Module 1: Introduction to Spanish

Welcome to Vida Antigua’s: Introduction to Spanish, the foundation of your Spanish language journey. In this module, you’ll start building essential skills by learning the Spanish alphabet, basic pronunciation rules, and numbers from 1 to 20. These building blocks are crucial for understanding and speaking Spanish with clarity and confidence.

By the end of this module, you will:

Master the Spanish alphabet and pronunciation, giving you the tools to read and spell words correctly.
Learn numbers from 1 to 20, enabling you to count, discuss quantities, and understand basic numerical concepts.
Build a solid base for progressing to more complex vocabulary, grammar, and conversational skills.

This module is ideal for beginners and anyone looking to strengthen their fundamental knowledge of Spanish. Are you ready to start your Spanish language journey? Vamos!

Lesson 1: The Basics of Spanish

The Spanish Alphabet

The Spanish alphabet is similar to the English alphabet, with just a few additional letters. Learning the correct pronunciation of each letter is essential for proper speaking and understanding. Here’s the Spanish alphabet with pronunciation tips:

A (ah) B (beh) C (seh) D (deh) E (eh) F (efe) G (heh) H (ah-cheh) I (ee)

J (ho-tah) K (kah) L (eleh) M (emeh) N (eneh) Ñ (enyeh) O (oh) P (peh) Q (koo)

R (ereh) S (eseh) T (teh) U (oo) V (veh) W (doble-veh) X (eh-kees) Y (yee) Z (seh-tah)

Pronunciation Guide

Spanish pronunciation is generally consistent compared to English. Some key rules to remember:

Vowels:

A: pronounced like “ah” (as in “father”)
E: pronounced like “eh” (as in “bet”)
I: pronounced like “ee” (as in “see”)
O: pronounced like “oh” (as in “go”)
U: pronounced like “oo” (as in “food”)

Consonants:

C before “e” or “i” sounds like “th” (in Spain) or “s” (in Latin America), but before other vowels, it’s like “k.”
G before “e” or “i” sounds like a soft “h,” while before other vowels, it’s a hard “g.”

Lesson 2: Numbers

Here is the pronunciation for the numbers 1-10 in Spanish:

1 – Uno (oo-noh)
2 – Dos (dohs)
3 – Tres (tres)
4 – Cuatro (kwah-troh)
5 – Cinco (seen-koh)
6 – Seis (says)
7 – Siete (syeh-teh)
8 – Ocho (oh-choh)
9 – Nueve (noo-eh-veh)
10 – Diez (dyehs)

Here is the pronunciation for the numbers 11-20 in Spanish:

11 – Once (ohn-seh)
12 – Doce (doh-seh)
13 – Trece (treh-seh)
14 – Catorce (kah-tohr-seh)
15 – Quince (keen-seh)
16 – Dieciséis (dyeh-see-says)
17 – Diecisiete (dyeh-see-syeh-teh)
18 – Dieciocho (dyeh-see-oh-choh)
19 – Diecinueve (dyeh-see-noo-eh-veh)
20 – Veinte (beyn-teh)

Lesson 3: Time

Telling Time in Spanish

¿Qué hora es? – What time is it?
Es la una. – It’s 1:00. (Used for 1:00 only)
Son las dos. – It’s 2:00. (Used for all other hours)
To ask about minutes: ¿Qué hora es? – What time is it?
Es la una y media. – It’s 1:30.
Son las tres y cuarto. – It’s 3:15. (Quarter past)
Son las cinco menos cuarto. – It’s 4:45. (Quarter to)

Days of the Week

Lunes – Monday
Martes – Tuesday
Miércoles – Wednesday
Jueves – Thursday
Viernes – Friday
Sábado – Saturday
Domingo – Sunday

Months of the Year

Enero – January
Febrero – February
Marzo – March
Abril – April
Mayo – May
Junio – June
Julio – July
Agosto – August
Septiembre – September
Octubre – October
Noviembre – November
Diciembre – December

The 4 Seasons

Primavera – Spring
Verano – Summer
Otoño – Autumn/Fall
Invierno – Winter

End of Module 1: Review

Mastered the basic Spanish alphabet and pronunciation rules
Learned essential greetings and polite expressions
Gained foundational knowledge of numbers 1-2o, time, days, months, and seasons