Session 1 - Introduction and Spanish Basics
Objective
To introduce concepts in Spanish that will not be familiar to an English speaker
including:
• Feminine and masculine words
• Formal and informal Spanish
• “Spanglish” and Cognates
To enable students to put together simple phrases and questions.
Topics
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Introductions: yourself / your students
Masculine & Feminine Words
Formal & Informal Spanish
Small words in Spanish
Spanglish & Cognates
Alphabet, pronunciation, spelling words
Materials
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A sign saying “Bienvenidos”
A sign with your first and last name
White paper: ask them to fold it in 3 so they can place it on the table. Ask them to
write their name with a marker in big letters (first name on one side, last name on the
second side and the state where they were born)
Give each student a “pen that only writes in Spanish” - teach them to say: pluma,
una pluma, la pluma de mi amigo, mi pluma , tu pluma, su pluma
Give each student their book - teach them to say: libro, un libro, el libro, el libro de mi
amigo, el libro del estudiante, el libro de la profesora, mi libro, tu libro, su libro
Give your students Mexican chewing gum - the brand Chiclet’s or Canels
Materials supporting the vocabulary - for example :
a bottle of beer (Corona) / a can of beer (Tecate) - la cerveza
a cigarette - el cigarro
a bottle of tequila - el tequila
5-6 white books
5-6 white pens
Techniques
Introductions - Yourself/ your students
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Introduce yourself first by saying: Mi nombre es …. by holding a piece of paper with
your name. Have the rest of the group introduce themselves in the same way.
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Have each student introduce his/her friend next to them by saying: mi amigo es …/
mi amiga es….
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Have them introduce you by saying: Mi profesor/ profesora de Español es …
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Masculine and Feminine Words
Step # 1
Present the words in the following sequence : Feminine, Masculine, Plural
(and remember to use hand gestures as you speak, encourage students to use their
hands to communicate). As an easy rule, tell them that in general:
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Feminine words end in “a”
for example: cerveza, casa, pistola, etc.
Masculine words end in “o”
for example: teléfono, cigarro, carro, etc.
The plural adds an “s”
for example: niños, cervezas, etc.
It’s very important to have them repeat the words after you and use hand gestures as
they speak.
Step # 2
Teach them to say basic words and link them with other basic grammar concepts without
giving them Grammar explanations or rules. This is because you’re teaching Spanish to
your students using the same approach when they learned English.
Divide your table in 6 sections and display:
• one single white pen, 2 white pens, several white pens
• one single white book, 2 white books, a pile of white books
Start with the Feminine - point to an object or hold the object and have them repeat after
you. Then follow with the Masculine - point to an object or hold the object and have them
repeat. Alternate Feminine and Masculine - point first to the feminine; then point to the
masculine
Feminine
Pluma
Una pluma
Dos plumas
Muchas plumas
La pluma es blanca
Las plumas son blancas
Masculine
Libro
Un libro
Dos libros
Muchos libros
El libro es blanco
Los libros son blancos
Formal and Informal Spanish
Remind your students to use the Formal Spanish with you and Informal Spanish among
themselves.
Share with your class what kind of car you have, using this phrase:
“Mi carro es un Honda” ( show them a Honda car)
“Mi troca es una Toyota” (show them a Toyota truck)
Have your students describe their car in the same simple way. Have them give a “brief
presentation” in front of the class using
Su carro es…(have them point to you)
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Tu carro es… (have them point to a friend)
Mi carro es… (have them point to themselves)
When using Formal Spanish, always use a title before a question or a command ( Señor,
Señora, Señorita, Don.., Doña.., Capitán, Comandante, Doctor, Doctora… etc)
Present the verbs, commands or questions in the following sequence:
• Formal Spanish
• Informal Spanish
• First person
• Third person
Triple Repetition + amigo
Point to each of your “Adults” in class and have your students ask individually some
basic questions using the 3 Rep.+ amigo technique:
• Señor, su carro es un Honda?
• Señora , su carro es un Ford?
• Señorita, su carro es un Toyota?
• Charles, tu carro es un Nissan?
Small Words in Spanish
Teach students the following small words: ó, y, con, de, sin, del, de la, por using the
common examples shown below.
• Café ó soda - teaching the word “or”
• Agua sin hielo - teaching about traveling tips when visiting Latin American countries
• Agua natural ó agua mineral - teaching the word “or”
• Señoras y señores - teaching them how to address a group of adults
• Cerveza con limón - teaching about culture
• Mezcal con gusano - teaching about the state of Oaxaca
• La cumbia es de Colombia - teaching origin
• El libro de la profesora - teaching them the possessive in Spanish
• El libro del estudiante - teaching the possessive using a masculine noun
• El carro de policía - the words are reversed in Spanish (noun/ adjective)
• Por minuto / por hora - teaching time expressions
• Medicina para la diabetes - teaching the preposition “for”
Spanglish & Cognates
Tell your students that they already know some Spanish words, they are the same as
English. Have them review some samples of cognates from the list of cognates in their
course materials (a list of noun and verb cognates can be found at the end of the
Vocabulary section in the student workbook).
Tell your student that you have a truck using “Spanglish”:
“Mi troca es Ford” or “Mi troca es Toyota”, etc.
Have the owners of a truck give a “brief presentation” using:
• Su troca es… (have them point to you)
• Tu troca es… (have them point to a friend who has a truck)
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Mi troca es… (have them point to themselves)
Alphabet & pronunciation
Talk about the different sounds in the Spanish alphabet: ch, ll, rr, h, j, ñ, r, z. Familiar
examples include the words: chile, tortilla, carro, hola, jalapeño, zapato
Practice the alphabet and how to spell words and their names
Practice the question: Como se escribe…? using the 3 Rep. + amigo technique
• Señor, como se escribe su nombre?
• Señora , como se escribe su nombre?
• Señorita, como se escribe su nombre?
• Charles, como se escribe tu nombre?
Written Exercises
Assign 5 minutes to complete the exercises in groups.
Select 4 to 5 questions of an exercise to be completed in class; the rest of the exercise
can be done as homework.
Movies
La Bamba or El Mariachi - First 10 minutes of the movie
Colloquial Expressions/ Cultural Awareness
Teach your students the following expression:
“Mi casa es su casa” / “Mi casa es tu casa”
Share something interesting about a LatinAmerican country. For example: In Mexico, “la
cerveza en bote” (Tecate) has been traditionally drunk squeezing lemon on the top and
adding some salt. Then you have your first sip. You can continue adding lemon and salt
on the top of the can. In the US, Mexican beer, “Corona”, is usually served with a wedge
of lemon inside the neck of the bottle.
Homework
Listen to Unit 1 - Spelling Words and Names and Unit 2 - Talking to Adults and Children
Read the Transcript for Units 1 and 2
Complete the exercises for Units 1 and 2
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