Year 8 - Spanish
Films and cinema: present continuous with -er and -ir verbs
What is happening now: present continuous, 'este' and 'esta'
Study Hub
Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils learn how to form the present continuous of -ar, -er, and -ir verbs to talk about what is happening now. Demonstratives 'esta' and 'estas' and modal verb 'querer' are revisited. In phonics, pupils revisit ante-penultimate syllable stress.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to use the present continuous to describe what we are doing now or 'querer' + infinitive to say what we want to do.
Key Notes
- To say what is happening right now, Spanish uses the present continuous, which is 'estar' + present participle.
- For -er and -ir verbs the present participle is formed by removing -er/-ir from the verb infinitive and adding -iendo.
- The verb 'querer' is a modal verb and means 'to want' or 'to love'. To say 'we want', we use 'queremos'.
- 'Querer' is commonly used before an infinitive to mean 'to want to', e.g. 'queremos conducir' - 'we want to drive.
- In the present continuous, 'estar' cannot be followed by an infinitive. It is always followed by a present participle.
Vocabulary To Learn
- modal verb: verb of necessity or possibility used with a 2nd verb in the infinitive, e.g. 'must', 'can', 'want'
- querer: Spanish modal verb meaning 'to want' or 'to love'
- present continuous: describes events happening right now, e.g. 'I am doing'
- estar: Spanish verb meaning 'to be', also the auxiliary verb for the present continuous
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Just like modal verbs, 'estar' is followed by an infinitive to form the present continuous to express what is happening right now.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.
To say what is happening right now, Spanish uses the present continuous, which is 'estar' + present participle. For -er and -ir verbs the present participle is formed by removing -er/-ir from the verb infinitive and adding -iendo.
2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'modal verb'
verb of necessity or possibility used with a 2nd verb in the infinitive, e.g. 'must', 'can', 'want'. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.
3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.
Mistake: Just like modal verbs, 'estar' is followed by an infinitive to form the present continuous to express what is happening right now. Correction: To form the present continuous, use a present tense form of 'estar' together with a present participle. To form this for -ar verbs, remove -ar from the infinitive and add -ando to the stem. For -er and -ir verbs, add -iendo to the verb stem.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 8 Spanish guide library.