Disciple's Handbook

Unit 5 Interpretation Lab

14 min read

Level 2 — Elementary (CEFR: A2)

Unit 5 — Verb Group 1: -AR Verbs

Interpretation Lab — Consecutive Interpretation Practice

Purpose

The Interpretation Lab gives you structured practice rendering English ministry speech into Spanish in real time — the core skill of the interpreter. At this stage, every exercise is specifically designed around the -AR verb forms covered in Unit 5. Every narrative is built so that the tenses are the challenge: you will need to hear an English tense, choose the correct Spanish equivalent instantly, and produce it without hesitation.

Interpretation mode: consecutive — the speaker pauses every 1–3 sentences; you render the segment in Spanish; the speaker continues.

How to run these exercises:

  1. A practice partner reads the English passage aloud at a natural, moderate pace
  2. The partner pauses at each slash mark ( / )
  3. You render the segment into Spanish aloud
  4. The partner continues after your rendering
  5. At the end, compare your rendering against the target provided
  6. Record all sessions and evaluate playback

If working alone: use a text-to-speech app to play each segment, pause it yourself, produce your Spanish rendering aloud, then play the next segment.

Lab 1 — Mission Trip Narrative (Preterite Focus)

Skill target: preterite of -AR verbs; completed past actions

Partner reads with pauses at slashes:

The team arrived in Guatemala on a Tuesday morning. / They traveled for twelve hours by bus. / When they arrived at the village, the church members welcomed them with singing. / The team unloaded their bags and greeted everyone. / That first afternoon, the missionaries walked through the community and prayed at each home. / In the evening, the pastor organized a worship service. / The team participated and the missionary spoke through an interpreter. / More than forty people attended. / Several people came forward for prayer. / The team prayed for each person individually. / Everyone returned to the church house and rested. /

Target Spanish rendering (segment by segment):

  1. El equipo llegó a Guatemala un martes por la mañana.
  2. Viajaron por doce horas en autobús.
  3. Cuando llegaron al pueblo, los miembros de la iglesia los recibieron con cánticos.
  4. El equipo descargó sus maletas y saludó a todos.
  5. Esa primera tarde, los misioneros caminaron por la comunidad y oraron en cada hogar.
  6. Por la noche, el pastor organizó un servicio de adoración.
  7. El equipo participó y el misionero habló a través de un intérprete.
  8. Más de cuarenta personas asistieron.
  9. Varias personas pasaron al frente para oración.
  10. El equipo oró por cada persona individualmente.
  11. Todos regresaron a la casa de la iglesia y descansaron.

Self-evaluation questions:

  • Did you consistently use preterite (not imperfect or present) for these completed past actions?
  • Were your -AR preterite endings accurate? (-é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -aron)
  • Did you render arrived as llegó (not llegaba or llega)?
  • Did you hesitate on any specific form? Identify it and drill that form separately.

Lab 2 — Childhood Ministry Background (Imperfect Focus)

Skill target: imperfect of -AR verbs; background description, ongoing past states, habitual past actions

Partner reads with pauses at slashes:

Growing up, Pastor Ramón prayed every morning before school. / His mother always sang worship songs in the house. / The family attended church together every Sunday. / Ramón used to help the pastor carry his Bible and notes. / He often walked with the evangelism team on Saturday afternoons. / In those years, the church was small and people trusted each other deeply. / The missionaries who visited always stayed at Ramón’s house. / His family shared their meals with everyone who came. / Ramón watched the missionaries and dreamed of doing the same. / He talked with God every night about his future. /

Target Spanish rendering:

  1. De niño, el pastor Ramón oraba cada mañana antes de ir a la escuela.
  2. Su mamá siempre cantaba canciones de adoración en la casa.
  3. La familia asistía a la iglesia juntos cada domingo.
  4. Ramón ayudaba al pastor a cargar su Biblia y sus notas.
  5. Frecuentemente caminaba con el equipo de evangelismo los sábados por la tarde.
  6. En esos años, la iglesia era pequeña y las personas se confiaban profundamente.
  7. Los misioneros que visitaban siempre se quedaban en la casa de Ramón.
  8. Su familia compartía sus comidas con todos los que llegaban.
  9. Ramón observaba a los misioneros y soñaba con hacer lo mismo.
  10. Hablaba con Dios cada noche sobre su futuro.

Self-evaluation questions:

  • Did you use imperfect (not preterite) consistently for all habitual and ongoing actions?
  • Were the imperfect endings accurate? (-aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -aban)
  • Did you render used to pray as oraba (not oró)?
  • The imperfect conveys repeated, habitual, or background action — did that quality come through in your renderings?

Lab 3 — Mixed Tenses: Testimony (Preterite and Imperfect Together)

Skill target: distinguishing preterite (completed event) from imperfect (background/habitual) in natural testimony speech

Partner reads with pauses at slashes:

Sister Claudia grew up in a home where nobody talked about God. / Her parents worked hard but struggled with poverty. / She used to look for peace in many places — but never found it. / One evening, a neighbor invited her to a church service. / Claudia decided to go. / When she walked in, the people were singing. / Something she had never felt before entered her heart. / The pastor preached about the love of God. / Claudia was crying before the sermon ended. / At the invitation, she walked forward. / A woman prayed with her and showed her several verses. / That night, Claudia accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord. / She returned to church every week after that. / She began to pray, and God answered. / Her life changed completely. /

Target Spanish rendering:

  1. La hermana Claudia creció en un hogar donde nadie hablaba de Dios.
  2. Sus padres trabajaban mucho pero luchaban con la pobreza.
  3. Buscaba la paz en muchos lugares — pero nunca la encontraba.
  4. Una tarde, una vecina la invitó a un servicio en la iglesia.
  5. Claudia decidió ir.
  6. Cuando entró, la gente cantaba.
  7. Algo que nunca había sentido antes entró en su corazón.
  8. El pastor predicó sobre el amor de Dios.
  9. Claudia lloraba antes de que terminara el sermón.
  10. En la invitación, pasó al frente.
  11. Una mujer oró con ella y le mostró varios versículos.
  12. Esa noche, Claudia aceptó a Jesucristo como su Señor.
  13. Regresó a la iglesia cada semana después de eso.
  14. Comenzó a orar, y Dios respondió.
  15. Su vida cambió completamente.

Tense decision points to review:

  • Segment 1–3: imperfect — background description of ongoing state
  • Segment 4–5: preterite — specific one-time event
  • Segment 6: imperfect — background action in progress when another event interrupted
  • Segment 7: preterite — specific one-time experience
  • Segment 8–15: preterite — sequence of completed events

Lab 4 — Present Perfect: Recent Ministry Report

Skill target: present perfect (haber + -ado); recent events with present relevance

Partner reads with pauses at slashes:

This month, our team has visited fifteen families in the community. / We have prayed with more than sixty people. / Three families have expressed interest in starting a small group. / The church has organized two community service days. / Pastor Marcos has preached in four different villages. / Several team members have learned basic Spanish phrases to communicate directly. / The children’s program has attracted new families who don’t usually attend church. / We have recorded testimonies from twelve believers. / God has worked in ways we did not expect. / Our team has changed — we have been changed by these people as much as we have changed anything. /

Target Spanish rendering:

  1. Este mes, nuestro equipo ha visitado a quince familias en la comunidad.
  2. Hemos orado con más de sesenta personas.
  3. Tres familias han expresado interés en comenzar un grupo pequeño.
  4. La iglesia ha organizado dos días de servicio comunitario.
  5. El pastor Marcos ha predicado en cuatro pueblos diferentes.
  6. Varios miembros del equipo han aprendido frases básicas en español para comunicarse directamente.
  7. El programa de niños ha atraído a familias nuevas que normalmente no asisten a la iglesia.
  8. Hemos grabado testimonios de doce creyentes.
  9. Dios ha obrado de maneras que no esperábamos.
  10. Nuestro equipo ha cambiado — estas personas nos han cambiado a nosotros tanto como nosotros hemos cambiado algo.

Self-evaluation questions:

  • Did you use haber + -ado consistently (not preterite)?
  • Were all haber forms accurate: he, has, ha, hemos, han?
  • The present perfect signals recent events with ongoing relevance — did your renderings convey that sense of “up to now”?

Lab 5 — Near Future: Ministry Planning Meeting

Skill target: near future (ir + a + infinitive); planned, imminent, or conversational future

Partner reads with pauses at slashes:

Next week, the team is going to visit the northern villages. / Pastor González is going to preach in three different locations. / The women’s group is going to organize a health fair on Saturday. / We are going to arrive early to prepare. / The church is going to host fifty guests for the weekend. / The young people are going to lead the children’s program. / Our team is going to distribute Bibles to every family that does not have one. / After the health fair, we are going to pray for the sick together. / The pastor is going to baptize four new believers in the river. / God is going to do great things in this community. /

Target Spanish rendering:

  1. La próxima semana, el equipo va a visitar los pueblos del norte.
  2. El pastor González va a predicar en tres lugares diferentes.
  3. El grupo de mujeres va a organizar una feria de salud el sábado.
  4. Vamos a llegar temprano para preparar.
  5. La iglesia va a recibir a cincuenta personas como huéspedes el fin de semana.
  6. Los jóvenes van a dirigir el programa de niños.
  7. Nuestro equipo va a distribuir Biblias a cada familia que no tenga una.
  8. Después de la feria, vamos a orar juntos por los enfermos.
  9. El pastor va a bautizar a cuatro nuevos creyentes en el río.
  10. Dios va a hacer grandes cosas en esta comunidad.

Lab 6 — Simple Future: Promises, Prophecy, and Commitments

Skill target: simple future (-é, -ás, -á, -emos, -án); formal commitments, prophetic declarations, strong promises

Partner reads with pauses at slashes:

The Word of God will not return void. / It will accomplish what God sends it to accomplish. / We will preach the gospel to every nation. / This church will grow. / God will provide for everything you need. / The missionaries will return. / They will not abandon this community. / The children who hear the gospel today will one day preach it themselves. / God will restore what the enemy has stolen. / His grace will cover every sin. / We will worship Him together forever. /

Target Spanish rendering:

  1. La Palabra de Dios no regresará vacía.
  2. Logrará lo que Dios la envía a lograr.
  3. Predicaremos el evangelio a cada nación.
  4. Esta iglesia crecerá.
  5. Dios proveerá todo lo que necesitan.
  6. Los misioneros regresarán.
  7. No abandonarán a esta comunidad.
  8. Los niños que hoy escuchan el evangelio algún día lo predicarán ellos mismos.
  9. Dios restaurará lo que el enemigo ha robado.
  10. Su gracia cubrirá cada pecado.
  11. Lo adoraremos juntos para siempre.

Note: The simple future (predicaremos, crecerá, regresarán) sounds more formal and carries more weight than near future (vamos a predicar). This register difference should be audible in your delivery — these sentences should sound like proclamations, not casual plans.

Lab 7 — Full Integration: Sermon Opening (All Tenses)

Skill target: all six tenses in a single passage; rapid tense switching

This is the highest-difficulty lab in this unit. The narrative moves between tenses freely, as real ministry speech does. Your task is to track the tense in each segment and render it correctly without slowing down.

Partner reads with pauses at slashes:

Good evening, church. / I am so glad to be with you tonight. / I arrived yesterday and already God has moved in my heart. / This morning I walked through this community. / I saw families working, children playing, men and women carrying the weight of life. / I prayed as I walked. / I asked God: what do you want to do here? / And He answered me. / For years, this church has prayed for this neighborhood. / You have planted seeds that you have not yet seen grow. / But God has been working. / And now, what you have prayed for is going to arrive. / Tonight, I am going to preach from the book of Acts. / I believe God will speak to us. / He will call some of us to greater sacrifice. / He will release others from fear. / What He begins tonight, He will finish. / I promise you that in the name of Jesus Christ. /

Target Spanish rendering:

  1. Buenas noches, iglesia.
  2. Estoy muy contento de estar con ustedes esta noche.
  3. Llegué ayer y ya Dios ha obrado en mi corazón.
  4. Esta mañana caminé por esta comunidad.
  5. Vi familias trabajando, niños jugando, hombres y mujeres cargando el peso de la vida.
  6. Oré mientras caminaba.
  7. Le pregunté a Dios: ¿qué quieres hacer aquí?
  8. Y Él me respondió.
  9. Por años, esta iglesia ha orado por este barrio.
  10. Han plantado semillas que aún no han visto crecer.
  11. Pero Dios ha estado obrando.
  12. Y ahora, lo que han orado llegará.
  13. Esta noche, voy a predicar del libro de los Hechos.
  14. Creo que Dios nos hablará.
  15. Llamará a algunos de nosotros a mayor sacrificio.
  16. Liberará a otros del miedo.
  17. Lo que Él comienza esta noche, Él lo terminará.
  18. Se los prometo en el nombre de Jesucristo.

Tense map for self-evaluation:

SegmentEnglish tenseSpanish tenseVerb
3 (arrived)simple pastpreteritellegué
3 (has moved)present perfectpresent perfectha obrado
4 (walked)simple pastpreteritecaminé
6 (prayed… was walking)past / backgroundpreterite / imperfectoré… caminaba
9 (has prayed)present perfectpresent perfectha orado
12 (is going to arrive)near futurenear futurellegará — or va a llegar
13 (am going to preach)near futurenear futurevoy a predicar
14–17 (will)simple futuresimple futurehablará, llamará, liberará, terminará

Lab 8 — Speed Challenge: Short Ministry Exchanges

Skill target: rapid-fire tense identification and production; realistic short-segment interpretation

These are short exchanges — 1–2 sentences each. They go faster than the narrative labs. This simulates consecutive interpretation of conversational ministry dialogue.

Partner reads each item; you render immediately:

  1. “I prayed for you this morning.” → Oré por usted esta mañana.
  2. “She has been attending church for three weeks.” → Ha asistido a la iglesia por tres semanas.
  3. “We used to meet in her living room every Friday.” → Nos reuníamos en su sala cada viernes.
  4. “He promised he would return.” → Prometió que regresaría. / Prometió regresar.
  5. “The pastor preached for an hour and a half.” → El pastor predicó por una hora y media.
  6. “God is going to heal this family.” → Dios va a sanar a esta familia.
  7. “She walked forward and accepted Christ.” → Pasó al frente y aceptó a Cristo.
  8. “We have prayed together every day this week.” → Hemos orado juntos cada día esta semana.
  9. “They arrived singing.” → Llegaron cantando.
  10. “God will not abandon you.” → Dios no te abandonará.
  11. “Before he was saved, he wandered far from God.” → Antes de ser salvo, andaba lejos de Dios.
  12. “The church is going to organize a prayer vigil.” → La iglesia va a organizar una vigilia de oración.
  13. “We planted a church there two years ago.” → Plantamos una iglesia allí hace dos años.
  14. “She has taught here for five years.” → Ha enseñado aquí por cinco años.
  15. “He will carry this gospel to the ends of the earth.” → Llevará este evangelio a los confines de la tierra.

Lab Completion Checklist

Before moving to the Missionary Application:

  • Lab 1 (preterite) completed — all preterite forms accurate
  • Lab 2 (imperfect) completed — all imperfect forms accurate
  • Lab 3 (mixed) completed — preterite/imperfect decisions correct throughout
  • Lab 4 (present perfect) completed — haber forms accurate
  • Lab 5 (near future) completed — ir + a + infinitive for all subjects
  • Lab 6 (simple future) completed — simple future endings on -AR verbs
  • Lab 7 (full integration) completed — tense map checked against target
  • Lab 8 (speed challenge) completed — all 15 items rendered correctly

See also: Missionary Application, Lesson 14 — Full Tense Practice: -AR Verbs

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