Lesson 1A1 Beginner
¡Bienvenidos!
Welcome to Spanish — Your Journey Starts Here
Lesson 1 · A1 Level · 60 min · English → Spanish
What We'll Cover Today
- Greetings & How Are You?~10 min
- Introductions — Name, Origin, Age~8 min
- Numbers 1–20~7 min
- Colors — Los Colores~7 min
- Subject Pronouns & Verb SER~10 min
- Classroom Survival Phrases~5 min
- Speaking Practice — Mini Dialogue~7 min
- Review Quiz~6 min
Why Learn Spanish?
500M+
Native speakers worldwide
20+
Official-language countries
#2
Most spoken natively on Earth
Travel
Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Chile… 20+ countries
Career
Highly valued in healthcare, law, business & government
Easier than you think!
3,000+ cognates with English: hospital · animal · color · natural · hotel
Pronunciation — Key Differences
Spanish is phonetic — every letter always makes the same sound!
a e i o u
Vowels are pure & consistent
a="ah" · e="eh" · i="ee" · o="oh" · u="oo" — never change!
ñ
The "ny" sound
Like "canyon" → cañón · España = es-PA-nya · mañana = ma-NYA-na
j / g
Sound like English "h"
José = ho-SAY · general = heh-neh-RAL · Jorge = HOR-heh
ll / y
Sound like English "y"
llama = YAH-ma · me llamo = meh YAH-mo · yo = yoh
h
Always SILENT
hola = OH-la · hospital = os-pee-TAL · hablar = ah-BLAR
Saludos — Greetings
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Hola | Hello / Hi | OH-la |
| Buenos días | Good morning (until ~noon) | BWEH-nos DEE-as |
| Buenas tardes | Good afternoon (noon–sunset) | BWEH-nas TAR-des |
| Buenas noches | Good evening / Good night | BWEH-nas NO-ches |
| Adiós | Goodbye | ah-dee-OHS |
| Hasta luego | See you later | AHS-ta LWEH-go |
| Hasta mañana | See you tomorrow | AHS-ta ma-NYA-na |
Repeat after me: Teacher says each greeting, class repeats. Do 2 rounds!
¿Cómo estás? — How Are You?
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Cómo estás? | How are you? (informal, friends) | KOH-mo es-TAHS |
| ¿Cómo está usted? | How are you? (formal, respect) | KOH-mo es-TAH oos-TED |
| Muy bien | Very well | mwee BYEHN |
| Bien | Good / Fine | BYEHN |
| Más o menos | More or less / So-so | mas oh MEH-nos |
| Mal | Bad / Not well | mahl |
| ¿Y tú? | And you? | ee TOO |
Quick Check — Greetings
Ask students each question. Click Reveal after they answer.
1. How do you say "Hello" in Spanish?
Hola (OH-la)
2. It's 9 AM — what greeting do you use?
Buenos días
3. It's 3 PM — what greeting do you use?
Buenas tardes
4. How do you ask "How are you?" to a friend?
¿Cómo estás?
5. What does "Hasta mañana" mean?
See you tomorrow
6. How do you say "Very well"?
Muy bien
Presentaciones — Introductions
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Cómo te llamas? | What's your name? | KOH-mo teh YAH-mas |
| Me llamo… | My name is… | meh YAH-mo |
| ¿De dónde eres? | Where are you from? | deh DON-deh EH-res |
| Soy de… | I am from… | soy deh |
| ¿Cuántos años tienes? | How old are you? | KWAHN-tos A-nyos TYEH-nes |
| Tengo ___ años | I am ___ years old | TEN-go A-nyos |
| Mucho gusto | Nice to meet you | MOO-cho GOOS-to |
| Igualmente | Likewise / Same to you | ee-gwal-MEN-teh |
Speaking Practice — Introductions
Teacher models first, then each student responds
Teacher: ¡Hola! ¿Cómo te llamas? (Hi! What's your name?)
Student: Me llamo ___. (My name is ___)
Teacher: ¡Mucho gusto! ¿De dónde eres? (Nice to meet you! Where are you from?)
Student: Soy de ___. (I am from ___)
Teacher: ¿Cuántos años tienes? (How old are you?)
Student: Tengo ___ años. (I am ___ years old)
Activity: Go around the class — each student does all three exchanges with the teacher. Use your REAL name, city, and age!
Los Números — Numbers 1–20
1
uno
OO-no
2
dos
dohs
3
tres
trehs
4
cuatro
KWAH-tro
5
cinco
SEEN-ko
6
seis
says
7
siete
SYEH-teh
8
ocho
OH-cho
9
nueve
NWEH-veh
10
diez
dyehs
11
once
ON-seh
12
doce
DOH-seh
13
trece
TREH-seh
14
catorce
ka-TOR-seh
15
quince
KEEN-seh
16
dieciséis
dyeh-see-SAYS
17
diecisiete
dyeh-see-SYEH-teh
18
dieciocho
dyeh-see-OH-cho
19
diecinueve
dyeh-see-NWEH-veh
20
veinte
BAYN-teh
Pattern: 16–19 = "dieci" + unit (dieciséis = 10+6, diecisiete = 10+7…)
Numbers — Practice Activities
Activity 1 — Phone Numbers
Teacher reads digits aloud — students say them in Spanish.
Try: 3 · 4 · 5 · 7 · 2 → tres, cuatro, cinco, siete, dos
Teacher reads digits aloud — students say them in Spanish.
Try: 3 · 4 · 5 · 7 · 2 → tres, cuatro, cinco, siete, dos
Activity 2 — "Tengo ___ años"
Students say their age in Spanish: Tengo ___ años.
Teacher models first, then go around the room.
Students say their age in Spanish: Tengo ___ años.
Teacher models first, then go around the room.
Activity 3 — Quick Fire!
Teacher points at a number card from the previous slide. First student to shout the Spanish word wins the point!
Teacher points at a number card from the previous slide. First student to shout the Spanish word wins the point!
Bonus: How do you say 17 in Spanish?
Diecisiete (dyeh-see-SYEH-teh)
Bonus: How do you say "I am 20 years old"?
Tengo veinte años.
Los Colores — Colors
rojo
red
ROH-ho
azul
blue
ah-SOOL
amarillo
yellow
ah-ma-REE-yo
verde
green
BEHR-deh
negro
black
NEH-gro
blanco
white
BLAHN-ko
naranja
orange
nah-RAHN-ha
morado
purple
mo-RAH-do
cian
cyan / teal
SYAHN
Spanish flag → rojo y amarillo | Grass → verde | Sky → azul
¿De qué color es…? — What color is…?
Teacher asks the question — students answer in Spanish
¿De qué color es el mar? (the sea)
Azul
¿De qué color es un plátano? (a banana)
Amarillo
¿De qué color es un tomate? (a tomato)
Rojo
¿De qué color es la hierba? (grass)
Verde
¿De qué color es una naranja? (an orange)
Naranja — and it's the same word as the fruit!
¿De qué colores es la bandera española? (Spanish flag)
Roja y amarilla (red and yellow)
¿De qué color es el agua del mar Caribe? (Caribbean sea water)
Cian / turquesa — cyan / turquoise!
Pronombres — Subject Pronouns
YoI
Nosotros / NosotrasWe
TúYou (informal)
Vosotros / VosotrasYou all (Spain only)
Él / EllaHe / She
Ellos / EllasThey (m / f)
Usted (Ud.)You (formal)
Ustedes (Uds.)You all (Latin America)
Key notes: In Latin America, ustedes covers ALL "you all" — vosotros is Spain only. Spanish often drops pronouns because the verb ending already tells you who's speaking!
El Verbo SER — "To Be" (Permanent)
SER = used for things that define who you ARE
NationalityProfessionPersonalityOriginRelationships
| Pronoun | SER | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | soy | Yo soy estudiante. — I am a student. |
| Tú | eres | Tú eres inteligente. — You are intelligent. |
| Él / Ella | es | Ella es de México. — She is from Mexico. |
| Nosotros | somos | Nosotros somos amigos. — We are friends. |
| Vosotros | sois | Vosotros sois estudiantes. — You all are students. |
| Ellos / Ellas | son | Ellos son profesores. — They are teachers. |
Fill In the Blanks — SER
Which form of SER completes each sentence? Click each answer to check.
1. Yo soy americano/a.
2. Tú eres estudiante.
3. Ella es de España.
4. Nosotros somos amigos.
5. Ellos son inteligentes.
6. Usted es el/la profesor/a.
Frases de Clase — Classroom Phrases
Por favor
Please
Gracias
Thank you
De nada
You're welcome
Perdón / Disculpe
Sorry / Excuse me
¿Cómo se dice…?
How do you say…?
¿Puedes repetir?
Can you repeat?
No entiendo
I don't understand
¿Qué significa…?
What does … mean?
Más despacio, por favor
More slowly, please
¡Muy bien! / ¡Perfecto!
Very good! / Perfect!
From now on: Encourage students to use these phrases in every class!
Mini Diálogo — Speaking Practice
Practice in pairs — swap roles after! Fill in your real info.
A: ¡Hola! ¿Cómo te llamas? (Hi! What's your name?)
B: Me llamo ___. ¿Y tú? (My name is ___. And you?)
A: Me llamo ___. ¿De dónde eres? (My name is ___. Where are you from?)
B: Soy de ___. ¿Y tú? (I'm from ___. And you?)
A: Soy de ___. ¿Cómo estás? (I'm from ___. How are you?)
B: Muy bien, ¡gracias! ¿Y tú? (Very well, thank you! And you?)
A: Bien, gracias. ¡Mucho gusto! (Fine, thanks. Nice to meet you!)
B: ¡Igualmente! ¡Hasta luego! (Likewise! See you later!)
A: ¡Adiós! (Goodbye!)
Review Quiz — Let's See What You Know!
Click an answer to check. Green = correct, red = wrong.
1. How do you say "Good afternoon"?
2. What does "Me llamo" mean?
3. What number is "quince"?
4. How do you say "She is from Spain"?
5. What color is "azul"?
6. What does "No entiendo" mean?
¡Buen trabajo! — Great Work Today!
What We Learned
- ✓Greetings & farewells
- ✓Asking "How are you?"
- ✓Introducing yourself
- ✓Numbers 1–20
- ✓8 colors — Los colores
- ✓Subject pronouns
- ✓Verb SER — all forms
- ✓Classroom survival phrases
For Next Class
Practice: Introduce yourself to 3 people in Spanish!
Memorize: Numbers 1–20 and the 8 colors
Coming up: Articles (un/una/el/la), more vocabulary, verb ESTAR
¡Hasta la próxima clase!
See you next class!
Notes