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Year 8 - Spanish

Christmas preparations: simple present and continuous with -ar verbs

Places: -ar, -er, -ir verbs 1st and 3rd person

Unit Summary

This unit develops pupils' verb knowledge. They recap first and third person plural -ar, -er, and -ir verbs, and learn 'van a' to express future meaning. Pupils use 'ir de' with nouns to talk about activities, and combine 'para' with the infinitive to mean 'in order to'.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to use the present continuous to talk about how you and others are preparing for Christmas.

Key Notes

  • The sound symbol correspondence [ce] is pronounced as in the word 'centro' and [ci] as in the word 'decir'.
  • The simple present of -ar verbs is used to talk about habits and routines, e.g. 'trabajo', 'trabajas', 'trabaja'.
  • The present continuous is used to talk about actions happening now.
  • The present continuous of -ar verbs is formed with the verb 'estar' ('estoy', 'está', 'está') + -ando.
  • Sometimes we use adverbs of time to indicate clearly if the action we refer to is a habit or it is happening now.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • simple present: 1-verb form that describes habitual actions and routines, e.g. 'I read'
  • present continuous: 2-verb structure that describes actions happening at this moment, e.g. 'I'm reading'
  • present participle: verb form that forms the present continuous, together with the auxiliary verb 'estar'
  • adverb of time: word that describes when an action takes place, e.g. 'normally', 'now'

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • In Spanish, the simple present can be used for routine as well as for ongoing events.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

The sound symbol correspondence [ce] is pronounced as in the word 'centro' and [ci] as in the word 'decir'. The simple present of -ar verbs is used to talk about habits and routines, e.g. 'trabajo', 'trabajas', 'trabaja'.

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

1-verb form that describes habitual actions and routines, e.g. 'I read'. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: In Spanish, the simple present can be used for routine as well as for ongoing events. Correction: The simple present is used to describe routine actions, and also immediate plans for today, but the present continuous is used to describe ongoing events.

More Lessons In This Unit

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