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Saying what you don’t do: �Using the negative ‘no’

Nick Avery / Emma Marsden / Rachel Hawkes

In Spanish, to say what you don’t do or what there isn’t, put ‘no’ before the verb. This makes a negative.

Compare:

Hablo alemán

No hablo alemán

This works for any verb, any person and any tense (present, past, and future!)

🡪 I speak German

🡪 I don’t speak German

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Rachel Hawkes

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Read 10 sentences that Elena wrote about her usual holidays.

In some, she says what she does. In others, she says what she doesn’t do.

Decide if the statements on the right are true or false.

True

False

Elena reads books.

She visits her family.

She doesn’t look after her dog.

She doesn’t go to the beach.

She doesn’t spend time at home.

She learns a language.

She doesn’t sunbathe.

She listens to jazz music.

She sleeps a lot.

She goes out with friends.

leer

1. Leo libros.

2. No visito a mi familia.

3. No cuido al perro.

4. Voy a la playa.

5. Paso tiempo en casa.

6. Aprendo un idioma.

7. No tomo el sol.

8. No escucho música jazz

9. Duermo mucho.

10. No salgo con amigos.

Nick Avery / Emma Marsden / Rachel Hawkes

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Rachel Hawkes

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True

False

Surprising?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Listen and decide what Ana does and doesn’t do during the holidays.

Tick true or false.

Ana doesn’t read books.

She listens to heavy metal.

She goes to the beach.

She learns Chinese.

She doesn’t look after her dog.

She goes out with friends.

She plays the electric guitar.

She doesn’t visit her boyfriend.

She doesn’t sleep a lot.

She spends a lot of time at home.

escuchar

Nick Avery / Emma Marsden / Rachel Hawkes

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Rachel Hawkes

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Las vacaciones

Pedro and Manuel are close friends, but they don’t always do the same things in their school holidays.

Student A: you are Pedro

Student B: you are Manuel

Use the cards to talk about your holidays.

Complete the grid as you listen to your partner and then compare answers.

How are your holidays different from your partner’s?

Nick Avery / Emma Marsden / Rachel Hawkes

hablar / escuchar

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Rachel Hawkes

5 of 12

read books

go to the beach

look after the dog

learn a language

spend time at home

visit the family

Student A

Nick Avery / Emma Marsden / Rachel Hawkes

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Rachel Hawkes

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read books

go to the beach

look after the dog

learn a language

spend time at home

visit the family

Student B

Nick Avery / Emma Marsden / Rachel Hawkes

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Rachel Hawkes

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Need help?

read books

🡪 leer libros

spend time at home

🡪 pasar tiempo en casa

go the beach

🡪 ir a la playa

look after the dog

learn a language

visit family

🡪 cuidar el perro

🡪 aprender un idioma

🡪 visitar a (mi) familia

Nick Avery / Emma Marsden / Rachel Hawkes

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Rachel Hawkes

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does it

doesn’t do it

read books

spend time at home

go to the beach

look after the dog

learn a language

visit the family

Nick Avery / Emma Marsden / Rachel Hawkes

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Rachel Hawkes

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Pedro does it

Pedro doesn’t do it

read books

spend time at home

go to the beach

look after the dog

learn a language

visit the family

Student B answers

Nick Avery / Emma Marsden / Rachel Hawkes

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Rachel Hawkes

10 of 12

Manuel does it

Manuel doesn’t do it

read books

spend time at home

go to the beach

look after the dog

learn a language

visit the family

Student A answers

Nick Avery / Emma Marsden / Rachel Hawkes

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Rachel Hawkes

11 of 12

How are Pedro and Manuel’s holidays different?

Complete the sentences with a verb.

Use the negative if necessary.

1) Pedro __________ libros.

2) Manuel ______________ un idioma.

3) Manuel ______________ a la playa.

4) Pedro ______________ a su familia.

5) Pedro _____________ tiempo en casa.

escribir

Nick Avery / Emma Marsden / Rachel Hawkes

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Rachel Hawkes

12 of 12

How are Pedro and Manuel’s holidays different?

Complete the sentences with a verb.

Use the negative if necessary.

1) Pedro __________ libros.

2) Manuel ______________ un idioma.

3) Manuel ______________ a la playa.

4) Pedro ______________ a su familia.

5) Pedro _____________ tiempo en casa.

no lee

no aprende

va

no visita

pasa

escribir

Nick Avery / Emma Marsden / Rachel Hawkes

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Rachel Hawkes