Spanish Speaking Practice: Build Sentences with Ir, Hacer, Decir, Tener – Episode 109

Spanish Speaking Practice: Build Sentences with Ir, Hacer, Decir, Tener

Podcast episode 109 – SEE ALL EPISODES

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

---

¡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: ir (to go), hacer (to do/make), decir (to say/tell), and tener (to have), all in the present tense.

First we’re going to practise conjugating the verb IR (to go) in the present tense. Then you’re going to build five short sentences with IR. And after that we’ll practise the other three verbs.

Find out more about my Spanish courses

Let’s start:

Verb number 1: Ir – to go:
This is how you conjugate the verb IR in the present tense:

voy – I go
vas – you [tú] go
va – he/she/it goes
vamos – we go
vais – you [vosotros] go
van – they go

The six forms only in Spanish are: voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van.

Drill: Practising IR
1 I go to the park every morning.
Translation: Voy al parque todas las mañanas.

2 They go to the party by bus.
Translation: Van a la fiesta en autobús.

3 We go to the supermarket every Monday.
Translation: Vamos al supermercado todos los lunes.

4 You [tú] go to the office by bus.
Translation: Vas a la oficina en autobús.

5 He goes to work every day.
Translation: Va al trabajo todos los días.

Verb number 2: Hacer – to do, to make:
This is how you conjugate the verb HACER in the present tense:

hago – I do/make
haces – you [tú] do/make
hace – he/she/it does/makes
hacemos – we do/make
hacéis – you [vosotros] do/make
hacen – they do/make

The six forms only in Spanish are: hago, haces, hace, hacemos, hacéis, hacen.

Drill: Practising HACER
1 You [tú] do your work in two hours.
Translation: Haces tu trabajo en dos horas.

2 She makes breakfast every day.
Translation: Hace el desayuno todos los días.

3 You [vosotros] make the beds.
Translation: Hacéis las camas.

4 They do their homework in the afternoon.
Translation: Hacen su tarea por la tarde.

5 I do my exercises every morning.
Translation: Hago mis ejercicios todas las mañanas.

Find out more about my Spanish courses

Verb number 3: Decir – to say, to tell:
This is how you conjugate the verb DECIR in the present tense:

digo – I say/tell
dices – you [tú] say/tell
dice – he/she/it says/tells
decimos – we say/tell
decís – you [vosotros] say/tell
dicen – they say/tell

The six forms only in Spanish are: digo, dices, dice, decimos, decís, dicen.

Drill: Practising DECIR
1 She says she is tired.
Translation: Dice que está cansada.

2 He says it’s cold.
Translation: Dice que hace frío.

3 We say it’s not true.
Translation: Decimos que no es verdad.

4 You [tú] tell the truth.
Translation: Dices la verdad.

5 They say it’s late.
Translation: Dicen que es tarde.

Verb number 4: Tener – to have:
This is how you conjugate the verb TENER in the present tense:

tengo – I have
tienes – you [tú] have
tiene – he/she/it has
tenemos – we have
tenéis – you [vosotros] have
tienen – they have

The six forms only in Spanish are: tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tenéis, tienen.

Drill: Practising TENER
1 I have three brothers.
Translation: Tengo tres hermanos.

2 We have a big house.
Translation: Tenemos una casa grande.

3 You [tú] have a red car.
Translation: Tienes un coche rojo.

4 You [vosotros] have many questions.
Translation: Tenéis muchas preguntas.

5 She has a new job.
Translation: Tiene un trabajo nuevo.

Find out more about my Spanish courses

Final Drill: Combining Ir, Hacer, Decir, and Tener
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 go to the library on Tuesdays.
Translation: Voy a la biblioteca los martes.

2 You [tú] do a good job.
Translation: Haces un buen trabajo.

3 He says it’s raining.
Translation: Dice que está lloviendo.

4 We have two dogs.
Translation: Tenemos dos perros.

5 They go to the cinema every weekend.
Translation: Van al cine todos los fines de semana.

6 She makes the beds.
Translation: Hace las camas.

7 You [tú] say it’s very warm.
Translation: Dices que hace mucho calor.

8 I have a meeting this afternoon.
Translation: Tengo una reunión esta tarde.

9 We go to the park in the morning.
Translation: Vamos al parque por la mañana.

10 You [tú] do your homework on Saturdays.
Translation: Haces tu tarea los sábados.

Find out more about my Spanish courses.