Azul Homework Class 1

Lesson 1: Regular Verbs of the Second Conjugation (-ER)

This is the second biggest group of verbs in Spanish. These verbs are conjugated like this:
1. Take off the -er at the end.
2. Stick on the ending that is appropriate for the subject of the verb:
-o   -emos
-es
-e       -en

So with, for example, the verb COMER, what you get looks like this:
yo como  nosotros comemos
tú comes
él/ella/usted come      ellos/ellas/ustedes comen

Lesson 2: Regular Verbs of the Third Conjugation (-IR)

This is the third biggest group of verbs in Spanish. These verbs are conjugated like this:
1. Take off the -ir at the end.
2. Stick on the ending that is appropriate for the subject of the verb:
-o  -imos
-es
-e  -en
NOTE that the only difference between these endings and those of the second conjugation is the letter "i" in the second person plural.

So with, for example, the verb VIVIR, what you get looks like this:
vivo  vivimos
vives
vive  viven

Assignments
1.  Conjugate the following verbs orally and memorize their conjugation to the point where you can do it with your eyes closed.
-ER   -IR
comer   escribir
beber   abrir
aprender  cubrir
leer   recibir
meter   vivir

2. Write two unique sentences with each verb. Use the subjects below.
Subjects  -ER   -IR
yo, tú   comer   escribir
tú, 3S   beber   abrir
3S, nosotros  aprender  cubrir
nosotros, 3P  leer   recibir
3P, yo   meter   vivir

Examples:
Yo como tacos en la mañana.
Tú comes burritos en la tarde.

What "3S" means is third person singular (he, she, it), but I don’t want you to use pronouns in this case. Be more specific. Instead of "él" use "Ramón," for example, or, better yet use a nonperson like, "el caballo." "3P" means third person plural (they), but, again, don't use pronouns.

3. On a separate sheet of paper, copy the sentences with the -ER verbs, but leave a blank where the subject should be. In class, another student will put fill in the blanks.
Examples:
____ como tacos en la mañana.
____ comes burritos en la tarde.

4. On yet another sheet of paper, copy the sentences with the -IR verbs, but leave the verb in the infinitive form in parentheses and put a blank next to it. In class, another student will put fill in the blanks.
Examples:
Yo (escribir) ___________ cartas a mi abuela.
Tú (escribir) ___________ novelas de suspenso.

 

Azul Homework Class 2
Lesson 1: SER
SER is used to express something’s IDENTITY.
(SER means "to be" in the sense of EXISTING and being identified as
something.)
USES of SER
1. Identifying something as a noun.
Esto es un libro.
2. Characteristics
El gato es negro.
3. Profession
Ramón es doctor.
4. Religion
Nosotros somos budistas.
5. Ideology
Ellos son socialistas.
6. Nationality
Tú eres italiano.
7. Geographic origin
Soy de Wenatchee.
8. Material origin
La silla es de metal.
9. When telling time.
¿Qué hora es? Son las ocho.

Lesson 2: ESTAR
ESTAR is used to express something’s CONDITION or LOCATION.
(ESTAR means "to be" in the sense of being in a particular STATE.) 1.
1. Physical condition
Estoy enfermo.
2. Mental condition
Ramón está contento.
3. Emotional condition
Nosotros estamos tristes.
4. Location
¿Dónde está Waldo? Waldo está en Puyallup.
5. Temperature of things
La sopa está fría.

Some comparisons of SER & ESTAR
¿Cómo está Roberto?
(This means "How is Roberto?" How is his mental/emotional/physical
condition.)
¿Cómo es Roberto?
(This means "What is Roberto like?" It requests a description of his
identity and characteristics.)

La casa es bonita.
(This means "The house is pretty." a characteristic)
La casa está bonita.
(This means "The house looks pretty." It has been dolled up, adorned with
Christmas lights or something. a condition)

Simón está aburrido.
("Simón is bored." a condition)
Simón es aburrido.
("Simón is boring." a charactersitic)

ASSIGNMENT
Write one original example of your own for each use of each verb for a total of 14 sentences.

 

Azul Homework Class 3
Lesson: The Present Progressive Tense

The Present Progressivie is yet another use of ESTAR and is used to express an action that is actually in
process. It a compound tense in which ESTAR serves as an auxiliary verb to another verb in its present
participle (or gerund) form.
Examples:
El profesor está explicando. (The professor is explaining.)
Los estudiantes están escribiendo. (The students are writing.)

Note that ESTAR is conjugated as you’d expected based on the subject.

Also note the endings of the present participles:
-ANDO (as in “explicando”) is used with -AR verbs.
-IENDO (as in “escribiendo”) is used with -ER and -IR verbs.

(There are some verbs with irregular present participles: the verb IR itself—its present participle is
YENDO—and those that end in -EER and -UIR. Their present participles end in -YENDO, as in
“leyendo.”)

Assignment
Write a one-page, double-spaced narrative about a room in your house. Choose a few objects there and
answer these questions:
-Where are things in relation to each other?
-Where are they from?
-What do they look like?
-In what condition are they?
-AND What is happening in the moment that you write?

Use SER and ESTAR based on the assignment from class 4. In addition, endeavor to use the PRESENT
PROGRESSIVE.

Example:
En la cocina, la lavadora de platos está a la derecha del horno. Es de Tacoma y es blanca. Es usada pero
está como nueva. El gato está comiendo su comida a la izquierda de la refrigeradora.
(In the kitchen, the dishwasher is to the right of the oven. It’s from Tacoma and it’s white. It’s used but it’s
like new. The cat is eating its food to the left of the refrigerator.)

 

Azul Homework Class 4
Repeat the exercise for week 3, but go somewhere else. Go outside, go to a park, a coffee shop, a dentist's
office. Answer the same questions.

 

Azul Homework Class 5

Lesson: QUERER, VENIR, DECIR, OÍR

These are four very important and useful irregular verbs.

They are irregular BOTH because the first person singular form (yo) does not follow the regular pattern of just dropping the infinitive ending and adding "o" AND because there is a vowel change (or addition) in the root.

QUERER - to want
quiero              queremos
quieres
quiere              quieren

VENIR - to come
vengo              venimos
viene
viene               viene

DECIR - to say or tell
digo                decimos
dices
dice                 dicen

OÍR - to hear or listen
oigo                oímos
oyes
oye                  oyen

Assignment 1
Write out the conjugation for these verbs over and over, just like I did above, until you can do it from memory without looking at another piece of paper on which they are already written.

Assignment 2
Practice the conjugations orally until you can recite them without looking.

Assignment 3
Write one original sentence using each form of each verb (20 original sentences). Use a dictionary of course and be creative. But keep them simple: don’t use words that you’ll have difficulty explaining to a partner without using English.

 

Azul Homework Class 6

Lesson: PODER - to be able to/can

This is a very useful verb that is almost always accompanied by another verb in the infinitive.

It’s conjugated like this:
puedo 		podemos
puedes
puede              pueden

Examples of the verb in use:
Los pájaros pueden volar. (Birds can fly.)
Los pájaros no pueden escribir. (Birds can’t write.)

Note that VOLAR and ESCRIBIR are infinitives. (Infinitives are the base form of the verb. They’re the principal form you find in the

dictionary and they always end in R.) VOLAR means TO FLY. ESCRIBIR means TO WRITE.

Assignment 1
Write 5 pairs of sentences using PODER.
-Each pair will use ONE form of PODER (one of the 5 forms above) and ONE subject (5 subjects over all).
-One sentence in each pair should be positive and the other negative, as in the examples above.

Assignment 2
Draw up a personal, nonfictional family tree that goes as far back as your grandparents and as far forward as your grandkids.

Label each person with his or her name and relationship to you.




 
Azul Homework Class 7
Assignment 1

Write a story, double-spaced, of a page in length, about your extended
family. Make an effort to use:

-the vocabulary on page 4 of the unit

-the verbs PODER, VENIR, OÍR, QUERER, DECIR
(What can your uncle do? When do your cousins come? What did you hear
your grandfather say? Stuff like that.)
Assignment 2

Bring family photos to share and talk about in class. Ideally, fewer
photos with more people in them.

Questions?

info[at]lenguarica.org

Last updated 31 December 2008