English and the World · Spain · 45 · Seville · A1–C2 · A1–A2 free
A half-moon of brick and painted tiles, a canal with little boats, a park of palms and fountains, and a great exhibition that took twenty years to open. Choose your level.
The Plaza de España
The Plaza de España is a huge square in the shape of a half circle, with two tall towers. It was built for a big exhibition, the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929, to show Spain and its friendship with the countries of the Americas. The architect was Aníbal González, from Seville.
In front of the building there is a canal with four bridges. Along the walls there are tiled benches, one for each Spanish province, with a map and a picture from its history. Next to the square is María Luisa Park, with palm trees, fountains and white doves.
At the canal
“Excuse me. Can we hire a boat?” “Yes, of course. The tickets are over there.” “Can I pay by card?” “Yes, you can.” “Can my dog come in the boat?” “No, sorry, dogs can’t go in the boats.”
“Could you take a photo of us, please?” “Sure!” “Can we sit on the benches?” “Yes, you can. Everybody looks for the bench of their own province!”
🦉 Want more? Sophia explains can, could and the other modal verbs in How Sure, How Allowed, How Obliged (Philo & Sophia, Lesson 6).
Language: can and could for requests and permission
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| asking for permission | Can I / we + verb? | Can we hire a boat? |
| asking someone to do something | Can / Could you + verb? | Could you take a photo of us, please? |
| giving permission | Yes, you can. | “Can I pay by card?” “Yes, you can.” |
| refusing | No, sorry, you can’t. | Dogs can’t go in the boats. |
⚠️ Could you…? is a little more polite than Can you…? Add please, and no to after can: Can I pay, not ✗ Can I to pay.
Read the texts first. Press “Check my answers” at the end.
Choose the best answer.
1. Why was the Plaza de España built?
2. What shape is the square?
3. What is on the tiled benches?
4. Can dogs go in the boats?
Write the missing word.
5. we hire a boat, please?
6. Can pay by card? (me, the speaker)
7. Could take a photo of us, please?
8. Can we sit here, ? (polite word)
Write can or can’t.
9. “Can I pay by card?” “Yes, you .”
10. Sorry, dogs go in the boats.
11. Everybody sit on the benches. They are for the public.
12. Can I now? (pay / to pay / pays)
Go there!
Visit: walk around the Plaza de España and find the bench of a province you know. Hire a boat on the canal, then walk through María Luisa Park to the Plaza de América, with its doves and two museums. Go in the late afternoon, when the light on the bricks is golden.
Your task: write a short dialogue at a ticket office or a café, with four questions using Can I…?, Can we…? and Could you…?, and their answers.
It tells how Seville spent twenty years preparing to show itself to Spain and the Americas, why a half-moon of brick and tiles was built for a few months of exhibition, how a princess’s garden became the city’s park, and why the bill arrived just as the world economy collapsed, with grammar, practice, etymology and a visit plan.
The A1–A2 version above is free for everyone.
It tells how Seville spent twenty years preparing to show itself to Spain and the Americas, why a half-moon of brick and tiles was built for a few months of exhibition, how a princess’s garden became the city’s park, and why the bill arrived just as the world economy collapsed, with grammar, practice, etymology and a visit plan.
The A1–A2 version above is free for everyone.