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Year 8 - Spanish

Questions about the summer holidays: -ar verbs in 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 ask and answer questions about summer holidays using the present and preterite tenses.

Key Notes

  • When the SSC sounds [a], [e] and [o] appear together, they are pronounced separately.
  • The 1st person singular preterite of -ar verbs ends in -é and 2nd person singular preterite in -aste.
  • The 2nd person singular present of -ar verbs ends in -as.
  • Question words are used to ask for specific information, e.g. '¿dónde?, '¿cómo?'.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • strong vowels: the letters [a], [e] and [o]
  • question words: words used to ask for specific information in a question, e.g. 'what', 'where', 'when'
  • present: a verb tense to describe routine events in the present, e.g. 'I do'
  • preterite: a verb tense to describe completed events in the past, e.g. 'I did'

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Two vowels together are always read as one vowel.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

When the SSC sounds [a], [e] and [o] appear together, they are pronounced separately. The 1st person singular preterite of -ar verbs ends in -é and 2nd person singular preterite in -aste.

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

the letters [a], [e] and [o]. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: Two vowels together are always read as one vowel. Correction: In Spanish, when two strong vowels [a], [e] or [i] appear next to each other they are pronounced separately. This is why we call them 'strong' vowels.

More Lessons In This Unit

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