English and the World · Spain · 41 · Seville · A1–C2 · A1–A2 free
A Christian king’s palace that looks like a Muslim one, patios of tiles and water, a royal wedding, the bathing pool of a king’s beloved, and gardens where dragons were once filmed. Choose your level.
The Real Alcázar, Seville
The Real Alcázar is the royal palace of Seville, next to the Cathedral. It looks like a palace from al-Andalus, with tiles, carved plaster, fountains and Arabic writing on the walls. But a Muslim king didn’t build the most famous part!
A Christian king, Pedro I of Castile, built it in 1364. He didn’t want a Gothic palace: he loved the style of Granada, and his friend, the Muslim king of Granada, sent him craftsmen. So the workers made a palace in the Moorish style for a Christian king. This style is called Mudéjar.
A visit
The most beautiful place is the Courtyard of the Maidens, with a long pool and arches all around it. In the Hall of the Ambassadors, a golden dome shines above your head.
The gardens are very big, with orange trees, palm trees, fountains and peacocks. Under the palace there are old baths with a long, quiet pool. In 2014, people filmed scenes of the TV series Game of Thrones here.
Did the kings of Spain live here? Yes, they did, and the royal family still stays in the palace when they visit Seville.
🦉 Want more? Sophia explains the past simple, negatives and questions included, in An Incident with a Shelf (Philo & Sophia, Lesson 2).
Language: the past simple, negative and questions
| Form | How | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Positive | verb + -ed, or irregular | He built the palace in 1364. |
| Negative | didn’t + base verb | A Muslim king didn’t build it. |
| Question | Did + subject + base verb? | Did the kings live here? |
| Short answers | Yes, … did. / No, … didn’t. | Yes, they did. No, he didn’t. |
| With be | wasn’t / weren’t, Was / Were…? | It wasn’t a Muslim palace. Was it beautiful? |
⚠️ After didn’t and did, use the base verb: he didn’t build, not ✗ he didn’t built.
Read the texts first. Press “Check my answers” at the end.
Choose the best answer.
1. Who built the most famous part of the Alcázar?
2. Who sent Pedro I craftsmen?
3. What is the Mudéjar style?
4. What happened in the gardens in 2014?
Write the negative (didn’t + verb).
5. A Muslim king (build) the most famous part.
6. Pedro I (want) a Gothic palace.
7. The palace (be) built by Muslims.
8. We (see) the baths: they were closed.
Write the missing word.
9. the kings of Spain live here? Yes, they did.
10. Did Pedro I (build) a Gothic palace? No, he didn’t.
11. Did the craftsmen come from France? No, they .
12. the Hall of the Ambassadors beautiful? Yes, it was!
Go there!
Visit: buy your ticket online and go early: the queue can be long. See the Courtyard of the Maidens, the Hall of the Ambassadors, the baths under the palace and the gardens. Allow two or three hours. The entrance is through the red Lion Gate, in the square next to the Cathedral.
Your task: write six sentences about a place you visited: three things you did and three things you didn’t do.
It tells how nine centuries of rulers built over one another, why a Christian king covered his palace in Arabic inscriptions, how the Americas trade and a royal wedding came to the Alcázar, and whether Pedro I was “the Cruel” or “the Just”, with grammar, practice, etymology and a visit plan.
The A1–A2 version above is free for everyone.
It tells how nine centuries of rulers built over one another, why a Christian king covered his palace in Arabic inscriptions, how the Americas trade and a royal wedding came to the Alcázar, and whether Pedro I was “the Cruel” or “the Just”, with grammar, practice, etymology and a visit plan.
The A1–A2 version above is free for everyone.