Spanish
Grade 7
15 min
Escuchar y comprender: Presentaciones rápidas
Listen to short audio clips of people introducing themselves and identify key information.
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Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Identify formal commands (usted/ustedes) in spoken Spanish at a natural pace.
Distinguish between affirmative and negative formal commands when listening.
Extract key instructions from a short, fast-paced audio introduction.
Differentiate between formal commands and simple present tense statements in spoken sentences.
Summarize the main points of a rapid presentation that uses formal commands.
Transcribe short sentences containing formal commands from an audio clip.
Imagine a guest speaker from Colombia is visiting your class and starts talking really fast! 🏃💨 How can you understand their instructions?
This lesson will teach you how to tune your ears to catch formal commands, or 'mandatos formales', even when someone is speaking quickly. You&...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
Mandato Formal (usted/ustedes)A command or instruction given politely to someone you show respect to (an adult, a stranger) or to a group of people.Hable más despacio, por favor. (Speak more slowly, please.)
Verbo en InfinitivoThe basic, unconjugated form of a verb that ends in -ar, -er, or -ir.hablar, comer, vivir
Raíz del Verbo (Stem)The part of the verb that is left after removing the -ar, -er, or -ir ending.The stem of 'hablar' is 'habl-'.
Terminación Opuesta (Opposite Ending)The vowel ending used for formal commands, which is the 'opposite' of the verb's normal present tense family.-AR verbs use -e/-en, and -ER/-IR verbs use -a/-an.
Presentación RápidaAn introduction or presentation delivered at a natural, conversational speed,...
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Grammar Rules & Patterns
La Fórmula del Mandato Formal Afirmativo
1. Start with the 'yo' form of the verb in the present tense. 2. Drop the '-o'. 3. Add the 'opposite' ending: '-e' (usted) or '-en' (ustedes) for -ar verbs; '-a' (usted) or '-an' (ustedes) for -er/-ir verbs.
Use this three-step process to create polite, formal instructions for one person (usted) or a group (ustedes). For example, Hablar -> yo hablo -> habl- -> ¡Hable! / ¡Hablen!
La Fórmula del Mandato Formal Negativo
Place 'no' directly before the affirmative formal command form. No + [formal command verb].
To tell someone formally not to do something, simply add the word 'no' directly in front of the command. For example, ¡Coman! (Eat!)...
4 more steps in this tutorial
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Challenging
You hear a teacher giving instructions for a test quickly: 'Lean todas las preguntas, usen un lápiz y no hablen con nadie.' What is the very last instruction you must follow?
A.Use a pencil.
B.Read all the questions.
C.Talk to someone.
D.Do not talk to anyone.
Challenging
You hear a person speaking quickly over an intercom: 'Por favor, pongan su equipaje de mano debajo del asiento y abróchense los cinturones.' Based on these specific commands, who is most likely speaking?
A.museum tour guide
B.flight attendant or pilot
C.school principal
D.chef in a kitchen
Challenging
You hear the spoken command: 'Traigan los materiales a la clase.' The verb is 'traer', and its irregular 'yo' form is 'traigo'. Which option correctly transcribes this 'ustedes' command?
A.Traigan
B.Traen
C.Traian
D.Traegan
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