A2.1 — Lesson 01 (60 min total)

Polite Questions & Requests

Could you tell me...? & Do/Does Auxiliaries — Travel & Office Practice

A2 LEVEL

Agenda — Plan de hoy (60 min)

Para repasar esta lección tú solo/a

Usa ← y → para pasar las diapositivas.
Toca cualquier palabra o frase con el icono altavoz para escucharla. Repítela en voz alta.
En los huecos subrayados en ámbar, piensa tu respuesta primero y luego tócalos para comprobarla.
En los ejercicios de opción, elige y después pulsa Ver corrección o Comprobar. Cada corrección explica por qué.
En las prácticas en pareja, lee las dos partes en voz alta si estás solo/a.

1. Warmer & Spanish Speaker Error Focus (Subject Pronouns & Auxiliaries) 10 min
2. Travel 1: US Immigration & Border Control (Indirect Questions & Role-Play 1) 15 min
3. Travel 2: Hotel Check-In & Polite Requests (Could you...? / Can I...?) 14 min
4. Work 1: Asking Directions & Office Layout (International Office) 11 min
5. Work 2: Meeting Small Talk & Capstone Role-Play 3 (Checking Understanding) 10 min

Grammar Focus — Why These Structures? (3 min)

◆

Question Formation

In Spanish, questions do not use auxiliary verbs. In English, Do / Does / Is / Are carry essential questions at immigration and hotel desks.

◆

Polite Request Modals

Direct commands sound abrupt. Using Could you...? and Can I / We...? unlocks polite interactions with staff and international colleagues.

◆

Intentions with 'be going to'

Expressing stay duration or meeting plans (We are going to stay 6 days) is the core A2 structure for travel and office meetings.

Spanish Speaker Pitfalls — Avoid These Errors (3 min)

1

Subject Pronoun Omission: Spanish drops yo / es. English requires subject pronouns!

It is raining today. (NOT "Is raining")

2

Missing Auxiliaries: "Where you work?" ✗ is incorrect.

Where do you work? (Must include do/does)

3

Have vs Be for Age & States: Do NOT say "I have 30 years".

I am thirty years old. (Use be for age and states)

4

False Friend: Attend vs Assist: Attend means asistir a una reunión.

I am going to attend the meeting.

Asking Information: Could you tell me...? — Airport & Border Control (4 min)

El agente pide el pasaporte y el motivo del viaje.

English Term	Spanish Gloss	Phonetic	Audio
passport	pasaporte	PASS-port	Listen
customs officer	agente de aduanas	KUS-tuhmz OFF-ih-ser	Listen
purpose of your trip	motivo de su viaje	PER-puhs ov yor trip	Listen
length of stay	duración de la estancia	length ov stay	Listen
business trip	viaje de negocios	BIZ-nis trip	Listen
exit	salida (NOT éxito)	EG-zit	Listen
realize	darse cuenta (NOT realizar)	REE-uh-lyz	Listen
boarding pass	tarjeta de embarque	BOR-ding pass	Listen

Polite Questions & Auxiliaries — Airport & Border Control Dialogue (4 min)

Officer: Good afternoon. Passport and customs form, please. Buenas tardes. Pasaporte y formulario de aduanas, por favor.

Traveler: Here you go, officer. Here are our passports. Aquí tiene, agente. Aquí están nuestros pasaportes.

Officer: What is the purpose of your trip to the United States? ¿Cuál es el motivo de su viaje a los Estados Unidos?

Traveler: We are here on a business trip to attend a conference. Estamos aquí en viaje de negocios para asistir a una conferencia.

Officer: How long are you going to stay in Chicago? ¿Cuánto tiempo van a quedarse en Chicago?

Traveler: We are staying for six days at the Grand Hotel. Nos quedamos seis días en el Grand Hotel.

Immigration Questions — Practice the Auxiliaries (3 min)

Click the dashed gap to check the missing auxiliary verb (is / are / do / did):

1. What is the purpose of your trip?

2. Where are you going to stay?

3. How long do you plan to remain in the country?

4. Did you fill out the customs declaration?

Question Formation & Requests — Role-Play 1 (4 min)

PAIR PRACTICE ROLES:
◆ Student A: US Immigration Officer (Ask for passports, trip purpose, and stay duration). STUDENT A SPEAKS FIRST.
◆ Student B: Business Traveler arriving in Chicago for 1 week.

Student A (Officer): "Welcome to the United States. May I see your passports?"

Student A (Officer): "Are you travelling for business or pleasure?"

Request Modals: Could you...? / Can I...? — Hotel Check-In (3 min)

Can I…? = para ti · Could you…? = pedir a otra persona.

English Term	Spanish Gloss	Phonetic	Audio
reservation	reserva	rez-er-VAY-shuhn	Listen
front desk	recepción	front desk	Listen
receptionist	recepcionista	rih-SEP-shuhn-ist	Listen
key card	tarjeta de la habitación	kee kard	Listen
amenities	servicios del hotel	uh-MEN-ih-teez	Listen
checkout time	hora de salida	CHEK-owt tym	Listen
polite request	petición educada	puh-LYT rih-KWEST	Listen
confirmation number	número de confirmación	kon-fer-MAY-shuhn	Listen

Polite Requests — Could you...? vs Can I...? (3 min)

Asking someone else to do something — Could you…?

Use Could you + verb to ask someone else to do something politely.

Could you please sign here? — the receptionist says this to you

Could you check our reservation again? — you say this to the receptionist

Asking for something for yourself — Can I / Can we…?

Use Can I / We + verb to ask for permission or services.

Can I have two key cards, please?

Can we store our luggage here?

Polite Request Builder — Hotel Requests (3 min)

Reorder the words to form correct polite hotel requests:

Challenge 1: Staff request to guest

Challenge 2: Guest check-in request

Polite Requests in Action — Hotel Role-Play 2 (4 min)

PAIR PRACTICE ROLES:
◆ Student A: Hotel Receptionist. Welcome guest, ask for reservation name and ID. STUDENT A SPEAKS FIRST.
◆ Student B: Hotel Guest. Your online booking under 'Garcia' is missing from the computer. Explain politely!

Student A (Receptionist): "Welcome to the Grand Hotel. How can I help you today?"

Student A (Receptionist): "Could you spell your last name for me, please?"

Giving Directions & Asking Location — International Office (3 min)

Go straight ahead, then turn left at the corner.

Tap an English phrase on the left, then tap its Spanish match on the right:

go straight ahead

turn left at the corner

on the second floor

across from the lobby

next to the elevator

take the stairs

en la segunda planta

siga todo recto

al lado del ascensor

gire a la izquierda en la esquina

tome las escaleras

enfrente del vestíbulo

Common Spanish Speaker Mistakes — Directions & Office (3 min)

✗ "Is on the second floor on your right."

✗ "I am going to attend the customer."

✗ "We realize a meeting every Monday."

Workplace Vocabulary & False Friends — International Office (3 min)

English Term	Spanish Gloss	Phonetic	Audio
colleague	compañero/a de trabajo	KOL-eeg	Listen
department	departamento	dih-PART-muhnt	Listen
currently	actualmente (NOT con frecuencia)	KER-uhnt-lee	Listen
attend a meeting	asistir a una reunión	uh-TEND uh MEE-ting	Listen
folder	carpeta (NOT alfombra)	FOHL-der	Listen
commitment	compromiso (NOT compromiso social)	kuh-MIT-muhnt	Listen
schedule	horario / agenda	SKED-yool	Listen
going to	ir a (planes / intenciones)	GOH-ing too	Listen

International Introductions & Clarification — Model Dialogue (3 min)

Host (A): Welcome to our head office! Did you have a good flight? ¡Bienvenidos a nuestra oficina de la oficina central! ¿Tuvieron un buen vuelo?

Partner (B): Yes, thank you! The flight was very smooth. Sí, ¡gracias! El vuelo fue muy tranquilo.

Host (A): Let me introduce you to Daniel, our colleague from the overseas office. Permítanme presentarles a Daniel, nuestro compañero de la oficina en el extranjero.

Partner (B): It is a pleasure to meet you both. Es un placer conocerlos a ambos.

Host (A): Are you going to attend the strategy presentation today? ¿Van a asistir a la presentación de estrategia hoy?

Partner (B): Yes, we are looking forward to it. Sí, estamos deseando que empiece.

Workplace False Friends Alert — Avoid Misunderstandings (2 min)

Spanish False Friend Traps

◆ asistir a → attend (NOT assist)
◆ actualmente → currently (NOT actually)
◆ carpeta → folder (NOT carpet)
◆ compromiso → commitment (NOT compromise)

Correct English Models

I am going to attend the meeting with the overseas team at four o'clock.

She is currently checking the schedule for the head office.

Please put the report in this blue folder.

We have a strong commitment to this project.

Polite Questions & Workplace Vocabulary — Quick Check (2 min)

1. How do you say "Ir a asistir a la reunión con el equipo del extranjero"?

2. Which question asks politely for directions to the meeting room?

3. How do you say "Actualmente trabajo en ventas"?

Workplace Small Talk & Time Zones — Interactive Practice (2 min)

La misma reunión, dos horas locales distintas.

Reorder the tiles to open an office meeting:

Challenge 1: Meeting opener

Challenge 2: Hospitality offer

Small Talk & International Coordination — Capstone Role-Play 3 (4 min)

PAIR PRACTICE ROLES:
◆ Student A: Team Lead at head office. Welcome visiting partner, confirm the video call schedule with the overseas team, outline meeting agenda. STUDENT A SPEAKS FIRST.
◆ Student B: Visiting International Colleague. Thank host, confirm schedule (local / overseas time), state what meeting you are going to attend.

Student A (Manager): "Good morning! Welcome to our head office."

Student A (Manager): "We have a video call with the overseas team at four PM local time. Does that work for you?"

Question Formation & Auxiliary Error Correction (2 min)

1. Correct the error: "Where you work in this company?"

2. Correct the error: "I have thirty-five years."

3. Correct the error: "Is very cold in the meeting room."

Lesson Summary & Final Achievement — ¡Gran Trabajo! (1 min)

What You Can Do Now (✓ Achieved):

✓ Navigate US Immigration & Border Control questions cleanly
✓ Perform Hotel Check-In & make polite requests (Could you...? / Can I...?)
✓ Introduce yourself in an international office & handle meeting small talk
✓ Avoid Spanish speaker traps (subject pronouns, auxiliaries, false friends)

Next Steps & Practice:

Practice both roles (A & B) at home with your partner. Review the target audio clips on the vocabulary tables to refine your pronunciation before your next trip or international meeting!

Great job today!