New
New
Year 7

Spanish-speaking cities: article use and 'ser' vs 'estar'

Learning outcomes

I can describe Spanish-speaking cities using definite and indefinite articles and the verbs 'ser' and 'estar'.

I can spell words with the sounds [ci] and [si] correctly.

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New
New
Year 7

Spanish-speaking cities: article use and 'ser' vs 'estar'

Learning outcomes

I can describe Spanish-speaking cities using definite and indefinite articles and the verbs 'ser' and 'estar'.

I can spell words with the sounds [ci] and [si] correctly.

Link copied to clipboard

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. In the Canary Islands, Latin America and parts of Spain, the sounds [ci] and [si] are pronounced the same.
  2. The definite articles 'el', 'la', 'los' and 'las' translate as 'the' in English.
  3. The indefinite articles 'un', 'una', 'unos' and 'unas' translate as 'a/an' and 'some' in English.
  4. There are two ways to say 'they are': 'están' for location and temporary state/mood, and 'son' for permanent traits.

Keywords

  • Indefinite articles - the words 'un', 'una', 'unos' and 'unas', meaning 'a/an' and 'some'

  • Definite articles - the words 'el', 'la', 'los' and 'las', meaning 'the'

  • Son - part of the verb 'ser' that means they are used to talk about permanent traits

  • Están - part of the verb 'estar' that means they are used to talk about location, temporary states and mood

Common misconception

In Spanish, like in English, there is only one 'the' and that is 'el'.

In Spanish, there are four words for 'the' - 'el' that accompanies singular and masculine nouns; 'la' for singular and feminine nouns, 'los' for plural and masculine nouns, and 'las' for plural and feminine nouns.


To help you plan your year 7 spanish lesson on: Spanish-speaking cities: article use and 'ser' vs 'estar', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

The teacher might want to ask pupils to research a Spanish-speaking city and to create a poster. The task would benefit from a clear framework; number of sentences, structures and vocabulary to include, and the notion of 80:20 or 90:10 ratio of 'previously-taught' to 'newly-researched' language.
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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).

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6 Questions

Q1.
Complete the definition: A is a word for a person, place or thing.
Correct Answer: noun
Q2.
Match the Spanish to the English.
Correct Answer:la tienda,the shop

the shop

Correct Answer:la escuela,the school

the school

Correct Answer:el parque,the park

the park

Correct Answer:la montaña,the mountain

the mountain

Correct Answer:la iglesia,the church

the church

Correct Answer:el campo,the countryside

the countryside

Q3.
Complete the definition: An is a word that describes a noun.
Correct Answer: adjective
Q4.
Match the English to the Spanish.
Correct Answer:cheap,barato

barato

Correct Answer:expensive,caro

caro

Correct Answer:big,grande

grande

Correct Answer:small,pequeño

pequeño

Correct Answer:boring,aburrido

aburrido

Correct Answer:good,bueno

bueno

Q5.
Which statements about adjectives in Spanish are correct?
Correct answer: Adjectives are placed after the noun.
Feminine adjectives usually end in -o.
Masculine adjectives usually end in -a.
Correct answer: If an adjective ends in a consonant or 'e', it doesn't change for gender.
Correct answer: Adjectives have plural forms.
Q6.
Match the Spanish to the English.
Correct Answer:por la mañana,in the morning

in the morning

Correct Answer:por la tarde,in the afternoon, evening

in the afternoon, evening

Correct Answer:por la noche,at night

at night

Correct Answer:siempre,always

always

Correct Answer:a veces,sometimes

sometimes

Correct Answer:nunca,never

never

6 Questions

Q1.
Complete the statement: 'In Latin America, the Canary Island and parts of Spain, the sounds [ci] and [si] ...
are pronounced differently
Correct answer: are pronounced the same
can be pronounced either the same or differently
Q2.
Which words are adjectives?
Correct answer: bueno
Correct answer: caras
fuera
plaza
Correct answer: baratos
Q3.
Which words are adverbs?
Correct answer: fuera
son
están
Correct answer: cerca
Correct answer: por la noche
Q4.
Match the indefinite article with the correct noun.
Correct Answer:un,banco

banco

Correct Answer:una,estación

estación

Correct Answer:unos,edificios

edificios

Correct Answer:unas,tiendas

tiendas

Q5.
Write the correct definite article. 'En Buenos Aires hay unos restaurantes. restaurantes son muy buenos.'
Correct Answer: Los, los
Q6.
Translate into Spanish: 'The cities are far.'
Correct Answer: Las ciudades están lejos.

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