5 Excellent Spanish Exercises for Beginners

5 Excellent Spanish Exercises for Beginners Sign up successful Choose a verb from each ending group, and recite the conjugations for different subjects. For example, conjugate caminar: camino, caminas, camina, caminamos, camináis, caminan. When you can recite the verbs in this way, you will have no problem remembering specific conjugations. 2. Repeat Subject Pronouns It’s easy to confuse Spanish subject pronouns when youre creating a sentence. Students often mix up he and she, or you all and them. Repeat the subject pronouns in order: yo, tú, usted, él, ella, nosotros, vosotros, ustedes, ellos. Then, repeat the pronouns and match them with various verb conjugations. 3. Identify Colors Learning the colors in Spanish will enhance your vocabulary and help you be more descriptive while speaking or writing. All you need for this exercise is a magazine. Flip through the magazine and identify the items you know in Spanish. Say the word out loud, and then name the color. This is also a great way to practice agreement in Spanish, since the noun has to agree with the adjective in gender and number (una casa blanca, not una casa blanco). 4. Match Adjectives and Nouns As you continue to learn Spanish, you should try to increase the complexity of what youre able to express, so you can talk about interests, ideas, needs, and desires. Practice matching adjectives with nouns. This helps you describe the noun with more detail; its more descriptive to say un muchacho bajo than just un muchacho. You can practice this by flipping through a book and choosing vocabulary, or you can use everyday objects that you know in Spanish. Then, pick an appropriate adjective to describe each object. This exercise also tests your ability to make the noun and adjective agree in number and gender (i.e. los escritorios pequeños, not los escritorios pequeña). 5. Write a Story Understanding when to use ser vs estar is extremely important in Spanish. To practice this, write a simple story in English that uses the verb to be (I am, you are, he is, she is, we are, you all are, they are). Circle all the instances of to be in your story, and then decide whether you should use ser or estar in Spanish. Write the correct conjugation of ser or estar above the English word. A good way to distinguish between the two is to ask yourself if the situation is referring to a temporary state, condition, or location. If youre talking about a condition or location, you should use estar. Use ser if youre describing things like origin, profession, dates, times, or traits. These Spanish exercises for beginners should help you become more comfortable speaking and writing in Spanish. With regular Spanish lessons and practice, youll be well on your way to mastering the Spanish language. Joan B. lives in Carmichael, CA and has been teaching high school Spanish for more than 18 years. A lover of language, shes studied French, Arabic, and Italian and spent time living in Spain. Joan aims to help students improve on tests and increase their conversational ability when traveling to Spanish-speaking countries. Learn more about Joan here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo by  Alba Estevez