About This Lesson
Use Choosing a Simple Activity to practice Spanish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
¿Qué actividad debemos hacer?
keh ak-tee-vee-DAHD deh-BEH-mohs ah-SEHR? What activity should we do?
B
Podríamos caminar afuera.
poh-dree-AH-mohs kah-mee-NAHR ah-FWEH-rah. We could walk outside.
A
Puede hacer frío afuera.
PWEH-deh ah-SEHR FREE-oh ah-FWEH-rah. It may be cold out there.
B
Entonces podemos leer adentro.
en-TOHN-sehs poh-DEH-mohs leh-EHR ah-DEN-troh. Then we can read inside.
A
Leer suena mejor hoy.
leh-EHR SWEH-nah meh-HOR oy. Reading sounds better today.
B
Vamos a elegir una habitación tranquila.
BAH-mohs ah eh-leh-HEER OO-nah ah-bee-tah-see-OHN trahn-KEE-lah. Let's choose a quiet room.
A
Traeré mi libro.
trah-eh-REH mee LEE-broh. I'll bring my book.
B
Buscaré un lugar para nosotros.
boos-kah-REH oon loo-GAHR pah-rah noh-SOH-trohs. I'll find a spot for us.Word by Word
Qué
In '¿Qué actividad debemos hacer?', Qué asks what activity is being considered. It appears before a noun in a question, as in the new example '¿Qué libro lees?'. Use it when asking someone to identify or choose something.
actividad
In '¿Qué actividad debemos hacer?', actividad means an activity or planned action. It is the noun identified by Qué and can be introduced by a determiner such as una. Use it when discussing something people may do.
debemos
In '¿Qué actividad debemos hacer?', debemos says that the speakers should or need to do something. It is followed by the infinitive hacer in the pattern debemos + infinitive. Use this form when discussing what a group should do.
hacer
In 'debemos hacer', hacer means to do and names the action under discussion. It is an infinitive following debemos. Use it after a modal-like verb when referring to an action or activity.
Podríamos
In 'Podríamos caminar afuera', Podríamos presents walking as a possible suggestion: we could walk outside. It is followed by the infinitive caminar in the pattern Podríamos + infinitive. Use it when offering a gentle option or suggestion.
caminar
In 'Podríamos caminar afuera', caminar means to walk. It is the action suggested after Podríamos. Use it as an infinitive when proposing walking as an activity.
afuera
In 'caminar afuera', afuera means outside and indicates the location of the walking. It can follow an activity or movement verb to identify an outdoor location. Here it contrasts with adentro, which means inside elsewhere in the dialogue.
Puede
In 'Puede hacer frío afuera', Puede marks possibility: it may be cold outside. The whole expression Puede hacer frío afuera expresses the weather possibility, while Puede contributes the idea of may or can. Use Puede + infinitive to present a possible situation.
frío
In 'Puede hacer frío afuera', frío names the cold condition in the weather expression hacer frío. The full expression, not frío by itself, describes cold weather. Use this expression when discussing how the weather may feel outside.
Entonces
In 'Entonces podemos leer adentro', Entonces means then or so and connects the next plan to the possibility of cold weather. It commonly appears at the beginning of a sentence introducing a consequence or alternative. Use it when changing or adapting a plan.
podemos
In 'podemos leer adentro', podemos says that the group can read inside or has that option. It is followed by the infinitive leer in the pattern podemos + infinitive. Use it when suggesting an available activity for a group.
leer
In 'podemos leer adentro', leer means to read. The same verb appears as 'Leer' at the beginning of 'Leer suena mejor hoy', where reading is the activity being evaluated. Use leer after another verb when naming reading as an action.
adentro
In 'leer adentro', adentro means inside and indicates the location of reading. It can follow an activity verb to identify an indoor location. Here it contrasts with afuera, meaning outside.
suena
In 'Leer suena mejor hoy', suena means sounds or seems when the speaker gives an impression of the activity. The subject is Leer, and suena introduces how that option appears to the speaker. Use it when expressing an impression or opinion about an option.
mejor
In 'suena mejor hoy', mejor means better and shows that reading is preferred over the other option. It follows suena to describe the impression being compared. Use it when saying that one choice seems preferable.
hoy
In 'Leer suena mejor hoy', hoy means today and places the opinion in the current day. It commonly appears at the end of a sentence about a present plan or judgment. Use it to connect an activity or decision with today.
Vamos
In 'Vamos a elegir una habitación tranquila', Vamos helps propose a joint action: let's choose a quiet room. In this pattern it is followed by a and an infinitive. Use Vamos a + infinitive when suggesting something the group should do together.
a
In 'Vamos a elegir', a links Vamos with the infinitive elegir in the joint-action pattern Vamos a + infinitive. It helps form the proposal to choose a room; it does not express the whole proposal by itself. Use this pattern when suggesting a planned action.
elegir
In 'Vamos a elegir una habitación tranquila', elegir means to choose. It is the infinitive following a and names the decision the speakers will make. Use elegir with the thing or option being selected.
una
In 'una habitación tranquila', una introduces one nonspecific feminine singular noun: a room. Its form matches habitación. Use una before a feminine singular noun when introducing one option or item.
habitación
In 'una habitación tranquila', habitación means room. It names the place the speakers want to select, and it is followed by the adjective tranquila. Use it when referring to a room in a home or shared space.
tranquila
In 'una habitación tranquila', tranquila means quiet and describes habitación. Its feminine singular form matches the noun it modifies, and it appears after that noun. Use it when choosing or describing a place with little noise.
Traeré
In 'Traeré mi libro', Traeré says that the speaker will bring the book. It is the future form of traer used for the speaker's planned action. Use it with an object when promising or announcing what you will bring.
mi
In 'mi libro', mi means my and identifies the book as belonging to or being associated with the speaker. It comes directly before the noun libro. Use mi + noun when referring to something connected with yourself.
libro
In 'Traeré mi libro', libro means book. It is the object of Traeré and the item the speaker plans to bring for reading. Use it after a possessive such as mi when naming a book connected with someone.
Buscaré
In 'Buscaré un lugar para nosotros', Buscaré says that the speaker will find or look for a place. It is the future form of buscar used for the speaker's planned action. Use it with the thing being located, as in Buscaré + object.
un
In 'un lugar para nosotros', un introduces one nonspecific masculine singular noun: a place. Its form matches lugar. Use un before a masculine singular noun when introducing one possible item or location.
lugar
In 'un lugar para nosotros', lugar means place or spot. It names the location the speaker will find, and para nosotros specifies who it is intended for. Use lugar when arranging or identifying a location.
para
In 'un lugar para nosotros', para means for and marks the people the place is intended for. It follows the noun in the pattern noun + para + person or group. Use it when specifying who will benefit from or use something.
nosotros
In 'para nosotros', nosotros means us and identifies the group the place is for. It follows para to show the intended group. Use para nosotros when speaking about something meant for the speaker and others.
Grammar Points
ir a + infinitivo
Vamos a caminar afuera.
BAH-mohs ah kah-mee-NAHR ah-FWEH-rah.We are going to walk outside.
The conjugated form vamos is followed by a and an infinitive to express a future plan.
sustantivo + adjetivo con concordancia de género
Una habitación tranquila.
OO-nah ah-bee-tah-see-OHN trahn-KEE-lah.A quiet room.
The adjective changes to feminine tranquila to agree with the feminine noun habitación.
Spanish Vocabulary
actividad
noun
ak-tee-vee-DAHD
activity
¿Qué actividad debemos hacer?
adentro
adv
ah-DEN-troh
inside
Entonces podemos leer adentro.
afuera
adv
ah-FWEH-rah
outside
Podríamos caminar afuera.
caminar
verb
kah-mee-NAHR
to walk
Podríamos caminar afuera.
entonces
adv
en-TOHN-sehs
then
Entonces podemos leer adentro.
frío
adj
FREE-oh
cold
Puede hacer frío afuera.
hacer
verb
ah-SEHR
to do; to make
¿Qué actividad debemos hacer?
hoy
adv
oy
today
Leer suena mejor hoy.
leer
verb
leh-EHR
to read
Entonces podemos leer adentro.
mejor
adv
meh-HOR
better
Leer suena mejor hoy.
qué
det
keh
what
¿Qué actividad debemos hacer?
sonar
verb
soh-NAHR
to sound
suena
Leer suena mejor hoy.
Quiz
Word Order
Arrange the words in the correct order.
What activity should we do?
Show Answer
¿Qué actividad debemos hacer?We could walk outside.
Show Answer
Podríamos caminar afuera.It may be cold out there.
Show Answer
Puede hacer frío afuera.Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
then
Show Answer
entoncesto read
Show Answer
leerto do; to make
Show Answer
hacerinside