New
New
Year 9

Past experiences of work: -ar verbs imperfect tense 1st person singular

Learning outcomes

I can describe what was happening and what happened at work using the preterite and imperfect.

I can confidently pronounce [r] and [rr] sounds.

New
New
Year 9

Past experiences of work: -ar verbs imperfect tense 1st person singular

Learning outcomes

I can describe what was happening and what happened at work using the preterite and imperfect.

I can confidently pronounce [r] and [rr] sounds.

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. The two different [r] sounds sometimes change the meaning of a word, e.g. 'pero' - 'but', 'perro' - 'dog'.
  2. To talk about a completed event in the past, we use the preterite tense, e.g. 'mandé un correo ayer'.
  3. To talk about something that used to happen repeatedly in the past, we use the imperfect tense, e.g. 'mandaba'.
  4. In the imperfect tense, the verb 'estar' can be translated with 'was, were' or 'used to', e.g. 'estaba feliz'.

Keywords

  • Preterite tense - tense used for events completed in the past

  • Imperfect tense - tense used to describe how things were or used to be in the past

Common misconception

It doesn't matter if the action was completed or repeated - I can use any past tense verb.

In Spanish, we choose between the preterite and imperfect based on how the action happened in the past. Use the preterite to communicate an action that happened once and the imperfect for actions that were repeated over a period of time.


To help you plan your year 9 Spanish lesson on: Past experiences of work: -ar verbs imperfect tense 1st person singular, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

It's worth continuing to encourage pupils who cannot yet roll their 'r' to keep practising; this is the last sound that Spanish children acquire too, and it will come over time, with practice. In addition, teachers might consider providing students with a copy of the text for Task C3b.
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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).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
'Mi tía es __________.' Choose the correct missing word.

peruano
Correct answer: peruana
peruanos
peruanas

Q2.
Match the Spanish and English.

Correct Answer:considerar,to consider, considering

to consider, considering

Correct Answer:empezar,to start, starting

to start, starting

Correct Answer:lavar,to wash, washing

to wash, washing

Correct Answer:presentar,to present, presenting

to present, presenting

Correct Answer:organizar,to organise, organising

to organise, organising

Correct Answer:ganar,to earn, earning

to earn, earning

Q3.
Match the Spanish and English.

Correct Answer:acción (f),action

action

Correct Answer:idea (f),idea

idea

Correct Answer:oro (m),gold

gold

Correct Answer:principio (m),beginning

beginning

Correct Answer:carta (f),letter

letter

Correct Answer:pregunta (f),question

question

Q4.
Order the words to say: 'I don't like working in an office'.

1 - no
2 - me
3 - gusta
4 - trabajar
5 - en
6 - una
7 - oficina

Q5.
Write in English: 'viajo a la ciudad'.

Correct Answer: I travel to the city, I am travelling to the city, I'm travelling to the city

Q6.
Write in Spanish: 'I buy lots of things'.

Correct Answer: compro muchas cosas, yo compro muchas cosas

Assessment exit quiz

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4 Questions

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

Correct answer: e__or
ce__o
Correct answer: ce__ar
to__o
Correct answer: to__e

Q2.
'Todos los días __________ cartas'. Choose the correct verb.

entregar
entregué
Correct answer: entregaba

Q3.
Match the Spanish and English.

Correct Answer:contesto,I answer

I answer

Correct Answer:contesté,I answered

I answered

Correct Answer:contestaba,I used to answer

I used to answer

Correct Answer:firmo,I sign

I sign

Correct Answer:firmé,I signed

I signed

Correct Answer:firmaba,I used to sign

I used to sign

Q4.
Write in English: 'estaba muy feliz'.

Correct Answer: I was very happy, I used to be very happy

Additional material

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