Year 9 - Spanish
Friendships: personal 'a'
Friends: 'ser', 'estar' and demonstrative adjectives
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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 introduces demonstrative adjectives 'ese', 'esa', 'esos', 'esas' and possessive adjectives 'mío/a', 'tuyo/a', 'suyo/a'. The unit revisits personal 'a', gustar-type verbs, word order, direct and indirect pronouns, prenominal adjectives, 'ser' and 'estar', and gender and number agreement.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to use the personal 'a' to describe relationships and actions involving friends.
Key Notes
- 'Z' is added before the 'co' to keep the soft 'c' sound in verbs ending in '-cer' or '-cir', e.g. 'conocer' - 'conozco'.
- To mean 'you', -er/-ir verbs end in -es. To mean 'you all', -er verbs end in -éis and -ir verbs end in -ís.
- IOPs indicate the person or thing affected by the verb. Use 'le' to mean 'to, for him, her, it', and 'les' for 'them'.
- Two structures are possible: subject + verb + indirect object or indirect object + verb + subject.
- We use the personal 'a' before the object when it's a person or a thing.
Vocabulary To Learn
- indirect object pronoun: replaces the person, people or thing(s) that the verb action is done to, when the action is to me, for you, to them
- personal 'a': preposition placed before a direct object when that object is a specific person or animal we have a name for
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Spanish always uses English word order when using indirect objects (subject + verb + object).
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.
'Z' is added before the 'co' to keep the soft 'c' sound in verbs ending in '-cer' or '-cir', e.g. 'conocer' - 'conozco'. To mean 'you', -er/-ir verbs end in -es. To mean 'you all', -er verbs end in -éis and -ir verbs end in -ís.
2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'indirect object pronoun'
replaces the person, people or thing(s) that the verb action is done to, when the action is to me, for you, to them. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.
3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.
Mistake: Spanish always uses English word order when using indirect objects (subject + verb + object). Correction: In Spanish, the indirect object can go before or after the verb. Both 'le doy un regalo a mi hermano' and 'a mi hermano le doy un regalo' are correct - the second just adds emphasis to who receives the gift.
More Lessons In This Unit
- At a market: demonstrative adjectives 'esos' and 'esas' Study Guide
- At a theme park: demonstrative adjectives 'ese' and 'esa' Study Guide
- Friendships: gustar-type verbs Study Guide
- How are you feeling? 'Ser' and 'estar' 1st and 2nd person singular Study Guide
- Possessions at a crime scene: 'mío/a', 'tuyo/a' and 'suyo/a' Study Guide
- Where people are from: 'ser' 1st and 2nd person singular and plural Study Guide
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