Spanish Speaking Practice: Build Sentences with Entender, Recordar, Pensar, Contar
Podcast episode 115 – SEE ALL EPISODES
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
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¡Hola! Welcome back to my free podcast ‘Speak Spanish with Maria Fernandez’. Today, we’re going to focus on building sentences with four essential irregular verbs: ENTENDER (to understand), RECORDAR (to remember), PENSAR (to think), and CONTAR (to count/tell), all in the present tense.
First, we’re going to practise conjugating the verb ENTENDER (to understand) in the present tense. Then you’re going to build five short sentences with ENTENDER. And after that, we’ll practise the other three verbs.
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Let’s start:
Verb number 1: ENTENDER – to understand:
This is how you conjugate the verb ENTENDER in the present tense:
entiendo – I understand
entiendes – you [tú] understand
entiende – he/she/it understands
entendemos – we understand
entendéis – you [vosotros] understand
entienden – they understand
The six forms only in Spanish are: entiendo, entiendes, entiende, entendemos, entendéis, entienden.
Let’s now practise ENTENDER with five sentences. I’ll say the sentences in English. Can you translate them into Spanish? I’ll tell you the answers after you tell me.
Drill: Practising ENTENDER
1 I understand the problem.
Translation: Entiendo el problema.
2 They understand the instructions.
Translation: Entienden las instrucciones.
3 We understand the lesson.
Translation: Entendemos la lección.
4 You [tú] understand everything.
Translation: Entiendes todo.
5 He understands the situation.
Translation: Entiende la situación.
That’s great! Now let’s move on to our second verb.
Verb number 2: RECORDAR – to remember:
This is how you conjugate the verb RECORDAR in the present tense:
recuerdo – I remember
recuerdas – you [tú] remember
recuerda – he/she/it remembers
recordamos – we remember
recordáis – you [vosotros] remember
recuerdan – they remember
The six forms only in Spanish are: recuerdo, recuerdas, recuerda, recordamos, recordáis, recuerdan.
Let’s now practise RECORDAR with five sentences. I’ll say the sentences in English. Can you translate them into Spanish? I’ll tell you the answers after you tell me.
Drill: Practising RECORDAR
1 You [tú] remember my name.
Translation: Recuerdas mi nombre.
2 She remembers everything.
Translation: Recuerda todo.
3 You [vosotros] remember the address.
Translation: Recordáis la dirección.
4 They remember the number.
Translation: Recuerdan el número.
5 I remember my grandfather.
Translation: Recuerdo a mi abuelo.
Well done! Let’s move on to the third verb.
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Verb number 3: PENSAR – to think:
This is how you conjugate the verb PENSAR in the present tense:
pienso – I think
piensas – you [tú] think
piensa – he/she/it thinks
pensamos – we think
pensáis – you [vosotros] think
piensan – they think
The six forms only in Spanish are: pienso, piensas, piensa, pensamos, pensáis, piensan.
Let’s now practise PENSAR with five sentences. I’ll say the sentences in English. Can you translate them into Spanish? I’ll tell you the answers after you tell me.
Drill: Practising PENSAR
1 She thinks about her family.
Translation: Piensa en su familia.
2 He thinks a lot.
Translation: Piensa mucho.
3 We think the same.
Translation: Pensamos lo mismo.
4 You [tú] think it’s easy.
Translation: Piensas que es fácil.
5 They think of you.
Translation: Piensan en ti.
Let’s go to our last verb.
Verb number 4: CONTAR – to count/tell:
This is how you conjugate the verb CONTAR in the present tense:
cuento – I count/tell
cuentas – you [tú] count/tell
cuenta – he/she/it counts/tells
contamos – we count/tell
contáis – you [vosotros] count/tell
cuentan – they count/tell
The six forms only in Spanish are: cuento, cuentas, cuenta, contamos, contáis, cuentan.
Let’s now practise CONTAR with five sentences. I’ll say the sentences in English. Can you translate them into Spanish? I’ll tell you the answers after you tell me.
Drill: Practising CONTAR
1 I count the money.
Translation: Cuento el dinero.
2 We count the days.
Translation: Contamos los días.
3 You [tú] tell me everything.
Translation: Me cuentas todo.
4 You [vosotros] count fast.
Translation: Contáis rápido.
5 She tells many stories.
Translation: Cuenta muchas historias.
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Final Drill: Combining ENTENDER, RECORDAR, PENSAR, and CONTAR
Now that we’ve practised each verb separately, let’s combine all four into one final drill. I’ll say ten sentences in English. Can you say them to me in Spanish? Let’s start:
1 I understand the question.
Translation: Entiendo la pregunta.
2 You [tú] remember it well.
Translation: Lo recuerdas bien.
3 He thinks about the trip.
Translation: Piensa en el viaje.
4 We count the votes.
Translation: Contamos los votos.
5 They understand the answer.
Translation: Entienden la respuesta.
6 She remembers the date.
Translation: Recuerda la fecha.
7 You [tú] think a lot about this.
Translation: Piensas mucho en esto.
8 I tell my story.
Translation: Cuento mi historia.
9 We remember the good times.
Translation: Recordamos los buenos tiempos.
10 You [vosotros] understand me.
Translation: Me entendéis.
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