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Alex meets Lucía for the first time, and they talk about what they each do.
estudiante ("student," the noun from Lesson 1) and estudiar ("to study," the verb here) are related but different words, so both get their own listing. Semana ("week," from esta semana in Lesson 6) is reused here inside cada semana without a new entry.
How do I read these pronunciations? See the pronunciation guide.
1. ¿A qué te dedicas? — Asking About Someone's Job
This fixed idiomatic phrase is the natural way to ask what someone does for a living — more common in everyday conversation than a literal translation of "what is your job?"
2. Regular -er/-ir Present Tense — aprender, escribir, leer
-er verbs take endings -o/-es/-e; -ir verbs take -o/-es/-e too (they only differ in the nosotros/vosotros forms). Aprendo = I learn; escribo = I write; leo = I read (leer is slightly irregular in spelling only).
3. Question Words Review — ¿qué? / ¿dónde?
A quick review of two of the most common Spanish question words, both first introduced back in Lesson 1's grammar scaffolding.
4. Difícil / Fácil — Describing Difficulty
Difícil ("difficult") and its opposite, fácil ("easy"), are two of the most useful describing words you'll learn — both end in a consonant, so they don't change for gender, only for number (difícil → difíciles).
5. Cada + Noun
Cada ("each, every") never changes form, no matter the gender or number of the noun that follows.
A. Fill in the Blank · Rellena el espacio
Fill in the blank with a word from this lesson's vocabulary.
- 1.¿A qué te ?do you do for a living
- 2.Soy . Trabajo en un hospital.nurse
- 3.¿Es tu trabajo?difficult
- 4. libros y escribo mucho.I read
- 5.Estudio en la .university
B. Multiple Choice · Opción múltiple
Choose the best answer.
- 1.How do you say "What do you do for a living?" in Spanish?
- 2.How do you say "I work at a hospital" in Spanish?
- 3.How do you say "I read books and write a lot" in Spanish?
- 4.How do you say "Where do you study?" in Spanish?
- 5.How do you say "I understand more each week" in Spanish?
C. Rearrange the Sentence · Ordena la frase
Rearrange the words into a correct sentence, adding the punctuation shown in parentheses.
- 1.Tap tiles below…
- 2.Tap tiles below…
- 3.Tap tiles below…
- 4.Tap tiles below…
- 5.Tap tiles below…
D. True or False · Verdadero o falso
Based on the dialogue, mark each sentence T (true) or F (false).
- 1.Lucía is a nurse.
- 2.Lucía works at a school.
- 3.Lucía says her job is never difficult.
- 4.Alex studies at the university.
- 5.Alex understands everything in class.
E. Matching · Empareja
Match each question on the left with the best response on the right.
F. Translation · Traducción
Translate items 1–3 into Spanish, and items 4–5 into English.
- 1.What do you do for a living?
- 2.I work at a hospital.
- 3.I read books and write a lot.
- 4.Estudio en la universidad.
- 5.No todo, pero entiendo más cada semana.
Generate a brand-new dialog on any topic, using this lesson's 17 vocab words — plus any words you add below.
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Studying for a job that is an exam
A striking share of Spanish working life runs through oposiciones, competitive public examinations for state posts from judge to postal worker. Candidates prepare for years, often while holding another job, frequently at private academies devoted to a single exam, memorizing an official syllabus of hundreds of topics. Passing means a post for life. The appeal is stability in a country where unemployment has been persistently high and private contracts are often temporary. An opositor — someone in that preparation — is a recognized stage of life, and the word explains a great deal about how a person is spending their thirties.