Vocab test
- Vuelva señor – Come back sir
- Vuelve Juan – Come back Juan
- Hable despacio señor – Talk slowly sir
- Habla más rápido Juan – Talk faster Juan
- Señora, pruebe este – Ma’am, try this
- María, prueba este – María, try this
- Trabaje con nosotros señor – Work with us sir
- Trabaja más Ricardo – Work more Ricardo
- Cierra la puerta Beatriz – Close the door Beatriz
- Cierre la ventana señora – Close the window ma’am
Verb of the day
Conjugate the verb PROBAR (To try) in the present tense.
| Yo | Nosotros |
| Tú | Vosotros |
| Él/ Ella/ Usted | Ellos/ Ellas/ Ustedes |
Questions to answer
¿Tú abres las maletas ahora?
¿Vuelves a casa temprano o tarde?
¿Vas al baño ahora?
¿Tú lees muchos libros?
¿Cuántas páginas tienes que leer?
¿Usted necesita un lápiz?
¿Tú estudias en la escuela?
¿Puedo cerrar la puerta?
A simple dialogue
Use the Spanish phrases to translate the English dialogue. Write it out and perform it.
- Do you want to look in the church?
- No. You go in. I want to wait here outside.
- Okay. Is the door open?
- Yes … just push it!
- Hello … the church is open! Please come in! Take one of these information leaflets. There is a lot to see. Please sign our visitors book before you go.
- I don’t have a pen.
- Here, take this one!
- Thank you. How much does it cost to have a look around?
- This is a church. It is free to come in. If you want to make a donation, pay what you want to with the card reader over there. I am leaving now. Please shut the door when you leave.
- No problem, and thank you very much.
Use these phrases to translate the dialogue.
¡Aquí tiene, tome este!
¿Quieres mirar dentro de la iglesia?
Bueno. ¿Está la puerta abierta?
Esta es una iglesia. La entrada es gratuita. Si desea hacer una donación, pague lo que quiera con el lector de tarjetas que está allí. Me voy ahora. Por favor, cierre la puerta al salir.
Gracias. ¿Cuánto cuesta echar un vistazo?
¡Hola… la iglesia está abierta! ¡Por favor entre! Tome uno de estos folletos informativos. Hay mucho que ver. Por favor, firme nuestro libro de visitas antes de irse.
No hay problema, y muchas gracias.
No tengo bolígrafo.
No. Entra tú. Quiero esperar afuera.
Sí… ¡solo empújala!
Choose from a range of voices to read your dialogue here.
Grammar notes
* Read this information, then use it to quiz a friend.
Commands are used when you tell someone to do something. It could be an instruction, a request or advice. Grammatical commands occur in many contexts.
Conjugation of tú and usted commands
| Verb type | Simple present TÚ | Informal command TÚ | Simple present USTED | Formal command USTED |
| -ar | Hablas | ¡Habla! | Habla | ¡Hable! |
| -er | Comes | ¡Come! | Come | ¡Coma! |
| -ir | Abres | ¡Abre! | Abre | ¡Abra! |
Informal commands (tú)
To give a command to someone you know well (a friend, family member, or peer), you’ll use the informal command, which is generally derived from the tú form of the present tense, with a slight adjustment.
- Start with the tú form of the present tense.
- Drop the final -s to create the command form.
Examples
Tú abres los regalos → ¡Abre los regalos! (Open the presents!)
¿Cuándo vuelves? (When do you return?) → ¡Vuelve pronto! (Come back soon!)
Formal commands (usted)
For people you address with respect or in formal settings (like a stranger, teacher, or elder), you’ll use usted commands. These require the yo form of the present tense, with a switch in vowel endings to make them polite and respectful.
- Start with the yo form of the verb in the present tense.
- Drop the -o ending.
- For -ar verbs, add -e; for -er and -ir verbs, add -a.
Examples
Usted habla despacio → ¡Hable más despacio! (Speak more slowly, please.)
Usted escribe mucho → ¡Escriba con este bolígrafo! (Write with this pen, please.)
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 3 lists. One of the things you have to do today; one of the things you have to do this week; and one of the things you have to do in the next three months. Based on these lists, write some commands for yourself. It is common to use “tú” for self talk, but you may also use the “usted” form for some of the commands if you want to. | Escribe 3 listas: una de las cosas que tienes que hacer hoy, otra de las cosas que tienes que hacer esta semana, y otra de las cosas que tienes que hacer en los próximos tres meses. Basándose en estas listas, escribe algunos comandos para ti mismo. Es común usar “tú” para hablar contigo mismo, pero también puedes usar la forma “usted” para algunos de los comandos si así lo deseas. |
Next lesson: 3.10 Discuss your routine, use verbs like gustar
Buy the workbook in print!
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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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