Uses of Before and After – Spanish Exercises

When telling a story it is always important to explain when things happened. Often we use the phrases ‘before…’ and ‘after…’ to help give an idea of a timeline of events. In english it is a relatively straightforward structure, however in spanish it gets a little more complicated. Follow the examples used below to learn how to use the subjunctive to make your stories even better!

before and after

Now that you have learnt about the rules for ‘before’ and ‘after’, you should head to our website to find more infographics to help your spanish language!

And now that you have learnt about ‘before’ and ‘after’, check out this article about Flamenco vocabulary and how to use it, you will love it!

Containers and Portions in Spanish – Spanish Exercises

In every country, in every language, there are different ways of naming containers and portions, like a pint of beer or a glass of wine. You will need to spend a lot of time in Spain if you want to learn how to order specifically what you are looking for in a bar, pub, or a restaurant. However, we might have something that will help you get started and became a master in containers and portions in Spanish.

Would you know how to order a good glass of wine in Spanish in one of those amazing taverns? “Copa de vino“, that’s an easy one, but the names of other containers and portions in Spanish may be a headache, because not only drinks are sizeable, food is too. So, here is a little quiz to help you out.

Match the containers and portions in Spanish with their corresponding pictures and memorize them or… take them wherever you go!

Containers and Portions in Spanish - Spanish Exercises

Do you want to continue your Spanish learning? Check out the infographics of different levels that we have in our Learning resources section page.

If you want to know even more about sizes and amounts, you should check out this post about amounts in Spanish.

Japanese words in Spanish – Spanish Exercises

Every language has been influenced by other languages, and Spanish is no different. We have a lot of words that come from English called anglicism, such as relax, marketing, backstage, and on and on. English has had an incredible influence around the world since it´s the most used language internationally. But the English language is not the only one that has had an influence on Spanish language; Japanese words in Spanish are influential too!

There are certain words that you will already know come from Japanese, such as sushi. But there are a few that you will probably use without thinking twice about, that also come from Japanese. It is true that Japanese words in Spanish language are quite recognizable since their structure is quite distinctive. But we assure you that there will be a few words that you have used without even realising.

Here are some examples of Japanese words that Spanish people include as common use:

Some examples of Japanese words that have influenced our language.

Now that you have learned that when you say “karaoke” you are actually using a word that came from Japan, you should check out our other infographics on our website.

And now that you have started learning about words from another language, you might want to learn words that are generally used in our “Flamenco” shows, which are really important in our country and they have their own way of expressing themselves.

How to ask for directions in Spanish – Spanish exercises

If you’re tired of being enslaved by your GPS, or even worse, you don’t have any signal, then getting lost and asking the locals for help is a great way to practice your Spanish. To learn how to ask for directions in Spanish, why not use these phrases?

Perdona, ¿Hay un banco/una estación de metro/una farmacia por aquí? Excuse me, is there a bank/metro stop/pharmacy near here?
Disculpa, ¿Para ir a……? Sorry, to get to… (insert street name/area)?
¿Sabes dónde está……? Do you know where ….is?

The answer you receive will very likely include common direction verbs such as:
Coger – to take
Girar – to turn
Seguir – to continue (irregular!)
Ir – to go (irregular!)
Cruzar – to cross

Furthermore, it will also nearly always involve the imperative. In the informal singular form, this tense is really easy! To help you, here are the same verbs again in their simplest imperative form.

1. Coge la primera/segunda calle a la derecha/izquierda… (take the first street on the right/left…)
2. Gira a la izquierda en el semáforo… (turn left at the light…)
3. Sigue todo recto… (continue straight on…)
4. Vete a la derecha/izquierda… (go right…)
5. Cruza la plaza… (cross the square…)

Do you want to continue your Spanish learning? You can go to our Learning resources section page and and put you to the test with our quizzes.

Also, in order to put into practice what you learned in this post with the activities that we recommend you in our After-class activities section.