Frida Kahlo: She Painted Herself
At eighteen, a bus accident kept her in bed for months. So she looked in a mirror and painted herself. Learn five A2 words with the true story of Frida Kahlo.
Transcript
Tap a time to jump to that moment. Highlighted words have a meaning: tap them. Words in bold show today's grammar.
At eighteen, an kept her in bed for months.
Years later, she came to her own art show in her bed!
This is the story of Frida Kahlo.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
. An is something bad that happens suddenly.
Nobody wants it.
A bus changed her life.
. When something you, it gives you .
The past is , too.
The her back.
. You look in a to see yourself.
Her mother put a above her bed.
. A is a picture that someone makes with paint.
Her show her own face.
. Something has many bright colours, like red, yellow and green.
She wore long, dresses.
Now, one pattern: was doing something, when something happened.
A short action happens in the middle of a longer one.
She was riding a bus.
The happened.
She was riding a bus when the happened.
Ready? Let's begin.
Frida Kahlo was born in Mexico in 1907.
At fifteen, she went to a top school in Mexico City.
There were two thousand students, and only thirty-five were girls.
She wanted to be a doctor.
One day in 1925, she was riding a bus home when a tram hit it.
It was a terrible .
Frida was badly .
Would she ever walk again?
For months, she had to lie in bed.
She was lying in bed when her mother had an idea.
She put a big above the bed.
Her father let her use his paints.
In the , Frida saw her own face, and she painted it.
And after about three months, she walked again!
Her back all her life, but she kept .
She married Diego Rivera, a famous Mexican painter.
Frida wore dresses and in her hair.
In 1953, Mexico City had a big show of her .
But Frida was very ill.
Her doctors told her to stay in bed.
The guests were waiting when an ambulance arrived.
Frida was inside!
Men carried her to her own bed, in the middle of the show.
Today, her are worth millions.
In 2025, one sold for more than fifty million dollars!
Let's review. A bus changed her life.
The her back.
Her mother put a above her bed.
Her show her own face.
She wore long, dresses.
And remember: she was riding a bus when the happened.
Frida's story teaches us: even in hard times, you can make something beautiful.
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Step 3
Words from the story
Say the word, guess its meaning, then flip the card. Keep the ones you know, and practise the rest again.
Great work, you know every word in this story. Now try the quiz below.
accident noun
something bad that happens suddenly, that nobody wants
“A bus accident changed her life.”
hurt verb
to give someone pain (past: hurt)
“The accident hurt her back.”
mirror noun
a piece of glass you look in to see yourself
“Her mother put a mirror above her bed.”
painting noun
a picture that someone makes with paint
“Her paintings show her own face.”
colourful adjective
with many bright colours, like red, yellow and green
“She wore long, colourful dresses.”
self-portrait noun
a painting or picture that an artist makes of themselves
“In the mirror, Frida saw her own face, and she painted it.”
flower noun
the coloured part of a plant
“Frida wore colourful dresses and flowers in her hair.”
pain noun
the feeling you have when part of your body hurts
“When something hurts you, it gives you pain.”
Grammar in the story
was / were + -ing … when + past simple
We use it for: a short action that happens in the middle of a longer one
- was / were + verb-ing = the longer action
- when + past simple = the short action
From the story
- She was riding a bus when the accident happened.
- The guests were waiting when an ambulance arrived.
Find it in the story 6 times
Your turn
She a bus home when a tram hit it.
She was lying in bed when her mother an idea.
The guests when an ambulance arrived.
Step 4
Story Challenge
9 quick rounds: choose, fill the gap, build the sentence and match the words. Answer in a row to build a streak and earn bonus points.
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Take it further
Before you watch: Look in a mirror for ten seconds. What do you see? Say three things in English.
After you watch: Tell Frida’s story in four sentences. Use one sentence with was …ing when ….
Think about it: Frida made beautiful things in hard times. What do you do when you have a difficult day?
