Nivel 1 · Guía de estudio · Español para angloparlantes — Primeros pasos / Getting Started

Lobo Estudia · Academia del Lobo — Study guide for English speakers who want to learn Spanish. Level: absolute beginner · Instruction language: English · Learning content: Spanish, with translations.

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Welcome! · ¡Bienvenidos!

Welcome to your first study guide from Lobo Estudia, the learning house of Lobo Audio. This guide was written for one person: an adult who speaks English and is starting Spanish from zero. No previous knowledge is assumed, no grammar tables will ambush you, and every Spanish word in these pages comes with its translation and a simple pronunciation hint.

Spanish is a generous language to learn. It is spoken by more than 500 million people, its spelling is honest — words are pronounced almost exactly as they are written — and its sounds are remarkably consistent. If you can say a word once, you can say it every time. That is the great gift of Spanish: what you see is what you say.

How to use this guide

1. Read each section slowly, out loud if you can. Your mouth needs practice as much as your eyes.
2. Use the pronunciation hints as training wheels. They are approximations written for an English-speaking ear; as your ear improves, you will leave them behind.
3. Do the practice exercises at the end before checking the answers. Struggling a little is how the learning sticks.
4. Come back tomorrow and read it again. Ten minutes a day beats two hours once a week.

A note on which Spanish you will learn here: we teach a clear, neutral Latin American Spanish — the Spanish of Mexico and most of the continent — understood everywhere in the Spanish-speaking world.

Let's begin. ¡Vamos! (BAH-mohs — "Let's go!")

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1. How Spanish sounds · Cómo suena el español

1.1 The five vowels — the heart of the language

English has many vowel sounds; Spanish has exactly five, and they never change. Learn these five and you have unlocked the sound of every Spanish word.

Letter	Sounds like	Spanish example	Meaning
a	"ah", as in father	casa (KAH-sah)	house
e	"eh", as in met	mesa (MEH-sah)	table
i	"ee", as in machine	sí (see)	yes
o	"oh", as in go (short, clean)	solo (SOH-loh)	alone / only
u	"oo", as in flute	luna (LOO-nah)	moon

Two golden rules:

• Every vowel is pronounced, every time. There are no silent vowels in the middle of words and no "schwa" (the lazy "uh" sound of English). Spanish vowels are short, clear and musical.
• Each letter = one syllable beat. Casa has two beats: ca-sa. Teléfono has four: te-lé-fo-no. If you tap one beat per vowel, you will never get lost.

1.2 The key consonants for an English ear

Most Spanish consonants will feel familiar. These are the ones that deserve your attention:

Ñ — the letter English doesn't have. A single letter in Spanish, with its own place in the alphabet. It sounds like the "ny" in canyon. - mañana (mah-NYAH-nah) — tomorrow / morning - niño (NEE-nyoh) — child, boy - español (ehs-pah-NYOHL) — Spanish (the language)

RR — the rolled R. Spanish has two R sounds: a soft single tap (pero, "but") and the famous trill, written rr between vowels or r at the start of a word. Roll it by fluttering the tip of your tongue — like a cat's purr or a small motor. - perro (PEH-rroh) — dog (compare pero, PEH-roh — "but": the rr changes the meaning!) - carro (KAH-rroh) — car - rojo (RROH-hoh) — red (the starting R is also rolled)

Don't worry if the trill takes weeks. Spanish speakers will understand you anyway — and they will smile kindly at your effort.

J — a strong breath from the throat. Forget the English "j". The Spanish j (and the letter g before e or i) is a raspy sound from the back of the throat, like clearing it gently: a strong "h". - julio (HOO-lee-oh) — July - ojo (OH-hoh) — eye - gente (HEN-teh) — people

LL and Y — the "y" sound. In most of Latin America, ll sounds like the "y" in yes. - llave (YAH-veh) — key - calle (KAH-yeh) — street - yo (yoh) — I

Good news — letters that behave well: - H is always silent. Hola is pronounced OH-lah. The h is pure decoration. - V sounds like B. Vino (wine) sounds like BEE-noh. Spanish ears barely distinguish them. - Z sounds like S in Latin America. Zapato (shoe) = sah-PAH-toh. - QU sounds like K. Queso (cheese) = KEH-soh. - C is soft ("s") before e and i, hard ("k") otherwise: cine (SEE-neh, cinema), casa (KAH-sah, house).

1.3 Where the stress falls

Spanish words have one strong syllable. Two simple rules cover nearly everything:

1. Words ending in a vowel, n or s → stress the second-to-last syllable: CA-sa, ha-BLAN, gra-CIAS.
2. Words ending in any other consonant → stress the last syllable: es-pa-ÑOL, ho-TEL, fe-LIZ.

When a word breaks these rules, it wears a written accent (´) to show you where the stress goes: teléfono, café, camión. The accent mark is a gift — it always tells the truth.

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2. Greetings and introductions · Saludos y presentaciones

2.1 Greetings for every moment of the day

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Hola	OH-lah	Hello (any time)
Buenos días	BWEH-nohs DEE-ahs	Good morning
Buenas tardes	BWEH-nahs TAR-dehs	Good afternoon
Buenas noches	BWEH-nahs NOH-chehs	Good evening / Good night
¿Cómo está?	KOH-moh ehs-TAH	How are you? (formal)
¿Cómo estás?	KOH-moh ehs-TAHS	How are you? (friendly)
Muy bien, gracias	mwee byehn, GRAH-see-ahs	Very well, thank you
¿Y usted? / ¿Y tú?	ee oos-TEHD / ee too	And you? (formal / friendly)
Adiós	ah-dee-OHS	Goodbye
Hasta luego	AHS-tah LWEH-goh	See you later
Hasta mañana	AHS-tah mah-NYAH-nah	See you tomorrow

Tú or usted? Spanish has two words for "you". Tú is for friends, family, children and people your own age in casual settings. Usted is the respectful form, for elders, officials, and first meetings in formal contexts. When in doubt with a stranger, usted is always safe — nobody is ever offended by respect.

2.2 Introducing yourself

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Me llamo…	meh YAH-moh	My name is…
Soy de…	soy deh	I am from…
Vivo en…	BEE-voh ehn	I live in…
Mucho gusto	MOO-choh GOOS-toh	Nice to meet you
Encantado / Encantada	ehn-kahn-TAH-doh / -dah	Delighted (man / woman speaking)
¿Cómo se llama?	KOH-moh seh YAH-mah	What is your name? (formal)
¿De dónde es?	deh DOHN-deh ehs	Where are you from? (formal)

A first conversation, line by line:

— Hola, buenos días. Me llamo John. (Hello, good morning. My name is John.) — Mucho gusto, John. Yo soy María. (Nice to meet you, John. I'm María.) — ¿De dónde es usted? (Where are you from?) — Soy de México, pero vivo en Chicago. ¿Y usted? (I'm from Mexico, but I live in Chicago. And you?) — Soy de Texas. (I'm from Texas.)

Notice: Soy de… ("I am from…") tells where you come from; Vivo en… ("I live in…") tells where you live now. Spanish keeps origin and residence in two different phrases — elegant and precise.

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3. Courtesy phrases · Frases de cortesía

Courtesy opens every door in the Spanish-speaking world. These twelve phrases will carry you further than a hundred grammar rules.

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Por favor	por fah-VOR	Please
Gracias	GRAH-see-ahs	Thank you
Muchas gracias	MOO-chahs GRAH-see-ahs	Thank you very much
De nada	deh NAH-dah	You're welcome
Perdón	pehr-DOHN	Excuse me / Sorry (small things: passing by, a light bump)
Disculpe	dees-KOOL-peh	Excuse me (to get someone's attention)
Lo siento	loh see-EHN-toh	I'm sorry (for something serious or sad news)
Con permiso	kohn pehr-MEE-soh	Excuse me (when passing through or leaving the table)
Salud	sah-LOOD	Bless you! (after a sneeze) / Cheers! (with a drink)
Buen provecho	bwehn proh-VEH-choh	Enjoy your meal (said to people who are eating)
Bienvenido / Bienvenida	byehn-veh-NEE-doh / -dah	Welcome (to a man / to a woman)
Pase / Adelante	PAH-seh / ah-deh-LAHN-teh	Come in / Go ahead

A cultural note. In Spanish-speaking cultures, greetings are not optional decoration — they are the beginning of every human transaction. You greet the shopkeeper before asking a price, you say buen provecho to strangers eating near you, you say con permiso when you squeeze past someone. These small warmths cost nothing and buy a great deal of goodwill.

Small scene — at a café: — Disculpe… ¿tiene café? (Excuse me… do you have coffee?) — Sí, claro. (Yes, of course.) — Uno, por favor. (One, please.) — …(coffee arrives)… — Muchas gracias. (Thank you very much.) — De nada. Buen provecho. (You're welcome. Enjoy.)

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4. Numbers 0 to 20 · Los números del 0 al 20

Numbers are survival tools: prices, addresses, phone numbers, bus lines, hotel rooms. Learn these twenty-one and you can already handle most daily situations.

#	Spanish	Pronunciation	#	Spanish	Pronunciation
0	cero	SEH-roh	11	once	OHN-seh
1	uno	OO-noh	12	doce	DOH-seh
2	dos	dohs	13	trece	TREH-seh
3	tres	trehs	14	catorce	kah-TOR-seh
4	cuatro	KWAH-troh	15	quince	KEEN-seh
5	cinco	SEEN-koh	16	dieciséis	dee-eh-see-SAYS
6	seis	says	17	diecisiete	dee-eh-see-SYEH-teh
7	siete	SYEH-teh	18	dieciocho	dee-eh-see-OH-choh
8	ocho	OH-choh	19	diecinueve	dee-eh-see-NWEH-veh
9	nueve	NWEH-veh	20	veinte	BAYN-teh
10	diez	dee-EHS

Patterns to notice:

• Numbers 16–19 are built from diez ("ten") fused with the unit: dieciséis is literally "ten-and-six". Once you see the trick, they are easy to remember.
• Uno changes shape before a masculine noun: un café (one coffee), un libro (one book). And it becomes una before a feminine noun: una mesa (one table), una casa (one house).

Numbers in real life:

• ¿Cuánto cuesta? — Cuesta quince. (How much does it cost? — It costs fifteen.)
• Son las tres. (It's three o'clock.) — literally "they are the three"; hours are plural in Spanish, except one o'clock: Es la una (It's one o'clock).
• El autobús número ocho. (Bus number eight.)
• Mi número es el cinco-cinco-cinco… — phone numbers are usually given digit by digit.

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5. Days of the week · Los días de la semana

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
lunes	LOO-nehs	Monday
martes	MAR-tehs	Tuesday
miércoles	MYEHR-koh-lehs	Wednesday
jueves	HWEH-vehs	Thursday
viernes	BYEHR-nehs	Friday
sábado	SAH-bah-doh	Saturday
domingo	doh-MEEN-goh	Sunday

Good news and useful details:

• The week starts on Monday in the Spanish-speaking calendar; Sunday closes it.
• Days are not capitalized in Spanish — neither are months or languages. Lunes, enero, español: all lowercase.
• Days don't change form in the plural: los lunes = "on Mondays".
• The little words around them: hoy (today), mañana (tomorrow — the same word as "morning"; context tells them apart), ayer (yesterday), la semana (the week), el fin de semana (the weekend).

— ¿Qué día es hoy? (What day is today?) — Hoy es jueves. (Today is Thursday.) — ¿Y mañana? (And tomorrow?) — Mañana es viernes. ¡El fin de semana! (Tomorrow is Friday. The weekend!)

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6. Survival questions · Preguntas para sobrevivir

Questions are your tools for navigating a Spanish-speaking world. Spanish questions wear their punctuation at both ends — ¿…? — so you can see them coming. Your voice should rise gently at the end, like a polite request for help.

6.1 The question words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
¿Dónde…?	DOHN-deh	Where…?
¿Cuánto…? / ¿Cuántos…?	KWAHN-toh	How much…? / How many…?
¿Cómo…?	KOH-moh	How…? / What (is it like)…?
¿Qué…?	keh	What…?
¿Cuándo…?	KWAHN-doh	When…?
¿Quién…?	kyehn	Who…?
¿Por qué…?	por keh	Why…?
¿A qué hora…?	ah keh OH-rah	At what time…?

6.2 Twelve questions that will save your day

1. ¿Dónde está el baño? (Where is the bathroom?) — DOHN-deh ehs-TAH ehl BAH-nyoh. The single most important sentence in any language.
2. ¿Dónde está la estación? (Where is the station?)
3. ¿Cuánto cuesta? (How much does it cost?)
4. ¿Cuánto es? (How much is it? — said at the till, asking the total)
5. ¿Cómo se dice "book" en español? (How do you say "book" in Spanish?) — KOH-moh seh DEE-seh… The learner's master key: point at anything and ask.
6. ¿Cómo se llama esto? (What is this called?)
7. ¿Habla inglés? (Do you speak English?) — AH-blah een-GLEHS.
8. ¿Puede repetir, por favor? (Can you repeat, please?) — PWEH-deh reh-peh-TEER.
9. ¿Puede hablar más despacio? (Can you speak more slowly?) — …mahs dehs-PAH-see-oh. Nobody will be offended; everybody will smile.
10. ¿A qué hora abre? / ¿A qué hora cierra? (At what time does it open / close?)
11. ¿Tiene wifi? (Do you have Wi-Fi?)
12. ¿Puede ayudarme? (Can you help me?) — ah-yoo-DAR-meh.

6.3 The sentences about the language itself

Spanish	English
Estoy aprendiendo español.	I'm learning Spanish.
Hablo un poco de español.	I speak a little Spanish.
No entiendo.	I don't understand.
No sé.	I don't know.
¿Qué significa…?	What does … mean?
Otra vez, por favor.	One more time, please.

Say "Estoy aprendiendo español" early in any conversation. It transforms the encounter: you stop being a stranger who doesn't speak, and become a student who is trying — and Spanish speakers, as a rule, are generous and patient teachers.

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7. A full mini-dialogue, explained · Un mini diálogo completo, comentado

Scene: A visitor arrives at a small bookshop in the morning.

— Buenos días. (Good morning.) — Buenos días, bienvenido. ¿En qué puedo ayudarle? (Good morning, welcome. How can I help you?) — Gracias. Estoy aprendiendo español… ¿habla inglés? (Thank you. I'm learning Spanish… do you speak English?) — Un poco. Pero su español es bueno. (A little. But your Spanish is good.) — ¡Muchas gracias! Busco un libro de cuentos. (Thank you very much! I'm looking for a story book.) — Los libros de cuentos están allí, a la izquierda. (The story books are over there, on the left.) — ¿Cuánto cuesta este? (How much does this one cost?) — Cuesta doce. (It costs twelve.) — Perfecto. ¿A qué hora cierra la tienda? (Perfect. What time does the shop close?) — Cerramos a las ocho. (We close at eight.) — Muy bien. Hasta luego, y gracias por su ayuda. (Very good. See you later, and thanks for your help.) — De nada. ¡Hasta luego! (You're welcome. See you soon!)

Commentary — what just happened:

• The visitor opens with a greeting before business. Always. The shopkeeper answers with the same greeting plus bienvenido — the welcome.
• ¿En qué puedo ayudarle? ("In what can I help you?") is the standard, courteous offer of help in shops across the Spanish-speaking world.
• The visitor declares "Estoy aprendiendo español" — and receives a compliment, not a correction. Notice how the shopkeeper switches to short, clear sentences afterward: this is what people do when they see you trying.
• Busco… ("I'm looking for…") is the most useful shopping verb you'll meet this month. Busco un hotel, busco la estación, busco un café.
• The price answer is one word: doce. In real life, prices are often answered exactly like this — a bare number. Listen for the numbers you learned in Section 4.
• A la izquierda (on the left) and its partner a la derecha (on the right) — plus allí (over there) and aquí (here) — will guide you anywhere.
• The closing is warm and unhurried: thanks, a farewell, and a ¡hasta luego! that is almost sung. Goodbyes in Spanish take a few extra seconds — and they are worth them.

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8. Practice · Práctica

Try these without looking back. Then check the answers in Section 9 — and be honest with yourself: what you missed today is what you'll remember tomorrow.

Exercise A — Say it in Spanish. Translate into Spanish: 1. Good afternoon. 2. Thank you very much. 3. Where is the bathroom? 4. How much does it cost? 5. My name is Sarah. I am from Canada.

Exercise B — Answer in Spanish. You are the visitor; answer naturally: 1. — Buenos días. ¿Cómo está? 2. — ¿De dónde es usted? 3. — ¿Busca algo? (Are you looking for something?) — Answer: yes, I'm looking for a book. 4. — ¿Cuánto es? — no wait, that's the shopkeeper's line. Reverse! You ask the price of a coffee.

Exercise C — Numbers. Write these in Spanish words: 1. 7 → ___ 2. 12 → ___ 3. 0 → ___ 4. 15 → ___ 5. 20 → ___ And say them aloud: bus number 8, room 14, three o'clock.

Exercise D — The right day. Complete: 1. Hoy es lunes; mañana es ___. 2. El fin de semana es el ___ y el ___. 3. Yesterday was Wednesday: ayer fue ___.

Exercise E — Courtesy match. Match each situation to its phrase: 1. You squeeze past someone in a bus → … 2. Someone sneezes → … 3. You arrive at the table where friends are eating → … 4. You need the waiter's attention → … 5. Someone thanks you → … (Phrases: Salud · De nada · Con permiso · Disculpe · Buen provecho)

Exercise F — Build your own introduction. Fill in and say it aloud, three times:

Hola, me llamo ___. Soy de ___, pero vivo en ___. Estoy aprendiendo español. Mucho gusto.

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Ver respuestas · See answers

9. Answers · Respuestas

A. 1. Buenas tardes. 2. Muchas gracias. 3. ¿Dónde está el baño? 4. ¿Cuánto cuesta? 5. Me llamo Sarah. Soy de Canadá. B. 1. Muy bien, gracias. ¿Y usted? 2. Soy de… (your country). 3. Sí, busco un libro. 4. ¿Cuánto cuesta el café? (or: ¿Cuánto es? for the total.) C. 1. siete 2. doce 3. cero 4. quince 5. veinte. Aloud: el autobús número ocho; la habitación catorce; son las tres. D. 1. martes 2. sábado y domingo 3. miércoles. E. 1. Con permiso 2. Salud 3. Buen provecho 4. Disculpe 5. De nada. F. Your own words — if you said them aloud three times, you did it perfectly.

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Quick reference card · Tarjeta de bolsillo

Cut this out (mentally) and carry it with you:

• Hola · Buenos días / tardes / noches — Hello · Good morning / afternoon / evening
• Por favor / Gracias / De nada — Please / Thanks / You're welcome
• Disculpe / Con permiso / Perdón — Excuse me (attention / passing / sorry)
• ¿Dónde está…? — Where is…?
• ¿Cuánto cuesta? — How much does it cost?
• ¿Cómo se dice … en español? — How do you say … in Spanish?
• No entiendo / Más despacio, por favor — I don't understand / More slowly, please
• Estoy aprendiendo español — I'm learning Spanish

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10. Listening note · Nota de escucha

How this guide would sound as audio in the house.

Spanish is learned with the ear as much as with the eye — so in Lobo Audio's house, this guide is meant to be listened to, not only read. Each section becomes a short audio track: the vowels pronounced slowly and repeated, the dialogues performed by two voices at a gentle pace, the numbers counted aloud. Below is the brief script of how the audio edition opens and closes.

Opening script (read by the host voice, warm and unhurried):

"Welcome to Lobo Estudia — the learning house of the Wolf. This is Study Guide number one: Primeros pasos, first steps in Spanish for English speakers. Don't worry about understanding everything. Just listen, repeat out loud when we ask you to, and let the sounds of Spanish become familiar friends. Ready? ¡Vamos a empezar. Let's begin."

Closing script (after the last exercise):

"And that's it — your first steps are taken. Today you learned to greet, to thank, to ask where things are and how much they cost, in Spanish. That is not a small thing: that is the beginning of every conversation you will ever have in this language. Practice ten minutes tomorrow, and come back — the house of the Wolf is always open. Hasta la próxima guía. Until the next guide."

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Nivel 2 · Guía de estudio · Español para angloparlantes — Los verbos esenciales, presentarse a fondo y pedir comida / Level 2 · Study Guide · Spanish for English Speakers — Essential Verbs, Introducing Yourself in Depth, and Ordering Food

Lobo Estudia · Academia del Lobo — Study guide for English speakers who want to learn Spanish. Level: beginner, second step · Instruction language: English · Learning content: Spanish, with translations.

Welcome back! · ¡Bienvenidos de nuevo!

Welcome to your second study guide from Lobo Estudia, the learning house of Lobo Audio. In Level 1 you learned to greet, to thank, to ask where things are and how much they cost. Now we take the next real step: the three verbs that carry almost every sentence you will say about yourself — ser, estar and tener — and we put them to work right away: introducing yourself in depth, telling the time, and ordering a full meal in a restaurant.

How to use this guide

1. Read each section slowly, out loud if you can. Your mouth needs practice as much as your eyes.
2. Say every model sentence with your own name, your own city and your own job. Spanish sticks when it is about you.
3. Do the practice exercises at the end before checking the answers. Struggling a little is how the learning sticks.
4. Come back tomorrow and read it again. Ten minutes a day beats two hours once a week.

A note on which Spanish you will learn here: we teach a clear, neutral Latin American Spanish — the Spanish of Mexico and most of the continent — understood everywhere in the Spanish-speaking world.

Let's begin. ¡Vamos! (BAH-mohs — "Let's go!")

1. Ser, estar and tener, seriously · Ser, estar y tener en serio

English has one verb, to be, where Spanish has two: ser and estar. And where English says "I am thirty years old" and "I am hungry", Spanish uses a third verb: tener (to have). Do not let this scare you — each verb has its own clear territory, and this section draws the map.

1.1 The forms: only four people to learn

Spanish verbs change their ending for each person. For now, learn just these four forms of each verb — they will carry almost everything you say:

Person	ser (to be)	estar (to be)	tener (to have)
yo (I)	soy (soy)	estoy (ehs-TOY)	tengo (TEHN-goh)
tú (you, friendly)	eres (EH-rehs)	estás (ehs-TAHS)	tienes (TYEH-nehs)
usted (you, formal)	es (ehs)	está (ehs-TAH)	tiene (TYEH-neh)
él / ella (he / she)	es (ehs)	está (ehs-TAH)	tiene (TYEH-neh)

Good news hidden in the table: usted, él and ella always share the same form. Learn one, get three. And notice the written accents in estás and está — they tell you to stress the last syllable: ehs-TAHS, ehs-TAH.

1.2 Ser = what something IS: identity, profession, origin

Use ser for what a person or thing is in its nature: who you are, what you do, and where you come from. Think of ser as the verb of the identity card.

• Soy electricista. (soy eh-lehk-tree-SEES-tah) — I am an electrician. Profession. Notice: Spanish drops the "an" — you say "I am electrician", never un electricista after soy, unless you add an adjective.
• Soy de Chile. (soy deh CHEE-leh) — I am from Chile. Origin: where you come from.
• Ella es maestra. (EH-yah ehs mah-EHS-trah) — She is a teacher.
• ¿Es usted de México? (ehs oos-TEHD deh MEH-hee-koh) — Are you from Mexico? (formal)
• Tú eres mi amigo. (too EH-rehs mee ah-MEE-goh) — You are my friend. Identity and relationship.

Contrast with English: English uses "to be" for all of this too, so ser feels natural here. The trap comes later — English also uses "to be" for feelings and places, and there Spanish switches verbs. That is the next section.

1.3 Estar = how and where: states and locations

Use estar for two things: how someone or something is right now (a state that can change), and where someone or something is (a location). Think of estar as the verb of the moment and the map.

• Estoy cansado. (ehs-TOY kahn-SAH-doh) — I am tired. (a man speaking; a woman says cansada, kahn-SAH-dah)
• Estoy bien, gracias. (ehs-TOY byehn, GRAH-see-ahs) — I am well, thank you. This is the verb inside ¿Cómo está? from Level 1 — now you know why.
• Estoy en casa. (ehs-TOY ehn KAH-sah) — I am at home. Location.
• ¿Dónde está el baño? (DOHN-deh ehs-TAH ehl BAH-nyoh) — Where is the bathroom? You already knew this sentence from Level 1; está is the location verb.
• Ella está en el trabajo. (EH-yah ehs-TAH ehn ehl trah-BAH-hoh) — She is at work.

Contrast with English: English says "I am tired" and "I am at home" with the same verb as "I am a teacher". Spanish does not. A simple memory hook: ser tells what it is, estar tells how it is and where it is. "Soy electricista" (that is my trade) but "estoy cansado" (that is my state today).

1.4 Tener = possession, hunger, thirst… and your age

Tener means "to have", and it works much like English for possessions. But Spanish also uses tener for several physical sensations where English uses "to be" — and, most famously, for age.

• Tengo dos hijos. (TEHN-goh dohs EE-hohs) — I have two children. Possession and family.
• Tengo hambre. (TEHN-goh AHM-breh) — I am hungry. Literally: "I have hunger." Never say soy hambre.
• Tengo sed. (TEHN-goh sehd) — I am thirsty. Literally: "I have thirst."
• Tengo treinta años. (TEHN-goh TRAYN-tah AH-nyohs) — I am thirty years old. Literally: "I have thirty years."
• ¿Cuántos años tienes? (KWAHN-tohs AH-nyohs TYEH-nehs) — How old are you? (friendly) Literally: "How many years do you have?"
• Ella tiene cuarenta años. (EH-yah TYEH-neh kwah-REHN-tah AH-nyohs) — She is forty years old.

Contrast with English: in Spanish, your years are something you have collected, not something you are. So the age question is never "¿Cuántos años eres?" — it is always ¿Cuántos años tienes?, and the answer is always Tengo … años. Learn it as one single block and you will never get it wrong.

1.5 The three verbs side by side

Verb	Its territory	Example	English
ser	Identity, profession, origin	Soy de Chile.	I am from Chile.
estar	How you feel, where you are	Estoy cansado, estoy en casa.	I am tired, I am at home.
tener	Possession, hunger, thirst, age	Tengo hambre. Tengo treinta años.	I am hungry. I am thirty years old.

One person, three verbs, one true story: Soy electricista, estoy en Wichita y tengo dos hijos. (I am an electrician, I am in Wichita, and I have two children.) Ser for the trade, estar for the place, tener for the family. If you can say that sentence about yourself, this section has done its job.

2. Introducing yourself in depth · Presentarse a fondo

In Level 1 you learned Me llamo… and Soy de…. Now we build the complete introduction: name, origin, home, work and family — the five things Spanish speakers exchange in the first minute of any conversation.

2.1 Name and origin

• Me llamo… (meh YAH-moh) — My name is…
• Soy de… (soy deh) — I am from… — Soy de Texas. (I am from Texas.)
• ¿Cómo se llama usted? (KOH-moh seh YAH-mah oos-TEHD) — What is your name? (formal)
• ¿De dónde es usted? (deh DOHN-deh ehs oos-TEHD) — Where are you from? (formal)

2.2 Where you live now

Origin and residence are different things, and Spanish keeps them separate — you met this idea in Level 1. The verb for living somewhere is vivir, and its key form is easy: vivo (BEE-voh), "I live".

• Vivo en Wichita. (BEE-voh ehn Wichita) — I live in Wichita.
• Soy de Chile, pero vivo en Wichita. — I am from Chile, but I live in Wichita. The word pero (PEH-roh) means "but" — it joins the two halves of a life.
• ¿Dónde vive usted? (DOHN-deh BEE-veh oos-TEHD) — Where do you live? (formal)

2.3 Your work

Professions go with ser, as you learned in Section 1 — and remember, no "a" or "an" after soy:

• Soy electricista. — I am an electrician.
• Soy maestro / Soy maestra. (mah-EHS-troh / mah-EHS-trah) — I am a teacher (man / woman).
• Trabajo en una tienda. (trah-BAH-hoh ehn OO-nah TYEHN-dah) — I work in a shop / store. The verb is trabajar, "to work": trabajo = "I work".
• Trabajo de electricista. — I work as an electrician. Trabajo de… is the other common pattern: "I work as a…".
• ¿En qué trabaja usted? (ehn keh trah-BAH-hah oos-TEHD) — What do you do for a living? (formal) Literally: "In what do you work?"

2.4 Your family

Family goes with tener (what you have) and estar (your state):

• Tengo dos hijos. (TEHN-goh dohs EE-hohs) — I have two children / two sons. Hijos covers sons and children in general; hijas (EE-hahs) is daughters only.
• Tengo una hija. — I have one daughter.
• Estoy casado. (ehs-TOY kah-SAH-doh) — I am married (a man speaking). A woman says Estoy casada (kah-SAH-dah).
• Estoy soltero / Estoy soltera. (sohl-TEH-roh / sohl-TEH-rah) — I am single (man / woman).
• Mi familia vive en Chile. (mee fah-MEE-lee-ah BEE-veh ehn CHEE-leh) — My family lives in Chile.

Notice the pattern: marital status is a state, so it takes estar — estoy casado, never soy casado in neutral Latin American Spanish. And the ending changes with the speaker: -o for a man, -a for a woman: cansado/cansada, casado/casada, soltero/soltera.

2.5 A complete model introduction

Here is the whole introduction put together. Read it aloud, then rebuild it with your own facts:

Hola, me llamo John. Soy de Texas, pero vivo en Wichita. Soy electricista y trabajo en una tienda. Estoy casado y tengo dos hijos. Tengo cuarenta años. Mucho gusto.

Line by line:

• Hola, me llamo John. — Hello, my name is John. The greeting first, always, then the name.
• Soy de Texas, pero vivo en Wichita. — I am from Texas, but I live in Wichita. Ser for origin, vivir for home.
• Soy electricista y trabajo en una tienda. — I am an electrician and I work in a store. Two ways of talking about work in one breath — both are correct, and Spanish speakers mix them freely.
• Estoy casado y tengo dos hijos. — I am married and I have two children. Estar for the state, tener for the family.
• Tengo cuarenta años. — I am forty years old. The tener of age, from Section 1.
• Mucho gusto. — Nice to meet you. The warm closing you already know from Level 1.

Six short sentences, and you have presented your whole life in Spanish. That is the power of ser, estar and tener used well.

3. Ordering food and drink · Pedir comida y bebida

Time to eat. Everything in this section can be used tonight, in a real restaurant, exactly as written.

3.1 The polite way to order: Quisiera…

English speakers soften an order with "I would like…". Spanish does exactly the same with one magic word: quisiera (kee-SYEH-rah). It is the polite, courteous way to ask for anything, and waiters hear it all day long.

• Quisiera un café, por favor. (kee-SYEH-rah oon kah-FEH, por fah-VOR) — I would like a coffee, please.
• Quisiera la sopa y el pollo. — I would like the soup and the chicken.
• Para mí, un agua, por favor. (PAH-rah mee, oon AH-gwah) — For me, a water, please. Para mí… is the classic phrase when each person at the table orders in turn.
• ¿Me trae un café, por favor? (meh TRAH-eh oon kah-FEH) — Could you bring me a coffee, please? Literally: "Do you bring me…?" — a question that works as a gentle request. You will use ¿Me trae…? again and again: for the menu, for more bread, for the bill's little brother, another napkin.

3.2 Basic food and drink vocabulary

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
el agua	ehl AH-gwah	water
el café	ehl kah-FEH	coffee
el pan	ehl pahn	bread
el arroz	ehl ah-RROHS	rice
el pollo	ehl POH-yoh	chicken
la ensalada	lah ehn-sah-LAH-dah	salad
la sopa	lah SOH-pah	soup

Two small observations. First, every noun in Spanish is masculine (el) or feminine (la) — learn the word together with its el or la, as one block: el agua, la sopa. Second, look at the words you can already almost guess: café, sopa, ensalada. Spanish and English share a lot of table vocabulary.

3.3 Hunger and thirst: tener again

Remember Section 1: hunger and thirst are things you have in Spanish.

• Tengo hambre. (TEHN-goh AHM-breh) — I am hungry.
• Tengo sed. (TEHN-goh sehd) — I am thirsty.
• Tengo mucha hambre. — I am very hungry. Mucha (MOO-chah) = "a lot of / very much".

3.4 Closing the meal: the bill

• La cuenta, por favor. (lah KWEHN-tah, por fah-VOR) — The bill, please. The universal closing line of every meal. In many Spanish-speaking places the bill only comes when you ask for it — nobody is rushing you out.
• ¿Aceptan tarjeta? (ah-SEHP-tahn tar-HEH-tah) — Do you accept card?
• Estaba muy rico. (ehs-TAH-bah mwee REE-koh) — It was delicious. Rico said about food means tasty, delicious — a compliment every cook loves to hear.
• Muchas gracias. Hasta luego. — Thank you very much. See you later.

4. Basic time · La hora básica

You met hours briefly in Level 1 with the numbers. Now we do them properly — because "¿A qué hora…?" ("At what time…?"), one of your Level 1 question words, needs them.

4.1 Asking and telling the time

• ¿Qué hora es? (keh OH-rah ehs) — What time is it? Literally: "What hour is it?"
• ¿A qué hora…? (ah keh OH-rah) — At what time…? — ¿A qué hora abre el restaurante? (At what time does the restaurant open?)

4.2 Es la una, son las dos: the one exception

Telling the time uses ser — and it has one beautiful exception. One o'clock is singular, everything else is plural:

• Es la una. (ehs lah OO-nah) — It's one o'clock. The ONLY hour with es and la — because there is only one hour.
• Son las dos. (sohn lahs dohs) — It's two o'clock.
• Son las tres. — It's three o'clock.
• Son las ocho. — It's eight o'clock.

Think of it literally: Spanish counts the hours as things — "they are the two, they are the three" — but at one o'clock there is only "the one", so the verb shrinks to match: es la una.

4.3 Half hours, quarter hours, midday and midnight

• Son las tres y media. (sohn lahs trehs ee MEH-dee-ah) — It's three thirty (half past three). Y media = "and a half".
• Son las tres y cuarto. (sohn lahs trehs ee KWAHR-toh) — It's three fifteen (quarter past three). Y cuarto = "and a quarter".
• Es la una y media. — It's one thirty. Same pattern, singular verb, because it is still the one o'clock hour.
• Es mediodía. (ehs meh-dee-oh-DEE-ah) — It's midday / noon.
• Es medianoche. (ehs meh-dee-ah-NOH-cheh) — It's midnight. Mediodía and medianoche are single moments, so they take es, like la una.

Time	Spanish	English
1:00	Es la una	It's one o'clock
2:00	Son las dos	It's two o'clock
3:15	Son las tres y cuarto	It's three fifteen
3:30	Son las tres y media	It's three thirty
12:00 (day)	Es mediodía	It's noon
12:00 (night)	Es medianoche	It's midnight

And to place an event in time, just add a: La clase es a las tres. (The class is at three.) ¿A qué hora es la cena? — A las ocho. (At what time is dinner? — At eight.)

5. A full dialogue in a restaurant, explained · Diálogo completo en un restaurante, comentado

Scene: John arrives at a small restaurant in the evening. He is hungry, he orders a full meal, he solves one small problem, and he pays. Everything he says comes from this guide and Level 1.

— Buenas noches. (Good evening.) — Buenas noches, bienvenido. ¿Mesa para cuántos? (Good evening, welcome. Table for how many?) — Para dos, por favor. (For two, please.) — Por aquí, por favor. Aquí tiene el menú. (This way, please. Here is the menu.) — Muchas gracias. Tengo mucha hambre… y tengo sed. (Thank you very much. I am very hungry… and I am thirsty.) — ¿Qué quisiera tomar? (What would you like to drink?) — Para mí, un agua, por favor. Y para ella, un café. (For me, a water, please. And for her, a coffee.) — Muy bien. ¿Y para comer? (Very good. And to eat?) — Quisiera la sopa y el pollo con arroz, por favor. La ensalada, sin cebolla. (I would like the soup and the chicken with rice, please. The salad, without onion.) — Perfecto. ¿Algo más? (Perfect. Anything else?) — ¿Me trae más pan, por favor? (Could you bring me more bread, please?) — Claro, enseguida. (Of course, right away.) — …(they eat)… — ¿Todo bien? (Is everything all right?) — Todo muy bien. Estaba muy rico, gracias. La cuenta, por favor. (Everything is very good. It was delicious, thank you. The bill, please.) — Enseguida. Aquí tiene. (Right away. Here you are.) — ¿Aceptan tarjeta? (Do you accept card?) — Sí, aceptamos tarjeta. (Yes, we accept card.) — Perfecto. Muchas gracias por todo. Hasta luego. (Perfect. Thank you very much for everything. See you later.) — De nada. ¡Buenas noches! (You're welcome. Good night!)

Commentary — what just happened:

• The evening opens with Buenas noches before any business — the same golden rule as Level 1. The host answers with the welcome and the first practical question of every restaurant: ¿Mesa para cuántos? ("Table for how many?").
• John declares his state with tener, exactly as Section 1 taught: Tengo mucha hambre… y tengo sed. Two of the most useful sentences in the language, and both use "to have", not "to be".
• Listen to the waiter's courtesy: ¿Qué quisiera tomar? — he uses the same polite quisiera family that John uses to order. Politeness answers politeness.
• Tomar here means "to have (a drink)" — in a restaurant, ¿Qué quisiera tomar? is always about drinks.
• John orders for two people with Para mí… y para ella… ("For me… and for her…"). Ordering for the table with para + person is a small phrase that does a lot of work.
• The one small problem is solved with one small phrase: sin cebolla (seen seh-BOH-yah) — "without onion". Sin means "without"; its opposite is con, "with": pollo con arroz, café con leche. With sin and con you can adjust almost any dish on any menu.
• ¿Algo más? ("Anything else?") is the waiter's standard check — and John uses it to ask for more bread with ¿Me trae más pan, por favor?, the gentle request form from Section 3.
• The meal closes by the book: a compliment (Estaba muy rico), the bill (La cuenta, por favor), the card question (¿Aceptan tarjeta?), warm thanks and a sung goodbye. John never raised his voice, never pointed, and never needed a single word outside this guide.

6. Practice · Práctica

Try these without looking back. Then check the answers at the end of this section — and be honest with yourself: what you missed today is what you'll remember tomorrow.

Exercise A — Ser, estar or tener? Choose the right verb and form (soy / es / estoy / está / tengo / tiene): 1. Yo ___ electricista. (profession) 2. Ella ___ cansada. (how she feels) 3. Yo ___ treinta años. (age) 4. Usted ___ en casa. (where you are) 5. Él ___ hambre. (hunger)

Exercise B — Present yourself. Complete the model with the missing words: 1. Me llamo ___. (your name) 2. Soy de ___, pero ___ en Wichita. (I live) 3. Soy ___ y tengo dos ___. (your job · children) 4. Estoy ___ y tengo cuarenta ___. (married · years)

Exercise C — At the restaurant. What do you say in Spanish in each situation? 1. You want to order a coffee, politely. 2. You are thirsty. 3. You want the salad without onion. 4. The meal is over and you want to pay by card.

Exercise D — Tell the time. Write these times in Spanish words: 1. 1:00 → ___ 2. 2:00 → ___ 3. 3:30 → ___ 4. 3:15 → ___

Ver respuestas · See answers

Answers · Respuestas

A. 1. soy (Soy electricista — profession takes ser) 2. está (Ella está cansada — a state takes estar) 3. tengo (Tengo treinta años — age takes tener) 4. está (Usted está en casa — location takes estar) 5. tiene (Él tiene hambre — hunger takes tener). B. 1. your own name (Me llamo John) 2. vivo (Soy de…, pero vivo en Wichita) 3. your own job, without "un/una" — Soy electricista — and hijos (tengo dos hijos) 4. casado (a man) / casada (a woman), and años (tengo cuarenta años). C. 1. Quisiera un café, por favor. 2. Tengo sed. 3. La ensalada, sin cebolla, por favor. 4. La cuenta, por favor. ¿Aceptan tarjeta? D. 1. Es la una. 2. Son las dos. 3. Son las tres y media. 4. Son las tres y cuarto.

Quick reference card · Tarjeta de bolsillo

Cut this out (mentally) and carry it with you:

• Soy / Estoy / Tengo — I am (identity) / I am (state, place) / I have
• Soy electricista · Soy de Chile — I am an electrician · I am from Chile
• Estoy cansado · Estoy en casa — I am tired · I am at home
• Tengo hambre / sed — I am hungry / thirsty
• Tengo … años — I am … years old
• Vivo en Wichita · Estoy casado/a · Tengo dos hijos — I live in Wichita · I am married · I have two children
• Quisiera… · Para mí… · ¿Me trae…? — I would like… · For me… · Could you bring me…?
• La cuenta, por favor · ¿Aceptan tarjeta? — The bill, please · Do you accept card?
• ¿Qué hora es? · Es la una · Son las dos · Son las tres y media — What time is it? · It's 1:00 · It's 2:00 · It's 3:30

7. Listening note · Nota de escucha

How this guide would sound as audio in the house.

Spanish is learned with the ear as much as with the eye — so in Lobo Audio's house, this guide is meant to be listened to, not only read. Each section becomes a short audio track: the three verbs chanted in their four forms until they feel like a song, the model introduction spoken slowly and then at natural speed, the restaurant dialogue performed by two voices at a gentle pace, the hours told around the clock. Below is the brief script of how the audio edition opens and closes.

Opening script (read by the host voice, warm and unhurried):

"Welcome back to Lobo Estudia — the learning house of the Wolf. This is Study Guide number two: Los verbos esenciales, the essential verbs. Today you will learn to say who you are, where you live, how old you are — and to order a full meal in Spanish, politely, from the first buenas noches to la cuenta, por favor. Listen, repeat out loud, and don't worry about mistakes. Ready? ¡Vamos a seguir! Let's keep going."

Closing script (after the last exercise):

"And that's it — your second guide is done. Today ser, estar and tener stopped being grammar and became your own story: soy, estoy, tengo. You can introduce yourself, tell the time, and sit down in any restaurant in the Spanish-speaking world without fear. Practice ten minutes tomorrow, and come back — the house of the Wolf is always open. Hasta la próxima guía. Until the next guide."

Buen provecho — and see you in Level 3.

Nivel 3 · Guía de estudio · Español para angloparlantes — La casa, el barrio y moverse / Level 3 · Study Guide · Spanish for English Speakers — The House, the Neighborhood and Getting Around

Lobo Estudia · Academia del Lobo — Study guide for English speakers who want to learn Spanish. Level: beginner, third step · Instruction language: English · Learning content: Spanish, with translations.

Welcome back! · ¡Bienvenidos de nuevo!

Welcome to your third study guide from Lobo Estudia, the learning house of Lobo Audio. In Level 1 you learned to greet and to ask; in Level 2, to introduce yourself, to tell the time and to order a meal. Now we walk out of the restaurant and into your whole daily map: your house, your neighborhood and how to get around without getting lost. You will learn the rooms of the house, the places of the block, how to ask for directions in the street, and how to talk about the weather — the small conversation that opens every day in Spanish too.

How to use this guide

1. Read each section slowly, out loud if you can. Name the things in your own house in Spanish as you touch them: the mouth learns what the hand points at.
2. Say every model sentence with your own street, your own neighborhood and your own weather. Spanish sticks when it is about your life.
3. Do the brief practice at the end before checking the answers.
4. Keep the pocket card at the end on your phone: it is your street summary.

A note on which Spanish you will learn here: we teach a clear, neutral Latin American Spanish — the Spanish of Mexico and most of the continent — understood everywhere in the Spanish-speaking world. Where a word changes from country to country, this guide says so.

Let's begin. ¡Vamos! (BAH-mohs — "Let's go!")

1. The house · La casa

Your house is your first vocabulary: you live inside these words every day. Learn each noun together with its el or la, as one block, exactly as you learned at the table in Level 2.

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
la casa	lah KAH-sah	the house
el apartamento	ehl ah-pahr-tah-MEHN-toh	the apartment (also el departamento in much of Latin America)
la cocina	lah koh-SEE-nah	the kitchen
el baño	ehl BAH-nyoh	the bathroom
el cuarto / la habitación	ehl KWAHR-toh / lah ah-bee-tah-SYOHN	the bedroom, the room — both words are correct; cuarto is the everyday one
la sala	lah SAH-lah	the living room
la puerta	lah PWEHR-tah	the door
la ventana	lah vehn-TAH-nah	the window
la llave	lah YAH-veh	the key

House sentences, ready to say:

• La cocina es grande. (lah koh-SEE-nah ehs GRAHN-deh) — The kitchen is big.
• ¿Dónde está el baño? (DOHN-deh ehs-TAH ehl BAH-nyoh) — Where is the bathroom? You already own this sentence from Level 1 — now you know every word in it.
• Este es mi cuarto. (EHS-teh ehs mee KWAHR-toh) — This is my bedroom.
• Necesito la llave. (neh-seh-SEE-toh lah YAH-veh) — I need the key.
• Abra la ventana, por favor. (AH-brah lah vehn-TAH-nah, por fah-VOR) — Open the window, please. (formal)

1.1 Renting: el alquiler and el casero

Two words govern the life of anyone who rents:

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
el alquiler	ehl ahl-kee-LEHR	the rent (in Mexico you will also hear la renta)
el casero	ehl kah-SEH-roh	the landlord (a woman: la casera)

• ¿Cuánto es el alquiler? (KWAHN-toh ehs ehl ahl-kee-LEHR) — How much is the rent?
• El alquiler es de novecientos dólares. — The rent is nine hundred dollars.
• Pago el alquiler el día primero. (PAH-goh ehl ahl-kee-LEHR ehl DEE-ah pree-MEH-roh) — I pay the rent on the first.
• Necesito llamar al casero. (neh-seh-SEE-toh yah-MAHR ahl kah-SEH-roh) — I need to call the landlord.

2. The neighborhood · El barrio

2.1 Streets and addresses

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
la calle	lah KAH-yeh	the street
la esquina	lah ehs-KEE-nah	the corner
la cuadra	lah KWAH-drah	the block (in Spain: la manzana)
la dirección	lah dee-rehk-SYOHN	the address

• ¿Cuál es su dirección? (kwahl ehs soo dee-rehk-SYOHN) — What is your address? (formal)
• Mi dirección es calle Main 214. — My address is 214 Main Street. Notice: in Spanish the street comes first and the number after, the reverse of English.
• Está en la esquina. (ehs-TAH ehn lah ehs-KEE-nah) — It is on the corner.
• Está a dos cuadras de aquí. — It is two blocks from here. Distances walk with a: a dos cuadras, a cinco minutos.

2.2 The places of the neighborhood

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
el banco	ehl BAHN-koh	the bank — same word as the bench in the park; context decides
la tienda	lah TYEHN-dah	the store, the shop
la farmacia	lah fahr-MAH-see-ah	the pharmacy
la escuela	lah ehs-KWEH-lah	the school
el hospital	ehl ohs-pee-TAHL	the hospital — the Spanish h is silent
el parque	ehl PAHR-keh	the park

2.3 Near, far, on the right, on the left

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
cerca	SEHR-kah	near
lejos	LEH-hohs	far
a la derecha	ah lah deh-REH-chah	on the right
a la izquierda	ah lah ees-KYEHR-dah	on the left

• ¿La farmacia está cerca de aquí? — Is the pharmacy near here?
• El banco está lejos. — The bank is far.
• La escuela está a la derecha. — The school is on the right.
• El parque está a la izquierda. — The park is on the left.

Notice the verb: places take estar, exactly as Level 2 taught — está cerca, está lejos, está a la derecha. Location is estar's home ground.

3. Getting around · Moverse

3.1 Transport — and a regional note

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
el autobús / el camión	ehl ow-toh-BOOS / ehl kah-MYOHN	the bus
el carro / el coche	ehl KAH-rroh / ehl KOH-cheh	the car
el tren	ehl trehn	the train
la parada	lah pah-RAH-dah	the stop — la parada del autobús, the bus stop
el conductor	ehl kohn-dook-TOR	the driver (in Mexico, also el chofer)

A brief regional note: Spanish names everyday things differently from country to country, and transport is the classic case. The bus is el autobús almost everywhere — but in Mexico it is el camión (in other countries, camión means truck!). The car is el carro in most of Latin America and el coche in Spain and parts of Mexico. Nobody is wrong: pick the word of the place where you live, and understand both. This guide uses autobús and carro as its home forms.

• ¿Dónde está la parada del autobús? — Where is the bus stop?
• Voy en autobús. (boy ehn ow-toh-BOOS) — I go by bus. Transport rides with en: en carro, en tren.
• El conductor es amable. — The driver is nice.

3.2 Asking the way

From Level 1 you bring ¿Dónde está…? (Where is…?). This level adds the walker's full question:

• Perdón, ¿dónde está el hospital? (pehr-DOHN) — Excuse me, where is the hospital? Perdón is the street's doorbell in Spanish — never ask without it.
• ¿Cómo llego al hospital? (KOH-moh YEH-goh ahl ohs-pee-TAHL) — How do I get to the hospital? Llego is "I arrive / I get to" — this is THE question of the street.
• ¿Cómo llego a la farmacia? — How do I get to the pharmacy? Note al = a + el (al hospital, al banco) and a la with feminine places (a la farmacia, a la escuela).

3.3 Understanding the answer: the three orders of the road

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
gire a la derecha	HEE-reh ah lah deh-REH-chah	turn right (formal order) — in much of Latin America you will also hear dobla a la derecha, "double/bend to the right"
gire a la izquierda	HEE-reh ah lah ees-KYEHR-dah	turn left — also dobla a la izquierda
siga derecho	SEE-gah deh-REH-choh	go straight — siga is "keep going"

• Siga derecho dos cuadras. — Go straight two blocks.
• Gire a la derecha en la esquina. — Turn right at the corner.
• Dobla a la izquierda, y la tienda está a la derecha. — Turn left, and the store is on the right.

The street trick: if you do not understand, ask for the two magic words: Más despacio, por favor (mahs dehs-PAH-see-oh — Slower, please), and repeat each instruction back. Repetition is confirmation — in Spanish as in English.

4. The weather · El clima

4.1 What is the weather like today?

• ¿Qué tiempo hace hoy? (keh TYEHM-poh AH-seh oy) — What is the weather like today? Literally: "What weather does it make today?" — Spanish weather is something the day makes, with the verb hacer.

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
hace sol	AH-seh sohl	it is sunny
está lloviendo	ehs-TAH yoh-BYEHN-doh	it is raining
hace frío	AH-seh FREE-oh	it is cold
hace calor	AH-seh kah-LOR	it is hot
está nevando	ehs-TAH neh-BAHN-doh	it is snowing

• Hace frío hoy. — It is cold today.
• Hace sol y calor. — It is sunny and hot.
• Está lloviendo. Necesito un paraguas. — It is raining. I need an umbrella.

Two molds carry all the weather: hace + sol / frío / calor for what the day makes, and está + lloviendo / nevando for what is falling right now. Learn the two molds and the sky is yours.

4.2 The seasons

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
la primavera	lah pree-mah-VEH-rah	spring
el verano	ehl veh-RAH-noh	summer
el otoño	ehl oh-TOH-nyoh	fall, autumn — the ñ is the "ny" sound of "canyon"
el invierno	ehl een-BYEHR-noh	winter

• En verano hace calor. — In summer it is hot.
• En invierno está nevando. — In winter it is snowing.
• El otoño es mi estación favorita. — Fall is my favorite season. Estación means both "season" and "station" — context decides.

5. A full dialogue in the street, explained · Diálogo completo en la calle, comentado

Scene: Mary is looking for the pharmacy in a neighborhood she does not know. She stops a neighbor, asks the way, listens, repeats to confirm, and arrives. Everything she says comes from this guide and the levels before it.

— Perdón, por favor. ¿Cómo llego a la farmacia? (Excuse me, please. How do I get to the pharmacy?) — ¿La farmacia? Siga derecho dos cuadras. (The pharmacy? Go straight two blocks.) — Dos cuadras, derecho. (Two blocks, straight.) — Sí. Después, gire a la izquierda en la esquina. (Yes. Then turn left at the corner.) — Giro a la izquierda. ¿Y después? (I turn left. And then?) — La farmacia está a la derecha, junto al banco. (The pharmacy is on the right, next to the bank.) — A la derecha, junto al banco. ¿Está lejos? (On the right, next to the bank. Is it far?) — No, está cerca. A cinco minutos. (No, it is near. Five minutes away.) — Muchas gracias. (Thank you very much.) — De nada. ¡Que tenga un buen día! (You're welcome. Have a nice day!)

Commentary — what just happened:

• The street opens with Perdón, the doorbell word — in Spanish you never launch a question at a stranger without it.
• Mary chooses the walker's question, ¿Cómo llego a…?, because she does not want the pharmacy on a map: she wants the road under her feet. That is why the answer comes as orders — siga, gire — not as a postal address.
• Watch her trick: she repeats every instruction ("Dos cuadras, derecho", "A la derecha, junto al banco"). Repeating is confirming: if something is wrong, the neighbor fixes it there, not three blocks later.
• Two new pieces to keep: después (dehs-PWEHS — "after, then") chains the instructions in order, and junto a ("next to") pins the exact spot — the pharmacy is not "around there", it is on the right and next to the bank.
• Her control question is ¿Está lejos? and the answer brings the old pair: cerca / lejos, with the distance in the Spanish mold: a cinco minutos.
• The closing is the full ritual of the house: big thanks and a wished good day back. In the street, as in the restaurant, courtesy opens more doors than vocabulary.

6. Brief practice · Práctica breve

Try these without looking back. Then check the answers at the end of this section — and say them out loud: directions are learned by walking them with the mouth.

Exercise A — The house. Name in Spanish: 1. The room where you sleep. 2. The room where you cook. 3. What opens your front door. 4. The money you pay every month to live there.

Exercise B — The neighborhood. Complete in Spanish: 1. The bank is ___ (on the right). 2. The school is ___ from here (near). 3. The pharmacy is ___ away (two blocks). 4. Where is the ___? (the bus stop)

Exercise C — The weather. Say in Spanish what the weather is doing: 1. It is raining. 2. It is very cold today. 3. It is sunny and hot. 4. It snows in winter.

Exercise D — Situations: what do you say? Answer in Spanish, with a complete sentence: 1. You stop a neighbor to ask how to get to the hospital. 2. You do not understand and ask her to repeat it more slowly. 3. Someone asks you today's weather: it is cold. 4. You confirm you understood: straight two blocks and to the left.

Ver respuestas · See answers

Answers · Respuestas

A. 1. el cuarto / la habitación. 2. la cocina. 3. la llave. 4. el alquiler.

B. 1. a la derecha. 2. cerca. 3. a dos cuadras. 4. la parada del autobús — ¿Dónde está la parada del autobús?

C. 1. Está lloviendo. 2. Hace mucho frío hoy. 3. Hace sol y calor. 4. Está nevando en invierno. — also correct: En invierno nieva.

D. 1. Perdón, ¿cómo llego al hospital? 2. Más despacio, por favor. 3. Hace frío hoy. 4. Siga derecho dos cuadras y gire a la izquierda.

Quick reference card · Tarjeta de bolsillo

Cut this out (mentally) and carry it with you:

• la cocina · el baño · el cuarto · la sala — the kitchen · the bathroom · the bedroom · the living room
• la puerta · la ventana · la llave — the door · the window · the key
• el alquiler · el casero — the rent · the landlord
• la calle · la esquina · la cuadra · la dirección — the street · the corner · the block · the address
• el banco · la tienda · la farmacia · la escuela · el hospital · el parque — the bank · the store · the pharmacy · the school · the hospital · the park
• cerca / lejos · a la derecha / a la izquierda — near / far · on the right / on the left
• la parada del autobús · el conductor — the bus stop · the driver
• Perdón, ¿cómo llego a…? — Excuse me, how do I get to…?
• Siga derecho · Gire a la derecha · Gire a la izquierda — Go straight · Turn right · Turn left
• ¿Qué tiempo hace hoy? — Hace frío / calor / sol · Está lloviendo / nevando. — What is the weather like today? — It is cold / hot / sunny · It is raining / snowing.
• la primavera · el verano · el otoño · el invierno — spring · summer · fall · winter

7. Listening note · Nota de escucha

How this guide would sound as audio in the house.

Spanish is learned with the ear as much as with the eye — so in Lobo Audio's house, this guide is meant to be listened to, not only read. Each section becomes a short audio track: the walk through the house naming every room, the places of the neighborhood in walking order, the three orders of the road repeated like a kind coach, the week's weather told day by day, and the street dialogue performed by two voices at a gentle pace. Below is the brief script of how the audio edition opens and closes.

Opening script (read by the host voice, warm and unhurried):

"Welcome back to Lobo Estudia — the learning house of the Wolf. This is Study Guide number three: La casa, el barrio y moverse — the house, the neighborhood, and getting around. Today you will name your whole house in Spanish, find the pharmacy, the bank and the bus stop, and ask for directions in the street without fear. Listen, repeat out loud, and walk with us. Ready? ¡A caminar! Let's walk."

Closing script (after the last exercise):

"And that's it — your third guide is done. You can now talk about your house, your block and your city; you can catch a bus, reach a hospital and tell whether it is cold or hot, all in Spanish. Next time you go out, greet the weather in Spanish and ask for one road you already know, just for practice. The house of the Wolf is always open. Hasta la próxima guía. Until the next guide."

Buen camino — and see you in Level 4.

Nivel 4 · Guía de estudio · Español para angloparlantes — El trabajo, la salud y el teléfono / Level 4 · Study Guide · Spanish for English Speakers — Work, Health and the Phone

Lobo Estudia · Academia del Lobo — Study guide for English speakers who want to learn Spanish. Level: beginner, fourth and final step · Instruction language: English · Learning content: Spanish, with translations.

Welcome to the final level! · ¡Bienvenidos al nivel final!

Welcome to Level 4 of Lobo Estudia, the closing level of the course. In Level 1 you learned to greet and to ask; in Level 2, to introduce yourself, tell the time and order a meal; in Level 3, to name your house and neighborhood and get around. Now we enter the three conversations that matter most in real life: work (your schedule, your boss, your day off), health (saying what hurts and asking for a doctor) and the phone (making an appointment and asking for help in an emergency).

With this guide, the Spanish course is COMPLETE: the four levels cover your whole survival in Spanish — greeting, buying, finding your way, working, taking care of yourself and asking for help. At the end of this guide you will find a general review of the four levels and your final graduation practice.

How to use this guide

1. Read each section slowly, out loud if you can. The sentences in this level are said in real moments: practice them as if you were already there.
2. Learn the three emergency sentences of section 3 by heart: those are not looked up in the moment, they are carried ready.
3. Say every model sentence with your own job, your own schedule and your own phone number. Spanish sticks when it is about your life.
4. Do the final practice before checking the example answers: it is your graduation test for the course (before the online exam at the end).

Let's begin. ¡Vamos! (BAH-mohs — "Let's go!")

1. Work · El trabajo

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
el trabajo	ehl trah-BAH-hoh	work, the job
el jefe	ehl HEH-feh	the boss (a woman: la jefa)
el horario	ehl oh-RAH-ree-oh	the schedule
el día libre	ehl DEE-ah LEE-breh	the day off
las horas extra	lahs OH-rahs EHX-trah	overtime (literally "the extra hours")

Work sentences, ready to say:

• Trabajo en… (trah-BAH-hoh ehn) — I work at… Name the place: Trabajo en un restaurante. Trabajo en el hospital.
• Mi horario es… (mee oh-RAH-ree-oh ehs) — My schedule is… Mi horario es de lunes a viernes.
• Necesito un día libre. (neh-seh-SEE-toh oon DEE-ah LEE-breh) — I need a day off.
• ¿Puedo tomar un descanso? (PWEH-doh toh-MAHR oon dehs-KAHN-soh) — Can I take a break? El descanso is the short break of the shift.
• Hoy trabajo horas extra. (oy trah-BAH-hoh OH-rahs EHX-trah) — I work overtime today.

2. The body and health · El cuerpo y la salud

2.1 The body

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
la cabeza	lah kah-BEH-sah	the head
el brazo	ehl BRAH-soh	the arm
la espalda	lah ehs-PAHL-dah	the back
el estómago	ehl ehs-TOH-mah-goh	the stomach
el dolor	ehl doh-LOR	pain

2.2 Saying what hurts: the great Spanish mold

Spanish says pain with one mold that covers almost everything — and it is a gift:

• Me duele la cabeza. (meh DWEH-leh lah kah-BEH-sah) — My head hurts. Literally: "The head hurts-me." The mold is Me duele + body part.
• Me duele la espalda. (meh DWEH-leh lah ehs-PAHL-dah) — My back hurts.
• Me duele el brazo. — My arm hurts. Me duele el estómago. — My stomach hurts.

Learn the mold once and you can say any pain in Spanish: me duele plus the part, with its el or la.

2.3 Asking for health help

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
el doctor / la doctora	ehl dohk-TOR / lah dohk-TOH-rah	the doctor
la clínica	lah KLEE-nee-kah	the clinic
la medicina	lah meh-dee-SEE-nah	medicine

• Me siento enfermo. (meh SYEHN-toh ehn-FEHR-moh) — I feel sick. A woman says enferma. This is THE opening sentence of every health conversation.
• Necesito un doctor. (neh-seh-SEE-toh oon dohk-TOR) — I need a doctor.
• Necesito medicina. — I need medicine.
• ¿Dónde está la clínica? — Where is the clinic? Your Level 3 question, now with a health destination.

3. Appointments and the phone · Las citas y el teléfono

3.1 Making an appointment

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
la cita	lah SEE-tah	the appointment

• ¿Puedo hacer una cita? (PWEH-doh ah-SEHR OO-nah SEE-tah) — Can I make an appointment? In Spanish, too, appointments are "made": hacer una cita.
• ¿Qué día? (keh DEE-ah) — What day? The answer arrives with day and time: El jueves a las diez.
• Mi número de teléfono es… (mee NOO-meh-roh deh teh-LEH-foh-noh ehs) — My phone number is… On the phone, say the number digit by digit: tres, uno, seis…

3.2 Emergencies: the sentences you carry ready

• Llame al 911. (YAH-meh ahl…) — Call 911. The emergency number works the same in the United States — and the sentence is pure Level 3: al = a + el.
• Necesito ayuda. (neh-seh-SEE-toh ah-YOO-dah) — I need help.
• Es una emergencia. (ehs OO-nah eh-mehr-HEHN-see-ah) — It's an emergency.

Learn these three by heart, out loud. In an emergency nobody translates: the sentence comes out or it doesn't. Repeat them now, three times, as a drill.

4. A full phone dialogue, explained · Diálogo completo por teléfono, comentado

Scene: Carlos feels sick and calls his neighborhood clinic to make an appointment. He says what is wrong, accepts the day they offer and leaves his number. Everything he says comes from this guide and the levels before it.

— Hola, buenos días. ¿Puedo hacer una cita? (Hello, good morning. Can I make an appointment?) — Buenos días. ¿Cuál es su nombre? (Good morning. What is your name?) — Mi nombre es Carlos. Me siento enfermo. Me duele la cabeza. (My name is Carlos. I feel sick. My head hurts.) — Entiendo. ¿Puede venir el jueves a las diez? (I understand. Can you come on Thursday at ten?) — El jueves a las diez. Sí, gracias. (Thursday at ten. Yes, thank you.) — ¿Y su número de teléfono? (And your phone number?) — Mi número de teléfono es tres, uno, seis, cinco, cinco, cinco, cero, uno, dos, tres. (My phone number is 316-555-0123.) — Perfecto. Nos vemos el jueves. (Perfect. See you on Thursday.) — Muchas gracias. Adiós. (Thank you very much. Goodbye.)

Commentary — what just happened:

• On the phone there are no gestures and no pointing fingers: everything is voice. That is why the call is built only from sentences already mastered — the greeting from Level 1, the time from Level 2, and two new sentences from this guide.
• Watch Carlos's trick: he repeats the day and the time ("El jueves a las diez") before accepting. Repeating is confirming, on the phone just as in the street of Level 3: if the day is wrong, it gets fixed during the call, not on Thursday at the door.
• Health is said in two short sentences: Me siento enfermo opens the topic and Me duele la cabeza makes it precise. There is no need to tell the whole story: the clinic asks the rest.
• The phone number is said digit by digit, slowly and grouped. It is your spoken address: if one digit gets lost, the appointment gets lost.
• If you don't understand something, your rescue is still the same: Más despacio, por favor (Slower, please) and ¿Puede repetir, por favor? (Can you repeat that, please?).

5. Course closing: general review and final practice · Cierre del curso

Four levels, one single road. This is what you can already do in Spanish:

• Level 1: greet, thank, introduce yourself, ask for the bathroom and the basics, and count.
• Level 2: introduce yourself fully with ser / estar / tener, order food and drink, and tell the time.
• Level 3: name your house and your neighborhood, ask for and understand directions in the street, and talk about the weather and the seasons.
• Level 4: talk about your work and your schedule, say what hurts, ask for a doctor, make an appointment by phone and ask for help in an emergency.

Final practice — your graduation. Do it without looking back, out loud, as if it were a single day of your life:

Full scene: 1. Greet your boss when you arrive and say today's schedule. 2. Tell him you need a day off next week. 3. On the way out, the weather changed: say what the weather is doing. 4. In the street, a neighbor asks you how to get to the hospital: answer with two instructions. 5. Back home, your back hurts: call the clinic, say what is wrong, accept an appointment and leave your phone number.

Ver un ejemplo de respuestas · See an example

Example · Ejemplo

1. Buenos días. Mi horario es de ocho a cuatro hoy. 2. Necesito un día libre la próxima semana, por favor. 3. Hace frío y está lloviendo. 4. Siga derecho dos cuadras y gire a la derecha. El hospital está a la izquierda. 5. Hola, ¿puedo hacer una cita? Me siento enfermo — me duele la espalda. El jueves a las diez está bien. Mi número de teléfono es…

Quick reference card · Tarjeta de bolsillo

• el trabajo · el jefe · el horario — work · the boss · the schedule
• el día libre · las horas extra — the day off · overtime
• Trabajo en… · Mi horario es… · Necesito un día libre · ¿Puedo tomar un descanso?
• la cabeza · el brazo · la espalda · el estómago · el dolor — the head · the arm · the back · the stomach · pain
• Me duele la cabeza · Me duele la espalda · Me siento enfermo · Necesito un doctor
• el doctor / la doctora · la clínica · la medicina — the doctor · the clinic · medicine
• ¿Puedo hacer una cita? · ¿Qué día? · Mi número de teléfono es…
• Llame al 911 · Necesito ayuda · Es una emergencia — the three by heart

7. Listening note and course closing · Nota de escucha y cierre del curso

How this guide would sound as audio in the house.

In Lobo Audio's house, this guide sounds like a full day: arriving at work, the shift, going out into the weather, the road home and the call to the clinic, each scene at a gentle pace with the sentences repeated twice.

"And with this, the course closes. You started by saying hola and you finish by making a doctor's appointment, talking with your boss and knowing how to ask for help if something happens. In a new language, that is a great deal. Keep your pocket card, practice one sentence a day, and remember: the house of the Wolf is always open. ¡Felicidades — lo lograste! Congratulations — you did it."

End of the Spanish course of Lobo Estudia. Four complete levels, free for members, forever in this room. Come back whenever you want: reviews are study too, and each level's exam is waiting to check what you learned.