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6 Repaso de Español 1

Your Chapter 6 task is to review and converse about the topics covered in Elementary Spanish I.

I. ¿Cómo eres? (Describe yourself)

¡Hola! 🙂 Greetings in Spanish vary by region, culture and context or setting.  Greetings among Latinos often include a hug and kiss on the cheek. Have you ever greeted someone from Latin America or Spain? What was the greeting like? Was it different from how you greet friends, family or someone you met for the first time in your culture?

A common greeting in Spanish used in both informal and formal settings is ¡Hola! (Hello!).

Actividad A

Use ¡Hola! to greet your classmates as you play Lotería to get to know their background with the Spanish language.

Instructions:  You will greet each student following the model below.  Ask them one of the questions from the following Lotería sheet, and when they answer, write their name in the corresponding box. Say thank you, and go to the next student. Once you obtain a different name for an entire row, you win!  You will say ¡Lotería!  🙂

Modelo-

Student 1- ¡Hola! Me llamo (My name is) ______. <~~ fill in the blank with your name

Student 2- Hola. Soy (I am) _____. <~~ fill in the blank with your name

Student 1- Mucho gusto. (Nice to meet you.)

Student 2- El gusto es mío. (The pleasure is mine.)

Then ask your question in English. When the student answers, say ¡Gracias! and go to the next student. 🙂

*If you are learning Spanish on your own, feel free to answer the questions individually.

What did you learn about your classmates and their experience with the Spanish language?

You just greeted your classmates in Spanish with Hola. In your native language, how do you greet your friends and family? Does it differ from how you greet someone in a professional setting?

BaseLang shares some common greetings used in both informal and formal settings in Spanish.

Watch as Inhispaniainvideos uses some of these greetings in her video.

Gabby made a list of common informal and formal greetings she uses in conversation. Listen as she pronounces them for you in Slide 1.

¡Muy bien! 🙂

Actividad B

Paso 1. Based on the information in Slide 1, select which greetings you would use in the following formal and informal contexts.

Paso 2. Greet 2-3 classmates around you in Spanish with the new expressions you learned. Which ones did you use? 🙂

Now that you know how to greet someone, it is time to share more personal information about yourself such as your name, where you’re from or where you live and what you study or do for a living.

Watch as Dani introduces himself to you.

*Dani is from Brazil. Make note that in Brazil, Portuguese is the national language. However, Dani travels to Argentina quite often and also speaks Spanish.

Dani starts his video with a greeting and states his name. Did you know there are 3 ways to say your name in Spanish?

Listen as Letty shares her name with you in each way.

A blonde woman in a white button down shirt is facing the camera with her hand on her cheek and 3 ways to say her name in Spanish are above her.

After stating your name, you can also share where you are from, where you live and what you study or do for a living.

Listen as Letty shares more information about herself.

Letty shares where she is from, where she lives and what she studies in Spanish.

Tell Letty where you are from, where you live and what you study.  Include your city and state.

Example- Soy de ______.  Vivo en ______.  Estudio ______.

For a list of majors, see the following slide.

Be sure to play the following audio to hear how each major is pronounced in Spanish.

A list of majors in Spanish are presented

If your major is not shown, you can look it up at wordreference.com.

Actividad C

Paso 1. Select the major being described in each question.

Paso 2. Ask two classmates what their major is in Spanish.

Modelo- Hola. ¿Qué estudias?

Answer- Estudio ____.

*If you are undecided or don’t have a major, you can say: No tengo una concentración.

¡Muy bien!

You can now introduce yourself with a greeting, your name, stating where you are from, where you live and what you study. ¡Excelente!

For a summary of how to introduce yourself, see Slide 2. You will notice that Slide 2 also includes ways to ask someone else about themself informally and formally.

Finally, there are added expressions in Slide 2 such as Nice to meet you or The pleasure is mine, when meeting someone for the first time.

Play the audio to hear how these expressions are pronounced.

Actividad D

Two university students meet each other

It’s time to introduce yourself to a classmate and ask them questions to get to know them.

Modelo- Hola. Me llamo Jamal. Soy de Chicago, Illinois, pero vivo en Naperville, cerca de Chicago. Estudio negocios. Trabajo en un restaurante. Mucho gusto.

¿Y tú? ¿Cómo te llamas? ¿De dónde eres? ¿Dónde vives? ¿Qué estudias? ¿Trabajas? ¿Dónde trabajas?

Knowing your numbers 0-100 in Spanish could be very useful when introducing yourself. You may want to share your age, date of birth, address or phone number with someone. To do this, it is important to learn how to say and spell your numbers en español.

Do you know your numbers in Spanish? Listen and watch as randomspanish pronounces numbers 1-100 for you.

@randomspanish

How to count to 100 in Spanish. #greenscreen #spanishlessons #spanishtutor #spanish101 #learnontiktok #spanishlesson #quieressaber #learnspanish #spanishvocabulary #teachersoftiktok #frasedeldia #speakspanish #hablaespañol #aprendeespañol #spanishtutorial #spanishpractice #spanishphraseoftheday

♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey

 

For a visual of numbers 0-100 in Spanish, see Slide 4.  Play the audio to hear how each number is pronounced for an additional review.

Now that you know your numbers, you can share more personal information about yourself, such as your age.

In Spanish, to express your age, you will use the verb tener, which means to have.  In English, when someone asks for your age, your response would be- I am 32 years old, for example.  However, in Spanish, you need to use the verb tener, which means I have 32 years of age. (Tengo 32 años).

Watch as Jumpspeak introduces you to the verb tener and how to use it when asking for someone’s age or expressing your own.

For a summary of the verb tener and how to ask for and provide your age in Spanish, see Slide 5.

Actividad E

You met Dani from Brazil earlier in this chapter. Dani has a close group of friends from his neighborhood.

Listen as Lucas introduces you to the friend group by stating the names and ages of each member.  Write the age in numeral format of each friend based on Lucas’s description.

Review the pronunciation of the numbers 1-30 in Spanish from Slide 4 before commencing this activity.

Dani's friends sitting together on a ledge with their names from left to right: Mireya, Antonio, Maki, Joaquín, Sofi and Lucas.

¡Bien hecho! 🙂

Did you know that you could also use numbers to share the date, your birthday, address and phone number?

See Slide 6 to learn how to express this information.

Play the audio to hear how the following questions and answers are pronounced pertaining to dates and numbers.

Actividad F

Doris Jocelyn in Day of the Dead attire

Doris Jocelyn is a content creator from Veracruz, México. She is famous for having the most likes on a TikTok video that pays homage to the Asoka trend, but adapting it to her Mexican heritage and culture. As of 2026, Doris Jocelyn’s Asoka video has over 400 million views.

Listen as one of Doris’s fans reads a description of her age, birthday, address and WhatsApp phone number.

Intercultural reflection 1

India and Mexico are two countries very far from one other on a world map, separated by different religions, cultural practices and language. However, Indian culture has become very popular in Mexico recently through music, dance and art.  This could be attributed to the famous Asoka  trend that has spread worldwide through TikTok.

You just learned about Doris Jocelyn, content creator from Veracruz, México and famous for having the most views of any Latin American influencer for her TikTok video that pays homage to the Asoka trend, but adapting it to Doris’s Mexican heritage and culture. 

*Be sure to press the sound on the bottom left of the video as you watch.

 

@dorisjocelyn

🇲🇽MÉXICO, HAZ LO TUYO! Y que todo el mundo te vea ✨❤️‍🔥 #TRENDMEXA #transiciones #princesaazteca

♬ sonido original – DorisJocelyn🦩

 

Watch as social media influencer, Fernanda Cortes, known for creating videos that celebrate Latinx culture, details more information about Doris Jocelyn and her most watched TikTok video in Latin America.

*Be sure to press the sound on the bottom left of the video.

@fernandacortesx

She did such an amazing job!! ❤️🇲🇽 #mexico #mexican #veracruz #mexicana #mexicano #asoka #trendmexa

♬ оригинальный звук – 🎶🎧🎶

Explore more 

  1. Did you enjoy Doris Jocelyn’s Asoka trend video? Did you recognize any of the Mexican cultural references Doris included in her video? (national flag, colors, history, pastimes)
  2. Are you familiar with the Asoka trend? Do you admire how Doris Jocelyn honored her Mexican heritage in her video with this popular TikTok trend?
  3. If you made your own video celebrating your culture through the Asoka trend, what aspects of your heritage would you include and why?
  4. Music unifies people from different countries and cultures. What else could unify and connect cultures from across the world?
  5. Doris incorporated the Mexican flag in her Asoka video, which is displayed proudly in her country on Mexican Independence Day. Mexicans celebrate their independence on September 16. How would you say the date now that you know your numbers and months in Spanish?

         Modelo- El Día de la Independencia de México es el _____ de ______. (include numeral and month)

      6.  Did you know that in Spain and Latin America, the dates in numeral format include the day first and then the month?

         Example- Mexican Independence Day would be written as 16/9 versus 9/16.

      7. When is your birthday? Say your answer in Spanish.  What would the date look like if the day comes first and then the month?

       Modelo- Mi cumpleaños es el 22 de noviembre. 22/11

      8. To learn more about Doris Jocelyn’s famous Asoka TikTok video, watch her YouTube video detailing the experience.

          *Be sure to press CC for captions in the language you prefer.

 

 

When introducing yourself, if you would like to share what you do for a living or your ethnicity or nationality, you will use the verb ser.

See Slide 8 for a review of the verb ser and subject pronouns in Spanish.

Play the audio to hear how they are pronounced.

Example- Jessica Milagros es modelo.  También es puertorriqueña. (She is also Puerto Rican.)

Decorative photo of Jessica Milagros in Puerto Rico

The country where you were born or hold citizenship would be considered your nationality.  Jessica was born in the U.S., so her actual nationality is American, which in Spanish is estadounidense. Jessica’s ethnicity is Puerto Rican.

When asking someone what their nationality is, you would say,  ¿Cuál es tu nacionalidad? (What is your nationality?)

To learn more about nationalities, read Slide 9.

Be sure to play the audio to hear how the nationalities are pronounced. This is very important.

Actividad G

Paso 1. You will be taking part in a virtual conversation exchange program to help you develop your Spanish-speaking and intercultural competence skills.  You will be selecting a Spanish-speaking partner to converse with.

Each speaker shares their brief biographies, and they include where they are from.

Virtual Conversation Partner bios are presented

Write each conversation partner’s correct nationality in the following spaces.

Paso 2. Watch the following video to see a Spanish language learner discuss nationality with her Latinx conversation partner.

Una conversación sobre la nacionalidad

For a transcript of the conversation, click here.

Una conversación entre Kristin y Yanina

Video by TalkAbroad

Paso 3. If your conversation partner would like to know your nationality, how will you answer?

Conversation partner- ¿Cuál es tu nacionalidad?

You answer: Soy _______________.

¡Súper! 🙂

The topic of nationality and ethnicity could be challenging for the Latinx community who suffer from prejudices and stereotypes from others. Have you ever experienced someone stereotyping you or someone in your community based on ethnicity or nationality?

Read the following Intercultural reflection to learn more about the Latinx experience with regards to overcoming stereotypes (los estereotipos).

Intercultural reflection 2

In popular culture, you may hear people refer to Latinos as Spanish.  This is incorrect. Spanish is the language that the Latinx community speaks. There are people that are Spanish; however, they are from Spain.

Stereotypes about and within the Latinx community exist.  For example, because people from the United States are so close to Mexico, there is a misconception that all Latinx people are Mexican.  This is false.   Each Spanish-speaking country has their own identity and nationality.

There is another stereotype that all Latinos look the same.  This is also false. Latinos have very diverse backgrounds. For example, there are Latinos that have indigenous, African, Asian, and European roots.

Did you know that the following celebrities from BuzzFeedVideo were Latinx?  

Explore more 

1. What stereotypes have you heard regarding Latinos? How do you feel when you hear them? How do you think they make the Latinx community feel?

Watch the following video by NBC News as the Latinx community discusses the issue of stereotypes directed towards them.

2. What are your thoughts or reactions to the Defining Latino video you just viewed?  

3. Do you resonate with the discussion about identity and stereotyping? How so?

4. Have there ever been stereotypes about your community, ethnicity or nationality? If so, what were they? How did those stereotypes make you feel? What do you think could be done to help avoid stereotyping?  Share your ideas.

5. Do you feel more empathetic towards the Latinx community regarding the issue of stereotyping? Has your perspective changed on the matter? Will you do anything to raise awareness or support the Latinx community when you hear someone stereotyping them?

Earlier you learned that Jenna Ortega is an actress that Jessica Milagros follows on Instagram. Have you seen the popular Netflix program, Wednesday, starring Jenna Ortega? Watch a famous scene from the program, where Jenna dances as her character, Wednesday.

Recently, Jenna Ortega, Latina star of Beetlejuice and Wednesday, was interviewed by Carolina from Pero Like. The interview went viral because Carolina told Jenna that she was Latina enough.  Jenna had received criticism for not being Latina enough because she didn’t speak fluent Spanish.

Watch the following segment.

6. Why do you think this video went viral among the Latinx community? Do you feel to be Latino/a/e enough, you need to speak Spanish?

7. The name of this Spanish language e-book is Nepantla, which is a Nahuatl word that means to be in the middle of or between two worlds, two languages or two cultures. How does the concept of Nepantla pertain to American born Jenna Ortega, whose ethnicity is Mexican and Puerto Rican, but her nationality is American? Have you ever felt Nepantla (in between two worlds) in your community, family or friendship circle? Share your experience. If not, do you know of anyone who has felt like they are in between two cultures o identities?

8. After completing this Intercultural reflection, what perspective have you gained from the Latinx community regarding stereotyping, the concept of Nepantla and being Latinx? Will this change your own perspective about the Latinx community or your own identity moving forward?

You just met Jenna Ortega in your Intercultural Reflection 2 reading. Jenna is a famous Latinx actress. When introducing yourself to someone, do you know how to share your profession?

Watch as spanishteacherlatef introduces you to common professions in Spanish in one of his TikTok videos. Did he mention your current or future profession? 🙂 Be sure to press the sound button on the bottom left.

@spanishteacherlatef

Jobs in 🇪🇸 what do you do? 😁 @mosesgotterer #spanish #spanishteacher #espanol #learnspanish #jobs #vocabulary #foryou #usa #uk #nyc

♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey

Spanishteacherlatef ends his video with,  ¿A qué te dedicas?. This is an informal way to ask someone what they do for a living. ¿A qué se dedica? is the formal way.

When getting to know a Spanish-speaker, asking what they do for a living is a common question to get to know them better.

See Slide 10 to learn more about professions in Spanish.

Play the audio to hear how these professions are pronounced.

For a list of more professions in Spanish, follow this link by Livelingua.

¡Bravo! 🙂

Actividad H

Carmen is a model and student from Costa Rica, and she would like to introduce herself to you.

Answer Carmen’s questions in written format and then read your answers to a classmate.

Modelo- Hola. Me llamo _____ y soy + profession.  Soy + nationality. Mucho gusto.

When you meet someone, you may also be asked about your personality or you may want to ask someone else about theirs. To do this, you will ask, ¿Cómo eres?

Jessica Milagros was recently asked to introduce herself and describe her personality on Instagram Live.

Jessica uses descriptive adjectives that are feminine because that is how she identifies herself. If Jessica were to identify as non-binary, her descriptive adjectives would end in e.

See Slide 11 for a list of descriptive adjectives in feminine, masculine and non-binary forms.

It is very important to highlight that descriptive adjectives are used with the verb ser (to be) since they are more permanent traits. For a review of the verb ser, see Slide 8.

For example- He is tall. (Es alto.) She is kind. (Es generosa.) I am funny. (Soy cómico.) They are (non-binary singular) fun. (Es divertide.)

Play the audio to hear how the following descriptive adjectives are pronounced in Spanish.

Descriptive adjectives from columns 1 and 2 are pronounced in the masculine form.

Descriptive adjectives from columns 3 and 4 are pronounced in the feminine form.

Descriptive adjectives from column 5 are pronounced in the masculine form.

Watch as Teacher Catalina reviews how to ask about someone’s personality and physicality and how to answer if the question were posed to you.

It is also important to know that adjectives agree in gender and number in Spanish.  TeacherCatalina demonstrates how to correctly describe yourself or others with adjective agreement.

Actividad I

Paso 1. Based on the two videos you just viewed about adjective agreement and the personality and physical traits from Slide 11, complete the following activity.

Paso 2. Select the correct personality or physicality traits for the Latinx celebrities you just viewed based on adjective agreement.

Paso 3. In groups of two, choose your favorite Latinx celebrity from the image and select 3 descriptive adjectives to describe them from Slide 11. Pay close attention to adjective agreement.

Modelo- Rosalía es morena, fuerte y talentosa.

 

Please note:

There is a grammatical rule about the letters y and i when included in a sentence and the sequence of adjectives.

1. In Spanish, if the word that follows the conjunction y begins with the letter i, the letter must be changed to an e for pronunciation purposes.

Incorrect- Mi amigo es alto, generoso y inteligente. (This is hard to pronounce. The y must change to an e to ease pronunciation.)

Correct- Mi amigo es alto, generoso e inteligente. (The y changes to an e for pronunciation purposes.)

2. When you have a sequence of adjectives in a sentence, there is no comma before the conjunction y.

Incorrect- Mi padre es activo, de estatura media, y honesto. (There should be no comma before y in a sequence.)

Correct- Soy trabajadora, simpática y baja. (The comma was successfully omitted in front of the conjunction, y, in a sequence.)

3. Avoid a run-on sentence when describing someone.

Incorrect- Mi profesora es cómica y optimista y baja. (This is a run-on sentence because a comma is needed to avoid the repetition of the conjunction, y.)

Correct- Mi profesora es cómica, optimista y baja. (Only one conjunction is needed before the last adjective in the sentence.)

¡Muy bien! 🙂

Actividad J

How would you describe your personality and physical traits?

Paso 1. Choose 4-5 of the adjectives from Slide 11 to describe your personality and physicality. Write them down below.

Pay close attention to adjective agreement.

Soy ________, _________, ________ y _________.

Paso 2. Ask 3 different classmates to describe themselves by following the model below.

Modelo-

Estudiante 1- Hola. ¿Cómo eres?

Estudiante 2 (female) – Buenas tardes. Soy trabajadora, innovadora, alta, activa y generosa. ¿Y tú? ¿Cómo eres?

Then answer with your own description.

Do this dialogue with two more students.

Paso 3. Describe your classmates based on the adjectives you heard.

Modelo- Mis compañeros de clase son activos, inteligentes y simpáticos.

*Pay close attention to adjective agreement.

II. Tu rutina diaria (Your daily routine)

To get to know someone more, you can ask them about their daily routine.

To discuss daily routine, it is important to review time. Do you know how to ask for the time? You can start with ¿Qué hora es? (What time is it?)

Watch as StoryLearningSpanish demonstrates additional ways to ask for the time and to give the time in Spanish.

When StoryLearningSpanish provides the time, she does it in a way that is very informal. You will learn more accurate ways to tell time in Slide 15. You will also see examples of how to ask for the time informally and formally.

Play the audio to hear the pronunciation when asking for time and when providing it.

Actividad K

Paso 1. Practice telling time. Match the following times with their corresponding description.

Paso 2. In groups of two, take turns providing the time in each photo. Include de la mañana, de la tarde, de la noche or de la madrugada in your answers.

Modelo-

Estudiante 1- ¿Qué hora es en número 1?
Estudiante 2- Son las _____ de la ______.

¡Muy bien!

Actividad L

Camila is learning how to tell time in her Spanish language class. Help Camila by writing out the time for each number above her head.

Excelente. You now know how to ask for the time and provide it. ¡Fabuloso! 🙂

In Spanish, it is also important to know how to ask at what time an event takes place in case you would like to connect with someone and do something together. You would use the expression, ¿A qué hora?

As a review, ¿Qué hora es? means What time is it?. However, ¿A qué hora? means At what time?

Watch at thespanishenthusiast introduces ¿A qué hora? to you in conversation.

Slide 16 introduces you to the concept of asking at what time something happens and how to provide that information with time.

Play the audio to hear how these expressions are pronounced.

Actividad M

Jess posing with the title Jess's routine in Spanish

Paso 1. Listen as Jess reads her schedule on the weekends. Place the activities that Jess completes in their chronological order.

Paso 2. Select the time Jess does each activity based on what you heard.

¿Y tú?

Actividad N

What is your daily routine like? What time do you do your activities?

Man sits at his desk

Go around the room and ask 3 different students about their daily routine. When asked, be sure to include the time you do each activity with a + la, al or a + las.

Follow the model.

Modelo-

¿A qué hora asistes a clase? (What time do you attend class?)

Answer- Asisto a clase a las diez de la mañana.

  1. ¿A qué hora miras Netflix o YouTube (watch)? – Miro YouTube a las ______ de la ______.
  2. ¿A qué hora estudias(study)? – Estudio ____________.
  3. ¿A qué hora te acuestas (go to bed)? – Me acuesto ___________.

If you would like to know about someone’s daily routine, there are several ways you can start that conversation.

Watch as Xavier shares two ways to ask someone about their typical day.

Xavier poses in a library

Xavier

Slide 17 below shares additional ways to ask someone about their daily routine and introduces you to ar, er and ir verbs, which are necessary to use when describing activities or tasks you complete on a typical day.

Play the audio to hear how the questions on daily routine and verbs are pronounced.

Actividad O

Calendar, clock and word routine written out

Select the most appropriate way to ask someone about their daily routine based on the cues provided.

¡Muy bien! Now that you know how to start a conversation about daily routine, if someone were to ask you about yours, it is important to know how to answer with verbs in the yo form.

Watch as Armando describes his daily routine for you through a video he took of his typical day.

Armando rides on his bike to work

El día típico de Armando

Did you notice the verbs in the yo form and the time Armando does his daily activities in Latin America?

Actividad P

Select all of the verbs in the following list that Armando mentioned he does on a typical day.

¡Muy bien! 🙂

See Slide 18 for more yo form verbs in the present tense.

Play the audio to hear how these verbs are pronounced.

¡Excelente!

It’s time to share what your daily routine is like.  Before you do that, it is important to include parts of your morning and night routine, which will require you to know about reflexive verbs.

What is a reflexive verb?  This is an action you do to yourself, and it requires a special reflexive pronoun in the verb conjugation, depending on who the subject completing the action is.

Watch as Julitt_FluentSpanish introduces you to the concept of reflexive verbs.

Slide 19 introduces you to reflexive pronouns and yo form verbs in the reflexive as well.

Play the audio to hear their pronunciation.

Actividad Q

Young women in wheelchair brushing her teeth

Paso 1. Using Slide 19 as a resource, select the most appropriate reflexive verb based on the cues given.

Paso 2. Describe your own daily routine in the morning using at least 4-5 verbs.

Modelo- Me levanto a las seis de la mañana, me cepillo los dientes, me ducho, me visto y voy al trabajo.

*Notice how the last verb is not reflexive. Only put the reflexive pronoun me in front of reflexive verbs.

Read your sentence to a classmate.  Do you have similar morning routines?

¡Excelente! 🙂

III. ¿Cómo es tu familia? (Describe your family)

When meeting someone, asking about their family is a common topic of conversation.

What does family mean to you?  Do you have a big or small family? How important is the concept of family in your culture?

How important is family in the Latinx community?

Chapter 4- Is family important to latinos

Family is very important to Latinos.  In Latinx countries, did you know that it is common to have several generations of family members living under the same roof?   For example, in Costa Rica, sons and daughters can live with their parents until their 30s or beyond. This is true for several reasons.

First, there is a closeness by living with one’s own family. Second, by remaining in the family household, family members are able save money to buy their own homes. Third, some may choose to live with their family until they get married due to individual preference.  Finally, there may be a personal reason such as sickness or individual family traditions that play a role in why several generations of family members live together.

In the following video, David, a virtual conversation partner from TalkAbroad, shares what the concept of family means in his culture. David is from Nicaragua.

Una discusión sobre la familia

Test your listening comprehension skills. What does family mean for David?

To start your own conversation about family with a Spanish-speaker, you could ask:

Decorative picture of family with the question: ¿Cómo es tu familia?

¿Cómo es tu familia? means what is your family like, or describe your family.  This is different from ¿Cómo está tu familia?, which means how is your family doing?

You would answer ¿Cómo es tu familia? by using the verb ser + descriptive adjectives, similar to the ones that you learned in Lesson 2.

Click on Slide 11 to review those adjectives.

To describe your family as a whole, you will use the feminine singular form of the descriptive adjective.

Unlike in English, where family consists of more than one person, the word familia in Spanish is considered one singular unit; therefore, the word is singular, not plural. Additionally, the word familia is feminine, so the descriptive adjective you use needs to agree in number and gender with the word, familia.

Example- Mi familia es trabajadora (hard-working).  OR  Mi familia es alta (tall).

See how the following students describe their families in photos using different descriptive adjectives.

Different people describe their family in photos

Actividad R

Decorative image of a woman thinking while holding her cell.

Paso 1. How would you describe your family? Fill in the space with at least one descriptive adjective from Slide 11. Remember, family is one singular unit, so your adjective should be singular and feminine.

Modelo- Mi familia es ______________.

Paso 2. Ask 2-3 students to describe their families to you.

Modelo- Hola. ¿Cómo es tu familia?  Answer: Mi familia es ____.

Example- Mi familia es trabajadora y leal.

After asking what someone’s family is like with ¿Cómo es tu familia?, you may ask or be asked more questions about individual family members.  In Spanish, there are several words you could use for family members as a whole.

parientes – family members or relatives

familiares– family members or relatives

miembros de la familia– family members

Example- ¿Cómo son tus familiares?

If you would like to describe specific family members, it is important to know the vocabulary words for immediate (familia nuclear) and extended family (familia extensa). Listen as TikTokers My Daily Spanish and hellotalk_spanish share family vocabulary with you. Be sure to press the sound button on the bottom left of the videos.

@mydailyspanish

The family in Spanish. Follow for more Spanish lessons! 😊 #learnontiktok #learnspanish #spanishlesson #spanishteacher #languages #spanishonline

♬ sonido original – My Daily Spanish – My Daily Spanish

 

Jessie is going to introduce her family to you in Slide 24. Listen as she describes her family tree. You will also find a list of vocabulary words for family members in Spanish on the slide.

Play the audio to hear how Jessie’s family and vocabulary on family are pronounced.

Jessie’s family tree

Vocabulary on family

Actividad S

Test your listening comprehension skills by answering the following questions regarding Jessie’s family tree.

¡Qué bien! 🙂

Actividad T

Luis took a break from writing his next book to introduce his family to you through photos.

Decorative photo of Luis

Play the video here.

¡Bravo! 🙂

It’s time to introduce your family to your classmates through photos. Watch as College of DuPage student, Ava, introduces her family to her TalkAbroad virtual conversation partner.

Ava introduces her family

In the video, you also saw Ava’s conversation partner introduce her family members through photos. You will do the same! 🙂

Using the vocabulary from Slide 24, you will present your family members with the expressions on Slide 25 below.

Be sure to play the audio to hear how these phrases are pronounced.

Actividad U

Choose 2-3 photos of your family. The photos can come from your cell phone, computer printout, or actual photos.

Introduce the members of your family to at least three classmates following the guidelines in Slide 25.

Showing picture of family on cell phone

Be sure to include the relationship of the family member, their name, age, where they live and a physical and personality description of them from Slide 11. Pets count! Have fun! 🙂

Modelo- Hola. Voy a presentarte a mi familia. Él es mi mascota. Se llama Buddy. Tiene un año. Vive conmigo en Houston, Texas. Es muy grande, activo y amable.

¡Excelente! You now know how to ask someone to describe their family and present your own through photos. ¡Muy bien!

Earlier you discussed the concept of family, and you learned that for Latinos, la familia es número 1.

Intercultural Reflection 3

Latinx families come in many forms. There are two-parent households, single parent, blended families, same-sex couples, adopted parents, grandparent-led families, and several more variations.  Each family is unique in their own way.

Traditionally, there has been a stigma attached to Latinx fathers as being machista, or someone who exhibits male chauvinism or a traditional patriarchal dominance in the household.

Have you experienced traditional gender roles in your family structure or seen them in someone else’s family?  What type of household were you raised in?  

A few years ago, a young Latinx son, Daniel Lemus, who has a passion for makeup, unexpectedly came out to his Mexican father while video recording himself doing a makeup tutorial.  What do you think the reaction of the father was upon seeing his son put makeup on?

NowThis Impact shares Daniel’s video and his father’s reaction.

Explore more 

1. Were you surprised by the father’s reaction? Share your thoughts.

2. How did this video make you feel?  Do you feel there should be more empathy and compassion for family members that are in the closet, especially Latinx ones that come from traditional households?

3. In Spanish, “papa” or “papas” is a term of endearment for a son or grandson.  In Daniel’s video, you hear the Mexican father call his son “papa” repeatedly, as he supports Daniel’s decision to embrace makeup and his identity.

Are there terms or nicknames used for certain family members as a sign of endearment in your culture or language? What are they? What do they mean?

4. The use of “ito” or “ita” at the end of words could also show endearment or affection in the Spanish language.  You would drop the o or a at the end of a word and place ito or ita, depending if the word is masculine or feminine. It could also mean “little.”  This is called a diminutive.

For example- Hijo would be hijito.  Hija would be- hijita. 

Write and say the term of endearment for each of these family members with ito or ita.

A. Mamá

B. Papá

C. Abuelo

D. Abuela

E. Hermano

F. Hermana

5. If you would like to learn about Daniel’s reaction when coming out to his dad, read the following article by YourTango.

YourTango Article

IV. Tus hábitos de comer (Your eating habits)

A common connection between many cultures is food! Have you ever tried Spanish or Latinx food?

Watch as Melanie Guanine shares her daily diet in Venezuela.

Venezuela is known for their delicious empanadas that you saw in Melanie’s video. What are the best Spanish or Latinx dishes that you’ve tried?  Is there a Spanish or Latinx restaurant you recommend?

Actividad V

The following post shares popular Latinx dishes from around the globe.

In groups of 3-4, see if you could match the Latinx food in each photo with the correct description below.

Modelo- En la foto #1, la comida es letra G, pozole de México.

A. tacos de México   B. ceviche de Perú   C. tamales de México   D. pupusas de El Salvador  E. tostones de Costa Rica  F. empanadas de Chile  G. pozole de México

Photos of different Latin American dishes

For the answers, click on the following link.

Las respuestas (The answers)

Which Latinx dish would you like to try and why?

Did you know that in Spanish there are verbs associated with eating each meal? In English, you would say: I eat a sandwich for lunch, or I eat spaghetti for dinner.  However, in Spanish, you would use the actual verb almorzar to describe what you eat for lunch and cenar to describe what you eat for dinner.

Example- Almuerzo un sándwich al mediodía y ceno espaguetis por la noche.

Explore the different verbs used for meals (las comidas) and drinks (las bebidas) in Slide 31.

Play the audio to hear how these verbs are pronounced.

Actividad W

4 meals are presented

Now that you know the verbs associated with each meal, it is important to know the vocabulary related to those meals.

See Slide 32 for common meals and drinks in Spanish. Play the audio to hear how they are pronounced.

*If there is a food that you normally eat that it is not located in Slide 32, feel free to look it up at www.wordreference.com.

Actividad X

Based on Slide 32, place the foods typically eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack in their appropriate categories.

 

Intercultural Reflection 4

In Spanish, there is a term called la inseguridad alimentaria, which means food insecurity.  La inseguridad alimentaria is when people do not have access to an adequate quantity of food or quality food that meets one’s basic needs. To learn more about food insecurity in English, click on this article by Feeding America.  To learn more about la inseguridad alimentaria in Spanish, read the following article by National Geographic.

Social media influencer, Anita Mateu, invites you to explore the issue of la inseguridad alimentaria as she takes you through a day in her life in Cuba.  Have you ever been to Cuba?  Do you have friends or family from there or that currently live in Cuba?  Do you know any traditional Cuban dishes?  Did you know that food is scarce in Cuba?

Press CC for captions in the language you prefer as you watch Anita’s YouTube video about food insecurity in Cuba and in her home.

A decorative clip of Anita's video on food insecurity in Cuba

To watch the video, click here.

Explore more 

Paso 1. What are your initial reactions to Anita’s video about the food situation in Cuba?  Were you aware of how difficult it was to obtain food there?  Have you experienced food insecurity in your life or community?  If not, do videos like Anita’s open your eyes and heart to the issues of la inseguridad alimentaria?  Do you feel more compassion and empathy for those that do not have access to food for their livelihood? 

Paso 2. Name 5-7 foods you observed in Anita’s video in Spanish.  Name a food that is new for you.  Which food do you like and why?

Modelo- En el video, hay (name 5-7 foods).  Una comida nueva para mí es ______.  En el video, me gusta ______ porque ______.

Paso 3. Anita now lives in Spain, and she is able to send her family money to help them financially.  This is common for many Latinos that work in the U.S. They help their families by sending them money for food and basic life needs.  

Do you know someone that works in the States and sends money home to their families?  How would you feel if you had to leave your country to find work and send money to support your family?  By putting yourself in the shoes of someone like Anita, who has to work abroad to support her family, do you better understand the struggles Cubans or other Latinos face?

Paso 4. If you would like to support food pantries in the Chicagoland area to help combat food insecurity, you could donate to the following organizations. If you are experiencing food scarcity, you could also visit these locations for help in the Chicagoland area. Click on each to see what the requirements are to receive assistance.

College of DuPage Fuel Pantry

Loaves & Fishes Community Service

To learn more about food insecurity in the Latinx community in Chicago, watch the following video by WTTW.

Actividad Y

Anita is curious about your eating habits. She would like to know what you eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack.

Notice that in Anita’s questions, she uses the verbs you just learned related to teach meal. When you answer Anita’s questions, you will use those same verbs in your sentences.

Anita asks students what they eat for their meals

Answer Anita’s questions by writing your answers in sentence format, using the vocabulary on foods from Slide 32 and the indefinite articles or omission of articles from Slide 33.

Modelo- Típicamente, desayuno café, fruta y pan tostado. Almuerzo sopa, papitas y un refresco. Meriendo nueces y normalmente ceno verduras, pasta y un vaso de agua.

¡Muy bien! 🙂

Actividad Z

Learn about your classmates’ eating habits.

Go around the room and ask your classmates about their favorite foods and diet. Once you obtain 3 different boxes in a row, say ¡Lotería!

Example answers to the questions are on the 2nd slide to help you answer them with ease.

What did you learn about your classmates’ eating habits and favorite foods or drinks?

V. Chapter 6 Final Assessment

Answer the following questions posed by Jessica about yourself and Luis about your family. You can answer on your own.

 

Luis’s questions for you

 

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