agosto 21, 2014

Foto impresionante de una ballena bajo una pequeña lancha

agosto 17, 2014

¡Bailar es mi vida!

¡Bailar es mi vida! Notice that we use the infinitive form of the verb here, bailar.

How would you translate this to English?

«Dancing is my life!»

In English, we use the gerund, «-ing» form of the verb. But in Spanish, remember to use the infinitive! ¡Bailar es mi vida!

Here´s a link to a short video for more info on this topic: Video – Common mistakes in Spanish: Overusing gerunds

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agosto 13, 2014

¿La pereza agudiza el ingenio?: Actividad para practicar el pretérito versus el imperfecto

Under the heading «La pereza agudiza el ingenio» I came across a funny list of interview responses to the following question:

«20 estudiantes fueron preguntados cuál es la cosa más perezosa que jamás han hecho. Algunas de sus respuestas fueron geniales…»

The answers not only seemed like something my students would get a kick out of, but also many are excellent examples of authentic sentences for practicing preterit vs. imperfect. I adapted 10 of the classroom appropriate responses to a simple grammar activity. I have students work on the activity sheet in pairs. It includes conjugation practice (conjugate verbs to preterit or imperfect to fill in the blanks in the sentences) as well as a conversation and writing prompt. Here you will also find a Powerpoint presentation for going over the activity as a group (or you could do it all together from the start). Download the activity sheet, answer key, and Powerpoint with the links below! Also, I´d love to hear any of your students´ interesting responses to the conversation prompt in a comment!