibition rooms.
The Torre del Oro
Down by the river Guadalquivir there is a famous tower: the Torre del Oro, “the Tower of Gold”. It has twelve sides. The Almohads built it in 1220–1221 to protect the port. Today it is a small naval museum.
In 1519, five ships left a quay near the tower. The leader of the expedition was Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese sailor. Three years later, only one ship came back, with eighteen men. They were the first people to sail around the world.
🦉 Want more? Sophia explains a, an, the and when we use no article at all in A Box, The Box, No Box At All (Philo & Sophia, Lesson 21).
Language: a, an, the, or nothing
| Use | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a / an | one thing, the first time we mention it; an before a vowel sound | a big building, an archive, an exchange |
| the | we know which one: mentioned before, or the only one | the Cathedral, the world, the leader of the expedition |
| the + rivers, centuries | names of rivers, centuries | the Guadalquivir, the 16th century |
| no article | cities, countries, most names; plurals and uncountables in general | Seville, Spain, Magellan; millions of pages; historians |
⚠️ We say a Portuguese sailor but an archive, a university (the sound “you”) but an hour (no “h” sound): it’s the sound that matters, not the letter.
Read the texts first. Press “Check my answers” at the end.
Choose the best answer.
1. What was the Archive building first?
2. What is in the Archive today?
3. How many sides does the Torre del Oro have?
4. Who was Ferdinand Magellan?
Write a or an.
5. Today the building is archive.
6. The Torre del Oro is tower by the river.
7. Magellan was Portuguese sailor.
8. We spent hour in the museum.
Write the, or – if no article is needed.
9. The tower is by river Guadalquivir.
10. The ships left Seville in 1519. (Write – if no word is needed.)
11. They were the first people to sail around world.
12. The building is from 16th century.
Go there!
Visit: the Archive of the Indies is free to enter, next to the Cathedral. Then walk down the Avenida de la Constitución to the river and the Torre del Oro: climb to the top for the view. Across the river is the district of Triana.
Your task: describe a building in your town in six sentences, using a, an and the correctly.
It tells how merchants trading on the cathedral steps got a building of their own, how it became the archive of an empire and why, and how the twelve-sided tower on the river saw the fleets of the Indies, Magellan’s departure and the Victoria’s return, survived the Lisbon earthquake and escaped demolition, with grammar, practice, etymology and a visit plan.
The A1–A2 version above is free for everyone.
It tells how merchants trading on the cathedral steps got a building of their own, how it became the archive of an empire and why, and how the twelve-sided tower on the river saw the fleets of the Indies, Magellan’s departure and the Victoria’s return, survived the Lisbon earthquake and escaped demolition, with grammar, practice, etymology and a visit plan.
The A1–A2 version above is free for everyone.