Spanish-speaking cities: article use and 'ser' vs 'estar' | Spanish

Starter quiz

Complete the definition: A ______ is a word for a person, place or thing.
- 'noun' ✓
Match the Spanish to the English.
- la tienda
  
  ⇔
  
  the shop ✓
- la escuela
  
  ⇔
  
  the school ✓
- el parque
  
  ⇔
  
  the park ✓
- la montaña
  
  ⇔
  
  the mountain ✓
- la iglesia
  
  ⇔
  
  the church ✓
- el campo
  
  ⇔
  
  the countryside ✓
Complete the definition: An ______ is a word that describes a noun.
- 'adjective' ✓
Match the English to the Spanish.
- cheap
  
  ⇔
  
  barato ✓
- expensive
  
  ⇔
  
  caro ✓
- big
  
  ⇔
  
  grande ✓
- small
  
  ⇔
  
  pequeño ✓
- boring
  
  ⇔
  
  aburrido ✓
- good
  
  ⇔
  
  bueno ✓
Which statements about adjectives in Spanish are correct?
- Adjectives are placed after the noun. ✓
- Feminine adjectives usually end in -o.
- Masculine adjectives usually end in -a.
- If an adjective ends in a consonant or 'e', it doesn't change for gender. ✓
- Adjectives have plural forms. ✓
Match the Spanish to the English.
- por la mañana
  
  ⇔
  
  in the morning ✓
- por la tarde
  
  ⇔
  
  in the afternoon, evening ✓
- por la noche
  
  ⇔
  
  at night ✓
- siempre
  
  ⇔
  
  always ✓
- a veces
  
  ⇔
  
  sometimes ✓
- nunca
  
  ⇔
  
  never ✓

Exit quiz

Complete the statement: 'In Latin America, the Canary Island and parts of Spain, the sounds [ci] and [si] ...
- are pronounced differently
- are pronounced the same ✓
- can be pronounced either the same or differently
Which words are adjectives?
- bueno ✓
- caras ✓
- fuera
- plaza
- baratos ✓
Which words are adverbs?
- fuera ✓
- son
- están
- cerca ✓
- por la noche ✓
Match the indefinite article with the correct noun.
- un
  
  ⇔
  
  banco ✓
- una
  
  ⇔
  
  estación ✓
- unos
  
  ⇔
  
  edificios ✓
- unas
  
  ⇔
  
  tiendas ✓
Write the correct definite article. 'En Buenos Aires hay unos restaurantes. ______ restaurantes son muy buenos.'
- 'Los' ✓
Translate into Spanish: 'The cities are far.'
- 'Las ciudades están lejos.' ✓

Worksheet

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Lesson Details

Key learning points

In the Canary Islands, Latin America and parts of Spain, the sounds [ci] and [si] are pronounced the same.
The definite articles 'el', 'la', 'los' and 'las' translate as 'the' in English.
The indefinite articles 'un', 'una', 'unos' and 'unas' translate as 'a/an' and 'some' in English.
There are two ways to say 'they are': 'están' for location and temporary state/mood, and 'son' for permanent traits.

Common misconception

In Spanish, like in English, there is only one 'the' and that is 'el'.

In Spanish, there are four words for 'the' - 'el' that accompanies singular and masculine nouns; 'la' for singular and feminine nouns, 'los' for plural and masculine nouns, and 'las' for plural and feminine nouns.

Keywords

Indefinite articles - the words 'un', 'una', 'unos' and 'unas', meaning 'a/an' and 'some'
Definite articles - the words 'el', 'la', 'los' and 'las', meaning 'the'
Son - part of the verb 'ser' that means they are used to talk about permanent traits
Están - part of the verb 'estar' that means they are used to talk about location, temporary states and mood