Grammar videos
Spanish grammar, one minute at a time.
Short videos on the things that trip learners up most, with the answer written out underneath, so you can read it as well as watch it.
How do you tell masculine from feminine in Spanish?
Look at the article first, then at the end of the noun. El and los announce a masculine noun, la and las a feminine one, and those four words carry the number as well as the gender. As a rule of thumb, nouns ending in -o are usually masculine and nouns ending in -a are usually feminine.
The article is only the start, though. Everything that describes the noun has to agree with it, which is why it is los chicos son muy trabajadores but la niña está enferma. Get the article right and the adjectives follow.
When do you use ser and when do you use estar?
Ser says what something is: origin, identity, and the qualities you would put on a passport. Yo soy de Londres. Miguel es rubio. Estar says how or where something is at this moment. Tú estás en casa. Nosotros estamos cansados. Ellas están en la cafetería.
The clip is a quiz: six A1 sentences with the verb removed, and the conjugation table for both verbs on screen. Before you look at the answer, ask yourself whether the sentence is naming what someone is, or describing where they are and how they feel right now.
How do you pronounce the Spanish words you need in a restaurant?
Seven words cover most of a meal: entrante (starter), tenedor (fork), copa (glass), servilleta (napkin), camarero (waiter), cuenta (bill) and tarjeta (card). Spanish vowels never change value, so each one is said exactly as it is written: en-TRAN-te, te-ne-DOR, CO-pa, ser-vi-LLE-ta, ca-ma-RE-ro, CUEN-ta, tar-JE-ta.
Two sounds are worth practising on their own. The double L in servilleta sounds like the y in yes, and the J in tarjeta is the throaty h Spanish uses everywhere. Stress the syllable in capitals and you will be understood in any restaurant in Spain.
Read the transcript
Can you pronounce these words in Spanish? Restaurant edition. Let's go.
Entrante. Tenedor. Copa. Servilleta. Camarero. Cuenta. Tarjeta.
Did you get them all right? Was it difficult? Let me know in the comments, and see you in the next one. Bye!