Things on your desk
These are the everyday objects of a Spanish classroom. Like every noun, learn each one with its article.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el bolígrafo | the pen |
| el lápiz | the pencil |
| la goma | the rubber (eraser) |
| el papel | the paper |
| el diccionario | the dictionary |
| la pizarra | the board |
| I write with a black pen. | Escribo con un bolígrafo negro. |
| Do you have a rubber? | ¿Tienes una goma? |
| The teacher writes on the board. | El profesor escribe en la pizarra. |
El lápiz ends in -z, and its plural changes the z to c: los lápices.
Lessons, questions and exercises
La lección is the lesson you study, la pregunta is a question, and el ejercicio is an exercise you do. Note that la pregunta (a question) is the noun of preguntar (to ask).
| Today we start the new lesson. | Hoy empezamos la lección nueva. |
| I have a question. | Tengo una pregunta. |
| I write the exercise on the paper. | Escribo el ejercicio en el papel. |
Asking for help
Poder + infinitive makes a polite request: ¿Puedes…? (can you…?). With repetir (to repeat) it is the most useful phrase in any class.
| Can you repeat the question? | ¿Puedes repetir la pregunta? |
Comprender means the same as entender: to understand. Both are common in Spain.
| I don't understand the word. | No comprendo la palabra. |
| Do you understand the lesson? | ¿Comprendes la lección? |
Practicar is a regular -ar verb: practico, practicas, practica…
| I want to practise Spanish. | Quiero practicar español. |
What does it mean?
Ask the meaning of a word with ¿Qué significa…? — significar is to mean. Give an example with por ejemplo, and show how something is done with así (like this, like that).
| What does the word mean? | ¿Qué significa la palabra? |
| Animals, for example the dog and the cat, are good friends. | Los animales, por ejemplo el perro y el gato, son buenos amigos. |
| I write the word like this. | Escribo la palabra así. |
| It isn't like that. | No es así. |
