Lesson 20 – Daily Activities (Present Tense)
Unit 2: En la Comunidad | Unit Overview | Course Home
Review Flash
(5 minutes — say the Spanish before looking)
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| the bedroom | el cuarto / el dormitorio |
| the kitchen | la cocina |
| the bathroom | el baño |
| running water | el agua corriente |
| I’m staying at | me estoy quedando en |
Lesson Goals
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Conjugate regular -AR, -ER, and -IR verbs in the present tense
- Describe your daily routine in Spanish
- Ask about someone else’s daily activities
- Talk about what your mission team does each day
The Present Tense — Three Verb Families
Spanish verbs are classified by their infinitive ending: -AR, -ER, or -IR. Each family follows a predictable conjugation pattern.
-AR Verbs (example: hablar — to speak)
| Pronoun | Ending | Hablar |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | hablo |
| tú | -as | hablas |
| usted/él/ella | -a | habla |
| nosotros | -amos | hablamos |
| ellos/ustedes | -an | hablan |
-ER Verbs (example: comer — to eat)
| Pronoun | Ending | Comer |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | como |
| tú | -es | comes |
| usted/él/ella | -e | come |
| nosotros | -emos | comemos |
| ellos/ustedes | -en | comen |
-IR Verbs (example: vivir — to live)
| Pronoun | Ending | Vivir |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | vivo |
| tú | -es | vives |
| usted/él/ella | -e | vive |
| nosotros | -imos | vivimos |
| ellos/ustedes | -en | viven |
-ER and -IR are nearly identical
The only difference is the nosotros form: -emos for -ER verbs, -imos for -IR verbs.
High-Frequency Regular Verbs
-AR Verbs
| Infinitive | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| hablar | to speak | Hablo español. |
| trabajar | to work | Trabajamos juntos. |
| caminar | to walk | Camino al mercado. |
| orar | to pray | Oramos juntos. |
| cantar | to sing | Cantamos en la iglesia. |
| enseñar | to teach | Enseña la Biblia. |
| ayudar | to help | ¿Me ayudas? |
| cocinar | to cook | Cocinamos para la comunidad. |
| visitar | to visit | Visitamos familias. |
| compartir | to share | Compartimos el evangelio. (Note: -IR) |
-ER and -IR Verbs
| Infinitive | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| comer | to eat | Comemos juntos. |
| beber | to drink | ¿Qué bebes? |
| leer | to read | Leo la Biblia cada día. |
| aprender | to learn | Aprendo español. |
| vivir | to live | Viven en el barrio. |
| escribir | to write | Escribe cartas a su familia. |
| recibir | to receive | Reciben ayuda de la iglesia. |
Daily Routine Vocabulary
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| levantarse | to get up |
| desayunar | to have breakfast |
| almorzar | to have lunch |
| cenar | to have dinner |
| dormir | to sleep |
| trabajar | to work |
| descansar | to rest |
| reunirse | to meet |
| orar | to pray |
| leer la Biblia | to read the Bible |
| servir | to serve |
| regresar | to return / go back |
Story: El Día de Trabajo (The Work Day)
El equipo misionero tiene un día muy ocupado. Sara describe lo que hacen.
“Nos levantamos a las seis de la mañana. Desayunamos juntos y oramos antes de salir. A las ocho, caminamos al barrio. Marcos enseña a los niños en la escuela. Yo visito a las familias con la pastora Elena. Hablamos, escuchamos, y oramos con las personas.
Al mediodía, comemos con una familia del barrio. Por la tarde, el equipo trabaja en la construcción de un cuarto adicional para la iglesia. A las cinco, regresamos a la casa donde nos quedamos. Leemos la Biblia, compartimos lo que aprendimos durante el día, y dormimos temprano porque mañana tenemos otro día lleno de servicio.”
(We get up at six in the morning. We have breakfast together and pray before going out. At eight, we walk to the neighborhood. Marcos teaches the children at the school. I visit families with Pastor Elena. We talk, listen, and pray with people. At noon we eat with a family from the neighborhood. In the afternoon, the team works on building an additional room for the church. At five, we return to the house where we’re staying. We read the Bible, share what we learned during the day, and sleep early because tomorrow we have another day full of service.)
Comprehension Check:
- ¿A qué hora se levanta el equipo? (What time does the team get up?)
- ¿Qué hace Marcos en la mañana? (What does Marcos do in the morning?)
- ¿Qué hace el equipo por la tarde? (What does the team do in the afternoon?)
¡Practícalo! (Speaking Practice)
Describe your typical mission trip day using present tense verbs. Include at least eight verbs from this lesson. Say it out loud as if explaining your schedule to a local family:
“En un día típico de la misión, nosotros…”
Then answer these questions:
- ¿A qué hora te levantas normalmente?
- ¿Lees la Biblia? ¿Cuándo?
- ¿Aprendes español fácilmente?
Cultural Note
La rutina de la comunidad: Daily rhythms in rural and small-town Latin America often start very early — families may be up by 5 a.m. for farm work, and markets open by 6 or 7 a.m. The midday meal (el almuerzo) is typically the largest meal and may include a rest period (la siesta) afterward. Evenings are for family. Adapting your schedule to the local rhythm — rather than imposing a US schedule — communicates respect and helps your team work with the community rather than around it.
Oración
“Todo lo puedo en Cristo que me fortalece.” (I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.) — Filipenses 4:13
Every verb in your mission day — enseño, visito, oro, sirvo — is powered by this truth.
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