How are they? 'Son' and 'están'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe people using 'son' and 'estan'.
Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons
Key learning points
- The vowel [i] is a weak vowel and it merges with [a], [e] and [o] to make a single syllable.
- There are two verbs 'to be, being' in Spanish: 'ser' and 'estar'.
- From the verb ‘estar’, 'están' is 'they are' for location and temporary states.
- From the verb ‘ser’, 'son' is 'they are' for general traits.
- To describe more than one noun, plural masculine adjectives end in -os, feminine in -as; adjectives ending in -e add -s.
Keywords
Weak vowel - the vowels [i] and [u] which merge with [a], [e] and [o] to make a single syllable
Están - 'they are' for location and temporary state, part of the verb 'estar'
Son - 'they are' for general traits, part of the verb 'ser'
Adjective - a word that gives information about a noun
Common misconception
There is only one way to say 'they are' in Spanish.
There are two verbs meaning to be, being. To say 'they are' for location and temporary state, we use 'estan' from the verb 'estar'. To say 'we are' for general traits, we use 'son' from the verb 'ser'.
Teacher tip
To informally assess pupils' understanding, you could add additional sentences to the last activity, asking pupils to change the adjectives accordingly and write them on whiteboards for quick checking. Pupils could work in pairs to complete this.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the Spanish to the English.
to write, writing
to listen, listening
to pronounce, pronouncing
to be, being (permanent traits)
to read, reading
to be, being (temporary states)
Q2.Order the words to say 'normally they are very silly in class'.
Q3.Order the days of the week from the first to the last day. Start with Monday.
Q4.Which words could describe both masculine and feminine subjects in a sentence?
Q5.'Las niñas siempre son amables.' Translate this sentence into English.
Q6.'Today, my friend is calm.' Translate this sentence into Spanish.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which word means 'tired'?
Q2.'Esta mañana, mis __________ están muy serios.' Which word best completes this sentence?
Q3.Match the Spanish to the English.
afterwards
too
today
as well
but
normally
Q4.Match the Spanish to the English.
to eat, eating
to play, playing
to wear, wearing
to prepare, preparing
to want, wanting
Q5.'Los estudiantes a menudo son contentos.' Translate this sentence into English.
Q6.'They are tired but curious.' Translate this sentence into Spanish.
To help you plan your 5 Spanish lesson on: How are they? 'Son' and 'están', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 5 Spanish lesson on: How are they? 'Son' and 'están', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 Spanish lessons from the Me and others: plural 'estar' (for states) and 'ser' (for traits) unit, dive into the full primary Spanish curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.