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Year 8 - Spanish

In class and at home: modal verb 'debemos'

Comparing what people do: -ER and -IR verbs

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils learn to form the first person plural form of -er and -ir verbs, and the third person plural 'hacen'. They learn English has two translations of the Spanish present tense - present simple and continuous. Spanish subject pronouns are introduced. Stressed syllables are introduced.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to use modal verbs 'deber' and 'poder' to understand and write about what you and others must and can do in class and at home.

Key Notes

  • Rules about penultimate (syllable) stress tell us if we need to write an accent on the penultimate vowel.
  • Applying knowledge about syllable stress helps to remember how to say words that we may have forgotten how to pronounce.
  • 'Deber' is a modal verb meaning 'to have to, must'. It is conjugated as a regular -er verb; the 'we' form is 'debemos'.
  • The verb deber is always followed by an infinitive, e.g. 'Siempre debemos decir la verdad.'

Vocabulary To Learn

  • penultimate (syllable) stress: pronouncing the second-last syllable more heavily than other syllables in a word
  • modal verb: verb of necessity or possibility used with a 2nd verb in the infinitive, e.g. 'must', 'can', 'want'
  • deber: modal verb that means 'to have to', 'must'

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • When there are two verbs together, e.g. 'I must go', we need to conjugate both.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

Rules about penultimate (syllable) stress tell us if we need to write an accent on the penultimate vowel. Applying knowledge about syllable stress helps to remember how to say words that we may have forgotten how to pronounce.

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

pronouncing the second-last 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: When there are two verbs together, e.g. 'I must go', we need to conjugate both. Correction: English confuses us here. We say 'I must go' rather than 'I must to go' as English uses an infinitive but without 'to'. In Spanish, after modal verbs 'deber', 'poder' and 'querer' the 2nd verb must always be an infinitive; 'I must go' is 'Debo ir'.

More Lessons In This Unit

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