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Year 8 - Spanish

What people do at school: regular 1st persons and 2nd person singular (present)

Asking questions: -ar, -er, -ir verbs

Unit Summary

This unit revisits past and present regular -ar, -ir, -er verbs. Pupils listen to and ask questions using rising intonation, and are reminded that Spanish does not use do, did or does to ask questions. Pupils revisit penultimate syllable stress.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to use present tense verbs to talk about what people celebrate at school.

Key Notes

  • For words ending in a vowel, -n or -s, if the stress is on the final syllable, an accent is needed.
  • For words ending in a vowel, -n or -s, if the stress is on the penultimate syllable, no accent is needed.
  • Simple present verb endings change depending on who it refers to: -o ('I'), -as/-es ('you'), -amos/-emos/-imos ('we').
  • Spanish uses the simple present for actions or plans happening today, while English uses the present continuous.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • syllable stress: pronouncing one syllable more heavily than other syllables in a word
  • simple present: describes habitual events in the present, e.g. 'I do', and in Spanish, is also used to talk about immediate plans

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • The simple present tense in Spanish is only for habitual actions, e.g. 'every week I do my homework'.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.

For words ending in a vowel, -n or -s, if the stress is on the final syllable, an accent is needed. For words ending in a vowel, -n or -s, if the stress is on the penultimate syllable, no accent is needed.

2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'syllable stress'

pronouncing one syllable more heavily than other syllables in a word. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: The simple present tense in Spanish is only for habitual actions, e.g. 'every week I do my homework'. Correction: The simple present in Spanish is used for habitual actions and immediate plans. '¿Qué haces hoy?' means 'What are you doing today?' and 'hoy hago mis deberes' means 'today I am doing my homework'. English uses the present continuous here instead.

More Lessons In This Unit

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