BSL-001Course-1 - Ele India1 PDF

BSL-001
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Basics of Spanish Language
And
Culture-1
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School of Foreign Languages

Indira Gandhi National Open University
Programme Design Committee
Sonya Surabhi Gupta Elena Goberna Hidalgo
Professor, CELAS, JMI Former Spanish Faculty, Instituto Cervantes,
New Delhi.
Minni Sawhney
Professor, GRS, DU Edith Aurrecoechea Montenegro
Former Spanish Faculty, Instituto
S. P. Ganguly
Cervantes, New Delhi.
Former Professor, CSPILAS, SLL&CS, JNU
Mala Shikha
Anil Dhingra
Assistant Professor of Spanish,
Former Professor, CSPILAS, SLL&CS, JNU
SOL, Doon University
Pedro Badenas Arias
Gin Muan Thang
Former Spanish Faculty, Instituto Cervantes,
Assistant Professor of Spanish, EFLU,
New Delhi
Shillong Campus, Meghalaya.
Sergio Bermejo Alonso
Sushant Kumar Mishra
Spanish Faculty, Instituto Cervantes,
Former Director, i/c, SOFL, IGNOU
New Delhi.
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Vikash Kumar Singh
Eva Mónica Calvo Ruíz
Former Spanish Faculty, Instituto Cervantes,
School of Foreign Languages, IGNOU
New Delhi
Course Writing Team
Vikash Kumar Singh Rosalía Pérez González
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(Units 2,3,4,12 & Glossary English-Spanish)
Amparo Rodrigo Matéu
(Units 5-8)
Edith Aurrecoechea Montenegro
(Units 9-11)
Editing
Vikash Kumar Singh
(Units 13-16)
Elena Goberna Hidalgo
(Unit 1)
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Programme Coordinator
Vikash Kumar Singh,
SOFL, IGNOU, New Delhi.
Print Production
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C. N. Pandey
Section Officer (Publication)
IGNOU, New Delhi
August, 2019
© Indira Gandhi National Open University, 2019.
ISBN:978-93-89499-28-5
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced in any form, by mimeograph or any
other means, without permission in writing from the Indira Gandhi National Open University.
Some images, unless specified, are from Pixabay (http://pixabay.com) and Wikimedia Commons
(http://creativecommons.org), and are used for educational purposes.
Further information on the IGNOU courses may be obtained from the University’s office at Maidan Garhi,
New Delhi-110068 or the official website of IGNOU at www.ignou.ac.in
Printed and published on behalf of IGNOU, New Delhi by Director, School of Foreign Languages,
IGNOU, New Delhi.
Cover page and illustrations: ADA Graphics
Laser typeset: Tessa Media &Computers, C-206, A.F.E.-II, ShaheenBagh, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi
Printed at: _________
Contents BSL-001
Introduction 4
Block 1 Hola, ¿qué tal? 5
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Unit 1 Saludos y presentaciones 7
Unit2 Nacionalidades y profesiones 22
Unit3 La escuela 37
Unit4 La oficina 55
Block 2 Familia y el entorno 65

Unit5
Unit6
Unit7
Unit8
Block 3
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La familia y parentesco
Descripción de personas
Amigos y compañeros
La casa
Acciones cotidianas
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79
97
111
123
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Unit 9 La hora 125
Unit10 El clima 140
Unit11 La vida rutinaria 151
Unit12 El tiempo libre 164
Block 4 Mirada sobre el mundo hispano –I 177

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Unit 13 El español en el mundo 179

Unit14 Los ritmos 189
Unit15 El arte 199
Unit16 Las fiestas 208
Trancripts (audio tracks) 217

Glossary(English-Spanish) 233
INTRODUCTION
This book corresponds to the first course “Basics of Spanish Language and
Culture-I” [BSL-001]. This self-learning instructional material aims to help you to
develop your ability to understand Spanish related to day-to-day situations. It aims
to provide the learners with the knowledge to communicate effectively in a Spanish-
speaking environment.
This course containsUnits 1-16 of BSL-001 and is divided into four blocks. At the
beginning of each unit an overview is provided to outline the main topics and key
learning points. It’s bilingual approach (Spanish and English) will help the learners
in carrying out the learning activities in an efficient manner. All four language skills
are worked on in all units.You will find useful the grammatical and cultural notes
given on various aspects of Spanish language.Your learning will be supported
throughout the book by means of glossary and solutions at the end of each unit
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for self-evaluation exercises. By doing the exercises you will be able to reflect on
whether you have actually understood the content or whether you still need to
work on certain topics.
After unit 16, the transcriptions of the oral texts are provided. We have also included
a supplementary English-Spanish Glossary at the end of the book. You can
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download the e-content and the audio tracks from the IGNOU e-content App or
through eGyanKosh section of the university’s website.
You should try to work through each unit of this book in a systematic and progressive
manner starting with block 1. You should move to the next block only after you
have finished the previous block.
On completing these 16 units, you will have achieved A1.1 level of language
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proficiency in Spanish which constitutes a sound basis to move on to the next
course BSL-002 “Basics of Spanish Language and Culture-II” (ele India 2).
Remember that the study material, your motivation to learn and your learning
strategies are the key factors in your learning process. So, keep up your motivation
and don’t forget to spread your learning time uniformly over the entire course
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period keeping in mind your learning abilities. You can discuss your learning strategies
with your tutor during the contact classes. We wish you Happy Learning and Success!
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Block
1
Hola, ¿qué tal?
Unit 1
Unit 2
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Saludos y Presentaciones
Nacionalidades y Profesiones
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22
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Unit 3
La escuela 37
Unit 4
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La oficina 55
Hola, ¿qué tal?
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UNIDAD 1 SALUDOS Y PRESENTACIONES
1.1 Introducción
1.2 Objetivos
1.3 Saludos
1.3.1 El alfabeto
1.3.2 Letras y ejemplos
1.3.3 Sonidos especiales
1.4 Nombres y apellidos
1.5 Presentaciones
1.5.1 Presentaciones informales
1.5.2 Presentaciones formales
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1.6 Despedidas
1.7 Resumen
1.8 Glosario
1.9 Soluciones
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1.1 INTRODUCCIÓN (INTRODUCTION)
Dear learner, the first thing you have to learn in a new language is how to greet
someone (to say hello, good morning, good afternoon, good evening, etc.), how to
introduce yourself (first name, family name) and how to ask for someone’s name
when you meet a new person. You also need to be able to spell your name and be
familiar with pronunciation and spelling. Names and words in different languages
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and cultures can be very different, so spelling and understanding how to write the
sounds you hear is very helpful.
1.2 OBJETIVOS (OBJECTIVES)

In this unidad, you will learn to :
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• say basic greetings (both formal and informal);

• introduce yourself to others;
• introduce someone to a third person;
• write what you hear (the alphabet); and
• spell Spanish words.
1.3 SALUDOS (GREETINGS)

In Spanish, like in other languages, there are formal and informal greetings.
The most common greeting is the informal hola (hello), but in formal situations (in
public places, when you talk to older people or in any other situation when you
want to show respect, social distance, etc.) you may use buenos días (good morning),
buenas tardes (good afternoon/good evening, usually after lunch, around 1.30 - 2pm,
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Hola, ¿qué tal? up until 8 pm) and buenas noches (good evening/good night: we use this after dinner
time, which is usually around 9 pm, late at night or before you go to sleep).
In Spanish, people do not use greetings exactly like in English, because in every
culture people have different timings to do things (waking up, eating lunch or dinner,
going to sleep, etc.) and even different views of what a formal or an informal
situation is.
Look at the pictures and see some examples of situations when you may use hola or
Buenos días/buenas tardes/buenas noches.
[Track 1] Listen to the greetings..
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SITUACIÓN 1 SITUACIÓN 2
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SITUACIÓN 3 SITUACIÓN 4
ACTIVIDAD 1
Now, choose and write what greeting you would use in every situation, depending
on the picture:
A. B.
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C. D.
Sometimes, we add a question to our greetig: ¿qué tal? (how is it going), ¿cómo estás?
(how are you, informal) or ¿cómo está? (how are you, formal). Sometimes it is only
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rhetorical, for example when we cross an acquaintance on the street (we do not
need to answer), but if we want to make conversation with the person we may
answer bien (well) or muy bien (very well) and ask them back ¿y tú? (and you, informal)
or ¿y usted? (and you, formal). The answer to this second question can be gracias
(thank you) or muchas gracias (thank you very much).
Example:
INFORMAL SITUATION
-
-
-
Hola, ¿qué tal?
Muy bien, ¿y tú?
Bien, gracias.
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FORMAL SITUATION
- Buenos días, ¿cómo está?
- Bien, ¿y usted?
- Muy bien, gracias.
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ACTIVIDAD 2
Fill the dialogues with the appropriate words. Then check the answer on the key
solution.
1) (Two friends)
– Hola, María, ¿_______________?
– Muy ___________, ¿y __________?
– ___________, gracias.
2) (A shopkeeper and a customer)
– Buenos ___________, ¿cómo ____________?
– _________ bien, ¿______ usted?
– Bien, ____________.
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Hola, ¿qué tal? 1.3.1 El alfabeto (The alphabet)
The Spanish alphabet has 27 letters. All of them exist in the English alphabet,
except for one: “ñ”, which is specific to Spanish only. The letter “ñ” sounds similar
to “ni” in the English word “onion”. However, even if the written alphabet is
almost the same, the sounds in Spanish and English are very different. Spanish is a
very easy language to write and read, because most letters in Spanish have only one
possible sound (you write exactly what you hear and vice versa). This is very helpful:
when you listen to a new word, you will be able to easily write it and look it up in a
dictionary, or when you read a new word you can easily pronounce it, even if you
don’t know the meaning!
1.3.2 Letras y ejemplos (Letters and examples)
This is the Spanish alphabet. In the table you will find the following information:
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1) The letter
2) The name of the letter (for spelling purposes)
3) An example of a word where you can find that letter
[Track 2] Listen to the sounds of the letters while you read the following
table:
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EL ALFABETO (The Alphabet)
A
a
Australia
B
be
Barcelona
C
ce
Cine
D
de
Disco
E
e
España
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F G H I J
efe ge hache i jota
Familia Gato Hola Italia Julio
K L M N Ñ
ka ele eme ene eñe
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kilo Libro Mamá No Niño
O P Q R S
o pe cu erre ese
Ocasión París Queso Rosa Sol
T U V W X
te u uve uve doble equis
Televisión Usted Visita Waterpolo Taxi
Y Z
i griega zeta
Yo Zoo
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1.3.2 Sonidos especiales (Special Sounds) Saludos y Presentaciones
There are some lettes or letter combinations that have special sounds in Spanish:
H (hache)
H in Spanish is a silent letter, which means that you write it but you do not pronounce
it nor hear it (as you would do in English and other languages). So, the words hola
(hello) and ola (sea wave) are pronounced exactly the same!
R/RR (erre and doble erre)
R in Spanish can have a soft sound or a strong sound, depending on the letters
around it or the position of the r in the word.
R has a strong sound:
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- When it is placed at the beginning of the word, for example in the following
words: Roma (Rome), rata (rat), río (river), regalo (gift, present)… The sound is
strong even if there is only one r.
- When surrounded by vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and written with double r, for example
in the following words: perro (dog), parra (vine plant), zorro (fox), tarro (jar)… in
this case, the spelling of the word has an impact on the pronunciation
R has a soft sound:
- O
When it is surrounded by vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and written with only one r, for
example in the following words: aro (hoop, ring), pero (but), merienda (afternoon
snack), María (a common girl’s name), etc.
Sometimes the fact of writing or pronouncing r or rr does change the meaning of
the word, so we must pay attention. Here are some examples:
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Pero (but) / Perro (dog)
Para (for / to) / Parra (vine plant)
[Track 3] Listen to hear the different pronunciations..
Ll (elle) or double l:
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When there is a double l (“elle”, in Spanish) it makes a different sound, similar to y

in the word “you” (in some countries like Argentina and Uruguay is pronounced
more like “sh”). Some examples of words with “elle” are the following:
Lluvia (rain)
Llave (key)
Ella (she)
Llamada (call)
[Track 4] Listen to hear the previous words..
Ch (che)
When c and h are placed together, the combination is a different sound, “che”,
which sounds like the “ch” in the English word “chest”. Here are some examples:
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Hola, ¿qué tal? Cheque (bank cheque)
Coche (car)
Chico /chica (boy/girl)
Chaqueta (jacket)
[Track 5] Listen to hear the previous words..
G (ge)
The letter “g” has two different sounds, a strong one and a soft one, depending on
which vowel (a, e, i, o, u) follows it.
G has a strong sound when combined with e and i, as in the following words:
General (general)
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Gesto (gesture)
Gimnasio (gym)
Girar (to turn)
In many Spanish-speaking countries, however, the h is pronounced like the h
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in the English word “hat”
G has a soft sound when combined with a, o and u, as in the following words:
Gato (cat)
Gallina (hen)
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Gorro (hat)
Gota (drop)
Guapo (handsome)
However, sometimes, in some words, we hear/pronounce a soft sound when
combining g with e and i. In those cases, we write a letter u in between (gue, gui). This
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u is silent (we don’t pronounce it, we only write it) and its only purpose is to mark
that the g has a soft sound, as in the following words:
Guerra (war)
Guitarra (guitar)
Guisante (green pea)
A few other words require that we do pronounce this u, in such cases we have to
mark it with a dieresis (two small dots on the u, like this: ü), as in the following
words:
Pingüino (penguin)
Cigüeña (stork, a type of bird)
Lingüística (Linguistics, the study of structure of languages).
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[Track 6] Listen to hear how we pronounce the following words: Saludos y Presentaciones
Strong sound Strong sound Strong sound Dieresis

with e, i with a, o, u with e, i
1. General 5. Gato 9. Guerra 12. Pingüino
2. Gesto 6. Gallina 10. Guitarra 13. Cigüeña
3. Gimnasio 7. Gorro 11. Guisante 14. Lingüística
4. Girar 8. Guapo
C (ce)
Letter c also changes into two different sounds when we combine it with different
vowels.
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C has a sound similar to k when combined with a, o and u, as in the following
words:
Casa (house)
Caja (box)
Cosa (thing)
Curso (course)
following words:
Cena (dinner)
Cesta (basket)
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C has a different sound (similar to Spanish z) when combined with e and i, as in the
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Cine (cinema)
Circo (circus)
However, in most Spanish-speaking countries (except for Spain), c + e/i is
pronounced like an s (so the word “cena” may sound like “sena”).
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[Track 7] Now listen to hear the following words:
C pronounced like C pronounced like

a ‘k’ (c + a, o, u) the Spanish ‘z’
1. Casa 5. Cena
2. Caja 6. Cesta
3. Cosa 7. Cine
4. Curso 8. Circo
ACTIVIDAD 3
[Track 8] Listen and mark the word that is pronounced in each case.. The letters
or group of letters that you should pay attention to are highlighted in bold.
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Hola, ¿qué tal?
1. Pero Perro
2. Lama Llama
3. Chico Circo
4. Guerra Jarra
5. Bala Valla
6. Para Parra
7. Pague Paje
8. Cacho Caco
After this, check the key solution and listen to the audio track for a second time.
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1.4 NOMBRES Y APELLIDOS (FIRST NAMES
AND FAMILY NAMES)
This is a picture of the Sánchez-García Family. The parents, José Ramón and
Carmen, have two children, a boy called Antonio and a girl called Ana María.
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Good morning, my name is Good afternoon, my name is
José Ramón Sánchez Martinez Carmen García Segura
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Hello, my name is Antonio Hello, my name is Ana María

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Sánchez García Sánchez García
In Spanish, people have a first name that can be one name or a compound of two Saludos y Presentaciones
names (Carmen, Antonio / Ana María, José Ramón…) and they also have two last
names, the first one is taken from their father and the second one is taken from
their mother. Women do not change their last names when they get married, they
stay with the same last names (from their own father and mother).
However, the system of passing on last names to children is quite easy: only the
father’s last name is passed on. In the previous family, the father is called José
Ramón Sánchez Martinez. The last name he will pass on to their children is
“Sánchez”, that is to say, his own father’s first family name. The mother’s name is
Carmen García Segura. The last name she will pass on to her children is “García”,
her father’s first family name. So, all their children will have their first name followed
by “Sánchez García” as their family names.
ACTIVIDAD 4
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Try to figure out what would be the last names of the children of the following
families:
1. Father: Leonardo Gimeno Flores / Mother: Elvira Gutierrez Mármol
Children: Vicente ______________ ____________ / Carla ______________
______________.
________________.
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2. Father: Miguel Ángel Torres Mora / Mother: Josefina López Prado
Children: Laura ____________ __________ / Andrea ______________
Mira la solución al final de la unidad.
ACTIVIDAD 5
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Listen to the track in which a person spells the first name and familyy
[Track 9]
name of several famous Indian people. Write in each case the name and last name.
1._____________________________
2. _____________________________
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3. _____________________________
4. _____________________________
5. _____________________________
ACTIVIDAD 6
[Track 10] Listen to the track and complete with the first name and family names
(one first name and two family names) of the people who are speaking. You can
listen to the track several times.
1.______________________________________
2.______________________________________
3.______________________________________
4.______________________________________
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Hola, ¿qué tal?
1.5 PRESENTACIONES (INTRODUCING
ONESELF AND OTHERS)
1.5.1 Presentaciones informales (Informal introductions)
[Track 11] Listen to the following dialogue and read at the same time..
- Hola, ¿cómo te llamas?

- Me llamo Carla, ¿y tú?
- Yo me llamo Alex.
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- Hola Alex.
- ¡Hola!
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Tú is the informal “you” in Spanish. In some countries, like Spain, it is used amongst
young people and even middle aged people, also when we know the person (friends,
colleagues, etc.) or when there is no social distance between two people.
1.5 Presentaciones formales (Formal introductions)

[Track 12] Now listen to the dialogue and read at the same time..
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- Hola, buenos días, ¿cómo se
llama?
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- José Ramón Sánchez. ¿Y

usted?
- Elvira Machado Mora.
- Encantado
- Encantada.
Usted is the formal “you” in Spanish. In Spain, it is used only in formal

situations (with clients, at the office, at the doctor, at the shop, etc.) or in any
situation when there is a social distance between two people, for example, when
a young person speaks to an elderly person (to show respect). However, in
most Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, usted is preferred over tú in
almost any kind of situation, even when there is no social distance (in the
family, among friends, etc.). So, in American Spanish, given that usted is the
usual form of treatment for anyone and it does not necessarily mean respect,
people use other formal expressions to mark respect.
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“Encantado” and “encantada” both mean “nice to meet you” and are used in
formal situations. If a male is speaking, he will say “encantado” (the “o” here
refers to masculine). If a female is speaking, she will say “encantada” (the “a”
here refers to feminine).
ACTIVIDAD 7
“Llamarse” (literally, “to call oneself ”) is the verb we use to introduce ourselves.
Read the dialogue again between Carla and Alex in section 1.3.1 and complete the
following table of the verb:
Yo (I) _____ ___________

Tú (you) _____ ___________
Él /Ella/usted (he/she/ formal you) se llama
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Nosotros (we) nos llamamos
Vosotros (you) os llamáis
Ellos Ellas/ustedes (they) se llaman
Note that the verb in the second dialogue is conjugated in the “formal you” (usted),
ACTIVIDAD 8 O
whose form is written exactly as the 3 rd person form (él/ella or he/she)..
Complete the following dialogues using the words in the box.
llamo – me – llamas — te
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Dialogue 1:
- Hola, ¿cómo ____ ______?
- Me ___________ Diego, ¿y tú?
- ____ llamo Andrea.
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tardes – usted – José — Encantado – Buenas – llamo — Me
Dialogue 2
- _______________, ¿cómo se llama ________?
- ________________ Ana María García. ¿Y usted?
- Yo me llamo __________ Martínez.
- Encantada.
- ______________
ACTIVIDAD 9
[Track 13] Listen and decide if the following dialogues are formal or informal.
1. 3.
2. 4.
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Hola, ¿qué tal? Now listen to the same dialogues again and complete them with the words that are
missing.
1. Man 1: ________ días, ¿podría decirme su nombre y ____________, por favor?
Man 2: Adolfo Pérez Ramírez.
Man 1: ___________.
2. Woman: Hola, ¿cómo te ___________?
Man: Me ___________ Juan, ¿y tú?
Yo _________ llamo Lidia.
3. Woman: ¿Usted es la ____________ Maruja de la Torre?
Woman: Sí, soy ____________
4. Girl 1: -Hola, ¿tú te ______ María, no?
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Girl 2: -Sí, ¿y tú? ¿________ te llamas?
Girl 1: -Me llamo ______
1.6 DESPEDIDAS (SAYING GOODBYE)

Here are some examples of different ways to say “goodbye”. Listen and look at the
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pictures.
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Adiós (Good bye/ Bye) Hasta luego (See you later)
Hasta pronto (see you soon)

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1.7 SUMARIO (LET’S SUM UP)
In this unit you have learned basic greetings (both in formal and informal situations),
how to write what you hear (the alphabet) and how to spell Spanish words, how to
introduce yourself to others, how to ask for someone’s name and last name and
some interesting cultural facts.
1.8 GLOSARIO (GLOSSARY)

adiós : bye/ goodbye gracias : thank you
apellido : family name guapo : handsome
bien : well guerra : war
buenas noches:good night guisante : green pea
buenas tardes : good afternoon/ guitarra : guitar
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evening
hasta luego : see you later
buenos días : good morning
hasta pronto : see you soon
chaqueta : jacket
hola : hello
cheque : bank cheque
libro : book
chico /chica : boy/girl or very
lingüística : linguistics
ciao
cigüeña
cine
coche
cómo
: cinema
: car
: how
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young man/woman
: bye (informal)
: stork, a type of bird
llamada
llave
lluvia
mamá
niño/niña
: call
: key
: rain
: mom
: boy/girl (child)
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disco : cd ocasión : occasion
ella : she para : for / to
encantado/ : nice to meet you parra : vine plant
encantada
pero : but
familia : family
perro : dog
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gallina : hen
pingüino : penguin
gato : cat
queso : cheese
general : general
rosa : rose
gesto : gesture
sol : sun
gimnasio : gym
televisión : television
girar : to turn
tú : you (informal)
gorro : hat
usted : you (formal)
gota : drop
visita : visit
1.9 SOLUCIONES (KEY SOLUTIONS)

ACTIVIDAD 1
1. Buenas tardes 2. Buenos días
3. Buenas noches 4. Hola
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Hola, ¿qué tal? ACTIVIDAD 2
Fill the dialogues with the appropriate words. Then check the answer on the key
solution.
1. (Two friends)
– Hola, María, ¿cómo estás/qué tal?
– Muy bien, ¿y tú?
– Bien, gracias.
2. (A shopkeeper and a customer)
– Buenos días, ¿cómo está?
– Muy bien, ¿y usted?
– Bien, gracias.
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ACTIVIDAD 3
1. Perro 2. Llama 3. Circo
4. Jarra 5. Bala 6. Para
7. Pague 8. Cacho
ACTIVIDAD 4
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1. Father: Leonardo Gimeno Flores / Mother: Elvira Gutierrez Mármol
Children: Vicente Gimeno Gutierrez,/ Carla Gimeno Gutierrez.
2. Father: Miguel Ángel Torres Mora / Mother: Josefina López Prado
Children: Laura Torres López / Andrea Torres López.
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ACTIVIDAD 5
1. Mahatma Gandhi 2. Jawaharlal Nehru
3. Amitabh Bachchan 4. Shahrukh Khan
5. Shreya Ghoshal
ACTIVIDAD 6
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1. José Martínez Gil 2. Ana García Mora

3. Belén Cantos Rodríguez 4. Julio Hidalgo Mena
ACTIVIDAD 7
(yo) me llamo
(tú) te llamas
(él/ella/usted) se llama
(nosotros) nos llamamos
(vosotros) os llamáis
(ellos) se llaman
ACTIVIDAD 8
Dialogue 1:
- Hola, ¿cómo te llamas?
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- Me llamo Diego, ¿y tú? Saludos y Presentaciones
- Me llamo Andrea.
Dialogue 2
- Buenas tardes, ¿cómo se llama usted?
- Me llamo Ana María García. ¿Y usted?
- Yo me llamo José Martínez.
- Encantada.
- Encantado.
ACTIVIDAD 9
1. Man 1: Buenos días, ¿podría decirme su nombre y apellidos, por favor?
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Man 1: Gracias.
2. Woman: Hola, ¿cómo te llamas?
Man: Me llamo Juan, ¿y tú?
Yo me llamo Lidia.
O
3. Woman: ¿Usted es la señora Maruja de la Torre?
Woman: Sí, soy yo
4. Hola, ¿tú te llamas María, no?
Sí, ¿y tú? ¿Cómo te llamas?
- Me llamo Andrea
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IG
21
Hola, ¿qué tal?
UNIDAD 2 NACIONALIDADES Y
PROFESIONES
2.1 Introducción
2.2 Objetivos
2.3 Pedir y dar información personal
2.3.1 Países y nacionalidades
2.4 ¿En qué trabajas?
2.5 Resumen
2.6 Glosario
2.7 Soluciones
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Dear learner, in this unidad we will learn some basic structures of Spanish language
that are used to ask for and give personal information by asking who someone is,
saying your nationality (nacionalidad) or place of origin. We are also going to learn
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to ask someone about his or her occupation (profesión). We will also discuss some
more basic stress rules to understand how Spanish words are pronounced. To begin
with, this unidad will familiarize you with short phrases used in daily conversation.

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In this unidad, we will learn to:
• ask for and give personal information;
• talk about nationality or place of origin; and
• talk abut one’s profession and place of work.
To do this, we are going to learn the following language points:
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• Personal Pronouns
• Verbs: Ser, Trabajar and Estar
• Interrogatives
• Adjectives of nationality and profession nouns
2.3 PEDIR Y DAR INFORMACIÓN PERSONAL

(ASKING AND GIVING PERSONAL
INFORMATION)
In unidad 1 you learnt to introduce yourself and other people in formal and informal
situations by asking someone’s name. In this unidad, you will learn to ask someone
where he or she is from, i.e. to talk about one’s nationality (nacionalidad) or place
of origin. To do so, let us first learn how pronouns (pronombres) are used in Spanish
to refer to people when we don’t use their names. Now, you and I both, will learn to
22 use pronouns in Spanish:
Personal Pronouns (Pronombres Personales) Nacionalidades y
Profesiones
What are personal pronouns? Words that takes the place a noun are called pronouns.
Whereas the words ‘I, you, he, she, we and they’ which replace a name of a person are
called personal pronouns. Their Spanish counterparts are:
Person Singular Plural
1st person Yo (I) Nosotros (we)
(Primera persona)
2nd person Tú (you, informal) Vosotros (they)
(Segunda persona)
3rd person Él (he)Ella (she) Ellos (they)Ellas
(Tercera persona) Usted (you, formal) (they)Ustedes (they)
Perosnal pronouns in Spanish are optional as the verb already has information
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about the person. For example, Soy Alberto (I’m Alberto). (Soy already signals that it
is first person singual). When personal pronouns are used, it is generally for emphasis,
contrast or to avoid ambiguity. You will learn more about using personal pronouns
later in this section.
Like we discussed already in unidad 1, the informal form (tú) is mainly used among
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close friends and relatives or among youngsters. In a formal situation and with
people who are much older and the ones with authority for eg: government officials,
bank officials etc. and while making primary contacts with firms, we use Sr. for
señor (Mr./Sir), Sra. for señora (Mrs./Madam) and Srta. for señorita (Miss/Ms).
Remember that in unidad 1 we learnt the conjugation and uses of the ver llamarse
when asking or giving names. Now we are going to learn a very common verb ser
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(to be) is generally used when asking and giving personal information, for instance,
to ask someone’s name, place of origin (nationality) and profession. Let’s learn
how this verb ser is conjugated and practice its’ usages (notice that verbs in Spanish
change according to what the person refers to):
SER
Yo soy I am
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Tú eres you are

Él/ella/usted es he, she is
Nosotros/as somos we are
Vosotros/as sois you all are
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes son they are
To ask someone his or her name, we can also say ¿Cuál es tu nombre? (What’s your
name?) or we can say, ¿Eres Alberto? (Are you Alberto? –information situation) or
¿Es usted Sr. Pérez? (Are you Mr.Pérez? -formal way)
In Spanish, questions do not require any changes in form or word other. Wee
can simply formulate a question by adding ¿no? at the end of the sentence which
works like isn’t it, aren’t you, in English.
23
Hola, ¿qué tal? For example, él es Alberto (he is Alberto). But when we add ¿no? at the end, it becomes:
él es Alberto, ¿no? – Is he Alberto? Another way is to use the verb first: ¿Es usted Sr.
Sánchez? – Are you Mr. Sánchez.
Remember, in written Spanish two question marks are used to identify a

question, an iverted one at the beginning as well as the standard one at the end
or in speech by changing to an iterrogative intonation.
Statement: Es Alberto. (Voice initially goes up, then goes down gradually)
Statement: ¿Es Alberto? (Yes-no question: voice initially goes up, then down,
then up again at the end).
Exclamation marks work in the same way: ¡hola!
[Track 14] Read and listen how to introduce someone in an informal
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situation:
To tell your name, you can say: Yo soy Alberto (I am Alberto) or Mi nombre es Alberto
(My name is Alberto). But if you need to introduce someone in an informal situation
like your friends, use the following sentence constructions in Spanish:

OEste es __________. [This is ______(name of man)] – Este es Antonio.
Esta es __________. [This is ______(name of woman)] – Esta es Paula.
Estos son ______. [These are ______ (names of multiple persons)] – Estos
son Antonio y Paula.
Estas son ______. [These are _____ (names of women)] – Estas son Rosa y
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Verónica.
Note that you use este when introducing a male and esta when introducing a
female.
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[Track 15] Read and listen how to introduce someone in a formal

situation:
In a formal situation, you can use the verb presentarse to introduce someone.
Let’s learn some basic expressions using this verb:
 Le presento a José Ramón Sánchez. (Let me introduce José Ramón Sánchez)
 Le presento a la señora Verdía. (Let me introduce Mrs. Verdía)
 Le presento al señor Machad. (Let me introduce Mr. Machado)
Notice that in the last example, al is a contraction. Whenever the preposition A (to
or at) is followed by the definite article EL (the), the two words are joined together
 a + el = al.
Before we go further, let’s learn the stress rules that will help us in improving our
Spanish pronunciation:
24
Nacionalidades y
Stress rules (Sílaba tónica): Profesiones
Generally, Spanish pronunciation is plain pronunciation as the words that are

written do not differ in the way they are pronounced except few cases of
syllables that are stressed. In order to understand phonetics, it is essential to
learn a few rules about syllables.
- Stress on the last syllable (última sílaba) if the words end in a consonant
other than n or s: Madrid, español, hablar
- Stress on the syllable before last (penúnltima sílaba) if they end in n or s
or a vowel: jefe, ventana, examen, crisis.
- Exception: if you see a written accent ( ´ ) then you must stress the syllable
where the accent is placed: café, médico, árbol. Remember: all words ending
in –ión bear this accent.
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Actividad 1_______________________________________________________
Now, practice the above stress rules. See the words below in the bracket and underline
the syllable that needs to be stressed:
alemán – alemana –japonés – profesor
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estudiante – profesora – brasileño – libro
– estudiar – lección
Correct way to greet someone
Learning how to greet someone in another language is not just about learning
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the right words. Each culture has different customs which may vary, for example
acoording to gender or level of familiarity.
In Spain and Latin-America it is customary to greet females friends and family

members by kissing them on one or both cheeks. However, the most widely
accepted greeting is the handshake if you are not sure or comfortable.
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Among men it is more common to greet friends with a hug or a pat on the
back. In formal or business situations the norm is to to shake hands.
2.3.1 Países y Nacionalidades (Countries and Nationalities)

Rember the conjugation of the verb ser (to be) that we learnt in the previous
section. Here we will learn to use this verb to talk about someone’s nationality or
place of origin.
To ask someone’s nationality or place of origin, we use the following sentence

construction:
 ¿De dónde eres tú? (Where are you from?)

Notice that we have used the interrogative dónde (where) to ask the question.
The preposition de (from) is placed at the beginning of the question: ¿De
dónde es Julio? (Where is Julio from?)
25
Hola, ¿qué tal? And we reply by using the Spanish construction Ser + de:
 Yo soy de Delhi, soy indio, ¿y tú? (I am from Delhi, I am Indian. And what about
you?)
 Yo soy de Madrid, soy español. (I am from Madrid, I am Spanish)
In the answer, the preposition de comes after the verb ser.

Before you start using this sentence construction, let’s familiarize ourselves first
with some new vocabulary to talk about countries and nationalities:
[Track 16] Read and listen to the names of these countries and their
nationalities:
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País (Country) Nacionalidad (Nationality)
(masculino/femenino)
Alemania (Germany) alemán / alemana
Argentina (Argentina) argentino/argentina
Brasil (Brazil) brasileño/brasileña
OChile (Chile)
Colombia (Colombia)
España (Spain)
Francia (France)
chileno/chilena
colombiano/colombiana
español/española
francés / francesa
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India (India) indio / india
Inglaterra (England) inglés/inglesa
México (Mexico) mexicano/mexicana
Panamá (Panama) panameño/panameña
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Perú (Peru) peruano/peruana

Portugal (Portugual) portugués/portuguesa
Notice that the nationality is usually very similar to the name of the country as we
can observe in the above table. Also we can identify the gender of the nationality
by looking at the ending of the noun (sustantivo), which is –o for the masculine
(masculino) and –a for the femenine (fenenino) form.
Masculino Feminino
brasileño brasileña (Brazilian)
indio india (Indian)
peruano peruana (Peruvian)
chileno chilena (Chilean)
26
The difference between feminine and masculine nouns is often shown in the vowel Nacionalidades y
Profesiones
at the end (nouns ending with –o and –a). However, there always exist exceptions:
there also are words that do not follow this pattern and end in a different letter, for
example:
 words ending in consonant, we add –a:
español  española,
alemán  alemana,
 Words ending in –e/-í, does not change:
estadounidense  estadounidense
marroquí  marroquí
Remember, in Spanish, when you describe the noun with an adjective, the
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adjective’s gender should match the gender of the noun. Normally, the adjective
comes after the noun and masculine adjectives usually end in –o, and feminine
adjetives in –a. For example, amiga bonita (preety friend), alumno simpático
(nice student), casa limpa (clean house), etc. Some adjectives are neutral (mainly
those ending in –e) and their ending remains the same. For example, inteligente,
arrogante.
example:
- Yo soy español.
- Yo soy española.
O
Similarly, the adjectives of nationality agree with the person described, for
I’m Spaniard (man speaking).

I’m Spaniard (woman speaking).
Actividad 2______________________________________________________
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Word search. Find the letters for the given nationalities in the word puzzle:
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27
Hola, ¿qué tal? Let us see some examples:
A
• ¿Cuál es su nacionalidad? (What’s your nationality?)
o Yo soy de Colombia pero él es peruano. (I am Colombian but, he is Peruvian)
B
• ¿De dónde eres? (Where are you from?)
o Yo soy de Delhi, y¿tú? (I am from Delhi, and you?)
• Soy de Santander, soy español. (I am from Santander, I am Spanish)
C
• ¿Usted es americano? (Are you American)
o No, no soy americano, soy indio. ¿Y usted? (No, I’am not American, I’am Indian.
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And you?)
• Yo soy francés. (I am French)
Notice that in the last dialogue the negative is formed by placing –no
before the verb, for example, yo no soy mexicano (I am not Mexican). In Spanish
construction the negation always goes before the verbs and many times the
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negation is repeated, for example:
- ¿Eres chileno? (Are you Chilean)
- No, no soy chileno. Soy argentino. (No, I am not Chilean. I am Argentine)
Let us try to use the Spanish construction and vocabulary learnt so far in a dialogue.
Radhika is a student of Spanish. She is meeting her Spanish teacher Pedro Cantano
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for the first time. Read the dialogue below to learn how they introduce each other:
o ¡Hola! Buenos días. (Hello, Good morning)
• ¿Cómo te llamas? (What is your name?)
o Buenos días, profesor. Me llamo Radhika. (Good morning professor. My name is
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Radhika)
• ¿De dónde eres? (Where are you from?)
o Soy india, de Nueva Delhi. (I am an Indian from New Delhi)
• ¡Bienvenida al aula de español! (Welcome to the Spanish class)
o Gracias profesor (Thank you professor)
Actividad 3______________________________________________________
Answer the following questions.
a) ¿De dónde eres tú? ..................................................................................................
b) ¿De dónde son tus amigos? ...................................................................................
c) ¿Cuál es la nacionalidad de tu profesor? ..............................................................
d) ¿Eres peruano? ........................................................................................................
28
Nacionalidades y
2.4 ¿EN QUÉ TRABAJAS? (WHAT DO YOU DO Profesiones
FOR A LIVING)
In the previous sections, we learnt to introduce ourselves and talk about one’s
nationality. Now we are going to learn how to ask about someone’s profession and
to respond to this question. Generally, we don’t ask about someone’s profession
within first few minutes of our meeting unless we make ourselves familiar with the
other person.
Let us learn the names of some common occupations to familiarize ourselves with
this topic.
[Track 17] Read and listen to the names of these occupations..
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Las ocupaciones
estudiante student
profesor/-a teacher/professor
médico/-a doctor
dentista
enfermero/-a
abogado/-a
periodista
secretario/-a
O dentist
nurse
lawyer
journalist
secretary
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cocinero/-a chef
executivo/-a executive
artista artist
director/-a director
IG
taxista taxi driver

housewife ama de casa
autónomo/-a self-employed
You can ask the following questions to know about someone’s profession:
¿A qué se dedica usted? (What do you do?)
¿En qué trabaja usted? (What do you do for a living?) Formal situation
¿Cuál es su profesión? (What do you do?)
¿A qué te dedicas?
¿En qué trabajas? Informal situation
¿Cuál es tu profesión?
29
Hola, ¿qué tal? And to respond to the questions above, we can use the verb ser:
Yo soy abogado. (I’m a lawyer)
Yo soy estudiante. (I’m a student)
Remember that when we describe someone’s occupation, we don’t use

the article un/una (a). The word ‘a’ and ‘an’ is missed out in the Spanish
construction. To say your job simply use: ser+profesión.
As you can observe in the above examples, we have used a new verb trabajar (to
work) which is used to give information about your place of work. This is a regular
–ar ending verb (trabajar) and it’s conjugated as follows:
Trabajar
Yo trabajo
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Tú trabajas
Él/ella/usted trabaja
Nosotros/as trabajamos
Vosotros/as trabajáis
O Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes trabajan
You can use this as a model for learning the conjugation of other regular –ar
ending verbs. By learning this one verb, you will be able to learn to handle thousands
of Spanish verbs.
Let’s now see how to use the verb trabajar for giving your place of work:
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COMUNICACIÓN
¿Dónde trabajas? Trabajo en una oficina. /en una empresa.
¿Dónde trabaja usted? Trabajo en una universidad.

Yo no trabajo.
IG
¿Trabaja su padre? Sí, mi padre trabaja en un instituto.
Before you proceed further, do the following activities.
Actividad 4______________________________________________________
Look at the following images. Each one represents an occupation. Write down
their names in Spanish.
30
Nacionalidades y
Profesiones
A. B. C.
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D.
O E. F.
In general, Spanish occupation nouns change according to the gender of

the person they refer to. Masculine profession nouns end in –o and the femenine
forms are made by changing the –o to an –a. For example:
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 el abogado  la abogada
 el secretario  la secretaria
 el cocinero  la cocinera
Masculine profession nouns that end in a consonant, the femenine form is
made by adding an –a to the end. For example:
IG
 el profesor  la profeora
 el director  la directora
 el traductor  la traductora
However, there are exceptions to these rules where the masculine and femenine
forms of the nouns (particularly those ending with –ista, -ia or e) remain the
same, only the article changes to match the gender of the person:
 el piloto la piloto
 el modelo  la modelo
 el estudiante  la estudiante
 el taxista  la taxista
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Hola, ¿qué tal? Actividad 5___________________________________________________
[Track 18] Listen and complete the following sentences. Each illustration
represents an occupation.
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A. Paula es ……………… B. Pablo es …………..
O
N
C. Ángela es ……………… D. Federico es ……………….
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E. Héctor es ………
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Actividad 6_____________________________________________________ Nacionalidades y
Profesiones
Solve the following crossword puzzle. Each word represents a profession.
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6.
7.
Horizontal:
Instalo software
Sirvo bebidas
O 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Vertical:
Estudio
Escribo novelas
Doy clases y corrijo exámenes
Preparo comida en el restaurante
Trabajo en el hospital
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Notice that in this unidad we have used several interrogativos (interrogatives)
like cómo (how), quién (who) and dónde (where) to ask someone’s name, nationality
or place of origin, occupation, etc. Let’s see once again how these interrogatives
are used in Spanish sentences:
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¿Quién?: Here we will use the verb ser that we learnt in the earlier section to ask
questions using the interrogative quién and to reply to the question. For example:
 ¿Quién es usted? (Who are you?)  Yo soy Carlos. (I am Carlos)

 ¿Quién es él? (Who is he?)  Él es Fabio. (He is Fabio)
 ¿Quién es ella? (Who is she?)  Ella es Mercedes. (She is Mercedes)
¿De dónde?: To ask someone where he or she is from, we use the following
strucutres. See the examples below:
 ¿De dónde es usted? (Where are you from?)  Yo soy de la India. (I am from
India)
 ¿De dónde es él? (Where is he from?)  Él es de Portugal. (He is from Portugal)
 ¿De dónde es ella? (Where is she from?)  Ella es de Brasil. (She is from Brazil)
33
Hola, ¿qué tal?
 ¿De dónde son ellos? (Where are they from?)  Ellos son de España. (They are
from Spain)
¿Cómo?: To ask someone how (cómo) he or she is doing, we use the interrogative
cómo and the auxiliary verb estar (to be). We are going to learn to conjugate this
verb first:
ESTAR
Yo estoy
Tú estás
Él/ella/usted está
Nosotros/as estamos
Vosotros/as estáis
U
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes están
Let us now see some examples:

 ¿Cómo está? (How are you?)  Yo estoy bien. (I am fine)
The typical reply to the question ¿Cómo ésta?/ ¿Qué tal? (How are you?) is: Muy
bien, gracias. (very well, thank you)
O
Actividad 7_____________________________________________________
Think of three or four people you know and write their names, where theyy
come from, what they do and where they work. Use the Spanish construction we
have learnt in this unidad. Follow the example:
N
Él se llama Carlos. Es de Valencia. Es profesor y trabaja en la Universidad de Valencia.
Actividad 8______________________________________________________
Play the part of Jorge in the following

dialogue and complete it:
IG
Lucía: ¡Buenos días! Soy Lucía Emilio

Pérez. ¿Y tú?
Jorge: .....................................................
Lucía: Encantada. ¿De dónde eres?
Jorge: ......................................... ¿Y tú?
Lucía: Soy de Colombia. ¿A qué te
dedicas?
Jorge: ...................... Trabajo en .............
Lucía: ¡Qué casualidad! Yo también
soy profesora de español.
Jorge: ¿Y dónde .....................?
Lucía: Trabajo en Bogotá, en el
Instituto Caro y Cuervo.
34
Nacionalidades y
2.6 RESUMEN (LET US SUM UP) Profesiones
In this unidad, you have learnt some basic Spanish sentences that are used to ask for
someone’s identidad, nacionalidad and profesión. You have also learnt to use some new
verbs like ser, trabajar and estar using the interrogative quién, dónde y cómo. You have
learnt to differentiate between a formal and informal form of communication
using these verbs. We are sure that you must have enjoyed all the activities and
followed the instructions given.

abogado/-a : lawyer indio/-a : indian
alemán/-a : german inglaterra : england
alemania : germany inglés/-a : english/british
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argentina : argentina médico/-a : doctor
argentino/-a : argentine mexicano/-a : mexican
artista : artist méxico : mexico
autónomo/-a : self-employed nacionalidad : nationality
brasil : brazil país : country
brasileño/-a
chile
chileno/-a
cocinero/-a
colombia
colombiano/-a
:
:
:
:
:
:
chile
chef
O
brazilian
chilean
colombia
colombian
panamá
panameño/-a :
periodista
perú
peruano/
:
penúltima sílaba:
:
:
:
panama
panamanian
syllable before last
journalist
peru
peruvian
N
cómo : how peruana
de : from portugal : portugal
dentista : dentist portugués/ : portuguese
director/-a : director portuguesa
dónde : where profesión : profession/
occupation
IG
enfermero/-a : nurse
profesor/-a : teacher/professor
españa : spain
pronombre : pronoun
español/-a : spanish/spaniard
quién : who
estudiante : student
secretario/-a : secretary
executivo/-a : executive
ser : to be
francés/-a : french
sílaba tónica : stress rules
francia : france
taxista : taxi driver
housewife : ama de casa
trabajar : to work
india : india
última sílaba : last syllable
2.7 KEY SOLUTIONS (SOLUCIONES)

Actividad 1
alemán–alemana–japonés – profesor -estudiante – profesora – brasileño – libro
– estudiar – lección
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Hola, ¿qué tal? Actividad 2
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Actividad 3
Free answer. Here are some model response to the questions:
a) Yo soy de Mumbai.
b) Mis amigos son de España.
c) Mi profesor es indio. Es de Delhi.
d)
a)
b)
c)
O
No, no soy peruano. Soy indio.
Actividad 4
médico
profesor
taxista
d)
e)
f)
periodista
policía
cartero
N
Actividad 5
a) ama de casa d) ingeniero
b) cantante e) camarero c) peluquera
Actividad 6
1. Camarero, 2. Informático, 3. profesor, 4. estudiante, 5. médico, 6. cocinero,
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7. escritor
Actividad 7
Free answer.
Actividad 8
Free answer. A model answer is given for your reference.
Lucía: ¡Buenos días! Soy Lucía Emilio Pérez. ¿Y tú?
Jorge: Me llamo Jorge González.
Lucía: Encantada. ¿De dónde eres?
Jorge: Yo soy español, de Huelva. ¿Y tú?
Lucía: Soy de Colombia. ¿A qué te dedicas?
Jorge: Soy profesor de español. Trabajo en la Universidad Nacional de Colombia.
Lucía: ¡Qué casualidad! Yo también soy profesora de español.
Jorge: ¿Y dónde trabajas?
36 Lucía: Trabajo en Bogotá, en el Instituto Caro y Cuervo.
Nacionalidades y
UNIDAD 3 LA ESCUELA Profesiones
3.1 Introducción
3.2 Objetivos
3.3 En la escuela
3.3.1 En el aula
3.3.2 Mi asignatura favorita
3.4 Horario escolar
3.5 Resumen
3.6 Glosario
3.7 Soluciones
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Dear learner, in this unidad, we will learn to talk about our school (escuela), the
different subjects (asignaturas) we study and our favorite subjects (asignaturas favoritas).
For this, we will learn some basic vocabulary related to the classroom (aula) and
school and some basic regular verbs in Spanish to write about our school.
•
•
3.2 OBJECTIVOS (OBJECTIVES)
talk about our school;

say the subjects we do;
O
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• talk about our favorite subjects; and
• say the days of week in Spanish.
• definite and indefinite articles;
• gender of the nouns;
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• regular –ar, -er, and –ir ending verbs: hablar, estudiar, leer, escribir, etc.;
• preference: favorito/a;
• lexico related to school, subjects, days of week, etc.;
• adverbs of time: primero, luego, después, por fin;
• hay and no hay.
Are you ready to start? The following activities will help you learn all our objectives.
Follow the activities in a sequential manner.
3.3 EN LA ESCUELA (AT SCHOOL)

In this section, we will learn necessary vocabulary to describe the different places
in a school (una escuela) as well as different activities pertaining to a school day.
For the purpose of this unidad, Ricardo, a peruvian primary school student describes
his school, he wants to show us around:
37
Hola, ¿qué tal?
¿Qué hay en tu escuela,
Ricardo?
(What is in your school Ricardo?)
Estudio en la escuela Obradoiro de Trujillo. En mi escuela hay una

biblioteca (library), un comedor (dining hall), unas aulas (classrooms),
una sala de profesores (teacher’sroom), un campus de fútbol (football
ground), los laboratorios (laboratory), una cancha de baloncesto
U
(basketball court) y un gimasio (gym). No hay una piscina (swimming
pool).
Observe the use of hay in the above text. In Spanish, when we refer to the
o
Oexistence or non-existence of things, we use the special verb haber (present
indicative hay), which means ‘there is/are’. It is used only in the third-person
singular form as impersonal or existential. For example,
Hay cinco estudiantes en el aula. (There are five students in the classroom).
En mi mochila hay un estuche con dos boligrafos, una goma, un sacapuntas, tres libros y dos
cuadernos. (In my satchel there is a case with two ballpoint pens, an eraser, a
N
pencil sharpner, three books and two notebooks).
Remember, hayis not followed by the definite article, except when it means ‘to
exist’.Don´t get confused with the verb, estar, which often means ‘to be located’/
‘to be present’. You will learn more about uses of these two verbs in unidad 17 in
book ele India 2 [BSL-002].
IG
3.3.1 En el aula (In the classroom)

Now that Ricardo is in his classroom, he wants to talk about the objects that you
can find in his classroom. Here are some important words to know.
Remember, unlike English, in Spanish, objects have gender and it is important that
you pay attention to the gender of the objects while learning any new vocabulary.
Los objetos del aula (Classroom Objects)
la tiza la carpeta
la pizarra
38
La escuela
el ordenador la mesa el pupitre
U
la silla el horario el reloj de pared
Now let’s learn the name of objects that are normally used by students.
Los útiles escolares(Stationery Objects)
O
N
la mochila el bolígrafo los libros
IG
el cuaderno la lápiz la regla
la goma de borrar el lapicero las sacapuntas
As you can observe in the above lexicon, we have placed the definite article before
the name of objects to specify the noun and to indicateits gender and number.In
Spanish, except in some cases, persons, ideas and objects have a gender.There exist
39
Hola, ¿qué tal? two types of articles: definite article (the): el, la, los, lasand indefinite article (a, an
and some): un, una, unos, unas.
OBSERVAR…
Artículos definidos(Definitearticles):
The definite articles always precede the nouns and accurately determine people
or objects:
For example:
• (mas./sing.) El cuaderno (The notebook) La mochila (The bag)
• (fem./plu.) Loscuadernos (The notebooks) Las mochilas (The bags)
As you see in the examples above, the definite article exists in two forms equating
U
with the English form ‘the’ and always correspond to the number and gender
of the noun; masculine (el) and feminine (la) as singular and masculine (los)
and Feminine (las) as plural.
The plurals likewise in English as in Spanish end with –s. For example:
• Book  Libro Books  Libros
O
However, there always exist exceptions: there also are words that do not follow
this pattern and end in a different letter, for example, el hombre (man), la mujer
(a woman), el árbol(tree), la fuente(fountain), el mar (sea), el problema(problem),
el mapa(map), el sistema(system), etc.
Actividad 1_____________________________________________________
N
Complete with: el, la, los, las
a) ____ libro f) ____ chica
b) ____ gomas g) ____ sacapuntas
c) ____ trabajo h) ____ bolígrafo
IG
d) ____ señor i) ____ amigas

e) ____ problema j) ____ mochila
OBSERVAR…
Artículos indefinidos(IndefiniteArticles):
The indefinite article agrees with its noun in both gender and number. In English
we have (a, an or some), but in Spanish we find un (for masculine nouns) or
una (for feminine nouns) as the equivalent substitutes:
For example:
• (mas./sing.) Un estudiante (A student)
Una estudiante (A female student)
• (fem./plu.) Unosestudiantes (Some students)
Unasestudiantes(Some female students
40
La escuela
Also, unos or unas, which translates some/any in the sense of undetermined
number or a certain quantity. Unos hombres (a few men); unos 50 kilos (around
50 kgs).
Remember, to make plural of a word ending with a consonant, we add -es,
such as ordenador (sing.) + es = ordenadores (plu.).
Actividad 2_____________________________________________________
Complete with: un, una, unos,unas.
a) ______ libros e) _____chica
b) ______amigas f) ______cuadernos
c) ______móvil g) ______ratón
d) _____médicos h) ______bibliotecas
U
Actividad 3_____________________________________________________
Write the plural form of the following words.
a) el lápiz: _______________ f) un rotulador: __________
b)
c)
d)
e)
O
el pegamento: __________
un estuche: ____________
unaregla: ______________
la goma: ______________
g) el sacapuntas. __________
h) unatijera: _____________
i)
3.3.2 Mi asignatura favorita (My favorite subject)

la papelera: ____________
N
Let’s now find out what Ricardo is learning about today in class.
o ¿Qué asignaturas estudias? (What subjects do you study?)
Yo estudio las matemáticas, las

ciencias, el español, y el inglés. (I
IG
study Mathematics, Science, Spanish

and English)
Here you will learn someuseful vocabulary related to class (la clase) and the names
of school subjects (las asignaturas). The names of many of the subjects are very
similar in both Spanish and English. Pay attention on the differences in
pronunciation.
Las asignaturas/materias:
el coro(la orquesta/la banda)

el arte (el dibujo) la música
41
Hola, ¿qué tal?
los trabajosmanuales la computación / (la la moda

informática), la
mecanografía
Las Ciencias Naturales:
U
la física la química la biología
Las Ciencias Sociales / las humanidades:
O la historia la geografía la economía

N
Las Matemáticas:
IG
la geometría el álgebra la contabilidad
Las Lenguas (los idiomas):
el español el francés el italiano
el alemán el ruso el inglés /la literature

42
Actividad 4_____________________________________________________ La escuela
Identify the name of the subjects. Follow the example.

a) animales: ciencias e) deporte: _________
b) pintar: __________ f) números: ________
c) comida: _________ g) cantar: __________
d) hablar: __________
Now that we have learnt the vocabulary related to the names of subjects that we
study in school, we proceed to talk about our favorite subject in school. Some of us
like art (el arte) as we get to express our feelings and to show creativity, while others
like math (las matemáticas) and science (la ciencia). What is your favorite subject?
(¿Cuáles tu asignatura favorita?)
U
A: ¿Cuál es tu asignatura
favorita?
B: Mi asignatura favorita
es la música.
O A: ¿Qué asignatura
estudias los lunes?
B:Los lunes estudiolas
matemáticas.
N
We can also express opinion about our favorite subject using the following sentence
construction in Spanish:
La geometría interesante
La biología
es (muy) + divertido/a
IG
La historia fácil
no es
La química difícil
El español aburrido/a
For example,
• Mi asignatura favorita es el español porque es muy fácil. (My favorite subject is Spanish
because it is very easy)
• La asignatura favorita de Ricardo es el inglés y es muy interesante. (Ricardo’s favorite
subject is English and it is very interesting)
Actividad 5_____________________________________________________
Ricardo’s classmates are talking about their favorite subject. Listen

[Track 19]
and indicate the subjects mentioned by each student.
43
Hola, ¿qué tal?
a) Pedro
b) Pablo
c) Olga
d) Teresa
OBSERVAR. As you can observe from the examples in section 3.3.2, wee
have used the verb estudiar (to study) to talk about the subjects we study in
school or university. Here are some more examples with the verb estudiar:
o Yo estudio un grado en Administración de Empresas.
o ¿Tú estudias un máster en Relaciones Públicas?
o María estudia Magisterio.
U
The verb estudiar is a regular –ar ending verb and is conjugated like the verb
trabajar we studied in the previous unidad. Let’s see how the different groups of
regular verbs in Spanish language are conjugated.
Los verbos (Verbs)
O
The verbs in Spanish language exist in two forms; regular (verbs that follow general
rules of conjugation) and irregular (verbs that do not follow the rules). These are
further divided into three groups according to their infinitive endings, that are: -ar
ending, -er ending and the -ir ending verbs.
All the regular verbs in Spanish are easy to learn as they follow a similar pattern in
conjugation. Conjugating a verb means matching a verb according to the subject.
One can conveniently memorize the ways of conjugating by following a simple
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pattern.
In case of any regular verb ending with -ar we remove the ending –arand replace it
with a new one depending on the subject who is doing the action:
SubjectPronouns Verbsending with -ar
Yo -o
IG
Tú - as
Él/ella/usted -a
Nosotros/Nosotras - amos
Vosotros/Vosotras - áis
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas - an
Let us take, for example, the verb hablar (to speak) to further understand how the
endings change depending upon the subject:
HABLAR
Yo hablo (I speak)
Tú hablas (You speak) informal
Él/ella/usted habla (You speak) formal (He/she speaks)
Nosotros/as hablamos (We speak)
44
La escuela
Vosotros/as habláis (You all speak)
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes hablan (You all speak) formalThey (feminine)/
They(masculine) speak
For example,
o Yo hablo inglés/portugués/español/ruso/chino/francés/italiano/alemán/
árabe/ etc.
(I speakEnglish/Portuguese/Spanish/Russian/Chinese/French/Italian/
German/Arabic etc.)
o ¿Tú hablas portugués? (Do you speakPortuguese?)
• Sí, yo hablo. (Yes, I speak)
• No, no hablo. (No, I don’t speak)
U
o Hablasespañolmuybien. (You speak Spanish very well).
Remember, in Spanish, we do not capitalize the first letter of the names

of languages whereas in English we always capitalize the first letter of foreign
languages (lenguasextranjeras)
O
To create a simple sentence, we use a noun followed by a verb. In Spanish, like
other Romance languages like Portuguese, French, Italian, the verbs in their
conjugated forms signal an action. Here, let us learn to use some more –ar verbs
such as estudiar (to study), escuchar (to listen):
o Yo estudio. (I Study) or Estudio. (I study).
N
o Él escucha la música en español. (He listens to Spanish songs).
Hence, this first person conjugation in singular form denotes that the conjugated
form of the verb (estudiar) refers to the action done by a person. (referring to
1stperson-I)
Similary follow:
IG
o Ellos hablan. (They speak)

o Nosotros trabajamos. (We work) etc.
Present-tense verbs in Spanish can have several English equivalents. Each simple
expression in Spanish may convey three different ideas in English:
o (yo) Estudio español.
I study Spanish. (simple statement)
I do study Spanish. (emphasis)
I am studying Spanish. (action in progress)
To ask a question, we do not need to change the order of the words but
we raise the pitch of our voice (while asking a question verbally) and put a
question mark at the end of a statement/phrase (while writing a question):
¿Usted estudia? (You study?); ¿Ella trabaja? (She works?), etc.
45
Hola, ¿qué tal? Some more examples:
 Comprar. (To buy)
• Yo compro billete para la película. (I buy ticket for the film)
 Enseñar. (To teach)
• El profesor enseña el español muy bien. (The teacher teaches Spanish very
well)
When we use the verb in –ing ending form like in English where we do not conjugate
the verb, for example: Hablar español es fácil. (Speaking Spanish is easy)
Actividad 6_____________________________________________________
Conjugate the verbs given below while making a phrase with each one of them:
a) escuchar al profesor (ellos)
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b) dibujar el mapa (tú)
c) conjugar los verbos (vosotros)
d) recitaruna poesía (yo)
e) preguntar al profesor (él)
a)
b)
O
Actividad 7_____________________________________________________
Complete the sentences with suitable conjugations of the verbs:
Ellas ________ (trabajar) en una empresa que se llama Endesa.
Elsa ________ (estudiar) matemáticas.
N
c) El habla hindi y yo _______ (hablar) español.
d) Yo siempre _______ (tomar) un café en la cantina.
We hope that you have learnt and memorized the conjugation pattern of –ar ending
verbs. Now, we will learn how a regular –er ending verb is conjugated. To form the
present tense, we remove the ending –er and add these endings to the verb stems:
IG
Subject Pronouns Verbs ending with -er

Yo -o
Tú - es
Él/ella/usted -e
Nosotros/Nosotras - emos
Vosotros/Vosotras - éis
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas - en
Let us take, for example, the verb leer (to read) to further understand how the
46
La escuela
Leer
Yo leo (I read)
Tú lees (You read) informal
Él/ella/usted lee (You read) formal (He/she reads)
Nosotros/as leemos (We read)
Vosotros/as leéis (You all read) informal
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes leen (You all read) formal

They (feminine)/They (masculine) read
For example,
U
o Yo leo los libros en español. (I read books in Spanish)
o Ella lee los libros de García Márquez. (She read García Marquez’s books)
Let us learn to use some more –er verbs such as comer (to eat), ver (to see), beber
(to drink), aprender (to learn), comprender (to understand), responder (to reply)
etc.
Subject Pronouns
Yo
Tú
O
Now we come to the third group of verbs in Spanish, i.e. –ir ending verb. To form
the present tense, add these endings to the verb stems of -ir verbs:
Verbs ending with -ir

-o
- es
N
Él/ella/usted -e
Nosotros/Nosotras - imos
Vosotros/Vosotras - ís
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas - en
IG
Let us take, for example, the verb escribir (to write) to further understand how the
Escribir
Yo escriboo (I write)
Tú escribes (You write) informal
Él/ella/usted escribe (You write) formal (He/she writes)
Nosotros/as escribimos (We write)
Vosotros/as escribís (You all write) informal
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes escriben (You all write) formal

They (feminine)/They(masculine)
write
47
Hola, ¿qué tal? For example,
o Yo escribo mi diario en español. (I write my diary in Spanish)
o Él escribe una carta a su amigo en Argentina. (He writes a letter to his friend in
Argentina)
Let us learn to use some more –ir verbs such as vivir (to live), abrir (to open),
compartir (to share), discutir (to discuss/talk about), vivir (to live), etc.
Actividad 8_____________________________________________________
Conjugate the verb in Spanish in the following sentences:
a) Mis amigos y yo __________ (decidir) de ir al cine hoy.
b) Marta siempre __________ (recibir) buenas notas en sus clases.
U
c) Los domingos, mis amigos y yo _______ (ver) el partido de críquet en la
televisión.
d) Yo _______ (leer) libros de García Márquez en español.
e) Jorge _______ (escribir) un correo-electrónico a su amigo en India.
f)
O
Alicia y Antonio __________ (vivir) cerca de Segovia.
Before going to the next topic, read the following texts about Kiran (India) and
Ricardo (Perú) in which they talk about their school and their favorite subject.
N
Me llamo Kiran y soy de la India.
Tengo 12 años y estudio en un
colegio público. Hablo hindi e
inglés. Mi asignatura favorita es
matemáticas. Mi mejor amiga se
llama Anita, tiene 12 años. Tiene
IG
una mascota que se llama Rocky.
¡Hola! ¿Qué tal? Me llamo

Ricardo, soy peruano y tengo 11
años. Estudio en un colegio
privado de Trujillo. Hablo español
y quechua. Mi asignatura favorita
es el arte. Mi mejor amigo se llama
Pedro, tiene 10 años.
48
Now read the above texts once again and reply the following questions:
a) ¿De dónde son Kirany Ricardo?
……………………………………………………………………………..
b) ¿Dónde estudia Kiran y qué lenguas habla?
…………………………………………………………………………...
c) ¿Cuál es la asignatura favorita de Kiran? ¿Y de Ricardo?
……………………………………………………………………………
d) ¿Cuál es tu asignatura favorita?
…………………………………………………………………………….
U
3.4 HORARIO ESCOLAR
(SCHOOL TIMETABLES)
In this section we will learn to talk about the daily school schedule in Spanish. School
hours in Spain vary from place to place and also primary and secondary schools have
different school hours. The day usually runs from 09:00-12:00 and 15:00-17:00 wiith breaks
O
in between for luch and a siesta. Knowing school timetable is important as it tells the
students what they are expected to study in school as part of their daily routine.
To talk about your classes in Spanish, we use the question: ¿Qué clases tienes hoy? or
¿Qué estudias este semestre? Let’s see some examples:
o ¿Qué clases tienes tú este semestre? (What classes to do you have this semester?)
N
• Yo tengo las matemáticas, las ciencias, el español, el inglés y la historia. (I have math,
science, Spanish, English and history)
o ¿Tú tienes la historia los lunes? (Do you have the history class on Mondays?)
• Sí, yo tengo la historia los lunes. (Yes, I have the history class on Mondays)
Before advancing with the activity, we will learn to say the days of the week (días de
IG
la semana) and to use them in simple sentence to talk about school hours. The seven
days of the week in Spanish are:
Los días de la semana:
 el lunes (Monday)
 el martes (Tuesday)
 el miércoles (Wednesday)
 el jueves (Thrusday)
 el viernes (Friday)
 el sábado (Saturday)
 el domingo (Sunday)
49
Hola, ¿qué tal?
Note that in Spanish-speaking countries, the week begins on Monday..
Also, the days of the week and months are not capitalized and all days are
masculine. We use el to say ‘on... (specific day)’and we use los to say “regularly/
usually on that day”. For example,
o El viernes, tenemosclase de lengua y literatura.
o Los lunes, tengo la clase de música.
Only sábado and domingo have plurals, for example, los sábados and los domingos.
To ask ‘What day is today?’, we use the question: ¿Qué día es hoy?And to respond,
we use the Spanish construction: ‘Hoy es + día’, for example, hoy es lunes,
mañana es martes. We use the ver‘ser’ to express the day.
U
In order to sequence your class schedule, we will need to use the following sequencing
adverbs (adverbs of time):
o Primero (First)
o Luego (Then, next)
o Después (Afterward, then)
o
•
OPor fin (Finally)
For example,
¿Qué clases tienes hoy /este semestre? (What classes to do you have today /
this semester?)
Primero tengo la geografía, después la computación, luego el español y por fin
N
ciencias. (First I have geography, then computer science, then Spanish and
finally science)
Here you have the school timetable of Ricardo as an example. Look at the schedule
and identify the subjects he is going to study this semester.
El horario de Ricardo
IG
50
Look at the timetable of Ricardo once again and compete the following sentences
using the information given above:
Los ________(a) practicamos con el ordenador en la clase de informática. Los
______(b) tengo gimnasia y los ______(c) el deporte. Estudio las matemáticas
todos los días salvo los _______(d). Los _______(e) y los ________(f) tenemos
la clase de dibujo. Nunca tenemos clase los _______(g) y los __________(h).
Actividad 11_____________________________________________________
[Track 20] Listen to María. What subjects does she have this semester?
Carmen ¿Qué asignaturas tiene?
U
Un poco de cultura…
compulsory:
•
O
The Spanish education system is divided into five stages, two of which are
Nursery and preschool (educación infantil) – optional (0 -3 yrs) and (3 – 6

yrs)
N
• Primary (educación primaria) – compulsory (6 – 12 yrs)
• Compulsory secondary education (educación secundaria obligatoria /E.S.O.)(12
-16 yrs)
• Upper secondary education: Baccalaureate (Bachillerato) – optional (16 -18
yrs)
IG
• Higher university education – as per the European Higher Education Area

(EHEA), university education is divided into three cycles: Bachelor (Grado),
Master (Máster) and Doctorate (Doctorado).
Actividad 12_____________________________________________________
REFLEXIONA. How is the education system in India? How is it different from
the Spanish education system?
¿Es obligatoria la ¿Las clases están

escolarización? ¿Es gratis la masificadas?
(Is schooling universidad? (Are the classrooms
compulsory?) (Is university overcrowded?)
education free?)
51
Hola, ¿qué tal?
3.5 RESUMEN (LET’S SUM UP)
In this unidad, we have become familiar with the lexicon used in the school context.
We have learnt to identify the gender of the nouns and use them with the definite
and indefinite articles. At the end of this unidad you should be able to ask for/give
information about your school, talk about your favorite subjects and school
timetables using adverbs of time. We have learnt asking for and saying days in
Spanish and also the conjugation of the regular –ar, -er, and –ir ending verbs using
the present simple tense.

aburrido/a : boring inglés, el : English
alemán, el : German interesante : interesting
U
álgebra, el : algebra italiano, el : Italian
arte, el : art lápiz, el : pencil
asignatura, la : subject lengua, la : language
banda, la : band literatura, la : literature
biología, la : biology mascota, la : pet
O
colegio, el : school
computación, la : computer course
contabilidad, la : accounting
coro, el
día, el
: choir
: day
matemáticas, las : mathematics
materia, la
moda, la
música, la
: subject
mecanografía, la : typing
: fashion
: music
N
dibujo, el : drawing orquesta, la : orchestra
difícil : difficult papelera, la : wastepaperbin
divertido/a : fun pegamento, el : glue
economía, la : economics privado : private
IG
escolarización, la : schooling públicos : public

español, el : Spanish quechua : Quechua (Language
estuche, el : case of the Incas)
fácil : easy química, la : chemistry
física, la : physics regla, la : ruler
francés, el : French rotulador, el : felt-tip pen
geografía, la : geography ruso, el : Russian
geometría, la : geometry sacapuntas, el : pencilsharpner
goma, la : eraser semana, la : week
historia, la : history semestre, el : semester

tijeras, las : scissors
idioma, el : language
informática, la : computer science
52
La escuela
3.7 SOLUCIONES (KEY ANSWERS)
Actividad 1
a) el f) la
b) las g) las
c) el h) el
d) el i) las
e) el j) la
Actividad 2
a) unos e) una
b) unas f) unos
U
c) un g) un
d) unos h) unas
Actividad 3
a) los lápices f) unos rotuladores
b)
c)
d)
e)
los pegamentos
unos estuches
unas reglas
las gomas
Actividad 4
O g)
h)
i)
los sacapuntas
unas tijeras
las papeleras
N
a) Ciencias e) Educación física
b) Dibujo f) Matemáticas
c) Cocina g) Música
d) Idiomas
IG
Actividad 6
a) Ellos escuchan al profesor. d) Yo recito una poesía.
b) Tú dibujas el mapa. e) Él pregunta al profesor.
c) Vosotros conjugáis los verbos.
Actividad 7
a) trabajan c) hablo
b) estudia d) tomo
Actividad 8
a) decidimos d) leo
b) recibe e) escribe
c) vemos f) viven
53
Hola, ¿qué tal? Actividad 9
a) Kiran es de la India y Ricardo de Perú.
b) Kiran estudia en un colegio público y habla hindi e inglés.
c) La asignatura favorita de Kiran es matemáticas, la de Ricardo, el arte.
d) Mi asignatura favorita es ...........(name of the subject).
Actividad 10
a) miércoles
b) martes y jueves
c) viernes
d) miércoles
U
e) viernes
f) sábados
g) domingos
Actividad 11
O
matemáticas, lengua española, inglés, física, geografía, química, informática,
technología, biología, música, deporte, gimnasio, dibujo, religión y trabajos manuales.
Actividad 12
Free answer.
N
IG
54
La escuela
UNIDAD 4 LA OFICINA
4.1 Introducción
4.2 Objetivos
4.3 En la oficina
4.3.1 Objetos de la oficina
4.4 Conversación en una oficina
4.5 Resumen
4.6 Glosario
4.7 Soluciones
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Dear learner, in this unidad, we will learn to ask someone about his or her workplace.
Also we will learn some essential vocabulary related to an office environment (la
oficina) which you’ll find useful for describing your office. We will learn to use the
irregular verb ‘tener’ (to have) in simple present to speak to our colleague in office
and also the Spanish numbers which you will find useful for sharing your contact
number.
•
•
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4.2 OBJECTIVOS (OBJECTIVES)
ask someone about his or her workplace;
describe one’s office using simple sentence construction;
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• ask for or give one’s contact using Spanish numbers; and
• speak to colleagues in an office environment.

• irregular verb tener;
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• lexicon related to an office enviornment; and

• Spanish numbers.
Are you ready to start? The following activities will help you learn all our objectives.
Follow the activities in a sequential manner.
4.3 EN LA OFICINA (AT OFFICE)

In the previous unidad 2 we learnt to ask about someone’s profession. In this unidad,
you will find the vocabulary related to an office enviornment or business situation.
Generally, you do not ask about someone’s profession or his or her workplace
within first few minutes of our meeting unless we make ourselves familiar with the
other person.
Let’s quickly revise different ways to ask one’s profession and place of work:
55
Hola, ¿qué tal?
Informal situation Formal situation To reply, we say:
o ¿En qué trabajas? o ¿En qué trabaja usted? - Trabajo en una empresa/
tienda...
o ¿Dónde trabajas? o ¿Dónde trabaja usted? - En una oficina/fábrica, ...
o ¿Eres + profesión? o ¿Usted es + profesión? - Soy responsable de ventas/
abogado...etc.
In unidad 1, we learnt to introduce ourselves and exchange greetings in formal and

informal situations. Remember that the use of ‘tú’ and ‘usted’ for ‘you’ in the singular
varies across the Spanish-speaking world. People use language differently depending
on the situation and who they are talking to, sometimes it is best to speak formally,
at other time it is more appropriate to speak in an informal way. It depends upon
the resasons for communicating and the relationship we share with the person we
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are speaking to. In this unidad, we will introduce you to both the formal and informal
situations at office.
Actividad 1_____________________________________________________
OBSERVAR. Ana works in a company (empresa/compañía) as sales representative
(agente comercial) and Sr. Luis Mosquera is the head of the sales department (responsable
O
del departamento de ventas). He introduces Ana to Sr. Antonio Domínguez who is the
new export manager (gerente de exportaciones).
[Track 21] Listen and read the following dialogue:
Luis: Buenos días, Ana. ¿Cómo está usted?

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Ana: Bien, gracias, Sr. Mosquera.
Luis: Mire, le presento al Sr. Domínguez, el
nuevo gerente de exportaciones.
Ana: Encantada de conocerle, Sr. Domínguez.
Antonio: Gracias, igualmente.
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As you can observe, the above dialogue takes place in a formal context and therefore,
a formal style is being used which is marked by impersonal use of the language.
While doing business with Spanish-speaking people, it is important that you make
a good impression by starting the meeting with short introduction in Spanish.
4.3.1 Objetos de la oficina (Office items)

Now that you have some basics covered, let’s quickly learn some vital vocabulary
related to office items (objetos de la oficina).
Hola, soy Ana. Soy agente comercial en una

empresa de exportaciones. Este es mi despacho,
donde trabajo con mis colegas, de lunes a viernes.
¡Vamos a aprender juntos el vocabulario más
importante!
56
La oficina
Ana carries out the following tasks using these office items:
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o el ordenador para escribir, leer, recibir, enviar (correos electrónicos, cartas, informes...)
o la impresora para imprimir documentos, escanear, fotocopiar, etc.
o el teléfono para llamar/hablar por teléfono o contestar el teléfono
o el fax para enviar un fax
o
o
O
In order to ask someone what his or her workplace is like, we use the following
sentence constructions in Spanish:
o ¿Cómo es tu lugar de trabajo? – informal situation
¿Cómo es su lugar de trabajo? – formal situation
¿Qué hay en tu oficina? (What’s in your office?)
(What your workplace is like?)
N
Ahora (now) let’s take a look at what Ana’s workplace is like.
Actividad 2_____________________________________________________
OBSERVAR.
[Track 22] Listen and read the following text in which Ana answers the question
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¿cómo es su lugar de trabajo?:
Mi oficina está al lado de un parque. Es

bastante grande. Hay un escritor y una
silla de trabajo pero también una mesa
y cuatro sillones para ver a mis clientes.
Hay un ordenador y una impresora y
también un ordenador portátil y un
proyector portátil para presentaciones.
Hay un teléfono y un móvil. No hay una
fotocopiadora en mi propio despacho,
pero la hay en el corredor, compartida
con todos los colegas. Hay una vista
buena al parque.
57
Hola, ¿qué tal? Read the text again and reply if the following sentences are true or false (verdadero/
falso):
a) La oficina de Ana está al lado de un parque. V/ F
b) Hay dos ordenadores en la oficina de Ana. V/ F
c) Hay una fotocopiadora en su despacho. V/ F
d) Ana comparte la impresora con sus colegas. V/ F
Now we will get familiarized with some important vocabulary related to different
types of workplaces (lugares de trabajo) and type of contract (contrato) you agree to
sign with your employer (empleador).
Let’s take a look at some essential words used for different places of work:
o negocios (business)
o fábrica (factory)
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o estudio (studio)
o oficina (office)
o empresa /compañía (company)
o tienda /comercio (shop)
O
Generally the job listings contain the information regarding the type of work contract
but in many instances in Spanish-speaking countries you will not find this
information in the job listings but it is later shared with the candidate at the time of
interview (entrevista). In case you are self-emloyed (trabajo autónomo) you are not
required to sign any contract but if you are employed, then you may find the
following types of work contract in Spanish:
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o contrato fijo/indefinido (permanent work contract)
o contrato temporal (temporary work contract)
o jornada completa (full-time work)
o jornada parcial (part-time work)
o prácticas (internship)
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Actividad 3_____________________________________________________
¿Dónde trabajan? Match the following.
a) secretarios i) trabajan en el juzgado.
b) recepcionistas ii) trabajan en un despacho y organizan citas y
reuniones.
c) abogados iii) trabajan en el departamento de finanzas.
d) contables iv) trabajan en la oficina atendiendo a los clientes.
e) agentes comerciales v) trabajan en recepción.
58
La oficina
4.4 CONVERSACIÓN EN LA OFICINA
(CONVERSATION AT OFFICE)
In this section, we will practice a conversation between two colleagues in office.
Observe in the dialogue how two colleagues greet each other when they meet in
office by chance.
Actividad 4_____________________________________________________
[Track 23] Listen and learn the dialogue..
Miguel: ¡Hola, Clara! ¿Qué tal? ¿Tú en está empresa? ¿Trabajas aquí?
Clara: ¡Hola, Miguel! ¡Qué sorpresa! Bueno, ahora trabajo en esta empresa.
Miguel: ¡Qué bien! Y, ¿dónde vives?
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Clara: Vivo cerca de la Plaza Mayor.
Miguel: Ah, ¿sí? ¿En qué calle?
Clara: En la calle de la Amargura, número 7.
Miguel: ¿Tienes teléfono?
Clara: Sí, clarita22@telefonica.com

O
Clara: Sí, tengo móvil. Es el 650 312 2467. ¿Y tú? ¿Cuál es tu número de teléfono?
Miguel: El 664 906 3678. ¿Tienes correo?
Miguel: Bueno, me voy porque tengo una reunión con el jefe. ¡Adiós!
Clara: ¡Adiós, hasta luego!
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Now read the dialogue again and answer the questions that follow:
a) ¿Dónde vive Clara?
.....................................................................................................................................
b) ¿Miguel y Clara trabajan en la misma empresa?
.....................................................................................................................................
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c) ¿Cuál es el número de teléfono de Clara? Y, ¿el de Miguel?

.....................................................................................................................................
d) ¿Cuál es la dirección de correo-electrónico de Clara?
.....................................................................................................................................
As you can observe in the above dialogue, we have introduced a new verb
tener which is an irregular verb used to express possession. For example,
o ¿Tiene steléfono? (Do you have a telephone?)
o Sí, tengo móvil. (Yes, I have a cell phone)
o ¿Tienes correo electrónico? (Do you have an email?)
Note that we also use the verb tener when in English the verb ‘to be’ is used. For
example, to express age:
o ¿Cuántos años tienes? (How old are you?) 59
Hola, ¿qué tal? o Ella tiene 12 años.(She is 12 years old).
o Juan tiene 50 años.(John is fifty years old).
Let’s learn the conjugation of the verb:
Tener
Yo tengo
Tú tienes
Él/ella/usted tiene
Nosotros/as tenemos
Vosotros/as tenéis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes tienen
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Here are some expressions with the verb tener :
hambre -Tengo hambre. (I’m hungry)

sed -Tengo sed. (I’m thristy)
frío -¿Tienes frío?(Are you cold?)
O
TENER +
calor
sueño
razón
prisa
-Tengo calor.(I’m hot)
-Él tiene sueño.(He is tired/sleepy)
-Tengo mucha suerte.(I’m very lucky)
-Tienes razón.(You are right)
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miedo -¿Tiene prisa?(Are you in a hurry?)
suerte -¿Tiene miedo?(Are you frightned?)
Actividad 5_____________________________________________________
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb TENER:
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a) ¡Oye, Lucía! ¿_______ el número de Federico?

b) Ricardo es arquitecto pero no _______ trabajo.
c) El señor González no ______ teléfono.
d) Elisa y Anabel ______ su oficina cerca de la Plaza de Quintana.
e) Nosotros ______ muchos empleados en nuestra empresa.
As you can observe in the above dialogue, we have used the numbers to sharee
the contact information. So, now let’s learn more about Spanish numbers, and
how to count from 1-100 in Spanish?
We shall first learn the cardinal numbers (números cardinales) in Spanish. Números
cardianles are also called counting numbers as they indicate the quantity and answer
the question how many (cuántos/cuántas).Let’s start with the basics. Here are the
Spanish numbers from 0-10:
60
Actividad 6_____________________________________________________ La oficina
[Track 24] Listen and repeat:
0 - cero 6 – seis
1 – uno 7 – siete
2 – dos 8 – ocho
3 – tres 9 - nueve
4 - cuatro 10 - diez
5 – cinco
Actividad 7_____________________________________________________
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Complete. Follow the example:
¿Dos más tres? = cinco / ¿Cinco menos tres? = dos
a) 3+2= d) 5–3=
b) 5+3= e) 9–6=
c) 8+2=
from 11-50. O
Now that you have learnt the basic numbers in Spanish, let’s learn the numbers
Actividad 8_____________________________________________________
[Track 25] Listen and repeat:

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11- once 21 -veintiuno 31 -treinta y uno 41 -cuarenta y uno 60-sesenta
12 -doce 22 -veintidós 32 -treinta y dos 42 -cuarenta y dos 70-setenta
13 - trece 23 -veintitrés 33 -treinta y tres 43 -cuarenta y tres 80-ochenta
14 - catorce 24 -veinticuatro 34 -treinta y cuatro 44 -cuarenta y cuatro 90-noventa
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15 -quince 25 -veinticinco 35 -treinta y cinco 45 -cuarenta y cinco 100-cien

16 -dieciséis 26 -veintiséis 36 -treinta y seis 46 -cuarenta y seis 1.000-mil
17 -diecisiete 27 -veintisiete 37 -treinta y siete 47 -cuarenta y siete
18 -dieciocho 28 -veintiocho 38 -treinta y ocho 48 -cuarenta y ocho
19 -diecinueve 29 -veintinueve 39 -treinta y nueve 49 -cuarenta y nueve
20 -veinte 30 -treinta 40 -cuarenta 50 -cincuenta
Actividad 9_____________________________________________________
[Track 26] Listen and mark the numbers you hear..
19 15 4 11 3
6 5 2 28 9
17 30 40 14 20
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Hola, ¿qué tal?
If you look at the numbers once again, you will find that the numbers 1-15
do not follow any pattern while for numbers from 16-29, you can follow these
steps:
- 18 = 10 + 8, i.e. ‘diez + y + ocho’ it gets contracted into: dieciocho.
- 19 = ‘diez y nueve’  it becomes diecinueve.
Likewise, numbers from 21-29 also gets contracted in one word. For example,
- 22 = 20 + 2, i.e. ‘veinte + y + dos’ veintidós
- 27 = 20 + 7, i.e. ‘veinte + y + siete’veintisiete
Whereas, for numbers above 30, the contraction does not happen. For example,
- 35 = treinta y uno.
- 45 = cuarenta y cinco.
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- 87 = ochenta y siete.
Actividad 10_____________________________________________________
[Track 27] Listen to the conversations and write the telephone numbers:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
O Ana:
Alfonso:
María:
Aeropuerto de Santiago:
Radio Taxi Barcelona:
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Do you know?
While writing long numbers in Spanish, particularly if it’s a decimal number,

periods and commas are reversed in Spanish. For example, where in English
we write 216, 200.50, in Spanish we write it down as 216.200,50.
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In this unidad, we have learnt the essential vocabulary related to the work envirnment
so that we are able to talk to someone about his or her workplace. Also we learnt to
use the irregular verb ‘tener’ and Spanish numbers to ask for or give information
about our age and contact number. We are sure at the end of this unidad, you are
able to describe your workplace and talk about your colleagues using Spanish
construction in simple present.

abrecartas, las : letter opener agente comercial, : sales
el/la representative
agenda, la : diary
62
alfombrilla de : mouse pad fotocopiadora, : photocopier La oficina
ratón, la la
armario de : office cabinet gerente, el/la : manager
oficina, el grapadora, la : stapler
calculadora, la : calculator impresora, la : printer
calendario, el : calender imprimir : to printout
carpeta, la : folder informe, el : report
celo, el : sticky tape internet, el : internet
cliente, el/la : client libreta, la : notebook
compañía, la : company memoria USB, la : USB memory
contrato, el : contract monitor, el : monitor
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correo, el : mail ordenador, el : computer
correo : email ordenador : laptop
electrónico, el portátil, el
despacho, el : office papelera, la : waste-paperbin
documento, el : document pisapapeles, los : paperweights
empleado, el
empleador, el
empresa, la
entrevista, la
escáner, el
: employee
: employer
: company
: interview
: scanner
O pósit, el
ratón, el
reunión, la
silla, la
sobre, el
: post-it
: computer mouse
: meeting
: chair
: envelope
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escritorio, el : desk tableta, la : tablet
exportación, la : export tarjeta de visita, : businesscard
fax, el : fax la
folio, el : sheet ventas, las : sales
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4.7 SOLUCIONES (KEY ANSWERS)
Actividad 2
a) verdadero
b) verdadero
c) falso
d) falso
Actividad 3
a) ii
b) v
c) i
63
Hola, ¿qué tal? d) iii
e) iv
Actividad 4
a) Clara vive en la calle de la Amargura, nº 7, cerca de la Plaza Mayor.
b) Sí, Miguel y Clara trabajan en la misma empresa.
c) El número de teléfono de Clara es el 650 312 2467 y el de Miguel es el 664 906
3678.
d) La dirección de correo-electrónico de Clara es clarita@telefonica.com
Actividad 5
a) tienes
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b) tiene
c) tiene
d) tienen
e) tenemos
a)
b)
c)
d)
O
Actividad 7
cinco
ocho
diez
dos
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e) tres
Actividad 9
3, 9. 19, 5, 28, 15, 30, 14, 40
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Actividad 10
a) Ana: 936 547 8321
b) Alfonso: 955 835 6210
c) María: 692 682 242
d) Aeropuerto Santiago: 959 314 3374
e) Radio Taxi Barcelona: 915 920 6201
64
U
Block
2
Familia y el entorno
Unit 5 O
La Familia y Parentesco
Unit 6
67
N
Descripción de Personas 79
Unit 7
Amigos y compañeros 97
Unit 8
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La Casa 111
U
O
N
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66
UNIDAD 5 LA FAMILIA Y PARENTESCO
5.1 Introducción
5.2 Objetivos
5.3 Los miembros de la familia y las relaciones de parentesco
5.3.1 Los determinantes posesivos
5.3.2 Los nombres y apellidos españoles
5.3.2 El verbo «estar» y el estado civil
5.3.2 Costumbres españolas
5.3.4.1 Los nombres y sus abreviaciones
5.3.4.2 La familia española en la actualidad
5.4 Resumen
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5.5 Glosario
5.6 Soluciones

Dear learner, in the first block you became familiar with the first useful tools to
O
introduce yourself in Spanish and to give basic information related to nationalities,
profession and your immediate surroundings. In this second block that you are
starting now, Familia y entorno (Family and Surroundings), you will get deeper into
the content by broadening your vocabulary about family and its surroundings, not
only from linguistic and grammatical points of view, but also from a cultural
perspective.
N
Before you start working on this unidad ‘family and family relationship’ (la familia y
parentesco), revise the major points and grammar contents from the previous block,
since they will come in handy and they will serve as a good basis to start building
upon.
One aspect that you need to bear in mind is that, like in India, family is also very
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important in Spain and Spanish-speaking countries and they talk a lot about it, so it
is quite frequent to find yourself talking to a Spanish native and the topic of the
family (la familia) coming into conversation. Be ready for that!
Spanish families often gather together for celebrations and other activities, like
Christmas (Navidad) and birthdays (cumpleaños). It is also common to spend Sundays
as family days with close relatives meeting usually for a big Sunday lunch. You
might find out some common elements with your culture, and also some particular
ones that differ from the reality around you. Think about these points while you
study this unidad. By comparing and looking for these similarities and differences
you will get a better insight into both, your culture and the Spanish one.

At the end of the unidad, you should be able to:
describe your family and ask about someone’s family;
use possessive pronouns for the first, second and third person singular (Yo, Tú,
Él); 67
Familia y el entorno use the verb estar to talk about marital status; and
know about Spanish traditions.
5.3 LOS MIEMBROS DE LA FAMILIA Y LAS

RELACIONES DE PARENTESCO (FAMILY
MEMBERS AND FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS)
Actividad 1
OBSERVAR. Are you ready for a quick warm up while jumping directly into the
topic? Good! To start with, and without the help of any dictionary, look at the
following picture and read the following text about Enrique’s family, where the
family relationships are described. Then, complete the family tree. Read the text as
many times as you need and observe the picture carefully. Pay attention and be a
good observer. The picture and the words in bold with help you through.
U
O
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Esta es la familia de Enrique. Su madre se llama Elena y su padre Miguel. Enrique
tiene un hermano, Guillermo, y una hermana, Carmen. El marido de Carmen
se llama Juan. Carmen y Juan tienen dos hijos. Su hijo mayor se llama Alberto. Su
hija pequeña se llama Sara. Alberto y Sara son sobrinos de Enrique. Enrique
también está casado. Su mujer se llama María. Enrique y María tienen una hija.
Se llama Natalia. Natalia, Alberto y Sara son primos y nietos de Elena y Miguel.
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Elena y Miguel son los abuelos de Alberto, Sara y Natalia. Guillermo, el hermano
de Enrique, está soltero y no tiene hijos.
We are sure that you already deduced the meaning of some of the new words in
bold describing family members. Good for you if you have guessed correctly the
meaning of all of them! You can double-check them in the glossary section at the
end of this unindad.
Miguel
 

María Enrique
Natalia
68
Esposo is another word for marido, as well as esposa is another word for mujer.
In Latin America, they use papá and mamá instead of padre y madre.
Actividad 2
Now that you are already familiar with the basic vocabulary related to family and
family relationships, find out the meaning of the underlined words?
a) Enrique es cuñado de Juan. / María es cuñada de Guillermo.
b) Elena es suegra de Juan. / Miguel es suegro de Juan. / Elena y Miguel son
suegros de Juan.
c) Juan es yerno de Elena y Miguel. / María es nuera de Elena y Miguel.
As you might have observed in the previous text about Enrique’s family, the
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masculine form is always used for the plural if one of the members is a male:
primos (prima + primo), padres (padre + madre), abuelos (abuela + abuelo), hermanos
(hermano + hermana), sobrinos (sobrina + sobrino)
Let’s now start building up sentences that will help you when describing families.
o
o
o
O
Look at the following sentences again about Enrique’s family:
Enrique es hijo de Miguel y Elena. (Enrique is Miguel and Elena’s son)
Miguel y Elena son padres de Enrique. (Miguel and Elena are Enrique’s parents)
Alberto es primo de Natalia. (Alberto is Natalia’s cousin)
As you can observe, the structure used in Spanish to talk about familyy
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relationships is as follows: VERB SER + FAMILY RELATIONSHIP +
DE
Actividad 3
PRACTICAR. Following the structure in the previous sentences, complete the

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following sentences with the appropriate information about Enrique’s family:

a) Miguel es _______ de Elena.
b) Juan es ______ de Alberto.
c) Alberto ____ hijo ____ Carmen.
d) Natalia _____ nieta de Elena y Miguel.
e) María es _____ de Natalia.
f) Alberto y Sara son ______ de Carmen y Juan.
g) Carmen es _____ de Enrique.
h) Natalia ____ _______ ______ Alberto y Sara.
i) Miguel y Elena ______ _______ ______ Alberto, Sara y Natalia.
j) Guillermo ______ _____ _______ Sara.
Now that you have become familiar with words and sentences to describe a family,
let’s work on your listening skills in the following activity. 69
Familia y el entorno Actividad 4
[Track 28] You will hear Sofía describing her family. You can see her family tree
below, where some of her relatives’ names have been given. Observe, first, the
family tree carefully and, with the help of the vocabulary learnt so far in this unidad,
think of the words that you might expect while listening to the audio. This will help
you to recognise words and scan information when you play the audio. Listen to
Sofía and write the names of the other relatives in the appropriate boxes given in
the family tree.
Marcos
 

Cristóbal Josefina
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 
Raúl  Sofía
 
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5.3.2 Los determinantes posesivos (Possessive pronouns)
Look at the transcribed text from the previous exercise and read Sofia’s description
about her family. Observe the underlined words and the table below. They are called
possessive pronouns, like in English ‘my, your...’.
N
- En mi familia somos mi madre, mi padre, mis dos hermanos y yo.
- ¿Cómo se llaman tus padres?
- Mi padre se llama Cristóbal y mi madre Josefina.
- ¿Tienes hermanos?
- Sí, tengo dos hermanos. Mi hermano mayor se llama Raúl; luego estoy yo, que me llamo
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Sofía, y después mi hermano pequeño, que se llama Sergio.

- Y tus abuelos, ¿cómo se llaman?
- Mi abuelo Marcos y mi abuela Teresa. Estos son los padres de mi madre.
- ¿Y cómo se llaman los padres de tu padre?
- El padre de mi padre se llama Joaquín y la madre Luisa. [Pausa] Tengo también una tía.
- ¿Cómo se llama tu tía?
- Silvia.
- ¿Y de quién es hermana?
- Es la hermana de mi madre. Y tengo dos sobrinos.
- ¿Cómo se llaman?
- Rubén y Óscar.
- ¿Y son hijos de quién?
70
- De mi hermano Raúl. La Familia y Parentesco
- ¿Y cómo se llama la mujer de tu hermano?

- Clara. Se llama Clara.
SIGULAR PLURAL
MASCULINO FEMENINO MASCULINO FEMENINO
YO mi padre mi madre mis hermanos mis hermanas
(my father) (my mother) (my brothers/siblings) (my sisters)
TÚ tu padre tu madre tus hermanos tus hermanas
(your father) (your aunt) (your brothers/siblings) (your sisters)
ÉL/ su padre su madre sus hermanos sus hermanas
ELLA/ (his/her father) (his/her mother) (his/her brothers/ (his/her sisters)
USTED siblings)
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Possessive pronouns are used to show possession. Different forms apply for
the different personal pronouns as you can see in the table above. In Spanish, personal
pronouns agree with the number of things possessed, i.e., if there is only one thing
possessed, then we use the singular form, whereas if there are more than one thing
possessed, we use the plural form. Look at the following sentences:

O
Mi tía se llama Silvia (my aunt’s name is Silvia). There is only one aunt, so we use
the possessive pronoun in the singular form (Mi).
Mis sobrinos se llaman Rubén y Óscar (my nephews’ names are Rubén and Óscar).
Even if the owner is one person (Yo), there is more than one nephew. Therefore,
we need to use the possessive pronoun in the plural form (Mis).
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Mi hijo y mi hija = mis hijos
Tu padre y tu madre = tus padres
Su hermano y su hermana = sus hermanos
Also observe that there is neither masculine nor feminine form for the possessive
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pronouns in the YO, TÚ, EL/ELLA/USTED forms:

 Mi padre se llama Esteban y mi madre se llama Estela.
 ¿Cómo se llama tu hermano? / ¿Cómo se llama tu hermana?
Actividad 5
Choose the right form of the possessive pronoun in the following sentences:
a) Estos son mi/mis hermanos. Se llaman Felipe y Jaime.

b) Laura es española pero su/sus padre es alemán.
c) Tu/tus padres son muy jóvenes.
d) Mi/mis madre se llama Pilar y es enfermera.
e) Javier vive en España, pero su/sus abuelos viven en Colombia
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Complete the following sentences and dialogues with the appropriate possessive
pronoun from the ones given in the box. Some pronouns need to be used more
than once:
su tus (x2) tu mi (x3) mis (x2) sus

a) - Ana, ¿cómo se llama _____ hermana?
- ______ hermana se llama Esther.
- Pierre, ¿de dónde eres?
- Yo soy francés pero ______ padres son italianos, de Roma.
b) - Susana, ¿a qué se dedican ____ primos?
- ______ prima Marta es ingeniera y ______ hermano es médico.
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c) - Luis, ¿vives con _____ padres?
- No, ya no vivo con _____ padres. Vivo con _____ novia.
d) - ¿Los hermanos de Raquel viven también en el País Vasco?
- Sí, _____ hermanos viven en Bilbao.
Actividad 7
O [Track 29] Look at the following family tree (árbol genealógico). Listen and respond
to the question given in the box below.
Manuel Francisca
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
Rocío Julio


Esteban Alberto Isabel

IG




Sara Ruth Luis Roberto
A B V
¿Quién habla?
¿Dónde vive?
¿Cuántos años tiene?
5.3.2 Los nombres y apellidos españoles (Spanish Names and

Surnames)
Spanish people are identified by name(s) (nombre(s)) and surnames (apellidos). They
have at least one name but it is also possible (and common) to have more than one,
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followed by two surnames, first surname (primer apellido) and second surname (segundo La Familia y Parentesco
apellido). The concept of middle name does not exist in Spanish-speaking countries.
Look at the following national identity card (DNI –documento nacional de identidad)
from Spain and Chile (in South America, it is known as cédula de indentidad):
With regard to the surnames, the first one is the father’s first surname and the
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second one is the mother’s first surname. You will see it clearly in the following
family tree (árbol genealógico):
Marcelo García Daniela Marco Suárez Elena Espinosa

Peña Sánchez Gil Marqués Blasco
O 

Cristóbal García Josefina García


Jaime Suárez Ignacio Suárez
Sánchez Sánchez Espinosa Espinosa
 

Celia Torrejón Raúl Suárez Clara Suárez Marta Suárez

Montes García García García
N
 
Eugenia Suárez Eugenia Suárez
Torrejón Torrejón
Remember that Spanish people keep both their names and surnames, from
birth to death. Unlike it happens in India, Spanish people don’t change them when
they get married. Actually, for them, the idea of changing their identity feels quite
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odd.
5.3.3 El verbo «estar» y el estado civil (Verb Estar and marital status)
Marital status in Spanish is introduced, usually, by the verb estar. Estar means ‘to be’,
like the verb ser that you learnt in the previous unit, and, also like ser, this is an
irregular verb.
ESTAR
Yo estoy soltero/a: single

Tú estás casado/a: married
Él/Ella/Usted está separado/a: separated
Nosotros/as estamos divorciado/a: divorced
Vosotros/as estáis viudo/a: widower/widow
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes están
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Although estar is the most commonly used verb, marital status can also be
stated by using ser, mostly with soltero/a and viudo/a, with no difference in the
meaning.
Note the difference between the following two expressions:
- Separado/a: when, after being married, a person stops living together but the
marriage has not legally been terminated.
- Divorciado/a: a person that has terminated the marriage legally.
Actividad 8
Complete the following sentences and dialogues with the appropriate form of the
verb estar:
a) Mario y yo no _________ casados pero vivimos juntos.
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b) - ¿Vosotras________ casadas?
- No, _______ solteras.
c) - ¿Julia _________ viuda?
- No, su marido vive.
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d) - Tú ________ divorciada, ¿verdad?
- No, _______ separada.
e) - ¿Ustedes _________ casados?
f) Guillermo _________ soltero y vive muy bien.
Now, as a reinforcement and summarizing exercise, let’s revise the contents
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practiced so far. Go back to the previous block if you consider that you need to
revise the vocabulary and verbs used to ask for or to give personal information.
Actividad 9
[Track 30] Choose the right option to complete the following text about Nuria’ss
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family. Then listen to the audio and check your answers:
La familia de Nuria (Nuria’s family)

(a)________ (Me llamas/Me llamo/Mi llamo) Nuria. En mi familia somos cuatro:
mi padre, mi madre, mi hermano y yo. Mi padre (b) ________ (llamas/llama/se
llama) Víctor. (c)________ (es/ser/se) médico y trabaja en un hospital. Mi madre
(d) __________ (se llama/nos llama/llama) Lucía y trabaja en un instituto. Es (e)
____________ (profesor/profesora/profesión) de matemáticas. Raúl, (f) __________
(mi/mis/yo) hermano, es estudiante en la universidad.
El hermano de mi padre, mi (g)________ (primo/tío/sobrino) Sebastián, (h)_______
(estoy/estás/está) casado. (i) ________ (tu/su/sus) mujer se llama Estrella. Mis
tíos Sebastián y Estrella (j) ________ (tenéis/tiene/tienen) dos hijas, Gloria y Elvira.
Son mis (k) ________ (hermanas/primos/primas).
Mi madre tiene una hermana, mi (l) __________ (tía, prima, abuela) Carmen. Ella no
(m) _____ (tiene/tienes/tenéis) marido. Es (n)______ (casada/soltera/separada).
Mi familia y yo (o) ___________ (viven/vivo/vivimos) en Madrid, la capital de España.
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5.3.4 Costumbres españolas (Spanish traditions) La Familia y Parentesco
5.3.4.1 Los nombres y sus abreviaciones (Names and their Abbreviations)
In Spanish families it is common to change, abbreviate or use diminutive suffixes

when referring to relatives, mostly children, often as an affectionate form. These
are some of the examples:
Name Affectionate/short form
Antonia Toñi
Antonio Toño
Consuelo Chelo
Dolores Lola/Loles
Enrique Quique
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Francisco Paco
Ignacio Nacho
José Pepe
Josefa Pepa
Manuel
María Carmen
María Isabel
María Luisa
María Teresa
O Manolo
Mamen
Maribel
Marisa
Maite
N
Mercedes Merche
Milagros Mila
Rosario Charo
In traditional families, it is also common to give the daughter the same name as
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that of the mother and the son the same name as that of the father. In such cases,
they usually use the diminutive form when speaking about/to to their children. For
example, if the father’s name is Carlos, the son’s name might also be Carlos but
relatives will call him Carlitos. Diminutive forms in Spanish are often formed with -
ito for the masculine name and -ita for the feminine: Juan’! Juanito; Ricardo’!
Ricardito; Juana’! Juanita; Susana’! Susanita, Elena’! Elenita, and so on.
5.3.4.2 La familia española en la actualidad (The Spanish family today)
The most common family model in Spain is the traditional one, formed by a father,
a mother and the children (one or more). This situation counts for 34.9%. Among
them, the biggest group is formed by couples with only one child (16.4%), followed
by couples with two children (15.3%) and, lastly, couples with three or more children
(3.2%). There is also a growing number of single-parent families (9.4%), most of
them formed by a single mother.
86.3% of the couples living together are married, 99.3% of them are heterosexual
couples and 0.7% homosexual. Homosexual marriages in Spain are legally
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recognised since 2005, upon approval by the Spanish Congress (el Congreso de los
Diputados).
There is also a growing number of people living alone (14.3% under 65) and also
couples without any children (21.6%).
One out of every three young people (aged between 25 to 34, approx. 6 million)
still lives with their parents. The main reason is the difficulty to afford a life on
their own.
When people get married it is uncommon that they stay and live with their parents.
They move out of the family house. However, relationships are close amongst
close relatives, i.e. grandparents, parents and siblings. The family is important for
Spanish people and, as a general rule, they prefer to live near each other and they
usually gather together for celebrations like birthdays, weddings, Christmas and
other family events.
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Source: Adopted text. Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE)

In this unidad, you have become familiar with vocabulary, expressions and sentences
O
used to describe families, a very common topic both in Indian and Spanish cultures.
We have also learnt to use possessive pronouns (mi, tu, su) and the verb estar to state
the marital status of a person. Lastly, we have read about some traditions from the
Spanish-speaking countries with regard to the use of names, surnames and family
life. With all this new information we are sure that you can make a confident
description about your family.
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abuelo (el) : grandfather nieto (el) : grandson
abuela (la) : grandmother nieta (la) : granddaughter
apellido (el) : surname nombre (el) : name
casado/a : married novia (la) : girlfriend
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cuñada (la) : sister-in-law novio (el) : boyfriend

cuñado (el) : brother-in-law nuera (la) : daughter-in-law
divorciado/a : divorced padre (el) : father
familia (la) : family primero/a : first
hermana (la) : sister primo (el) : male cousin
hermano (el) : brother prima (la) : female cousin
hierno : son-in-law segundo/a : second
hija (la) : daughter separado/a : separated
hijo (el) : son sobrino (el) : nephew
madre (la) : mother sobrina (la) : niece
marido : husband soltero/soltera : single
(o esposo) (el) suegra (la) : mother-in-law
mayor : older suegro (el) : father-in-law
menor : younger viudo/a : widower/widow
mujer : wife yerno (el) : son-in-law
(o esposa) (la)
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Actividad 1
Miguel Elena
 
 Guillermo Carmen Juan
María Enrique
Natalia Alberto Sara
Actividad 2
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a) brother-in-law / sister-in-law
b) mother-in-law / father-in-law / parents-in-law
c) son-in-law / daughter-in-law
Actividad 3
a) Miguel es marido de Elena.
b) Juan es padre de Alberto.
c) Alberto es hijo de Carmen.
O
d) Natalia es nieta de Elena y Miguel.
e) María es madre de Natalia.
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f) Alberto y Sara son hijos de Carmen y Juan.
g) Carmen es hermana de Enrique.
h) Natalia es prima de Alberto y Sara.
i) Miguel y Elena son abuelos de Alberto, Sara y Natalia.
j) Guillermo es tío de Sara.
IG
Actividad 4
Joaquín Luisa Marcos Teresa
 

Cristóbal Josefina Silvia
 

Clara Raúl Sofía Sergio
 
Rubén Óscar
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a) Estos son mis hermanos. Se llaman Felipe y Jaime.
b) Laura es española pero su padre es alemán.
c) Tus padres son muy jóvenes.
d) Mi madre se llama Pilar y es enfermera.
e) Javier vive en España pero sus abuelos viven en Colombia.
Actividad 6
a) - Ana, ¿cómo se llama tu hermana?
- Mi hermana se llama Esther.
b) - Pierre, ¿de dónde eres?
- Yo soy francés pero mis padres son italianos, de Roma.
c) - Susana, ¿a qué se dedican tus primos?
- Mi prima Marta es ingeniera y su hermano es médico.
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d) - Luis, ¿vives con tus padres?
- No, ya no vivo con mis padres. Vivo con mi novia.
e) - ¿Los hermanos de Raquel viven también en el País Vasco?
- Sí, sus hermanos viven en Bilbao.
Actividad 7
O ¿Quién habla?
¿Dónde vive?
¿Cuántos años tiene?
A
Alberto
Salamanca
42
B
Manuel
Madrid
67
C
Roberto
Barcelona
9
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Actividad 8
a) Mario y yo no estamos casados pero vivimos juntos.
b) - ¿Vosotras estáis casadas?
- No, estamos solteras.
c) - ¿Julia está viuda?
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- No, su marido vive.

d) - Tú estás divorciada, ¿verdad? (estás)
- No, estoy separada.
e) - ¿Ustedes están casados?
f) Guillermo está soltero y vive muy bien.
Actividad 9
a) Me llamo b) se llama
c) Es d) se llama
e) profesora f) mi
g) tío h) está
i) Su j) tienen
k) primas l) tía
m) tiene n) soltera
o) vivimos
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UNIDAD 6 DESCRICPIÓN DE LAS
PERSONAS
6.1 Introducción
6.2 Objetivos
6.3 Descripción de las personas
6.3.1 Describir a las personas físicamente
6.3.2 Describir la personalidad
6.3.3 Parecer y parecerse
6.4 Resumen
6.5 Glosario
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6.6 Soluciones

Dear learner, in this unidad - Descripción de personas (Describing people) you will become
familiar with the vocabulary that you need to talk about and describe people and
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spaces around you: relatives and friends. After introducing the family in the previous
unidad, you are already familiar with some basic vocabulary to describe people. Now
we will learn to describe people in a detailed manner, talking about their physical
appearance and their personality.
You will learn how to use certain verbs with specific structures and how sometimes
they are used to convey different meanings. We will also get to learn new adjectives
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and its concordance with nouns in gender (feminine/masculine) and number
(singular/plural).
Before you start learning new contents presented here, go to the previous unidad
and revise the usages of the verb ser and also how reflexive verbs, like llamarse, are
conjugated.
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By the end of the unidad, you should be able to:
describe people physically;
describe personality;
use the verb ser to describe ways of being;
use the verbs llevar (to wear), parecer (to seem) and parecerse(to resemble).
6.3 DESCRIPCIÓN DE LAS PESONAS

(DESCRIBING PEOPLE)
When asking what a person is like we can get many different answers as to how they
look like (tall, short, thin, fat...) and also their personality (nice, intelligent, egoistic...).
All the words used in these cases are descriptions expressing qualities or state of
mind.
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Familia y el entorno When we want to ask about the physical aspect or about the personality of someone
we don’t know, the general question we use is ¿Cómo es? (How is he/she like?). With
this question as a starting point, you will learn now how to describe someone
physically and, then, we will move on to describe their personality and other useful
vocabulary and grammar points.
6.3.1 Describir a las personas físicamente (Describing people

physically)
Actividad 1
OBSERVAR. We will start this section with a short observation activity. Read the
following text describing Martín. Underline the verbs used to describe him and
complete the table below. Do not worry if there are new words that you are not
familiar with. You will understand the text as soon as you read it again after completing
the table.
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Se llama Martín. Es joven, alto y
delgado. Es guapo. Tiene los ojos
verdes y grandes. Tiene el pelo corto y
rubio. Lleva gafas y barba. Es
inteligente y simpático.
O Es
Es joven...
Tiene
Tiene los ojos verdes...
Lleva
Lleva gafas
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Three different verbs are used here to describe a person: ser, tener and llevar. Let’s see
how and when each one of them is used when describing physical aspects.
 Ser is the verb used to describe characteristics related to physical aspects, as we
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can see in the above text: es alto (he is tall), es bajo (he is short), es delgado (he is
thin), es guapo (he is handsome) and es joven (he is young), or in other descriptions
like es gordo (he is fat), es mayor (he is old), es grande (he is big) and es pequeño (he is
small).
As it can be observed in the last sentence describing Martín, the verb ser is also
used to describe personality, for example, es simpático (he is nice) and es amable
(he is kind). We will learn more about this use of ser with personality in the
following section.
 Tener is generally used when we want to highlight a specific part of the body, for
example, tiene los ojos grandes/pequeños (he/she has big/small eyes), tiene los ojos
verdes/azules/grises/marrones/claros/oscuros (he/she has green/blue/grey/brown/
hell/dark eyes), tiene el pelo corto/largo (he/she has short/long hair), tiene el pelo
rubio, castaño, pelirrojo (he/she has blonde/brown/red hair) and tiene el pelo liso/
rizado/ondulado (he/she has straight/curly/wavy hair).
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Descripción de Personas
Remember the following cases, : Es calvo or está calvo (He is bald). Also tiene la
nariz grande (he/she has a big nose), tiene las orejas pequeñas (he/she has small ears) y
tiene pecas (he/she has freckles).
 The verb llevar (to wear) is used in cases when a personal characteristic follows
a personal choice, like in the following examples: Lleva gafas (he/she wears
glasses), lleva barba/bigote (he/she has a beard/moustache), lleva un pendiente en la
nariz (he has a piercing on his/her nose).
Llevar is a regular verb. It is conjugated like regular verbs ending in -AR:
LLEVAR
yo llevo
tú llevas
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él/ella/usted lleva
nosotros/as llevamos
vosotros/as lleváis
ellos/as/ustedes llevan
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We have just said that llevar follows a personal choice. Hence, it is also correct to
say lleva el pelo largo/corto/liso/rizado (he/she has long/short/straight/curly), since
they can also be personal decisions. However, it is not correct to say lleva una nariz
grande or lleva ojos azules. Having long or short hair is a personal decision. On the
contrary, having a big nose is not a personal decision, but an inherent physical
characteristic. Therefore, in these cases we need to use the verb tener: tiene una nariz
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grande (he/she has a big nose) and tiene ojos azules (he/she has blue eyes).
You just need to remember this difference:
 Llevar is used when a physical characteristic is someone’s choice

 Tener is used when a physical characteristic is inherent
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Read now the following sentences and observe also the differences in use between
ser and tener:
 Tiene los ojos marrones/azules/verdes/grises/grandes. (He/she has brown, blue,
green, grey, big eyes)
 Tiene el pelo largo/corto/liso/rizado/rubio/moreno. (He/she has long/short/
straight/curly/blonde/dark hair)
 Es rubio/moreno/castaño. (He/she is blond, dark-haired, brown-haired)
 Es alto/bajo/gordo/guapo/joven. (He/ she is tall/short/handsome/young)
 Tener is followed by nouns

 Ser is followed by adjectives
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Familia y el entorno You can easily observe all the differences in the following diagram:
moreno rubio/a
castaño moreno/a
guapo/a rubio SER + castaño/a
feo/a TENER EL PELO + pelirrojo pelirrojo/a
SER + alto/a castaño calvo/a
bajo/a corto
gordo/a largo
delgado/a liso
U
rizado
ondulado
azules
O
LLEVAR + bigote
gafas
barba TENER LOS OJOS +

verdes
marrones
claros
oscuros
N
TENER + pecas grandes
pequeños
Actividad 2
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[Track 31] Listen to Estela describing herself and three of her relatives. Matchh
the description with the name of the person.
a) Carlos i) Tiene el pelo largo y castaño. Lleva barba.

b) estela ii) Es moreno y tiene el pelo corto. Lleva gafas y un poco de barba.
c) Javier iii) Tiene el pelo largo, rizado y castaño. Tiene los ojos azules.
d) Rocio iv) Soy rubia y tengo el pelo largo y liso. Tengo los ojos verdes.
Actividad 3
Look at the following pictures and match them with the appropriate words given
below.
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a. b. c. d.
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e. f. g. h.
O
N
i. j. k. l.
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m. n. o. p.
q. r. s. t. 83
Familia y el entorno 1. delgado/a 6. barba 11. nariz grande 16. moreno/a
2. pelo liso 7. gafas 12. pelo largo 17. ojos oscuros
3. alto/a 8. bajo/a 13. pelo rizado 18. calvo/a
4. joven 9. mayor 14. ojos azules 19. pelo corto
5. bigote 10. gordo/a 15. pelirrojo/a 20. pelo rubio
Now write these words next to the verbs they are used with. Some can be used
with more than one verb:
Tener Ser Llevar
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O
Actividad 4
[Track 32] You will listen now to four very short descriptions about the
following people. Write their names under the pictures: Claudia, Margarita, Miguel
y Ernesto.
N
IG
(i) (ii) (iii) (iv)

a) El homre de gafas y pelo corto es peruano y se llama Claudio.
b) El señor que no lleva barba y bigote es chileno y se llama Ernesto.
c) El niño pelirrojo es español y se llama carlos.
d) La chica joven de y pelirroja se llama Margarita y es nicaragüense.
Actividad 5
[Track 33] Look at the following pictures and listen to the descriptions. You
84 can also read the text below. Write the names next to their picture.
a. _______ b. _______ c. _______ d. _______
En esta imagen hay cuatro personas. La chica es irlandesa. Se llama April y es

estudiante de arquitectura. Tiene 23 años. Es alta y delgada. Tiene los ojos grandes
y lleva melena y flequillo. Mariana es una mujer de 41 años. Es cocinera. Trabaja en
un restaurante en Roma. Es un poco baja y rubia. Hans es un hombre alemán de
42 años. Es comercial en una empresa de coches. Es muy alto y grande. Lleva el
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pelo corto y gafas. El chico se llama Paulo. Es portugués y tiene 29 años. Es director
de cine. Es moreno y tiene el pelo largo. Lleva barba y bigote.
In this text you came across different words which are used to refer to people,,
depending on their age. Using one or another depends on how young or old the
person is seen, and sometimes it is also a matter of respect, like when using señor/
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señora (adult man/woman or Sir/Madam):
N
IG
Actividad 6
Below you will see group of words. One word in each group is different from the
rest. Which word does not match in each of the following lists? Why?
a) Tiene el pelo: moreno, calvo, oscuro, rubio.
b) Lleva el pelo: ondulado, liso, gordo, largo.
c) Es: alto, ojos oscuros, alemán, joven.
d) Lleva: barba, gafas, castaño, bigote.
6.3.2 Describir la personalidad (Describing personality)

Now that you are familiar with describing someone’s physical appearance, you
probably want to know more about the second type of description, i.e. personality.
The first thing you need to know is that, when we talk about someone’s personality,
the verb used is ser (to be): 85
Familia y el entorno  La profesora de historia es simpática. (The history teacher is nice)
 Mis abuelos son generosos. (My grandparents are generous)
Before we get into more detail, let’s do a vocabulary exercise. We are pretty sure that
you will be able to recognize quite a few words, even if some might be new to you.
Actividad 7
Try to guess the meaning of the adjectives on the left by matching them with their
opposite on the right:
1) simpático/a a) vago/a
2) trabajador/-a b) egoísta
3) inteligente c) complicado/a
4) sincero/a d) pesimista
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5) alegre e) nervioso/a
6) serio/a f) estúpido/a
7) tímido/a g) extravertido/a
8) optimista h) callado/a
O 9) generoso/a
10) interesante
11) tranquilo/a
12) hablador/a
13) sencillo/a
i)
j)
antipático/a
aburrido/a
k) bromista
l) mentiroso/a
m) triste
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Adjective gender (masculine/feminine)
As you can observe from the previous list of adjectives, there is a masculine and a
feminine form for all of them, the feminine form indicated by the ending /a next
to the masculine form. Different forms exist because adjective endings in Spanish
agree with the subject of the sentence. This means that, if the subject is a masculine
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noun, the adjective needs to be in the masculine form. And the same happens with
a feminine subject. For this reason, it is important that you learn the Spanish nouns
together with the article (el/la), so that you can easily identify if it is a masculine
noun or a feminine one.
Let’s have a look at some general rules for adjective endings:
 Masculine adjectives ending in -o form the feminine by replacing -o with -a:
Mario es tímido pero María no es tímida. (Mario is shy but María is not shy)
 Adjectives ending in -ista are both masculine and feminine:
Marina es optimista pero Julio es pesimista. (Marina is optimistic but Julio is pesimistic)
 Adjectives ending in -or form the feminine by adding -a:
Jorge es trabajador y Celia es trabajadora también. (Jorge is hard-working and Celia is
also hardworking)
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Note that not all the adjectives have different forms for masculine and feminine..
Actually, some of them do not change, like adjectives ending in -e, which are both
masculine and feminine:
 Carla es inteligente y Raúl también es inteligente. (Carla is intelligent and Raúl is also
intelligent)
Joven and mayor are also adjectives that have the same form for the masculine and the
feminine:
 Mi vecina es mayor pero su hija es joven. (My female neighbour is old but her daughter
is young)
Adjective number (singular/plural)
Adjectives can be used in the singular or in the plural form, depending on if we are
describing one thing or person or more than one. As to the plural forms of the
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adjectives in Spanish, they always end up in -s when the word has a vowel at the end
and in -es (masculine plural)/-as (feminine plural) when the word ends up in a
consonant. Look at the following sentences:
 Mario y María son tímidos. (Mario and Maria are shy)
 Carla y Raúl son inteligentes. (Carla and Raúl are intelligent)



O
Carla y María son inteligentes. (Carla and María are intelligent)
Jorge y Celia son trabajadores. (Jorge and Celia are hard-working)
María y Celia son trabajadoras. (María and Celia are hard-working)
Adjectives: degrees of comparision

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When describing, we might want to state the degree of comparison in which a
certain adjective or characteristic applies. Look at the following sentences:
 Ana es muy guapa. (Ana is very pretty) (MUY + ADJECTIVE)
 Guillermo es bastante sincero. (Guillermo is quite sincere) (BASTANTE +
ADJECTIVE)
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These were two examples of affirmative sentences. Words expressing degree of

comparison can also be used to make negative adjectives less strong:
 Marcos es un poco vago. (Marcos is a bit lazy) (UN POCO + ADJECTIVE)
 Arturo es algo aburrido.(Arturo is a bit boring) (ALGO + ADJECTIVE)
Also, if you want to be more polite when talking about a negative quality, you can
use no es muy followed by the positive contrary:
 Nacho no es muy trabajador. (‘Nacho is not very hard-working’ sounds better than
‘Nacho is lazy’) (NO ES MUY + POSITIVE CONTRARY ADJECTIVE)
The diminutive form of the adjectives is used as well to soften them when they
might seem offensive or a bit insulting. For example, gordo/a (fat) turns into gordito/
a (chubby), bajo/a (short) turns into bajito/a and callado/a turns into calladito/a. These
are usually formed by replacing the last vowel in the adjective by -ito (masculine) or
-ita (feminine).
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Now classify the adjectives from the previous activity 7 according to their ending
and write the masculine, feminine, singular and plural forms:
masculino singular femenino singular masculino plural femenino plural
-o -a -os -as
serio seria serios serias
-or -ora -ores -oras
___________ ____________ _____________ ____________
____ ____ ____ ____
___________ ____________ _____________ ____________
____ ____ ____ ____
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-e -es
___________ ____________ _____________ ____________
___________ ____________ _____________ ____________
-ista istas
___________ ____________ _____________ ____________
O
___________
___________
___________
____________
-consonante
____________
____________
_____________
-consonante + es
_____________
_____________
____________
____________
____________
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Actividad 9
Complete the following sentences with the right form of the adjectives:
a) Pedro es un señor muy _________ (elegante).
b) Mis padres son __________ (joven).
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c) Javier Bardem y Penélope Cruz son dos actores españoles y __________ (guapo).
d) La directora de mi instituto es bastante __________ (serio).
e) Mis compañeros de clase son _________ (hablador).
f) Mis amigas son ____________ (mayor) pero __________ (aventurero).
g) Antonio tiene muchos problemas pero él es siempre ________ (optimista).
h) En India la gente es ___________ (madrugador).
i) Óscar es un poco __________ (egoísta).
j) Alba no es nada _____________ (deportista). Es algo _______ (perezosa).
Actividad 10
Complete the following sentences with the plural from of the adjectives given in
the bracket. Follow the example:
88 a) Pedro y Antón son unos señores muy __________ (elegante).

b) Las directoras de mi instituto son bastante __________ (serio). Descripción de Personas
c) Antonio y Emma tienen muchos problemas pero son siempre ________

(optimista).
d) En India las personas son ___________ (madrugador).
e) Óscar y Fabián son un poco __________ (egoísta).
f) Alba y Ariadna no son nada __________ (deportista). Son algo ________
(perezosa).
Actividad 11
[Track 34] Listen to three young men from different Spanish-speaking countries..
Pay attention to how they describe themselves and mark the features that match
with each one of them. Some features match with more than one person:
U
Yago Feliciano Fabián
deportista
independiente
gafas
paciente
calvo
moreno
ordenado
pelirrojo
fuerte
O
N
sociable
nervioso
6.3.3 Parecer and parecerse

Another verb used for descriptions is parecer (to seem), with a slight difference in
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meaning compared to ser:

 Mi vecino parece serio. (My neighbour seems serious)
 El hijo de Elia parece un poco travieso. (Elia’s son seems a bit naughty)
Look at the conjugation for the verb parecer, which is irregular in the yo form but
regular in the rest, it means that apart from the yo form, the rest are conjugated like
all regular verbs ending in -ER.
PARECER
yo parezco
tú pareces
él/ella/usted parece
nosotros/as parecemos
vosotros/as parecéis
ellos/as/ustedes parecen
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Familia y el entorno Parecer also means ‘to resemble’ when used in the reflexive form parecerse. Within the
context of this unit we will use it to state that someone resembles someone else.
 Estefanía se parece a su madre. (Estefanía resembles her mother)
 Juanjo no se parece nada a sus hermanos. (Juanjo does not resemble his siblings at all)
As a reflexive verb, parecerse is conjugated like llamarse, which you learnt in the
unidad 1.
PARECERSE
yo me parezco
tú te pareces
él/ella/usted se parece
nosotros/as nos parecemos
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vosotros/as os parecéis
ellos/as/ustedes se parecen
Note that the Spanish structure is ‘PARECERSE + A + ALGUIEN’ (Resemble

+ Someone), so do not forget the preposition 'a' between the verb and the second
O
subject of the sentence.
Actividad 12
[Track 35] A group of friends are describing themselves. Fill in the blanks
with the appropriate verb forms. Then listen to the audio and check your answers:
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Clara: Yo me parezco mucho a mi madre en el físico: las dos _______(a) bajitas
y delgadas. En el carácter me parezco más a mi padre: los dos _________(b)
bastante extravertidos y sociables.
o Blanca: Pues yo ___________(c) a mi padre en todo: somos altos, ________(d)
el pelo castaño y ________(e) también algo tímidos. A mi madre no
___________(f) en nada.
IG
Enrique: Yo no me parezco nada a mis padres pero mi hermana gemela y yo

_________(g) bastante a la hermana de mi padre. Tenemos los mismos ojos
grandes y oscuros, el pelo ondulado y rubio. La única diferencia es que yo
______(h) un poco más alto que ellas. Sonia, y tú, ¿a quién te pareces?
o Sonia: Pues dicen que me parezco a la familia de mi padre porque _______(i)
muy seria y responsable. Además, _______(j) todos gafas. David, ¿y tú?
David: Yo no _______(k) ni a mi padre ni a mi madre. Ellos _______(l) personas
muy tranquilas y yo ______(m) más nervioso. Y en el aspecto físico tampoco,
ellos son bajitos y un poco gorditos y yo _______(n) bastante alto y delgado.
Actividad 13
Look at the pictures of these famous people from Spanish-speaking countries. Can
you recognise any of them? You probably do. Match the pictures with the names
and their descriptions.
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A. Isabel Allende B. Pedro Almodóvar C. Rigoberta Menchú D. Fernando Alonso
U
E. Fernando Botero F. Juanes G. Javier Bardem H. Shakira
Descriptions:
1. Es un actor español. Es alto. Tiene el pelo corto y moreno.
2. Es una escritora chilena. Lleva el pelo corto y lleva flequillo.
O
3. Es un cantante colombiano. Tiene el pelo largo y castaño.
4. Es un director de cine español. Tiene el pelo canoso.
5. Es un pintor colombiano. Es mayor. Lleva barba y bigote.
6. Es una líder indígena guatemalteca. Es morena y tiene la cara redonda.
7. Es un piloto español de Fórmula 1. Es joven. Es moreno. Lleva barba y bigote.
N
8. Es una cantante colombiana. Es rubia. Lleva el pelo largo y ondulado.
In this unidad, you have learnt how to describe people, physically and also their
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personality. You have improved your vocabulary with a wide variety of adjectives
that will become handy when you want to talk about yourself or about someone
else. You have also learnt how adjectives in Spanish agree in gender and number
with the nouns and, therefore, how important it is to learn new nouns with their
article in order to make correct sentences. New verbs, like llevar, parecer and parecerse
have been introduced, besides the verb ser, which you were already familiar with.
In the last exercise, we introduced you to some well-known personalities from the
Spanish-speaking world, and also with some cultural aspects. They are all highly-
acknowledged professionals in their respective fields. Explore your curiosity, look
for more information about them on Internet and get familiar with their work and
lives. Enjoy it!

aburrido/a : boring además : moreover
actor, el : actor agradable : pleasant, likeable
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Familia y el entorno alegre : happy delgado/a : thin
algo : somehow deportista : sporty
alto/a : tall día, el : day
antipático/a : unfriendly diferencia, la : difference
aventurero/a : adventurous directora, la : female director
azul : blue divertido/a : funny
amable : kind empresa, la : company
aunque : even though entrenador, el : coach
bajo/a : short escritor/a : writer
baloncesto, el : basketball estúpido/a : stupid
U
barba, la : beard egoísta : selfish
bastante : quite extravertido/a : extroverted
bigote, el : moustache feo/a : ugly
bromista : joker físico, el : appearance
O
callado/a
calvo/a
canoso/a
carácter, el
: quiet, reserved
: bald
: gray-haired
cantante, el/la : singer
: personality
flequillo, el
fuerte
gafas, las
gemelo/a
generoso/a
: fringe
: strong
: glasses
: twin
: generous
N
castaño/a : brown-haired gente, la : people
chica, la : young woman gordo/a : fat
chico, el : young man grande : big
claro/a : hell guapo/a : pretty, handsome
IG
coche, el : car hablador : talkative

cocinero/a : cook hoy : today
comer : to eat independiente : independent
comercial, el/la: salesperson indígena : indigenous
compañero, el : mate instituto, el : high-school
complicado/a : complicated inteligente : intelligent
con : with interesante : interesting
contento/a : happy joven : young
corto/a : short largo/a : long
cumpleaños, el : birthday líder, el/la : leader
decir : to say liso/a : straight
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llevar : to wear pero : but Descripción de Personas
madrugador/a : early riser pesimista : pesimistic

maestro, el : teacher piloto, el/la : driver
marrón : brown pintor/a : painter
mayor : old, older porque : because
melena : medium-length hair pues : so
mentiroso/a : lier un poco de : some
mientras que : while quién : who?
mismo/a : same a quién : whom?
mucho : much, a lot redondo/a : round
U
muy : very rizado/a : curly
nada : nothing romántico/a : romantic
nariz, la : nose rubio/rubia : blond/e
nervioso/a : nervous sencillo/a : natural, easy (person)
ni... ni
niña, la
niño, el
: female child
: male child
normalmente : usually
ojo, el : eye
O
: neither... nor señora, la
señor, el
ser
serio/a
simpático/a
: adult woman
: adult man
: to be
: serious
: nice
N
ondulado/a : wavy sincero/a : sincere
optimista : optimistic también : also
ordenado : tidy tampoco : neither
oreja, la : ear tener : to have
IG
oscuro/a : dark tímido/a : shy

paciencia, la : patience todo : all
paciente : patient trabajador/a : hard-working
parecer : to seem traductor/a : translator
parecerse : to resemble tranquilo/a : quiet, calm
peca, la : freckle travieso/a : naughty
pelirrojo/a : red-haired triste : sad
pelo, el : hair vago/a : lazy
pendiente, el : piercing verde : green
pequeño : small a veces : sometimes
perezoso/a : lazy ya : already
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Actividad 1
Es Tiene Lleva
Es joven Tiene los ojos verdes Lleva gafas
Es alto Tiene los ojos grandes Lleva barba
Es delgado Tiene el pelo corto
Es guapo Tiene el pelo rubio
Es inteligente
Es simpático
Actividad 2
U
a) ii c) i
b) iv d) iii
Actividad 3
a) 7 h) 12 o) 19
b) 6
c) 1
d) 11
e) 16
f)
O2
i)
j)
k)
l)
m
17
8
13
18
15
p)
q)
r)
s)
t)
20
14
5
4
9
N
g) 3 n 10
Tener Ser Llevar

pelo liso delgado/a pelo liso
nariz grande alto/a bigote
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pelo largo jovenbajo/a barba

pelo rizado mayor gafas
ojos azules gordo/a pelo largo
ojos oscuros pelirrojo/a pelo rizado
pelo corto moreno/a pelo corto
pelo rubio calvo/a pelo rubio
Actividad 4
a) iv c) iii
b) ii d) i
Actividad 5
a) April c) Hans
94 b) Paulo d) Mariana
Actividad 6 Descripción de Personas
a) Calvo: it can only be used with ser or estar.

b) Gordo: it describes physical appearance, not hair.
c) Ojos oscuros: ojos are described with the verb tener: tiene los ojos oscuros.
d) Castaño: it is an adjective describing hair.
Actividad 7
1. simpático/a a. antipático/a
2. trabajador/-a b. vago/a
3. inteligente c. estúpido/a
4. sincero/a d. mentiroso/a
5. alegre e. triste
6. serio/a f. bromista
U
7. tímido/a g. extravertido/a
8. optimista h. pesimista
9. generoso/a i. egoísta
10. interesante j. aburrido/a
11. tranquilo/a k. nervioso/a
12. hablador/a l. callado/a
13. sencillo/a
Actividad 8
O
masculino singular femenino singular
-o -a
m. complicado/a
masculino plural
-os
femenino plural
-as
N
serio seria serios serias
simpático simpática simpáticos simpáticas
tranquilo tranquila tranquilos tranquilas
divertido divertida divertidos divertidas
-or -ora -ores -oras
hablador habladora habladores habladoras
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_______________ _________________ ________________ ______________

-e -es
inteligente inteligentes
agradable agradables
-ista -istas
deportista deportistas
consonante consonante + es
mayor mayores
joven jóvenes
Actividad 9
a) Pedro es un señor muy elegante.
b) Mis padres son jóvenes.
c) Javier Bardem y Penélope Cruz son dos actores españoles y guapos.
d) La directora de mi instituto es bastante seria. 95
Familia y el entorno e) Mis compañeros de clase son habladores.
f) Mis amigas son mayores pero aventureras.
g) Antonio tiene muchos problemas pero él es siempre optimista.
h) En India la gente es madrugadora.
i) Óscar es un poco egoísta.
j) Alba no es nada deportista. Es algo perezosa.
Actividad 10
a) Pedro y Antón son unos señores muy elegantes.
b) Las directoras de mi instituto son bastante serias.
c) Antonio y Emma tienen muchos problemas pero son siempre optimistas.
d) En India las personas son madrugadoras.
e) Óscar y Fabián son un poco egoístas.
U
f) Alba y Ariadna no son nada deportistas. Son algo perezosas.
Actividad 11
Yago Feliciano Fabián
deportista x
O
independiente
gafas
paciente
calvo
moreno
ordenado
x
x
x
x
x
x
N
pelirrojo x
fuerte x
sociable x
nervioso x
IG
Actividad 12
a) somos b) somos
c) me parezco d) tenemos
e) somos f) me parezco
g) nos parecemos h) soy
i) soy j) llevamos
k) me parezco l) son
m) soy n) soy
Actividad 13
A. Isabel Allende: 2 B. Pedro Almodóvar: 4
C. Rigoberta Menchú: 6 D. Fernando Alonso: 7
E. Fernando Botero: 5 F. Juanes: 3
G. Javier Bardem: 1 H. Shakira: 8
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UNIDAD 7 AMIGOS Y COMPAÑEROS
7.1 Introducción
7.2 Objetivos
7.3 Contenidos
7.3.1 Comparaciones
7.3.2 Uso comparativo del uso de ser y estar para describir a alguien
7.3.3 Amigos y compañeros
7.3.4 Celebraciones sociales y familiares
7.4 Resumen
7.5 Glosario
U
7.6 Soluciones

Dear learner, we are starting the unidad 3 of Block 2, with the title Amigos y compañeros
(Friends and colleagues). In the previous unidad, we learnt to describe someone,
O
here we will work more on the physical appearance and personality, by comparing
people with the use of the verb estar for descriptions. Remember that so far we have
only used the verb ser for descriptions. We will now see the differences in use between
these two important verbs ser and estar.
In this unidad, we are going to focus more on friends and colleagues. We will learn
some more vocabulary for describing people around us besides our families, the
N
way we relate to them.
Before starting this new unidad, please review again the verbs ser and estar, as well as
vocabulary describing people learnt in the previous unidad.

IG

compare people by expressing equality, superiority and inferiority.
use the verb estar to describe mood;
differentiate between the use of verbs ser and estar when describing people;
talk about friends and colleagues; and
understand general contexts related to celebrations and wish accordingly;
7.3 CONTENIDOS (CONTENTS)

Let’s start by comparing people, their physical aspect and their way of being. Then,
the description topic started in the previous unit will be completed before moving
to the topic of the unit. i.e. friends and colleagues and our social life.
7.3.1 Comparisons
When it comes to comparing people, in terms of equality or inequality, we will look
97
Familia y el entorno at three ways to do it in Spanish, i.e. equality (igualdad), superiority (superioridad) and
inferiority (inferioridad):
 Daniel es tan alto como César / Daniel es igual de alto que César. (Daniel is as tall as
César)
 Juan es más tranquilo que su hermano. (Juan is quieter than his brother)
 Luz es menos deportista que su amiga Andrea. (Luz is less sporty than her friend
Andrea)
In order to make the sentence negative, we negate the comparison of equality:
 Marisa no es tan elegante como su hermana. (Marisa is not as elegant as her sister)
EQUALITY: Tan + adjective + como / Igual de + adjective + que

SUPERIORITY: Más + adjective + que
U
INFERIORITY: Menos + adjective + que
NEGATIVE: No + verb + tan + adjective + como
In all the three cases the adjective agrees with the noun in gender (masculine/
feminine) and number (singular/plural), since it is the subject of the comparison:


O Ernesto y Samuel son más altos que Marisol. (Here Ernesto y Samuel are the subjects,
and therefore, the adjective is in the masculine plural form: altos).
Cristina y Javier son tan trabajadores como Julia. (In this sentence Cristina y Javier are
the subjects and since it is a man and a woman, the adjective will be in plural
and the masculine form prevails: trabajadores).
Edurne tiene los ojos menos oscuros que Julia. (In this case, the subject is ojos. Therefore,
N
the adjective is in the masculine plural form: oscuros).
Actividad 1
The following text has some mistakes. Read it carefully and correct the underlined
words. Pay attention at the endings of the verbs and also at the gender (masculine/
feminine) and number form (singular/plural) of the adjectives.
IG
Luisa tiene dos hermanos: Carlos y Nicolás. Carlos y Nicolás se parece bastante
pero Luisa no se parecen mucho a sus hermanos.
Carlos y Nicolás son rubio y tienen el pelo cortos, mientras que Luisa tiene el
pelo un poco igual oscuro que sus hermanos y más largos.
Carlos y Nicolás tienen los ojos más claro como Luisa. Luisa tiene los ojos
marrón y sus hermanos tienen los ojos azul.
Luisa es igual guapa como su madre. Las dos se parece mucho físicamente pero
no en el carácter. Luisa no es más ordenada como su madre y también es un
poco más perezosas.
Carlos y Nicolás son menos vago de Luisa. Ellos son muy trabajadors.
Let’s have a look now at some adjectives in Spanish that do not follow the previous
rules for comparisons. These are the irregular comparative adjectives:
98
bueno/a/os/as mejor/es better
malo/a/os/as peor/es worse
grande/es mayor/es larger, older
pequeño/a/os/as menor/es smaller, younger
When using these adjectives, the comparison is formed only by one word and the
use of más and menos is not required. The adjective itself is a comparative word and
it only needs que afterwards to mean ‘than’.
 Ana es mayor que yo. (Ana is older than me).
 Mis hermanos son menores que yo. (My siblings are younger than me).
 Ser optimista es mejor que ser pesimista. (Being optimistic is better than being
pesimistic.)
U
Actividad 2
Make sentences to compare the following persons using the given in the bracket for
adjectives expressing equality or inequality. Some sentences have more than one
possible solution.
1) Jorge/Fermín (delgado)
3) Adriana/Santiago (mayor)
4) Mateo/Elisa (desordenado)
O
2) Camila años/Florencia años (joven)
5) Montserrat (ojos grandes)/Lucas (ojos grandes)

N
Summarising, you have learnt two forms of comparisons: with adjectives and
with nouns. You can revise the rules given below:
Comparison of adjectives
Regular comparatives Irregular comparatives
más + adjective + que… bueno/a/os/as mejor, mejores + que…
IG
menos + adjective + que… malo/a/os/as peor, peores + que…

tan + adjective + como… grande/es mayor, mayores + que…
igual de + adjective + que... pequeño/a/os/as menor, menores + que...
Comparison of nouns
 Verb + más + noun + que: Gerardo habla más idiomas que su hermana. (Gerardo
speaks more languages than his sister).
 Verb + menos + noun + que: Begoña tiene menos paciencia que Rosa. (Begoña has less
patience than Rosa).
 Verb + tanto/a/os/as + noun + como: María José tiene tantos hermanos como Inma.
(María José has as many siblings as Inma).
Note that tanto/a/os/as matches the noun it is being compared:
 Tengo tantos libros como tú. (I have as many books as you)
99
Familia y el entorno  Tú no tienes tanta paciencia como yo. (You have not as much patience as I do)
To this two groups of comparisons, we will add now the possibility of comparing
verbs.
Comparison of verbs
 Verb + más que: Mi hijo estudia más que mi hija. (My son studies more than my
daughter).
 Verb + menos que: Mi hija miente menos que mi hijo. (My daughter lies less than my
son).
 Verb + tanto como: Mi madre trabaja tanto como mi padre. (My mother works as
much as my father).
Actividad 3 -
U
[Track 36] You are going to listen to Álvaro describing himself. Mark the right
answer for each question:
1) ¿Cuántos años tiene Álvaro?
a) 34 b) 32
O
2) ¿Cuánto mide?
a) 1,75
3) ¿Cuánto pesa?
a) 70kg
4) ¿Cuál es su profesión?
b) 1,85
b) 60kg
N
a) traductor b) constructor
5) ¿Cuántas horas al día trabaja?
a) 3 b) 6
6) ¿Dónde trabaja?
IG
a) en casa b) en la oficina
7) ¿Qué idioma no habla?
a) ruso b) francés
8) Contesta a las afirmaciones siguientes con Verdadero(V) o Falso(F):
- Álvaro es mentiroso: V/F
- Álvaro es serio: V/F
- Álvaro lee muchos periódicos: V/F
Actividad 4
Look at the following information about Álvaro and his friend Tomás and write
sentences in Spanish to compare them:
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Álvaro Tomás
Tengo 32 años Tengo 36
Mido 1,85 añosMido 1,80
Peso 75 kilos Peso 80 kilos
Trabajo 6 horas al día Trabajo 8 horas al día
Soy romántico, cariñoso y sociable Soy algo frío
Leo mucho Leo poco
Hablo español, inglés, francés y alemán Hablo español e inglés
7.3.2 Uso comparativo del uso de ser y estar para describir a alguien
(Comparative use of ser and estar when describing people)
U
As you already know, the verb ‘to be’ is translated into Spanish as ser or estar. These
two different verbs are used differently, depending on what we want to express. In
the previous units, we learnt that ser is used to talk about nationalities (soy español, mi
amiga es india), and jobs (mi padre es arquitecto, Rosa es diseñadora) and estar is used to talk
about how we feel (¿Cómo estás?, hoy estoy muy bien) and also as the most common
form to describe marital status (Alejandra está soltera, Agustín está casado).
O
When describing someone, we need to differentiate between ser and estar:
(a) Ser is used to describe the permanent or inherent characteristics of a person, the
way he/she always is, physically and also describing his/her personality:
 Josefina es alegre. (Josefina is happy, which implies that she is a happy person, that
is her permanent way of being).
N
 Alejandro es aburrido. (Alejandro is boring, that’s to say that he is always a boring
person).
 Manuela es delgada. (Manuela is thin, meaning she is a thin person)
(b) Estar is used to describe someone’s mood and his/her acquired qualities, also
the physical state as the result of a change:
IG
 Josefina está alegre. (Josefina is happy, meaning that she is happy at this moment).
 Alejandro está aburrido. (Alejandro is bored, meaning that he is bored only right
now).
 Manuela está delgada. (Manuela is thin, meaning that she probably has lost weight
and that she is thin now).
Actividad 5
Complete the following sentences with correct form of the verbs ser or estar:
a) Carolina ______ morena pero tiene los ojos azules.
b) Amadeo tiene un examen y ________ bastante nervioso.
c) Victoria es una persona muy tranquila pero su hermana Inés _______ bastante
nerviosa. No se parecen nada.
d) Mi hermano ________ alto y guapo, como mi padre.
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Familia y el entorno e) Nuria come mucho últimamente y ______ un poco gordita.
f) Mis padres _________ mayores. Mi padre tiene 87 años y mi madre 85.
g) La nueva profesora ______ agradable pero también _______ muy exigente.
h) _________ contenta porque hoy es mi cumpleaños.
i) Fernando normalmente ________ un poco vago pero hoy ________ muy
trabajador.
Now, write down the previous sentences in the following table where the different
uses of ser and estar are classified:
Ser + adjective
Permanent qualities
Personality
U
Estar + adjective
Acquired qualities
Mood
7.3.3 Amigos y compañeros (Friends and colleagues)
O
In Unidad 5, we have talked about relatives and family relationships. Now, in this
unidad, we are going to focus on another kind of personal relationships, i.e., the way
we relate and meet people out of our immediate family, and this refers us to other
contexts and areas of our lives, for example, at work (trabajo), with our colleagues
(compañeros de trabajo), our boss (jefe/a) or our partners (socios). Also at school, with
our classmates (compañeros de clase) or in different contexts, like with our neighbours
(vecinos) or with our flatmates (compañeros de piso). And, of course, with our friends
N
(amigos).
Actividad 6
Read the following words describing relationships and classify them according to
the criteria in the table below. You can check the meaning of the new words in the
glossary at the end of the unit:
IG
familiar, compañero/a de trabajo, invitado/a, vecino/a, cliente/a, socio/a, amigo/a,

colega, novio/a, jefe/a, compañero/a de clase, suegro/a, empleado/a, profesor/a,
compañero/a de piso, alumno/a, conocido/a, primo/a, socio/a, suegro/a, amigo/a
íntimo/a, compañero/a de carrera.
Family relationships Study and work relations Social relationships

(relaciones familiares) (relaciones de estudios y de trabajo) (relaciones sociales)
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Actividad 7 Amigos y compañeros
Complete the following sentences with the words given below:
compañeros de trabajo, compañeras de piso, compañeros de clase, vecina y amigo

1) Lucas está contento porque su __________ Manuela tiene un trozo de tarta
para él. Es una señora muy amable y cariñosa.
2) Roberto y Estela estudian todos los días juntos en la universidad. Son _________.
Se llevan muy bien y son bastante trabajadores.
3) Elia está un poco enfadada con Sabina. Son _________ y Sabina es muy
desordenada.
4) Dario y Marcelo son _________. Trabajan en una oficina. Hoy están muy serios
porque tienen mucho trabajo.
5) Carlos está preocupado y habla con su _______ Lorenzo mientras toman un
U
café. Se conocen desde niños.
Actividad 8
[Track 37] Clara and Ricardo have just moved to a new apartment and they aree
planning to invite a few friends for dinner (cena). Listen to their conversation. Below
activity:



Cita – appointment
O
we are providing you with some useful vocabulary that will help you in the listening
Tener una cita (con alguien) – to have an appointment (with someone)

Esta tarde tengo una cita con el médico – This afernoon I have an appointment with
the doctor
N
 Reunión – meeting
 Tener una reunión (con alguien) – to have a meeting (with someone)
 Mañana tengo una reunión con mi jefe a las diez – Tomorrow I have a meeting with
my boss at ten
Visitar - to visit
IG

 Visitar a alguien – to visit someone
 Este fin de semana voy a visitar a mis abuelos – This weekend I am going to visit my
grandparents
 Invitar – to invite
 Invitar a alguien – to invite someone
 Quiero invitar a Julia a la fiesta – I want to invite Julia to the party
Pay attention to the use of the preposition a between the verbs visitar and invitar
in the previous examples, when they are followed by an individual. Look at the
following examples to analyse the difference in use:
 Los fines de semana siempre visito a mis abuelos – On weekends I always visit my
grandparents. (VISITAR + A + INDIVIDUAL)
 Cuando viajo normalmente visito ciudades con monumentos – When I travel I usually
visit cities with monuments. (VISITAR + PLACE)
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Familia y el entorno Listen now to the conversation between Clara and Ricardo and choose the
right answer:
1. ¿Qué tiene Ricardo el viernes por la mañana?
a) trabajo b) una reunión de trabajo
c) una cita con el dentista
2. ¿Qué día hacen la cena?
a) el sábado b) el viernes c) el viernes y el sábado
3. ¿Cómo es Esther?
a) sola b) no está con su novio c) graciosa y divertida
4. ¿Quién es Manuel?
a) un compañero de trabajo de Ricardo b) un amigo de Ricardo
U
c) un familiar de Ricardo
5. ¿A cuántos amigos invitan a cenar?
a) a ocho b) a seis c) a siete
6. ¿A quién llama Clara para invitar a la cena?
a) a Laura y a Ignacio b) a Marcos c) a Juan
O
7. ¿A quién visitan Clara y Ricardo el viernes?
a) a nadie b) al dentista
7.3.4 Celebraciones sociales y familiares (Family and social

celebrations)
c) a los padres de Clara
N
In most cultures, one of the most common celebrations are birthdays (cumpleaños),
and Spain is not an exception. Spanish people like celebrating their birthdays, no
matter the age. It is also a good excuse to gather with friends and relatives, to eat
together and to enjoy chatting with them. In Spain, birthdays (cumpleaños) are usually
celebrated with relatives and friends with a cake (tarta) and they blow out (soplar)
candles (velas).
IG
Guests (invitados) bring presents (regalos) for the birthday boy/girl (cumpleañero/a).
On your birthday, and also whenever a gift is given to you, you are expected to open
it in front of your guests as it is a sign of respect. Your friends or guests would be
eager to know if you liked their present or how surprised you are to receive it. If
you are ever in such a situation with Spanish people, you shouldn’t leave the wrapped
gift aside to open it later as your guest may feel disappointed. Actually, once you
open it they will ask if you like it (¿Te gusta?). They want to make sure that they gave
you something that you like or something you need.
Actividad 9
104
Alba is celebrating her 6th birthday with her family. Read the following expressions Amigos y compañeros
and decide at what moment the following expressed are used during a birthday
celebration. Match the column.
A. When giving the present 1. ¡Felicidades! ¡Feliz cumpleaños!
B. When saying thanks for the present 2. Toma, un regalo para ti.
after opening it.
C. When saying Happy Birthday 3. ¡Qué bonito! ¡Muchas gracias!
Actividad 10
Look at the following gifts received by Elena on her birthday. Match the pictures
with their names in Spanish:
U
A B C
O
N
D E F
1. monedero 3. entrada para el teatro 5. bolso
IG
2. libro 4. bufanda 6. reloj

In this unidad, you have learnt how to compare people, physically and also their way
of being. You have also studied how the verbs ser and estar are used and combined in
order to convey different meaning when describing someone. You have become
more skilled in talking about your immediate surroundings, i.e. your friends, colleagues
and neighbours.

además : moreover alumno/a : student, pupil
a eso de : at around amigo/a : friend
ahora : now amigo/a íntimo/a : very close friend
al aire libre : outdoors amistad, la : friendship
¿alguién más? : anyone else? aunque : even though 105
Familia y el entorno baraja, la : deck of cards domingo, el : sunday
billete, el : ticket empleado/a : empoyee
boda, la : wedding en casa : at home
bonito/a : beautiful entonces : then
caradura : cheeky, shameless exigente : demanding
cariñoso/a : affectionate familiar, el/la : relative
celebrar : to celebrate fiesta, la : party, celebration
cena, la : dinner frío/a : cold
cine, el : cinema gracioso/a : funny
cita, la : appointment hacer : to do, to make
cliente/a : client, customer hasta pronto : see you soon
U
colega, el/la : mate, friend hogar del : day centre for
(colloquial) pensionista, el the elderly
comida, la : food, lunch igual... que : as... as
como : like ilusionado/a : excited
compañero/a : University impaciente : impatient
O
de carrera
compañero/a
de clase, el/la
compañero/a
de piso, el/la
compañero/a
batch- mate
: class mate
: flat mate
: work colleague
invitado/a
invitar
ir
jefe, el / jefa, la
juntos/as
: invited person
: to invite
: to go
: boss
: together
N
de trabajo, el/la leer : to read
concierto, el : concert libre : free
conocer : to know luego : later
conocerse : to know each llegar : to arrive
other llevarse bien : to get along
IG
concido/a : acquaintance mar, el : sea

conmigo : with me más o menos : more or less
constructor/a : builder más... que : more... than
contigo : with you medir : to measure
creer : to think mejor : better
cuando : when mejor amigo/a : best friend
cumpleañero/ : birthday boy/girl menor : younger
a, el/la menos... que : less... than
cumpleaños, el : birthday mentir : to lie
dentista, el : dentist mezclar : to mix
desde : since, from mi casa es tu/ : make yourself
desordenado/a : untidy su casa at home
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mientras : while silla, la : chair Amigos y compañeros
montaña, la : mountain sobremesa, la : after-meal

muchas veces : very often, many conversation
times socio, el / social, la: business partner
museo, el : museum soplar : to blow out
normalmente : usually también : also
novela, la : novel tan... como : as... as
para : for teatro, el : theatre
pasar : to spend ¿te gusta? : Do you like it?
peor : worse tener ganas : to look forward to
periódico, el : newspaper tiempo, el : time
pesar : to weight toma : here you are
U
poder : can tomar : to drink
por eso : that is why trabajo, el : work, job
porque : because tren, el : train
preferir : to prefer tarta, la : cake
¿qué te parece?
regalo, el
relación, la
relaciones de
trabajo
about it?
: present O
: what do you think
: relationships
: work relations
trozo, el
últimamente
la
vela, la
verdad
: piece
: lately
vecino, el/vecina, : male/female
neighbour
: candle
: true
N
relaciones : family viajar : to travel
familiares relationships
viernes, el : friday
relaciones sociales : social relationships
visitar : to visit
relajado : relaxed, relaxing
ya : already
reunión, la : meeting
IG
ya no : not anymore
sábado, el : saturday
saber : to know

Actividad 1
Luisa tiene dos hermanos: Carlos y Nicolás. Carlos y Nicolás se parecen bastante
pero Luisa no se parece mucho a sus hermanos.
Carlos y Nicolás son rubios y tienen el pelo corto, mientras que Luisa tiene el pelo
un poco más oscuro que sus hermanos y más largo.
Carlos y Nicolás tienen los ojos más claros que Luisa. Luisa tiene los ojos marrones
y sus hermanos tienen los ojos azules.
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Familia y el entorno Luisa es tan guapa como su madre. Las dos se parecen mucho físicamente pero no
en el carácter. Luisa no es tan ordenada como su madre y también es un poco más
perezosa.
Carlos y Nicolás son menos vagos que Luisa. Ellos son muy trabajadores.
Actividad 2
1) Jorge es más delgado que Fermín / Fermín es menos delgado que Jorge.
2) Camila y Florencia son igual de jóvenes / Camila es tan joven como Florencia
/ Florencia es tan joven como Camila.
3) Santiago es mayor que Adriano.
4) Mateo es menos desordenado que Elisa / Elisa es más desordenada que Mateo.
5) Montserrat tiene los ojos igual de grandes que Lucas / Lucas tiene los ojos
U
igual de grandes que Montserrat / Montserrat tiene los ojos tan grandes como
Lucas / Lucas tiene los ojos tan grandes como Montserrat.
Actividad 3
1) b 2) b
3) a 4) a
5) b
7) a O 6) a
8) - Álvaro es mentiroso Falso
- Álvaro es serio Verdadero
- Álvaro lee muchos periódicos Falso
N
Actividad 4
a) Álvaro es más joven que Tomás // Tomás es mayor que Álvaro // Tomás es
menos joven que Álvaro//Álvaro tiene menos años que Tomás // Tomás tiene
más años que Álvaro.
b) Álvaro es más alto que Tomás. Tomás es más bajo que Álvaro.
IG
c) Tomás está más gordo que Álvaro // Álvaro está más delgado que Tomás.
d) Tomás trabaja más horas al día que Álvaro // Álvaro trabaja menos horas al día
que Tomás // Tomás trabaja más que Álvaro // Álvaro trabaja menos que
Tomás.
e) Álvaro es más cariñoso/romántico/sociable que Tomás // Tomás es más frío
que Álvaro //Tomás es menos cariñoso/romántico/sociable que Álvaro.
f) Álvaro habla más idiomas que Tomás // Tomás habla menos idiomas que Álvaro.
Actividad 5
a) Carolina es morena pero tiene los ojos azules.

b) Amadeo tiene un examen y está bastante nervioso.
c) Victoria es una persona muy tranquila pero su hermana Inés es bastante nerviosa.
No se parecen nada.
108
d) Mi hermano es alto y guapo, como mi padre.
e) Nuria come mucho últimamente y está un poco gordita.
f) Mis padres son mayores. Mi padre tiene 87 años y mi madre 85.
g) La nueva profesora es agradable pero también es muy exigente.
h) Estoy contenta porque hoy es mi cumpleaños.
i) Fernando normalmente es un poco vago pero hoy está muy trabajador.
Ser + adjective
Permanent qualities es morena, es alto, son mayores, es un poco vago
Personality es nerviosa, es agradable, es exigente
Estar + adjective
U
Acquired qualities está gordita, está trabajador
Mood está nervioso, estoy contenta
Actividad 6
Family relationships
(relaciones familiares)
a, suegro/a
O
Study and work relations
(relaciones de estudios y de trabajo)
familiar, suegro/a, primo/ compañero/a de trabajo, cliente/
a, socio/a, colega, jefe/a,
compañero/a de clase, empleado/
a, profesor/a, alumno/a, socio/
Social relationships
(relaciones sociales)
invitado/a, vecino/a,
amigo/a, colega, novio/a,
compañero/a de piso,
conocido/a, amigo/a
N
a, compañero/a de carrera íntimo/a
Actividad 7
1. vecina
2. compañeros de clase
IG
3. compañeras de piso
4. compañeros de trabajo
5. amigo
Actividad 8
1. b) una reunión de trabajo
2. a) el sábado
3. c) graciosa y divertida
4. a) un compañero de trabajo de Ricardo
5. b) a seis
6. a) a Laura y a Ignacio
7. c) a los padres de Clara
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A-2 B-3 C-4
Actividad 10
A-libro; B-bufanda; C-entrada para el teatro; D-reloj; E-monedero; F-bolso
U
O
N
IG
110
UNIDAD 8 LA CASA
8.1 Introducción
8.2 Objetivos
8.3 ¿Comprar o alquiler?
8.3.1 Características de la casa
8.3.2 Enseres domésticos
8.3.3 La casa y sus alrededores
8.3.4 Relación con los vecinos
U
8.4 Resumen
8.5 Glosario
8.6 Soluciones
O
Dear learner, in this unidad, you will become familiar with vocabulary related to la
casa (house), like different kinds of accommodation, furniture items and appliances
and what is needed to describe a house or to enquire information about it.
You will also get to know more about habits and traditions in Spain when deciding
to buy or to rent a place to live.
N
speak about buying or renting a house;
describe a house: characteristics and household goods;
IG
differentiate the use of ser, tener, estar and haber (there is/there are); and
use ¿por qué? (why?) and porque (because).
8.3 ¿COMPRAR O ALQUILER? (BUYING OR

RENTING?)
Buying (comprar) a house is one of the main needs and concerns among Spanish
citizens. Prices (precios) are generally high but usually people prefer buying (comprar)
their house rather than renting (alquilar) it. It is considered an investment for the
future. However, this depends on the fact if one is employed or not and also on the
country’s economic situation. Due to these two reasons, today the number of rented
properties in Spain have increased, with almost 14% of the population living in a
rented house.
Land price in cities (ciudades) is higher than in small localities or villages (pueblos).
This, added to an urban planning prioritizing multi-storey buildings, makes people
111
Familia y el entorno in cities to live in more affordable flats (pisos) or apartments (apartamentos), unlike
people in small localities, where house (casa) prices are lower.
It is also very common that many Spanish people have a second house for weekends
(casa de fin de semana) and summer holidays (casa de verano), mostly among people
living in cities. This accounts for 36% of Spanish households owning a second
property in rural areas or small villages.
University students living far from their family home usually share rented apartments,
where each tenant (inquilino/a) pays the rent for an individual room and they share
household expenses (compartir gastos domésticos). In Spain, it is not common to share
bedrooms (habitaciones) when renting. Sometimes, young single professionals also
share apartments to reduce individual expenses.
Normally Spaniards do not like to move into a new house (cambiar de casa, mudarse).
This is the reason why buying is the first option for most of them who can afford it.
U
Now, before moving on, have a look at the following vocabulary:
 Comprar/vender/alquilar un piso/un apartamento/una casa - to buy/to sell/to rent
a flat/an appartment/a house
 Buscar piso/alojamiento - to look for a flat/accommodation
O
 Vivir en un piso/en un apartamento /en una casa - to live in a flat/in an apartment/
in a house
 Compartir piso - to share a flat
 Cambiarse de casa/mudarse - to change house
 Propietario/a – owner
N
 Casero/a – landlord, landlady
 Inquilino/a- tenant
8.3.2 Características de la casa (Home characteristics)

According to the number of rooms, regardless of how big the locality is, the biggest
IG
group in Spain (more than 30%) is formed by households with 5 rooms, the most
common size being between 75-90m2. Usual common spaces are the living-room
(salón), the kitchen (cocina) and the bathroom (cuarto de baño). If the place is big
enough and there are enough rooms, each child will have their own bedroom
(dormitorio). In Spanish homes it is not common for people of different generations
to share bedrooms. Some bigger houses or smaller families have also a study room
(estudio).
Actividad 1
Look at the following floor plan (plano) and write the names of the different parts:
el pasillo, el salón, la cocina, el cuarto de baño, la terraza, el dormitorio:
These are the most common types of houses in Spain: casa (house), piso (flat),
apartamento (apartment), estudio (studio), chalé (villa, chalet), adosado (duplex /row
house), ático (penthouse).
112
La Casa
U
Actividad 2
O
Lena has just moved to Madrid for study purposes. She is looking for a room to rent in
a shared flat. She has posted an advertisement (anuncio) on the university notice
board (tablón de anuncios). Which flat do you think suits her the most, A, B or C?
N
Me llamo Lena, tengo 23 años y soy estudiante de
Arquitectura. Busco una habitación para alquilar en un piso
compartido con otras chicas estudiantes, más o menos de mi
edad. Busco una habitación luminosa, amueblada y de tamaño
mediano o grande, en un piso tranquilo, cerca de la ciudad
universitaria y bien comunicado.
Teléfono: 657 45 36 29
IG
ANUNCIO 2 ANUNCIO 3
ANUNCIO 1
Somos tres chicas Soy una chica de 29 años y
Somos un chico estudiante de cantante en un grupo musical.
estudiantes de Enfermería
Matemáticas y una chica Tengo una habitación libre en mi
y Económicas, de entre 22
estudiante de Medicina, los dos piso de Lavapiés para alquilar y
y 25 años. Buscamos
de 21 años, y buscamos busco una chica joven, estudiante
compañera para un piso de
compañero/a para una o trabajadora. La habitación es
4 habitaciones, cocina,
habitación mediana en un piso grande e interior. El piso está
salón, un cuarto de baño y
luminoso en Argüelles, cerca cerca de la estación de metro de
un aseo. Es un tercer piso
de la ciudad universitaria. La Lavapiés y está muy bien
con ascensor. El piso es
habitación está medio comunicado con el resto de la
exterior, luminoso y la
amueblada y el piso tiene ciudad, también en autobús. Es
habitación libre está
cocina, salón y un cuarto de una zona muy animada. Está en
amueblada y tiene balcón.
baño. Es una sexta planta con el tercer piso de un edificio
Está en Argüelles, cerca de
ascensor. El precio son 350€/ antiguo, sin ascensor. El precio
la ciudad universitaria y a
mes, con todos los gastos de la habitación, con todos los
50m. de la parada de metro
incluidos (luz, agua e Internet). gastos incluidos, es de 240€/mes.
y de autobús. El precio son
Si estás interesado/a, llama al
280€/mes. Gastos de luz y
630 84 37 29 Si estás interesada, llama al 697
de Internet aparte.
Si estás interesada, llama al 48 24 56
647 48 20 39
A B C 113
[Track 38] Nieves is thinking of buying a new place to live. Listen to the
conversation at the real-state agency (agencia inmobiliaria) and choose the right answer
for the following questions?
1. ¿Quieren comprar o alquilar?
a) Comprar b) Alquilar
2. ¿Qué tipo de vivienda busca?
a) Un piso b) Un apartamento
3. ¿Dónde quieren la vivienda?
a) En las afueras de la ciudad b) En el centro de la ciudad
4. ¿Cuántas habitaciones necesita?
U
a) tres b) cuatro
5. ¿En qué condiciones está la vivienda que le ofrece la agencia inmobiliaria?
a) Es antigua pero está en buen estado
b) Es nueva y está en buen estado
6. ¿Qué instalaciones y servicios tiene? Marca las que nombran:
O a) aire acondicionado
d) garaje
7. ¿Tiene zonas comunitarias?
a) Tiene piscina y jardín comunitarios
b) Tiene jardín comunitario
b) portero
e) calefacción
c) ascensor
N
8. ¿Cuál es el precio de la vivienda?
a) 135 000 euros
b) 125 000 euros
You can find the vocabulary from the previous actividad in the glossary at the end
IG
this unidad. Look at the following antonyms and also some new related vocabulary:
amueblado – furnished sin amueblar – unfurnished

medio amueblado - half-furnished
antiguo/a – old nuevo/a – new
moderno/a – modern
céntrico/a – centric en las afueras – in the outskirts
en buen estado – in a good condition en mal estado – in a bad condition
la escalera – the stairs, the staircase
la pared – the wall
In the previous actividades, the verbs ser, tener and estar have been used for
description. Let’s revise and compare their use with some examples:
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→ Ser is used to describe qualities or characteristics: La Casa
 La habitación es grande e interior – The room is big and facing onto a patio.
 Las ventanas y las puertas son nuevas – The windows and the doors are new.
→ Tener describes possession. In the previous units, we used it for describing
someone (tiene el pelo rizado, tiene los ojos verdes...). But when the possessor is
inanimate, it works the same way:
 El piso tiene cocina, salón y un cuarto de baño – The flat has a kitchen, a living-
room and a bathroom.
 El piso tiene un jardín pequeño en la planta baja del edificio – The flat has a small
garden in the ground-floor.
→ Estar shows location, position or temporary characteristics:
 El piso está cerca de la estación de metro – The flat is near the metro-station.
U
 La habitación está medio amueblada – The room is half-furnished.
8.3.2 Enseres domésticos (Household goods)

Actividad 4
Look at the following floor plan (plano) of a house and write down the names of the
O
furniture (muebles) and appliances (electrodomésticos) in the box given below. Some
might suit in different parts of the house.
N
IG
115
cocina salón cuarto de baño dormitorio dormitorio
de matrimonio
_________ _______ _______________ ___________ ____________
_________ _______ _______________ ___________ ____________
Actividad 5
[Track 39] Emilio calls to rent a small apartment (un apartamento pequeño). Listen
to the conversation where the owner explains to him what all the apartment has.
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Mark the words that you hear.
sofá sillones mesa estantería espejo cama
percha armario alfombra mesilla de noche bañera ducha
nevera lavaplatos microondas lavadora cocina eléctrica cocina de gas
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aspiradora plancha
8.3.3 La casa y sus alrededores (The house and its surroundings)

According to the recent data on demography, the highest percentage of the Spanish
population lives in cities. What are the main aspects (advantages and disadvantages)
that make them to consider a place good to live at or not?
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 trash bins (contenedores de basura)  lack of green areas
 schools (colegios)  dirty streets (calles sucias)
 noises (ruidos)
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 nurseries (guarderías)
 shops (tiendas) or shopping  crime and vandalism (delincuencia y
centres (centros comerciales) vandalismo)
 health centres (centros de salud)  pollution (contaminación)
 public transport (transporte público)  bad smells (malos olores) from
industries (industrias) or traffic
 parks and green areas (parques y (tráfico)
zonas verdes)
 poor communications (malas
 sport areas and facilities (zonas e comunicaciones).
instalaciones deportivas)
 places for entertainment (lugares
de ocio).
We have asked some people living in different parts or neighbourhoods (barrios) in

Valencia why do they live there. These are their answers:
116
¿Por qué vives en...? La Casa
Vivo en las afueras porque es

más tranquilo
y hay muchas zonas verdes
y parques para los niños.
Vivo en Ayora porque es

Vivo en Jesús porque tranquilo y está bien comunicado
está cerca del centro, es limpio con el centro de la ciudad en
y hay muchas tiendas. autobús y en metro.
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Vivo en Ruzafa porque tiene
muchos bares y zonas de ocio.
Es un barrio con mucha vida.
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You will learn more about cities in unidad 17 in the course BSL-002 (book ele Indian
2). Let’s focus now on por qué (used in the question) and porque (used in the answer).
→ ¿Por qué? (why?) is used when asking questions in Spanish:
N
 ¿Por qué no comes carne? (Why don’t you eat meat?).
 ¿Por qué aprendes español? (Why do you learn Spanish?).
→ Porque (because) is used in the answer:
 No como carne porque soy vegetariana. (I don’t eat meat because I am a vegetarian).
IG
 Aprendo español porque quiero viajar a España. (I learn Spanish because I want
to travel to Spain).
Look at the impersonal verb form hayy in the previous bubbles. It means ‘there
is’ or ‘there are’ and it can also be used when describing a place, like a city, a
neighbourhood or a house. Look at the following examples:
 Mi casa tiene tres habitaciones. – My house has three rooms.
 En mi casa hay tres habitaciones. – In my house there are three rooms.
Actividad 6
Write a short description about your house: where is it, what it has and why do you
live there (50-80 words).
8.3.4 Relación con los vecinos (Relationship with our neighbours)

Mostly in small localities, Spanish people have close relationships with their
neighbours as the pace of life (ritmo de vida) is slower in comparison to the big cities. 117
Familia y el entorno Streets in the villages are perceived to be more like spaces where people socialize
and interact, and this also brings the neighbours (vecinos) closer. However, in general,
regardless of where they live, a sense of neighbourhood is widespread, which is
translated into individual behaviours such as:
Taking care of common areas (zona común)
Not being loud at night or when it is considered that people are resting
Paying a regular fee for community expenditures (gastos de comunidad). This
happens in buildings, mostly in cities, where the different apartments share
common expenses like for lifts (ascensores), electricity (electricidad) in common
areas, repairs (reparaciones) that affect the whole building.
It doesn’t matter whether we know or do not know our neighbours, but it is common
and also a sign of politeness to greet them when you come across them. Saying hola,
buenos días, buenas tardes or adiós is sufficient if you bump into each other. In the lift,
however, the situation turns out to be different. In such a reduced space, silences
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might feel a bit uncomfortable, mostly when meeting people whom you know or
you have seen earlier. There, besides the usual greetings like Hola or ¿qué tal?, people
might exchange some words just to fill in the moment. No serious, nor personal or
controversial topics. Spaniards themselves joke about the fact that the weather (el
tiempo) is considered as the king of topics in the lift. Without any doubt, a perfectly
easy and fairly neutral subject. So, get your vocabulary on weather ready before
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entering a lift with spanish - speaking people, just in case!

In this last unidad, of the block Familia y entorno we have focused on our homes as
spaces where we live and where we also interact with other people: the house as a
basic need, what all is required to live in it, and also as a part of our personal and
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social life. You have acquired new vocabulary to describe your house and also to
take part in a conversations related to buying or renting a place to live.
Now you have a solid basis to move on to the next Block 3, where you will go
deeper into daily life situations and interactions.

IG
aceptar : to accept allí : there

a la próxima : next time alojamiento, el : accommodation
adosado : row house alquilar : to rent
afueras, las : outskirts alrededores, los : surroundings
agencia : real estate agency amueblado/a : furnished
inmobiliaria animado/a : lively
agua, el : water antiguo/a : old
ahora mismo : right now anuncio, el : advertisement
aire : air conditioning apartamento, el : apartment
acondicionado, el
aparte : separate
alfombra, la : carpet
118
aprender : to learn colegio, el : school La Casa
armario, el : wardrobe comedor, el : dining-room

Arquitectura, la : arquitecture comer : to eat
ascensor, el : lift compañero/a : mate, partner
aseo, el : toilet compartir : to share
aspiradora, la : vacuum cleaner compartido/a : shared
ático, el : penthouse comprar : to buy
balcón, el : balcony comunicado : communicated
bañera, la : bathtube contaminación, : pollution
barrio, el : neighbourhood la
bienvenido/a : welcome contar : to tell
U
botella, la : bottle contar : to count on someone
(con alguien)
brindis, el : toast
contenedor : trash bin
buen estado : good condition de basura, el
buscar : to look for contento/a : happy
calefacción, la : heating costar : to cost
cama, la
cama
individual, la
: bed
: single bed
cantante, el/la : singer

carne, la : meat
O crimen, el
cuarto
cuarto de
baño, el
cubiertos, los
: crime
: forth
: bathroom
: cutlery
N
casa, la : house, home de acuerdo : all right
casa de fin de : weekend home desventaja, la : disadvantage
semana, la
domingo : Sunday
casa de verano : summer home
dormitorio, el : bedroom
casero/a, el/la : landlord, landlady
IG
dormitorio : the bedroom where

cenar : to have dinner de matrimonio, the (married) couple
centro : shopping centre el of the house sleep, as
comercial, el opposed to the
children bedroom
centro de : health centre (dormitorio de los
salud, el niños) or the guest
cerca : near b e d r o o m
chalé, el : detached house (dormitorio de
invitados)
ciudad, la : city
ducha, la : shower
cocina, la : kitchen, stove
Económicas : economics
cocina eléctrica : electric stove
electricidad, la : electricity
cocina de gas, la: gas stove
electrodomésticos,: appliances
cocinero/a, : cooker los
el/la 119
Familia y el entorno Enfermería : nursing limpio/a : clean
en punto : o’clock lo siento : I am sorry
enseñar : to show llamar : to call
entonces : then, so lugares de : places for
entrada, la : ticket ocio, los entertainment
entre : between luminoso/a : bright
en alquiler : on rent luz, la : light, electricity
en venta : for sale mal estado : bad condition
espacioso/a : spacious malos olores : bad smells
espejo, el : mirror mañana : tomorrow
estantería, la : shelf más o menos : more or less
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estudio, el : studio Matemáticas : maths
flor, la : flower mediano/a : medium
foto/ : picture Medicina : medicine

fotografía, la mesa, la : table
garaje, el : garage mesilla : beside table
O
gastos, los
gastos de
: expenses
: community
comunidad, los expenses
guardería, la
habitación, la
: nursery
: room, bedroom
(de noche), la
metro, el
mudarse
mueble, el
: underground
microondas, el : microwave
: to change homes
: furniture
N
hay : there is/there are necesitar : to need
importar : to mind nevera, la : fridge
incluido/a : included no hay de qué : you are welcome
industria, la : industry ocupado/a : busy
inquilino/a : tenant ofrecer : to offer
IG
instalación, la : facility organizar : to organize

instalaciones : sport facilities otros/as : other
deportivas, las parada de : bus stop
interesado/a : interested autobús, la
invitado/a : guest parada de : underground stop
invitar : to invite metro, la
jardín : garden parque, el : park
lavabo, el : washbasin parqué, el : parquet
lavadora, la : waschin-machine partido de : football match

fútbol, el
lavaplatos, el : dish-washer
pasillo, el : corridor
libre : free
pastas, las : pastries
120
percha, la : hanger sobre : around La Casa
piscina, la : swimmingpool sofá, el : sofa

piso, el : flat, floor sólo : only
plancha, la : iron sucio/a : dirty
plano, el : plan suelo, el : floor
planta, la : floor tablón de : notice board
planta baja, la : ground-floor anuncios, el
poder : can tamaño, el : size
¿por qué? : why tarde : late
porque : because techo, el : ceiling
portero, el : doorman tercero/a : third
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puerta, la : door terraza, la : terrace
precio, el : price tiempo, el : weather
presentar : to introduce tienda, la : shop
propietario/ : owner tráfico, el : traffic

a, el/la transporte : public transport
qué lástima
quedar
querer
rechazar
recibidor
: what a shame
: to meet
: to want
: to reject
: entrance
O público, el
vale : ok
vandalismo, el : vandalism
vecino/a, el/la : neighbour
vegetariano/a : vegetarian
N
reformado/a : refurbished vender : to sell
reparación, la : repair venir : to come
ritmo de vida, el: pace of life ventaja, la : advantage
ruido, el : noise ventana, la : window

ver : to watch, to see
IG
sábado : Saturday
salón, el : living-room viajar : to travel
¡Salud! : To your health! vida, la : life
servicio, el : service vino, el : wine
sexto/a : sixth vivienda, la : housing
siempre : always zona : community area

comunitaria, la
silla, la : chair
zonas verdes, : green areas
sillón, el : armchair las
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Actividad 1
U
O
Actividad 2
Anuncio 2
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Actividad 3
1. a) 2. a)
3. b) 4. b)
5. a) 6. c) and e)
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7. b) 8. 135 000 euros

Actividad 4
cocina salón cuarto de baño dormitorio dormitorio
de matrimonio
nevera, estantería, lavabo, bañera, armario, silla, estantería, silla,
lavadora silla, mesa, espejo mesa, cama mesa, armario,
sofá doble cama individual,
plancha
Actividad 6
sillones, mesa, estantería, cama, armario, mesa de noche, ducha, nevera, lavadora,
cocina de gas, plancha
Actividad 6
Free answer to be checked by you tutor.
122
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Block
3
Acciones cotidianas
Unit 9
La hora
Unit 10
El clima
O 125
140
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Unit 11
La vida rutinaria 151
Unit 12
IG
El tiempo libre 164

Acciones cotidianas
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O
N
IG
124
La hora
UNIDAD 9 LA HORA
9.1 Introducción
9.2 Objetivos
9.3 La hora
9.3.1 Preguntar y decir la hora
9.3.2 La hora según las partes del día
9.3.3 Horas de trabajo en los países de habla hispana
9.4 Resumen
9.5 Glosario
9.6 Soluciones
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Dear learner, it is completely indispensable to develop the ability to communicate
time whether you are a student, a businessman or just someone interested in learning
a foreign language. In this unidad, we will learn to keep track of time and also about
the working hours (horas de trabajo) in the Hispanic world. For all that we will need
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to learn how to ask for (preguntar) and to say (decir) the time (la hora), some verbs to
express working hours. This unidad will also provide you a review of both cardinal
numbers (the ones used to count) and ordinal numbers (the ones used to express
numbers in a series) and how to use these numbers to express times of day.

N
In this unidad, we are going to learn:
• say and ask for the time;
• say and ask about working hours; and
• compare working hours between your country and Spanish Speaking countries.
IG
For all this, we are going to learn the following language points:
• use of prepositions: a, de, hasta, desde
• diferenciate between these two questions: ¿Qué hora es? and ¿A qué hora …?
• the use of the verbs abrir (to open), cerrar (to close)
We are going to learn some more expressions using numbers so... We hope you
remember them! If you think you need to revise them, please go through the
previous units.
9.3 LA HORA (THE TIME)

Everyday we see our watch or a clock several times a day. As a student of a foreign
language, it is a must to learn the time-related phrases to talk about time. Let us
now learn some expressions in Spanish to keep track of time.
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Acciones cotidianas 9.3.1 Preguntar y decir la hora (Ask for and say the time)
¿Qué hora es? (What time is it?) This is the question we ask in Spanish when we ask
for the time. With the following activities you will learn how to answer it.
Actividad 1
[Track 40] DISCOVER. Read the following sentences expressing time and tryy
to match it with the correct image of the clock given below Do not worry if you do
not understand everything. Just use your intuition and look at the numbers!
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A. B. C. D.
OE. F. G. H.
N
I. J. K. L.
IG
M.
1) Son las cuatro menos veinte

2) Son las tres en punto
3) Son las tres y veinte
4) Son las cuatro menos cinco
5) Son las tres y media
6) Son las tres y cinco
7) Son las cuatro menos diez
8) Son las tres y diez
9) Son las tres y cuarto
10) Son las cuatro menos cuarto
126
11) Son las tres y veinticinco La hora
12) Son las cuatro en punto
13) Son la cuatro menos veinticinco
Actividad 2
Now, go back to the hours in the previous activity and put them in order in the
clock given below:
Son las tres en punto
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Son las cuatro menos
veinticinco
Let’s find out how time telling works in Spanish. Once again, pay attention to the
expressions of time in activity 1 and think... Are there any elements that are being
repeated? Which are they?
Actividad 3
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REFLEXIONA. Try to discover the structure that we use to tell the time in Spanish
and fill in the gaps below using those repeated elements:
a) 3:10 _____ _____ tres ____ diez

N
Y
3.20 _____ _____ tres _____ veinte

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b) 3:50 _____ ______ cuatro ______ diez menos
3:35 _____ ______ cuatro ______ veinticinco
As you can see in the previous activity, in Spanish we can divide the clock in two
parts. From 12 to 6, we use the hour and we add the minutes, using “Y” (3:10- las
tres Y diez, 7:20- las siete Y veinte). From 6 to 12, we use the hour we are going to
reach and we rest the minutes using “MENOS” (3:40-las cuatro MENOS veinte,
7:55-las ocho MENOS cinco)
Remember! To express the time after the hour (but before half past the
hour), we use Y (and) and the number minutes. While we use MENOS (less) +
the number of the following hour to express the time before the next hour
(after half past the hour).
127
Acciones cotidianas So, we can conclude that, in order to answer the question ¿Qué hora es? we use
the following structure:
SON LAS ….... Y/ MENOS …. We can also express time numerically using the
twenty-four-hour clock used in official timetables. For example, Son las cuatro y
cuarenta (It’s 4:40).
We always use ‘SON LAS...’ but we say ‘ES LA UNA’ (1:00), ‘ES LA UNA Y
VEINTE’ (13:20).
Actividad 4
Let´s practice saying times in Spanish. Write the following time in words:
a) 7:40: ___________________________________________
b) 5:20: ___________________________________________
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c) 1.15: __________________________________________
d) 14:50: ________________________________________
e) 6:10: __________________________________________
f) 19:30: ________________________________________
g) 8:55: _________________________________________
Oh) 10:15: _______________________________________

i)
j)
k)
23:35: ________________________________________
1:45: _________________________________________
16:25: _______________________________________
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l) 00:05: ________________________________________
m) 13:55: ______________________________________
9.3.2. La hora según las partes del día (Say the time according to
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the parts of the day)

In Spanish we do not use ‘am’ or ‘pm’ then, how can we distinguish between ‘las
8:30’ (son las ocho y media) and ‘las 20:30’ (son las ocho y media) or ‘las 4:10’ (son las cuatro
y diez) from ‘las 16:10’ (son las cuatro y diez)? Well, we indicate which part of the day
is to make things quite clear. Usually, we divide the day around in the following
sections:
 00:00 – 6:00 MADRUGADA O MAÑANA
(from midnight till early morning)
 6:00- 12:00 MAÑANA
(for the morning for times up till noon)
 12:00- 19:00 TARDE
(for the afternoon and early evening)
 19:00- 00:00 NOCHE
128 (for the late evening and night)
Remember, for referring to a clock showing 12:00 hours, we say MEDIODÍA La hora
(mid-day or noon) and for 00:00 hours, we call MEDIANOCHE (midnight).
Let’s now see once again the previous examples to differentiate between ‘am’ and
‘pm’:
 8:30: son las ocho y media DE LA MAÑANA (It’s 8:30 am)
 20:30: son las ocho y media DE LA NOCHE (It’s 8:30 pm)
 4:30: son las cuatro y media DE LA MAÑANA o DE LA MADRUGADA
(It’s 4:30 am)
 16:30: son las cuatro y media DE LA TARDE (It’s 4:30 pm)
Notice the use of the preposition ‘DE’ in the above examples. We have
added the preposition ‘de’ to express a definite time. For example, ‘son las diez de
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la noche’ (it’s 10pm) or ‘son las seis de la mañana’ (it’s 6am). Whereas, to express a
period of time, we use the preposition ‘POR’. For example, ‘por la mañana’ (in
the morning), ‘por la tarde’ (in the evening) and ‘por la noche’ (in the night).
Actividad 5
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Would you like to try? ¿QUÉ HORA ES? Write the time in words.
a) 19:40: ______________________ b) 5:10: _______________________
c) 13:25: ______________________ d) 9:15: _______________________
e) 22:30: ______________________ f) 2:45: _______________________
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g) 14:20: ______________________ h) 00:35: ______________________
i) 15:15: ______________________ j) 04:30: ______________________
k) 7:50: _______________________ l) 21:10: ______________________
Actividad 6
IG
[Track 41] Listen to the following dialogues and mark the time that you hear..
a) 14:40 b)12:50
c) 11:25 d)13:15
e) 4:50 f) 6:35
g) 23:25 h)9:30
i) 2:40 j) 18:35
k) 16:50 l) 00:10
m) 12:45 n)9:15
o) 21:30 p)17:55
q) 13:05 r) 22:20
129
Acciones cotidianas 9.3.3. Horas de trabajo en los países de habla hispana (Working
hours in Spanish-Speaking Countries)
As you may imagine, the working hours in Spain and Latin-America are most
probably different to those in your country. In the text below, you will find some
information about the working hours in Barcelona (Spain) and Buenos Aires
(Argentina). But before we proceed ahead with the text, let’s do the following
vocabulary activity that will help you to understand the text better.
Actividad 7
Discover some of the words by checking the time in the clocks. Each time image
represents a letter of the alphabet.
Example (Ejemplo): cuatro y media/dos y veinte/ cuatro menos cinco/tres en
punto
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H / O / L / A
word (palabra): hola
O A B C D
N
E F G H
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I J K L
LL M N Ñ
130 O P Q R
La hora
S T U V
W X Y Z
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a) tres y diez/tres en punto/ocho en punto/doce y cuarto/una y diez/dos y
veinte
palabra: ___________________
b) tres en punto/ cinco y cinco/una y diez/cuatro menos veinte/una y diez
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palabra: ____________________
c) tres y diez/ doce y cuarto/ una y diez/ una y diez/tres en punto/una y diez
palabra: _____________________
d) cuatro menos cinco/tres en punto/cinco y cinco/dos y veinte/una y diez/
tres en punto/cinco y cinco/cuatro menos cinco/doce y cuarto/nueve y cuarto
palabra: _______________________
N
e) tres y diez/dos y veinte/una y diez/una y diez/doce y cuarto/dos y veinte/
nueve y cuarto
palabra: _______________________
f) tres y veinticinco/doce y cuarto/nueve y cuarto/once y veinte/cuatro menos
veinte/siete menos cinco/dos y veinte/nueve y cuarto
palabra: _______________________
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g) - tres y diez/doce y cuarto/nueve menos cinco/once y veinte/una y diez/

dos y veinte (first word)
- tres y diez/dos y veinte/nueve en punto/doce y cuarto/una y diez/tres y
diez/cuatro menos veinte/tres en punto/cuatro menos cinco (second word)
palabra: _______________________
h) once y veinte/cuatro menos veinte/doce y cuarto/nueve menos cinco/seis y
cuarto/tres en punto
palabra: ________________________
Do you understand all the above words? Here you have the image for each of them.
Try to match them with the words you found before. If there are some you do not
know, don’t worry, see the glossary at the end of the unit or consult your dictionary
131
Acciones cotidianas
Now, let’s go through the following text. Read it carefully and reply to the questions
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given in actividad 8 if the sentences are true(verdadero) or false (falso).
Remember, to understand the text, you do not have to understand all the
words but the key words. If you find any problem in comprehending the text,
consult your dictionary.
O HORARIO COMERCIAL DE BARCELONA (ESPAÑA)

El horario comercial de Barcelona es bastante extenso, por lo que las visitas a los
museos y lugares de interés pueden combinarse con facilidad con las sesiones de
compras.
La mayor parte de las tiendas de Barcelona abren de lunes a sábado de 9:00 a
13:30 y de 17:00 a 20:00 horas, aunque algunos pequeños comercios cierran los
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sábados por la tarde.
Los centros comerciales están abiertos de lunes a sábado de 10:00 a 22:00. Algunos
centros comerciales, como Maremagnum, abren todos los días del año, incluyendo
domingos y festivos.
Los museos en Barcelona abren generalmente de martes a domingo de 10:00 a
20:00 horas. Los lunes la mayoría de los museos permanecen cerrados, aunque
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existen algunas excepciones como el Museo del Chocolate o el Museo de Cera

que se pueden visitar todos los días de la semana.
Los bancos abren de lunes a viernes de 8:30 a 14:00 y los sábados de 8:30 a
13:00. En verano los bancos no abren los sábados.
Hay oficinas de cambio en el centro de la ciudad, los principales sitios turísticos,
la Estación de Sants y la Estación de Autobuses Barcelona Nord. Estas dos
últimas abren hasta las 22:00.
HORARIO COMERCIAL DE BUENOS AIRES (ARGENTINA)
El horario comercial en Buenos Aires es similar a otros países de Latinoamérica.
Los comercios normalmente cierran un par de horas durante la hora de comer.
El horario para oficinas es desde las 09:00 hasta el mediodía y de 14:00 a 19:00,
aunque muchas de las grandes oficinas abren durante todo el día.
Los bancos abren a las 10:00 y cierran a las 15:00 (algunos bancos extienden el
horario hasta las 16:00). Se pueden realizar extracciones de dinero y otras
transacciones en los cajeros automáticos, que funcionan las 24 horas.
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La Sucursal de turismo en Banco Ciudad ofrece una ofrece para el turista. Se La hora
pueden cambiar dólares, euros y cheques de viaje (travellers checks) en un horario
más amplio que el de los bancos. Los horarios de atención al público son: martes
a viernes de 10:00 a 17:00; sábados y domingos de 11:00 a 18:00, lunes de 10:00
a 18:00. Son bancos exclusivos para turistas. Requerimiento: Tener pasaporte.
Los museos y atracciones turísticas cierran generalmente los martes y muchos de
ellos cierran un mes durante el verano.
Las oficinas de correos abren a las 09:00 de lunes a sábado; cierran a las 20:00 de
lunes a viernes y a las 13:00 los sábados.
La mayoría de las tiendas en el centro de Buenos Aires abren los días laborables
de 10:00 a 20:00 y los sábados hasta las 13:00; cierran los domingos. Normalente
las tiendas pequeñas cierran durante dos horas al mediodía. Los centros
comerciales abren hasta las 22:00 incluso los fines de semana y algunos festivos.
U
Actividad 8
Now reply if the following sentences are true or false (verdadero/falso):

1. Si estoy en Barcelona, puedo ir a cualquier museo los lunes. V/ F
2. En Buenos Aires puedo ir a la oficina de Correos el domingo. V/ F
tarde.
O
3. Si vivo en Buenos Aires, puedo ir al banco después del trabajo, a las 5 de la
V/ F
4. Si estoy de visita en Barcelona y necesito cambiar dinero, puedo hacerlo un
sábado al mediodía. V/ F
5. En Buenos Aires todas las tiendas abren de 10:00 a 20:00 los días laborables.
V/ F
N
6. En Barcelona puedo ir de compras los domingos. V/ F
Let’s learn some the grammar from the text. As you can see, to talk about the
working hours in Spanish we use two verbs: abrir (to open) and cerrar (to close).
Abrir is a regular –ir ending verb whereas cerrar is an irregular -ar ending verb.
In the previous units, you have learnt the present tense conjugation of verbs ending
IG
in –ir. To form the present tense of -ir verbs, the infinitive ending is dropped and
the personal endings are added to the root as shown in the table below in case of
verb abrir:
Verbo: ABRIR
ABRIR
yo Abro
tú Abres
él/ella/usted Abre
nosotros/as Abrimos
vosotros/as Abrís
ellos/ellas/ustedes Abren
133
Acciones cotidianas But certain verbs are irregular in nature, such as the verb cerrar which is a stem-
changing verb. The verb changes the stem of the infinitive e to ie in all forms
except nosotros and vosotros.
Verbo: CERRAR [e > ie]
CERRAR
yo Cierro
tú Cierras
él/ella/usted Cierra
nosotros/as Cerramos
vosotros/as Cerráis
U
ellos/ellas/ustedes Cierran
Note: Likewise, the following verbs too change the stem of the infinitive:
comenzar (to start, begin), empezar (to start, begin), entender (to understand), pensar
(to think), querer (to want), etc.
To indicate opening times or days, we use the following prepositions:
O ‘de …. a …’ (from …. to …)
 ‘desde… hasta …’ (from …. till…)
The prepositions de/desde indicate the starting point, the beginning; and a/hasta
indicates the end, the final point.
N
Both expressions mean the same but note that if we want to use ‘desde… hasta ….’
we also need the definite article el/la/los/las. Let’s see some examples from the
above text:
 El horario para oficinas es desde las 09:00 hasta el mediodía y de 14:00
a 19:00.
 Los bancos abren de lunes a viernes de 8:30 a14:00 y los sábados de 8:30
IG
a 13:00.
 La mayoría de las tiendas en el centro de Buenos Aires abren los días
laborables de 10:00 a 20:00 y los sábados hasta las 13:00; cierran los
domingos.
You can go back to the text and look for more examples!!
Actividad 9
It is your turn to practice. Have a look to the following opening times and write the
opening hours. Follow the example given below:
For example : La librería Papel abre a las 10 de la mañana y cierra a las ocho y media de la
noche de lunes a viernes. Los sábados …...
134
LIBRERÍA PAPEL La hora
Horario comercial:
L - S: de 09:00 a 22:00
Festivos: de 10:00 a 22:00
Actividad 10
U
Go back to the previous text and answer briefly the following questions:
a) ¿Qué diferencias hay entre el horario comercial de Barcelona y Buenos Aires?
...................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................
O
...................................................................................................................................
b) ¿Qué diferencias hay con tu país? ¿Cuál es el horario comercial en tu país?
...................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................
N
...................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................
Till this point we have learnt how to tell the time and the opening hours of different
establishments. It is also important to know what is the difference between the
IG
expressions ¿Qué hora es? and ¿A qué hora …?

As we have seen earlier in the section 9.3.1, we use the question ¿QUÉ HORA
ES? in order to ask for the time itself. For example: ¿Qué hora es? - (Son) las
siete y cuarto.
But if you want to discuss at what time a particular event will occur, we can use the
following question ¿A QUÉ HORA ….?. For example, in order to know at what
time the banks open usually, we ask the question: ¿A qué hora abren los bancos
(At what time do the banks open?) and we answer it with A la una or A las + any
time after 1pm. For example, A las 8 y media de la mañana (At 8:30am).
Let’s see some more examples:
• ¿A qué hora abre la tienda? (At what time the shop opens?)
• A la una. (At 1pm) or A las tres y cuarto. (At 3:15)
In this case we do not want to know the time itself but the time when the
banks open so the answer will be A las... and not (Son) las...
135
Acciones cotidianas Actividad 11
Do you want to try? Write the question for the following answers:
a) ¿.......................................?
- Las tiendas cierran a las 5 y media de la tarde.
b) ¿......................................?
- El banco abre a las ocho de la mañana
c) ¿.......................................?
- Son las tres y media
d) ¿.......................................?
- Las cuatro menos veinte de la madrugada
e) ¿......................................?
- Normalmente como a la una y cuarto
U
Dear student, in this unidad we have learnt to tell the time and we have also learnt
about the working hours in Spanish speaking countries. At the end of this unit, let’s
revise some frequently used time-related words and expressions that you will need
O
to use it your daily conversations with your friends or at work place:
English Phrase
a second
a minute
a quarter of an hour
Spanish Equivalent
un segundo
un minuto
un cuarto de hora
N
an hour una hora
a half hour media hora
in the morning / afternoon / evening por la mañana / tarde / noche
what time is it?at what time? ¿qué hora es?¿a qué hora?
at exactly 5 o’clock a las 5 en punto
IG
a about 5 o’clock a eso de las 5

in an hour en una hora
in a while dentro de un rato
early temprano
late tarde
unitl 5 o’clock hasta las 5
before 5 o’clock antes de las 5
after 5 o’clock después de las 5
Do you know: There is a Spanish proverb which says 'Trece y martes ni te

cases ni te embarques' (On Tuesday the 13th neither get married nor board a ship).
136
La hora
abrir : to open laborales : working days
cajero : atm madrugada : part of the day from
centro : shopping mall 12am to 6am
comercial mañana : morning, tomorrow
cerrar : to close medianoche : midnight
correos : post office mediodía : noon, midday
festivos : holiday at work noche : evening, night
regarding some tarde : afternoon
festivity
tienda : shop
fin de semana: weekend verano : summer
U
horario : working hours

Actividad 1
1.a, 2.d, 3.l, 4.i, 5.m, 6.b, 7.e, 8.h, 9.c, 10.g, 11.j, 12.f, 13.k
Actividad 2
O
Son las CUATRO
menos cinco
Son las CUATRO

menos diez
Son las TRES
en punto
Son las TRES y cinco
Son las TRES y diez

N
Son las CUATRO
Son las TRES y cuarto
menos cuarto
Son las CUATRO

menos veinte Son las TRES y veinte
Son las CUATRO
menos veinticinco Son las TRES Son las TRES y veinticinco
IG
y media
Actividad 3
a) 3:10 – son las tres y diez
3.20 – son las tres y veinte
b) 3:50 – son las cuatro menos diez
3:35_son las cuatro menos veinticinco
Actividad 4
a) 7:40: Son las ocho menos veinte.
b) 5:20: Son las cinco y veinte.
c) 1.15: Es la una y cuarto.
137
Acciones cotidianas d) 14:50: Son las tres menos diez.
e) 6:10: Son las seis y diez.
f) 19:30: Son las siete y media.
g) 8:55: Son las nueve menos cinco.
h) 10:15: Son las diez y cuarto.
i) 23:35: Son las doce menos veinticinco.
j) 1:45: Son las dos menos cuarto.
k) 16:25: Son las cuatro y veinticinco.
l) 00:05: Son las doce y cinco.
m) 13:55: Son las dos menos cinco.
Actividad 5
U
a) 19:40: Son las ocho menos veinte de la noche.
b) 5:10: Son las cinco y diez de la mañana/madrugada.
c) 13:25: Es la una y veinticinco de la tarde.
d) 9:15: Son las nueve y cuarto de la mañana.
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
O22:30: Son las diez y media de la noche.
2:45: Son las tres menos cuarto de la madrugada/mañana.
14:20: Son las dos y veinte de la tarde.
00:35: Es la una menos veinticinco de la mañana/madrugada.
15:15: Son las tres y cuarto de la tarde.
N
j) 04:30: Son las cuatro y media de la mañana/madrugada.
k) 7:50: Son las ocho menos diez de la mañana.
l) 21:10: Son las nueve y diez de la noche.
Actividad 6
IG
i, d, k, o, q, r, m, g, j, b
Actividad 7
a) palabra: CAJERO b) palabra: ABRIR
c) palabra: CERRAR d) palabra: LABORABLES
e) palabra: CORREOS f) palabra: FESTIVOS
g) palabra: CENTRO COMERCIAL h) palabra: TIENDA
Actividad 8
1. Falso 2. Falso 3. Falso
4. Verdadero 5. Falso 6. Verdadero
138
Actividad 11 La hora
a) Las tiendas cierran a las 5 y media de la tarde.
b) El banco abre a las ocho de la mañana
c) Son las tres y media
d) Las cuatro menos veinte de la madrugada
e) Normalmente como a la una y cuarto
U
O
N
IG
139
Acciones cotidianas
UNIT 10 EL CLIMA
10.1 Introducción
10.2 Objetivos
10.3 El clima
10.3.1Los meses y las estaciones del año
10.3.2Hablar del tiempo
10.4 Resumen
10.5 Glosario
10.6 Soluciones
U
Dear learner, the weather is a topic that all of us talk about in different situations:
to make conversation, to get information about it before we travel, to explain it to
a person who does not know our country, to ask about other country’s weather,
etc. Therefore, in this unidad, you will learn how to talk about the weather in Spanish
as well as to know about the weather in Spain.
•
•
O
In this unidad, we are going to learn to:
tell the name of the months and seasons of the year;
talk about the weather;
N
• talk about the weather in Spain; and
• explain the weather in your region and country.
• use of hace, hay, está in climate related expressions.
• the use of mucho/a/os/as, bastante, muy.
IG
10.3 EL CLIMA (THE WEATHER)

As you know, the weather changes according to the time of the year so in order to
explain it, we need to specify which period of the year we are referring to. Also, as
you can imagine, the weather is different in different countries.
Before starting to talk about the weather, let us introduce you the months of the
year and the different seasons and afterwards we will go through the weather topic.
10.3.1 Los meses y las estaciones del año (Months and seasons
of the year)
We are going to start with the months and the seasons of the year and we would
like to suggest you to discover their names in Spanish by doing the following activity.
You can use your dictionary if you need it!
140
Actividad 1 El clima
Here you have four seasons and the twelve months of the year. Each season happens
approximately during three months. Match each season with the corresponding
groups of months. Write it in the box. First, try to do it without using the dictionary.
ESTACIONES DEL AÑO
VERANO INVIERNO OTOÑO PRIMAVERA
….. …... ….. …..

MARZO JUNIO SPETIEMBRE DICIEMBRE
ABRIL JULIO OCTUBRE ENERO
MAYO AGOSTO NOVIEMBRE FEBRERO
U
Actividad 2
Can you write the months of the year in the correct order?
a) g)
b) h)
c)
d)
e)
f)
Actividad 3
O i)
j)
k)
l)
N
Put in the correct order the letter and find out the month of the year.
a) yamo: ____________________
b) lrabi: ____________________
c) ostoga: ____________________
IG
d) mienvrembo: _______________
e) iljou: ____________________
f) neore: ____________________
g) tresmebipe: ________________
h) razmo: ____________________
Actividad 4_____________________________________________________
Think about the different seasons that you have in your state. Write them along
with the months in which they happen. Are they the same as the ones above?
Actividad 5______________________________________________________
Write the name of the season for each image. Which ones happen in your state?
There may be more that one answer.
141
Acciones cotidianas
(A) (B) (C)
U
(D) (E) (F)
O (G)
10.3.2. Hablar del tiempo (Talking about the weather)

Now that you have learnt the names of the seasons and the months of the year, it
is time to introduce you to how to talk about the weather in Spanish. We are going
N
to do it, little by little, so that you can assimilate and learn all the necessary expressions.
To begin with, do the following activities to learn the new vocabulary.
Actividad 6___________________________________________________
Below you have a box with some words. Look them up in the dictionary and match
the words with the picture.
IG
sol nube viento frío calor lluvia nieve tormenta
(A) (B) (C)
142 (D) (E) (F)

El clima
(G) (H)
Actividad 7
Let’s go a little bit further. In the box below you will find some expressions that are
used in Spanish to describe the weather. Write the correct expression below each
picture. There may be more than one expression for each picture.
U
Hace buen tiempo llueve hay nubes hace calor está nublado
nieva hay niebla está despejado hace frío hace
mal tiempo hay tormenta hace viento hace sol
A
O B C
N
D E F
IG
.
G H I
J K L
143
Acciones cotidianas
M N O
Actividad 8
Now that you are familiar with the expressions, let’s try to classify them according
to the way they are used in Spanish. We give you an example to follow:
U
HACE HAY ESTÁ
calor
O
Note that lluevee (it rains) and nieva (it snows) are verbs LLOVER (to rain)
and NEVAR (to snow) and they only take the 3rd person singular.
Actividad 9
To end the vocabulary activities, you have few more words to mach with the image.
N
cálido húmedo tropical seco frío
IG
A B
144
C D
As you can observe, these expressions describe the climate and not the weather. El clima
Therefore, the sentence we use in Spanish is:
EL CLIMA ES...
FRÍO
CÁLIDO
TROPICAL
SECO
HÚMEDO
It is important to observe that in all these expressions related to the weather
U
the verbs cannot be exchanged. For example, it would be incorrect to say ×HAY
frío, ×HACE nubes o ×EL CLIMA ES calor.
Before we go ahead, check the solutions at the end of this unit and make sure you
have got it all correct. If not, revise the vocabularies and the expressions as we are
going to start practicing all this.
Actividad 10
O
Let’s learn about the weather in Spain. Read the following text and fill the gaps with
the appropriate verb (ES, HACE, HAY).
España tiene muchos climas diferentes según la región y la estación del año. En el
interior, el clima _____(a) muy seco. ______(b) mucho frío en invierno y mucho
N
calor en verano.
En el norte, en invierno, _______(c) frío, _______(d) muchas tormentas y

______(e) (nevar) mucho. En las montañas ______(f) mucha nieve y es perfecto
para esquiar. El clima ______(g) cálido en verano pero ______(h) bastante húmedo.
En otoño ______(i) (llover) bastante.
IG
En la costa, normalmente, ______(j) bastante viento y en verano _______(k) calor.
En el sur, el clima no ______(l) frío, _____(m) (llover) poco y, normalmente,

______(n) buen tiempo.
La primavera ______(o) muy agradable en todo el país. No _______(p) (llover)

mucho y _____(q) muchas flores.
Let´s analyze the following sentences from the text. We are going to learnn
when to use mucho/s, mucha/s, poco, bastante and muy.
 España tiene muchos climas diferentes.
 Hay muchas tormentas.
 Hace mucho frío en invierno.
 En las montañas hay mucha nieve.
145
Acciones cotidianas  El clima es muy seco.
 La primavera es muy agradable.
 El clima es bastante húmedo.
 En la costa, normalmente, hace bastante viento.
 Nieva mucho.
 Llueve poco.
As you can observe, we use muchos/muchas (many) with countable nouns

and mucho/mucha (much) with uncountable nouns.
We use muy (very) with adjectives and bastante (quite/quite a lot) with both
uncountable nouns and adjectives.
U
Note that when we are using it with a verb, for example llover : llueve mucho/
poco/bastante (It rains a lot/ a little/quite a lot) these words go after the verb
and they are invariable. It would be incorrect to say ×llueve muchos, ×nieva
poca, etc... We should always use: mucho/poco/bastante.
Actividad 11
O
Complete the following sentences with muy, mucho/s, mucha/s, bastante, poco.
a) En el norte de India, hace _______________ frío de octubre a mayo.
b) En Goa llueve__________ durante el monzón y el clima es __________
húmedo y hay _______ tormentas.
c) El mejor mes para visitar Kerala es diciembre porque no hace _________
N
calor y llueve ______.
d) En Leh nieva ________ en invierno y el verano es _______ seco.
e) Mi mes favorito en India es enero porque hace ________frío, hay ______
nieve y puedo esquiar en las montañas.
Actividad 12
IG
How would you describe the weather in your state in the following months? Follow
the example to complete the task.
febrero: En España, en febrero es invierno y hace mucho frío. Llueve casi todos los días. A veces
hace sol pero, normalmente, está muy nublado. En las montañas hay bastante nieve. El clima no
es húmedo.
diciembre : _____________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
mayo:_____________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
146
El clima
julio:___________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
octubre:_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Actividad 13
What is your favorite season of the year? Describe the weather in that season.
Do you know: There is a Spanish proverb which says En abril, aguas mil (In
April, tons of rain.... meaning that it rains a lot during this month)
U
In this unidad, we have learnt to talk about weather and we have also learnt about
climate in Spain. At the end of this unit, let’s revise some words and expressions
that you will need to use it your daily conversations with your friends or at work
place:
English Phrase
It’s hot
It’s cold
It’s windy
O Spanish Equivalent
Hace calor
Hace frío
Hace viento
N
It’s sunny Hace sol
The weather is good Hace buen tiempo
The weather is bad Hace mal tiempo
There is a storm Hay tormenta
It’s foggy Hay niebla
IG
It’s cloudy Hay nubes /Está nublado

It’s clear Está despejado
It rains/it’s raining Llueve
It snows/it’s snowing Nieva
The climate is dry, humid, El clima es seco, húmedo, cálido, frío, tropical
hot, cold, tropical
It’s very hot/cold Hace mucho calor/frío
There is lot of storm Hay muchas tormentas
It rains quite a lot Llueve bastante
It rains a little/a lot Llueve poco/mucho
147
Acciones cotidianas
Los meses del año octubre : October
enero : January noviembre : November
febrero : February diciembre : December
marzo : March Las estaciones del año
abril : April la primavera: spring
mayo : May el verano : summer
junio : June el otoño : autumm
julio : July el invierno : winter
agosto : August el monzón : monzoon
U
septiemre : September

Actividad 1
PRIMAVERA VERANO OTOÑO INVIERNO
O marzo
Actividad 2
abril
mayo
junio
julio
agosto
septiembre
octubre
noviembre
diciembre
enero
febrero
N
a) Enero g) Julio
b) Febrero h) Agosto
c) Marzo i) Septiembre
d) Abril j) Octubre
e) Mayo k) Noviembre
IG
f) Junio l) Diciembre
Actividad 3
a) Mayo b) Abril
c) Agosto d) Noviembre
e) Julio f) Enero
g) Septiembre h) Marzo
Actividad 4
Free answer to be checked by your tutor.
148
Actividad 5 El clima
Actividad 6
a) tormenta b) viento
c) calor d) lluvia
e) nieve f) nubes
g) frío h) sol
Actividad 7
a) está despejado/hace buen tiempo
b) hace calor/hace sol
U
c) hace frío
d) llueve/ hace mal tiempo
e) hay tormenta
f) hay nubes
j)
O
g) hace viento/hace mal tiempo
h) está despejado/hace buen tiempo
i) llueve/ hace mal tiempo
está nublado
k) nieva/hace frío
N
l) hay niebla
m) hay tormenta/hace viento/hace mal tiempo
n) llueve/ hace calor
o) está nublado
Actividad 8
IG
HACE HAY ESTÁ

calor nubes nublado llueve (llover)
frío tormenta despejado nieva (nevar)
viento niebla
sol
buen tiempo
mal tiempo
Actividad 9
a) cálido/tropical/húmedo
b) seco/ cálido
c) seco/cálido/frío
149
Acciones cotidianas d) húmedo/frío
Actividad 10
a) es b) hace
c) hace d) hay
e) nieva f) hay
g) es h) es
i) llueve j) hace
k) hace l) es
m) llueve n) hace
U
o) es p) llueve
q) hay
Actividad 11
a.
c.
O
En el norte de india, hace _mucho_frío de octubre a mayo.
b. En goa llueve _mucho_ durante el monzón, el clima es _muy_ húmedo y hay
muchas tormentas.
El mejor mes para visitar Kerala es diciembre porque no hace _mucho_ calor
y llueve _poco_.
d. En Leh nieva _mucho_ en invierno y el verano es _muy_ seco.
N
e. Mi mes favorito en india es enero porque hace _bastante/mucho_ frío, hay
mucha nieve y puedo esquiar en las montañas.
Actividad 12
IG
Actividad 11
150
El clima
UNIT 11 LA VIDA RUTINARIA
11.1 Introducción
11.2 Objetivos
11.3 Acciones cotidianas
11.3.1 Acciones que hacemos según el momento del día
11.3.2 Hablar de acciones cotidianas
14.4 Resumen
11.5 Glosario
11.6 Soluciones
U
Dear learner, in this unidad, you will learn how to talk about your routine in Spanish
and how often you do the daily activities. Also, once finished the unidad, you will be
able to exchange information about other peoples routine.
•
•
•
explain our routine;
O
In this unidad, we are going to learn to:
ask people for their daily life;

explain how often we do our daily activities.
N
• use of reflexive verbs regarding the routine;
• use of some periphrasis such as empezar a and terminar de; and
• use of antes de and después de.
Are you ready to start? The following activities will help you to learn all our objectives.
IG
11.3 ACCIONES HABITUALES (OUR ROUTINE)

How is your daily routine? What do you usually do in the morning? And in the
afternoon or at night? What time do you start working or go to school? What time
do you have dinner or lunch? What do you do after work or school? We all have our
routine, those activities we do repeatedly.
Before starting to talk about all this, let us introduce you some useful verbs regarding
the activities we do daily.
11.3.1 Acciones que hacemos según el momento del día (Actions

done regularly during our day)
Actividad 1
Look at the images below and try to classify them according to the moment of the
day in which you usually (normalmente tú las haces) do them: in the morning, in the
151
Acciones cotidianas afternoon, at night. Remember that in Spanish there are basically three parts of the
day and “the evening” is not used. Follow the example.
POR LA MAÑANA POR LA TARDE POR LA NOCHE
a) b) c)
U
d) e) f)
O
N
g) h) i)
IG
j) k) l)
a)
152
m) n) o)
Actividad 2___________________________________________________ La vida rutinaria
Read the following text and try to put the images in the right order. Use the dictionary
if you need it and follow the example.
Example: a), j), …
La rutina de Alberto
Alberto se despierta a la seis de la mañana pero, como es un poco perezoso, se

levanta a las seis y media. Se lava la cara y hace deporte con sus amigos. Siempre
corren por la playa durante una hora. Alberto vuelve a casa, se ducha y se seca
el pelo. Desayuna a las ocho en punto. Normalmente toma fruta, café y dos
tostadas con mermelada. Después de desayunar, se prepara para ir a clase. Se
viste- casi siempre lleva vaqueros y camisa-, se peina y se cepilla los dientes. A
las nueve, sale de casa y va a la escuela. Alberto empieza a estudiar a las nueve
U
y media de la mañana y tiene clase hasta la una de la tarde. De una a dos de la
tarde come en la cantina del colegio y después de comer tiene tres horas más de
clase, hasta las cinco. Cuando terminan las clases, Alberto vuelve a casa
caminando y charlando con sus amigos. Llega a casa aproximadamente a las
seis de la tarde y, antes de cenar, hace los deberes y estudia un rato. Después de
cenar, ve su programa favorito en la tele y se acuesta a las diez de la noche.
O
N
a) b) c)
IG
d) e) f)
g) h) i)
153
Acciones cotidianas
j) k) l)
U
m) n) o)
O
N
p) q)
11.3.2 Hablar de acciones cotidianas (Talking about our routine)

Reaching this point, let’s focus on the grammar. For that, we suggest you go through
IG
the next activities. They will help you to learn how to talk about your routine in
Spanish.
Actividad 3
Go back to the previous text and the images and write down Alberto’s actions
during the day in the right order. Follow the example.
Example: a) se despierta, j) se levanta, ….
Actividad 4
Could you now write the infinitives of these verbs like the ones given in the example?
You may recognize some of them for sure! Do not worry if you are not able to
identify some of them, you will be able to do it later!
Example:
a) se despierta… DESPERTARSE
j) se levanta… LEVANTARSE
154
Shall we go one step further? As you may have observed, among the verbs,, La vida rutinaria
some of the infinitive end in –SE and it indicates that the action is made by the
person who receives it. These verbs are called reflexive verbs. Let’s compare the
following sentences:
1. Alberto SE LEVANTA a las seis de la mañana. (Alberto gets up at 6 oćlock in

the morning)
2. Alberto LEVANTA la silla a seis de la mañana. (Alberto picks up the chair at 6

oćlock in the morning)
1. Alberto SE DESPIERTA a las seis de la mañana. (Alberto wakes up at 6 oćlock

in the morning)
2. Alberto DESPIERTA a su hermano a las seis de la mañana. (Alberto wakes his
U
brother up at 6 oćlock in the morning)
Read carefully the four sentences and answer these two questions…. think for a
minute:
a) Who makes the action?
b) Who/ What receives the action?
•
receives it.
O
Did you reach to any conclusion?
In the sentences number 1, the action is made by Alberto and he himself
In the sentences number 2, Alberto makes the action and someone or something
else receives it.
N
Therefore, in the sentence 1 we use a reflexive verb (in this case DESPERTARSE)
and not DESPERTAR.
Please note that not all the verbs can work as reflexive and non-reflexive. For
example, think about DESAYUNAR. It cannot work as a reflexive verb because
you cannot eat yourself for breakfast…. or can you?
IG
Actividad 5
Now it is your turn. Following the above explanation, try to make sentences using
the following verbs
A. 1. DUCHARSE
2. DUCHAR
B. 1. LAVARSE LA CARA
2. LAVAR LA CARA
C. 1. PEINARSE
2. PEINAR
Actividad 6
Remember the conjugation of the verb LLAMARSE? Revise it if you don’t

remember and try to complete the grid: 155
Acciones cotidianas levantarse ducharse lavarse
Yo me ducho
Tú
Él/ella/usted se levanta
Nosotros/as nos lavamos
Vosotros/as
Ellos/ellas/ustedes
As you can observe, the verbs follow the –ar conjugation and add the pronouns
(me, te, se, nos, os, se) which are compulsory. See the sentences below which are
incorrect in Spanish:
U
× Me lavo MIS manos…… √ Me lavo LAS manos
× Yo ducho todos los días…. √ Yo ME ducho todos los días
Till now we have mentioned only regular verbs ending in –ar but how does it work
with –er/-ir regular verbs? What happens with the irregular verbs? Let’s talk about
all this.
O
First of all, we have to identify the verb (-ar, -er, -ir) and apply the rules for the
present tense in each case.
Actividad 7
Go back to the previous text in the actividad 2: ‘La rutina de Alberto’ and try to
N
complete the grid following the examples. Pay attention to the radical changing
irregular verbs!!
DESPERTARSE VESTIRSE ACOSTARSE VOLVER
Yo vuelvo
Tú Te vistes
IG
Él/ella/usted Se despierta
Nosotros/as Nos vestimos Nos acostamos
Vosotros/as Os despertáis volvéis
Ellos/ellas/ Se acuestan
ustedes
As you can see, we are introducing here three kinds of irregular verbs according to
the change:
 E>IE - (despertarse: me despierto, te despiertas, …)
 E>I - (vestirse: me visto, te vistes, …)
 O>UE - (acostarse: me acuesto, te acuestas, …)
Note that this irregularity happens ONLY for yo, tú, él/ella/usted and ellos/ellas/
ustedes while nosotros/as and vosotros/as do not change at all.
156
Actividad 8 La vida rutinaria
Look at these irregular verbs. Try to write the conjugation.
a. PODER: yo…………, tú………,
b. PREFERIR: yo…………, tú………,
c. EMPEZAR: yo…………, tú………,

d. DORMIR: yo …………, tú …………,
Actividad 9
Now it’s your turn to practice. Complete the following sentences with the correct
from of the verb given in the bracket.
U
a) Mi madre (levantarse) _________________ muy temprano y prepara el
desayuno.
b) Mi hermano y yo (acostarse) _________________ siempre muy tarde porque
(estudiar) ___________ por la noche.
c) Yo (dormir) ____________ ocho horas al día.
O
d) Mi padre (empezar) _____________ a trabajar a las nueve y media de la mañana.
e) Mis amigos (despertarse) ___________ muy tarde los domingos.
f) Yo nunca (ducharse) _____________ por la noche. (Preferir) _______
ducharme por la mañana.
g) Vosotros (desayunar) _____________ café, fruta y tostadas.
h) Las clases (empezar) ___________ a las nueve de la mañana y (terminar)
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_________ a las cuatro de la tarde.
i) Yo siempre (lavarse) ___________ la cara con agua y jabón.
j) Tú no (peinarse) _____________.
Actividad 10
IG
Sofía is telling us about her daily routine. Read the text given below and select the
correct option.
Por la mañana (me levanto/levanto) a las siete y media. Primero, (lavo/ me
lavo) la cara y después (me desayuno/desayuno). Después de desayunar, (me
ducho/ ducho). Luego (me visto/ visto), (peino/me peino), por último, (lavo/
me cepillo) los dientes.
A las nueve en punto (salgo/me salgo) de casa porque a las nueve y media (me
empiezo/empiezo) a trabajar. A la una y media (me como/como) y a las siete
de la tarde (termino/ me termino) de trabajar. Antes de volver a casa,
normalmente, doy in paseo por el parque o voy a nadar.
Mi familia y yo (nos cenamos/cenamos) a las nueve de la noche, (nos vemos/
vemos) la tele y yo (me acuesto/acuesto) a las once y media de la noche.
Note, while telling her daily-routine, Sofía uses certain words to link and organizee
the story together. These words are: primero (first), después/ luego (after). We can also
157
Acciones cotidianas observe that when there is an infinitive form of the verb, we use después de or antes
de (for example, después de desayunar/antes de volver)
Actividad 11
This is Alberto’s daily-routine. Write what he does and at what time. Choose all the
possible verbs from the box. Try to write a paragraph similar to Sofia’s daily-routine.
ducharse acostarse desayunar vestirse

terminar las clases salir de casa comer
ver la tele cenar hacer deporte levantarse
empezar las clases despertarse
U
O
Actividad 12
N
¿Y tú? ¿A qué hora te levantas normalmente? ¿Qué es lo primero que haces? ¿Qué
haces normalmente por la mañana, por ña tarde y por la noche? ¿A qué hora haces
estas actividades? ¿Qué haces después de desayunar? ¿Y antes de acostarte? ¿Cuándo
vas al trabajo o a estudiar? ¿A qué hora terminas de trabajar o las clases? Piensa en
todo esto y escribe un párrafo contando tu rutina).
IG
Let’s pay attention to some of the expressions that are used to make reference
to how often we do certain activities:
Todos los días Cada día
veranos verano
domingos domingo
lunes is the same as lunes
…. semana
Todas las semanas tarde
tardes noche
noches mañana
mañanas …
…
158
Note that Todos los…/Todas las… are followed by a masculine or feminine noun La vida rutinaria
respectively and always in plural while Cada is followed by both masculine and
feminine nouns but always in singular.
Actividad 13
Read the following letter written by Tomás where he talks about his daily routine
and try to imagine how he is.
¡Hola a todos!
Me llamo Tomás y tengo 20 años. Soy de Argentina, pero ahora vivo en India
porque estudio hindi en la universidad de Delhi. Vivo con otros dos estudiantes
en un piso muy bonito. Esta es mi rutina diaria:
Todos los días me despierto a las 7.30 de la mañana pero no me levanto hasta las
8h porque siempre leo el periódico en la cama. Después, hago yoga y me ducho.
U
Me afeito una o dos veces a la semana. Después de ducharme, desayuno. Mi
desayuno favorito es café con leche, dos tostadas con mermelada y fruta. Después
de desayunar me lavo los dientes, me visto y preparo las cosas de la universidad.
Siempre salgo de casa a las 9h y cojo el autobús. Mis clases empiezan a las 9.30h
y terminan a las 14.30h. Después, voy a la cantina con mis amigos a comer. Yo
siempre tomo dhal y paratha. ¡Qué rica es la comida india!
dormirme!! O
Después de comer, voy a la biblioteca a estudiar y, casi siempre, antes de entrar,
tomo un chai o un café en un pequeño bar que hay en la puerta…¡¡para no
Siempre estudio en la biblioteca hasta las 19h y antes de volver a casa paso por el
súper para comprar alguna cosa. Casi todas las tardes, si no llueve, voy a dar un
paseo por un parque al lado de mi casa, voy al gimnasio o juego al fútbol con mis
N
compañeros de piso. Por la noche ceno verduras y yogur mientras veo la tele. Me
acuesto a las 23h pero, antes de dormir, siempre leo un rato….
Los sábados por la tarde siempre voy al cine a ver una película de Bollywood y
después a cenar con mis amigos. A menudo, los domingos por la mañana nado
en la piscina y por la tarde hablo con mi familia por Skype.
Bueno, esta es mi rutina. ¿Qué tipo de persona crees que soy?
IG
Try to describe Tomás: Tomás es una persona….
Actividad 14
Do you have anything in common with Tomás? Write your daily routine and find
out. How would you describe yourself ? What kind of person are you? Are you
organized, active, lazy…?

In this unidad, we have learnt about actions done regularly during our day and how
to talk about our routine in Spanish. At the end of this unidad, let’s revise some
useful words and expressions that you will need to use it in your daily conversations
with your friends or at work place:
ENGLISH PHRASE SPANISH EQUIVALENT
Reflexive verbs Verbos reflexivos
159
Acciones cotidianas to wake up despertarse
to get up levantarse
to wash (your face, hands, …) lavarse (la cara, las manos,…)
to have a shower ducharse
to comb peinarse
to shave afeitarse
to make up maquillarse
to get dressed vestirse
to go to bed acostarse
Expressing frequency Expresiones de frecuencia
always siempre
U
never nunca
often a menudo
very often casi siempre
sometimes a veces
O
rarely
3, 4, 5, …. times (a week, a
month, a year,…)
every (day, week, summer,…)
casi nunca
once (a week, a month, a year,…) una vez (por semana/mes/año…)
twice (a week, a month, a year,…) dos veces (por semana/mes/año…)
3,4,5,… veces (por semana/mes/año…)
todos los días/meses/años/…

N
todas las semanas/ primaveras/…
each (day, week, year, monday, …) cada (día/mes/primavera/semana…)

Parts of the day Expressions with parts of the day
IG
Mañana : morning Por la mañana : in the morning

Tarde : afternoon and Por la tarde : in the afternoon/
early evening evening
Noche : late evening and night Por la noche : in the evening/at night
Mediodía : midday Al mediodía : at midday
Remember that we use de when we say the time.
 Me levanto a las 8 de la mañana (I get up at 8 oćlock in the morning)

 Estudio por la mañana (I study in the morning)
Days of the week
Lunes: Monday
Martes: Tuesday
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Miércoles: Wednesday
Jueves: Thursday La vida rutinaria
Viernes: Friday
Sábado: Saturday
Domingo: Sunday

Actividad 1
Por la mañana Por la tarde Por la noche:
a, j, h, b, e, c, q, o, g, p, a, d i, m, n h, f, k
Actividad 2
U
a, j, h, b, e, c, t, o, g, p, ñ, d, i, m, n, l, f, k
Actividad 3
a) se despierta, j) se levanta, h) se lava, b) hace deporte, e) se ducha, c) se seca, q)

desayuna, o) se viste, g) se peina, p) se cepilla, ñ) sale, d) empieza a estudiar, i)
come, m) vuelve a casa, n) estudia, l) cena, f) ve la tele, k) se acuesta
Actividad 4
a) se despierta…DESPERTARSE
j) se levanta…LEVANTARSE
h) se lava…LAVARSE
O
N
b) hace deporte …HACER DEPORTE
e) se ducha…DUCHARSE
c) se seca…SECARSE
q) desayuna…DESAYUNAR
o) se viste…VESTIRSE
IG
g) se peina…PEINARSE
p) se cepilla …CEPILLARSE
n) sale …SALIR
d) empieza a estudiar ……EMPEZAR A estudiar
i) come …COMER
m) vuelve a casa …VOLVER A casa
n) estudia…ESTUDIAR
l) cena …CENAR
f) ve la tele …VER la tele
k) se acuesta…ACOSTARSE
161
Acciones cotidianas Actividad 5
Actividad 6
levantarse ducharse lavarse
Yo me levanto me ducho me lavo
Tú te levantas te duchas te lavas
Él/ella/usted se levanta se ducha se lava
Nosotros/as nos levantamos nos duchamos nos lavamos
Vosotros/as os levantáis os ducháis os laváis
Ellos/ellas/ustedes se levantan se duchan se lavan
U
Actividad 7
DESPERTARSE VESTIRSE ACOSTARSE VOLVER
Yo me despierto me visto me acuesto vuelvo
Túte despiertas te vistes te acuestas vuelves
O
Él/ella/usted
Nosotros/as
Vosotros/as
Ellos/ellas/
ustedes
se despierta
nos despertamos
os despertáis
se despiertan
se viste
os vestimos
se visten
se acuesta
nos vestimos nos acostamos volvemos
os acostáis
se acuestan
vuelve
volvéis
vuelven
N
Actividad 8
a) Poder- puedo, pudes, pude, podemos, podéis, pueden
b) Preferir- prefiero, prefieres, prefiere, preferimos, preferís, prefieren
c) Empezar- empiezo, empiezos, empieza, empezamos, empezáis, empiezen
IG
d) Dormir- duermo, duermes, duerme, dormimos, dormís, duermen
Actividad 9
a) Mi madre (levantarse) SE LEVANTA muy temprano y prepara el desayuno.
b) Mi hermano y yo (acostarse) NOS ACOSTAMOS siempre muy tarde porque
(estudiar) ESTUDIAMOS por la noche.
c) Yo (dormir) DUERMO ocho horas al día.
d) Mi padre (empezar) EMPIEZA a trabajar a las nueve y media de la mañana.
e) Mis amigos (despertarse) SE DESPIERTAN muy tarde los domingos.
f) Yo nunca (ducharse) ME DUCHO por la noche. (Preferir) PREFIERO
ducharme por la mañana.
g) Vosotros (desayunar) DESAYUNÁIS café, fruta y tostadas.
h) Las clases (empezar) EMPIEZAN a las nueve de la mañana y (terminar)
TERMINAN a las cuatro de la tarde.
162
i) Yo siempre (lavarse) _ME LAVO_ la cara con agua y jabón. La vida rutinaria
j) Tú no (peinarse) __TE PEINAS_.
Actividad 10
Por la mañana (me levanto/levanto) a las siete y media. Primero, (lavo/ me lavo) la
cara y después (me desayuno/desayuno). Después de desayunar, (me ducho/ ducho).
Luego (me visto/ visto), (peino/me peino), por último, (cepillo/ me cepillo) los
dientes.
A las nueve en punto (salgo/me salgo) de casa porque a las nueve y media (me
empiezo/empiezo) a trabajar. A la una y media (me como/como) y a las siete de la
tarde (termino/ me termino) de trabajar. Antes de volver a casa, normalmente, doy
in paseo por el parque o voy a nadar.
Mi familia y yo (nos cenamos/cenamos) a las nueve de la noche, (nos vemos/
vemos) la tele y yo (me acuesto/acuesto) a las once y media de la noche.
U
Actividad 11
Free answer to be checked by your tutor
Actividad 12
Actividad 13
O
Actividad 14
N
IG
163
Acciones cotidianas
UNIDAD 12 EL TIEMPO LIBRE
12.1 Introducción
12.2 Objetivos
12.3 ¿Qué te gusta hacer en tu tiempo libre?
12.3.1 ¿Te gusta el deporte?
12.4 Actividades de tiempo libre
12.4.1 ¿A qué se dedican los españoles su tiempo libre?
12.4.2 Notas culturales sobre el tiempo libre
12.5 Resumen
12.6 Glosario
12.7 Soluciones
U
Dear learner, as you know that leisure time is an important element in the integral
formation of oneself. The experiences and activities are essential for us; it is like a
basic right, a source of health and a means of developing identities, to have
satisfactory experiences, as well as to facilitate participation.
O
In this unidad, we will learn about activities that we like do in our free time (tiempo
libre) and how Spanish-speaking people like to spend their leisure time (tiempo libre)
and also we will discuss about their social relationship (relación social). Spaniards or
Latin-Americans take pride on their social life (vida social) and love for the arts (arte),
including theatre (teatro) and film (cine). Besides taking part in the cultural activities
(actividades culturales), they like to enjoy their tiempo libre by relaxing on the weekend,
N
meeting with friends, going to the countryside (campo), by the sea (mar) or on the
mountains (montañas) to do trekking (senderismo).

In this unidad, we will introduce some useful phrases to talk about leisure time (ocio)
IG
and hobbies (pasatiempos). By the end of this unit, you should be able to:
• discuss the things you like doing in your free-time; and
• talk about your hobbies, and. and
• verbs and sentence structures that will allow you to talk about leisure time and
hobbies: Gustar (to like/to be pleasing), Encantar (to love - as of an object or to
be delighted), and Jugar (to play)
• lexicon related to leisure, hobbies, sport, family activities
12.3 ¿QUÉ TE GUSTAR HACER EN TU TIEMPO

LIBRE? (WHAT DO YOU LIKE DOING IN
YOUR LEISURE TIME?)
Let us prepare you with few new words related to social situations that will help
you talk about what you like doing in your leisure time.
164
El tiempo libre
Words to remember
el teatro theatre
el cine cinema
la discoteca discotheque
el deporte sport
el turismo sightseeing
la política politics
la musica music
el arte art
U
 • Me gusta el teatro. (I like theatre)
¿Qué te gusta
 • No me gusta el deporte. (I like sports)
hacer?
 • Me gusta mucho ir al cine. (I like going to cinema)
 • Me gusta ver la televisión. (I like watching television)
As you can see in the above examples, we have used the verb gustar to talk about
conjugation:
O
our likes and dislikes. Now you want to use this very important verb. Here is the
GUSTAR (to like)

Me gusta
Te gusta
Le gusta
Nos gusta
Os gusta
Les gusta
N
So, if you want to ask if your friend likes certain activities, this is how you can use
this verb gustar:
- ¿Te gusta escuchar música? (You like listening to music?)
- Sí, me gusta. (Yes, I like it)
IG
Let’s see another example:

• - ¿Te gusta ver la tele? (Do you like watchig TV?)
- No, no me gusta. (No, I don’t like it)
• - ¿Quieres jugar al tenis hoy? (Do you want to play tennis today)
- No, no me gusta el deporte, me gusta ir de compras. (No, I don’t like to do
any sport, I like shopping)
OBSERVAR…
Remember that the verb gustar does not follow the regular verbs conjugation rules.
For example, in English it is correct to construct a sentence where you would say I
like the book but in Spanish you would NOT say yo gusto el libro (incorrect). The
Spanish construction would be: Me gusta el libro.
165
Acciones cotidianas Quite often, the uses of the verbs like gustar give rise to difficulty. Notice that gustar
is conjugated as “gusta” or “gustan” and an indirect object pronoun comes at the
beginning of the sentence and the subject comes at the end. So, the correct formula
to use gustar is as follows:
•• Indirect Object Pronoun (of person being pleased) + gustar + subject (thing
that is pleasing or we like)
indirect object pronoun verb subject
Me gusta el libro
Remember that the verb gustar is conjugated as “gusta” or “gustan” as it agrees

with the subject of the sentence:
• Me gusta el libro. (I like the book.)
U
• Me gustan los libros. (I like the books.)
So, the conjugation of gustar will always be “gusta” or “gustan” depending on the
subject of the sentence and regardless of what indirect object pronoun is there in
the sentence. Have a look at some more examples:
• Me gusta el parque. (I like the park)
•
•
•
•
•
OMe gusta la playa. (I like the beach)
Me gustan los deportes. (I like sports)
Me gustan los museos. (I like museums)
Le gusta bailar. (He likes to dance)
Nos gusta jugar al tenis. (We like playing tennis)
N
Remember that if you want to say that you like doing something, then you
use Gusta + Infinitive (verb):
• A mí me gusta bailar. (I like to dance)
• A nosotros nos gusta jugar al tenis. (We like playing tennis)
• A ellos les gusta ir al cine. (They like to go to the cinema)
IG
Notice that in Spanish we use a mí, a ti, a él, etc. before the indirect object pronoun
to emphasize the person who is liking the things:
• A ellos les gustan las fiestas españolas. (They like the Spanish parties)
• A mí me gusta el fútbol. (I like football/soccer)
• A nosotros nos gusta la película. (We like the movie)
• A ellos les gusta la canción. (They like the song)
Note that sometimes we use the prepositional phrase a él (or a ella, a usted) or
the person’s name to clarify who we are referring to. For example, if we say Le
gusta comer, we don’t know if the person who likes to eat is a man, a woman or
even you. Compare the difference:
• A él le gusta comer. (He likes to eat)
• A ella le gusta comer. (She likes to eat)
166
• A usted le gusta comer. (You like to eat) El tiempo libre
• A Elena le gustan los coches rápidos. (Elena likes fast cars)
Actividad 1___________________________________________________
Complete the following sentences with the verb gustar and remember to include
the pronouns:
a) A María __ _______ el cine.
b) A mí ____ ________nadar en la playa.
c) A Juan ___ _______los conciertos de música clásica.
d) A mis abuelos __ ______ el café con leche.
e) A ella ____ ______ visitar los museos.
f) ¿A ti ___ ______ los libros de aventuras?
U
g) A mi hermana ____ ______ comer helados de chocolate.
h) ¿___ ____ a Javier las películas de amor?
Let’s summarize the construction used with the verbs like gustar, encantar to talk
about our likes and preferences:
(A mí) me
(A ti)
(A él, ella, usted)
(A nosotros/-as)
(A vosotros/-as)
(A ellos, ellas, ustedes) les
O te
le
nos
os
GUSTA
GUSTA/-N
ENCANTA/-N
+ infinitive (jugar)
+ subject in singular/
plural(el deporte), (el cine y
el teatro), (los coches)
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Actividad 2___________________________________________________
Answer the questions using the correct form of the verb gustar/encantar, as in
the example:
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Example: ¿A ti te gustan los chocolates?
Sí, me gustan or No, no me gustan.
a) ¿A ti te gustar el español? ........................................................................................
b) ¿A tus amigos, les encanta ir al concierto? ............................................................
c) ¿A vosotros, os gusta el teatro? ...............................................................................
d) ¿A tu amiga le gustar bailar salsa? ...........................................................................
e) ¿A ti te gustan las películas de horror? ...................................................................
12.3.1 ¿Te gusta el deporte? (Do you like sport?)

Let’s familiarize ourselves with some new words to talk about sport.
167
Acciones cotidianas
Words to remember
el fútbol football/soccer
el tenis tennis
la natación swimming
la pesca fishing
el esquí skiing
el ciclismo cycling
el atletismo athletics
el patinaje skating
la equitación horse-riding
Now you might want to talk about the sport you like the most using the verb
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gustar we learnt in the previous section 12.3:
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Me gusta mucho la
natación
Me gusta el
ciclismo
A ella le gusta
mucho la
A él le gusta jugar
Notice that in the above sentence construction “a él le gusta jugar al tenis” we

have introduced a new verb Jugar (to play) which is a very important verb that you
would need to talk about sport. Let’s learn the conjugation of this verb:
al tenis
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JUGAR
yo juego
tú juegas
él/ella/usted juega
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nosotros/as jugamos
vosotros/as jugáis
ellos/as/ustedes juegan
As you can see, it’s another one of those radical changing verbs [u  ue]. The verb
jugar is followed by “a” when talking about playing a sport, for example:
• Yo juego al tenis. (I play tennis)
• Él juega al fútbol. (He plays football)
• ¿Tú juegas al tenis? (Do you play tennis)
You can also use another verb “Practicar” (to practice/to do sport) to talk about
sports we do. Practicar is used with any sport and is always followed with the definite
article “el” or “la”. See the conjugation of this regular –ar ending verb:
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El tiempo libre
PRACTICAR
yo practico
tú practicas
él/ella/usted practica
nosotros/as practicamos
vosotros/as practicáis
ellos/as/ustedes practican
Let’s see some sentence constructions using this verb:

• - ¿Juegas al baloncesto? (Do you play basketball?)
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- No, yo practico el atletismo y el fútbol. (I do athletics and football)
Actividad 3___________________________________________________
Look at the following pictures and relate them to the words given in the box below:
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N
IG
Actividades del tiempo libre (leisure activities)

a) jugar al baloncesto b) jugar al rugby c) jugar al ajedrez
d) jugar con mis hijos e) practicar el atletismo f) practicar el patinaje
Actividad 4___________________________________________________
[Track 42] Listen to the audio and match appropriately..
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Acciones cotidianas 1. Antonio a. el fútbol
2. Paul b. el ciclismo
3. Carmen c. el atletismo
4. Anabel d. la natación
5. Yilak e. el tenis
12.4 ACTIVIDADES DE TIEMPO LIBRE

(LEISURE ACTIVITIES)
We all like to enjoy and to make the most of our free time (tiempo libre). The way we
do it depends on every person, their likes, their life style, the place where they live
and the possibilities available.
Leisure activities can be done whether at home (en casa) or out. The latter ones are
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usually activities related to attending shows (espectáculos), doing sports (hacer deportes)
and outdoor activities (actividades al aire libre) in natural environments (entornos
naturales).
Let’s see the following sentence construction to talk about what you like to do in
your free time:
O ¿Qué te gusta
hacer en tu tiempo
libre?




A mí me gusta escuchar música.
A mí me gusta jugar al fútbol y hacer deporte.
A mí me gustan los videojuegos.
A mí me gusta chatear con mis amigos.
Here are some of the leisure activities that we normally like to do with our friends
and colleagues:
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TO SPEND TIME WITH FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES
(Pasar tiempo con amigos y compañeros)
CÓMO ESTÁS? ¿QUÉ HACES CON TUS

AMIGOS Y AMIGOS?
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COMPAÑEROS (How do you feel?)

contento, triste, cansado, (What do you do with your
amigo/a, compañero/a friends?)
de trabajo, compañero/a preocupado, nervioso,
de piso, compañero/a de relajado, enfadado... tomar algo (to have a drink), dar
clase, vecino, socio... un paseo (to go for a walk) hacer
deporte (to do sport) visitar a
alguien (to visit someone),
invitar a alguien (to invite
someone), hablar (to talk), ir al
cine (to go to the cinema),
celebrar una fiesta (to celebrate a
party), celebrar un cumpleaños
(celebrate a birthday)...
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What all activities from the above list you like to do in your free time? And El tiempo libre
with what frequency? For this, we need to learn some expressions of frequency:
Frecuencia
+ Todos los días
Normalmente
Siempre
A veces
Dos veces por semana
Una vez por semana
Casi nunca
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- Nunca
Let’s see some examples:

 Dos veces a la semana voy a clase de español. (Twice a week I go for Spanish
class)
 Ella va a correr todos los días. (She goes out running everyday)

O
No voy casi nunca a bailar. (I hardly ever go dancing)
Actividad 5___________________________________________________
You live in Valencia and your friend Ana has just sent you an e-mail about her visit
to your place next weekend. Read it and underline the leisure time activities she
mentions in her email, as well as the expressions denoting her mood.
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Fin de semana en Valencia
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Hola, ¿cómo estás?
Este fin de semana voy a Valencia a visitarte. Ya tengo el billete de tren. Llego a
la estación del Norte a las 6 de la tarde y estoy muy contenta de verte después de
tanto tiempo. Tengo ganas de pasar tiempo contigo y de hablar sobre nuestras
vidas. ¿Sabes? Tengo novio y estoy muy ilusionada. Se llama Sergio y es guapo y
simpático, aunque ahora está enfadado conmigo porque dice que soy algo
impaciente. Él es más tranquilo que yo. ¿Tú tienes novio? ¿Cómo son los chicos
de Valencia? Tengo ganas de conocer a tus amigos y de salir a tomar algo con
ellos. Seguro que son muy divertidos. También podemos visitar algún museo de
la ciudad e ir a los mercados y a la playa. ¿Qué planes tienes tú?
Hasta pronto.
Un beso,
Ana
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Acciones cotidianas We share our free time with our family or with our friends. Sometimes with both,
but this is not so common. Usually we do certain activities with our family/relatives
while we prefer do a different kind of activities with our friends. Also what we do
depends on the day, the time or the age of the people with who we are spending
our free time.
Actividad 6___________________________________________________
Look at the following activities and decide which ones you like to do with your
family and which ones with your friends. Note that there is no unique solution for
this exercise. Think of other activities that you might want to add. Also write how
often you do your favourite activities. Follow the example. Your tutor will check
them during the tutorial session.
Lista de actividades: ir al cine, ir a un concierto de música, ir al teatro, salir a tomar algo,
ir a un restaurante, hacer deporte, pasear, ir a un museo, visitar a la familia, viajar, ir a bailar,
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ir de excursión, ver la televisión, jugar al tenis, jugar al fútbol.
Example: Yo voy una vez a la semana al cine con mis amigos y a veces voy de excursión los fines
de semana con mi familia.
Con la familia Con los amigos
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12.4.1 What do Spaniards do in their free time (¿A qué se dedican
los españoles en su tiempo libre?)
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[Track 43]Read and listen to the following text adapted from the Spanish
Newspaper La Vanguardía which talks about different activities Spanish people like
doing in their free time.
¿A qué dedican los españoles en su tiempo libre?

Dar un paseo o ver la televisión son las actividades más habituales.
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Ir a dar un paseo (71,3%) y ver la televisión (70%) son las dos actividades a

las que un mayor número de españoles dedica su tiempo libre, según se
desprende de la última encuesta realizada por el Centro de Investigaciones
Sociológicas (CIS), publicada este martes.Otras actividades bastante habituales
durante el tiempo libre son la lectura de libros, revistas o
cómics (47,5%), escuchar música (46,6%) y navegar por internet (42,6%).El
37% de los españoles afirma que ir al cine o al teatro es una de las actividades
en las que emplea su tiempo libre, porcentaje muy similar a los que se dedican
a oír la radio (36,6%) o salir al campo o ir de excursión (36%).
Texto adaptado. Fuente: https://www.lavanguardia.com
Actividad 7_____________________________________________________
Now read the text once again and reply the following questions:
172
a) ¿Cuáles son las principales actividades de tiempo libre de los españoles? El tiempo libre
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
b) ¿Cuáles son las opciones que menos tiempo dedican?
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
c) ¿Qué diferencias hay entre España y tu país?
......................................................................................................................................
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......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
12.4.2 Notas culturales sobre el tiempo libre (Cultural notes on

free time)
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When it comes to spending free time, Spanish people usually like to spend it, first,
with their family and, second with their friends. Often they enjoy meeting with
their relatives and friends, whether at home or outdoors. The expression Mi casa es
tu/su casa (Make yourself at home) shows the usual hospitality and welcoming attitude
towards guests at Spanish homes. Keeping close and regular contact with relatives
and friends is important for Spaniards since their social life goes around them.
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Like everywhere else, modern life in Spain has brought along a wide variety of
activities to do, mostly in cities: cultural activities, sports, social gatherings, etc. It is
on weekends when people have more free time not only to enjoy social relationships,
but also to have an entertaining and relaxing break from their routine life. Meeting
with friends, going out for dinner or for a drink, going to the cinema, to the theatre
or to a gig are usual activities that Spanish people do usually over the weekend.
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Many people living in big cities also enjoy leaving the big crowd whenever they
have a couple of free days and spending time in calmer places in the countryside
(campo), by the sea (mar) or on the mountains (montañas). Trekking (senderismo) and
picnics are regular and growing activities among groups of friends who like spending
some time in touch with nature and far from the city and routine weekday life.
Cycling (ciclismo) is also an activity widely practiced, mostly in groups. It is mostly
on weekend when friends and cyclist groups, from the most amateurs to the most
professional ones, plan their tours and equip themselves to take the roads.
As to youngsters in love with the night life they like going out and partying with
their friends, usually on Fridays and Saturdays. A full party night entails going out
for dinner, then for a drink at a pub and finishing at a disco. How late? It depends
on the energy and the mood. Sunrise is always there waiting for those who want to
see it before heading back home.
Sunday is taken as a relaxing day. People “recover” themselves from the weekend
and gather strength for the week to start. On Sunday, many alarm clocks get a day
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Acciones cotidianas off, so getting up happens later than the usual time. The day starts slowly and,
before lunch, people go to a bar for the aperitif (aperitivo) with the family or with
friends. Then, they have lunch with the family. It is usually a big and long meal,
with desert, coffee, sweets (dulces) while they remain sitting and chatting for a long
while (sobremesa). Afternoons are usually to rest, and later on they go for a walk or
a movie at the cinema.
Football matches are also weekend events. Football fans usually gather, at home or
at a bar to watch the match and to support their teams. It is considered as the
number one sport (deporte rey) in Spain. Many fans (aficionados) also visit the football
pitch (campo de fútbol) to watch a live game. It can become an authentic and loud
celebration (fiesta).
As to the elderly people, every locality and neighbourhood in Spain usually has a
day centre for the elderly (hogar del pensionista). These are places created and sponsored
by the municipalities where aged and retired people gather, mostly in the afternoon.
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It is a social place where they play cards (baraja), domino and other board games
(juegos de mesa). Some of them also organize different kind of activities specifically
for this age group, like dancing, gymnastic or dinners.
As you can observe, in Spain there are wide options and, most important, spaces
where people can enjoy their social relationships, while just gathering or also doing
some activities in groups. Spanish people usually like both, meeting at home and
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outdoors. The lack of extreme weather conditions in most parts of the country
enable and encourage life outdoors. As a matter of fact, these outdoor activities
(actividades al aire libre) also determine social behaviours and, mostly in smaller
localities, the street is considered as an extension of their homes, with neighbours
bringing chairs out, sitting and enjoying a cool summer evening after a hot day or
just a pleasant temperature while talking to their neighbours. An Indian eye would
feel familiar with it. Right?
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Before we go to the next unidad, let’s do a tarea final (final task).
Actividad 8___________________________________________________
Write a short text about the activities that you like to do in your free time and
where do you usually go and with whom.
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..............................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................

In this unidad, we have learnt to talk about leisure activities that we like and dislike
and to also talk about our hobbies. We also learnt new verbs such as gustar, encantar
and jugar that will help us to read and write short texts about leisure activities. We
have also got some information on how Spanish people spend their free time and
how they interact in their social life. We are pretty sure you have found some
similarities with India, since in both cultures, Spanish and Indian, social life and
free time revolves around family and friends, and both are equally important.
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El tiempo libre
aficionado/a : fan fútbol, el : football/soccer
aperitivo, el : aperitif hacer deporte : to do sports
arte, el : art juego de mesa, el : board game
atletismo, el : athletics lugar cerrado, el : indoor place
campo de fútbol, : football pitch música, la : music
el
natación, la : swimming
campo, el : country-side
pasear : to go for a walk
ciclismo, el : cycling
patinaje, el : skating
cine, el : cinema
pesca, la : fishing
dar un paseo : to go for a walk
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plan, el : plan
deporte, el : sport
playa, la : beach
discoteca, la : discotheque
política, la : politics
dulce, el : sweet
senderismo, el : trekking
entorno, el : environment
teatro, el : theatre
entretenido/a
equitación, la
espectáculo, el
esquí, el
estación, la
:
:
:
:
:
show
skiing
O
enterteining
horse-riding
station
tenis, el
tiempo libre, el
todo el día
todos los días
turismo, el
:
:
:
:
:
tennis
free time
the whole day
everyday
sightseeing
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fin de semana, el : weekend

Actividad 1
a) le gusta
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b) me gusta
c) le gustan
d) les gusta
e) le gusta
f) te gustan
g) le gusta
h) le gusta
Actividad 2
a) Sí, me gusta el español. / No, no me gusta el español.
b) Sí, a ellos les encanta ir al concierto. / No, no les encanta ir al concierto.
c) Sí, nos gusta el teatro. / No, no nos gusta el teatro.
d) Sí, a ella le gusta bailar salsa. / No, a ella no le gusta bailar salsa.
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Acciones cotidianas e) Sí, me gustan las películas de horror. / No, no me gustan las películas de
horror.
Actividad 3
a) 4
b) 3
c) 6
d) 1
e) 2
f) 5
Actividad 4
1) c
2) e
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3) d
4) b
5) a
Actividad 5
De: Ana Castellar
Para:
O
Asunto: Fin de semana en Valencia
Hola, ¿cómo estás?
Este fin de semana voy a Valencia a visitarte. Ya tengo el billete de tren. Llego a la
estación del Norte a las 6 de la tarde y estoy muy contenta de verte después de
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tanto tiempo. Tengo ganas de pasar tiempo contigo y de hablar sobre nuestras
vidas. ¿Sabes? Tengo novio y estoy muy ilusionada. Se llama Sergio y es guapo y
simpático, aunque ahora está enfadado conmigo porque dice que soy algo impaciente.
Él es más tranquilo que yo. ¿Tú tienes novio? ¿Cómo son los chicos de Valencia?
Tengo ganas de conocer a tus amigos y de salir a tomar algo con ellos. Seguro que
son muy divertidos. También podemos visitar algún museo de la ciudad e ir a los
IG
mercados y a la playa. ¿Qué te parece? ¿Qué planes tienes tú?

Hasta pronto.
Un beso,
Ana
Actividad 6
Actividad 7
a) Dar una vuelta o un paseo y ver la televisión son las actividades a las que
dedican la mayor parte de su tiempo libre los españoles.
b) Entre las opciones que menos tiempo dedican los españoles son ir al cine o al
teatro, oír la radio e ir de excursión.
Actividad 8
176 Free answer to be checked by your tutor.
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Block
4
O
Mirada sobre el mundo hispano-I
Unit 13
El español en el mundo
Unit 14
179
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Los ritmos 189
Unit 15
El arte 199
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Unit 16
Las fiestas 208
Mirada sobre el mundo
hispano-I
U
O
N
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178
UNIDAD 13 EL ESPAÑOL EN EL MUNDO
13.1 Introduction
13.2 Objectives
13.3 The importance of Spanish language
13.4 Did you know? Interesting facts about Spanish language
13.5 Spanish in Spain.
13.6 Spanish in America and other parts of the world
13.7 Spanish dialects and varieties
13.8 Let’s sum up
13.9 Key solutions
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13.1 INTRODUCTION
Dear learner, at this point you need to know that all your efforts in learning this
language have a reward: you are learning one of the most important languages in
the whole world. Spanish ranks as the world’s number 2 language in terms of how
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many people speak it as their first language. With more than 480 million native
speakers, Spanish is even ahead of English although far behind Chinese, that has
1.2 billion speakers. But, unlike Chinese, Spanish is also one the most geographically
widely spoken languages. In this unit, we will learn why is Spanish such an important
language, some interesting facts about this language, and how is it spoken in different
parts of the world.
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13.2 OBJECTIVES
In this unit, we are going to learn about:
 The importance of Spanish language in terms of number of speakers, as an

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official language in international institutions and in education.

 The origins of Spanish language.
 How Spanish arrived to America and which native words were introduced in
Spanish language.
 Names of countries where Spanish is spoken.
 Some phonetic and grammatical varieties in Spanish dialects
13.3 THE IMPORTANCE OF SPANISH LANGUAGE

The importance of a language has to be seen not only in terms of the number of
speakers and its geographical spread but also due to its importance as a cultural
vehicle and the economical and political importance of the countries where the
language is spoken. That is why, nowadays, Spanish is the third most studied language
in the world. In 2018, the number of people studying Spanish as a second language
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hispano-I
Source: El País
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was more than 21 million. In the following diagram you will see the languages
which are studied as a foreign language across the world and its percentage:
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N
Source: El español: una lengua viva –Informe Instituto Cervantes
Let’s see some of the most relevant data regarding the Spanish Language:
More than 480 million people speak Spanish as their mother tongue.
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The number of potential users of Spanish exceeds 577 million.

Spanish is the second mother tongue in the world in terms of number of
speakers, after Mandarin Chinese.
More than 21 million students study Spanish as a foreign language in 107
countries.
 Spanish competes with French and Mandarin Chinese for the second place
among the most studied languages as a second/foreign language.
In the United States, Spanish is the most studied language at all levels of
education. In the UK, Spanish is perceived as the most important language for
the future.
The contribution of all Spanish-speaking countries to the world GDP (Gross
Domestic Product) is 6.9%.
Spanish would be the fourth most powerful language in the world, slightly
180
behind French and Mandarin Chinese.
Spanish is the third most widely used language on the Internet after English El español en el mundo
and Chinese. 8.1% of Internet communication takes place in Spanish.
It is the second most used language in Wikipedia, Facebook and Twitter.
Spain is the third largest exporter of books in the world, after the United
Kingdom and the United States.
Two Spanish-speaking countries -Spain and Argentina- are among the top 15
book producers in the world, according to the International Publishers
Association. The number of works translated from another language into
Spanish is very significant.
Spain, Argentina and Mexico are among the top fifteen film-producing countries
in the world. Spain ranks eighth in production; Argentina and Mexico rank
eleventh and twelfth.
It is believed that, if the trends do not change in the next three or four generations,
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10% of the world population will speak Spanish. It is also the second language
used for international communication in different organizations such as UN,
UNESCO or FAO and the third most used language on the Internet.
Here you will find a statistical data regarding the total number of native speakers in
the Spanish-speaking countries:
COUNTRY
Meìxico
Colombia
España
Argentina
O POPULATION
124.737.788
49.608.366
46.572.132
44.494.502
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Perú 32.162.184
Venezuela 31.828.110
Chile 18.552.218
Guatemala 16.838.489
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Ecuador 15.924.465
Cuba 11.417.398
República Dominicana 10.266.149
Bolivia 11.307.314
Honduras 9.012.229
Paraguay 7.052.983
El Salvador 6.375.467
Nicaragua 6.283.437
Costa Rica 5.003.402
Puerto Rico 3.337.177
Panamá 4.158.783
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hispano-I
Uruguay 3.468.879
Guinea Ecuatorial 1.222.442
Total 459.623.914
Source: El español: una lengua viva –Informe 2018 Instituto Cervantes
Actividad 1
Now check if the following sentences are true (verdadero) or false (falso).
1. Spanish is the second largest native language in the world. V/ F
2. As many Spanish-speakers countries are not developed, there is no much use
of Spanish language on the Internet. V/ F
3. Spanish is a diplomatic language. V/ F
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4. Italian is among the top 4 languages chosen to study as a second/foreign
language. V/ F
5. Guatemala has much more population than Costa Rica. V/ F
Actividad 2
Find out in which of the following international organizations Spanish is one of
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the official languages:
 United Nations
 NATO
 WTO (World Tourism
Organization)




UNESCO
European Union
African Union
FIFA
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 Interpol  OMPI
13.4 DID YOU KNOW THAT? INTERESTING

FACTS ABOUT SPANISH LANGUAGE
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 There are two ways of naming the Spanish

Language: español and castellano (the Spanish
equivalent of ‘Castilian’). The terms used vary
from region to region and from country to
country, usually depending on the political
point of view of the speaker. As Miguel de
Cervantes Saavedra, author of Don Quijote, was
an important reference in the world, Spanish
is often called la lengua de Cervantes (‘the language
of Cervantes’).
 One of the pros of learning Spanish is that it is one of the world’s most phonetic
languages. If you know how a word is spelled, you will most certainly be able
to pronounce it. The exception is foreign words, recently incorporated to the
language, that maintain their original spelling.
 Arabic is the language, after Latin, which has highly influenced the Spanish
vocabulary. Nowadays, English has come to have a large influence on the
182
Spanish language, sharing hundreds of words relating to the field of technology
and culture.
 Some of the Spanish words that include all 5 vowels of Spanish phonetics are
murciélago, auténtico and ecuación. After reading and studying the Larousse
dictionary, Amparo Atehortua from Medellín (Colombia) discovered 355
examples of these particular words.
 The first Spanish grammar was written by Antonio de Nebrija and was published
in 1492, the same year Columbus discovered America. It was also the first
grammar created for a Romance language!
 La Real Academia Española, RAE (‘The Royal Spanish Academy’), which was
created in the 18th century, is the official royal regulatory institution that decides
what is correct or the standard norm in Spanish. It writes authoritative
dictionaries and grammar guides. Its decisions are followed in both Spain and
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Latin America. It is affiliated with national language academies in 22 other
hispanophone countries through the Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española,
ASALE (‘Association of Academies of the Spanish Language’).
 Spanish language has its own day for celebration. It is called El Día E: La fiesta
de todos los que hablamos español and it happens every year in the month of June
since 2009. During this special day, which is also celebrated across the world,

language.
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there are concerts, conferences, and many activities related with the Hispanic
culture. In this celebration people vote for their favorite Spanish word.
 A total of 11 Nobel Prizes in Literature have been awarded to authors in Spanish
The first written Spanish record that we have is Las Glosas Emilianenses (‘Glosses
of Saint Emilianus’) from the 10th century. Actually, these first known documents
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are notes written in the margins of a religious manuscript in Latin that helped
the reader to understand some Latin terms. The first literary long work fully
written in Spanish is El Cantar del Mio Cid, an anonymous epic poem from the
mid-12th century which is about the Castilian Hero El Cid and relating events
that takes place during the reconquista (‘reconquest’) of Spain from the Moors.
Actividad 3
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DISCOVER! Learn more on the Internet:

1. Could you find 5 Spanish words that have Arabic origin?
2. Could you name all the writers that won the Nobel Prize and from which
country do they come from?
13.5 SPANISH IN SPAIN. ORIGINS OF THE

LANGUAGE.
Spanish is part of the Indo-European family of languages, which are spoken by
more than a third of the world’s population. Other Indo-European languages include
English, French, German, the Scandinavian languages, the Slavic languages and
many of the languages of India.
Spanish evolved from colloquial Latin (Vulgar Latin), which was brought to the
Iberian Peninsula by the Romans. It is, therefore, a Romance language, a group that
includes French, Italian, Portuguese, Galician, Catalan and Romanian.
183
Mirada sobre el mundo We don’t know exactly when colloquial Latin became Spanish. What we do know is
hispano-I
that castellano, the language of the Castile region became a distinct language and the
most developed romance language in the Iberian Peninsula, partly because of the
efforts by King Alfonso X of Castile in the 14th century. This king, called el Sabio
(‘the Wise’), tried with success to standardize the language for official use. By the
time Columbus discovered America in 1492, Spanish was a unified language, already
prepared to be exported to the New World.
Actividad 4
DISCOVER! Learn more on the Internet:
1. How many Romance languages are spoken in Spain?
2. Is there any other official language in Spain?
13.6 SPANISH IN AMERICA AND OTHER PARTS
U
OF THE WORLD
Most Spanish speakers are in Latin America. It is the official language of 19 countries
in the American continent: Argentina, Bolivia (co-official with Quechua), Chile,
Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala,
Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay (co-official with Guaraní), Peru
O
(co-official with Quechua), Uruguay, Venezuela and Puerto Rico (co-official with
English).
Spanish is also spoken in the United States, where it is by far the most important
second language in the country, with over 50 million speakers. There are more
Spanish speakers in the United States than there are speakers of Chinese, French,
Italian, Hawaiian, and the Native American languages combined. It is widely spoken
N
in states such as California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas and in the big cities
such as New York, Los Angeles or Miami. It is believed that by 2050 the United
States will become the first Spanish speaker country in the world.
From the sixteenth century onwards, Spanish language was taken to America through
the Spanish colonization. But the conquerors, dealing with new products, new plants,
animals or instruments, needed also to introduce many native words to express the
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fascinating new reality that they were observing. In the following chart you will see
the indigenous languages that influenced Spanish and the areas where they were
spoken.
Areas Languages
Mexico and Central America  náhuatl-azteca
The Caribbean  arahuaca/ taino
(Dominican Republic, Cuba and Puerto  caribe.
Rico), part of Venezuela and Colombia.
Andean region of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru,  Quechua
Bolivia and north of Chile.
Paraguay and north of Argentina ·  tupí-guaraní
Here you can see a list of words introduced in Spanish language and their native
origin. Most of them are used in daily life.
184
Languages Words
náhuatl aguacate, chocolate, tiza, tomate, cacao, petate…
quechua llama, puma, caucho, guano, guagua, cóndor…
guaraní jaguar, ananá, tucán…
taíno yuca, patata, caníbal, canoa, maíz, tiburón…
In the twentieth century, Spanish was introduced to Equatorial Guinea and the
Western Sahara, and to areas of the United States that had not been part of the
Spanish Empire, such as New York City. It is also important to remember the
importance that Spanish still maintains in Filipinas (Philippines), former Spanish
colony, although nowadays English is becoming more and more important in the
country, substituting Spanish.
U
Actividad 5
Identify each flag with the country it represents and write the capital city.
A O B C
N
D E F
Actividad 6
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Here are some Spanish words of indigenous origin. Let’s try to guess what they
mean! Match a meaning for each word and find out from which indigenous language
the word comes from.
Chocolate a narrow, keelless boat with pointed ends, propelled by a paddle or
paddles.
Tomate a soft white limestone used by teachers to write on the blackboard.
Maíz a person who eats the flesh of other human beings
Tiburón a pear-shaped fruit with a rough leathery skin, smooth oily edible
flesh, and a large stone
Aguacate a starchy plant tuber that is one of the most important food crops,
cooked and eaten as a vegetable. If you fry them, they are delicious!
Canoa A cereal plant that yields large grains, or kernels, set in rows on a cob
Tiza a glossy red pulpy edible fruit that is typically eaten as a vegetable or
in salad
185
hispano-I Patata a long-bodied chiefly marine fish with a cartilaginous skeleton, a
prominent dorsal fin, and tooth like scales. It is very dangerous!
Caníbal a food preparation in the form of a paste or solid block made from
roasted and ground cacao seeds, typically sweetened!
13.7 SPANISH DIALECTS AND VARIETIES

Many people used to think that northern dialects in Spain were closer to the standard
Spanish language. It is true that the speech of Madrid has influenced the standard
for Spanish in Spain due to its use on radio and television but this doesn’t mean
that it is or it has to be the norm. Moreover, the greatest linguistic varieties of
Spanish exist in Mexico. It is spoken by more than twenty percent of the world’s
Spanish speakers, being the largest Spanish speaking country in the world.
Great part of the richness of Spanish is due to the variety of this language all over
U
the world. However, there is a unity among all its variations that allows people
from different countries and regions to understand each other.
Let’s see some of the most important variations in Spanish:
Seseo The phoneme /è/ (spelled z , or c before e or i ,
and sounds like the English ‘thought’), maintained
in northern and central Spain, is merged with the
O
In Phonology
sibilant /s/, and, therefore words such casa and
caza, or coser and cocer, sound the same.
* This happens in: South of Spain and all over
Latin America.
Aspiration It is the loss or pronunciation as [h] of the sound
/s/ at the end of the syllable. The word mismo is
N
pronounced as [mihmo] and tomates as [tomateh].
* This happens mainly in: South of Spain, the
Caribbean, and coastal areas of South America.
Ustedes/Vosotros The use of ustedes is formal as second
person plural in all the countries and regions.
But it is also used in informal situations in Latin
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America, the Canary Islands in Spain, and some

regions of Andalusia.* Meanwhile, in the rest
of Spain they use vosotros for informal situations.
In Grammar Voseo Voseo is the use of vos for the second-person
singular. Verb forms also change. Let’s see the
differences in present while using tú or vos
pronoun.
Tú vos
amas amás
comes comés
Duermes Dormís
*This happens mainly in: Argentina, Paraguay,
Uruguay and Central America. In some places
such as Chile or Venezuela you can find both
186 forms: tú and vos.
Actividad 7 El español en el mundo
1. The greatest linguistic varieties of Spanish are from Argentina. V/ F
2. A person from Colombia and a person from Spain hardly understand each
other due to varieties in Spanish language. V/ F
3. Seseo only happens in Latin America. V/ F
4. Voseo doesn’t happen in Spain. V/ F
13.8 LET’S SUM UP

Although Spanish originated in the Iberian Peninsula, evolving from colloquial
Latin, today it has far more speakers in Latin America, having been brought to the
New Continent by Spanish colonization. Despite the fact that there are some varieties
U
in grammar and pronunciation between the different countries and regions that
speak Spanish, the differences are not so great as to inhibit communication. On the
contrary, a person from Guatemala and a person from Chile will be able to
understand each other easily. This uniformity, the number of native speakers, its
geographical spread and its importance in education, makes Spanish one of the
most important languages of the world.
13.9 KEY SOLUTIONS

Actividad 1
1. Verdadero
3. Verdadero
O 2. Falso
4. Falso
N
5. Verdadero
Actividad 2
Except NATO, all the international organisms that appear in the exercise have
Spanish as an official language.
Actividad 3
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1. Here are some of the possible answers: almohada, azúcar, azucena, alfombra,
aceite, aceituna, albañil, alcalde, alcohol, algodón, limón, naranja, sandía,
zanahoria.
2. José Echegaray (1904, España); Jacinto Benavente (1922, España); Gabriela
Mistral (1945, Chile); Juan Ramón Jiménez (1956, España); Miguel Ángel
Asturias (1967, Guatemala); Pablo Neruda (1971, Chile); Vicente Aleixandre
(1977, España); Gabriel García Márquez (1982, Colombia); Camilo José Cela
(1989, España); Octavio Paz (1990, México) and Mario Vargas Llosa (2010,
Perú).
Actividad 4
1. Three: Spanish, Galician and Catalan.
2. Yes. There is a language called euskera that is spoken in the Basque Country in
the north of Spain. It is not a Romance language.
187
Mirada sobre el mundo Actividad 5
hispano-I
A. Cuba - Havana D. Chile - Santiago
B. Argentina - Buenos Aires E. Perú – Lima
C. Colombia – Bogota F. México - Mexico City
Actividad 6
Chocolate (náhuatl) - Tomate (náhuatl) - Maíz (taíno)- Tiburón (taíno) - Llama

(quechua) - Canoa (taíno) -Tiza (náhuatl) - Aguacate (náhuatl) -Patata (taíno) -
Caníbal (taíno).
Canoa a narrow, keelless boat with pointed ends, propelled by a paddle or paddles.
U
Tiza a soft white limestone used by teachers to write on the blackboard.
Caníbal a person who eats the flesh of other human beings
Aguacate a pear-shaped fruit with a rough leathery skin, smooth oily edible flesh,
and a large stone
Patata a starchy plant tuber that is one of the most important food crops, cooked
Maíz
O
Tomate
Tiburón
and eaten as a vegetable. If you fried them, there are delicious!
A cereal plant that yields large grains, or kernels, set in rows on a cob
a glossy red pulpy edible fruit that is typically eaten as a vegetable or in
salad
a long-bodied chiefly marine fish with a cartilaginous skeleton, a prominent
dorsal fin, and toothlike scales. It is very dangerous!
N
Chocolate a food preparation in the form of a paste or solid block made from roasted
and ground cacao seeds, typically sweetened
Actividad 7
1. Falso
2. Falso
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3. Falso
4. Verdadero
188
UNIDAD 14 LOS RITMOS
14.1 Introduction
14.2 Objectives
14.3 Music from Spain
14.3.1 Flamenco
14.3.2 Spanish pop music
14.4 Music from the Caribbean
14.4.1 Salsa
14.4.2 Other Caribbean rhythms
14.5 Music from South America
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14.5.1 Tango
14.5.2 A renowned South American singer: Shakira
14.6 Let’s sum up
14.7 Key solutions
O
N
14.1 INTRODUCTION
Dear learner, there are many reasons to start learning a new language. One of them
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is to understand the meaning of all those songs that you love and you have heard in
the radio, in films or in pubs and discos. Who doesn’t know some songs by Shakira,
Ricky Martin or Enrique Iglesias? Who has not heard flamenco or watched tango
dance? In this unit, we will learn about some of the most important musicians,
songs and rhythms of the Hispanic world.
14.2 OBJECTIVES
 Music from Spain: mainly flamenco, declared as one of the Masterpieces of
Oral and the Intangible Heritage of Humanity, and the star of Spanish pop
music, Alejandro Sanz.
 Caribbean rhythms such as salsa, merengue, bachata and regaetton.
 Tango, born in the underprivileged areas of Buenos Aires but now a UNESCO
Masterpiece and a popular music worldwide.
 Life and work of Shakira, one of the most renowned South American singer. 189
hispano-I 14.3 MUSIC FROM SPAIN
If you think about Spanish music the first thing that will come to your mind is
flamenco and Spanish guitar but the truth is that Spanish music is very rich and
diverse. There are great opera singers such as Plácido Domingo, Montserrat Caballé
or José Carrera and there are also different traditional music and dances, such as la
jota in Aragon, la muñeira in Galicia or la sardana in Catalonia. In Spain you can enjoy
la zarzuela in the theatre (quite close to Bollywood style), pop singers or singer-
songwriter (cantautores). But let’s learn about the most famous rhythms in Spain.
14.3.1 Flamenco
Although the exact origin of flamenco art is unknown, we do know that it is a
wonderful creation from the union of many different traditions: the music from
the gypsies, the popular songs and dances of Andalusia, Murcia and Extremadura,
U
the Arabic rhythms, etc. This art absorbed everything that was artistically interested!
But this is true talking not only about flamenco’s origin but also on what is happening
today, when flamenco is incorporating modern music such as rock, pop, salsa, bossa
nova or blues (as we can wonderfully appreciate in the work of Enrique Morente).
Flamenco developed into its definitive form during the 18 th century and it is made
up of four main elements: coplas (lyrics), cante (voice), baile (dance), guitarra (guitar)
O
N
EL CANTE EL BAILE A GUITARRA
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Camarón de la Isla Eva la Yerbabuena Paco de Lucía
Flamenco music styles, called palos, are classified according to the basic rhythmic
patterns, its geographic origin, and tempo. There are more than 50 different palos:
Alegrías, tangos, soleares, bulerías, seguiriyas, tarantas… are just some of the palos you can
enjoy in a flamenco show. You will be amazed of the virtuosity of the guitar players
(artist like Paco de Lucía, Vicente Amigo or Tomatito are known everywhere), the
passion of flamenco singers (such as Camarón de la Isla, Enrique Morente or
Carmen Linares), and the movements of flamenco dancers (such as Eva la
Yerbabuena, Sara Baras or Joaquín Cortés). Women wear high heels, a rose in the
hair and beautiful dresses, with many layers of ruffles in different colors.
From the beginning of the 20th century flamenco is performed all over the world.
It is also taught in many countries: there are more academies in Japan than in Spain!
On 2010, UNESCO declared flamenco as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral
and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
190
Los ritmos
Listen to Camarón de la Isla and Paco de Lucía in “Volando voy” (from the
album La leyenda del tiempo)
U
Internet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrUWtOtfwDw
14.3.2. Spanish pop music

Spanish pop music originated from the English and the American rock and roll
bands of the early 60’s. But it was in the 80’s, with groups such as Alaska, Radio
all Hispanic society.

O
Futura or Hombres G, when the so-called ‘Golden Age of Pop Music’ happened.
Since then, Spanish pop music has never stopped growing and it is heard today in
It is difficult to choose one among all the groups and singers, as each one of them
has his own style and value. Here are some names: Presuntos Implicados, Jarabe de
Palo, Estopa, Ketama (in 90’s), El Canto de Loco, La Oreja de Van Gogh, Álex
N
Ubago, David Bisbal, Amaral (in 2000’s). But, without any doubt, the most famous
singer, the most rewarded and the one that has had a greater influence in Hispanic
pop is Alejandro Sanz.
To the date, Alejandro Sanz has sold more than

25 million albums around the globe and has won
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3 Grammy awards and 16 Latin Grammy awards.

He has songs with many International musicians
such as The Corrs, Shakira, Calle 13, Juanes or
Paolo Vallesi.
Alejandro Sanz was born in Madrid in 1968,

although his parents were from Cadiz,
Andalusia. He started composing songs and
playing the guitar at a very early age but it was
in 1991, with the album Viviendo Deprisa (‘Living
quickly’) when his career started to flourish. The
following albums: Si tu me miras (1993) (working
with the guitarist Paco de Lucía, who has greatly influenced Alejandro), Más (1997),
El alma al aire (2000), No es lo Mismo (2003), El Tren de los Momentos (2006) and
Paraíso Express (2009). Some songs as ‘Corazón Partío’ or ‘La Tortura’ with Shakira,
have achieved outstanding success in Spain, Latin America and the USA.
191
hispano-I Now go to Internet and listen to the song which gave him fame in the
initial years: ‘Pisando fuerte’
U
Internet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdPCSt7h5Bc
Here is the chorus of the song:
O Es tan bonito esto de soñar

y tan violenta la verdad, ya no puedo más
pero ya me conoces y aunque todo se hunda
yo seguiré aquí en pie
en pie.
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Son tan fuertes tus miradas
elegantes y estudiadas.
Yo soy sólo un adolescente, pero entraré en tu mente
pisando fuerte, pisando fuerte.
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Compartiendo las miradas

con las luces apagadas.
Empiezo a sentirme yo mismo, a sentirme mas seguro
pisando fuerte, pisando fuerte
Actividad 1
DISCOVER. Match each word of column A with the text that corresponds in
column B.
1. Zarzuela a) one of most influential pioneers of flamenco
guitar.
2. Paco de Lucía b) a known flamenco dancer who mixes classical
elegance with passion.
192
Los ritmos
3. Alaska c) famous artist of the “Golden Age of Pop
Music”, who is still performing nowadays.
4. La Oreja de Vang Gogh d) Spanish folk dance and national folk dance of
Aragon. The word in Latin means ‘jump’ which
describes the lively movements of the dance.
5. La Jota. e) Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that has both
spoken and sung scenes incorporating dance
as well. Some of the most important pieces
are: La Verbena de la Paloma and Gigantes y
Cabezudos.
6. Joaquín Cortés f) pop band from San Sebastian, winner of a
Latin Grammy. The name of band alludes to
the famous post-impressionist painter who cut
off his own ear.
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14.4 MUSIC FROM THE CARIBBEAN
Let us now read about some of the Caribbean rhythms such as salsa, merengue,
bachata and regaetton.
14.4.1. Salsa
O
N
IG
If flamenco is the star of Spanish music from an International perspective, so is

salsa among all Caribbean music. In Spanish salsa, means ‘sauce’ and refers to the
mixture of different ‘ingredients’ that compose this rich rhythm: son and guaguancó
from Cuba, plena and bomba from Puerto Rico, Spanish music, mambo… As a style,
Salsa was born and named in New York City during the 70’s. The first salsa bands
were predominantly ‘Nuyorican’ (New Yorkers of Puerto Rican descendent) but
very soon it became popular in other Latin American countries. Some of the
founding salsa artists were Johnny Pacheco (the creator of the Fania All-Stars),
Willie Colón, Roberto Roena or Hector Lavoe. There is a film called El Cantante
based on the life and work of this last singer, starred by Marc Anthony, one of
today’s most important salsa artists.
The instrumentation of salsa is rich in percussion (congas, bongos, timbales, maracas,

guiro, etc.), the lyrics are usually happy and cheerful and the dancing is lively and
sensual. Salsa is normally a partner dance, although it can also be danced in groups
193
Mirada sobre el mundo as in Rueda de Casino where groups of couples exchange partners in a circle. Today,
hispano-I
there are many salsa styles: Cuban Salsa (Casino), New York Style, Los Angeles
Style, Columbian Style, etc. But apart from these different styles, the most important
thing is that today there are pubs and places all over the world where you can dance
salsa: France, Germany, England, Japan and India, of course!
Now go to Internet and listen to Marc Anthony’s song ¿Qué precio tiene el
cielo? from his album Sigo siendo yo: Grandes éxitos.
U
O Internet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZE_ERUpOqw
14.4.2. Other Caribbean rhythms

Other well-known rhythm of the Caribbean is merengue, the national dance of the
Dominican Republic. It is perhaps one of happiest music in the whole American
N
continent and also one of the easiest dances. There are many legends about how
merengue dancing originated. Some think that this dance form comes from slaves
who were chained together and used to drag one leg as they were working cutting
sugarcane to the beat of drums. In others places, its origin dates back to the days
of the revolution, when villagers welcomed home a wounded hero who achieved
victory. Considering his wound, everybody imitated his limp while dancing, dragging
one foot.
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The other Dominican music is bachata, a slow dance with very romantic lyrics,
excellent for dancing in pairs. The genius of these two Dominican rhythms is Juan
Luis Guerra, winner of many awards including 18 Latin Grammy Awards. His
songs Ojala que llueva café, Las avispas, La llave de mi corazón or El costo de la vida are
known all over the world.
But the last Latin American music phenomenon is the reggaeton which originated in
Puerto Rico. This style combines the Jamaican reggae, the Trinidadian soca and
dancehall, some bomba and plena from Puerto Rico and hip hop and rap from the
United States. It is a genre dominated by men and there are very few women that
sing reggaeton. Lyrics tend to be aggressive and sexually connoted. In an attempt to
avoid censorship, some reggaeton artists prefer to use double meanings in the lyrics.
Reggaeton dancing, sexy and passionate, is very popular in clubs and discos worldwide,
and especially in Puerto Rico. The reggaeton singer Daddy Yankee has produced
many hits, such as Gasolina and Lo Que Paso, Paso.
194
Los ritmos
Now go to Internet and listen to Juan Luis Guerra’s song: Ojala que llueva
café.
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Internet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJimpth-yNs
Actividad 2
DISCOVER. Do you recognize these artists? Try to match each picture with a
sentence.
O
N
a) b) c)
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d) e)
1. Daddy Yankee is a reggaeton rapper from Puerto Rico, known by his song La
Gasolina.
2. Juan Luis Guerra is a Dominican singer, winner of numerous awards including
18 Latin Grammy Awards.
3. The Cuban Celia Cruz was internationally known as the “Queen of Salsa”
4. Ruben Blades is a Panamanian salsa singer, songwriter and also a lawyer!
5. The “nuyorican” Jennifer López is the female singer who co-stars with Marc
Anthony in a film based on Hector Lavoe’s life.
195
hispano-I 14.5 MUSIC FROM SOUTH AMERICA
In the previous section, we have learnt about some of the Caribbean rhythms such
as salsa, merengue, bachata and regaetton. We hope you have enjoyed listening to
the Caribbean music! In the following section we will learn about South America’s
famous music and dance form, el tango and we will read about the life and work of
Shakira.
14.5.1 Tango
If you think of Argentinean music, the first thing that will come to your mind is
tango. Tango originated in the poor and underprivileged areas of Buenos Aires
during the 19th century. These neighborhoods were filled with African and European
immigrants who used to dance in the street or in brothels. Tango music is, therefore,
a blend of European, African and gaucho rhythms. The sensual dance form that was
U
emerging in Argentina was not looked upon kindly by the upper classes of Buenos
Aires. Only after it became popular in Europe the wealthy porteños (Buenos Aires
citizens) started to give it some recognition. Today, it is danced all over the world
and there are many international contests in USA, Japan and Europe on tango
dancing. In 2009, UNESCO declared tango one of the Masterpieces of the Intangible
Heritage of Humanity.
O
Tango music is played with a piano, a double bass, a violin and a bandoneón. The
songs are composed using a local slang called lunfardo and often express the amorous
sorrows of a man, blaming women for his heartaches. Enrique Santos Discépolo,
one of the greatest exponents of this music, defined tango as un pensamiento triste
que se baila (‘a sad thought that is danced’). Tango is danced in pairs with slow
movements, long steps, and, the most important component: passion. One of the
most important figures in tango music is Carlos Gardel, who became a symbol in
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Hollywood. His song Por una cabeza was popularized through numerous films like
Scent of a Woman (1992), where Al Pacino starring a blind Colonel dances a tango.
Go to Internet and listen to Carlos Gardel’s ‘Por una cabeza’, a song thatt
you may have heard in Delicatessen (1991), Scent of a Woman (1992), Schindler’s List
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(1993), True Lies (1994), Titanic (1996), Bad Santa (Uncut Version, 2003), All the
King’s Men (2006) or Planet 51 (2009).
Internet::http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ1aTPM-dyE
196
14.5.2. A renowned South American singer: Shakira Los ritmos
Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll) is perhaps one

of the most famous Hispanic singers of the moment.
Born in Barranquilla, Colombia, from a Lebanese father
and a mother with Spanish roots, Shakira has in her blood
the fusion. And fusion is her music: pop and rock, oriental
and occidental, Spanish and English… She started
writing her own songs at the age of eight and today she
has already released five albums and won two Latin
Grammys.
Her first album was Magia (Magic), composed of songs

that she wrote as a child, and was released when she was
a teenager. But the album that gave her huge success
U
was Pies Descalzos (‘Barefeet’), released when she was
sixteen. She sold almost four million copies
internationally and toured two years, performing to audiences worldwide. In order
to be even more international, Shakira started writing songs in English. Although
she was raised with English rock bands such as the Beatles, Nirvana, the Police or
Led Zeppelin, in the beginning it was difficult to create lyrics in a language other
than Spanish. But reading English poetry and looking up words in rhyming
O
dictionaries helped her a lot in the new task. Who knows… perhaps one day you
will also write poems and songs in Spanish!!
Go to Internet and listen to Shakira’s ‘Pies descalzos, sueños blancos’ (Pies

descalzos). You will be able to read the lyrics while she is singing.
N
IG
Internet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tKlYkdShVQ
Actividad 3
Check whether the following sentences are Verdadero (True) or Falso (False).
a) From the beginning, tango was appreciated by all the porteño society. V/ F
b) As tango songs are written in Spanish, everyone in Latin America is able to
understand them. V/ F
c) Shakira started writing songs at a very young age. V/ F
d) Shakira is one of the most famous singers of Colombia. V/ F
197
hispano-I 14.6 LET’S SUM UP
In this unit, we have got to know about some of the most important rhythms of
the Hispanic world (flamenco, salsa, merengue, reggaeton, tango…) and some renowned
artists such as Alejandro Sanz or Shakira. Also, we have listened to various famous
songs such as ‘Volando voy’ ‘Por una cabeza’ or ‘Ojalá que llueva café’. But the best
way to sum up is trying to remember all that we studied in this unit. For that, you
have your last actividad:
Actividad 4
Could you classify all these words in the following three categories?
Spain Caribbean South America
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Plena/ soleares/ Carlos Gardel/ Joaquín Cortés/ Rueda de Casino/ sardana/
porteño/ Camarón de la Isla/ lunfardo/ “Por una cabeza”/ “Corazón Partío”/
Johnny Pacheco/ bandoneón/ “Nuyorican”/ David Bisbal/ “La llave de mi
corazón”/ Pies descalzos/ bachata
14.7 KEY SOLUTIONS
O
Actividad 1
1)-e
4)-f
Actividad 2
2)-a
5)-d
3)-c
6)-b
N
a) 3 b) 4 c) 1 d) 5 e) 2
Actividad 3
a) F b) F c) T d) V
Activity 4
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Spain Caribbean South America

Camarón de la Isla soleares “Nuyorican” porteño
Joaquín Cortés Johnny Pacheco Carlos Gardel
David Bisbal” Rueda de Casino "Por una cabeza"
Corazón Partío” "La llave de mi corazón” bandoneón lunfardo
sardana plena bachata Pies descalzos
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Los ritmos
UNIDAD 15 EL ARTE
15.1 Introduction
15.2 Objectives
15.3 Paintings
15.3.1 Pablo Picasso
15.3.2 Frida Kalho
15.4 Sculpture and Architecture
15.4.1 Antonio Gaudí
15.4.2 Fernando Botero
15.5 Cinema
15.5.1 Pedro Almodóvar
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15.5.2 Latin-American Cinema
15.6 Let’s sum up
15.7 Key solutions
15.1 INTRODUCTION
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Dear learner, a great way of understanding a culture is through art. Art depicts
people, landscapes, traditions, myths, dreams or ideals. The best way of
understanding what happened in some historical events (for example, la Guerra
Civil Española –‘the Spanish Civil War’) is certainly to admire a painting (such as
Guernica) or watch a movie. In this unit, we will learn about some of the most
important painters, sculptors, architects, film directors and actors of the Hispanic
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world.
15.2 OBJECTIVES
 Some of the most famous Hispanic painters who contributed richly to the
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art world: Pablo Picasso and Frida Kalho.

 The Prado Museum, considered as one of the best art galleries in the world.
 The artistic work of the Spanish Antonio Gaudí and the Colombian
Fernando Botero.
 Some of the most important film directors and actors in Spain and Latin
America.
15.3 PAINTINGS
In this section, you will find the life and work of some of the most famous
Hispanic painters who have contributed immensely to the art world and their
most renowned paintings.
15.3.1 Pablo Picasso
Some of the world’s most renowned artists are from Spain: Diego de Velázquez,
Francisco Goya, El Greco, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Joan Miró, Dalí, Antonio
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López… In fact, many tourists come to Spain attracted by the long artistic tradition
hispano-I of the country. Perhaps the most valued Spanish painter of the 20 th century is the
innovative Pablo Picasso.
His long artistic career (that lasted 75

years) was in constant evolution: the
traditional paintings during the first years,
the Blue Period affected by the tragic death
of his best friend, Cubism, Classicalism,
Surrealism… At every moment, Picasso
knew how to adapt his creations to the
vertiginous technological and cultural
events of his time.Picasso was born in
1881 in Malaga, Spain, and it is said that
his first words were “piz, piz”, in an
attempt to say lápiz (the Spanish word for
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pencil).
At the age of 14, he completed the one-month qualifying examination of the

Academy of Fine Arts in Barcelona in just one day, despite being one of the youngest
ones! His mother knew from the beginning that he was meant to be an important
person and she used to tell him: “If you become a soldier, you’ll be a general. If
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you become a monk you’ll end up as the pope”. But he chose to be a painter and
definitely he ended up being one of the most important painters of all times.
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Guernica, 1937 Source: www.museoreinasofia.es
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His most famous works are from his Cubism epoch. In fact, he was a pioneer in challenging
the norms of copying nature as it is. On the contrary, he tried fracturing objects and
watches them from different perspectives in order to create a new reality. He started this
period with Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, depicting five naked prostitutes. But his most known
work is Guernica which is considered as his most powerful political statement, as reaction
of the devastating bombing on the Basque town of Guernica, a town in the north of
Spain, by the Nazis, during the Spanish Civil War. This painting portrays the tragedies of
war and the suffering it inflicts upon individuals, particularly innocent civilians. This work
can be seen in the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid.
15.3.2 Frida Kahlo
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Unlike Picasso, the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo didn´t El arte
always wanted to be a painter. Her artistic career started
after a bus accident, when she was 18. She spent over a
year in bed recovering from fractures to her spine, ribs
and pelvis. She went through more than 30 operations
in her lifetime and during her convalescence she began
to paint.
Four years later she married the famous Mexican

muralist Diego Rivera, who was 20 years older than
she. They had a turbulent relationship filled with
infidelities, fights, reconciliations, and sufferings (Frida
La columna rota had a poor health and couldn’t have children).
During her lifetime, Frida created around 200 paintings related to her experiences
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in life, physical and emotional pain and her tempestuous relationship with Diego.
Many of these drawings were self-portraits. Frida used to say that she painted so
many self-portraits: “Because I am so often alone....because I am the subject I
know best.” Some of her best works are: Las dos Fridas, Mi nacimiento o La columna
rota.
She died at the age of 47. One year after her death, Rivera gave her house to the
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Mexican government to become a museum. Today many people visit the “Museo
Frida Kahlo” to contemplate her art. By the way, today her paintings fetch more
money than any other female artist in the world! If you want to know more about
the life and work of this impressive artist watch the movie Frida (2002), starring
Salma Hayek, which won an Oscar for Best Soundtrack.
Activity 1
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Read this text about El Prado Museum and fill in the blanks with the appropriate
word.
EL MUSEO DEL PRADO
Las Meninas Independence
El Dos De
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contemporary art Mayo
Felipe II Madrid masterminds Bourbon

Carlos
La Maja Vestida Triangulo Picasso Baroque

del Arte
“The Prado Museum is situated in _______(a), the capital of Spain. It is considered one of
the best art galleries in the world and contains an excellent collection of paintings from the
16th-18th centuries.
It began with the royal collection of ________(b) , but it also contains some paintings of the
Catholic Kings and of the Emperor_________(c), his father. Both the Habsburgo dynasty
and the ________(d) dynasty have continued the tradition, acquiring paintings and sculptures
that make up the current collection.
It can be said that among the many artists that make up the collection, one stands out above the
rest due to his extreme importance in art all over the world: Diego Velázquez, and in particular
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hispano-I his piece called “________(e)” (“Ladies In Waiting”), from the peak of the _________(f)
era in Spain. It is found in room 12, on the central wall of the apse of the museum.
Another of the great __________(g) that revolutionized painting on a global scale, and who
has an extraordinary collection in the museum is Francisco de Goya, artist for the court of
Carlos IV and graphic witness of the Spanish War of _______(h) (1808-1814). Among
them are “_________(i)” (The Clothed Woman”), “_________(j)” (“The Second of
May”), and “La Familia de Carlos IV” (“The Family of Carlos IV”).
(…)
Two other museums make up the Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza, the private collection of
Baron Thyssen; and the Reina Sofía which was completed in 1990. The majority of this is
dedicated to ___________(k) and highlights on its second floor the work of art by Pablo
________(l), “Guernica” (1937), among other works by the same artist. These three museums
which are situated strategically near each other create the so called “__________(m)” (“Art
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Triangle”) of Madrid, which you must visit during your stay in the capital of Spain”
Source: Don Quijote academy. Web http://www.donquijote.org/
15.4 SCULPTURE AND ARCHITECTURE
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In this section, we will study about the artistic work of the Spanish architect
Antonio Gaudí and the Colombian sculpture artist Fernando Botero.
15.4.1 Antoni Gaudí.

The most famous Spanish architect in Spain is Antoni Gaudí. Thanks to his works,
Barcelona has today a unique and original style. Gaudí used to miss many classes when he
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was studying Architecture, but, on the contrary, he was always at the library, attending
lectures about different topics (he believed that new developments in architecture would
depend on social, political or economical conditions, rather than on architecture itself).
As he didn’t gain good grades, when he finally graduated, the school’s headmaster Elies
Rogent said: “Who knows if we have given a diploma to a nutcase or a genius. Time will
tell.”
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If you pay a visit to the city of Barcelona you

won´t have any doubts. You will visit Park Güell, a
city-garden park full of colors modeled after
English parks, observe the undulating wall
patterns of the façade of Casa Batlló or understand
why Casa Milá is known as La Pedrera or “Stone
Pit”.
His biggest project was the construction of the

cathedral La Sagrada Familia. Gaudí worked on this
project for most of his life (more than 40 years),
without ever seeing it finished. It is still unfinished
nowadays. As there are no blue prints to follow
(Gaudí worked wholly from his ideas), it is
believed that the construction will be completed
La Sagrada Familia by 2025.
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During his last days, Gaudí became taciturn man and stopped caring about his El arte
appearance. On June 7th of 1926, he was run over by a street tram. Cab drivers,
confusing him with a beggar, refused to drive him to a hospital believing that he
would not be able to pay the ride. He died three days later.
15.4.2 Fernando Botero

The Columbian Fernando Botero is considered the living artist most recognized in
the Hispanic world. In 2012, he received the International Sculpture Center’s Lifetime
Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award. His style is very distinctive. Botero
depicts women, men, animals, nature, historical events and characters with
exaggerated and disproportionate volumetry. The artist has always been attracted
to “fat figures”, without knowing why. He creates intuitively, choosing colors, shapes,
and proportions based on intuitive aesthetic thinking.
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O
At the beginning, his work was inspired by pre-Colombian and Spanish colonial art
and the political murals of Mexican artist Diego Rivera (Frida Kalho´s husband).
He was also influenced by the works of Francisco de Goya and Diego Velázquez,
his artistic idols at the time,. By the early 1950s, Botero began studying painting in
Madrid, where he made his living copying paintings hanging in the Prado and selling
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them to tourists. In the late 50’s Botero having experimented with proportion and
size, developed his style: round, inflated figures. Some critics of art believe that the
expanded proportions of his figures while he was in New York, including those in
Presidential Family (1967), suggest an element of political satire.
Botero has lived in Madrid, Barcelona, New York City, Paris, Medellín and
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Pietrasanta, in Italy. His sculpures can be also seen all over the world: Man on horse,
in Jersualem, Caballo in Medellín (Colombia), Mujer con espejo in Madrid (Spain), etc
Actividad 2
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Mirada sobre el mundo DISCOVER. Try to complete this crossword with some data of Antoni Gaudí
hispano-I and Fernando Botero. You will need to check on the Internet to find some of the
answers.
ACROSS
4 In 2012, Botero received the “International _________ Center’s Lifetime
Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award”.
5 Gaudiì was the youngest of ________ children, of whom only three survived
to adulthood.
6 Gaudiì remained single as he was entirely devoted to his __________ .
8 Seven of Gaudiì ìs works have been declared World Heritage Sites by_______.
DOWN
1 Gaudiì’s work is marked by 3 big passions in life: architecture, religion and
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_________ .
2 Botero’s wife is from______ .
3 The style of Fernando Botero is called _______ .
7 In 2004 and 2005 Botero painted the United States forces’ abuses of prisoners
at Abu Ghraib prison during the _______War.
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15.5 CINEMA
An interesting way of introducing yourself to the Hispanic culture is by films. It is
a great way to learn colloquial expressions, train your ear to the rhythm and cadence
of spoken Spanish and be able to see some day-to-day scenes.
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Hispanic cinema is a growing industry as the number of films presented in famous
international film festivals or nominated for Oscars demonstrates. Hispanic actors
and actresses are also becoming more and more famous and they appear in many
English-speaking films. Today the names of Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Antonio
Banderas or Gael García are internationally well known. There are also important
film festivals and prizes in the Hispanic world such as the Spanish Goya awards,
where winners receive a small bronze bust statue of the Spanish painter Francisco
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Goya.
15.5.1 Pedro Almodóvar

Pedro Almodóvar is the most successful and internationally known Spanish film
director, screenwriter and producer. From the very beginning he works with women
in his films because, as he says, “they are much more spectacular to talk about.” In
his well-known movie All About My Mother (Todo sobre mi madre )(1999), Almodóvar
pays a grand tribute to women and their ability to renew themselves. The film won
the Oscar for Best Foreign Language film in 2000. For this, he is often described as
a “women’s director” because many of his films focus on strong and attractive
female characters. In the Oscar acceptances speech he said: “Right now I don’t
know if I have dreamt about this or not. But when you are in the ocean you must
swim. Being on the race for the Oscars, logically I want to win”.
Almodóvar was an important figure in the Spanish culture way before All About
My Mother. By early 1980’s, he was already famous in Madrid’s flourishing alternative
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cultural movement known as La Movida. Since then he has always been proud of El arte
being associated with Spanish culture: “I have no objection to my name being used
to promote Spanish cinema; on the contrary, I shoot in Spanish, I produce other
Spanish-speaking films, I live in Spain and this is my culture”.
The regular topics of his films are desire, passion, identity and family. He likes to
use popular songs, elements of pop culture, strong colors, scornful humor,
melodrama and complex narratives to create his movies. All this produces a particular
style that has achieved international recognition: he has virtually received all prizes
related to films and Harvard University gave the filmmaker an honorary doctoral
degree in 2009 from for his contribution to the arts. Some of his best films are:
Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios (1988), Tacones lejanos (1991), Todo sobre mi madre
(1999), Volver (2006) and La piel que habito (2011).
15.5.2 Latin American cinema
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Despite having very modest budgets, Latin American cinema is rich and diverse.
There are some wonderful productions and Argentinian and Mexican cinema are
worldwide recognized. Argentina is the only country to have won several Oscars
with movies such as La historia oficial (The official story)(1985) and El secreto de sus ojos
(The Secret in Their Eyes) in 2010. They have also achieved international success
Argentine films as El hijo de la novia (2000), Nueve reinas (2000), La Ciénaga (2000)
and El abrazo partido (2004).
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During the forties, the golden age of Mexican cinema, the film industry in Mexico
was very close to that of Hollywood. Stars of the epoch were María Félix, Dolores
del Río, Jorge Negrete and Cantinflas. We shouldn’t forget to name the Spanish
director Luis Buñuel, who was living in Mexico at that time. Currently Mexican
cinema has been reborn with films like Amores Perros (2000) and Y Tu Mama También
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(2001). Some Mexican directors have gained access to Hollywood: Alejandro
González Iñárritu directed Babel and Alfonso Cuarón was the director of famous
films such as Children of Men and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Guillermo
del Toro, co-founder of the famous Guadalajara Film Festival, directed the film
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), was nominated for the an Oscar for the best foreign film.
This film is settled five years after the Spanish Civil War, during the early period of
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Franco dictatorship. The story of the film blends the real and historical world with
a mythical world of abandoned labyrinths and mysterious faun creatures. Through
Ofelia, the main character, we can observe not only the postwar repression of
Spain but also the importance of imagination: this young girl may be the princess
of a mysterious underground kingdom.
Actividad 3
Match each picture with the name
(a) (b) (c) (d)

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hispano-I
(e) (f) (g)

Almodóvar: born in 1949 in Spain, he is one of the most successful directors
in the Hispanic world.
Guillermo del Toro: Mexican film director. He has worked in Spanish dark
fantasy pieces, such as Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), but also in conventional American
movies, such as Blade II (2002) or Hellboy (2004).
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Gael García: Mexican film actor born in 1978, famous for having played
Ernesto “Che” Guevara in The Motorcycle Diaries (2004).
Antonio Banderas: Spanish film actor, who started his career on films by
Pedro Almodóvar. He is now a famous Hollywood artists, having starred films
as Evita, Interview with the Vampire, Philadelphia or The Mask of Zorro.
Ricardo Darín: Darín is one of the most important movie stars in Argentina,
Ohaving worked in important films such as Nine Queens (2000), El Hijo de la

Novia (2001) or El Aura (2005).
Cantinflas: Mexican comic film actor, who often portrayed impoverished
campesinos (peasant).
Javier Bardem: Spanish actor born in 1969. He is the first Spaniard to be
nominated for an Oscar Best Actor (in 2000 for Before Night Falls), and the first
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to win an Academy Award.
15.6 LET US SUM UP

In this unit, we have learnt about some important Hispanic painters like Pablo
Picasso and Frida Kalho who have conributed to the art world and their best art
works like Guernica which potrays an important historical event like the Spanish
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Civil War. We also learnt about some important sculptors and architects like Antonio
Gaudí, Fernando Botero. At the end, we studied about some most important film
directors and actors in Spain and Latin America.
15.7 KEY SOLUTIONS.

Actividad 1
(a) Madrid
(b) Felipe II
(c) Carlos
(d) Bourbon
(e) Las Meninas
(f) Baroque
(g) Masterminds
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(h) Independence El arte
(i) La Maja Vestida

(j) El Dos De Mayo
(k) contemporary art
(l) Picasso
(m) Triangulo del Arte
Actividad 2
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_NATURE__.
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1) Gaudí’s work is marked by 3 big passions in life: architecture, religion and
2) Botero’s wife is from _GREECE__ .

3) The style of Fernando Botero is called …. BOTERISMO.
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4) In 2012, Botero received the “International _SCULPTURE__ Center’s Lifetime
Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award”.
5) Gaudí was the youngest of __FIVE__ children, of whom only three survived
to adulthood.
6) Gaudí remained single as he was entirely devoted to his _PROFESSION__.
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7) In 2004 and 2005 Botero painted the United States forces’ abuses of prisoners
at Abu Ghraib prison during the _IRAQ_War.
8) Seven of Gaudí’s works have been declared World Heritage Sites
by_UNESCO_.
Actividad 3
a) Gael García
b) Javier Bardem
c) Pedro Almodóvar
d) Antonio Banderas
e) Cantinflas
f) Guillermo del Toro
g) Ricardo Darín
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hispano-I UNIDAD 16 LAS FIESTAS
16.1 Introduction
16.2 Objectives
16.3 Social and family celebrations
16.4 National celebrations: religious and historical celebrations
16.5 Other surprising celebrations
16.5.1 Los San Fermines
16.5.2 La Tomatina
16.6 Let’s sum up and Final Task.
16.7 Key solutions.
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16.1 INTRODUCTION
Dear learner, did you know that Hispanics are one of the most cheerful people in
the world? They love to celebrate as many occasions as they can with food, music
and dances. Every party is a chance to meet with your beloved ones, to remember
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your traditions and to make a pause in your daily life and to recall your priorities
and goals in life. In this unit, we will learn about some of the most important
celebrations of the Hispanic world. You will find some of them surprising whereas
in others you will see many similarities with the Indian traditions. Nevertheless, you
will really enjoy getting to know about all these celebrations by the Spanish-speaking
people.
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16.2 OBJECTIVES
 Celebrations that happen in the daily life of a Spanish-speaking family: birthdays,
weddings, and funerals.
 Celebrations that commemorate a religious or a historical event.
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 Some other fascinating celebrations that you will find too surprising or too
close to some Indian celebrations, such as Los Sanfermines or La Tomatina.
16.3 SOCIAL AND FAMILY CELEBRATIONS

Birth, Death and Marriage are the principal events of everybody’s personal life and
also the events that you share with your beloved ones.
Birthdays in Spain and Latin America are special days, Cumpleaños feliz
particularly for children who love to throw parties.
As with any celebration, it is a good excuse to get Cumpleaños feliz
together with family and friends. After having some
food all the guests surround the cumpleañero (the Te deseamos todos
persons who is celebrating his birthday), singing the
Happy Birthday song. In Spanish, it goes like this:
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A funny practice in Spain is the “ear-pulling”: friends or family members will pull Las fiestas
the birthday boy or girl’s ear as many times as corresponds to his/her new age. For
a Latin-American girl the most important birthday is when she turns 15. This event
is called Quinceañera (The word quinceañera comes from the Spanish words quince for
15 and años for years).
It marks the transition from childhood to maturity in the life of a woman. The girl
wears a special dress that includes certain traditional elements. She is accompanied
by her father to the celebration and they both dance a waltz: the father has the first
dance with his daughter. There is plenty of food and dances during the evening
and the girl gets to dance with friends and family members. In some Latin-American
countries, a quinceañera is much more traditional where the celebration usually starts
with a Mass held in a Catholic church.
Weddings (bodas in Spanish) are also
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important events in Spain and Latin
America. Traditionally, the man asks the
father of the bride for permission to
marry his daughter and only with his
blessing they start all the arrangements.
Whole extended family is invited to the
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celebration, which usually never has less
than 200 guests. During the celebration,
that usually starts late (around 7 pm); the
groom gives the bride 13 coins known as
arras, representing his commitment to
support her. Nowadays, many brides and
grooms exchange these coins as a symbol
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of the wealth they will evenly share.
After the ceremony, they both walk down the aisle while everybody throws rice
and flower petals to the newly married couple. During the banquete de bodas (wed-
ding feast), the bride and the groom move around from table to table carrying a
basket with small wedding gifts that they personally hand
out to each guest such as sweets, a cigar or a mini-bottle of
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wine for men, a perfume or a candle for women.
INVESTIGAR. Watch the following documentaryy

about a traditional Castilian wedding with traditional dresses
on the Spanish TV channel (RTVE) La 1:
https://bit.ly/2GPDnwX
Perhaps, it will sound surprising but

most Hispanic countries also celebrate
the death! Family and friends gather on
the 1 st and 2 nd of November to
remember and pray for friends and
family members who have died. The
Day of the Deads (Día de los muertos) is
particularly celebrated in Mexico,
where it is a national holiday. People
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Mirada sobre el mundo build altars at home to honor the departed ones using photographs, sugar skulls,
hispano-I
marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the deceased. They will also
visit their graves and decorate them with flowers and gifts.
It is not a sad event. On the contrary,

everybody remembers funny events
and anecdotes about the departed
ones and share traditional Mexican
drinks like tequila, mezcal or pulque. It
is believed that the spirits of the dead
are also enjoying the party, eating and
drinking the ofrendas (offerings) and
reminding those who are alive that
there is rebirth after death.
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Actividad 1
1. The celebration of Quinceañera in Spain is not traditional. V/ F
2. Bride’s father opinion is very important for the realization of a weeding in
Hispanic culture. V/ F
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3. After some days, the Spanish married couple gives small wedding gifts to all
the guests who couldn’t attend the weeding.
16.4 NATIONAL CELEBRATIONS: RELIGIOUS

V/ F
4. There are no alcoholic beverages during the Día de los muertos in Mexico’.
V/ F
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AND HISTORICAL CELEBRATIONS
On December 25, all the Hispanic
countries celebrate La Navidad
(‘Christmas’), the commemoration of
the birth of Jesus Christ. Chirstmas
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tree is not as popular as it is in Anglo-

Saxon countries, but children prepare
a Belén, a Nativity Scene with tiny
figures that represent baby Jesus,
Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, a cow and
a mule, all together sheltered near the
manger in a barn (or cave). In many
places people compete to create the most original and realistic of these scenes,
adding little houses, rivers, peasants, animals, etc.
On 24th December, the night of Christmas

Eve (Nochebuena in Spanish) people gather
close to the Belén and eat a copious meal,
taste delicious sweets (such as turrón, mazapán
or polvorones) and sing villancicos (Chirstmas
songs). In countries such as Puerto Rico, a
group of people (called Parranda) make sur-
210 prise visits to houses late in the night singing these songs. The host has to open the
door, invite the singers to come in and of- Las fiestas
fer them some beverages and food. Once
they have fulfilled their appetite they will
go to a new house. Everybody is happy and
cheerful during those days when nobody
ever misses tasty food, happy songs, hot
drinks and plenty of fun.
The red-dressed Santa Claus (Papa Noel in

Spanish) isn’t usually the person who brings
gifts to children in Hispanic countries. They
wait for the Three Kings-Melchor, Gaspar
and Baltasar. It is believed that they read
the letters that kids send them, asking for specific gifts. They come very silently late
at night and leave the gifts close to the pair of shoes of each member of the family.
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For children, that morning of 6th of January is their favorite date in the Hispanic
calendar, popularly known as Día de los Reyes Magos.
Other important celebration of the

Christian community is the Holy
Week (la Semana Santa in the
Spanish-speaking world), the week
O before Easter (Pascua in Spanish),

where Jesus death
commemorated. During these days,
realistic sculptures made of wood

is
there are many processions of pasos,
that represent individual scenes of

the events of the Passion or images
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of the Virgin Mary showing her
grief for the torture and killing of
her Son. One of the most breathtaking things that a visitor can experience in many
cities of Spain is the nazarenos. Dressed in a habit and with a pointed hood (called
capirote) that covers entirely their heads, holding long wax candles, sometimes
barefoot, they march in silence before the paso. It is a moment of grief and sorrow.
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Apart from these religious celebrations, there is also a common festival that is
celebrated in all Hispanic countries. It falls on the 12 th of October commemorating
the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival to the American continent. It is
observed as the national holiday of Spain, called Día
de la Hispanidad, wanting to celebrate the connection
of the country to the Hispanidad, the international
Hispanic community.
Some Latin-American countries remember the In-

digenous peoples’ resistance to the European settle-
ment, and they name this day Día de la Raza (‘Race
Day’) or Día de la Resistencia Indígena (‘Day of Indig-
enous Resistance’). However, most Hispanic coun-
tries choose to commemorate not the Spanish influ-
ence or the Indigenous importance but both, recog-
nizing the blend of European, American, African
and Asian cultures that helped to compose each and 211
Mirada sobre el mundo every Latin American country. Thus, they call this important day as Día de las Culturas
hispano-I
(‘Day of the cultures’) or Día del Respeto a la Diversidad Cultural (‘Day of Respect for
Cultural Diversity’).
Actividad 2
Match each picture with the description of the festival below.
FERIA DE ABRIL LAS FALLAS
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O CARNAVAL DÍA DE SAN JORGE
a) It is celebrated in Sevilla, the capital of Andalucía, during the month of April
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and it lasts one week. Each day begins with the parade of carriages and riders,
carrying people to La Real Maestranza, where the bullfighting takes place. At
night, people party in their casetas (temporary tents decorated with many colors),
where they eat tapas, drink a wine called manzanilla, and dance Sevillanas.
b) Catalonia (Cataluña) remembers the death of Saint Gorge, on 23 rd of April as
Día de San Jorge or Diada de Sant Jordi (in catalán), exchanging gifts between
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colleagues and loved ones. Traditionally, men give women a rose, and women
give men a book to celebrate the occasion (this day is also know as el Día de la
Rosa or el Día del libro). The custom of giving books is related to the celebration
of two great writers who died on the same date 23 April 1616: Miguel de
Cervantes and William Shakespeare.
c) Although it is celebrate across all Hispanic countries, one of the most important
celebrations is the one of Santiago de Cuba. It has its origins in a festival called
Mamarrachos, where people wear costumes and masks, drink rum and sing and
dance the whole day. Sugarcane workers, most of whom were slaves of African
origin, used to participate in this party. Today it is celebrated from July 18–27,
in honor of the Revolution, commemorating Fidel Castro’s assault on the
Moncada barracks.
d) This celebration, form 12 to 19 of March, held in commemoration of Saint
Joseph (San José), takes place in the city of Valencia, Spain. Each neighborhood
produces a construction in wood, carton and paper of huge puppets, called
ninots that represent a humoristic scene or a famous character. The last night all
212 ninots, except the winner of the contest, is eventually burnt.
Las fiestas
16.5 OTHER SURPRISING CELEBRATIONS:
In this section, we will discuss some more fascinating celebrations that take place is
Spain such as Los Sanfermines and La Tomatina.
16.5.1 Los San Fermines

Every year, thousands of persons fill up the streets of Pamplona (Navarra, Spain)
to celebrate the week-long of festivities in honor of San Fermín from July 7 to 14.
This huge celebration, known as Los Sanfermines, starts with the launch of a rocket
(el chupinazo) and the singing of this infectious song:
U
O
“Uno de enero, dos de febrero,tres de marzo, cuatro de abril,cinco de
mayo, seis de juniosiete de julio, ¡SAN FERMÍN!A Pamplona hemos de
ir,con una media, con una media,a Pamplona hemos de ircon una media
y un calcetín.”
N
The American author Ernest Hemingway used the events of this celebration in
one of his famous books (“The Sun Also Rises”), and since then it has become one
of the most famous festivals around the world. This is why many visitors from
other parts of Spain and even the world come to celebrate with the Pamploneses (the
people from Pamplona). Everybody is dressed with white clothing and put a red
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handkerchief around their neck and enjoy music, fireworks, religious ceremonies
and the most popular event: the Encierro (bullrunnings). In this scaring event, hun-
dreds of people run in front of six bulls along some narrow streets of old town of
Pamplona. This event is very dangerous and some people even get accidently killed
or injured by the bulls. However, it is still one of the most expected moments of
Los Sanfermines. The festival ends at midnight on the 14th, with this sad song: Pobre
de mí, pobre de mí, que se han acabado las fiestas de San Fermín (“Poor me, poor me, the
San Fermín festivities have ended”).
16.5.2 La Tomatina
Actividad 3
Read this text published in The Hindu, and fill in the blanks with the appropriate
words given below.
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hispano-I
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100,000 over-ripe La Tomatina
fun
10,000 coloured Spain
Holi
North India tomatoes red
O world
5000 Tomato Throwing Party
“How many of you played ______(a) on March 11? If you live in_____(b), chances are
N
you all did. These days Holi is being celebrated even in South India. So how is it celebrated?
The participants spray each other with _______ (c) water using plastic bottles, and apply
coloured powder on each other.
Would you believe there is another celebration like Holi? This is ______ (d) and it is
celebrated in the Town of Buñol in_____(e). It is held on the last Wednesday of August
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every year. This year the festival took place on August 26.
This festival is very much like Holi and just as much ______ (f). In this festival, people
gather at the centre of the town, and have a ‘food fight’ with _____ (g). It is described as a
“______(h)”, and everyone has a lot of fun throwing ripe tomatoes at one another! This
makes people bright _____(i) just like we do when we get smeared with Gulal and Abhir.
This celebration began in the 1940s as a ‘food fight’ between friends, but it has now become the
world’s biggest ‘food throwing party’!
There are only about _____(j) people who live in Bunol but about _____(k) people from all
over the ______(l) come to join the party and have fun. Over ______(m) kgs of tomatoes
are thrown at each other! There are festivals for a whole week before the actual day, and events
such as a cooking contest.
Since the tomatoes are ______(n) there is no danger from this fight. However, just to make
sure nobody gets hurt the players squeeze each tomato before they throw it. Safety goggles and
gloves are worn. Just like ‘Holi’ glass bottles and other ‘weapons’ are not allowed”.
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Actividad 4 Las fiestas
DISCOVER. Have you seen the multi-starred film

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara? If you haven’t, check this link and
enjoy the party!!! Can yoy find other spanish celebration
shown in this film.
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pzSLSJYxiI
16.6 LET’S SUM UP

In all these fascinating festivals we have seen a variety of contrasts. These are not
only official festivals such as El día de la hispanidad, a national day in many countries,
but also popular ones, such as La tomatina, which survives mainly because of the
people. We have studied about religious celebrations such as the Semana Santa of
U
Sevilla and also others that have nothing to do with religion such as La Feria de
Abril. We have learnt about new celebrations, such as la Quinceañera, and also old
ones that have been running for centuries, such as La Navidad. Some festivals as
the Día de San Jorge or Diada de Sant Jordi (in catalán) are peaceful and well organized
whereas others such as Carnival highlight the chaos. With all this information it is
time to do your final task.
the most?
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FINAL TASK: Write an essay answering these questions:
- Which aspects of the celebrations mentioned in this unit have surprised you
- Are there any similarities between some of these fspanish estivals and the
ones celebrated in India?
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Choose any particular festival of Spain or Latin America and one from your
own culture: what are the similarities/ differences between them?
- Which aspects of the festivals and celebrations from your own culture may
be surprising to a person from Spain or Latin-America?
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16.7 KEY SOLUTIONS

Actividad 1
1. Verdadero
2. Verdadero
3. Falso
4. Falso
Actividad 2
 Feria de abril: a)
 Las Fallas: d)
 Carnaval: c)
 Día de San Jorge: b)
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Mirada sobre el mundo Actividad 3
hispano-I
(a) Holi
(b) North India
(c) Coloured
(d) La Tomatina
(e) Spain
(f) Fun
(g) Tomatoes
(h) Tomato Throwing Party
(i) Red
(j) 10,000
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(k) 50,000
(l) World
(m) 100,000
(n) over-ripe
O
Actividad 4
In the film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, you will be able to see La Tomatina Festival,
Los Sanfermines and an Andalusian party, very much alike to the Feria de Abril.
N
IG
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Las fiestas
U
Transcripts (Audio tracks)
O
N
IG
217
Transcripts (Audio Tracks)
U
O
N
IG
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Unit 1 Transcripts (Audio Tracks)
[Track 1]
Look at the pictures and see some examples of situations when you may use hola or
Buenos días/buenas tardes/buenas noches:
Situation one
Boy: ¡Hola!
Girl: ¡Hola!
Situation two
Receptionist: ¡Buenos días!
Employee: ¡Buenos días!
Situation three
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Doctor: Buenas tardes.
Patient: Buenas tardes.
Situation four
Waiter: ¡Buenas noches!
Young man and woman (at the same time): Buenas noches.
[Track 2]
O
Listen to the sounds of the lettrs in Spanish : a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, ñ, o,
p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z.
[Track 3]
Listen to the following words that are written with elle or double l.
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Lluvia
Llave
Ella
Llamada
[Track 4]
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Listen to the following words that are written with che or ch

Cheque
Coche
Chico /chica
Chaqueta
[Track 5]
Listen to the following words that are written with ge or g
1. General 5. Gato 9. Guerra 12. Pingüino

2. Gesto 6. Gallina 10. Guitarra 13. Cigüeña
3. Gimnasio 7. Gorro 11. Guisante 14. Lingüística
4. Girar 8. Guapo
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Transcripts (Audio Tracks) [Track 6]
Listen to here how we pronounce the following words:
Strong sound: Soft sound with e, i

General Guerra
Gesto Guitarra
Gimnasio Guisante
Girar
Dieresis
Soft sound with a, o, u
Pingüino
Gato
Cigüeña
U
Gallina
Lingüística
Gorro
Guapo
O
[Track 7]
Listen to the following words that are written with c
C pronounced like a k
(c plus a,o,u)
1. Casa
C pronounced like the
Spanish z (c plus e, i)
1. Cena
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2. Cesta
2. Caja
3. Cine
3. Cosa 4. Circo
[Track 8]
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1. Perro
2. Llama
3. Chico
4. Guerra
5. Valla
6. Para
7. Paje
8. Caco
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ACTIVITY 5 [Track 9]
1. M-A-H-A-T-M-A G-A-N-D-H-I
2. J-A-W-A-H-A-R-L-A-L N-E-H-R-U
3. A-M-I-T-A-B-H B-A-C-H-C-H-A-N
4. S-H-A-H-R-U-K-H K-H-A-N
5. S-H-R-E-Y-A G-H-O-S-H-A-L
ACTIVIDAD 6 [Track 10]
Listen and complete with the first name and family names (one first name and
two family names) of the people who are speaking.
Dialogue one:
U
Woman 1: Hola, ¿cómo te llamas?
Woman 2: Me llamo María, María Martínez Pérez.
Dialogue two:
Woman: Buenos días, ¿su nombre y apellidos por favor?
Man: Antonio Gómez Collado
Dialogue three:
-Sí.
Dialogue four:
O
-Hola, ¿Qué tal? ¿Te llamas Lidia Tena Ribera?
-Buenas noches, me llamo José López Garrido.

-Buenas noches, Señor Garrido.
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[Track 11]
Listen and read at the same time.
-Hola, ¿cómo te llamas?
-Me llamo Carla, ¿y tú?
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-Yo me llamo Alex.

-Hola Alex.
-¡Hola!
[Track 12]
Listen and read at the same time
-Hola, buenos días, ¿cómo se llama?
-José Ramón Sánchez. ¿Y usted?
-Elvira Machado Mora.
-Encantado
-Encantada.
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Transcripts (Audio Tracks) ACTIVIDAD 9 [Track 13]
Listen and decide if the following dialogues are formal or informal.
Man 1: Gracias.
Yo me llamo Lidia.
Woman: Sí, soy yo
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4. Hola, ¿tú te llamas María, no?
Sí, ¿y tú? ¿Cómo te llamas?
-Me llamo Andrea
Now listen again to the same dialogues and complete them with the words that are
O
missing.
Man 1: Gracias.
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Yo me llamo Lidia.
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Woman: Sí, soy yo

Girl 1: -Hola, ¿tú te llamas María, no?
Girl 2: -Sí, ¿y tú? ¿Cómo te llamas?
Girl 1:-Me llamo Andrea
Unit 2
[Track 14]
To tell your name, you can say: Yo soy Alberto or Mi nombre es Alberto. But if you need
to introduce someone in an informal situation like your friends, use the following
sentence constructions in Spanish:
• Este es Antonio.
• Esta es Paula.
• Estos son Antonio y Paula.
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• Estas son Rosa y Verónica. Transcripts (Audio Tracks)
[Track 15]
In a formal situation, you can use the verb presentarse to introduce someone. Let’s
learn some basic expressions using this verb:
• Le presento a José Ramón Sánchez.
• Le presento a la señora Verdía.
• Le presento al señor Machad.
[Track 16]
Alemania alemán / alemana

Argentina argentino/argentina
U
Brasil brasileño/brasileña
Chile chileno/chilena
Colombia colombiano/colombiana
España español/española
Francia
India
Inglaterra
México
Panamá
O francés / francesa
indio / india
inglés/inglesa
mexicano/mexicana
panameño/panameña
N
Perú peruano/peruana
Portugal portugués/portuguesa
[Track 17]
Las ocupaciones
IG
estudiante
professor/-a
médico/-a
dentista
enfermero/-a
abogado/-a
periodista
secretario/-a
cocinero/-a
executivo/-a
artista
director/-a
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Transcripts (Audio Tracks) taxista
housewife
autónomo/-a
[Track 18]
a) Hola. Me llamo Paula. Soy chilena y soy ama de casa.

b) Hola. Me llamo Pablo. Soy español y soy cantante.
c) Hola. me llamo Ángela. Soy peluquera y vivo en España. Ah, soy colombiana.
d) Hola. Soy Federico y trabajo de ingeniero.
e) Hola. Me llamo Héctor y trabajo en un restaurante de Lima como camarero.
Unit 3
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Actividad 5 [Track 19]
Ricardo’s classmates are talking about their favorite subject. Listen and indicate the
subjects mentioned by each student.
a) - Pedro, ¿cuál es tu asignatura favorita?
- Mi asignatura favorita es la historia.
b)
c)
d)
O
– Luis, ¿cuál es tu asignatura favorita?
- Mi asignatura favorita es la música.
– Olga, ¿cuál es tu asignatura favorita?
- Mi asignatura favorita es el inglés.
– Teresa, ¿cuál es tu asignatura favorita?
N
- Mi asignatura favorita es el español.
Este año estudio matemáticas, lengua española, inglés, física, geografía, química,
informática, technología, biología, música, deporte, gimnasio, dibujo, religión. ¡Ah!
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Y también trabajos manuales. ¡Buff! Muchas asignaturas. Y ¿tú qué asignaturas

tienes este año?
Unit 4
Luis: Buenos días, Ana. ¿Cómo está usted?
Ana: Bien, gracias, Sr. Mosquera.
Luis: Mire, le presento al Sr. Domínguez, el nuevo gerente de exportaciones.
Ana: Encantada de conocerle, Sr. Domínguez.
Antonio: Gracias, igualmente.

Mi oficina está al lado de un parque. Es bastante grande. Hay un escritor y una silla
de trabajo pero también una mesa y cuatro sillones para ver a mis clientes. Hay un
224
ordenador y una impresora y también un ordenador portátil y un proyector portátil Transcripts (Audio Tracks)
para presentaciones.
Hay un teléfono y un móvil. No hay una fotocopiadora en mi propio despacho,
pero la hay en el corredor, compartida con todos los colegas. Hay una vista buena
al parque.

Listen and learn the dialogue.
Miguel: ¡Hola, Clara! ¿Qué tal? ¿Tú en está empresa? ¿Trabajas aquí?
Clara: ¡Hola, Miguel! ¡Qué sorpresa! Bueno, ahora trabajo en esta empresa.
Miguel: ¡Qué bien! Y, ¿dónde vives?
Clara: Vivo cerca de la Plaza Mayor.
U
Miguel: Ah, ¿sí? ¿En qué calle?
Clara: En la calle de la Amargura, número 7.
Miguel: ¿Tienes teléfono?
Clara: Sí, tengo móvil. Es el 650 312 2467. ¿Y tú? ¿Cuál es tu número de teléfono?
O
Miguel: El 664 906 3678. ¿Tienes correo?
Clara: Sí, clarita22@telefonica.com
Miguel: Bueno, me voy porque tengo una reunión con el jefe. ¡Adiós!
Clara: ¡Adiós, hasta luego!

N
Here are the Spanish numbers from 0-10. Listen and repeat:
0 - cero 6 – seis
1 – uno 7 – siete
2 – dos 8 – ocho
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3 – tres 9 - nueve
4 - cuatro 10 - diez
5 – cinco
Listen and repeat:
11- once 21 -veintiuno 31 -treinta y uno 41 -cuarenta y uno
12 -doce 22 -veintidós 32 -treinta y dos 42 -cuarenta y dos
13 - trece 23 -veintitrés 33 -treinta y tres 43 -cuarenta y tres
14 - catorce 24 -veinticuatro 34 -treinta y cuatro 44 -cuarenta y cuatro
15 -quince 25 -veinticinco 35 -treinta y cinco 45 -cuarenta y cinco
16 -dieciséis 26 -veintiséis 36 -treinta y seis 46 -cuarenta y seis
17 -diecisiete 27 -veintisiete 37 -treinta y siete 47 -cuarenta y siete
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Transcripts (Audio Tracks) 18 -dieciocho 28 -veintiocho 38 -treinta y ocho 48 -cuarenta y ocho
19 -diecinueve 29 -veintinueve 39 -treinta y nueve 49 -cuarenta y nueve
20 -veinte 30 -treinta 40 -cuarenta 50 -cincuenta

Listen and mark the numbers you hear.
3, 9. 19, 5, 28, 15, 30, 14, 40

Listen to the conversations and write the telephone numbers:
a) - Ana, ¿cuál es tu número de teléfono?
- Es el 936 547 8321.
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- Gracias.
b) - Alfonso, ¿puedes decirme tu número de teléfono?
- Sí, es el 955 835 6210.
- Vale.
c)
d)
OMaría, ¿tienes teléfono?
Sí, tengo móvil. Es el 692 682 242.
- Gracias.
- Isabel. ¿sabes el número de teléfono de Aeropuerto de Barajas?
- Sí, es el 959 314 3374.
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e) - Manuel, ¿tienes el teléfono de Radio Taxi de Barcelona?
- Sí, es el 915 920 6201.
- Vale, gracias.
Unit 5
IG

[Sofía está hablando con otra persona (un chico), sobre su familia.
o En mi familia somos mi madre, mi padre, mis dos hermanos y yo.
¿Cómo se llaman tus padres?
o Mi padre se llama Cristóbal y mi madre Josefina.
¿Tienes hermanos?
o Sí, tengo dos hermanos. Mi hermano mayor se llama Raúl; luego estoy yo, que
me llamo Sofía, y después mi hermano pequeño, que se llama Sergio.
Y tus abuelos, ¿cómo se llaman?
o Mi abuelo Marcos y mi abuela Teresa. Estos son los padres de mi madre.
¿Y cómo se llaman los padres de tu padre?
o El padre de mi padre se llama Joaquín y la madre Luisa. [Pausa] Tengo también
226 una tía.
¿Cómo se llama tu tía? Transcripts (Audio Tracks)
o Silvia.
¿Y de quién es hermana?
o Es la hermana de mi madre.
o Y tengo dos sobrinos.
¿Cómo se llaman?
o Rubén y Óscar.
¿Y son hijos de quién?
o De mi hermano Raúl.
¿Y cómo se llama la mujer de tu hermano?
o Clara. Se llama Clara.
U
1. Soy el hermano de Esteban e Isabel. Mis padres son Manuel y Francisca. No
tengo hijos pero tengo cuatro sobrinos. Se llaman Sara, Ruth, Luis y Roberto.
Soy español y vivo y trabajo en Salamanca. Tengo 42 años.
2. Soy el marido de Francisca. Tengo tres hijos -Esteban, Alberto e Isabel, y cuatro
O
nietos -dos nietos y dos nietas. Soy argentino pero vivo en Madrid. Tengo 67
años.
3. Soy el más pequeño de la familia. Tengo 9 años. Tengo un hermano, Luis. Mis
padres se llaman Julio e Isabel. Tengo también dos primas, Sara y Ruth. Vivo
con mis padres y con mi hermano en Barcelona.
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La familia de Nuria
Me llamo Nuria. En mi familia somos cuatro: mi padre, mi madre, mi hermano y
yo. Mi padre se llama Víctor. Es médico y trabaja en un hospital. Mi madre se llama
Lucía y trabaja en un instituto. Es profesora de matemáticas. Raúl, mi hermano, es
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estudiante en la universidad.
El hermano de mi padre, mi tío Sebastián, está casado. Su mujer se llama Estrella.
Mis tíos Sebastián y Estrella tienen dos hijas, Gloria y Elvira. Son mis primas.
Mi madre tiene una hermana, mi tía Carmen. Ella no tiene marido. Es soltera.
Mi familia y yo vivimos en Madrid, la capital de España.
Unit 6
Estela describing herself and three relatives.

a) Este es Javier, mi hermano. Tiene el pelo largo y castaño. Lleva barba.
b) Este es Carlos, mi novio. Es moreno y tiene el pelo corto. Lleva gafas y un
poco de barba.
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c) Esta es Rocío, mi prima. Tiene el pelo largo, rizado y castaño. Tiene los ojos
azules.
d) Esta soy yo. Soy rubia y tengo el pelo largo y liso. Tengo los ojos verdes.

You will listen now to four very short descriptions about the following people.
Write their names under the pictures:
a) El hombre de gafas y pelo corto es peruano y se llama Claudio.
b) El señor que lleva barba y bigote es chileno y se llama Ernesto.
c) El niño pelirrojo es español y se llama carlos.
d) La chica joven de pelo largo y pelirroja se llama Margarita y es nicaragüense.
U
Look at the following pictures and listen to the people’s descriptions.
En esta imagen hay cuatro personas. La chica es irlandesa. Se llama April y es

estudiante de arquitectura. Tiene 23 años. Es alta y delgada. Tiene los ojos grandes
y lleva melena y flequillo. Mariana es una mujer de 41 años. Es cocinera. Trabaja
O
en un restaurante en Roma. Es un poco baja y rubia. Hans es un hombre alemán
de 42 años. Es comercial en una empresa de coches. Es muy alto y grande. Lleva
el pelo corto y gafas. El chico se llama Paulo. Es portugués y tiene 29 años. Es
director de cine. Es moreno y tiene el pelo largo. Lleva barba y bigote.

N
Listen to three young men from different Spanish-speaking countries. Pay attention
to how they describe themselves and mark the features that match with each one
of them. Some features match with more than one:
1) Hola, me llamo Yago y soy argentino. Tengo 27 años y soy maestro en un
colegio de Buenos Aires. Trabajo con niños pequeños y, por eso, tengo mucha
paciencia, aunque a veces soy un poco nervioso. Soy alto, moreno y tengo el
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pelo rizado y un poco largo. Llevo gafas.

2) Hola, me llamo Feliciano. Soy venezolano pero vivo en Londres. Tengo 35
años y trabajo de traductor en una empresa. Soy joven pero estoy ya un poco
calvo. Llevo gafas. Soy un chico bastante normal, agradable, ordenado y muy
independiente.
3) Me llamo Fabián. Soy español y vivo en Valencia. Soy entrenador de baloncesto.
Soy muy alto y tengo el pelo corto y pelirrojo. Soy muy deportista y estoy
fuerte. También soy bastante sociable.
Clara: Yo me parezco mucho a mi madre en el físico: las dos somos bajitas y

delgadas. En el carácter me parezco más a mi padre: los dos somos bastante
extravertidos y sociables.
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Blanca: Pues yo me parezco a mi padre en todo: somos altos, tenemos el pelo Transcripts (Audio Tracks)
castaño y somos también algo tímidos. A mi madre no me parezco en nada.
Enrique: Yo no me parezco nada a mis padres pero mi hermana gemela y yo nos

parecemos bastante a la hermana de mi padre. Tenemos los mismos ojos grandes y
oscuros, el pelo ondulado y rubio. La única diferencia es que yo soy un poco más
alto que ellas. Sonia, y tú, ¿a quién te pareces?
Sonia: Pues dicen que me parezco a la familia de mi padre porque soy muy seria y
responsable. Además, llevamos todos gafas. David, ¿y tú?
David: Yo no me parezco ni a mi padre ni a mi madre. Ellos son personas muy

tranquilas y yo soy más nervioso. Y en el aspecto físico tampoco, ellos son bajitos y
un poco gorditos y yo soy bastante alto y delgado.
Unit 7
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You are going to listen to Álvaro describing himself.
Hola, me llamo Álvaro y tengo 32 años. soy bastante alto. Mido 1,85 y peso 70
kilos. Soy traductor y trabajo 6 horas al día, desde casa. Hablo cuatro idiomas:

O
español, inglés, francés y alemán. Soy una persona seria, formal y sincera y leo
mucho, sobre todo novelas.
You will listen now to a conversation. Clara and Ricardo have just moved to a new
apartment and they are planning to invite a few friends for dinner.
N
CLARA : Ricardo, ¿el viernes trabajas todo el día?
RICARDO : El viernes tengo una reunión de trabajo muy importante por la
mañana.
CLARA : ¿Y por la tarde?
IG
RICARDO : Por la tarde, este viernes no trabajo pero tengo una cita con el
dentista a las siete.
CLARA : Ummm... Entonces no podemos hacer la cena el viernes.
RICARDO : No, mejor el sábado. Tenemos todo el día libre.
CLARA : Sí, mejor el sábado. Invitamos a Juan y a Graciela, a Ignacio, a
Laura, a Marcos y... ¿a alguien más?
RICARDO : Podemos invitar también a Esther. Es muy graciosa y divertida.
Además, ya no está con su novio y creo que está un poco sola.
CLARO : Es verdad. Buena idea. Además, se lleva muy bien con Laura.
¿Invitamos también a tu compañero de trabajo nuevo? ¿Cómo se
llama?
RICARDO : ¿A Manuel? Uf, no sé. No lo conozco mucho y prefiero no mezclar
amistades con trabajo.
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Transcripts (Audio Tracks) CLARA : Entonces no le invitamos y somos ocho. Perfecto, porque sólo
tenemos ocho sillas.
RICARDO : Es verdad (riendo).
CLARA : Pues ya está. Les invitamos para el sábado a eso de las 9. ¿Hablas
tú con ellos o yo?
RICARDO : Yo mañana como con Marcos y luego voy a ver a Juan en el
gimnasio. Con ellos hablo yo. Llama tú a Laura, a Ignacio y a Esther.
CLARA : Bueno, ya les llamo yo luego. ¿Y qué hacemos el viernes por la
tarde entonces?
RICARDO : Podemos visitar a tus padres. Hace tiempo que no les vemos.
CLARA : Después del dentista no vas a poder hablar mucho.
RICARDO : Por eso (riendo).
U
CLARA : Qué caradura (riendo).
Unit 8
Actividade 3 [Track 38]
AGENTE INMOBILIARIO: Hola, buenos días. ¿En qué puedo ayudarle?
O
NIEVES: Buenos días. Busco un piso para comprar por el centro de la ciudad.
AGENTE INMOBILIARIO: Pues tenemos unos cuantos pisos en venta por aquí
por el centro. ¿Cuántas habitaciones necesita?
NIEVES: Mínimo cuatro, para tener un comedor, un dormitorio, un dormitorio
de invitados y un estudio, porque yo trabajo desde casa.
N
AGENTE INMOBILIARIO: Hay un piso en venta en la calle del Mar, con dos
habitaciones grandes, una un poco más pequeña, un comedor grande, cocina y dos
cuartos de baño. Es un cuarto piso con ascensor.
NIEVES: ¿Es un edificio antiguo o moderno?
IG
AGENTE INMOBILIARIO: El edificio es antiguo, de techos altos, pero está en

muy buen estado porqué está recién reformado. Las ventanas y las puertas son
nuevas y el suelo es de parqué. Además, es exterior y es muy luminoso. Tiene
también calefacción y ascensor.
NIEVES: ¿Tiene garaje?
AGENTE INMOBILIARIO: No, al ser un edificio antiguo, no tiene garaje, pero
puede alquilar o comprar uno en los alrededores sin problemas.
NIEVES: ¿Y zona comunitaria?
AGENTE INMOBILIARIO: Tiene un jardín pequeño en la planta baja del edificio.
NIEVES: ¿Cuál es el precio?
AGENTE INMOBILIARIO: Son 135 000 euros.
NIEVES: ¿Y cuándo puedo visitar el piso?
230
AGENTE INMOBILIARIO: Ahora mismo, si quiere. Está aquí al lado. Transcripts (Audio Tracks)
NIEVES: Bueno, pues vamos.

EMILIO: Hola, llamo por el anuncio del apartamento en alquiler.
PROPIETARIO: Ah sí, dígame.
EMILIO: ¿Me puede decir cómo es, ¿dónde está exactamente, ¿qué tiene...?
PROPIETARIO. Claro, pues es un apartamento pequeño en un cuarto piso de la
avenida de Francia. Es exterior y tiene ascensor. Tiene un salón-comedor con dos
sillones, una mesa, cuatro sillas y una estantería. El dormitorio tiene una cama, un
armario y una mesilla de noche. Luego, hay un cuarto de baño con ducha y la
cocina tiene nevera, lavadora y una cocina de gas. Ah, y también hay plancha.
U
EMILIO: ¿Tiene televisor?
PROPIETARIO: No, televisor no, pero hay conexión de antena.
EMILIO: ¿Y cuánto cuesta el alquiler?
PROPIETARIO: Son 400 euros al mes, con gastos de comunidad incluidos.

a)
O
EMILIO: De acuerdo. Muchas gracias.
Unit 9
Son las cuatro menos veinte b) Son las tres en punto

N
c) Son las tres y veinte d) Son las cuatro menos cinco
e) Son las tres y media f) Son las tres y cinco
g) Son las cuatro menos diez h) Son las tres y diez
i) Son las tres y cuarto j) Son las cuatro menos cuarto
k) Son las tres y veinticinco l) Son las cuatro en punto
IG
m) Son la cuatro menos veinticinco

1. - Perdone, ¿tiene hora?
+ Si, claro. Son las tres menos veinte de la mañana
2. - ¿Qué hora es?
+ Es la una y cuarto de la tarde
3. - María, ¿qué hora es?
+ A ver...son las cinco menos diez de la tarde.
4. - Disculpa, ¿tienes hora?
+ Sí, sí... son las nueve y media de la noche
+ Es la una y cinco de la tarde
231
Transcripts (Audio Tracks) 6. - Juan, ¿tienes hora?
+ Sí, mira, son las diez y veinte de la noche
7. - Perdone, ¿tiene hora?
+ Es la una menos cuarto de la tarde
+ Son las once y veinticinco de la noche
9. - ¿Tienes hora?
+ Si, son las siete menos veinticinco de la tarde
10. - Pedro, ¿qué hora es?
+ Es la una menos diez de la tarde
Unit 12
U
1. Antonio practica el atletismo.
2. Paul juega al tenis.
3. Carmen no practica la natación.
4.
5. O
A Anabel le gusta mucho el ciclismo.
A Yilak le gusta jugar al fútbol.
Section 12.4.1 [Track 43]

¿A qué dedican los españoles su tiempo libre?
N
Dar un paseo o ver la televisión son las actividades más habituales.
Ir a dar un paseo (71,3%) y ver la televisión (70%) son las dos actividades a las que
un mayor número de españoles dedica su tiempo libre, según se desprende de la
última encuesta realizada por el Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas
(CIS), publicada este martes.
IG
Otras actividades bastante habituales durante el tiempo libre son la lectura de libros,
revistas o cómics (47,5%), escuchar música (46,6%) y navegar por internet (42,6%).
El 37% de los españoles afirma que ir al cine o al teatro es una de las actividades en
las que emplea su tiempo libre, porcentaje muy similar a los que se dedican a oír la
radio (36,6%) o salir al campo o ir de excursión (36%).
232
U
O
Glossary (English-Spanish)
N
IG
233
GLOSSARY
English to Spanish
A
a un/una amusing divertido
above arriba, sobre and y; (after ‘i’ or ‘h’) e
abroad extranjero, el angry furioso
academy academia, la animal animal (el)
accent acento, el annoying pesado
accident accidente, el ankle tobillo, el
accommodation alojamiento, el another otro
accompany, to acompañar answer respuesta
U
according to según answer, to contestar
accustomed, to soler answering contestador
be machine automático, el
accountant contable, el/la anthropology antropología
ache dolor, el antiseptic antiséptico, el
active active apart (adverb) aparte
activity actividad, la apartment apartamento, el
actor actor (el)/actriz (la) appear (seem), parecer
adaptor
add, to
address
adequate
adjective
adventure
advise
aeroplane
affectionate
añadir
O
adaptador, el
dirección, la
adecuado
adjective, el
aventura (la)
aconsejar
avión, el
afectuoso/a
to
aperitif
appetite
apple
application form
appointment
april
aquarium
area
aperitivo, el
apetito, el
manzana, la
impreso de solicitud,
el
cita, la
abril
acuario, el
zona, la
N
after… desoués de…
afternoon tarde (la) arm brazo, el
afterwards después around alrededor
again otra vez arrive llegar
against contra art arte, el
age edad art galley galería de arte, la
agenda orden del día, el arrive llegar
agency agencia, la artist artista, el/la
agreement acuerdo, el as como
IG
air aire, el as: as soon as lo antes posible

air conditioning aire acondicionado, possible
el aspirin aspirina, la
airline compañía aérea, la ask for, to pedir (i)
airport aeropuerto, el at a
alarm clock despertador, el at all nada
all todo at home en casa
allow, to permitir; dejar at once en seguida
along por at: at the post en correos
alphabet alfabeto, el office
already ya attention cuidado
that’s all eso es todo atm cajero automático, el
almost casi attic el ático
alone solo attractive guapo; (object)
already ya bonito; (offer)
also también atractivo
although aunque aubergines berenjenas, las
always siempre august agosto
aunt tía, la
235
autumn otoño available disponible
automatic automático awful horrible
B
baby el niño, el bebé big grande
back la parte de atrás; bill la cuenta
(body) la espalda bin el contendor de
bachelor el soltero basura
backpack la mochila bird el pájaro
bad malo birth nacimiento, el
bag la bolsa birthday el cumpleaños
bake cocer al horno birthday el regalo de
bakery la panadería present cumpleaños
U
balcony el balcón biscuit la galleta
ball el balón; la pelota black negro
ballpoint pen el balígrafo blackboard pizarra
banana el plátano blank, gap hueco, el
band la banda blankets la manta
bandage la venda blind ciego
bank el banco blonde (adj) rubio
bank card la tarjeta de banco blood la sangre
banknote el billete de banco blood test el análisis de sangre
bar
barber
bargain
basement
basin (sink)
basketball
bath
bath, to have a
el bar
el sótano
el lavabo
el baloncesto
el baño
bañarse
O
la peluquería de
caballeros
la ganga
blouse
blue
boarding pass
boat
body
boiled
bone
book
la blusa
azul
la tarjeta de embarque
el barco; (small) la
barca
el cuerpo
hervido
el hueso
el libro
N
bathing suit el traje de baño bookshop la librería
bathroom el cuarto de baño boot la bota; (car) el
battery la batería; la pila maletero
beach la playa boring aburrido
beans las judías boss el/la jefe
bear oso/a (el, la) bottle la botella
beard la barba bottom el fondo; (part of
beautiful prescioso; guapo body) el trasero
IG
because porque bowl el cuenco

bed la cama box la caja
bed, to go to acostarse box office la taquilla
bedroom el dormitorio boy el chico
bedside lamp la lamparilla de noche boyfriend el novio
bedside table la mesilla de noche bracelet la pulsera
bedspread la colcha brake el freno; (verb) frenar
before (adverb) antes brave valiente
before antes de … bread el pan
(preposition) … break (in school recreo, el
beginning al principio day)
behind detrás (de) breakfast desayuno
bell la campana; el timbre bridge el puente
below debajo de briefcase la cartera
belt el cinturón brilliant fenomenal
beside al lado de brochure el folleto
better mejor broken roto
between entre brother el hermano
bicycle la bicicleta brown marrón; (hair)
236
castaño; (skin) business el negocio
moreno business card la tarjeta de visita
bucket el cubo bus station la estación de
builder el albañil autobuses
building el edificio busy ocupado
bull el toro but pero
bullfight la corrida de toros butter la mantequilla
bullfighter el torero button el botón
burglar el ladrón buy comprar
burn la quemadura; (verb)
quemar
bus el autobús
U
cabbage la col central heating la calefacción central
cable car el teleférico centre el centro
café el café certificate el certificado
cage la jaula chair la silla
cake (small) el pastel; (large) la change el cambio
tarta; (sponge cake) el character (in a personaje, el
bizcocho book)
cake shop la pastelería chat, to charlar
calculator
called, to be
camera
campfire
campsite
can (tin)
canal
candle
canoeing
llamarse
el camping
la lata
el canal
la vela
O
la calculadora
la cámara de fotos
la hoguera
Piragüismo, el
charger
cheap
check-in
check in (verb)
check-
out(supermarket)
cheers!
cheese
chemist
el cargador
barato
la factruación
facturar
la caja
¡salud!
el queso
la farmacia
N
canteen cantina, la cheque el cheque
cap (bottle) el tapón; (hat) la gorra chequebook el talonario de cheques
capital (city) capital, la cherry la cereza
car el coche chess el ajedrez
card la tarjeta chest el pecho
cardigan la rebeca chewing gum el chicle
cards cartas, las chicken el pollo
careful prudente; be carefull! - child el niño/la niña
IG
cuidado! children los niños

caretaker el portero chips las patatas fritas
car park el aparcamiento chocolate el chocolate
carpenter el carpintero choose, to elegir
carpet la alfombra christmas la navidad
carrot la zanahoria church la iglesia
carry, to llevar cigarette cigarrillo, el
cash el dinero; cobrar cinema el cine
(verb) city la ciudad
cashier el cajero city centre el centro
castle el castillo class la clase
cat el gato classroom el aula
catch coger clean (adj) limpio
cathedral la catedral cleaner la asistenta
catholic (adj) católico clear (obvious) evidente; (water) claro
cauliflower la coliflor clever listo
cave la cueva client el cliente
celebrate, to celebrar climate el clima
celebration fiesta, la clock el reloj
237
close (near) cerca; (verb) cerrar corner la esquina
close to junto correct correcto
closed cerrado correct, to corregir
clothes la ropa corridor el pasillo
cloud nube (la) cost costar
coat el abrigo cotton el algodón
cock gallo (el)/gallina (la) cough la tos; (verb) toser
cockroach la cucaracha country el país
coffee el café countryside el campo
coin la moneda couple la pareja
cold (illness) el resfriado course el curso
collection la colección cousin el/la primo/a
colour el colour cover, to tapar
come, to venir cow la vaca
company la compañía/ empresa cream la nata; (lotion) la
compare, to comparar crema
U
competition el concurso credit card la tarjeta de crédito
complete, to completar crisps las patatas fritas
complicated complicado cross, to cruzar
compulsary obligatario cry llorar; (shout) gritar
computer el ordenador cuestion la pregunta
computer games los vídeo-juegos cucumber el pepino
concert el concierto cup la taza
conditioner el acondicionador cupbroad el armario
conference
conference room
congratulations!
consulate
contract
conversation
cook
cool
el consulado
el contrato
O
la conferencia
la sala de conferencias
¡felicitaciones!
conversación, la
el/la cocinero/a
fresco
curly
currency
curry
curtain
cushion
customs
cycling
rizado/a
la moneda
el curry
la cortina
el cojín
la aduana
el ciclismo
N
D
dad papá deny negar
daily diario department el departemento
dairy products los productos lácteos department store los grandes
almacenes
dance el baile; (verb) bailar departure la salida
dangerous peligroso
IG
describe, to describir
dark oscuro description la descripción
date fecha designer el diseñador/ la
date of birth fecha de nacimiento diseñadora
daughter la hija desire desear
day el día despite a pesar de
day after pasado mañana desk la mesa de escritorio
tommorrow dessert el postre
dead muerto dial marcar
deaf sordo dialogue el diálogo
dear (person) querido diarrhoea la diarrea
diary la agenda
december diciembre dictionary el diccionario
decide, to decidir die morir
deep profundo diet la dieta
delayed retrasado different diferente
deliberately a propósito
delivery la entrega difficult difícil
dentist el/la dentista dine cenar
238
dining room el comedor double doble
double room la habitación doble
dinner la cena
dinner party le cena down hacia abajo
drawing dibujo
director el/la director/a
dream soñar
dirty sucio
dress el vestido
disabled minusválido
drink la bebida; (verb)
discover, to descubrir beber
discount el descuento drink, to have a tomar algo
dishwasher el lavavajillas
divide, to dividir drinking water agua potable
divorced divorciado
do, to hacer drive, to conducir
doctor el/la médico/a driving licence el carnet de conducir
document el documento
dry seco
U
dog el perro
doll la muñeca dry cleaner la tinotorería
dollar el dólar during durante
door la puerta dustbin el cubo de la basura
E
each (every)
ear
early
early evening
earrings
earn
earth
easily
east
easy
cada
temprano
la tarde
los pendientes
ganar
la tierra
fácilmente
este
fácil
O
el oído; (outer) la oreja
empty
end
engine
engineering
enjoy, to
enough
enroll, to
enter, to
entertaining
enterainment
vacío
el final
el motor
la ingeniería
disfrutar de
bastante
matricularse
entrar
divertido(a)
las diversiones
N
eat, to comer entrance la entrada
eat breakfast desayunar envelope el sobre
eat dinner, to cenar envious envidioso/a
eat lunch, to comer, almorzar eraser la goma de borrar
economic económico(a) escalator la escalera mecánica
egg el huevo especially sobra todo
egoist egoísta espresso el café solo
eight ocho estimate el presupuesto
IG
eighteen dieciocho evening la tarde

eighty ochenta event el acontecimiento
elbow el codo ever nunca, jamás
electrician el/la electricista every cada; (every day) todos
electricity la electricidad los días
eleven once everybody todo el mundo
electronic electrónico every day todos los días
elephant el elefante everyone todos
e-mail correo electrónico, everything todo
email la dirección de email everywhere por todas partes
address exactly exactamente
embarrassing embarazoso exam examen (el)
embassy la embajada example el ejemplo; (for example)
emergency la emergencia por ejemplo
emergency el servicio de urgencias excellent excelente
department except excepto
emergency la salida de emergencia excess exceso de quipaje
exit baggage
employee el empleado exchange, to cambiar
239
exchange el cambio exhibition la exposición
rate exit la salida
excursion la excursión explain, to explicar
executive el ejecutivo expensive caro
exercise el cuaderno export, to exportar
book eye el ojo
exercice el ejercicio eyebrow la ceja
F
Face la cara flavour el sabor
fail, to suspender flight el vuelo
fair la feria floor el suelo; (storey) el piso
false falso flour la harina
family la familia flower la flor
U
famous famoso flute la flauta
fan el ventilador; el anabico fly la mosca (insect); volar
fantastic fantástico (verb)
far lejos flyover el paso elevado
fare el billete, la tarifa fog la niebla
farm la granja folk music la música
farmer el granjero following siguiente
fashion la moda food la comida
fast
fat (adj)
father
favourite
february
feed, to
feel, to
festival
few
fifteen
rápido
gordo
el padre
febrero
O
favorito; preferido
alimentar, dar de comer

tocar
fiesta, la
pocos (as)
quinze
foot
football
for
for example
foreign
foreigner
forest
forget, to
fork
forty
el pie
el fútbol
para; por
por ejemplo
extranjero
el/la extranjero/a
el bosque
olvidar
el tenedor
cuarenta
N
fifth quinto (a) fountain pen la pluma
fifty cincuenta four cuatro
figures los números fourteen catorce
file, folder la carpeta fourth cuarto
fill in, to rellenar free libre; gratis
film la película free time el tiempo libre
filter el filtro freezer el congelador
find, to encontrar frequency la frecuencia
IG
finger el dedo friday viernes

finish, to terminar fridge el frigorífico
fire el fuego; el incendio fried frito
fire el extintor friend el/la amigo/a
extinguisher friendly simpático
fireworks los fuegos artificiales frightened asustado/a
firm la empresa from desde; de
first primero/a from time to de vez en cuando
first class de primera time
first floor el primer piso frozen helado
first name el nombre de pila frozen foods los congelados
fish el pez; (food) el pescado fruit la fruta
fishing la pesca; (to go fishing) ir fruit juice el zumo de frutas
a pescar fry freír
five cinco frying pan la sartén
fizzy water el agua con gas full lleno
flag la bandera fun divertido
flat (level) plano funny divertido
flat tyre la rueda pinchada furniture los muebles
240
G
game el juego to
game (match) partido, el go in, to entrar
games, sports deportes, los go out, to salir
garage el garaje; (for repairs) el go shopping, ir de tiendas, ir de
taller to compras
garden el jardín go to bed, to acostarse
garlic el ajo go up, to subir
gas el gas gold el oro
gate la puerta going to do ir a (+ infin.)
geography la geografía (simple
general general future)
generally en general golf el golf
generous generoso/a good bueno
U
genial genial good buenas tardes
get dressed, to vestirse afternoon
get undressed, quitarse la ropa goodbye adiós
to good evening buenas noches
get up, to levantarse good morning buenos días
get (fetch) traer government el gobierno
get on subirse granddaughter la nieta
get out bajarse grandfather el abuelo
get up levantarse grandmother la abuela
gift
ginger
giraffe
girl
give, to
glad
glass
glasses
el regalo
el jengibre
la jirafa
la chica
dar
alegre
O
el cristal; (for drinking) el
vaso
las gafas
grandparents
grandson
grapes
green
greetings
grey
grocer’s
ground floor
guarantee
los abuelos
el nieto
las uvas
verde
saludos
gris
la tienda de comestibles
la planta baja
la garantía; (verb)
N
gloves los guantes garantizar
glue el pegamento guide el/la guía
go, to ir guide book la guía turística
go away, to irse guided tour la visita con guía
go down, to bajar guitar la guitarra
go on holiday, ir de vacaciones
IG
H
hair el pelo head la cabeza
hairdresser’s la peluquería headache el dolor de cabeza
half medio headphones los auriculares
hall el vestíbulo healthy sano
hand la mano hear, to oír
handbag el bolso heart el corazón
hand luggage el equipaje de mano heat el calor
handshake el apretón de manos heating la calefacción
handsome guapo heavy pesado
happy feliz, alegre heel el tacón
hard duro; (difficult) difícil hello hola
hardly ever casi nunca help la ayuda; (verb) ayudar
hardworking trabajador/-a here aquí
hat el sombrero; el gorro high alto
have tener high school instituto (el)
have time, to tener tiempo hiking el senderismo
241
hill el monte hotel el hotel
hire, to alquilar hour la hora
history la historia house la casa
hitchhike hacer auto-stop housewife ama de casa
hobby el hobby household los productos del hogar
holiday el día festivo products
holidays las vacaciones how? ¿cómo?
home la casa; (at home) en casa however sin embargo
home work los deberes how many? ¿cuántos(as)?
honest sincero how much? ¿cúanto?
honey la miel how are you? ¿qué tal?
hope, to esperar hug el abrazo
horrible horrible hug, to abrazar
horse caballo (el) /yegua(la) hundred cien
horsemanship equitación (la) hunger hambre
hospital el hospital hurt doler
U
hot caliente husband el marido
I
ice el heilo ink la tinta
ice-cream el helado insect el insecto
if insurance
ill
image
immediately
important
impossible
in
included
incredible
indigestion
si
imagen, la
inmediatamente
importante
imposible
en
incluido
increíble
indigestión
O
malo(a), enfermo(a) insurance
company
intelligent
interesting
internet
interpret
interpreter
interview
interview, to
el seguro
la compañía de seguros
inteligente
interesante
el internet
interpretar
el/la intérprete
entrevista, la
entrevistar
N
inexpensive barato introduce, to presentar
infection la infección invitation la invitación
information la información invoice la facture
in front of en frente iron el hierro; (for cloths) la
in spite of a pesar de plancha; (verb) planchar
injection la inyección island la isla
injury la herida it lo/la
IG
J
jacket la chaqueta jog (v.) hacer footing
jam la mermelada joke la broma
january enero journey el viaje
jazz el jazz juice el zumo
jeans los tejanos, los vaqueros july julio
jersey el jersey june junio
jeweller’s la joyería just sólo
job (n.) el trabajo
242
K
keep, to guardar kill, to matar
key la llave kitchen la cocina
keyboard el teclado kiss beso; (verb) besar
kidney el riñón knee la rodilla
kilo el kilo knife el cuchillo
kilometer el kilómetro know, to saber; conocer
L
label la etiqueta lie la mentira
laces los cordones (de los lie, to mentir
U
zapatos) life la vida
lady la señora lift el ascensor
lake el lago light la luz; (weight) ligero;
lamb el cordero (not dark) claro
lamp la lámpara light bulb la bombilla
land la tierra; (verb) aterrizar lighter el encendedor
lanscape el paisaje line la cola
language el idioma lipstick la barra de labios
large grande lion león (el)/leona (la)
last
late
later
laugh, to
law
lawn
lawyer
lazy
leaf
último
tarde
más tarde
reír
el derecho
el césped
O
el abogado/ la abogada
perezoso
la hoja
list
listen, to
literature
litre
litter
little (small)
live, to
liver
lively
la lista
escuchar
la literatura
el litro
la basura
pequeño
vivir
el hígado
animado(a)
N
leaflet el folleto living room el cuarto de estar
learn, to aprender lobster la langosta
leather el cuero location localidad, la
leave, to dejar lollipop el chupa-chups
lecturer el profesor/la profesora long largo
(university) de universidad look after, to cuidar
left izquierda look at, to mirar
leg la pierna look for, to buscar
leisure el ocio lorry el camión
IG
lemon el limón lose, to perder

lemonade la limonada lot: a lot mucho
lenght la longitud loud alto
lens la lente love el amor; (verb) querer
less menos loving cariñoso/a
lesson la clase low bajo
letter la carta; (of alphabet) la luck (good) ¡suerte!
letra luggage el equipaje
letterbox el buzón lunch la comida
lettuce la lechuga luxurious lujoso(a)
library la biblioteca
licence el permiso
243
M
mad loco miss señorita
madam señora mixed mixto
magazine la revista mobile phone el teléfono móvil, el
mail el correo celular
main course el plato principal moment el momento
main road la calle principal monday lunes
maintenance mantenimiento, el money el dinero
make, to hacer monitor el monitor
make-up el maquillaje morning la mañana
man hombre (el) morning, early la madrugada
manager el/la gerente (dawn)
many muchos/ muchas month el mes
map el mapa monument el monumento
U
march marzo moon la luna
market el mercado more más
marmalade la mermela monkey el/la mono/a
married casado morning la mañana; (in the
marry, to casarse morning) por la
mass (church) la misa mañana
material (cloth) la tela most más
matter: it no importa most of all sobre todo
doesn’t matter mosquito el mosquito
mattress
may
maybe
meal
mean: what
does this
mean?
meat
mechanic
el colchón
mayo
quizás
la comida
O
¿qué significa esto?
la carne
el mecánico
mother
motorboat
motorcycle
motorway
mountain
mountain bike
mouse
moustache
mouth
la madre
la motora
la motocicleta
la autopista
la montaña
la bicicleta de montaña
el roton
el bigote
la boca
N
medicine la medicina move mover; (oneself)
mediterranean el mediterráneo moverse; (house)
medium-dry semi-seco mudarsa de casa
meet, to encontrar movie la película
meeting la reunión mr. señor
melon el melón mrs. señora
menu la carta; (set menú) el mug la jarrita
menú (del día) mum mama
message el recado, el mensaje muesum el museo
IG
metro station la estación de metro mushroom los champiñones, las

microwave el microondas setas
midday el mediodía music la música
middle: in the en el centro musical el instrumento musical
middle instrument
midnight medianoche musician el músico
milk la lecha music system el equipo de música
mineral mineral mussels los mejillones
mineral water el agua mineral must (to have tener que
ministry el ministerio to)
minus (-) menos mustard la mostaza
minute el minuto
mirror el espejo
mistake la equivocación
244
N
nail la uña night la noche
nail clippers el cortauñs nightclub la discoteca
nail polish el esmalte de uñas nine nueve
name el nombre nineteen diecinueve
napkin la servilleta ninety noventa
narrow estrecho no no
nationality la nacionalidad nobody nadie
nature la naturaleza noisy ruidoso
near (to) cerca (de) noon mediodía
nearly casi normally normalmente
necessary necesario north el norte
neck el cuello nose la nariz
nacklace el coller not at all de nada
U
needle la aguja nothing nada
neighbour el/la vecino/a notice-board el tablón
nephew el sobrino novel la novela
never nunca november noviembre
new nuevo now ahora
news las noticias nowadays hoy en día
newspaper el periódico nowhere en ninguna parte
next próximo, siguiente number el número
next year el año que viene number plate la matrícula
nice
nickname
niece
O
el apodo
la sobrina
O
bonito; (pleasant)
agradable
nurse
nut (fruit)
el enfermo/la enferma
la nuez
N
obtain, to obtener, conseguir open abierto; (verb) abrir
occasionally de vez en cuando opinión, in my en mi opinión
occupied ocupado opening times el horario de apertura
occupation la profesión operation la operación
october octubre operator la operadora
of de opposite enfrente de
of course desde luego; claro optician el/la oculista
office la oficina; (room) el or o
despacho orange la naranja; (colour)
IG
official oficial naranja

often a menudo orchestra la orquesta
oil el aceite order el pedido
ointment la pomada
ok vale origin origen, el
old viejo other el otro
olive la aceituna outside fuera
olive oil el aceite de oliva outskirts las afueras
olive tree el olivo oven el horno
omelette la tortilla over … encima de …;
on … en … overcoat el abrigo
once una vez overtake, to adelantar
one uno owe, to deber
onion la cebolla owner el dueño, la dueña
only solo
245
P
package el paquete phrase book el libro de frases
page la página piano piano
pain el dolor pickpocket el carterista
paint la pintura picnic el picnic
painter el pintor, la pintora picture el dibujo
painting el cuadro piece el pedazo
pair el par pig el/la cerdo/a
palace el palacio pillow la almohada
pale pálido pilot el piloto
paper el papel; (newspaper) el pine el pino
periódico pineapple la piña
parcel el paquete pink rosa
parents los pardes pizza la pizza
U
park el parque; (verb) aparcar place el lugar
party la fiesta; (political) el plane el avión
partido planet planeta
pass, to aprobar plant la planta
passeneger el pasajero plastic el plástico
passionate apasionado/a plastic bag la bolsa de plástico
passport el pasaporte plate el plato
password la contraseña platform el andén
pasta la pasta (train)
path
pavement
pay, to
payment
peach
peanuts
pear
pearl
peas
el camino
la acera
pagar
el pago
el melocotón
los cacahuetes
la pera
la perla
los guisantes
O play (theatre)
please
pleased to
meet you
plug
plumber
pocket
poetry
poison
la obra de teatro
por favor
encantado/encantada
el enchufe
el fontanero/la fontenera
el bolsillo
poesía (la)
el veneno
N
pedestrian el peatón police la polocía
pedestrain la zona peatonal police station la comisaría
zone polite educado/a
pen la pluma politics la política
pencil el lápiz pollution la contaminación
pencil el sacapuntas poor pobre
sharpener popular popular
pen pal el amigo/la amiga por pop music la música pop
correspondencia
IG
possible posible
people la gente post el correo; (verb) echar al
pepper la pimienta; (red,green) el correo
pimiento postbox el buzón
per cent por ciento postcard la postal
perfect perfecto postcode el código postal
perfume el perfume poster el póster
perhaps quizás postman el cartero
person la persona post office correos
petrol la gasolina potato la patata
petrol station la gasolinera prawns las gambas
pets la mascota prefer, to preferir
phone book la guía telefónica prepare, to preparar
phone booth la cabina telefónica present (adj.) presente
phonecard la tarjeta telefónica present (gift) regalo, el
photocopier la fotocopiadora prescription la receta
photograph la foto (grafía); (verb) pretty bonito; (quite) bastante
fotografiar price el precio
photographer el fotógrafo printer la impresora
246
private privado pupil el/la alumno/a
probably a lo mejor puncture el pinchazo
problem el problema purple morado
professor el catedrático purse la cartera, el monedero
profits los beneficios push, to empujar
programme programa, el put, to poner
prohibited prohibido put on, to ponerse
proud orgulloso/a pyjamas el pijama
public público
public el día de fiesta
holiday
U
quality la calidad quiet tranquilo; (person) callado
quarter el cuarto quite bastante; (fully)
question la pregunta completamente
quick rápido
R
rabbit
radio
radish
railway
rain
rain, to
rainy
raisins
raspberry
el conejo
la radio
el rábano
el ferrocarril
la lluvia
llover
lluvioso
las pasas
la frambuesa
O responsible
rest
restaurant
return
return ticket
revision
rice
responsable
el resto; (verb: relax)
descansar
el restaurante
volver; (give back)
devolver
el billete de ida y vuelta
el repaso
el arroz
N
rare raro rich rico
rat la rata right correcto; (not left)
razor blades las cuchillas de afeitar derecho
read, to leer right away en seguida; ahora mismo
ready listo ring (for el anillo
reason razón finger)
receive, to recibir ripe maduro
receipt el recibo river el río
reception la recepción road la carretera
IG
receptionist el/la recepcionista robbery el robo

red rojo rock (stone) la roca
red-haired pelirrojo romantic romántico/a
refreshments los refrescos roof el tejado
refrigerator el frigorífico room la habitacón
region la región room service el servicio de habitaciones
registered correo certificado rope la cuerda
post rose la rosa
relative el pariente round redondo
relax relajarse; (rest) descansar roundabout la rotonda
religion la religión rubber la goma
remain, to quedar rubbish la basura
rent, to alquilar rucksack la mochila
repair arreglar rug la alfombra
reservation la reserva rugby el rugby
reserved reservado/a run,to correr
residence domicilio, el
247
S
sad triste shirt la camisa
safe (not seguro shoelaces los cordones de los
dangerous) zapatos
salary el salario shoe polish la crema de zapatos
sale las rebajas shoes los zapatos
sales las ventas shoe shop la zapatería
salt la sal shop la tienda
sand la arena shopping la compra; (to go
sandals las sandalias shopping) ir de
sandwich el bocadillo compras
sardine la sardina short corto; (height) bajo
saturday sábado shorts los pantalones
sauce la salsa cortos
U
saucepan el cazo shoulder el hombro
saucer el platillo show el espectáculo
sauna la sauna show, to mostrar
say decir shower la ducha; (rain) el
scarf la bufanda; (head) el chaparrón
pañuelo shower gel el gel de ducha
school el colegio shy tímido/a
science las ciencias sightseeing el turismo
scissors las tijeras sign, to firmar
screen
sea
seafood
season
seat
seat belt
second
secretary
el mar
O
la pantalla
los mariscos
la estación
el asiento
el cinturón de
seguridad
el segundo
la secretaria
signature
silk
silver
simple
sing
singer
single
la firma
la seda
la plata; (color)
plateado
sencillo
cantar
el/la cantante
(only) único;
(unmarried)
N
see, to ver soltero/soltera
see you soon hasta luego single room la habitación
self-employed el/la autónomo/a individual
sell, to vender sink el fregadero
seminar el seminario sister la hermana
send, to mandar, enviar sit down, to sentarse
sentence la frase six seis
separate distinto sixteen dieciséis
sixty sesenta
IG
separated separado
september septiembre size el tamaño
serious serio skating el patinaje
seven siete ski, to esquiar
seventeen diecisiete skiing: to go ir a esquiar
seventy setenta skiing
several varios skirt la falda
sew, to coser sky el cielo
shark el tiburón sleep el sueño; (verb)
shave el afeitado; (to have dormir
a shave) afeitarse sleeping bag el saco de dormir
shaving foam la espuma de afeitar sleepy, to be tener sueño
shawl el chal sleeve la manga
sheep/ewe la oveja slippers las zapatillas
sheet la sábana; (of paper) slow lento
la hoja small pequeño
shell la concha smell el olor; (verb) oler
shellfish mariscos smile la sonrisa; (verb)
ship el barco sonreír
248
smoke el humo; (verb) steamed al vapor
fumar still todavía
snack la comida ligera stockings las medias
snow la nieve stomach el estómago
snow, to nevar stomach-ache el dolor de
soap el jabón estómago
sociable sociable stop (bus) la parada; (verb)
socks los calcetines parar
sofa el sofá storm la tormenta
soft blando story historia (la)
soft drink refresco (el) straight liso/a
soil la tierra strawberries las fresas
some algún, alguna; unos street la calle
somebody alguien string la cuerda
somehow de algún modo strong fuerte
something algo student el/la estudiante
U
sometimes a veces study, to estudiar
somewhere en alguna parte stupid estúpido
son el hijo subject la asignatura
soon pronto suburbs las afueras
song la canción success el éxito
sorry! ¡perdón! sugar el azúcar
soup la sopa suit el traje
south el sur suitcase la maleta
south-east
souvenir
speak, to
speed
spend, to
spinach
spoon
sport
sportsman
hablar
O
el sureste
el recuerdo
la velocidad
gastar(money),
pasar(time)
las espinacas
la cuchara
el deporte
el/la deportista
sun
sunbathe
sunday
sunglasses
sunny
sunshade
suntroke
supermarket
supplement
sure
el sol
tomar el sol
domingo
las gafas de sol
hace sol
la sombrilla
la insolación
el supermercado
el suplemento
seguro
N
square (in town) la plaza; (adj) surname el apellido
cuadrado sweat el sudor; (verb)
squid el calamar sudar
staircase la escalera sweater el jersey
stamp el sello sweet dulce
stapler la grapadora swim, to nadar
star la estrella swimming la natación
start el principio; (verb) swimming pool la piscina
IG
empezar switch off, to apagar

starters los entrantes switch on, to encender
statement la declaración syrup el jarabe
station la estación
stay at home, to quedarse en casa
statue la estatua
steal, to robar
T
table la mesa talk la charla; (verb) hablar
tablet la pastilla talkative hablador/-a
take, to tomar tall alto
take a walk, ir de paseo tap el grifo
to taxi el taxi
take a picture sacar fotos taxi-driver el/la taxista
take out, to sacar tea el té
249
teach, to enseñar tobacco el tabaco
teacher el profesor/ la profesora tobacconist el estanco
technician el técnico today hoy
telephone el teléfono; (verb) llamar together juntos
por teléfono toilet el baño;
television la televisión toilet paper el papel higiénico
tell a lie, to mentir tomato el tomate
temperature la temperatura; (fever) la tomato juice el zumo de tomate
fiebre tomorrow mañana
ten diez tongue la lengua
tennis el tenis tonight esta noche
tent la tienda (de campaña) too (also) también; (excessively)
terminal la terminal demasiado
terrace la terraza tooth el diente
test la prueba toothache el dolor de muelas
text el texto toothbrush el cepillo de dientes
U
textbook el libro de texto toothpaste la pasta dentífrica
than que top máximo
thank (verb) agradecer torch la linterna
that ese/esa, eso; tour la excursión
that one ése/ésa tourist el/la turista
the el/la; (plural) los/las tourist office la oficina de turismo
theatre el teatro towel la toalla
then entonces; (after) después tower la torre
there
thick
tidy
thief
thin
thing
think, to
third
thirsty
thirteen
allí
grueso
ordenado/a
el ladrón
delgado
cosa, la
pensar
tercero
tengo sed
trece
O town
town hall
toy
trade fair
track suit
tradition
traffic
traffic jam
traffic lights
el pueblo
el ayuntamiento
el juguete
la feria
el chandal
la tradición
el tráfico
el atasco
el semáforo
N
train el tren
thirty treinta translate, to traducir
this éste/ésta translator el/la traductor/a
thousand mil travel agency la agencia de viajes
throat la gargante tray la bandeja
through por tree el árbol
three tres trolley el carrito
translate, to traducir trousers el pantalón
travel, to viajar truck el camión
IG
travel agency la agencia de viajes true cierto

tree el árbol truth la verdad
trip el viaje try, to intentar
trousers los pantalones tuesday martes
thunderstorm la tormenta tunnel el túnel
thursday jueves turn tuerza (a la izquierda/ a la
ticket (train el billete; (theatre etc) la (left/right) derecha)
etc) entrada twelve doce
ticket office la taquilla twenty viente
tie la corbata; (verb) atar two dos
tight ajustado type el tipo
tights las medias typical típico
time tiempo typewriter la máquina de escribir
timid timido tyre el neumático
timetable el horario
tired cansado
tissues los pañuelos de papel
toast la tostada
249
U
ugly feo unmarried soltero(a)
umbrella el paraguas unripe verde
uncle el tío until hasta
under … debajo de … unusual poco común
underground el metro up arriba
(railway) upon encima (de)
underpants los calzoncillos urgent urgente
understand entender use el uso;(verb) usar
underwear la ropa interior useful útil
university la universidad usually en general
U
V
vaccination la vacuna video games los vídeo-juegos
vacuum la aspiradora view la vista
cleaner villa el chalet
valley el valle village el pueblo
vanilla
various
vase
vegetables
vegetarian
vehicle
verb
very
vest
la vainilla
vario; diverso
el jarrón
la verdura
vegetariano
el vehículo
verbo (el)
O
muy; very much mucho
la camieseta
vinegar
violet
violin
visit
visiting hours
visitor
vocabulary
voice
voicemail
el vinagre
violeta
el violín
la vista; visitar (verb)
las horas de visita
el/la visitante
el vocabulario
la voz
la mensajería de voz
N
vet el veterinario vollyball el vóleibol
video el vídeo
W
wait, to esperar wear, to llevar
waiter el camarero weather el tiempo
IG
waiting room la sala de espera website el sitio web

walk el paseo; (verb) andar wednesday miércolas
wall la pared; (outside) el muro week la semana
wallet la cartera week-end el fin de semana
want, to querer welcome ¡bienvenido! (adj.); (verb)
war la guerra dar la bievenida
wardrode el armario well bien
warm caliente; (weather) caluroso west el oeste
wash, to lavar wet mojado
washing machine la lavadora what? ¿qué?
washing powder el detergente wheel la rueda
washing-up liquid el lavavajillas when? ¿cuándo?
waste-paper la papelera where? ¿dónde?
watch el reloj; (verb) mirar where to? ¿adónde?
water el agua whether si
waterfall la cascada which? ¿cuál?
water heater el calentador while mientras
wave la ola white blanco
wavy ondulado white coffee el café con leche
250
who? ¿quién? wolf lobo/a (el, la)
why? ¿por qué? woman la mujer
wide ancho wood la madera
wife la mujer wool la lana
wind el viento word la palabra
window la ventana work el trabajo; (verb) trabajar
wine el vino world el mundo
winter invierno worse peor
with con wrist la muñeca
without sin write, to escribir
winter invierno, el writing paper el papel de escribir
witness el testigo wrong equivocado
X, Y, Z
U
x-ray department el sevicio de radiología yoghurt el yogur
year el año you’re welcome de nada
year (school) curso, el young joven
yellow amarillo youth hostel el albergue juvenil
yes sí zebra la cebra
yesterday ayer zip la cremallera
yet todavía; (not yet) todavía no zoo el zoo
O
N
IG
251

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BSL-001

School of Foreign Languages

Block 2 Familia y el entorno 65

Block 4 Mirada sobre el mundo hispano –I 177

Unit 13 El español en el mundo 179

Trancripts (audio tracks) 217

1.2 OBJETIVOS (OBJECTIVES)

• say basic greetings (both formal and informal);

1.3 SALUDOS (GREETINGS)

[Track 1] Listen to the greetings..

1.3.2 Letras y ejemplos (Letters and examples)

kilo Libro Mamá No Niño

R/RR (erre and doble erre)

When there is a double l (“elle”, in Spanish) it makes a different sound, similar to y

[Track 5] Listen to hear the previous words..

In many Spanish-speaking countries, however, the h is pronounced like the h

Strong sound Strong sound Strong sound Dieresis

[Track 7] Now listen to hear the following words:

C pronounced like C pronounced like

Hello, my name is Antonio Hello, my name is Ana María

Mira la solución al final de la unidad.

- Hola, ¿cómo te llamas?

1.5 Presentaciones formales (Formal introductions)

- José Ramón Sánchez. ¿Y

Usted is the formal “you” in Spanish. In Spain, it is used only in formal

Yo (I) _____ ___________

Complete the following dialogues using the words in the box.

tardes – usted – José — Encantado – Buenas – llamo — Me

1.6 DESPEDIDAS (SAYING GOODBYE)

Adiós (Good bye/ Bye) Hasta luego (See you later)

Hasta pronto (see you soon)

1.8 GLOSARIO (GLOSSARY)

1.9 SOLUCIONES (KEY SOLUTIONS)

1. José Martínez Gil 2. Ana García Mora

2.2 OBJETIVOS (OBJECTIVES)

2.3 PEDIR Y DAR INFORMACIÓN PERSONAL

Tú eres you are

Remember, in written Spanish two question marks are used to identify a

[Track 14] Read and listen how to introduce someone in an informal

Esta es __________. [This is ______(name of woman)] – Esta es Paula.

[Track 15] Read and listen how to introduce someone in a formal

Generally, Spanish pronunciation is plain pronunciation as the words that are

alemán – alemana –japonés – profesor

Correct way to greet someone

In Spain and Latin-America it is customary to greet females friends and family

2.3.1 Países y Nacionalidades (Countries and Nationalities)

To ask someone’s nationality or place of origin, we use the following sentence

 ¿De dónde eres tú? (Where are you from?)

 Yo soy de Madrid, soy español. (I am from Madrid, I am Spanish)

In the answer, the preposition de comes after the verb ser.

Perú (Peru) peruano/peruana

I’m Spaniard (man speaking).

[Track 17] Read and listen to the names of these occupations..

taxista taxi driver

Remember that when we describe someone’s occupation, we don’t use

¿Dónde trabajas? Trabajo en una oficina. /en una empresa.

¿Dónde trabaja usted? Trabajo en una universidad.

¿Trabaja su padre? Sí, mi padre trabaja en un instituto.

Before you proceed further, do the following activities.

In general, Spanish occupation nouns change according to the gender of

 ¿Quién es usted? (Who are you?)  Yo soy Carlos. (I am Carlos)

Let us now see some examples:

Play the part of Jorge in the following

Yo (I) _ _______

Esta es ____. [This is (name of woman)] – Esta es Paula.

d) señor i) amigas