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      Exercise and fitness: 'este' and 'esta'

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can distinguish between singular forms of 'estar' and demonstrative adjectives when using the present continuous to describe exercise.

      Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

      Key learning points

      1. To say what is happening right now, Spanish uses the present continuous which is 'estar' + present participle.
      2. For -ar verbs the present participle is formed by removing -ar from the verb infinitive and adding -ando.
      3. Demonstrative adjectives distinguish one thing from another. For masculine nouns use 'este' (this) or 'estos' (these).
      4. For feminine nouns it's 'esta' (this) or 'estas' (these), which are similar to 'está' (he, she is), 'estás’ (you are).
      5. Accents avoid confusion in writing; stress on the final syllable distinguishes them in speaking.

      Keywords

      • Present continuous - describes events happening right now, e.g. 'I am doing'

      • Estar - Spanish verb meaning 'to be', also the auxiliary verb for the present continuous

      • Demonstrative adjective - specifies a particular noun, indicating 'this', 'that', 'these' or 'those'

      Common misconception

      Some singular forms of 'estar' and feminine demonstrative adjectives look and sound the same.

      The feminine demonstrative adjectives 'esta' (this) and 'estas' (these) have no accent. The 2nd and 3rd person singular forms of 'estar' have an accent on the -a: 'estás' (you are) and 'está' (she, he is). They are pronounced with stress on the -a.

      Teacher tip

      This lesson directly compares 'esta' and 'estas' (feminine demonstrative adjectives) with 'está' and 'estás' (forms of 'estar') so lots of pronunciation practice is advised.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), 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

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      'Tengo una mochila __________'. Choose the correct missing word.

      ligero
      Correct answer: ligera
      ligeros
      ligeras

      Q2.
      Match the Spanish and English.

      Correct Answer:esperar,to wait, waiting
      Correct Answer:guardar,to keep, keeping
      Correct Answer:llorar,to cry, crying
      Correct Answer:parecer,to seem, seeming
      Correct Answer:pasar,to spend, spending (time)
      Correct Answer:correr,to run, running

      Q3.
      Match the Spanish and English.

      Correct Answer:euro (m),euro
      Correct Answer:ejercicio (m),exercise
      Correct Answer:marca (f),brand
      Correct Answer:pared (f),wall
      Correct Answer:mamá (f),mum
      Correct Answer:papá (m),dad

      Q4.
      Order the words to say: 'the price of the skirt is low'.

      1 - el
      2 - precio
      3 - de
      4 - la
      5 - falda
      6 - es
      7 - bajo

      Q5.
      Write in English: 'es un mes difícil'.

      Correct Answer: it is a difficult month, it's a difficult month

      Q6.
      Write in Spanish: 'the stories are interesting'.

      Correct Answer: las historias son interesantes

      4 Questions

      Q1.
      Match the articles and nouns.

      Correct Answer:este,brazo
      Correct Answer:estos,brazos
      Correct Answer:esta,mano
      Correct Answer:estas,manos

      Q2.
      Match the Spanish and English.

      Correct Answer:esta,this
      Correct Answer:estas,these
      Correct Answer:está,she, he is
      Correct Answer:estás,you are

      Q3.
      Which phrase means 'she is jumping'?

      está salta
      está saltar
      Correct answer: está saltando
      esta saltar
      esta saltando

      Q4.
      Write in Spanish: 'you are recording'.

      Correct Answer: estás grabando, tú estás grabando

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