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Year 8 - Spanish

In Tenerife: -ar verbs singular persons

Visit to a Spanish city: -ar, -er, -ir verbs

Unit Summary

This unit focuses on singular present tense -ar, -er, and -ir verbs. The unit revisits infinitives and 'para' with an infinitive. Key sounds revisited are a, e, i, o, u, r, rr, co, ci, ll, que, qui, silent h, gu, go, gui, ge, z, b, v.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to use the singular forms of -ar verbs to describe what you and others do on holiday.

Key Notes

  • The SSC [ce] is pronounced as in 'centro', [ci] is pronounced as in 'decir' and [z] is pronounced as in 'zapato'.
  • There are different ways to pronounce [ce], [ci] and [z] in the Canary Islands/Latin America and mainland Spain.
  • When followed by a verb infinitive the Spanish preposition 'para' means 'in order to' in English.
  • To conjugate -ar verbs in their singular forms, remove the -ar and add the verb ending: -o (I), -as (you), -a (she, he).
  • In Spanish, we use the same verb for routine or current actions. In English it is either present simple or continuous.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • [ce]: sound-symbol correspondence pronounced as in 'centro' ('centre')
  • [ci]: sound-symbol correspondence pronounced as in 'decir' ('to say, saying')
  • [z]: sound-symbol correspondence pronounced as in 'zapato' ('shoe')
  • para: Spanish preposition meaning 'for' or 'in order to'
  • conjugation: when a verb changes to match a subject and tense

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • There is only one way to translate the Spanish present tense into English.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

The SSC [ce] is pronounced as in 'centro', [ci] is pronounced as in 'decir' and [z] is pronounced as in 'zapato'. There are different ways to pronounce [ce], [ci] and [z] in the Canary Islands/Latin America and mainland Spain.

2. Define this key language word and use it in context. '[ce]'

sound-symbol correspondence pronounced as in 'centro' ('centre'). Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: There is only one way to translate the Spanish present tense into English. Correction: There are two ways of translating the Spanish present tense into English: the present simple (habit - 'I go') or the present continuous (ongoing action - 'I am going'). The context or time adverbs can help to tell us which one to choose in English.

More Lessons In This Unit

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