Vocab test
- Yo hablé mucho – I talked a lot
- Lo probé – I tried it
- Viajé – I traveled
- Viví – I lived
- Bebí – I drank
- Comí – I ate
- Fui – I went/ I was
- Hace un año – A year ago
- Ya – Already
- Ayer – Yesterday
Verb of the day
Conjugate the verb HABLAR (To talk) in the preterite tense.
| Yo | Nosotros |
| Tú | Vosotros |
| Él/ Ella/ Usted | Ellos/ Ellas/ Ustedes |
Questions to answer
¿Qué comidas probaste?
¿Cuándo viajaste a México?
¿Tú hablaste con personas interesantes?
¿Qué comiste ayer?
¿Bebiste un poco de vino blanco?
¿Dónde viviste el verano pasado?
¿Adónde fuiste de vacaciones?
¿Dónde estudiaste portugués?
A simple dialogue
Use the Spanish phrases to translate the English dialogue. Write it out and perform it.
- Where did you go on your holiday?
- I went to Madrid.
- Who did you travel with?
- I didn’t travel with anyone, I went on my own.
- Where did you stay?
- I stayed in a hotel near the centre.
- Did you eat in the hotel?
- I ate breakfast in the hotel, but I ate my other meals in cafes.
- Did you try any new food or drink?
- Yes. I went to three different vegan cafes and all the food was both new to me and delicious.
- Did you enjoy your holiday?
- Yes. I had a wonderful time.
Use these phrases to translate the dialogue.
¿Adónde fuiste de vacaciones?
¿Comiste en el hotel?
¿Con quién viajaste?
¿Disfrutaste tus vacaciones?
¿Dónde te quedaste?
¿Probaste alguna comida o bebida nueva?
Desayuné en el hotel, pero el resto de mis comidas las comí en cafés.
Fui a Madrid.
Me alojé en un hotel cerca del centro.
No viajé con nadie, fui solo.
Sí. Fui a tres cafés veganos diferentes y toda la comida era nueva para mí y deliciosa.
Sí. Lo pasé muy bien.
Choose from a range of voices to read your dialogue here.
Grammar notes
* Read this information, then use it to quiz a friend.
Conjugating regular verbs in the preterite
The preterite tense has specific endings depending on the infinitive form.
-ar verbs, eg., hablar (to speak)
| Subject | Conjugation | Translation |
| Yo | hablé | I spoke |
| Tú | hablaste | You spoke |
| Él/ella/usted | habló | He/ she/ you spoke |
| Nosotros/as | hablamos | We spoke |
| Vosotros/as | hablasteis | You spoke |
| Ellos/ellas/ustedes | hablaron | They/ you spoke |
-er verbs, eg., comer (to eat)
| Subject | Conjugation | Translation |
| Yo | comí | I spoke |
| Tú | comiste | You spoke |
| Él/ella/usted | comió | He/ she/ you spoke |
| Nosotros/as | comimos | We spoke |
| Vosotros/as | comisteis | You spoke |
| Ellos/ellas/ustedes | comieron | They/ you spoke |
-ir verbs, eg., vivir (to live)
| Subject | Conjugation | Translation |
| Yo | viví | I spoke |
| Tú | viviste | You spoke |
| Él/ella/usted | vivió | He/ she/ you spoke |
| Nosotros/as | vivimos | We spoke |
| Vosotros/as | vivisteis | You spoke |
| Ellos/ellas/ustedes | vivieron | They/ you spoke |
Things to notice include:
- The él, ella, usted forms end with the letter -ó. It has an accent, and this stress helps to distinguish it from the yo form of the present tense, especially for -ar verbs.
- The -er and -ir verb endings are the same.
- In the nosotros forms of -ar and -ir verbs, the present and past tenses are identical.
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!
| What did you eat yesterday? What did you drink yesterday? Who did you visit last week? When did you go to bed last night? Where did you go on holiday last year? | ¿Qué comiste ayer? ¿Qué bebiste ayer? ¿A quién visitaste la semana pasada? ¿Cuándo te acostaste anoche? ¿Adónde fuiste de vacaciones el año pasado? |
Next lesson: 3.19 Tell stories
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Key features.
- Habit tracker
- List of 20 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
- Journal prompts to encourage the Spanish journaling habit
- Teaching notes and ideas
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