A poor boy from Colombia who became the richest and most dangerous criminal in the world.
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These are the new words for the story. There are three short tasks. Do each one out loud, then click Reveal to check.
Match each word (1–5) to its meaning (A–E). Say your answers out loud — "I think 1 is D" — then check.
1 = C (a criminal) · 2 = E (a drug) · 3 = A (rich)
4 = D (dangerous) · 5 = B (a gun)
Read the meaning. Say the word (the first letter is given), then reveal to check.
Look at each group. Say which word does not belong with the others, then reveal why.
Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and talk about the last one.
Pablo Escobar was born in 1949, near the city of Medellín, in Colombia. His family was not the poorest, but they did not have much money. Pablo wanted much more. Even as a boy, he said he did not want to be poor.
As a young man, he did small illegal things to make money. Then, in the 1970s, he found something new: cocaine. Many people in the United States wanted this drug, and they paid a lot of money for it. Escobar started to send cocaine to the United States in secret. He worked with other criminals, and together they made a big, powerful group. People called it the Medellín cartel.
Soon Escobar had more money than he could count. He became one of the richest men in the world. He gave some money to poor people in Medellín. He built houses and football fields for them. Many poor people liked him. But most of the world knew him as a very dangerous criminal.
1. What did Escobar find in the 1970s that made him rich?
2. Why did some poor people in Medellín like him?
1. Cocaine. He sent it to the United States in secret and made a lot of money.
2. He gave them money and built houses and football fields for them.
Escobar was very rich, but he was also very dangerous. He had a simple, terrible rule for people who were in his way. In Spanish it was "plata o plomo" — "silver or lead". It meant: take my money, or take a bullet. Take the bribe, or die.
Many judges, police and politicians took his money. This is called corruption. But some brave people said no to him. Escobar often killed these people. His men used guns and bombs. In these years, Colombia was a very dangerous place, and many people died — police, politicians, and ordinary people too.
Escobar was afraid of one thing. He did not want to go to prison in the United States. So he fought against the government of Colombia to stop this. There were car bombs in the cities, and it was a very dark and violent time for the whole country.
1. What did "plata o plomo" (money or a bullet) mean?
2. What was Escobar afraid of?
1. Take Escobar's money (a bribe), or die. People who said no to him were often killed.
2. He was afraid of going to prison in the United States. He fought the government of Colombia to stop this.
In 1991, Escobar made a deal with the government. He went to prison — but it was a very strange prison. He built it himself, and he chose his own guards. It was more like a big house. He still ran his business from inside. In 1992, the government wanted to move him to a real prison. So Escobar just walked out and escaped.
Now the police looked for him everywhere. A special police team, with help from the United States, tried to find him. Escobar hid in different houses in the city. But he made one mistake: he loved his family, and he called them on the telephone. Each call helped the police find him.
On 2 December 1993 — one day after his birthday — the police found his house. Escobar tried to run away over the roofs, but the police shot him, and he died. He was 44 years old. The most famous criminal in the world was dead. But the drugs and the violence did not stop with him. For many years, Colombia remembered the terrible things that happened in those days.
1. What was strange about Escobar's prison in 1991?
2. How did the police finally find him?
1. He built it himself and chose his own guards. It was more like a big house, and he still ran his business from inside. In 1992 he escaped.
2. He called his family on the telephone. Each call helped the police find his house. They found him on 2 December 1993.
We tell this story in the past. English uses the past simple for finished actions in the past. Let's look at how it works.
Complete each sentence with was or were.
1. Escobar born in 1949.
2. His family not rich.
3. The police looking for him.
4. Colombia a dangerous place in those years.
1. was (he — one person)
2. was (his family — one group, singular)
3. were (the police — plural)
4. was (Colombia — one place)
Write the past simple form of the verb in brackets. Some are regular (-ed), some are irregular.
1. He (want) more money. (regular)
2. Escobar (become) very rich. (irregular)
3. He (go) to prison in 1991. (irregular)
4. The cartel (send) cocaine to the United States. (irregular)
1. wanted (want + ed)
2. became (become → became)
3. went (go → went)
4. sent (send → sent)
Fill each gap with the past simple of the verb in brackets. Read it aloud when you finish.
Escobar (be) born in Colombia. He (want) a lot of money, so he (sell) drugs. He (become) very rich and very dangerous. In 1993, the police (find) him, and he (die).
was (be → was) · wanted (want + ed) · sold (sell → sold) · became (become → became) · found (find → found) · died (die + d)
Remember: regular verbs add -ed; irregular verbs have special forms you learn.
There is a real podcast about Pablo Escobar. It is for native speakers, so it is fast and quite difficult — that is normal! You do not need to understand every word.
From the Noiser podcast network. About 50 minutes. Open Spotify and search "Short History Of Pablo Escobar" to find the episode.
Open the show on Spotify →Do all three tasks out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.
Tell the story of Pablo Escobar in your own words. Use these steps to help you: a poor boy in Colombia → cocaine and the Medellín cartel → very rich, but very dangerous → "money or a bullet" → the strange prison and the escape → the police find him in 1993.
Try to use the past simple (was, were, wanted, became, went, found) and some of the key words (criminal, drug, rich, dangerous, gun, bribe, famous, escape).
Escobar gave money to poor people, but he also hurt many people. Was he a good man or a bad man? Can someone be both? What do you think, and why?
Tell a short story about the past. Use the past simple (was, were, went, had, made…).
Not sure what to talk about? Choose one: