A major undertaking in language acquisition is correct verb knowledge and usage. For a beginner Spanish students, it not enough for them to memorize the word and its definition; they must also know how it changes when used with a pronoun. This concept is strange to English speakers; most of our verbs change with tense, but not with person or number.
The best place to start in Spanish is with regular -ar, -er, and -ir ending verbs. It is essential prior knowledge for students to memorize the common endings for each subset of words. Once students learn the conjugation methods for pronouns, they can begin to describe and explain more accurately.
| Pronouns | Ar Verb Endings | Er Verb Endings | Ir Verb Endings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo (I) | -o | -o | -o |
| Tú/ Usted (You/ You Formal) | -as | -es | -es |
| Él /Ella (He/She) | -a | -e | -e |
| Nosotros/as (We) | -amos | -emos | -imos |
| Vosotros/as (You Pl. Spain) | -áis | -éis | -ís |
| Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas (Masculine/Feminine Plural) | -an | -en | -en |
Using Storyboard That, students can practice their conjugation by creating and writing scenarios using present tense verbs. Again, the teachers can start by creating a storyboard or template, and ask students to complete it by placing the appropriate dialogue in the text bubbles, or students can create their own from scratch.
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a storyboard that illustrates a scenario using present tense verbs.