Level 2 — Elementary (CEFR: A2)
Unit 7 — Verb Group 3: -IR Verbs
Missionary Application — 2-Minute Ministry Calling Statement
Purpose
Unit 5 gave you a testimony — what God did, who you were before, what you are doing now. Unit 6 gave you a doctrinal declaration — what you believe, what you have come to understand, what conviction looks like in Spanish. Unit 7 completes the triptych with the ministry calling statement: who are you following, what have you been sent to do, what will you say and where will you go?
The -IR verbs of Unit 7 are the verbs of vocation and movement. Vivir (live), seguir (follow), servir (serve), ir (go), venir (come), salir (leave), decidir (decide), recibir (receive), sentir (feel/sense), decir (say/tell) — these are the words missionaries use when they explain their calling. A missionary who can say sigo a Cristo, salí de mi país, voy a servir aquí, vendrán otros, diré lo que Él me manda decir is speaking the language of apostolic mission.
This application also completes the three-verb-group production cycle of Level 2. You have now:
- Produced -AR verbs across all six tenses in a conversion testimony (Unit 5)
- Produced -ER verbs across all six tenses in a doctrinal declaration (Unit 6)
- Produced -IR verbs across all six tenses in a ministry calling statement (Unit 7)
The skill this exercises: vocational speech — explaining your calling, your movement, your service, and your commitment in Spanish. This is the speech a missionary interpreter uses in team introductions, partnership meetings, church partnerships, and gospel conversations where the focus is on calling and direction rather than testimony or doctrine.
The Four-Part Structure
Part 1: Who You Follow and What You Do Now — Present Tense
What to cover: Who are you following? What are you doing here? How do you serve? What do you feel God is doing in this moment?
Why present tense: present-tense declarations of calling and identity use -IR verbs extensively — sigo, sirvo, vivo, siento, recibo, oigo, salgo, digo.
Target tense forms: sigo, sirvo, vivo, siento, recibo, oigo, salgo, digo, voy, vengo
Sample (do not memorize — adapt to your own calling):
Sigo a Jesucristo. Esa es la respuesta más simple y más verdadera que puedo dar. Sirvo aquí en América Latina porque siento que Dios me llamó a este lugar específico. Cada mañana, salgo a las comunidades y vivo el evangelio más de lo que lo predico. Recibo cada día como un regalo. Oigo las historias de estas familias y siento que Dios me habla a través de ellas. Digo lo que Él me manda decir. No más. No menos.
Your Part 1 (minimum 30 seconds, 4+ present-tense -IR verb forms):
Write a draft here, then speak it from memory:
Part 2: The Decision and the Journey — Preterite Tense
What to cover: When did you decide to come? What happened that set you on this path? When did you leave? How did you arrive? What did God say to you?
Why preterite: the decision to follow, the departure, the arrival — these are completed specific events. Decidí, salí, vine, fui, sentí, dije, recibí.
Target tense forms: decidí, salí, vine, fui, sentí, dije, recibí, seguí, pedí, sirvió
Preterite irregulars to include: vine (I came), fui (I went), dije (I said), salí (I left)
Sample:
Decidí seguir este camino hace ocho años. Salí de mi país con una maleta y mucha incertidumbre. Vine a Colombia por primera vez sin saber que me quedaría. Fui a una iglesia en Bogotá — alguien me dijo que necesitaban un intérprete. Sentí que Dios me decía: “Aquí.” Pedí dirección y Él me la dio. Dije que sí, aunque no sabía exactamente a qué. Y ese “sí” cambió el resto de mi vida.
Your Part 2 (minimum 20 seconds, 4+ preterite -IR forms, including at least two irregulars — vine, fui, dije, or salí):
Write a draft here, then speak it from memory:
Part 3: The Life Before and What Has Been Given — Imperfect and Present Perfect
What to cover (imperfect): What was your life like before this calling? What were you doing? How did you live? What did you feel but not yet understand?
What to cover (present perfect): What has God opened to you since you came? What have you said? What have you written? What has happened that you could not have planned?
Why imperfect + present perfect: the imperfect captures background life before the calling (vivía, servía, seguía, sentía); the present perfect captures what has been accomplished since — and this is where the most distinctive -IR forms appear, because the irregular participles are concentrated here (escrito, dicho, abierto, ido, muerto).
Target forms:
- Imperfect: vivía, servía, seguía, sentía, pedía, salía
- Present perfect: he vivido, he seguido, he dicho, he escrito, ha abierto, he ido, hemos servido
Irregular participles to include: at least one of dicho (from decir) or escrito (from escribir) or abierto (from abrir) or ido (from ir)
Sample:
Antes de este llamado, vivía una vida cómoda. Servía en mi iglesia los domingos pero no pensaba en salir más allá de eso. Sentía que faltaba algo, pero seguía ocupado con mi trabajo y mis planes. Pedía a Dios que me usara, pero sin mucho convencimiento. / Desde que vine aquí, Dios ha abierto puertas que no habría imaginado. He ido a lugares que nunca había soñado visitar. He dicho el evangelio en español con mis propias palabras, y he visto cómo Dios lo usaba. He escrito reportes de lo que Dios ha hecho, y todavía no me parece real. Hemos servido juntos como equipo y hemos visto crecer a la iglesia local.
Your Part 3 (minimum 30 seconds, 2+ imperfect forms and 3+ present perfect forms, including at least one irregular participle):
Write a draft here, then speak it from memory:
Part 4: Where You Are Going — Near Future and Simple Future
What to cover: Where are you going next? What are you planning? What will God do through your ministry? Who will come with you? What will you say?
Why near future + simple future: near future for concrete plans (voy a seguir, vamos a ir, voy a servir); simple future for declarations and God’s promises — and here the -IR irregular future stems appear: vendrá (will come), dirá (will say/tell), saldrá (will leave).
Target forms:
- Near future: voy a seguir, vamos a ir, voy a servir, va a venir, voy a vivir
- Simple future (with irregular stems): vendrá/vendrán, dirá/dirán, saldrá/saldrán, vivirá/vivirán, seguirá, servirá
Sample:
El próximo mes, voy a ir a tres nuevas comunidades en la sierra. Vamos a llevar Biblias, vamos a servir con trabajo manual y vamos a compartir el evangelio. Voy a seguir aquí por al menos dos años más. Pero Dios vendrá y hará más de lo que yo puedo planear. Otros vendrán después de mí — ese es el plan. Yo salgo, Dios actúa, y otros seguirán el camino que se abre. Algunos de ustedes dirán su historia aquí algún día. El evangelio vivirá en esta tierra mucho después de que yo me vaya. Eso creo. Eso es lo que vivo.
Your Part 4 (minimum 25 seconds, 2+ near future forms and 2+ simple future forms — include at least one irregular stem: vendrá, dirá, or saldrá):
Write a draft here, then speak it from memory:
Recording Requirements
When your four parts are drafted and practiced, record the full calling statement as a single uninterrupted recording.
Technical requirements:
- Record on a smartphone or any device with a microphone
- Speak at a natural, ministry pace — not reading from notes
- Minimum 90 seconds; target 2 minutes; maximum 3 minutes
- Do not stop and restart — record through hesitations
Tense requirements (minimum counts):
- 4 distinct present-tense -IR verb forms
- 3 distinct preterite -IR forms, including at least 2 irregulars (vine, fui, dije, salí)
- 2 imperfect -IR forms
- 2 present perfect forms with -IR verbs (at least one irregular participle: dicho, escrito, abierto, or ido)
- 2 near future constructions with -IR infinitives
- 2 simple future forms with -IR irregular stems (vendrá, dirá, saldrá)
Native Speaker Evaluation
Have a native speaker listen to your recording and complete the form below. This can be a Spanish-speaking pastor or church member, a language exchange partner, or a tutor from iTalki or Preply (see Essential Reference Tools).
Evaluator form (share with them):
Ministry Calling Statement Evaluation — Unit 7 Spanish
Please listen to the recording and answer honestly. The goal is accurate feedback.
Verb accuracy:
- Were the present-tense -IR forms generally correct? (Circle one) YES / MOSTLY / NO
- Were the preterite -IR forms correct — including irregulars (vine, fui, dije, salí)? YES / MOSTLY / NO
- Were the imperfect -IR forms correct? YES / MOSTLY / NO
- Were the present perfect forms correct — did the speaker use any irregular participles (dicho, escrito, abierto, ido)? YES / MOSTLY / NO
- Were the future forms (near and simple, including vendrá, dirá, saldrá) correct? YES / MOSTLY / NO
Specific errors (list any verb forms that were wrong or unnatural):
Naturalness:
- Did the speech sound like a real missionary speaking about their calling, or did it sound like a grammar exercise? NATURAL / SOMEWHAT NATURAL / EXERCISE-LIKE
- Any phrases that sounded translated or unnatural?
Overall:
- Did you understand the full calling statement? YES / MOSTLY / NO
- What one thing would most improve this speaker’s Spanish?
Thank you for evaluating this calling statement.
Self-Evaluation (Complete Before Receiving Evaluator Feedback)
Listen to your own recording and complete this before hearing the evaluator’s responses.
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Present tense accuracy: List each present-tense -IR form used. Did the stem changes work? (sigo not segugo; sirvo not servgo; pido not pedgo)
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Preterite irregulars: Which irregular preterite forms did you use? (vine, fui, dije, salí) Were they correct?
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Preterite stem changes (él/ellos): Did you correctly use any third-person preterite stem changes if they appeared? (siguió, sirvió, pidió, dijo, sintió)
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Imperfect accuracy: List each imperfect -IR form. Were the endings correct (-ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -ían)?
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Present perfect irregular participles: Which irregular participles did you use? (dicho, escrito, abierto, ido, muerto) Were they correct?
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Future irregular stems: Which irregular future forms did you use? (vendrá, dirá, saldrá) Were the stems correct?
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Hesitations: What caused hesitations — stem changes, irregular forms, vocabulary?
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Overall assessment: On a scale of 1–10, how naturally did your recording communicate your calling?
Example Calling Statement: Complete Model
The following is a complete 2-minute model from a fictional missionary. Read it once, then use it only as a structural model.
Buenas tardes. Me llamo Jason y sirvo como intérprete y misionero en el norte de Argentina hace cinco años.
Sigo a Jesucristo. Eso explica todo lo demás. Vivo aquí porque siento que este es el lugar donde Él me puso. Cada semana salgo a nuevas comunidades — a veces solo, a veces con un equipo. Recibo todo lo que Dios da en esos momentos y digo lo que Él me manda decir. Sirvo también como intérprete para el equipo de pastores norteamericanos que viene aquí dos veces al año.
Decidí venir a Argentina hace ocho años. Salí de los Estados Unidos sin un plan claro, solo con la convicción de que Dios me llamaba al sur. Vine por primera vez como voluntario con una organización misionera. Fui a una comunidad en el Chaco y vi una pobreza que no había imaginado. Sentí que Dios me decía: “Quédate.” Dije que sí. Y me quedé.
Antes de ese momento, vivía en Atlanta. Servía en la iglesia los domingos pero seguía siendo básicamente un cristiano de fin de semana. Pedía a Dios que me usara, pero salía de la iglesia y volvía a mi vida normal. Sentía el llamado pero lo ignoraba. / Desde que vine, Dios ha abierto más puertas de las que puedo contar. He ido a lugares que no están en ningún mapa turístico. He dicho el nombre de Jesús en lugares donde nunca antes había sido pronunciado. He escrito tantas historias que algún día espero poder publicar. Hemos servido juntos con el equipo local y hemos visto crecer a esta iglesia de veinte a doscientos miembros.
Ahora, voy a seguir aquí al menos dos años más. Vamos a ir a tres nuevas provincias con el evangelio este año. Voy a continuar sirviendo como intérprete y entrenando a nuevos intérpretes locales. Dios vendrá y hará lo que yo no puedo. Otros vendrán después de mí y continuarán lo que empezamos. El evangelio vivirá en esta tierra mucho después de que yo me haya ido. Eso creo. Eso es lo que vivo.
Tense inventory in this model:
| Form used | Tense | Count |
|---|---|---|
| sirvo, sigo, vivo, siento, salgo, recibo, digo | Present | 7 |
| decidí, salí, vine, fui, sentí, dije | Preterite | 6 |
| vivía, servía, seguía, pedía, salía, sentía | Imperfect | 6 |
| ha abierto, he ido, he dicho, he escrito, hemos servido | Present perfect | 5 |
| voy a seguir, vamos a ir, voy a continuar | Near future | 3 |
| vendrá, vendrán, vivirá | Simple future | 3 |
Key irregular forms highlighted:
- salí — preterite of salir (regular -IR ending, but worth flagging)
- vine — preterite of venir (irregular)
- fui — preterite of ir (irregular)
- dije — preterite of decir (irregular)
- ha abierto — present perfect of abrir (irregular participle: abierto)
- he ido — present perfect of ir (irregular participle: ido)
- he dicho — present perfect of decir (irregular participle: dicho)
- he escrito — present perfect of escribir (irregular participle: escrito)
- vendrá/vendrán — simple future of venir (irregular stem: vendr-)
- vivirá — simple future of vivir (regular: vivir- + -á)
Level 2 Completion Note
Completing this application means you have produced all three verb groups in ministry speech across all six tenses. Before advancing to Level 3, review the Unit 8 summary reference and confirm that -AR, -ER, and -IR forms are fully automatic — not something you reason through, but something you produce without hesitation.
The interpreter does not have time to think about endings in a live session. What you built in Level 2 must be installed deeply enough to run in the background while your conscious attention is on meaning, not form.
See also: Interpretation Lab, Lesson 14 — Full Tense Practice: -IR Verbs, Essential Reference Tools