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A trip to Barcelona: 'voy', 'vas' and 'estás' with 'en', 'al' and 'a la'

Lesson details

Learning outcome

I can use the verbs ‘ir’ and ‘estar’ followed by the correct preposition to describe a trip to Barcelona.

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. The sound-spelling correspondences [r] and [rr] are pronounced differently: [r] as in ‘armario’ and [rr] as in ‘perro’.
  2. The irregular verb ‘ir’ means ‘to go, going’. To say 'I go, I’m going' use 'voy'. 'You go, you’re going' is 'vas'.
  3. With 'ir', use 'al' or 'a la' to say 'to the' depending on whether the following noun is masculine or feminine.
  4. When 'estar' is used for location it is often followed by the preposition 'en'; this can mean 'in', 'on' or 'at'.

Keywords

  • Voy - 'I go, I’m going' - part of the verb ‘ir’ meaning ‘to go, going’

  • Vas - 'you go, you’re going' - part of the verb ‘ir’ meaning ‘to go, going’

  • Al - 'to the' before a singular masculine noun

  • A la - 'to the' before a singular feminine noun

  • En - 'in', 'on' or 'at', used after the verb 'estar'

Common misconception

'Estar' can be followed by 'en' or 'a'.

The preposition 'en' is generally used with 'estar' and can mean 'in', 'on' or 'at'. The preposition 'a' is generally used with the verb 'ir'.

Teacher tip

This lesson provides a good opportunity to extend pupils' cultural knowledge about the city of Barcelona. There are lots of excellent websites showing the different historical and modern aspects of the city. It is also an opportunity to revise known vocabulary e.g. 'museo', 'parque', 'mercado' etc.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
'Corro __________ mis amigos en el parque'. Choose the correct missing word.

Correct answer: con
de
sobre
también
y

Q2.
Match the Spanish and English.

Correct Answer:hacer,to make, to do

to make, to do

Correct Answer:mandar,to send, sending

to send, sending

Correct Answer:mirar,to look, looking

to look, looking

Correct Answer:preparar,to prepare, preapring

to prepare, preapring

Correct Answer:ver,to see, seeing

to see, seeing

Correct Answer:visitar,to visit, visiting

to visit, visiting

Q3.
Match the Spanish and English.

Correct Answer:cine (m),cinema

cinema

Correct Answer:cultura (f),culture

culture

Correct Answer:piscina (f),swimming pool

swimming pool

Correct Answer:playa (f),beach

beach

Correct Answer:pueblo (m),village

village

Correct Answer:regalo (m),present

present

Q4.
Order the words to say: 'the grandmother is funny and the grandfather is serious'.

1 - la
2 - abuela
3 - es divertida
4 - y
5 - el
6 - abuelo
7 - es serio

Q5.
Write in English: 'es una ciudad bonita'.

Correct Answer: it is a pretty city, it's a pretty city

Q6.
Write in Spanish: 'there is a red wardrobe'.

Correct Answer: hay un armario rojo

4 Questions

Q1.
Which nouns are missing the sound [rr]?

Correct answer: el ca__o
el __egalo
Correct answer: el pe__o
el p__imo
el me__cado

Q2.
Match the Spanish and English.

Correct Answer:estar,to be, being (location)

to be, being (location)

Correct Answer:ir,to go, going

to go, going

Correct Answer:voy,I go, I am going

I go, I am going

Correct Answer:vas,you go, you are going

you go, you are going

Q3.
Order the words to say: 'to the stadium and to the square'.

1 - al
2 - estadio
3 - y
4 - a
5 - la
6 - plaza

Q4.
Write in English: 'estoy en mi habitación'.

Correct Answer: I am in my room, I am in my bedroom, I'm in my room, I'm in my bedroom

To help you plan your 6 Spanish lesson on: A trip to Barcelona: 'voy', 'vas' and 'estás' with 'en', 'al' and 'a la', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...