Disciple's Handbook

Unit 7 Interpretation Lab

17 min read

Level 2 — Elementary (CEFR: A2)

Unit 7 — Verb Group 3: -IR Verbs

Interpretation Lab — Consecutive Interpretation Practice (Spanish → English)

Purpose

Unit 7 is the final verb group unit in Level 2, and its interpretation lab carries a specific design: the centerpiece exercise uses all three verb groups together — -AR, -ER, and -IR — in a single continuous personal testimony. This is the first time the interpreter faces unrestricted tense identification: any verb in any group can appear at any moment, and the correct English rendering depends entirely on recognizing the tense and group instantly.

Before reaching that integration exercise, the earlier labs target the specific challenges of -IR verbs:

  • Stem changes in the preterite — pidió (not pedió), sirvió (not servió), dijo (not decó) — these look and sound unlike what beginners expect
  • Preterite irregulars — vine (came), fui (went), dije (said), salí (left)
  • Irregular participles — escrito, abierto, dicho, muerto, ido — the present perfect forms that appear constantly in testimony
  • Irregular future stems — vendrá (will come), dirá (will say), saldrá (will leave)

These are concentrated in the middle labs. By Lab 7, you should be encountering them as automatized forms — not problems to solve but words you already know.

Interpretation mode: consecutive Spanish → English. Partner reads with pauses at slash marks; you render each segment in English.

Lab 1 — Ministry Life Description (Present Tense Focus)

Skill target: present-tense -IR verbs including stem changes (sigo, sirvo, pido, siento, oigo) and key irregulars (voy, digo, vengo, salgo)

Partner reads Spanish with pauses at slashes:

El misionero vive en un pueblo pequeño en el sur de México. / Cada mañana, sale de su casa antes del amanecer para orar. / Sirve en tres comunidades diferentes cada semana. / Cuando llega a una nueva familia, les pide permiso para compartir el evangelio. / Oye muchas historias difíciles — pobreza, enfermedad, violencia. / Siente el peso de estas historias, pero también siente la esperanza. / El pastor local dirige el equipo de evangelismo con sabiduría. / Todos los días, deciden juntos a quién van a visitar. / El Espíritu Santo los guía. / Siguen a Cristo hacia donde Él los lleva. /

Target English rendering:

  1. The missionary lives in a small town in southern Mexico.
  2. Every morning, he leaves his house before dawn to pray.
  3. He serves three different communities every week.
  4. When he arrives at a new family, he asks them permission to share the gospel.
  5. He hears many difficult stories — poverty, illness, violence.
  6. He feels the weight of these stories, but he also feels the hope.
  7. The local pastor leads the evangelism team with wisdom.
  8. Every day, they decide together whom they are going to visit.
  9. The Holy Spirit guides them.
  10. They follow Christ to wherever He leads them.

Key irregular forms to confirm:

  • sale → “leaves” (from salir, irregular: salgo in yo)
  • dirige → “leads/directs” (from dirigir, irregular yo: dirijo)
  • siguen → “they follow” (from seguir, stem-change: e→i; irregular yo: sigo)
  • dicen/deciden → verify you did not confuse decir and decidir

Lab 2 — Preterite Stem Changes: Discipleship Narrative

Skill target: preterite -IR stem changes in él/ellos forms — the forms that diverge from expectations (pidió, sirvió, siguió, sintió, dijo, durmió)

Partner reads Spanish with pauses at slashes:

El nuevo creyente pidió oración al finalizar el servicio. / El pastor lo recibió con gracia. / Oró por él y sintió que el Señor estaba obrando. / Durante esa semana, el hombre siguió viniendo a la iglesia cada día. / El equipo de jóvenes lo sirvió con comida y palabra. / Alguien le dijo que Dios lo amaba exactamente como era. / Eso lo cambió todo. / Esa noche, durmió en paz por primera vez en años. / A la semana siguiente, decidió bautizarse. / El pastor lo bautizó en el río frente a toda la comunidad. / Muchos lloraron. Otros cantaron. Todos sintieron la presencia de Dios. /

Target English rendering:

  1. The new believer asked for prayer at the end of the service.
  2. The pastor received him with grace.
  3. He prayed for him and sensed/felt that the Lord was at work.
  4. During that week, the man kept coming to church every day.
  5. The youth team served him with food and the Word.
  6. Someone told him that God loved him exactly as he was.
  7. That changed everything.
  8. That night, he slept in peace for the first time in years.
  9. The following week, he decided to be baptized.
  10. The pastor baptized him in the river in front of the whole community.
  11. Many cried. Others sang. Everyone felt the presence of God.

Preterite stem-change recognition:

  • pidió → “asked/requested” (from pedir — e→i in él)
  • siguió → “kept/continued/followed” (from seguir — e→i in él)
  • sirvió → “served” (from servir — e→i in él)
  • dijo → “said/told” (from decir — irregular preterite)
  • sintió → “felt/sensed” (from sentir — e→i in él)
  • durmió → “slept” (from dormir — o→u in él)

Lab 3 — Preterite Irregulars: Missionary Arrival Account

Skill target: preterite irregulars vine/vinieron, fui/fueron, dije/dijeron, salí/salieron

Partner reads Spanish with pauses at slashes:

El equipo salió de los Estados Unidos un lunes por la mañana. / Viajaron por quince horas y llegaron a la ciudad al día siguiente. / Cuando vinieron a la primera iglesia, los recibieron con un banquete. / El líder del equipo dijo: “Venimos con amor y con el evangelio.” / Esa semana, fueron a doce hogares diferentes. / Salieron temprano cada mañana y regresaron tarde cada noche. / Dos miembros del equipo fueron a la clínica de salud para orar con los enfermos. / El misionero principal fue al ayuntamiento a pedir permiso para una campaña pública. / Dijeron que sí. / Toda la semana fue un milagro. /

Target English rendering:

  1. The team left the United States on a Monday morning.
  2. They traveled for fifteen hours and arrived in the city the following day.
  3. When they came to the first church, they were received with a feast.
  4. The team leader said: “We come with love and with the gospel.”
  5. That week, they went to twelve different homes.
  6. They left early every morning and returned late every night.
  7. Two team members went to the health clinic to pray with the sick.
  8. The lead missionary went to the city hall to request permission for a public campaign.
  9. They said yes.
  10. The whole week was a miracle.

Irregular preterite forms to confirm:

  • salió/salieron → “left” (from salir — regular -IR endings but worth recognizing)
  • vinieron → “they came” (from venir — irregular: vine, viniste, vino, vinimos, vinieron)
  • dijo/dijeron → “said” (from decir — irregular: dije, dijiste, dijo, dijimos, dijeron)
  • fueron → “they went” (from ir — shares form with ser: context determines meaning)
  • fue → “went/was” — disambiguation: in this context, movement verbs confirm ir

Lab 4 — Imperfect: Background Ministry Life

Skill target: imperfect of -IR verbs (vivía, servía, seguía, sentía, vivíamos, venían); -IR imperfect identical to -ER endings

Partner reads Spanish with pauses at slashes:

Cuando era joven, el pastor vivía en una zona de mucha pobreza. / Su familia servía en la iglesia de su comunidad desde que él tenía memoria. / Todos los domingos, venían cientos de personas a escuchar la Palabra. / El pastor sentía desde niño que Dios lo estaba llamando. / No sabía exactamente a qué, pero seguía buscando. / En esos años, la iglesia sufría mucho — persecución, escasez, división. / Pero los creyentes seguían reuniéndose. / Escribían sus oraciones y las compartían. / Pedían a Dios que mandara obreros para la cosecha. / El pastor joven los oía y decidía en su corazón: “Seré ese obrero.” /

Target English rendering:

  1. When he was young, the pastor lived in an area of great poverty.
  2. His family served in the church of their community for as long as he could remember.
  3. Every Sunday, hundreds of people came to hear the Word.
  4. The pastor felt from childhood that God was calling him.
  5. He did not know exactly to what, but he kept searching.
  6. In those years, the church suffered greatly — persecution, scarcity, division.
  7. But the believers kept meeting together.
  8. They would write their prayers and share them.
  9. They asked God to send workers for the harvest.
  10. The young pastor heard them and decided in his heart: “I will be that worker.”

Self-evaluation questions:

  • Did you distinguish the imperfect (vivía — background, habitual) from the preterite (decidió — one-time decision at the end)?
  • Did venían come out as “came/used to come” (habitual) rather than “came” (single event)?
  • Did seguía buscando come out as “kept searching” or “continued searching”?

Lab 5 — Present Perfect: Irregular Participles

Skill target: present perfect with -IR irregular participles (escrito, abierto, dicho, muerto, ido)

Partner reads Spanish with pauses at slashes:

El misionero ha escrito tres cartas a su familia esta semana. / Le ha dicho a su esposa que Dios está haciendo algo extraordinario aquí. / Ha abierto su corazón a esta comunidad de una manera que no esperaba. / Este año, ha ido a siete países diferentes. / Varios de sus colegas han muerto en el campo misionero. / Su sacrificio ha dejado una huella profunda en él. / La congregación ha abierto sus puertas a los sin hogar. / Han dicho sí a cada persona que ha llegado. / Han ido más allá de lo que pensaban posible. / Su fe ha escrito una historia que todavía no ha terminado. /

Target English rendering:

  1. The missionary has written three letters to his family this week.
  2. He has told his wife that God is doing something extraordinary here.
  3. He has opened his heart to this community in a way he did not expect.
  4. This year, he has gone to seven different countries.
  5. Several of his colleagues have died in the mission field.
  6. Their sacrifice has left a deep mark on him.
  7. The congregation has opened its doors to the homeless.
  8. They have said yes to every person who has arrived.
  9. They have gone beyond what they thought possible.
  10. Their faith has written a story that has not yet ended.

Irregular participle check:

  • ha escrito → “has written” (from escribir — participle: escrito)
  • ha dicho → “has said/told” (from decir — participle: dicho)
  • ha abierto → “has opened” (from abrir — participle: abierto)
  • ha ido → “has gone” (from ir — participle: ido)
  • han muerto → “have died” (from morir — participle: muerto)

Lab 6 — Simple Future: Irregular Stems

Skill target: simple future with -IR irregular stems (vendrá, dirá, saldrá); regular -IR future forms

Partner reads Spanish with pauses at slashes:

El misionero dice que volverá el próximo año. / Vendrá con un equipo más grande. / Dirá lo que ha visto Dios hacer en esta región. / Saldrá de los Estados Unidos en enero y llegará aquí para febrero. / Sus hijos vendrán con él esta vez. / Les dirán a sus amigos en la escuela lo que Dios puede hacer. / La iglesia aquí seguirá creciendo mientras él no está. / Los líderes locales dirigirán el trabajo. / Cumplirán lo que han prometido. / Vivirán el evangelio ante su comunidad cada día. / Y cuando el misionero vuelva, encontrará más de lo que dejó. /

Target English rendering:

  1. The missionary says he will return next year.
  2. He will come with a larger team.
  3. He will tell what he has seen God do in this region.
  4. He will leave the United States in January and arrive here by February.
  5. His children will come with him this time.
  6. They will tell their friends at school what God can do.
  7. The church here will keep growing while he is away.
  8. The local leaders will direct the work.
  9. They will fulfill what they have promised.
  10. They will live the gospel before their community every day.
  11. And when the missionary returns, he will find more than he left behind.

Irregular future stem recognition:

  • vendrá/vendrán → “will come” (from venir — stem: vendr-)
  • dirá/dirán → “will say/tell” (from decir — stem: dir-)
  • saldrá → “will leave” (from salir — stem: saldr-)

Lab 7 — Full Integration: 3-Minute Personal Testimony (All Three Verb Groups)

This is the core lab from the curriculum. This is the first time in the course that all three verb groups appear together in a single continuous passage — -AR, -ER, and -IR verbs in all six tenses. Your task is to identify the verb group and tense in each segment and render it accurately in English without slowing down.

Partner reads with pauses at slashes:

Me llamo Carlos. Soy pastor en Medellín, Colombia, y quiero compartir lo que Dios ha hecho en mi vida. /

Crecí en una familia que no seguía a Cristo. Mis padres trabajaban mucho pero vivían sin dirección espiritual. / Yo buscaba algo, pero no sabía qué era. Salía con mis amigos, escuchaba música, pedía respuestas en los lugares equivocados. / Un día, un vecino me invitó a un servicio. Fui por curiosidad. Escuché al pastor hablar sobre el amor de Dios, y algo en mí se partió. / Esa noche, decidí seguir a Cristo. Salí de esa iglesia diferente. /

Antes de esa noche, vivía para mí mismo. No entendía el propósito. Sentía que algo faltaba pero nunca lo encontraba. / Veía a las personas en la iglesia y pensaba: “¿Por qué están tan contentos?” No podía entenderlo. / Hacía cosas que sabía que estaban mal, pero seguía haciéndolas porque no conocía otra manera de vivir. /

Desde esa noche, mi vida ha cambiado completamente. He seguido a Cristo por veinte años. / He leído la Biblia de principio a fin muchas veces. He visto a Dios obrar en situaciones que parecían imposibles. / He dicho el evangelio en cárceles, hospitales, plazas, y aldeas. He abierto mi hogar a familias necesitadas. / Dios ha cumplido cada promesa que me hizo. /

Ahora, voy a seguir sirviendo aquí en Medellín. Vamos a construir una nueva sala de reuniones este año. / Voy a entrenar a veinte nuevos líderes para plantar iglesias en los barrios periféricos. / Dios dirá lo que tenga que decir a través de cada uno de nosotros. / Vendrán más personas. El reino de Dios seguirá creciendo. / Y yo seguiré aquí, predicando, sirviendo, viviendo lo que creo, hasta que Él me llame a casa. /

Target English rendering (segment by segment):

  1. My name is Carlos. I am a pastor in Medellín, Colombia, and I want to share what God has done in my life.
  2. I grew up in a family that did not follow Christ. My parents worked hard but lived without spiritual direction.
  3. I was searching for something, but I did not know what it was. I used to go out with my friends, listen to music, and look for answers in the wrong places.
  4. One day, a neighbor invited me to a service. I went out of curiosity. I heard the pastor speak about the love of God, and something in me broke.
  5. That night, I decided to follow Christ. I left that church different.
  6. Before that night, I lived for myself. I did not understand purpose. I felt something was missing but never found it.
  7. I saw people in the church and thought: “Why are they so happy?” I could not understand it.
  8. I did things I knew were wrong, but I kept doing them because I did not know another way to live.
  9. Since that night, my life has changed completely. I have followed Christ for twenty years.
  10. I have read the Bible from beginning to end many times. I have seen God work in situations that seemed impossible.
  11. I have spoken/declared the gospel in prisons, hospitals, plazas, and villages. I have opened my home to families in need.
  12. God has fulfilled every promise He made to me.
  13. Now, I am going to continue serving here in Medellín. We are going to build a new meeting hall this year.
  14. I am going to train twenty new leaders to plant churches in the surrounding neighborhoods.
  15. God will say what He needs to say through each one of us.
  16. More people will come. The kingdom of God will keep growing.
  17. And I will remain here, preaching, serving, living what I believe, until He calls me home.

Three-group tense map:

SegmentVerb groupTenseKey verbs
Opening-IR / -ERPresentsoy, quiero, seguía
Childhood background-AR / -IRImperfecttrabajaban, vivían, buscaba, salía, pedía
Conversion event-AR / -IRPreteriteinvitó, fui, escuché, decidí, salí
Pre-faith state-IR / -ERImperfectvivía, entendía, sentía, podía, hacía, seguía
Post-faith resultsAll threePresent perfectha cambiado, he seguido, he leído, he visto, he dicho, he abierto, ha cumplido
Plans-IR / -ARNear futurevoy a seguir, vamos a construir, voy a entrenar
Declarations-IRSimple futuredirá, vendrán, seguirá

Lab 8 — Speed Challenge: -IR Verb One-Liners

Skill target: immediate rendering of -IR verbs across all tenses and groups; no hesitation

Partner reads each item; you render immediately:

  1. El pastor sale a las cinco de la mañana para orar. → “The pastor leaves at five in the morning to pray.”
  2. Decidí seguir a Cristo cuando tenía dieciséis años. → “I decided to follow Christ when I was sixteen years old.”
  3. Vivíamos en la selva cuando llegaron los misioneros. → “We were living in the jungle when the missionaries arrived.”
  4. Cristo ha abierto una puerta que nadie puede cerrar. → “Christ has opened a door that no one can close.”
  5. ¿Cuándo vas a venir a visitarnos? → “When are you going to come visit us?”
  6. El equipo salió sin dinero y Dios proveyó todo. → “The team left without money and God provided everything.”
  7. Ella ha dicho el evangelio a toda su familia. → “She has shared the gospel with her whole family.”
  8. Sentía que Dios me llamaba pero tenía miedo. → “I felt/sensed that God was calling me but I was afraid.”
  9. ¿Sirves en algún ministerio en tu iglesia? → “Do you serve in any ministry in your church?”
  10. Dios vendrá por su iglesia tal como prometió. → “God will come for his church just as he promised.”
  11. Pidieron oración y el Señor respondió. → “They asked for prayer and the Lord answered.”
  12. He vivido aquí por diez años y nunca me ha faltado nada. → “I have lived here for ten years and I have never lacked anything.”
  13. Vamos a seguir predicando hasta que Él venga. → “We are going to keep preaching until He comes.”
  14. ¿Qué te dijo Dios esta mañana? → “What did God tell/say to you this morning?”
  15. El evangelio vivirá más que cualquier gobierno o reino de este mundo. → “The gospel will outlive any government or kingdom of this world.”

Lab Completion Checklist

  • Lab 1 (present, stem changes and irregulars) completed — sigo, sirvo, pido, digo, vengo, salgo recognized
  • Lab 2 (preterite stem changes) completed — pidió, sirvió, siguió, sintió, dijo, durmió rendered accurately
  • Lab 3 (preterite irregulars) completed — vine/vinieron, fui/fueron, dije/dijeron, salí/salieron rendered accurately
  • Lab 4 (imperfect) completed — imperfect -IR forms rendered with English habitual/background equivalent
  • Lab 5 (present perfect, irregular participles) completed — escrito, dicho, abierto, ido, muerto recognized
  • Lab 6 (simple future, irregular stems) completed — vendrá, dirá, saldrá rendered accurately
  • Lab 7 (full integration, all three groups) completed — tense map checked against target
  • Lab 8 (speed challenge) completed — all 15 items rendered without hesitation

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

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