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Year 8 - Spanish

Comparing summer experiences: -ar verbs 1st and 2nd person singular

Contrasting past and present events: -AR verbs singular persons

Unit Summary

This unit introduces the preterite. Pupils form the preterite of the first and second persons singular of -ar verbs. They contrast this with the present tense of the first and second persons singular of -ar verbs. Pupils ask questions in the preterite, and form negative sentences using 'no'.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to use the preterite tense to compare your summer experiences with someone else's.

Key Notes

  • The 2nd person singular preterite of -ar verbs ends in (-aste).
  • The 1st person singular preterite of -ar verbs ends in (-é).
  • There is no Spanish equivalent for the English auxiliary 'did'.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • por: preposition meaning 'around' and 'along' when used to indicate the movement in a physical space and 'because of' when used to introduce the reason or motive behind an action
  • porque: conjunction meaning 'because' used to introduce a reason or cause for something
  • preterite: a verb tense to describe completed events in the past e.g. 'I did'

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • All the different persons of the -ar verbs in the preterite tense have the same endings, as in the English simple past, e.g. 'did', 'ate', 'went', 'learned'.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

The 2nd person singular preterite of -ar verbs ends in (-aste). The 1st person singular preterite of -ar verbs ends in (-é).

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

preposition meaning 'around' and 'along' when used to indicate the movement in a physical space and 'because of' when used to introduce the reason or motive behind an action. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: All the different persons of the -ar verbs in the preterite tense have the same endings, as in the English simple past, e.g. 'did', 'ate', 'went', 'learned'. Correction: In Spanish, the endings for -ar verbs in the preterite tense differ depending on the grammatical person. The 'I' form ends in -é and the 'you' form ends in -aste.

More Lessons In This Unit

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