Verbs in the Present
Indicative Tense
Lesson Plan
Video: 15 minutes
Lesson: 35 minutes
Pre-viewing
• :00 Warm-up: Review conjugations for ser and estar.
2 minutes
• :02 Pre-test: Write the complete present indicative tense conjugations of ser and estar on the board. Write a few sample
regular verb forms, such as cantas, bebemos, and vivo. Ask the students to find the similar endings between the ser and
estar forms and the sample regular verbs. Have the students guess which pronouns match the sample regular verbs.
Go over the learning objectives.
4 minutes
Viewing
• :06 Playing Video: Hand out Viewing Guide. Go over viewing questions and expectations. Tell the students to pay
attention to the program and answer the viewing questions while watching. Don’t hesitate to stop the program and
review if the students seem confused.
15 minutes
Post-viewing
• :21 Question & Answer Session: Ask the class for the answers to the viewing questions. See if any parts of the program
were difficult or confusing for the students. Ask a few questions to check their understanding of the key topics.
5 minutes
Sample Questions
1. How do you translate “I live” into Spanish?
2. Which verb form is the same for –ar, -er, and –ir verbs?
3. What are the conjugated verb forms for beber?
Handouts
• :26 Practicing Material: Hand out the Worksheet and give the class 6-8 minutes to complete it. Students are allowed to
use their Viewing Guides. Monitor the students’ progress, helping where needed. Go over Worksheet as a class.
10 minutes
• :36 Applying Material: Hand out the Activity. Break up the class into small groups and go over the instructions.
Alternatively, this can be done as a class exercise, although the students’ speaking time will drop substantially.
10 minutes
• :46 Wrap-up: Briefly sum up what has been covered in class, using the students to do the summary. Refer back to the
questions from Pre-testing and show that they now can easily answer the questions. Assign any homework.
4 minutes
Viewing Questions Answer Key
1. What do present tense verbs indicate? action going on right now!
2. How would you say in Spanish, “Are you all listening?” ¿Ustedes escuchan?
3. What’s the only verb form difference between –er verbs and –ir verbs? nosotros/as: -emos vs. -imos
Verbs in the Present
Indicative Tense
Teacher’s Reference Guide
Video: 15 minutes
Lesson: 35 minutes
Learning Objectives
At the end of the module, students will be able to:
• define, pronounce and correctly spell all vocabulary words
• classify regular verbs into the three groups (-ar, -er, -ir), based on their endings
• conjugate –ar, -er, and –ir verbs
• recognize the subject from the conjugated verb
Materials
• Video: vocabulary, -ar verbs, -er verbs, -ir verbs; 15 minutes long
• Viewing Guide: vocabulary, verb charts, verb reminders; 3 Viewing Questions
• Worksheet: conjugation practice, pronoun selection, translation
• Activity Sheet: conjugation practice, question-making activity
• Check Your Knowledge: conjugation exercises, pronoun matching, making questions; 50 points
Background
Students should know how to conjugate ser and estar in the present indicative tense.
Preparation
Have dice ready for the Activity. Alternatively, have numbers written on small pieces of paper that students can pick out
of a hat.
Extension:
Have the students create a schedule of their before-school and after-school activities, using dictionaries to help them
with vocabulary and verbs. Have students present class reports describing their day.
Verbs in the Present
Indicative Tense
Viewing Guide
VOCABULARY
Verbs are conjugated by
dropping the infinitive ending
(-ar, -er, ir) from the stem of the
verb and adding the appropriate
ending to match the subject.
a través de – through
la ardilla – squirrel
la ducha – shower
el edificio – building
grande – big
el granero – barn
el lago – lake
la lectura – lecture
la lluvia – rain
el pantalón – pants
la pared – wall
todo – all; everything
el trabajo – work
el tren – train
beber – to drink
cantar – to sing
comer – to eat
escuchar – to hear; to listen to
gruñir – to grumble
vivir – to live
REGULAR VERB CHARTS
yo
tú
usted, él, ella
nosotros/as
ustedes, ellos/as
-ar verbs
-o
-as
-a
-amos
-an
-er verbs
-o
-es
-e
-emos
-en
-ir verbs
-o
-es
-e
-imos
-en
Examples!
yo
tú
usted, él, ella
nosotros/as
ustedes, ellos/as
cantar
canto
cantas
canta
cantamos
cantan
comer
como
comes
come
comemos
comen
viver
vivo
vives
vive
vivimos
viven
VERB REMINDERS
• Because you can usually tell the subject just from the conjugated verb, Spanish speakers often drop the pronoun
when they speak.
Yo canto todo.
Canto todo.
• Unlike English, you don’t need to add helping verbs to ask a question. It’s the same grammatical construction as a
statement.
¿Escuchas el tren?
Sí, escucho el tren.
• To make a sentence negative, just add no.
¿Escuchas el tren?
Viewing Questions
1. What do present tense verbs indicate?
2. How would you say in Spanish, “Are you all listening?”
3. What’s the only verb form difference between -er verbs and -ir verbs?
No. No escucho el tren.
Verbs in the Present
Indicative Tense
Worksheet
A. A Spoonful of Conjugation Helps the Education Go Down
Using the pronoun and the correct form of the verb, write out the completed phrase in the blank.
1. yo
+
beber
2. nosotros
+
vivir
3. él
+
comer
4. ustedes
+
escuchar
5. ellos
+
cantar
6. tú
+
gruñir
B. Conjugate Away!
Conjugate these 3 new verbs.
pagar (to pay)
yo
tú
usted, él, ella
nosotros/as
ustedes, ellos/as
C. What’s the Pronoun?
Decide what the pronoun(s) should be, based on the verb form.
1. vivo
2. gruñimos
3. cantan
4. come
5. escuchas
D. The Translation Express
Translate these sentences into English.
1. ¿Usted canta en la clase?
2. Él escucha a través de la pared.
3. Ella come edificios.
4. Vivimos en un lago.
5. Ellos beben en la ducha.
correr (to run)
recibir (to receive)
Verbs in the Present
Indicative Tense
Worksheet
Answer Key
A. A Spoonful of Conjugation Helps the Education Go Down
Using the pronoun and the correct form of the verb, write out the completed phrase in the blank.
1. yo
+
beber
yo bebo
2. nosotros
+
vivir
nosotras vivimos
3. él
+
comer
él come
4. ustedes
+
escuchar
ustedes escuchan
5. ellos
+
cantar
ellos cantan
6. tú
+
gruñir
tú gruñes
B. Conjugate Away!
Conjugate these 3 new verbs.
pagar (to pay)
correr (to run)
recibir (to receive)
yo
pago
corro
recibo
tú
pagas
corres
recibes
usted, él, ella
paga
corre
recibe
nosotros/as
pagamos
corremos
recibimos
ustedes, ellos/as
pagan
corren
reciben
C. What’s the Pronoun?
Decide what the pronoun(s) should be, based on the verb form.
1. vivo
yo
2. gruñimos
nosotros/as
3. cantan
ustedes, ellos, ellas
4. come
usted, él, ella
5. escuchas
tú
D. The Translation Express
Translate these sentences into English.
1. ¿Usted canta en la clase?
Do you sing in class?
2. Él escucha a través de la pared.
He listens through the wall.
3. Ella come edificios.
She eats buildings.
4. Vivimos en un lago.
We live in/on a lake.
5. Ellos beben en la ducha.
They drink in the shower.
Verbs in the Present
Indicative Tense
Activity
Roll the Die
Have a bunch of dice ready. Split into small groups for this activity. Each group gets one die. One person picks a verb. The person to
their right rolls a die, looks at the chart below, and conjugates the verb accordingly. If successful, they pass the die to their right and
pick a verb for the next person. If they conjugate the verb incorrectly, they must continue rolling until they are successful. The group
is finished when each person has gone twice.
DIE ROLL:
yo
tú
usted, él, ella
nosotros/nosotras
ustedes, ellos, ellas
make a sentence with yo
Example: Person A chooses comer. Person B rolls a 3 and says, “Usted come.” Person B chooses vivir. Person C rolls a 6
and says, “Yo vivo en Los Angeles.”
Verbs in the Present
Indicative Tense
Check Your Knowledge
Total Score
/ 50
A. Verbs
Translate the 6 verbs below into English and write the infinitive in the first blank. In the second blank, conjugate the verb.
(2 points for each blank)
Example: pagar
to pay
ellos
pagan
1. beber
yo
2. cantar
nosotras
3. comer
ustedes
4. escuchar
ella
5. gruñir
tú
6. vivir
usted
B. Scholarly Verbs
Below are 3 new, but regular, verbs. Conjugate them. (1 point for each blank)
estudiar (to study)
leer (to read)
escribir (to write)
1. yo
yo
yo
2. tú
tú
tú
3. Ud., él, ella
Ud., él, ella
Ud., él, ella
4. nosotros/as
nosotros/as
nosotros/as
5. Uds., ellos/as
Uds., ellos/as
Uds., ellos/as
C. Who Are You Talking About?
Match the sentences on the left with their subjects on the right. Don’t worry about all those vocabulary words you don’t know!
Just pay attention to the forms of the verb. (2 points each)
1.
¿Qué haces?
A. you
2.
Viajan al trabajo todos los días.
B. while you’re talking to your boss
3.
Estudiamos las estrellas.
C. while you’re talking to your brother
4.
Necesito vacaciones.
D. three women on the train
5.
¿Comprende mi propuesta?
E. you and your neighbor
D. One Final Question
(1 point)
What do present tense verbs indicate?
Verbs in the Present
Indicative Tense
Check Your Knowledge
Answer Key
Total Score
A. Verbs
/ 50
Translate the 6 verbs below into English and write the infinitive in the first blank. In the second blank, conjugate the verb.
(2 points for each blank)
Example: pagar
to pay
ellos
pagan
1. beber
to drink
yo
bebo
2. cantar
to sing
nosotras
cantamos
3. comer
to eat
ustedes
comen
4. escuchar
to hear
ella
escucha
5. gruñir
to grumble
tú
gruñes
6. vivir
to live
usted
vive
B. Scholarly Verbs
Below are 3 new, but regular, verbs. Conjugate them. (1 point for each blank)
estudiar (to study)
leer (to read)
escribir (to write)
1. yo
estudio
yo
leo
yo
escribo
2. tú
estudias
tú
lees
tú
escribes
3. Ud., él, ella
estudia
Ud., él, ella
lee
Ud., él, ella
escribe
4. nosotros/as
estudiamos
nosotros/as
leemos
nosotros/as
escribimos
5. Uds., ellos/as
estudian
Uds., ellos/as
leen
Uds., ellos/as escriben
C. Who Are You Talking About?
Match the sentences on the left with their subjects on the right. Don’t worry about all those vocabulary words you don’t know!
Just pay attention to the forms of the verb. (2 points each)
1. B
¿Qué haces?
A. you
2. D
Viajan al trabajo todos los días.
B. while you’re talking to your boss
3. E
Estudiamos las estrellas.
C. while you’re talking to your brother
4. A
Necesito vacaciones.
D. three women on the train
5. C
¿Comprende mi propuesta?
E. you and your neighbor
D. One Final Question
(1 point)
What do present tense verbs indicate? Action going on right now