Everyday services
Servicios cotidianos
- Describe the location of services on a map.
- Ask for the opening hours of a certain service.
- "Estar" + participle
This lesson covers everyday services in a city, teaching useful vocabulary like "la farmacia" (pharmacy), "la oficina de correos" (post office), and expressions with the verb "estar" + participio to describe locations and opening hours.
Listening and reading
Start this class by listening to the audio and completing the corresponding exercises.
Vocabulary (19) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercise 1: Reorder sentences
Instruction: Make correct sentences and translate.
Exercise 2: Match a word
Instruction: Match the translations
Exercise 3: Cluster the words
Instruction: Classify these words according to the type of service they represent: health-related services or city public services.
Servicios relacionados con la salud
Servicios públicos de la ciudad
Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
La oficina
The office
2
La peluquería
The hairdresser's
3
El ordenador
The computer
4
Pronto
Quick
5
La farmacia
The pharmacy
Ejercicio 5: Conversation exercise
Instrucción:
- ¿Qué hizo Eva hoy? ¿Por dónde pasó? (What did Eva do today? Where did she pass by?)
- ¿Dónde has estado hoy? (Where have you been today? )
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
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Eva ha ido al gimnasio esta mañana. Eva has gone to the gym this morning. |
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Después ella ha pasado por la panadería para comprar algo de comida. Afterwards she has passed by the bakery to buy some food. |
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Ha pasado por el banco por la tarde. She has passed by the bank in the evening. |
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Hoy he ido al hospital porque trabajo allí como médico. I have gone to the hospital today because I work there as a doctor. |
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He estado en el colegio esta mañana por mis hijos. I have been to the school this morning because of my children. |
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He ido a la universidad y a la biblioteca hoy. I have gone to the university and the library today. |
| ... |
Exercise 6: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 7: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. ¿Sabes si la oficina ___ abierta ahora?
(Do you know if the office ___ open now?)2. La biblioteca ___ cerrada los domingos.
(The library ___ closed on Sundays.)3. Hoy ___ comprado libros nuevos para la universidad.
(Today ___ bought new books for the university.)4. Siempre ___ el metro para ir al trabajo porque es rápido.
(We always ___ the metro to go to work because it is fast.)Exercise 8: Everyday services: visiting the post office and the bakery
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Abrir - Open
Pretérito perfecto
- yo he abierto
- tú has abierto
- él/ella/Ud. ha abierto
- nosotros hemos abierto
- vosotros habéis abierto
- ellos/ellas/Uds. han abierto
Comprar - Buy
Pretérito perfecto
- yo he comprado
- tú has comprado
- él/ella/Ud. ha comprado
- nosotros hemos comprado
- vosotros habéis comprado
- ellos/ellas/Uds. han comprado
Usar - Use
Presente
- yo uso
- tú usas
- él/ella/Ud. usa
- nosotros usamos
- vosotros usáis
- ellos/ellas/Uds. usan
Pasar - Pass
Presente
- yo paso
- tú pasas
- él/ella/Ud. pasa
- nosotros pasamos
- vosotros pasáis
- ellos/ellas/Uds. pasan
Estar - Be
Presente
- yo estoy
- tú estás
- él/ella/Ud. está
- nosotros estamos
- vosotros estáis
- ellos/ellas/Uds. están
Exercise 9: "Estar" + participio
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: "Estar" + participle
Show translation Show answerscerrada, preparadas, cerradas, organizada, abierta, abiertos, alquilada, preparado
Grammar Share Copied!
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Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Abrir to open Share Copied!
Pretérito perfecto
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) he abierto | I have opened |
| (tú) has abierto | You have opened |
| (él/ella) ha abierto | He/she has opened |
| (nosotros/nosotras) hemos abierto | we have opened |
| (vosotros/vosotras) habéis abierto | You have opened |
| (ellos/ellas) han abierto | they have opened |
Comprar to buy Share Copied!
Pretérito perfecto
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) he comprado | I have bought |
| (tú) has comprado | You have bought |
| (él/ella) ha comprado | he/she has bought |
| (nosotros/nosotras) hemos comprado | we have bought |
| (vosotros/vosotras) habéis comprado | You have bought |
| (ellos/ellas) han comprado | they have bought |
Usar to use Share Copied!
Presente
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) uso | I use |
| (tú) usas | You use |
| (él/ella) usa | he/she uses |
| (nosotros/nosotras) usamos | we use |
| (vosotros/vosotras) usáis | You use |
| (ellos/ellas) usan | they use |
Pasar to pass Share Copied!
Presente
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) paso | I pass |
| (tú) pasas | you pass |
| (él/ella) pasa | he passes/she passes |
| (nosotros/nosotras) pasamos | we pass |
| (vosotros/vosotras) pasáis | You pass |
| (ellos/ellas) pasan | they pass |
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Lesson Overview: Everyday Services
This lesson is designed for beginner Spanish learners (A1 level) to help you navigate and talk about everyday public and commercial services in a city. You'll learn important vocabulary related to places like the banco (bank), biblioteca (library), hospital (hospital), and panadería (bakery).
Key Language Points
- Use of the verb estar + past participle to describe the state or location of places. Examples are:
La panadería está abierta hasta las ocho de la tarde.
La oficina de correos está cerrada, pero abrirá pronto. - Asking and giving directions and information about opening hours:
Common phrases include:
¿Dónde está la farmacia en este mapa?
¿Está abierta ahora?
Está abierta desde las nueve hasta las ocho de la tarde.
Vocabulary Clusters
To better understand the function and location of services, vocabulary is grouped into:
- Public services: el banco, la biblioteca, el hospital, la comisaría, la oficina de correos.
- Commercial services: la peluquería, la cafetería, la panadería.
Practice Dialogues
You will find example dialogues to practice asking about location and opening hours for services such as the pharmacy, post office, and bank. These conversations help reinforce useful expressions in real-life situations.
Verb Conjugation Highlights
This lesson focuses particularly on the present tense and the present perfect tense with verbs like abrir (to open), comprar (to buy), usar (to use), and pasar (to pass). For example:
- La biblioteca está abierta ahora.
- El banco ha abierto sus puertas a las nueve esta mañana.
Understanding these verbs will help you talk naturally about daily activities and service availability.
Short Story: Everyday Services in the City
The included short story uses the vocabulary and verb tenses from the lesson to illustrate typical daily interactions involving public and commercial services. It offers a contextual way to see the language in use.
Comparison Between English and Spanish Instruction
Unlike English, Spanish uses the verb estar combined with a past participle to describe the condition or state of a place, such as whether it is open or closed. For example, La panadería está abierta literally means "The bakery is opened" but functionally means "The bakery is open."
Here are some useful phrases to know:
- ¿Dónde está...? – "Where is...?"
- ¿Está abierta/cerrada? – "Is it open/closed?"
- Está abierta hasta las ocho. – "It’s open until eight."
Learning to use estar + past participle will help you describe locations and states accurately in Spanish and distinguish these from permanent descriptions, usually with ser.
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