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      Experiencias del colegio: present and past tenses, picture task (Edexcel)

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can use the simple present, perfect and imperfect tenses and confidently describe photos in Spanish.

      Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

      Key learning points

      1. We can boost our word knowledge by making connections between words such as word families, synonyms, opposites, etc.
      2. The simple present tense is used to express habitual events in the present e.g. 'I do'.
      3. The perfect tense is used to express completed actions in the past e.g. 'I have played', 'I have done'.
      4. The imperfect tense is used to express how things were or used to be in the past, or to say what was happening.
      5. The PALM acronym is a useful tool to describe photos using a range of information.

      Keywords

      • Simple present - verb tense used to express habitual events in the present e.g. 'I do'

      • Perfect - verb tense used to express what has happened e.g. 'I have listened', 'I have bought'

      • Imperfect - verb tense used to describe how things were or used to be in the past, or to say what was happening

      Common misconception

      'I have' is always translated as 'tengo'.

      When 'have' means 'to possess something' e.g. 'I have a car', use 'tengo' - 'tengo un coche'. When 'have' is part of the perfect tense, to say you have done something, use the verb 'haber' e.g. 'I have played' - 'he jugado'.

      Teacher tip

      This lesson is part of the 9-week revision programme which includes a revisit of all the words on the GCSE word list, key grammar and practice exam elements, including exam tips and model answers.

      Licence

      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

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Which verbs are plural?

      hago
      Correct answer: están
      eres
      vas
      Correct answer: sois

      Q2.
      Match the Spanish and English.

      Correct Answer:aprobar,to pass (a test)

      to pass (a test)

      Correct Answer:olvidar,to forget, forgetting

      to forget, forgetting

      Correct Answer:describir,to describe, describing

      to describe, describing

      Correct Answer:enseñar,to teach, teaching

      to teach, teaching

      Correct Answer:escribir,to write, writing

      to write, writing

      Correct Answer:sonreír,to smile, smiling

      to smile, smiling

      Q3.
      Match the Spanish and English.

      Correct Answer:bolígrafo (m),pen

      pen

      Correct Answer:esfuerzo (m),effort

      effort

      Correct Answer:mochila (f),school bag

      school bag

      Correct Answer:página (f),page

      page

      Correct Answer:norma (f),rule, norm

      rule, norm

      Correct Answer:patio (m),playground

      playground

      Q4.
      Order the words to say: 'I love English because it is cool'.

      1 - me
      2 - encanta
      3 - el
      4 - inglés
      5 - porque
      6 - es
      7 - guay

      Q5.
      Write in English: 'estudiaron ocho asignaturas'.

      Correct Answer: they studied eight subjects, they studied 8 subjects

      Q6.
      Write in Spanish: 'I hand in the homework'.

      Correct Answer: entrego los deberes, yo entrego los deberes

      4 Questions

      Q1.
      Which word is a synonym for 'duro'?

      común
      diferente
      Correct answer: difícil
      distinto
      estricto

      Q2.
      Order the sentences according to the PALM acronym.

      1 - Hay cinco alumnnos.
      2 - Están estudiando.
      3 - Están en una sala.
      4 - Pienso que están en silencio.

      Q3.
      Match the Spanish and English.

      Correct Answer:aprendo,I learn

      I learn

      Correct Answer:aprendes,you learn

      you learn

      Correct Answer:aprenden,they learn

      they learn

      Correct Answer:aprendía,I used to learn

      I used to learn

      Correct Answer:aprendías,you used to learn

      you used to learn

      Correct Answer:aprendían,they used to learn

      they used to learn

      Q4.
      Write in Spanish: 'I have eaten'.

      Correct Answer: he comido, yo he comido

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