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Year 9 - Spanish

The past of a Spanish-speaking city: 'era', 'eras'

Past routines and past events: imperfect tense

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils learn how to form the imperfect tense for past habitual events with -ar, -er, -ir verbs. Irregular imperfect forms for 'ser' 'era' and 'eras' are also taught. Pupils reinforce their knowledge of the imperfect tense by exploring the text 'El Quijote'.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to use the verb 'ser' in both the present and imperfect tenses to understand a text about a Spanish-speaking city.

Key Notes

  • The verb 'ser' is used to talk about traits.
  • Its simple present forms are: 'soy', 'eres', 'es' and its imperfect tense forms are: 'era', 'eras', 'era'.
  • Most Spanish adjectives go after the noun. We use them to describe objective qualities (e.g. traits, origin, colours).
  • Prenominal adjectives go before the noun and are used to express subjective opinions or for emphasis.
  • Some adjectives can come before or after the noun, but their meaning changes

Vocabulary To Learn

  • simple present: describes habitual events in the present: 'I do'
  • imperfect tense: tense used to describe how things were or used to be in the past
  • prenominal adjectives: adjectives that usually appear before the noun they describe to express subjective opinions or for emphasis

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • In Spanish, all adjectives go after the noun.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

The verb 'ser' is used to talk about traits. Its simple present forms are: 'soy', 'eres', 'es' and its imperfect tense forms are: 'era', 'eras', 'era'.

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

describes habitual events in the present: 'I do'. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: In Spanish, all adjectives go after the noun. Correction: Most Spanish adjectives go after the noun; they describe objective qualities (traits, origin, colours,...). However, some adjectives go before the noun; these prenominal adjectives often express subjective opinions or give emphasis.

More Lessons In This Unit

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