A trip to Asturias: 'ser' and 'estar' 1st and 3rd person
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can use the 1st and 3rd person forms of 'ser' and 'estar', as well as comparative structures, to describe a trip to Asturias.
Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons
Key learning points
- In Spanish there are two verbs for 'to be'. Use 'estar' for location, state or mood and 'ser' for permanent traits.
- Some adjectives can only be used with ‘estar’ because they only describe a state, not a permanent trait.
- The 1st person singular of 'estar' is 'estoy' and the plural is 'estamos'; for 'ser', it is 'soy' and 'somos'.
- The 3rd person singular of 'estar' is 'está', and the plural is 'están'; for 'ser', it is 'es' and 'son'.
- To say 'more … than' in Spanish, use 'más' + adjective + 'que'; to say 'less … than', use 'menos' + adjective + 'que'.
Keywords
Ser - verb 'to be, being' used to describe permanent traits
Estar - verb 'to be, being' used to describe temporary state/mood and location
Comparative - form of an adjective or adverb used to used to compare people, things or ideas
Que - conjunction used in comparative structures meaning 'than'
Common misconception
It doesn't matter which Spanish translation of the verb 'to be' we use, as they both mean 'to be, being'.
The verb 'ser' is for permanent traits, and the verb 'estar' is for temporary states/moods and location. It sounds as odd to a Spanish person if we use the wrong verb 'to be' as it does when someone says 'I make sport' or 'I do a cake' in English.
Teacher tip
To develop Task C1, teachers can encourage students to identify all the comparative structures and follow up by asking them to create their own comparative sentences, using the 1st and 3rd person forms of 'ser' and 'estar'.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which word means 'worse'?
Q2.Match the Spanish and English.
clear
happy
dark
dry
serious
silly
Q3.Match the Spanish and English.
countryside
rain
nature
landscape
town, village
mountain
Q4.Order the words to say: 'he is cheerful and she is tired'.
Q5.Write in English: 'eres una persona activa'.
Q6.Write in English: '¿Porqué estás triste?'.
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.Match the Spanish and English.
I am (state, location)
she, he, it is (state, location)
they are (state, location)
I am (trait)
she, he, it is (trait)
they are (trait)
Q2.Match the Spanish and English.
we are bored
we are boring
we are ready
we are clever
we are ill
we are bad
Q3.Order the words to say: 'Saturday is more fun than Sunday'.
Q4.Write in Spanish: 'she is angry'.
To help you plan your 9 Spanish lesson on: A trip to Asturias: 'ser' and 'estar' 1st and 3rd person, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 Spanish lesson on: A trip to Asturias: 'ser' and 'estar' 1st and 3rd person, 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 3 Spanish lessons from the Weekends: 'ser', 'estar', 'ir' and 'hacer' unit, dive into the full secondary Spanish curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.