Platte River Corridor Project

Level One Training Workshop

Basic Conversational Spanish
for
Educators


Summer 2002


2002 Donna Shelton, PhD


Table of Contents

Spanish Pronunciation.....................................................................................................1
Greetings and Introductions........................................................................................ 5
Health Inquiries............................................................................................................ 12
Family and School Relationships................................................................................ 17
Numbers......................................................................................................................... 25
School Places and Objects ........................................................................................ 26
Supplemental Vocabulary............................................................................................ 31



Page 1
Spanish Pronunciation
The Spanish alphabet serves as a good introduction to Spanish pronunciation. Scan the
letters in the first column. What differences do you find between the Spanish and
English alphabets?
Letter of the Alphabet Name of the Letter
(what you say when
you spell out loud)
Pronunciation Examples
A a casa, taza
B be (be burro) bien, beb
C ce casa, cine
CH che chico, leche
D de da, verdad
E e mesa, cine
F efe caf, fruta
G ge jugo, general
H hache hola, hijo
I i cine, hijo
J jota hijo, jugo
K ka kilo, kiosko
L ele hola, leche
LL elle calle, llama
M eme mesa, llama
N ene noche, nada
ee seor, nio
O o nio, hola
P pe pap, peso
Q cu queso, quin
R ere seor, fruta
RR erre perro, carro
S ese casa, seor
T te taza, fruta
U u jugo, mucho
V ve (ve vaca) vaso, vive
W doble ve whiski
X equis Mxico, excelente
Y i griega ya, Yucatn
Z zeta taza, azcar

Page 2
Vowels
Spanish vowels are very distinct and they are always pronounced in the same way. They
are not stretched out, nor do they sound alike as English vowels often do.
1. The Spanish A has a sound similar to the English A in the word FATHER.
casa llama nada taza banana vaca
2. The Spanish E is pronounced like the English EI in the word EIGHT.
leche beb tres entre este excelente
3. The Spanish I is pronounced like the English EE in the word SEE.
s cine difcil kilo ir tiza
4. The Spanish O is similar to the English O in the word NO, but without the glide.
ocho dos como rojo solo bonito
5. The Spanish U is similar to the English UE sound in the word SUE.
mucho uno fruta usted blusa azul
Consonants
Here are some guidelines for pronouncing certain Spanish consonants.
1. The Spanish consonants B and V have little or no difference in sound. They are
pronounced like a soft English B.
sbado viernes bandera valor bueno veinte
2. The Spanish C before the vowels A, O, and U and before consonants sounds like an
English K.
calendario cosa cuaderno cliente criatura
3. The Spanish C before the vowels E and I sounds like an English S.
cine nacional necesario precio centro
4. The Spanish G before the vowels A, O, and U and before consonants sounds like the
G in the English word SUGAR.

Page 3
tengo gusto gasto gris negro
5. The Spanish G before the vowels E and I sounds like an English H.
general gerente gente marginal ingeniero
6. The Spanish H is always silent.
hola hijo hacienda hermano hombre
7. The Spanish J also sounds like an English H, regardless of the letter that follows.
hija trabajo jornada jefe ejecutivo
8. The Spanish LL and Y both sound like the English Y is YES.
llamo yo llegar ya lluvia
9. The Spanish sounds like the NY combination in the English word CANYON.
seora nia ensear campaa espaol
10. The Spanish RR is pronounced with a strong trill, as is the Spanish R at the
beginning of a word.
regular reloj perro corriente carro

Page 4
Accentuation
Every word in Spanish has one syllable that is pronounced with more force than the other
syllables. To pronounce a word correctly, it is necessary to know which syllable receives
the stress. You will notice that syllable division in Spanish is somewhat different from
the system used in English.
1. If a word ends in a vowel, an N or an S, the next-to-the-last syllable will receive the
stress.
casa trabajo cine buenos noches hablan
2. If a word ends in a consonant other than N or S, the last syllable receives the stress.
seor usted nacional regular pared
3. Any word that breaks the above rules will have a written accent mark over the vowel
in the syllable that is to receive the stress.
Mxico Quertaro estn lpiz bolgrafo
Accent marks are also used on interrogatives and to distinguish between two words of
otherwise identical spelling.
Qu Cmo Quin si s tu t

Accentuation Practice
Pronounce these Hispanic first names, placing the stress on the proper syllable.
Hugo Hu-go Nicanor Ni-ca-nor
Isabel I-sa-bel Salvador Sal-va-dor
Maricruz Ma-ri-cruz Toms To-ms
Yolanda Yo-lan-da Fernando Fer-nan-do
Francisco Fran-cis-co Brbara Br-ba-ra
Elvira El-vi-ra Joaqun Joa-qun


Page 5
Greetings and Introductions
Listen to the following dialogues carefully. Try to understand the communicative
purpose behind the phrases; it is not always necessary to know the meaning of each word.
Helen Jamison is introducing herself to the mother of a Spanish-speaking child in her
class.
Helen Buenas tardes. Me llamo Helen Jamison.
Cmo se llama usted?
Sra. Gmez Soy Estela Ibarra de Gmez. Mi hijo
Carlos est en su clase.
Helen Mucho gusto.
Sra. Gmez Igualmente, seora Jamison.
1. The greeting used in the first line is appropriate for any time from noon until dusk.
The three greetings related to the time of day are the following:
Buenos das. Good morning.
Buenas tardes. Good afternoon.
Buenas noches. Good evening/night.
2. Spanish makes a distinction between formal and familiar forms of address. Use the
formal forms when you are speaking to someone you do not know well and also to
show respect. In this dialogue the request for a name is formal. There are two ways
to respond to this question.
Cmo se llama usted? What is your name?
Me llamo / Soy _____ My name is/I am ______

Page 6
3. There are a number of phrases appropriate for responding to introductions:
Mucho gusto. Nice to meet you.
Igualmente. Likewise.
El gusto es mo. The pleasure is mine.
4. For the most part, Spanish punctuation is the same as English. There are, however,
two major differences: the upside-down question marks and exclamation points.
They provide a signal of whats coming up.
Cmo se llama usted?
Hola!
5. When meeting a Spanish-speaking person, be sure to shake his or her hand.
Hispanics appreciate physical contact more than most European-Americans, and for
this reason they shake hands when meeting someone for the first time, when greeting
an acquaintance, and when saying goodbye. Friends and relatives often embrace
upon meeting, and women will kiss each other on the cheek.
The next morning Helen speaks to a new student at her school, a Hispanic child who has
not yet begun to speak English.
Helen Buenos das. Soy la seora Jamison.
Cmo te llamas?
Juan Carlos Me llamo Juan Carlos.
Helen Juan Carlos, cul es tu nombre completo?
Juan Carlos Juan Carlos Cruz Rojas.
Helen Cmo se llama tu padre?
Juan Carlos Se llama Manuel Cruz Torres.
Helen Y tu madre?
Juan Carlos Mi madre es Lupe Rojas de Cruz.
Helen Gracias, Juan Carlos.
1. When speaking to a child, a friend, or a relative, use the familiar form of address.
Notice the difference between the formal and familiar ways of requesting a name:

Page 7
Cmo se llama usted? Formal
Cmo te llamas? Familiar
2. The request for the childs full name is also familiar. Note the difference between it
and the formal version of the question:
Cul es tu nombre completo? Familiar
Cul es su nombre completo? Formal
3. There are a number of titles denoting marital and professional status used in Spanish.
They are not capitalized except when abbreviated.
seor Sr. Mr.
seora Sra. Mrs.
seorita Srta. Miss
doctor Dr. Dr.
doctora Dra. Dr.
Titles are quite important to Spanish-speakers as countries such as Mexico have
hierarchical societies in which those of higher rank and status, including school
personnel, are shown great respect.
4. To provide the name of a third party, there are two appropriate expressions:
Mi padre se llama Manuel Cruz Torres.
Mi madre es Lupe Rojas de Cruz.

Page 8
5. These dialogues contain a few vocabulary words for family members. Other words
will be learned later.
mi padre my father
mi madre my mother
mi hijo my son
mi hija my daughter
6. Hispanics have two last names, and it is important to understand how this system of
names works. Take another look at the names of the people mentioned in the
dialogue:
Padre: Manuel Cruz Torres
Madre: Lupe Rojas de Cruz
Hijo: Juan Carlos Cruz Rojas
Juan Carlos takes his first last name from his father and the second one from his
mother. Some Hispanics use only the fathers last name, some use both. Juan Carlos
might call himself simply Juan Carlos Cruz, depending on family traditions. When
alphabetizing, the fathers last name is the one that determines the placement of the
name. A married woman, such as Lupe in the example given above, may add her
husbands first last name after the preposition de (of), and she would be known as
Sra. Cruz.
Some Hispanics living in the United States have abandoned this system because of
the difficulty in filling out forms and the desire to fit in. If youre not sure what last
name someone wishes to use, ask Qu apellido prefiere usted usar?
Practice Exercises
A. What is the appropriate greeting for the time of day indicated?
9:20 AM 1:00 PM 8:05 AM 7:15 PM 11:30 PM 4:45 PM
B. What is the correct question for asking the name of the following individuals?
1. A 20-year-old man who wants to enroll in an ESL program.
2. An 8-year-old child who has arrived late for school.
3. A grandmother who has brought a child to the free clinic.

Page 9
4. A mother who has called about a school lunch program.
5. A sixth grader caught fighting with another child.
C. One evening at a Cinco de mayo celebration Helen meets a new neighbor. Complete
their conversation by filling in the missing phrases.
Helen _____________________. Me llamo Helen Jamison.
Marta ________________ Marta Pedroza. Mucho gusto.
Helen ______________________________, Marta.
D. Respond to the following questions.
1. Cmo se llama usted?
2. Cul es su nombre completo?
3. Cmo se llama su padre?
4. Cul es el nombre completo de su madre?
5. Cmo se llama su hijo? Y su hija?
E. Study the model, and then fill in the blanks to determine the complete names of each
family member.
Model:
Me llamo Jorge Sandoval Vsquez. Mi padre es Mario _______ Reyes. Mi madre se
llama Ana ___________ Quinteros de Sandoval.
Me llamo Jorge Sandoval Vsquez. Mi padre es Mario Sandoval Reyes. Mi madre se
llama Ana Vsquez Quinteros de Sandoval.
1. Me llamo Remedios Ochoa ___________. Mi padre es Roberto Ochoa Hernndez.
Mi madre se llama Alicia Torres de Ochoa.
2. Me llamo Hctor Valenzuela Garca. Mi madre es Laura _________ de
_____________. Mi padre se llama Antonio Valenzuela Martnez.
3. Me llamo Alberto ____________ _____________ . Mi padre se llama Ricardo
Montoya Tellez. Mi madre es Pilar Snchez Molina.

Page 10
F. Work with a colleague to prepare and present dialogues on the following situations.
1. Outside of school one afternoon you see the parent of a student coming to pick up the
child. Since you are aware that the parent does not speak English, greet the
individual and introduce yourself in Spanish. The parents name is Roberto (Teresa)
Robles.
2. A Spanish-speaking student you havent met before is ill and needs to go home. Ask
for his or her name and the name of the mother so that you can call her. The childs
name is Luis (Luisa), and the mothers name is Isabel Chvez.
3. A Hispanic couple with limited English skills comes to your office one morning to
enroll a child in school. Greet them, introduce yourself, and ask for their full names.
They are Ramn Hernndez and his wife Silvia.
4. Youre at a professional meeting when one of the other participants, a woman from
Guadalajara, Mexico, comes over and introduces herself to you. Her name is Lourdes
Mara Bentez. Respond appropriately to the introduction.
5. In the cafeteria one day two children are misbehaving. Go over to them and ask for
their names. The children are Armando (Rosita) Guzmn and Luisa (Pedro) Ibarra.
6. A 13-year-old boy from Guatemala enrolled at the middle school yesterday, and this
morning hes in your office because he arrived late. Greet him, introduce yourself,
and ask his name. You will also need his parents names. The boy is Pablo and his
parents are scar Gonzlez Vera and his wife Amalia Guerrero de Gonzlez.
7. At a parents meeting one evening you see a man waiting in the hallway, uncertain as
to whether he should come in. Greet him, introduce yourself, and ask his name. He
is Emilio Mondragn.

Page 11
Vocabulary: Greetings and Introductions
Buenos das. Good morning.
Buenas tardes. Good afternoon.
Buenas noches. Good evening / night.
Hola. Hello / Hi.
Cmo se llama usted? (formal) What is your name?
Cmo te llamas? (familiar) What is your name?
Cul es su nombre completo? (formal) What is your full name?
Cul es tu nombre completo? (familiar) What is your full name?
Me llamo ___________. My name is _______ .
(I call myself ______ . )
Soy ____________ . I am _____________ .
el nombre (de pila) first name
el apellido last name
Mucho gusto. Nice to meet you.
El gusto es mo. The pleasure is mine.
Igualmente. Likewise.
Por favor. Please.
Gracias. Thank you.
De nada. Youre welcome.

Page 12
Health Inquiries
Marta greets her daughter Elena as she comes into the kitchen for breakfast.
Marta Hola, Elena. Cmo ests?
Elena Muy bien, mami. Y t?
Marta Bastante bien, hija, gracias.
1. Since Marta is addressing her child, she uses the familiar form of the question. Her
daughter uses a shortened version of the question as part of her reply.
Cmo ests? How are you?
Y t? And you?
2. There are a number of possible responses to this question, depending upon ones state
of health:
Bien. Fine / well.
Bastante bien. Fairly well.
Muy bien. Very well.
Regular. OK.
Mal. Bad / Poor.
George Lawrence, a grade school principal, greets the parents of a boy who has been
having trouble in school.
Mr. Lawrence Buenos das. Soy el seor Lawrence, el director de la escuela.
Sr. Huerta Soy Eduardo Huerta. Le presento a mi esposa Lupe.
Mr. Lawrence Mucho gusto. Cmo est usted, seora Huerta?
Sra. Huerta Regular, gracias.
Mr. Lawrence Y usted, seor Huerta?
Sr. Huerta Bien, seor Lawrence. La maestra de Juanito dice que . . .

Page 13
1. The formal question to ask about someones health is used in the same circumstances
as the formal question for requesting a name. The responses are the same as listed
above.
Cmo est usted? Bien, gracias.
2. There are various phrases for introducing another person, some simple and some
quite elaborate. Note the difference between the formal and familiar versions of a
simple expression:
Le presento a ____________ . (formal)
Te presento a ____________ . (familiar)
3. Listed below are some vocabulary words for school personnel. Others will be studied
later.
el director the principal (male)
la directora the principal (female)
el maestro the teacher (male)
la maestra the teacher (female)
4. To ask for a repetition, for the speaker to proceed more slowly, or to express a
general lack of comprehension, its useful to memorize these phrases:
Cmo? How was that?
Otra vez, por favor. Again, please.
Ms despacio. Slower.
No comprendo. I dont understand.
No hablo espaol. I dont speak Spanish.
No hablo ingls. I dont speak English.

Page 14
5. Two important points should be made about conversing with Hispanics, especially for
conversations in which the English-speaking participant holds the position of power
and/or when a difficult issue must be discussed. First, it is important to attend to all
of the courtesy requirements of the situation and to engage in some small talk, even if
its just to ask how the person feels, before getting to the main point. Secondly, most
Hispanics are taught to respect authority figures such as principals and supervisors,
and they may show this respect by acting in a passive manner and looking down or
only intermittently at the face of the person speaking.
Practice Exercises
A. How would you ask the following people how they feel?
1. The six-year-old child who lives next door.
2. The father of a child being home-schooled due to an injury.
3. Your sister-in-law, a woman originally from Guanajuato, Mexico.
4. The younger brother of a teenager who babysits for you.
5. The owner of a new business in town.
6. A high school student helping her mother with a younger child.
B. Sr. Huerta is greeted one morning by a coworker who has been trying to learn
Spanish. Complete their conversation by filling in the missing phrases.
Tom ___________________, Eduardo. Cmo est usted?
Sr. Huerta Pues, ______________, gracias. Y usted?
Tom Ms despacio, ___________________, Eduardo.
Sr. Huerta. Muy bien, gracias. __________________________ ?
Tom Oh. Um, estoy bien, __________________ .
C. With a colleague, prepare and present dialogues for the following situations:
1. Graciela Flores, the mother of a fourth grader, brings the boys lunch to the school
office because hes left it at home. Greet her and ask her how she feels.
2. You pass Jorge, Gracielas son, in the hallway later that day. Greet him and ask how
he feels.

Page 15
3. Toms Surez, the father of a family just moved to the area, comes in one morning to
register his son Miguel for school. Although Miguel speaks some English, his father
does not seem to know any. Greet them, introduce yourself, and ask their names and
how they are.
4. Ana Ortiz de Iglesias, a woman whose children attend the high school, comes in at
3:00 PM to discuss a problem youre having with one of them. Greet her and ask her
how she feels.
5. At a soccer game on Saturday morning, you see Mateo, a boy who attends your
school. Hes accompanied by an older man who speaks only Spanish. Greet Mateo
and ask how he is, then introduce yourself to the older man, whose name is Nstor
Macas Ortiz. Ask him how he feels also.
6. One evening while shopping you see Anglica, a ninth grader, with a girl of
preschool age. Greet them, ask Anglica how she is, and then ask the child her name.

Page 16
Vocabulary: Health Inquiries
Cmo est usted? (formal) How are you?
Cmo ests? (familiar) How are you?
Qu tal? (familiar) Hows it going?
Bien. Fine / well.
Bastante bien. Fairly well.
Muy bien. Very well.
Regular. Okay.
As-as. So-so.
Mal. Bad / poorly.
Le presento a ____________ . (formal) This is ___________ .
Te presento a ____________ . (familiar) This is ___________ .
Cmo? How was that?
Otra vez, por favor. Again, please.
Ms despacio. Slower.
No comprendo. I dont understand.
No hablo espaol. I dont speak Spanish.
No hablo ingls. I dont speak English.

Page 17
Family and School Relationships
Estela Martnez has brought her new neighbor, Beatriz, to a school carnival. Beatriz
doesnt speak English well, but her oldest child is about to start school and she wants to
know the names of the people who work there.
Beatriz Estela, quin es ese seor?
Estela Es el seor Lawrence, el director de la escuela.
Es muy amable.
Beatriz Y la seora all?
Estela Es la seora Jamison, una de las maestras del
segundo grado. Mi hija Rebeca est en su clase.
Beatriz Quin es la maestra del kinder? Sabes que mi
hijo Julio va a asistir a esta escuela.
Estela Hay dos, la seorita Williams y la seora Taylor.
Son las mujeres cerca del director. Son muy
buenas maestras.
There are several basic grammatical concepts that can be learned from Estelas
identification of the people at a school event. These concepts are essential for even
simple forms of communication.
1. All nouns in Spanish have gender. They are either masculine or feminine. Nouns
that identify male persons are masculine and those that identify female persons are
feminine. The gender of nouns that describe things and places must be memorized.

Page 18
2. Articles and adjectives reflect the gender and number of the nouns they modify.
Definite articles are el, la, los, and las, and indefinite articles are un, una, unos, and
unas.
el maestro the teacher (male)
un maestro a/one teacher (male)
la maestra the teacher (female)
una maestra a/one teacher (female)
3. Most nouns referring to professions or family relationships have both a masculine and
a feminine form.
el hijo la hija
el hermano la hermana
el secretario la secretaria
4. If a noun indicating a profession ends in -dor or -tor, an -a is added to produce the
feminine form.
el director la directora
5. A few nouns indicate gender only through the article used.
el estudiante la estudiante
6. Both nouns and articles have plural forms in Spanish. If a noun ends in a vowel, an -s
is added to form the plural. Nouns that end in a consonant need an -es.
la madre las madres
una madre unas madres
el padre los padres
un padre unos padres
el director los directores
un director unos directores
Before starting the exercises, review the vocabulary at the end of this section.

Page 19
Practice Exercises
A. Complete the following paragraph with the correct definite articles.
__________ directora de la escuela es _________ seora Silvia Montoya de Ruiz.
__________ maestros del sexto grado son Enrique Ramos y Marta Bentez.
____________ hijo de _________ directora, Juanito, est en la clase de __________
seorita Bentez. ____________ estudiantes de su clase son muy buenos.
B. Make the articles and nouns in parentheses plural to complete the sentences.
1. (La amiga) _______________________ son Ins y Mara.
2. (El seor) ______________________ son Fernando y Antonio.
3. (El director) _____________________ son Hctor y Esteban.
4. (La hermana) __________________ son Carolina y Elena.
5. (El estudiante) ___________________ son Sergio y Alfredo.
Now lets take a look at another basic grammatical concepts, possessive adjectives.
1. Possessive adjectives indicate the owner of the item in question and they reveal if the
item is singular or plural. Only one possessive adjective, nuestro/a/s, shows both
number and gender.
mi/s my
tu/s your (familiar)
su/s his/her/their/your (formal)
nuestro/a/s our
mi padre my father
mis primos my cousins
su secretaria his/her/their/your secretary
sus hermanos his/her/their/your brothers
nuestro maestro our teacher
nuestra familia our family
nuestros vecinos our neighbors
nuestras hijas our daughters

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2. Because Spanish has no apostrophe, it is necessary to use a prepositional phrase with
de to indicate possession with a noun or a name. If de is followed by the article el,
the contraction del must be used.
Miguel Bermdez es el padre de Luis.
La directora es la hermana de la Sra. Chvez.
Ramn es el hijo del maestro.
Practice Exercises
A. Complete this family description with the appropriate possessive adjectives.
(My) _________ familia es de Quertaro, Mxico. (My) _________ padres son Matilde
y Hernando. (My) _________ padre es director. (His) ____________ escuela es grande.
(My) _________ hermanos son maestros all. (Their) __________ hijos son estudiantes
en la escuela.
B. Translate the phrases in parentheses into Spanish. Be sure to use the contraction del
when necessary.
1. Isabel es (the principals secretary). ____________________________
2. El seor lvarez es (Jaimes father). ____________________________
3. Beatriz es (Estelas neighbor). ____________________________
4. La seora Castillo es (Bertos teacher). __________________________
Theres one last grammatical concept to be covered in this section: the verb ser.

Page 21
1. The verb ser, one of two verbs in Spanish that mean to be, identifies people,
describes their characteristics, and tells where they are from. Ser is the infinitive of
the verb; it must be conjugated to be used to form a sentence. Ser is irregular as are
many of the most common verbs in Spanish (and English), and its forms have to be
memorized because they do not follow any of the patterns used to conjugate regular
verbs. Study the English and Spanish subject pronoun and verb paradigms below:
yo soy I am
t eres you are (familiar)
l es he is
ella es she is
usted es you are (formal)
nosotros/as somos we are
ellos son they are
ellas son they are (female)
ustedes son you are (formal or familiar)
2. Since the verb form alone may clearly indicate the subject, subject pronouns are often
omitted in Spanish.
Soy Mario Fuentes. Soy de Guadalajara.
Somos maestros. Somos de Mxico.
Es Pedro. Es mi hermano.
3. To make any sentence negative, simply put the word no before the verb.
No soy de Mxico.
Marta no es mi hermana.
4. The interrogative quin is used to ask who someone is. Its plural form is quines.
Quin es la amiga de Beatriz?
Es Estela.
Quines son los estudiantes?
Son Teresa y Esteban.

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Practice Exercises
A. Practice ser by changing the subject of the sentence and providing the new form of
the verb.
1. Soy de Chihuahua.
nosotros, el seor Hernndez, ellas, yo
2. Soy de Guatemala.
t, mis vecinos, mi maestra, yo
3. Soy estudiante. (Ojo!)
mis hermanos, nosotras, l, yo
C. Complete the paragraphs below by filling in the missing words or phrases, and then
use them as models for a description of your own family and professional life.
Me ____________Teresita Robles. ______________ de San Antonio, Texas. Soy
estudiante en una ______________ secundaria. _____________ padres se llaman
Roberto y Adela. Mi hermano Alejandro ______________ estudiante tambin.
Soy Carlos Ramrez Lujn. _____________ el director de una escuela en San Diego,
California. __________ familia es originalmente de Hermosillo, Mxico. Mi
_____________ es enfermera y nuestros ______________ son estudiantes en la
universidad.


Page 23
Vocabulary: Family Relationships
el abuelo grandfather
la abuela grandmother
los abuelos grandparents
el esposo husband
la esposa wife
la familia family
el hermano brother
la hermana sister
los hermanos brothers and sisters
el hijo son
la hija daughter
los hijos children
el nieto grandson
la nieta granddaughter
los nietos grandchildren
el padre father
la madre mother
los padres parents
el primo (male) cousin
la prima (female) cousin
los primos cousins
el sobrino nephew
la sobrina niece
los sobrinos nieces and nephews
el to uncle
la ta aunt
los tos aunts and uncles
el/la amigo/a friend

Page 24
Vocabulary: School Personnel
el/la alumno/a student
el/la asistente de clase teaching assistant or aide
el/la consejero/a counselor
el/la conserje janitor
el/la director/a principal
el/la enfermero/a nurse
el/la estudiante student
el/la maestro/a teacher
el/la mdico/a physician
el/la psiclogo/a psychologist
el/la secretario/a secretary
el/la subdirector/a assistant principal
el/la superintendente superintendent

Page 25
Numbers
0 cero 16 diez y seis*
1 uno 17 diez y siete*
2 dos 18 diez y ocho*
3 tres 19 diez y nueve*
4 cuatro 20 veinte
5 cinco 21 veinte y uno*
6 seis 22 veinte y dos*
7 siete 23 veinte y tres*
8 ocho 24 veinte y cuatro*
9 nueve 25 veinte y cinco*
10 diez 26 veinte y seis*
11 once 27 veinte y siete*
12 doce 28 veinte y ocho*
13 trece 29 veinte y nueve*
14 catorce 30 treinta
15 quince 31 treinta y uno
*These numbers can also be spelled as one word, but the spelling shown here is easier to
remember and sufficient for those are concentrating more on speaking and listening
skills.

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School Places and Objects
Alba Esquivel, a teacher at Wilson School, describes the local district and her school to a
new Latino resident of the town. Notice how she incorporates numbers in her
description, along with the verbs ser and hay.
Hay 10 escuelas primarias y 4 secundarias, 3 para los estudiantes de 12 a
14 aos, y una para los estudiantes de 15 a 18 aos. Soy maestra de
tercer grado en la escuela Wilson. Mi escuela es pequea, y hay
solamente 14 maestros. Hay una biblioteca, un gimnasio y una cafetera.
Tambin hay una oficina para la secretaria y otra para la directora. En mi
clase hay 21 estudiantes. Mi sala de clase es grande.
1. With the exception of 11 (once), when used with a noun numbers ending in 1 will
show gender agreement with that noun.
1 (male) principal un director
1 (female) principal una directora
21 (male) students veinte y un estudiantes
21 (female) students veinte y una estudiantes
2. Numbers are sometimes used with the verb hay (there is or there are) to indicate the
number of items / people / places present or available. Hay, from the infinitive
haber, is an archaic verb and is invariable in form.
Hay 1 escuela secundaria en el distrito.
Hay 21 estudiantes en la clase.
Hay 14 maestras en la escuela.
3. To ask How much? or How many?, use the correct form of the interrogative
Cunto? Note that it shows agreement in number and gender with the noun that
follows.
Cuntas escuelas secundarias hay? Hay cuatro.
Cuntos maestros hay en la escuela? Hay catorce.

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4. In Albas description, the verb hay is used to indicate the existence of people, places,
or things, while forms of the verb ser are used to describe or to identify.
Soy maestra de tercer grado.
Mi escuela es pequea.
Hay una oficina para la secretaria.
Hay 21 estudiantes.
5. Her description also contains a number of commonly used prepositions.
para for, used to indicate purpose or use
de of or from, used to indicate possession,
origin, category, or material
en on, in, or at, used to indicate a fixed
location
a at or to, used to indicate movement or
a point in time
6. To understand the Mexican and Central American immigrants coming to the US, its
important to know about the educational systems in those countries. Education is
compulsory until about age 14, depending upon the country. Unfortunately, in some
areas attendance falls off quite sharply even before that age, because economically
disadvantaged children must often help their parents support the family. In rural
areas there may not be sufficient schools for all the children, and even when there is a
school, it may be poorly equipped and staffed with untrained teachers. For these
reasons, many of the Hispanics coming into this country have only grade school
educations and low levels of literacy, making it harder for them to learn English and
find skilled employment.
Before beginning the practice exercises, study the school places and objects vocabulary
at the end of this section.
Practice Exercises
A. Study the model, then identify the classroom objects indicated by the instructor.
Model: Qu es esto? Es un libro.
What is this? Its a book.

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Qu es esto? Es una bandera.
What is this? Its a flag.
B. Following the model below, ask a classmate how many items, places, or people there
are.
Model: salas de clase / 6
Cuntas salas de clase hay? Hay seis.
1. escuelas secundarias / 5
2. gimnasios / 3
3. maestros / 24
4. estudiantes / 29
5. directores / 10
6. mesas / 18
7. libros / 31
C. Answer these questions about the district and/or school where you work. Use
complete sentences.
1. Cuntas escuelas primarias hay? Y secundarias?
2. Cmo se llama su escuela? Es grande o pequea?
3. Cuntos maestros hay all?
4. Cuntos secretarios hay? Cmo se llaman?
5. Quin es el director o la directora?
6. Cuntos estudiantes hay normalmente en una clase?
7. Hay una cafetera? Es grande o pequea?
8. Hay una biblioteca? Es grande o pequea?
9. Hay computadoras? Cuntas?
10. Hay una enfermera? Cmo se llama?

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E. Read this description of a classroom, then use it as a model for a description of your
office, classroom, or other location in your school.
En mi sala de clase hay una silla y un escritorio para la maestra. Hay veinte sillas y
mesas para los estudiantes. Hay tres ventanas grandes y dos puertas. En la pared hay
mapas y un calendario. Hay cinco computadoras, tambin. En las mesas hay libros,
cuadernos y lpices.

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Vocabulary: School Places and Objects
el bao/los servicios bathroom
la biblioteca library
la cafetera cafeteria
el distrito escolar school district
la escuela primaria elementary school
la escuela secundaria secondary school
la escuela superior high school (invented term used in parts of US)
el gimnasio gymnasium
la oficina office
la sala de clase classroom
la bandera flag
el calendario calendar
la computadora computer
el escritorio desk
el mapa map
la mesa table
la pared wall
la pizarra/el pizarrn chalkboard
la puerta door
la silla chair
el tabln de anuncios bulletin board
la televisin television
la ventana window

el bolgrafo/la pluma pen
el cuaderno notebook
el diccionario dictionary
el lpiz pencil
el libro book
el papel paper

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Supplemental Vocabulary
School Subjects
la clase class
la clase de __________ ____________ class
la clase de salud health class
el alemn German
el lgebra algebra
el arte art
la biologa biology
la ciencia science
la computadora computer
la educacin fsica physical education
el espaol Spanish
los estudios sociales social studies
el francs French
la geografa geography
la geometra geometry
el gobierno government
la historia history
la informtica computer science
el ingls English
el ingls como segundo idioma English as a Second Language (ESL)
la lectura reading
las matemticas math
la msica music
la ortografa spelling

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School Documents
las calificaciones grades
la copia certificada certified copy
los expedientes transcripts
las notas grades
el nmero de seguro social Social Security number
la partida de nacimiento birth certificate
el registro de vacunas vaccination record
School Events
el almuerzo lunch
la asamblea assembly
la cita appointment
el desayuno breakfast
el grado grade level
la graduacin graduation
la inscripcin enrollment
el kinder (el jardn infantil) kindergarden
la reunin meeting/conference
el examen final final exam
el examen fsico physical examination
el partido game between teams
el primer da de clase first day of class
el ltimo da de clase last day of class
las vacaciones de invierno winter break
las vacaciones de primavera spring break
las vacaciones de verano summer vacation
las vacaciones de Da de Thanksgiving break
Accin de Gracias
las vacaciones de Navidad Christmas break
el Da de Trabajadores Labor Day

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The Months of the Year
enero January
febrero February
marzo March
abril April
mayo May
junio June
julio July
agosto August
septiembre September
octubre October
noviembre November
diciembre December
Days of the Week
lunes Monday
martes Tuesday
mircoles Wednesday
jueves Thursday
viernes Friday
sbado Saturday
domingo Sunday

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Other Time-Related Expressions
el ao year
el ao que viene next year
el da day
la hora hour
la maana morning
el mes month
el mes que viene next month
la noche night
la semana week
la semana que viene next week
la tarde afternoon

hoy today
maana tomorrow
Larger Numbers
30 treinta 40 cuarenta
31 treinta y uno 50 cincuenta
32 treinta y dos 60 sesenta
33 treinta y tres 70 setenta
34 treinta y cuatro 80 ochenta
35 treinta y cinco 90 noventa
36 treinta y seis 100 cien
37 treinta y siete
38 treinta y ocho
39 treinta y nueve