Spanish I Course Resources

Ideas for Mastering Spanish Conjugations are listed below.

Lesson 7 Heads-up

Hobbies – pg. 113

Colors and clothing – pg. 116

Weather – pg. 118

Food and utensils – pg. 119

Food and health – pg. 121

Your room – pg. 123

At home – pg. 126

Writing activity: What do you eat every day?, What do you wear every day?, What do you do every day? – pgs. 131-133

Por vs. para – not in the book

Phrases for travel – requested by students

Parts of the body – requested by students

IDEAS FOR MASTERING SPANISH CONJUGATIONS

1. Create Lots of Conjugation Charts

Don’t underestimate the value of good old grammar charts. Make separate charts for example for present tense conjugation, or -ar verb conjugation, and use bright colors to highlight the verb endings. Hang the charts in a visible place or paste them in your agenda. Make digital charts and use them as a computer wallpaper. 

2. Write Short Paragraphs with All the Conjugation Forms

Create a short but easy to remember paragraph to practice—for example—all forms of -ar verb conjugation. It might look like this: Yo te amo a ti. Tú amas a Ana y Ana ama a Juan. Todos nosotros amamos chocolate pero ustedes aman chocolate blanco y ellos aman chocolate negro. (I love you. You love Ana and Ana loves Juan. We all love chocolate, but you love white chocolate and they love black chocolate.) Write it down, use different colors to make it visually memorable, and memorize the sentence. Come back to it if you need to remember specific conjugation endings.

3. Record Yourself Conjugating Verbs

A fun way to memorize Spanish verbs is to record yourself conjugating the verbs and play it back to listen to. This is a great strategy for auditory learners. 

4. Write Your Own Conjugation Song

You don’t have to be a professional songwriter to create a short song that will help you remember Spanish conjugations. Simply add a well-known melody to the conjugation and chant it. I like to sing Yo amo, tú amas, ella ama, nosotros amamos sí sí sí to the tune of We don’t talk about Bruno. The sillier the better! Don’t worry if the melody doesn’t match the words perfectly and you need to change the rhythm. SImply working on it will help you remember.

5. Practice Conjugation with a Fluent Spanish Speaker

Find yourself a Spanish-speaking partner and tell them you want to practice conjugation, for example, in the preterite tense. This person can ask you questions about what you did the day before, guide you, and correct your mistakes.

6. Read Plenty of Spanish Books

Reading Spanish books helps you on many levels, but it also shows you conjugated verbs in context. Simply by reading, you’re practicing Spanish verbs. Choose a random page and underline all verbs in their different conjugations.

7. Watch Spanish Movies and Series

Another great way to see Spanish conjugation in context is by watching Spanish movies and shows. Simply watch the movie and watch for the verbs in the subtitles. Write down phrases you like and say them out loud to practice your pronunciation. Or just sit, watch, listen carefully, and enjoy.

8. Listen to Native Spanish

It’s satisfying when, after learning Spanish conjugation, you’re able to understand who’s speaking to whom and about what. Listen to Spanish podcasts or audiobooks while driving or jogging and learn Spanish conjugation in context. 

9. Get a Quality Conjugation Book

I know that reference books in the era of the internet are not the most popular language resource, but I find high-quality conjugation books helpful. One popular option, rated 4.8 out of 5, is: Barron’s 501 Spanish Verbs….

Here’s a review that may help you understand how useful these books can be:

“A must-have. I’ve had earlier editions of this book and loved them too. As the authors say, ‘we encourage you to use this book not only as a reference, but as a learning tool to help you gain better fluency.’ There are so many extra features, it would be ridiculous to list them all, but as some examples…

• Each tense is explained.

• Selected words appear in a contrasting color for clarity and speed.

• List of common irregular present and past particles.

• 501 verbs not enough for you? There’s an extensive list of over 2,300 verbs that are conjugated exactly like the 501 “modal” verbs.

• List of the most important 55 verbs.

• More help online.”

10. Drill Spanish Conjugation Into Your Head With Quizzes

The more you practice, the easier it is to remember Spanish verbs. 

11. Download Your Favorite Conjugation Apps

If gaming is your life, a conjugation app is what you’re looking for. Conjugation apps are good for inspiring enthusiasm on the go. Apps such as Conjugato are usually available both for Android and iOs devices. They can help you practice and memorize Spanish verbs whenever you have a free minute.

Daily Immersion in the Language: Ideas to Try

• Update your glossaries to increase your vocabulary.

• Listening and/or Speaking Practice:

  • Watch videos or movies with Spanish captions.

  • Try to find someone with whom you may practice speaking basic Spanish.

  • Read aloud Spanish texts and try to pick out nouns, verbs, and any cognates.

  • Listen to podcasts recorded in Spanish.

• Try writing post-it notes with Spanish words for various items around the house and place the notes on each item.

Answers to Questions that arose during Lesson 2

Do animals have genders in the Spanish language?

Generally, the masculine form can be thought of as the default name for the type of species. Thus if you don't know whether a cat is male or female, it's fine to refer to it as el gato. But a cat known to be female can be referred to as la gata.

Only for some animals does a masculine noun refer to the male and a feminine noun to refer to the female. Spanish speakers tend to use the masculine noun to refer to the animal without the sex distinction: el conejo [rabbit], el tigre [tiger], el caballo [horse]. To identify these animals as female, for example, a rabbit could be spoken as either la coneja or conejo hembra (female). Although "caballa" is etymologically the feminine form of "caballo," its meaning is not related to the female horse, which is called yegua (from Latin equa).

Are pesos used for monetary exchange in all Spanish-speaking countries?

In 2018, there were eight countries using the peso, almost all of which are in the Americas: Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Uruguay. However, each country has its own version of the peso. Argentine pesos, for example, have a different appearance and value than Mexican, Cuban, or Chilean pesos.