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SavannahYear 8
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LanguagesLas vacaciones y el pretérito22 min★★ difficulty

Translating into Spanish

Translating into Spanish rewards care over ambition. Accuracy in a simple structure beats an impressive structure that collapses.

Part of your national curriculum
  • Writing: Translate short written text accurately into the foreign language

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Translate short written text accurately into the foreign language

Key learning points

  • • Checklist
  • • Word order
  • • Do not translate word by word

This lesson at a glance

  • 22 minutes
  • 15 parts to scroll through
  • 4 quick checks
  • Marked quiz at the end
  • Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses

Words to know

translatewrittenaccuratelyforeignlanguage

Scroll down — the lesson carries on below

Part 1 of 15 · Discover7%
1

Watch & discover

Part 1 of 15

Watch first

Translating into Spanish

An English teaching video on this topic from Spanish Class. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.

In a nutshell

Translate short written text accurately into the foreign language

2

Learning cycle

Part 2 of 15

Learning cycle 1 of 2

Part 1 · Checklist

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

3

Explore the idea

Part 3 of 15

Learn

Checklist

For each sentence: which tense? Which verb, and does the ending match the subject? Do adjectives agree in gender and number? Is a personal 'a' needed before a person (visité a mi abuela)? Are accents in place?

4

Explore the idea

Part 4 of 15

Learn

Word order

Adjectives usually follow the noun: una casa blanca. Object pronouns go before a conjugated verb: lo compré. Questions do not need an auxiliary — ¿Fuiste a la playa?, not a translation of 'did'.

5

Quick check

Part 5 of 15

Quick check

How do you translate 'I am fifteen'?

6

Quick check

Part 6 of 15

Quick check

Where do most adjectives go?

7

Reset break

Part 7 of 15

Pause

That's sitting 1 of 2 done

Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now
8

Learning cycle

Part 8 of 15

Learning cycle 2 of 2

Part 2 · Do not translate word by word

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

9

Explore the idea

Part 9 of 15

Learn

Do not translate word by word

'I am fifteen' is Tengo quince años. 'I liked the film' is Me gustó la película, with the film as subject. Ask what Spanish does in this situation, not what the English words are.

10

Quick check

Part 10 of 15

Quick check

Translate 'I liked the film'.

11

Quick check

Part 11 of 15

Quick check

What is needed before a person as object?

12

Explore the idea

Part 12 of 15

Worked example

Worked example

'Last summer I went to Spain with my sister. We visited a small museum and I liked it a lot, although it was very hot.' → 'El verano pasado fui a España con mi hermana. Visitamos un museo pequeño y me gustó mucho, aunque hacía mucho calor.' Note pequeño after the noun, me gustó (not yo gusté) and hacía for describing weather in the past.

13

Challenge round

Part 13 of 15

Game · Sort it

Which of these are true?

Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.

True

Not true

14

Mastery quiz

Part 14 of 15

Marked quiz

End of lesson quiz: Translating into Spanish

4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.

  1. 1. How do you translate 'I am fifteen'?

  2. 2. Where do most adjectives go?

  3. 3. Translate 'I liked the film'.

  4. 4. What is needed before a person as object?

15

Lesson round-up

Part 15 of 15

Lesson round-up

Ready when you are

Quiz score

Not sat

Games

Not played

Points this lesson

0

Best run

0 in a row

Luna: 0 out of 4 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?

Ask Luna

Do the work

Your written work for this lesson

This is the part you'd do in your book at school. Pick the pieces below, write here or on paper, and photograph anything you draw or work out.

Extract

Une journée à Lyon

Samedi matin, je me lève à sept heures et demie. Je prends le petit déjeuner avec ma sœur — du pain, du beurre et un chocolat chaud. Ensuite, nous prenons le bus jusqu'au centre-ville.

J'aime beaucoup Lyon parce qu'il y a un grand marché près du fleuve. Ma sœur préfère les magasins, mais moi, je préfère le marché : c'est moins cher et c'est plus intéressant. À midi, nous mangeons un sandwich au parc.

L'après-midi, il commence à pleuvoir, alors nous rentrons à la maison en tram. Le soir, je fais mes devoirs et je regarde un film avec mes parents.

Original text written for Good Learning Co.

Reading questions

  1. In English, say what the writer does in the morning, at midday and in the evening.
  2. Find the phrases that give an opinion and a reason, and copy them out.
  3. Write 8–10 sentences about your own Saturday, using at least three phrases from the text.

  • Written practice

    Writing

    Write the sentences out in the language, then translate them back into English.

    8–10 sentences

  • Vocabulary page

    Working out

    Copy the new words, cover them, and test yourself. Note the ones you keep missing.

    15 words

Saved as you type.

Part 1 of 15 · Watch & discover

How this is going

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    Translate short written text accurately into the foreign language

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