Year 9 - Spanish
A Mexican tradition: reflexive pronoun 'se'
Everyday life: possessive adjectives, pronouns
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit revisits possessive adjectives 'mi', 'mis', 'tu', tus' and contrasts them with reflexive pronouns 'me', 'te'. Reflexive pronoun 'se' is taught and contrasted with 'su' and 'sus'. Pupils revisit 'es', 'son', 'está', 'están', present tense -ar verbs, and adjective-noun number agreement.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to use the reflexive pronoun 'se' before a range of verbs in the context of describing the Mexican custom 'Day of the Dead'.
Key Notes
- Spanish words ending in a vowel, -n, or -s naturally have penultimate syllable stress, e.g. 'vamos' and 'mundo'.
- If a word ending in a different consonant has penultimate syllable stress, there is an accent on the stressed vowel.
- Some Spanish verbs have a completely different meaning when used with a reflexive pronoun, e.g. 'quedar' and 'quedarse'.
- The reflexive pronoun 'se' means 'himself', 'herself' or 'itself' before a verb, e.g. 'se lava' ('he washes himself').
- To say 'his', 'her', 'its' before a noun we use the possessive adjectives 'su' (m, f singular) or 'sus' (m, f plural).
Vocabulary To Learn
- reflexive pronoun: used to indicate doing something to yourself, words like 'myself' and 'yourself'
- se: reflexive pronoun 'himself', 'herself' or 'itself'
- possessive adjective: word that goes before a noun to show ownership or belonging
- su: possessive adjective 'his, 'her' or 'its' for singular nouns
- sus: possessive adjective 'his, 'her' or 'its' for plural nouns
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Reflexive verbs are just for routine activities.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.
Spanish words ending in a vowel, -n, or -s naturally have penultimate syllable stress, e.g. 'vamos' and 'mundo'. If a word ending in a different consonant has penultimate syllable stress, there is an accent on the stressed vowel.
2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'reflexive pronoun'
used to indicate doing something to yourself, words like 'myself' and 'yourself'. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.
3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.
Mistake: Reflexive verbs are just for routine activities. Correction: In Spanish there are many reflexive verbs and they are not just used to describe routine activities. This lesson includes the verb 'acordar' ('to agree') compared with the reflexive verb 'acordarse' ('to remember').
More Lessons In This Unit
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