A2.1 · Level A2

The past

Telling what happened and how things used to be.

20 lessonsOne year of access

The explanations in this course are in whichever language you choose above. The examples are always in Spanish.

Lesson breakdown

Grammar · 6Vocabulary · 6Speaking · 4Reading · 3Review · 1

On top of the 20 lessons

Speaking classes. 50-minute 1:1 conversation classes with a native teacher, at the level of this course (A2), at €24 per class. You can book them once you are enrolled on a A2 course; they are not included in the course price.

Bites. Three lessons on a real-life situation (the doctor, the bank, the flat…) to take alongside your course. You can buy the Bites of your level or any level below it.

Block 1

01GrammarRegular preterite: talking about the pastSay what happened with the preterite of regular verbs, and the accent that changes the person.🔒

02VocabularyTime markers for the pastPlace events in the past: ayer, la semana pasada, hace tres años.🔒

03GrammarIrregular preterite: ser, ir, hacer, darThe most common irregular preterites: ser and ir, which are identical, plus hacer and dar.🔒

04SpeakingTell us about last weekendTell the story of your last weekend in a short, well-ordered account.🔒

05ReadingAn unforgettable tripRead the story of a trip and pick out the key facts.🔒

Block 2

06GrammarSimple past: strong-stem verbsPreterites with an irregular stem (tener, estar, poder, venir…), which all share the same endings.🔒

07VocabularyTravel and holidaysTravel and holiday vocabulary: before, during and after the trip.🔒

08VocabularyBiography: nacer, crecer, casarse, jubilarseTalk about the stages of a life (nacer, crecer, casarse, jubilarse), almost always in the preterite.🔒

09SpeakingTell us about someone you admireTell the life story of someone you admire with time connectors.🔒

10ReadingBiography: Rosa, the first in her familyRead Rosa's biography and follow the stages of her life.🔒

Block 3

11GrammarImperfect tense: formationForm the imperfect: three patterns and only three irregular verbs in the whole language.🔒

12VocabularyChildhood and old habitsTalk about your childhood and how things used to be.🔒

13GrammarUses of the imperfect: description, habit and contextUse the imperfect to describe, talk about habits and set the scene, including time, age and weather.🔒

14SpeakingDescribe what your life was like as a childDescribe what your life was like as a child, with connectors for the past.🔒

15VocabularyConnectors for storytellingThe connectors that order a story: to begin, to link and to close.🔒

Block 4

16GrammarSimple past vs. imperfect: the big contrastCombine the preterite and the imperfect in one story, and the verbs whose meaning changes with the tense.🔒

Free guidePreterite vs imperfect in Spanish: the difference →

17VocabularyEmotions in the pastTalk about emotions in the past: one-off reactions versus background states.🔒

18SpeakingTell an anecdote or an accidentTell an anecdote or a small accident with a structure that keeps people listening.🔒

19ReadingA story mixing simple past and imperfectRead a short story and see how the preterite and the imperfect share the work.🔒

20ReviewReview and project: tell an anecdoteReview the most frequent mistakes of A2.1 and tell an anecdote as a final project.🔒

The free lessons are open. The rest unlock when you enrol.

Frequently asked questions about A2.1

What level do I need to start A2.1?+

To have completed level A1, that is A1.1 and A1.2, or to have an equivalent level. The course opens when you finish A1.2, or straight away if the placement test puts you here.

Why a whole course about the past?+

Because Spanish has two past tenses where English mostly gets by with one, the preterite and the imperfect, and choosing well between them is what makes a story understandable. You learn each one separately first, then combine them.

How long does it take to finish?+

Twenty lessons, about 24 hours of work in total. At five lessons a week you finish in a month, but you set the pace: you have one year of access.

What will I be able to do by the end?+

Talk about past events with the preterite, regular and irregular, place them in time, use the imperfect to describe what people, places and habits were like, combine both tenses in one story and tell someone's life story.

Can I see anything before paying?+

The free sample lessons are in A1.1. From this course you can read, for free, the guide to the preterite versus the imperfect, which summarises lesson sixteen.