Family trip to the zoo
Viaje familiar al zoológico
- Describe different landscapes and animals.
- Organize a family activity at an attraction park.
- Learn about famous zoos or wildlife areas in your host country
- Use of ya, todavía and todavía no
Learn to use the Spanish adverbs 'ya,' 'todavía,' and 'todavía no' through themed dialogues and exercises based on a family trip to the zoo. Practice organizing visits, describing animals and landscapes, and discussing famous zoos in Spain. The lesson helps A2 learners express completed actions and ongoing or pending events, improving their practical communication skills in Spanish.
Listening & reading materials
Practice vocabulary in context with real materials.
A2.20.2 Cultura
El desierto de Tabernas: el Hollywood español
The Tabernas Desert: the Spanish Hollywood
Vocabulary (18) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercise 1: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
El búho
The owl
2
El tigre
The tiger
3
Comprar una entrada
To buy a ticket
4
El mono
The monkey
5
África
Africa
Exercise 2: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 3: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Ya ______ comprado las entradas para el zoológico esta tarde.
(We have already ______ bought the tickets for the zoo this afternoon.)2. Mientras caminábamos por la selva, ______ muchos monos salvajes.
(While we were walking through the jungle, ______ many wild monkeys.)3. Después, ______ el paisaje africano desde la terraza del parque.
(Later, ______ the African landscape from the park terrace.)4. Todavía no ______ visto al tigre, pero seguro que aparecerá pronto.
(We still haven't ______ seen the tiger, but surely it will appear soon.)Exercise 4: Family trip to the zoo
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Ser - To be
Pretérito indefinido
- yo fui
- tú fuiste
- él/ella/Ud. fue
- nosotros/as fuimos
- vosotros/as fuisteis
- ellos/ellas/Uds. fueron
Comprar - To buy
Pretérito imperfecto
- yo compraba
- tú comprabas
- él/ella/Ud. compraba
- nosotros/as comprábamos
- vosotros/as comprabais
- ellos/ellas/Uds. compraban
Ver - To see
Pretérito imperfecto
- yo veía
- tú veías
- él/ella/Ud. veía
- nosotros/as veíamos
- vosotros/as veíais
- ellos/ellas/Uds. veían
Estar - To be
Pretérito imperfecto
- yo estaba
- tú estabas
- él/ella/Ud. estaba
- nosotros/as estábamos
- vosotros/as estabais
- ellos/ellas/Uds. estaban
Describir - To describe
Pretérito indefinido
- yo describí
- tú describiste
- él/ella/Ud. describió
- nosotros/as describimos
- vosotros/as describisteis
- ellos/ellas/Uds. describieron
Decir - To say
Pretérito indefinido
- yo dije
- tú dijiste
- él/ella/Ud. dijo
- nosotros/as dijimos
- vosotros/as dijisteis
- ellos/ellas/Uds. dijeron
Exercise 5: Uso de ya, todavía y todavía no
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: Use of ya, todavía and todavía no
Show translation Show answersTodavía no, Ya, todavía, ya, Todavía
Grammar Share Copied!
It's not the most exciting thing, we admit, but it’s absolutely essential (and we promise it'll pay off)!
Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Ser to be Share Copied!
Pretérito indefinido
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) fui | I was |
| (tú) fuiste | You were |
| (él/ella) fue | he/she was |
| (nosotros/nosotras) fuimos | we were |
| (vosotros/vosotras) fuisteis | you were |
| (ellos/ellas) fueron | they were |
Ver to see Share Copied!
Pretérito imperfecto
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) veía | I saw |
| (tú) veías | You saw |
| (él/ella) veía | he/she saw |
| (nosotros/nosotras) veíamos | we saw |
| (vosotros/vosotras) veíais | You saw |
| (ellos/ellas) veían | they saw |
Describir to describe Share Copied!
Pretérito indefinido
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) describí | I described |
| (tú) describiste | You described |
| (él/ella) describió | he described/she described |
| (nosotros/nosotras) describimos | we described |
| (vosotros/vosotras) describisteis | You described |
| (ellos/ellas) describieron | they described |
Don't see progress when learning on your own? Study this material with a certified teacher!
Do you want to practice Spanish today? That is possible! Just contact one of our teachers today.
Family Trip to the Zoo: Learning Spanish in Context
This lesson explores a family visit to the zoo, providing practical and engaging content for Spanish learners at the A2 level. It focuses on the use of the adverbs ya (already), todavía (still), and todavía no (not yet), which are crucial for expressing actions related to time and completion.
Lesson Highlights
- Practice organizing a family trip with dialogues that naturally incorporate time expressions and plans (e.g., "¿Ya compraste las entradas?" – "Have you already bought the tickets?").
- Describe animals and landscapes seen at the zoo using descriptive vocabulary and the target adverbs to communicate actions and observations (e.g., "Todavía no he visto un tucán" – "I have not seen a toucan yet").
- Learn about famous zoos and nature reserves in Spain, giving cultural context and vocabulary relevant to animals and nature.
Grammar and Vocabulary Focus
The lesson emphasizes the correct use of ya, todavía, and todavía no, helping students differentiate actions that have been completed versus those still pending. It also offers verb conjugation practice in past and future tenses through multiple-choice exercises and fill-in-the-gap stories about animal visits.
Practical Usage Tips
In Spanish, ya often signals that something has happened or been completed earlier than expected, while todavía communicates ongoing states or actions, and todavía no refers to something that has not happened yet but is expected. For example, "Ya hemos comprado las entradas" means "We have already bought the tickets," and "Todavía no hemos visto al tigre" means "We haven’t seen the tiger yet." These nuances are important for expressing timing and expectations.
Differences from English Expressiveness
Unlike English, Spanish uses ya to emphasize completed actions, sometimes where English omits it. Meanwhile, todavía closely aligns with "still," but in Spanish it is more flexible in positioning within the sentence. Understanding these adverbs enhances fluency and precision in communication. Useful phrases include: ¿Ya llegaste? (Have you arrived yet?), Todavía estoy aquí (I’m still here), and Todavía no entiendo (I don’t understand yet).
These lessons would not be possible without our amazing partners🙏
