This coloring page online is about an object whose name begins with the letter p of the Spanish alphabet. Do you know what the word is? Look at the drawing… yes! It is an umbrella, paraguas in Spanish. You can use the different colours on the left for the umbrella and the letters on the drawing. Combine the colours as you like and enjoy! Once you have finished, you can save or print it.
Spanish Spelling Bee Game Halloween Edition 1
Test your Spanish Spelling and learn vocabulary about Halloween in Spanish with this Spanish Spelling Bee Game Halloween Edition 1. Read the instructions before you start the game! ?
Instructions of this Spanish Spelling Bee about Halloween
- This spelling bee has five questions. You have to write the words you hear when you click the “Word” and/or “Spell” buttons. These words are related to Halloween. You have a “Clue” button for additional help. This clue may be a picture or a definition.
- You have 45 seconds to write each word. If you run out of time, that question will count as incorrect.
- In this spelling bee you can use both upper case or lower case letters. It does not mind. But you have to use accent marks if necessary. You can use the special character buttons for this.
- If you make more than two mistakes, the spelling bee ends.
- If you pass this spelling bee, you will get a certificate of completion. You can save it or print it for you! ☺
More games in Spanish about Halloween
More Spanish Spelling Bee Practice
Days of the week in Spanish 👉 Días de la semana
This time we are going to learn the seven days of the week in Spanish, los días de la semana.
| Días de la semana | Days of the week |
|---|---|
|
lunes |
Monday |
|
martes |
Tuesday |
|
miércoles |
Wednesday |
|
jueves |
Thursday |
|
viernes |
Friday |
|
sábado |
Saturday |
|
domingo |
Sunday |
Plurals in Spanish – El plural de los sustantivos en español
In Spanish there are singular nouns and plural nouns, like in other languages. This post is about plurals in Spanish and how to form them, seeing the general rule and also the different cases where there are changes in the spelling of plural nouns.
The singular refers to one person, animal or object → hombre, silla, perro, casa, coche…
The plural refers to more than one person, animal or object → hombres, sillas, perros, casas, coches…
But while English language has a single form in the definite and indefinite articles for both singular and plural (the, a, an), in Spanish we must change the articles to their plural forms:
Definite article:
la silla → las sillas
el coche → los coches
Indefinite article:
una casa → unas casas
un teléfono → unos teléfonos
How to form the plurals in Spanish
Generally, to form the plural of nouns in Spanish, we add -s or -es to word endings. We add -s if the ending of a word is a vowel and -es if the word ending is a consonant. See the following examples:
VOWEL ENDING → ADD -S
la casa → las casas
el oso → los osos
CONSONANT ENDING → ADD -ES
la ciudad → las ciudades
el ascensor → los ascensores
However, sometimes there are changes in the spelling of plural nouns in Spanish. We are going to learn the rules about how to form the plurals in Spanish depending on the ending or the noun: vowel or consonant.
Nouns ending in vowel
The writing of plurals in Spanish changes in the following cases:
Nouns ending in unstressed vowel (vocal átona) form its plural adding -s:
casa → casas
perro → perros
bolso → bolsos
Nouns ending in the stressed vowels (vocales tónicas) -a, -e, -o form their plural adding -s:
café → cafés
sofá → sofás
chalé → chalés
The names of musical notes: fa → fas, re → res, do → dos…
🔴 Exceptions:
no → noes (when it acts as a noun)
yo → yoes
Plurals of vowels a, e, o: a → aes, e → es/ees, o → oes
Nouns ending in the stressed vowels -í, -ú form their plural adding -es or -s.
If they are nouns of nationalities, the ending -es is preferred, specially if it is written.
iraní → iraníes (nationality)
In most nouns ending in -í, -ú, specially colloquial nouns, you can use the -s or -es ending since both are correct, but in spoken Spanish the -e- is usually omitted, so the -s ending is more common.
esquí → esquís, esquíes
tabú → tabús, tabúes
🔴 The nouns menú and champú always form their plural with -s ending. The -es ending is not valid for these cases.
menú → menús
champú → champús
Nouns ending in consonant
Nouns that end in consonants –d, -j, -l, -n, -r, -s, -z, -ch form the plural with -es.
ciudad → ciudades
árbol → árboles
canción → canciones
quehacer → quehaceres
marqués → marqueses
altavoz → altavoces
reloj → relojes
sándwich → sándwiches
Nouns that end in consonants -c, -g, -t form the plural adding a final -s.
el cómic → los cómics
el airbag → los airbags
el mamut → los mamuts
There are few words in Spanish that end in -b. The most common are club and web. The plural of club can be made ending with -s or -es: los clubs or los clubes.
However, the plural of web is made with -s: las webs. But if say las páginas web or los sitios web we do not add the final -s in web, since it has already been added to the noun página / sitio.
Note that nouns ending in -z change to a -ces ending in plural. 
el lápiz → los lápices.
While in singular we say el lápiz (the pencil), ending in Z, in plural we say los lápices (the pencils). We have changed the Z to a C. The sound of both letters is the same, but the spelling changes.
Nouns ending in -s and -x have an invariable plural if they are palabras llanas or palabras esdrújulas.
la crisis → las crisis
This rule does not apply to sustantivos agudos ending in -x:
el fax → los faxes
The days of the week in Spanish ending in -s do not change in plural.
el lunes → los lunes
el martes → los martes
el miércoles → los miércoles
el jueves → los jueves
el viernes → los viernes
Nouns ending in -y form the plural with -es.
el buey → los bueyes
Exception to this: nouns that are of foreign origin but have been adapted to Spanish. These make the plural with -s.
el espray → los espráis
This is a noun with foreign origin (spray), that has been adapted to Spanish, so we only add a final -s, not -es.
Nouns ending in a group of consonants make the plural with -s.
el iceberg → los icebergs
There are a few exceptions to this. The most common is test, since it remains invariable: el test, los test.
More about Spanish plural nouns
There are some more aspects to consider in relation to the plural of nouns in Spanish.
- Some nouns only have a plural form. These are called pluralia tantum. An example of this is the noun víveres (which means supplies or provisions).
- Some nouns only have a singular form. These are called singularia tantum. An example of this is the word sed (which means thirst).
- Nouns referred to objects made of two symmetrical parts may be in singular or plural, this does not matter because both refer to a single object:
la tijera = las tijeras (both refer to a single object).
la tenaza = las tenazas (both refer to a single object). - Some nouns always use a plural form to refer to a single object; e.g. las gafas
Online exercises about plurals in Spanish
Gender in Spanish – El género del sustantivo en español
This time we are going to cover the gender in Spanish. There are two genders (géneros) in Spanish language: masculine and feminine (masculino y femenino). There is no neutral gender in Spanish, so in this language nouns are either masculine or feminine.
How to find out gender in Spanish nouns
There are some general rules to determine the gender of Spanish nouns, but, as always, there are exceptions that make this topic a bit more challenging. But, in general, gender in Spanish may be a simple topic if you follow the general rules and keep in mind some of the most common exceptions.
Masculine nouns in Spanish (Sustantivos masculinos en español)
- In general, nouns ending in -o are masculine: el libro, el cielo, el bolígrafo.
There are some exceptions to this rule, these are the most common: la mano, la radio, la moto, la foto.
Note that the two last examples, moto and foto, are abbreviated nouns of motocicleta and fotografía. As you see, their complete nouns end in -a; they are feminine. The abbreviated nouns are colloquial and more used than the complete ones, specially la moto, which is much more common than la motocicleta. - Nouns ending in -aje are masculine: el viaje, el maquillaje, el peaje.
- Nouns ending in -ambre are generally masculine: el enjambre, el hambre, el calambre.
- Some nouns ending in -or are masculine: el amor, el motor, el profesor.
- Nouns ending in -án are masculine in general: el refrán, el albarán, el cancán.
- Many nouns ending in -ma are also masculine: el problema, el tema, el pijama.
- The compound names in Spanish that are formed by a verb and a noun are masculine: el sacacorchos (sacar + corchos), el paraguas (parar + aguas).
- The days of the week in Spanish are also masculine: el lunes, el martes, el miércoles, el jueves, el viernes, el sábado, el domingo.
- The colours in Spanish are masculine: el azul, el rojo, el verde, el amarillo…
- The cardinal points in Spanish are masculine too: el norte, el sur, el este, el oeste.
Feminine nouns in Spanish (Sustantivos femeninos en español)
- In general, nouns ending in -a are feminine: la casa, la vida, la taza.
- Nouns ending in -dad are feminine: la ciudad, la soledad, la verdad.
- Nouns ending in -tad are feminine: la libertad, la amistad, la pubertad.
- Nouns ending in -tud are feminine: la virtud, la senectud.
- Nouns ending in -ción and -sión are usually feminine: la estación, la revolución, la misión, la obsesión.
- The nouns ending in -itis are also feminine, and these are usually names of illnesses: la gingivitis, la apendicitis.
- Nouns ending in -umbre are feminine: la muchedumbre, la incertidumbre.
- Nouns ending in -ie are also feminine: la superficie, la calvicie.
Invariant nouns or common gender in Spanish (Sustantivos comunes en el género)
Some nouns in Spanish are invariable, that is, they are the same noun in both the masculine and feminine gender. These are known as invariant or invariable nouns, or common nouns regarding gender. This is the case of:
- Nouns ending in -ista: el / la artista.
- Nouns ending in -e like el / la paciente.
There are exceptions to this rule, since there are nouns ending in -e that do have a specific ending in -a for the feminine gender, like these:
el jefe – la jefa (but it is also valid la jefe) / el presidente – la presidenta (but is is also valid la presidente).
Although both are valid, if a word ending in -e has a specific ending in -a for the feminine gender, this is generally more used than the noun ending in -e with the feminine article. - Nouns ending in -a that are referred to people (this usually happens with some job names): el / la pediatra, el / la aristócrata, el / la logopeda.
- There are nouns that are always common in terms of gender, like the following:
- el / la piloto
- el / la testigo
- el / la conserje
Traditionally, the names of jobs only had a common gender (mostly with an -o ending), el / la arquitecto, for instance.
But, as time went by, these names stopped being common in terms of gender and split into masculine (-o ending) and feminine (-a ending): el arquitecto / la arquitecta.
Animals in Spanish Word Scramble 🐘 Fill the blanks
These six animal names are all mixed up. In this Animals in Spanish Word Scramble activity you have to look at the images and the mixed letters to find the Spanish name for each animal. Write the correct letters on the blank spaces that are below each animal and, once you have completed all the spaces, click on the Check button to see your result. If you fail, don’t worry, you can try again!
Spanish Tongue Twisters about Animals
Read this list of Spanish Tongue Twisters about animals to learn some of the most popular tongue twisters in Spanish related to animals. These will also help you practice your Spanish pronunciation and also the reading speed in this language.
1. Tres tristes tigres
Tres tristes tigres comen trigo en un trigal.
2. El cangrejo
El cangrejo se quedó perplejo al ver su reflejo en aquel espejo.
Spanish Spelling Bee Basic Level 2
Test your Spanish Spelling with this Spanish Spelling Bee Basic Level 2, which is a bit harder than the Spelling Bee 1 from the basic level, since this second one has time limit and more words to write.
Instructions of this Spelling Bee in Spanish
- This spelling bee has 10 questions. You have to write the ten words you hear when you click the “Word” and/or “Spell” buttons. You have a “Clue” button for additional help. This clue may be a picture, a definition…
- You have 45 seconds to write each word. If you run out of time, that question will count as incorrect.
- In this spelling bee you can use both upper case and lower case letters. It does not mind. But it is important to use the accent marks when needed. You can use the special character buttons for this.
- If you make more than three mistakes, the spelling bee ends.
- If you complete and pass the spelling bee, you will get a completion certificate. You can save or print it if you want. ?
More Spanish Spelling Bee Practice ?
Kitchen vocabulary in Spanish 🍴 La cocina en español
We are going to learn vocabulary about the kitchen in Spanish, la cocina, and also the names of the different appliances (called in Spanish electrodomésticos) and furniture you commonly find in this part of the house.
The first thing you need to know is how to say “the kitchen” in Spanish: la cocina.
Look at the following image and interact with it. Click on the different furniture and appliances of this kitchen: you will see their names and, in some cases, you will hear them too. After this image you can see an extended list of vocabulary that includes more useful words about the kitchen in Spanish with their translation into English.
Main parts of the kitchen in Spanish
el armario: cabinet
el cajón: drawer
el estante: shelf
la encimera: worktop
el frente de cocina / el salpicadero: splashback
el fregadero: sink
el grifo: tap
Kitchen appliances in Spanish
el frigorífico / la nevera: fridge
el congelador: freezer
el frigorífico congelador: fridge-freezer
la (placa) vitrocerámica: ceramic hob
el microondas: microwave oven
la tostadora / el tostador: toaster
el robot de cocina: food processor
el lavavajillas / el lavaplatos / el friegaplatos: dishwasher
el horno: oven
el extractor / la campana extractora: extractor
la batidora: blender
la batidora de mano: hand blender
la licuadora: juice extractor
el hervidor (de agua): kettle
Kitchen items in Spanish
el plato: plate
la cuchara: spoon
el tenedor: fork
la cucharilla (del café): teaspoon
el cuchillo: knife
el vaso: glass
la cristalería: glassware
la jarra: jug
la taza: mug
la taza de café: coffee cup
la taza de té: teacup
la tetera: teapot
el bol: bowl
la servilleta: napkin
el escurridor de platos: draining board
el escurridor: colander
el colador: sieve
la tabla para cortar: chopping board
el rallador: grater
el cucharón: ladle
la cuchara para servir: serving spoon
la espumadera: slotted spoon
el batidor de varillas: whisk
la espátula: spatula
la cuchara de madera: wooden spoon
el mortero: mortar
la sartén (ES), el sartén (AML): frying pan
el cazo: saucepan
la olla: cooking pot
la cazuela: casserole dish
el termo: thermos flask
la bandeja: tray
la bandeja de horno: baking tray
el molde para magdalenas: muffin tray
la manopla: oven glove
el agarrador: potholder
el delantal: apron
el rodillo (de cocina): rolling pin
la manga pastelera: piping bag
Spanish reading – Los sapeurs
Read the text and answer the questions below (soon).
Imagina que vas caminando por uno de los barrios más viejos y pobres de Brazzaville, la capital del Congo, y que te encuentras con un grupo de hombres congoleños vestidos con elegantes trajes, presumiendo de su sofisticado aspecto ante la atenta mirada del resto de personas, como si se tratara de un desfile de modelos. ¿Qué pensarías?
Puede que esta situación te parezca extraña e irreal, pero la realidad es que sucede en Congo desde hace casi 100 años. Estos hombres tan elegantes, conocidos como sapeurs, forman parte de un movimiento llamado “La Sape” (que significa “Sociedad de Ambientadores y Personas Elegantes”) que existe desde los años 20 y que unas décadas después se hizo más famoso gracias al músico Papa Wemba.
Puede que te estés preguntando por qué los sapeurs se visten así. Para comenzar a entender este fenómeno, debemos recordar la época colonial en África, concretamente cuando los franceses y los belgas comenzaron a llegar a los territorios del Congo. En aquellos tiempos querían cambiar muchas de las costumbres de los habitantes, como por ejemplo su ropa. En realidad, en aquella época los congoleños solían ir con muy poca ropa e incluso sin ella, y esto no gustaba a los europeos que vivían allí. Por esa razón decidieron traer ropa de segunda mano de ciudades europeas como París, para que los congoleños se vistieran con ella. Y con el paso del tiempo, a algunos de los habitantes comenzó a gustarles cada vez más la idea de vestir aquellas ropas europeas.
Hoy en día ser sapeur es mucho más que vestir un traje. No se trata de aparentar riqueza o de olvidar las costumbres locales. Ser sapeur es una actitud. Los sapeurs son personas normales, con sus propios trabajos y familias, que deciden ir vestidos de forma elegante en su tiempo libre. Además, intentan ser creativos en la moda, por lo que siempre están buscando nuevas formas de cambiar su indumentaria y sus peinados. Ser sapeur también se trata de compartir, pues entre ellos se prestan la ropa y la modifican, porque como dicen los integrantes de este movimiento, ser sapeur no significa ser rico y tener dinero para comprar ropa, sino que tiene que ver con cómo la persona viste la ropa y presume de su estilo.
¿Cómo crean sus nuevos estilos? Muchos dicen que buscan ideas en las revistas de moda y en los documentales. Su objetivo es sorprender con su estilo a las personas que los miran cuando van por la calle, porque dicen que así contagian la alegría. Actualmente para muchos congoleños ser sapeur es una tradición que comenzaron sus abuelos, y que en el futuro también seguirán sus hijos. Hay muchos ancianos dentro del movimiento de los sapeurs que son muy conocidos y que dicen sentirse muy jóvenes gracias al hecho de ser sapeur.
En definitiva, en los últimos años la popularidad de los sapeurs ha crecido bastante, sobre todo gracias a colectivos profesionales como el de los fotógrafos, ya que muchos de ellos han decidido retratar mediante fotografías la curiosa manera de vivir de estos hombres en las calles de Brazzaville. Algunos de estos fotógrafos son Héctor Mediavilla y Daniele Tamagni. Además, en 2014 los sapeurs fueron protagonistas de un anuncio de una popular marca de cerveza. Sin duda, el movimiento de los sapeurs es interesante y curioso, y no pasa inadvertido para el resto del mundo.
First exercise:
Questions