Vocab test
- Dar – To give
- Mandar – To send
- Esperar – To wait
- Llamar – To call
- Escribir – To write
- Arroz con frijoles – Rice and beans
- Yo les digo – I tell them
- ¿Qué le digo? – What shall I tell him?
- Luego – Then
- Nunca – Never
Verb of the day
Conjugate the verb DECIR (To tell/ To say) in the present tense.
| Yo | Nosotros |
| Tú | Vosotros |
| Él/ Ella/ Usted | Ellos/ Ellas/ Ustedes |
Questions to answer
¿Tienes ochenta dólares?
¿Le doy a Jo la cerveza y a ti la leche?
¿Dónde están las oficinas?
¿Para qué necesitas noventa pesos?
¿Por qué no les das cien pesos?
¿Tú le vas a mandar un regalo?
¿Vienes mañana a su fiesta?
¿La invito a comer?
A simple dialogue
Use the Spanish phrases to translate the English dialogue. Write it out and perform it.
- It is mum’s birthday next Tuesday.
- I know. Are you going to visit her?
- I can’t on Tuesday, because I am working.
- Me neither. Why not call Kate and see if she can take her out to dinner?
- Good idea. We can pay for them to go to a restaurant.
- Great. Let’s hope Kate is free.
- Well, if not, we can all go to see Mum at the weekend.
- We can’t! She rang me and told me she is going to go to Belgium on Friday.
- To visit Marilou?
- Yes. She wants to see them all before they leave for New York.
- In that case we have to send her lots of flowers, wine and chocolates.
- Yes. And we have to remember to call her on Tuesday!
Use these phrases to translate the dialogue.
¡No podemos! Me llamó y me dijo que el viernes irá a Bélgica.
¿Para visitar a Marilú?
Buena idea. Podemos pagarles para que vayan a un restaurante.
Bueno, si no, podemos ir todos a ver a mamá el fin de semana.
El martes no puedo porque estoy trabajando.
El próximo martes es el cumpleaños de mamá.
En ese caso tenemos que enviarle muchas flores, vino y chocolates.
Excelente. Esperemos que Kate esté libre.
Lo sé. ¿Vas a visitarla?
Sí. ¡Y tenemos que acordarnos de llamarla el martes!
Sí. Quiere verlos a todos antes de que se vayan a Nueva York.
Yo tampoco. ¿Por qué no llamas a Kate para ver si puede invitarla a cenar?
Choose from a range of voices to read your dialogue here.
Grammar notes
* Read this information, then use it to quiz a friend.
Indirect object pronouns
| Pronoun | English Equivalent | Example Sentence | Translation |
| me | to/for me | Ella me da un libro. | She gives me a book. |
| te | to/for you (informal) | Te mando un mensaje. | I send you a message. |
| le | to/for him/her/you (formal) | Le regalo flores. | I give him/her/you flowers. |
| nos | to/for us | Nos traen comida. | They bring us food. |
| os | to/for you all (Spain) | Os digo la verdad. | I tell you all the truth. |
| les | to/for them/you all | Les preparo café. | I prepare coffee for them/you all. |
The placement of IOPs depends on the verb form in the sentence
- Before a conjugated verb:
Te doy el libro. → I give you the book.
Le escribo una carta. → I write him/her a letter.
- Attached to the end of an infinitive:
Voy a darte el libro. → I am going to give you the book.
Quiero escribirle una carta. → I want to write him/her a letter.
- Attached to the end of a gerund (-ando/-iendo):
Estoy dándote el libro. → I am giving you the book.
Estoy escribiéndole una carta. → I am writing him/her a letter.
- Attached to the end of an affirmative command:
Dame el libro. → Give me the book.
Escríbele una carta. → Write him/her a letter.
In Spanish, when you explicitly mention the indirect object (e.g., a María, a Juan), you still have to include the corresponding indirect object pronoun.
- Le doy un regalo a María.
Le = indirect object pronoun for a María.
- Les escribo una carta a mis amigos.
Les = indirect object pronoun for a mis amigos.
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!
| Who do you give gifts to? When? What? Why? Who do you send messages to? When? What? Why? Who do you ask questions to? What? When? Why? | ¿A quién le das regalos? ¿Cuando? ¿Qué? ¿Por qué? ¿A quién le envías mensajes? ¿Cuando? ¿Qué? ¿Por qué? ¿A quién le haces preguntas? ¿Qué? ¿Cuando? ¿Por qué? |
Next lesson: 3.17 Give directions, use object pronouns
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