English and the World · Spain · 12 · Almería · A1–C2 · A1–A2 free
Dry hills and dusty valleys, cowboys and horses, a saloon in the sun, and the films that made a corner of Spain famous around the world. Choose your level.
Tabernas
About 30 kilometres north of Almería there is a dry, brown land of hills and valleys: the Desert of Tabernas. It rarely rains here, and in summer it is very hot. People call it Europe’s only desert.
In the 1960s, film makers from Italy and America came here. The desert looked like the American West, so they made westerns: films about cowboys, horses and sheriffs. They built whole towns of wood, with a saloon, a bank and a jail.
At Mini Hollywood
“Have you ever seen a western?” “Yes, I have. I love The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Parts of it were filmed here!” “Have you ever ridden a horse?” “No, I ’ve never ridden a horse, but I’d like to.”
Today you can visit three of the old film towns. In the afternoon there is a show: cowboys fight in the street and a bandit falls from the roof of the saloon. Many famous films have been made here, and the desert has appeared in adverts and TV series too.
🦉 Want more? Sophia explains the present perfect, and when we use it, in Two Points Joined (Philo & Sophia, Lesson 3).
Language: Have you ever…?
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| asking about experiences in your life | Have you ever + past participle? | Have you ever seen a western? |
| short answers | Yes, I have. / No, I haven’t. | “Have you ever been to Almería?” “Yes, I have.” |
| saying it has not happened | I’ve never + past participle | I’ve never ridden a horse. |
| a specific time in the past | past simple | I saw it last year. |
⚠️ With a time like yesterday, last year, in 2020, use the past simple: I went there last year, not ✗ I have been there last year. And been to means visited: I’ve been to Tabernas.
Read the texts first. Press “Check my answers” at the end.
Choose the best answer.
1. What is the Desert of Tabernas like?
2. Why did film makers come to Tabernas?
3. What did they build?
4. What happens in the afternoon show?
Write the missing word.
5. Have you seen a western?
6. “Have you ever been to Almería?” “Yes, I .”
7. “Have you ever ridden a horse?” “No, I .”
8. I’ve been to a desert. (not at any time)
Write the past participle.
9. Have you ever The Good, the Bad and the Ugly? (see)
10. I’ve never a horse. (ride)
11. Have you ever to Tabernas? (be)
12. I to Mini Hollywood last year. (go, past simple)
Go there!
Visit: one of the film towns: Oasys Mini Hollywood, Fort Bravo or Western Leone. Go in spring or autumn, not in August! Bring a hat, sun cream and water, and stay for the show.
Your task: write six questions with Have you ever…? and ask a friend or family member. Write their answers.
It tells how a dry corner of Spain played Texas, Mexico and Arabia, why Italian directors came to film American stories in Almería, how a low-budget genre changed cinema, and how the language of film keeps inventing words, with grammar, practice, etymology and a visit plan.
The A1–A2 version above is free for everyone.
It tells how a dry corner of Spain played Texas, Mexico and Arabia, why Italian directors came to film American stories in Almería, how a low-budget genre changed cinema, and how the language of film keeps inventing words, with grammar, practice, etymology and a visit plan.
The A1–A2 version above is free for everyone.