Spanish Language and Culture 10-3Y


4.4  Speaking  Preparation Activity


4.4 - Speaking Preparation Activity

The Verb Estar and the Expression Hay - Summary

Here are the present tense forms of the irregular verb estar (to be):

Singular Plural
Yo estoy Nosotros estamos
Nosotras estamos
Tú estás Vosotros estáis
Él está
Ella está
Usted está 		Ellos están
Ellas están
Ustedes están
The verb estar is used to tell location and to describe the current state or condition (such as feelings/temporary states) of someone or something.

Examples
¿Dónde está la mochila? → Where is the backpack?
María está triste. → María is sad. (temporary) 


The espression hay has two meanings, depending if it's singular or plural:   there is,  OR  there are.

Examples

Hay muchos libros en la biblioteca. → There are many books in the library.

You can also say: En la biblioteca hay muchos libros.

Hay una cama en el cuarto. → There is a bed in the room.

You can also say: En el cuarto hay una cama.

The word hay can also be used to form questions and answer questions.
Examples

¿Hay muchos libros en la biblioteca? → Are there many books in the library?

Sí, hay muchos libros en la biblioteca. → Yes, there are many books in the library.

¿Hay una cama en el cuarto? → Is there a bed in the room?

Sí, hay una cama en el cuarto. → Yes, there is a bed in the room.

Instructions

Record a practice speaking activity describing your house or apartment:
Is your house or apartment large or small? What color is it? How many bathrooms and bedrooms do you have? Describe what things are found in what rooms. Include 5 sentences - some with hay, some with a form of estar.
For example, you can use, "En mi casa hay..." or "La cama está en el cuarto."

If you would like feedback on this, email the mp3 sound file to your teacher.
If you are confident in your sentences, and pronunciation, just save this until the end of the unit.