Did you hear the news?
¿Has oído las noticias?
- Discuss what you saw on television or heard on the radio.
- Time expressions for recent events.
- Get to know the popular media stations in your host country.
- The simple past: Regular verbs
- The simple past: irregular verbs
Learn how to talk about news reports using the pretérito indefinido with both regular and irregular verbs like 'vi' (I saw), 'escuché' (I listened), and 'dijo' (he/she said). Practice discussing what you heard or saw on Spanish news channels such as TVE and Cadena SER.
Listening and reading
Start this class by listening to the audio and completing the corresponding exercises.
Vocabulary (13) 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
Las noticias actuales
The current news
2
El presentador
The presenter
3
Dejar un mensaje
Leave a message
4
Ver un programa de televisión
To watch a television programme
5
El reportero
The reporter
Ejercicio 2: Conversation exercise
Instrucción:
- Describe lo que pasó en las noticias. (Describe what happened on the news.)
- Describe los diferentes tipos de medios que ves. (Describe the different media types you see.)
- ¿Lees o ves las noticias regularmente? (Do you read or watch the news regularly?)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
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En Luxemburgo, el gobierno tuvo una reunión. Una mujer dio un discurso. In Luxembourg, the government had a meeting. A woman gave a speech. |
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Hubo una gran protesta en París. Autobuses y coches no podían circular más. There was a big protest in Paris. Busses and cars could not drive anmore. |
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Veo vídeos cortos e imágenes sobre las noticias en las redes sociales. I see short videos and pictures about the news on social media. |
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Veo las noticias en la televisión. I see the news on the television. |
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Leí las noticias en un sitio web. I read the news on a website. |
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Veo las noticias todas las noches. I watch the news every night. |
| ... |
Exercise 3: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 4: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Ayer _____ un reportaje interesante sobre la televisión en España.
(Yesterday _____ an interesting report about television in Spain.)2. Después _____ por teléfono al presentador para preguntar algunas dudas.
(Later _____ the presenter by phone to ask some questions.)3. El reportero nos _____ las noticias actuales hace un rato y todos reaccionaron bien.
(The reporter _____ us the current news a little while ago and everyone reacted well.)4. Esta semana no _____ dejar un mensaje porque la línea estuvo ocupada.
(This week I _____ not leave a message because the line was busy.)Exercise 5: Did you hear the news?
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Preguntar - Ask
Pretérito indefinido
- yo pregunté
- tú preguntaste
- él/ella preguntó
- nosotros preguntamos
- vosotros preguntasteis
- ellos preguntaron
Ver - See
Pretérito indefinido
- yo vi
- tú viste
- él/ella vio
- nosotros vimos
- vosotros visteis
- ellos vieron
Oír - Hear
Pretérito indefinido
- yo oí
- tú oíste
- él/ella oyó
- nosotros oímos
- vosotros oísteis
- ellos oyeron
Dejar - Leave
Pretérito indefinido
- yo dejé
- tú dejaste
- él/ella dejó
- nosotros dejamos
- vosotros dejasteis
- ellos dejaron
Exercise 6: El pretérito indefinido: Los verbos regulares
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: The simple past: Regular verbs
Show translation Show answerspregunté, navegamos, preguntasteis, volvió, volvimos, vieron, volviste, reaccionamos
Exercise 7: El pretérito indefinido: Los verbos irregulares
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: The simple past: irregular verbs
Show translation Show answersdio, fuiste, navegó, quise, supimos, tuvimos, fue
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!
Preguntar to ask Share Copied!
Pretérito indefinido
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) pretérito indefinido (indicativo) | I asked |
| (tú) pregunté | You asked |
| (él/ella) preguntaste | he/she asked |
| (nosotros/nosotras) preguntó | we asked |
| (vosotros/vosotras) preguntamos | You asked |
| (ellos/ellas) preguntasteis | they asked |
Ver to see Share Copied!
Pretérito indefinido
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) vi | I saw |
| (tú) viste | You saw |
| (él/ella) vio | He/she saw |
| (nosotros/nosotras) vimos | we saw |
| (vosotros/vosotras) visteis | You saw |
| (ellos/ellas) vieron | they saw |
Oír to hear Share Copied!
Pretérito indefinido
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) oí | I heard |
| (tú) oíste | You heard |
| (él/ella) oyó | he/she heard |
| (nosotros/nosotras) oímos | we heard |
| (vosotros/vosotras) oísteis | You heard |
| (ellos/ellas) oyeron | they heard |
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Lesson Overview: Talking About News Using the Preterite Tense
This lesson focuses on communicating about news events in Spanish, specifically using the pretérito indefinido (simple past tense). You will learn how to talk about things you heard, saw, or experienced in the past, particularly news broadcasts and reports.
Key Topics Covered
- The Media in Spain: Vocabulary related to Spanish news channels and radio stations such as TVE, Cadena SER, Antena 3, COPE, and Radio Nacional.
- The Preterite Tense: Detailed explanation and practice with regular and irregular verbs in the pretérito indefinido tense, which is essential for describing completed past actions.
- Practice Dialogues: Realistic conversations about recent news heard on radio and television, designed to improve understanding and natural usage.
Important Verbs and Expressions
Key verbs in the past tense you will encounter include:
- oír (to hear): yo oí, tú oíste, él oyó
- ver (to see): yo vi, tú viste, él vio
- escuchar (to listen): regular verb in the preterite
- decir (to say/tell): a common irregular verb
- preguntar (to ask), presentar (to present), recibir (to receive), llamar (to call)
For example, phrases like "¿Oíste las noticias ayer en la radio?" (Did you hear the news yesterday on the radio?) and "Vi un reportaje muy interesante en la televisión" (I saw a very interesting report on TV) help you ask and answer questions about past events.
Differences and Useful Notes
Unlike English, which uses the simple past with auxiliary verbs to describe past events, Spanish frequently uses the pretérito indefinido to express actions completed in the recent past with specific time frames. For example, "yo vi" translates as "I saw," a direct and simple past action.
Some phrases to keep in mind:
- "¿Oíste las noticias?" – "Did you hear the news?"
- "Escuché en la radio que..." – "I heard on the radio that..."
- "Anoche vi un reportaje" – "Last night I saw a report"
Note also the differences in verb endings for regular vs. irregular verbs, which you will practice here to enhance fluency in discussing past events.
Summary
By mastering the use of the pretérito indefinido with both regular and irregular verbs and expanding your vocabulary related to Spanish media, you will be able to confidently talk about the news you have seen or heard. This lesson prepares you to understand and discuss current events using appropriate past tense forms and relevant expressions.
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