Local services and shops
Servicios y tiendas locales
- Know the names of local services and shops.
- Discuss what you find in the shopping center.
- The conjunctions: "Ni... Ni...", "Así Como"
Explore essential vocabulary for local services and shops in Spanish, focusing on conjunctions like "Ni... ni..." and "Así como" to talk about places such as "librería" (bookstore), "farmacia" (pharmacy), and "frutería" (fruit shop). This lesson helps you practice natural conversations describing what you find in a shopping center or neighborhood.
Vocabulary (21) 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 panadero
The baker
2
Bonito
Nice
3
La tienda de decoración
The home decor store
4
La carnicería
The butcher's
5
El centro comercial
The shopping centre
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. Ayer ______ medio kilo de fruta en la frutería del centro comercial.
(Yesterday ______ half a kilo of fruit at the shopping mall's fruit store.)2. El dependiente ______ la tienda a las nueve de la mañana.
(The clerk ______ the store at nine in the morning.)3. Si tuviera tiempo, ______ de tiendas así como al estanco para comprar tabaco.
(If I had time, ______ shopping as well as to the tobacco shop to buy tobacco.)4. El cliente ______ los cien gramos de queso que compró ayer.
(The customer ______ the hundred grams of cheese that he bought yesterday.)Exercise 4: An afternoon at the mall
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Abrir - Open
Pretérito indefinido
- yo abrí
- tú abriste
- él/ella/usted abrió
- nosotros/nosotras abrimos
- vosotros/vosotras abristeis
- ellos/ellas/ustedes abrieron
Comprar - Buy
Pretérito indefinido
- yo compré
- tú compraste
- él/ella/usted compró
- nosotros/nosotras compramos
- vosotros/vosotras comprasteis
- ellos/ellas/ustedes compraron
Devolver - Return
Pretérito indefinido
- yo devolví
- tú devolviste
- él/ella/usted devolvió
- nosotros/nosotras devolvimos
- vosotros/vosotras devolvisteis
- ellos/ellas/ustedes devolvieron
Hacer - Do
Pretérito indefinido
- yo hice
- tú hiciste
- él/ella/usted hizo
- nosotros/nosotras hicimos
- vosotros/vosotras hicisteis
- ellos/ellas/ustedes hicieron
Exercise 5: Las conjunciones: "Ni... Ni...", "Así Como"
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: The conjunctions: "Ni... Ni...", "Así Como"
Show translation Show answersNi, así como, ni
Grammar Share Copied!
It's not the most exciting thing, we admit, but it’s absolutely essential (and we promise it'll pay off)!
A2.35.1 Gramática
Las conjunciones: "Ni... Ni...", "Así Como"
The conjunctions: "Ni... Ni...", "Así Como"
Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Abrir to open Share Copied!
Pretérito indefinido
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) abrí | I opened |
| (tú) abriste | You opened |
| (él/ella) abrió | he/she opened |
| (nosotros/nosotras) abrimos | we opened |
| (vosotros/vosotras) abristeis | you opened |
| (ellos/ellas) abrieron | they opened |
Comprar to buy Share Copied!
Pretérito indefinido
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) compré | I bought |
| (tú) compraste | You bought |
| (él/ella) compró | he/she bought |
| (nosotros/nosotras) compramos | we bought |
| (vosotros/vosotras) comprasteis | You bought |
| (ellos/ellas) compraron | they bought |
Devolver to return Share Copied!
Pretérito indefinido
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) devolví | I returned |
| (tú) devolviste | You returned |
| (él/ella) devolvió | he/she returned |
| (nosotros/nosotras) devolvimos | we returned |
| (vosotros/vosotras) devolvisteis | You returned |
| (ellos/ellas) devolvieron | they returned |
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Lesson Overview: Local Services and Shops in Spanish
This lesson focuses on practical language skills to discuss local services and shops, a common everyday topic, suitable for A2 level Spanish learners. It introduces and reinforces the use of two important Spanish conjunctions: "Ni... ni..." and "Así como".
Key Grammar Points
- "Ni... ni..." is used to express negation of two options, equivalent to English "neither... nor..." For example: "No conozco ni la librería ni la farmacia." (I don't know either the bookstore nor the pharmacy.)
- "Así como" connects related items or actions, similar to "as well as" or "just like" in English. For instance: "Visito la óptica así como el supermercado." (I visit the optician as well as the supermarket.)
Vocabulary Highlights
The vocabulary centers around everyday shops and services you might find in local neighborhoods or shopping centers.
- Shops and services: la librería (bookstore), la farmacia (pharmacy), la zapatería (shoe store), la tienda de ropa (clothing store), el quiosco (newsstand), la peluquería (hair salon), el supermercado (supermarket), la óptica (optician), la cafetería (coffee shop), la carnicería (butcher's), la frutería (fruit shop), la biblioteca (library), la comisaría (police station), la plaza (plaza or town square).
- Common fruit and meat terms: manzana (apple), pera (pear), naranja (orange), plátano (banana), pollo (chicken), ternera (veal/beef), cerdo (pork), cordero (lamb).
Practice Focus
The lesson provides dialogues for practicing conversations related to services and shopping, encouraging use of the targeted conjunctions. You will simulate dialogues in a shopping center, fruit and meat markets, and when asking for local services.
Verb Practice
Some verb conjugations in the pretérito indefinido (simple past tense) are also practiced, with verbs common in daily interactions: comprar, abrir, devolver, hacer. For example, "Ayer compré medio kilo de fruta" (Yesterday I bought half a kilo of fruit).
Spanish vs. English Highlights
Unlike English, Spanish often uses "ni... ni..." directly to connect two negatives without additional negation words, which can be different from English structures such as "neither... nor..." The phrase "Así como" adds nuance to linking items similarly to "as well as", and is less formal than "y también" (and also).
Useful phrases include:
- "No hay ni banco ni correos." – There is neither a bank nor a post office.
- "Visito la cafetería así como la tienda de regalos." – I visit the coffee shop as well as the gift shop.
- "En la carnicería tienen carne de pollo así como carne de ternera." – The butcher's has chicken meat as well as beef.
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