New
New
Year 4

Friends: subject pronouns 'él' and 'ella' for clarity and emphasis

Learning outcomes

I can differentiate between 'estar' and 'ser' to say 'is' and use subject pronouns 'él' and 'ella' for clarity and emphasis.

I can recognise words with [gue] and [gui].

New
New
Year 4

Friends: subject pronouns 'él' and 'ella' for clarity and emphasis

Learning outcomes

I can differentiate between 'estar' and 'ser' to say 'is' and use subject pronouns 'él' and 'ella' for clarity and emphasis.

I can recognise words with [gue] and [gui].

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. The sound-symbol correspondences [gue] and [gui] sound like in 'juguete' and 'seguir'.
  2. There are two ways to say 'is' in Spanish: 'es' and 'está'.
  3. The subject pronouns for 'he' and 'she' are 'él' and 'ella'.
  4. Subject pronouns can be used for clarity and emphasis.

Keywords

  • [gue] - pronounced as in 'juguete'

  • [gui] - pronounced as in 'seguir'

  • Subject pronoun - represents the person, people or thing(s) doing the verb, e.g. 'I', 'you', 'she', 'he', etc.

  • Él - subject pronoun meaning 'he'

  • Ella - subject pronoun meaning 'she'

Common misconception

There is one word for 'is' in Spanish as there is in English.

In Spanish, 'es' and 'está' are used to say 'is'. 'Es' is from the verb 'ser' and it is used for general traits and 'está' is from the verb 'estar' and it is used for temporary states and/or location.


To help you plan your year 4 Spanish lesson on: Friends: subject pronouns 'él' and 'ella' for clarity and emphasis, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

The concept of two ways to say 'is' can be difficult to remember. Lots of practice of using es and está will be useful to help pupils differentiate between the use of estar and ser. Using gestures can support long term retention of the meaning of each subject pronoun.
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Equipment

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), 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

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these adjectives could be used to describe 'una tortuga'?
Correct answer: feliz
Correct answer: rápida
lento
curioso
Correct answer: inteligente
Q2.
Match the Spanish and the English.
Correct Answer:hay,there is, there are

there is, there are

Correct Answer:demasiado,too

too

Correct Answer:unos,some (masculine plural)

some (masculine plural)

Correct Answer:unas,some (feminine plural)

some (feminine plural)

Q3.
Match the Spanish and English adjectives.
Correct Answer:diferente,different

different

Correct Answer:inteligente,intelligent

intelligent

Correct Answer:amable,kind

kind

Correct Answer:divertido,fun, funny

fun, funny

Correct Answer:perfecto,perfect

perfect

Correct Answer:serio,serious

serious

Q4.
Order the words to say: 'The tiger is too big and serious'.
1 - el
2 - tigre
3 - es
4 - demasiado
5 - grande
6 - y
7 - serio
Q5.
Which is my favourite animal? 'Es lento y muy grande.'
tortuga (f)
rana (f)
Correct answer: elefante (m)
jirafa (f)
Q6.
Which animal is being described? 'Es seria y demasiado lenta.'
tigre (m)
Correct answer: jirafa (f)
elefante (m)
oso (m)

Assessment exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which sound-spelling correspondence (SSC) is missing from these words? ju___ete, hambur___usa, ho___ra
gua
Correct answer: gue
gui
Q2.
Match the Spanish and English.
Correct Answer:aprender,to learn, learning

to learn, learning

Correct Answer:ver,to see, seeing

to see, seeing

Correct Answer:leer,to read, reading

to read, reading

Correct Answer:un deporte,a sport

a sport

Correct Answer:un idioma,a language

a language

Correct Answer:el cielo,the sky

the sky

Q3.
Which set of verbs mean 'is' in Spanish?
'ser' and 'estar'
Correct answer: 'es' and 'está'
'soy' and 'estoy'
'eres' and 'estás'
Q4.
Match the Spanish and English.
Correct Answer:arriba,above

above

Correct Answer:abajo,below

below

Correct Answer:en el medio,in the middle

in the middle

Correct Answer:de,of, from

of, from

Q5.
Order the words to say: 'He is (an) intelligent (person) but today he is (feeling) sad'.
1 - es
2 - inteligente
3 - pero
4 - hoy
5 - está
6 - triste
Q6.
Match the Spanish and English.
Correct Answer:He is kind.,Él es amable.

Él es amable.

Correct Answer:She is intelligent.,Ella es inteligente.

Ella es inteligente.

Correct Answer:He is sad.,Él es triste.

Él es triste.

Correct Answer:She is happy.,Ella es feliz.

Ella es feliz.

Additional material

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