2.5 Discuss others’ lives

Vocab test

  1. El camarero – The waiter
  2. Mi novio – My boyfriend
  3. Mi amigo/ amiga – My friend
  4. Mi maestro/ maestra – My teacher
  5. Tu dirección – Your address
  6. Tu gato – Your cat
  7. Tu casa – Your house
  8. Mi celular – My cellphone
  9. Él vive en un pueblo – He lives in a town
  10. Ella vive en una ciudad – She lives in a city

Verb of the day

Conjugate the verb TRABAJAR (to work) in the present tense.

YoNosotros
Vosotros
Él/ Ella/ UstedEllos/ Ellas/ Ustedes

Questions to answer

Translation tool

1. ¿Quién trabaja en un restaurante?

2. ¿Tú eres estudiante de francés?

3. ¿Tu hermano es maestro?

4. ¿Tu novia tiene una familia grande?

5. ¿Dónde está la médica?

6. ¿Tienes un perro grande?

7. ¿Tienes mi número de teléfono?

8. ¿Tú vives con tu novia en una ciudad muy grande?

A simple dialogue

Use the Spanish phrases to translate the English dialogue.  Write it out and perform it.

  • Who is your friend?
  • The tall man?
  • Yes.  He is handsome!
  • He is called Breno.
  • Where is he from?
  • He lives here, but he is from Lima.
  • Does he speak English?
  • Yes, but he is Peruvian so his mother tongue is Spanish.
  • Is he a doctor?
  • No!  He is an actor.
  • I understand!  Does he have a dog?
  • Yes!  He has three dogs.
  • What are they called? They have great names: Punky, Travis and Eddy.

Use these phrases to translate the dialogue.

¡Entiendo!  ¿Tiene un perro?

¡No!  Él es un actor.

¡Sí!  Tiene tres perros.

¿Cómo se llaman?

¿De dónde es él?

¿El hombre alto?

¿Es médico?

¿Habla inglés?

¿Quién es tu amigo?

Él vive aquí, pero es de Lima.

Se llama Breno.

Sí, pero es peruano por lo que su lengua materna es el español.

Sí.  ¡Él es hermoso! Tienen grandes nombres: Punky, Travis y Eddy.

Choose from a range of voices to read your dialogue here.

Grammar notes

* Read this information, then use it to quiz a friend.

USING A OR AN IN ENGLISH BUT NOT IN SPANISH

Professions

In Spanish, when you’re talking about someone’s profession, you typically use the verb ser and omit the article (a or an in English, un or una in Spanish).  This is because professions are considered to be general characteristics of a person, so Spanish doesn’t require an article in these cases.

  • Él es médico = He is a doctor
  • Yo soy profesora = I am a teacher

If you add an adjective or extra information about the profession, then you do use an article.

  • Ella es una profesora excelente = She is an excellent teacher
  • Él es un médico famoso = He is a famous doctor

Nationality

When referring to someone’s nationality, English sometimes uses an article, whereas in Spanish it is omitted.

  • Ella es mexicana = She’s Mexican/ She’s a Mexican
  • Él es americano = He’s American/ He’s an American

Family

Spanish does not use an article when describing someone’s family relationship (when using ser), while English typically uses one.

  • Ella es madre = She’s a mother
  • Él es padre = He’s a father

Other family vocabulary

Hijo = Son Hija = DaughterHermano = Brother Hermana = SisterTío = Uncle Tía = Aunt
Abuelo = Grandfather Abuela = GrandmotherSobrino = Nephew Sobrina = NieceNieto = Grandson Nieta = Granddaughter

Suggested grammar lesson.

Journal prompts

Write short sentences.  Keep them as simple as you can.

Use a translation tool to put them into Spanish.

Write them out, then check them with your teacher.  Present them to a friend, teaching your friend any new Spanish, and making sure they learn it!

Write down the names of 3 people who are important to you.  For each person, write down: Your relationshipTheir jobWhere they liveWhat languages they speak. Use the information to write a short paragraph about each person in Spanish.Escribe los nombres de 3 personas importantes para ti.  Para cada persona, escribe: • Tu relación • Su trabajo • Dónde vive • Qué idiomas habla Usa la información para escribir un párrafo corto sobre cada persona en español.

Buy the workbook in print!

Key features

  • Photocopiable habit tracker
  • List of vocabulary items to learn for each unit
  • Space to note Duolingo phrases
  • A conjugated verb for each unit
  • Duolingo inspired questions to answer with the help of AI
  • A simple on-theme dialogue for each unit
  • Grammar explanations for each unit
  • Suggested websites for further study
  • Fully backed up with a YouTube lesson for each chapter, presented by the author
  • Journal prompts to encourage the Spanish journaling habit
  • Teaching notes and ideas