Resources for language teachers
Reference guides to the essentials of any lesson starter: months, days, time, the date, numbers, tongue twisters. Each one comes with a simple way to bring it to life in class.
Months in Spanish: list, pronunciation and a classroom routine
The twelve months, how to say them, the mistakes English speakers make, and a daily routine that makes them stick.
Seasons in Spanish: names, rules and when they start
Primavera, verano, otoño, invierno: pronunciation, gender, en verano, the southern hemisphere and a routine for class.
Days of the week in Spanish: list, pronunciation and classroom use
Lunes to domingo: pronunciation, the el / los rule, where the names come from, and a routine to practise them every lesson.
Weather in Spanish: hace, está, hay and how to give a forecast
Hace sol, está nublado, hay niebla, llueve: the three structures, temperatures, forecasts and the mistakes English speakers make.
Feelings in Spanish: emotions, estar and agreement
¿Cómo estás? Estoy contento, estoy contenta: the key emotion adjectives, agreement, ser or estar, and the traps for English speakers.
Telling the time in Spanish: rules, examples and a classroom routine
Es la una or son las dos, y media and menos cuarto, the 24-hour clock and regional variants, with a routine for the classroom.
Spanish festivals: dates and traditions through the year
Reyes, Fallas, Semana Santa, San Fermín, la Tomatina: Spain's festivals in calendar order, with exact dates and who gets the day off.
The date in Spanish: how to say it, write it and practise it
El + day + de + month + de + year: the pattern, the first of the month, the year, the questions, and a daily routine.
Numbers in Spanish: from 0 to a million, with the rules pupils get wrong
From cero to un millón: the lists, the spelling traps, agreement, and a daily five-number routine for the classroom.
Spanish irregular verbs: the essential list, patterns and a routine
Ser, ir, tener, hacer and the rest: full present and preterite tables, stem changes, -go verbs, and how to make them stick.
Seasons in French: names, au printemps and en été
Printemps, été, automne, hiver: silent letters, au printemps / en été, cet été, and a routine to use the seasons every lesson.
Spanish tongue twisters for the classroom, sorted by sound
Twelve traditional trabalenguas, sorted by the sound they work on, with literal translations and a routine for the start of lessons.
Months in French: list, pronunciation and a classroom routine
The twelve months in French, how to say them, the mistakes English speakers make, and a daily routine that makes them stick.
Weather in French: il fait, il pleut, il y a and forecasts
Il fait beau, il pleut, il y a du vent: the three structures, temperatures, forecasts, idioms and the mistakes pupils make.
Days of the week in French: list, pronunciation and classroom use
Lundi to dimanche: pronunciation, the lundi / le lundi rule, where the names come from, and a routine to practise them every lesson.
Emotions in French: ça va, feelings and agreement
Ça va ? Je suis content, je suis contente: emotion adjectives, spoken and silent agreement, avoir peur, and false friends.
French festivals and public holidays: dates and traditions
Jours fériés and traditions, from the galette des rois to the 14 Juillet: exact dates, moveable feasts and French-speaking countries.
Telling the time in French: rules, examples and a classroom routine
Il est trois heures: et quart, et demie, moins le quart, midi and minuit, the liaisons and the 24-hour clock, with a routine for the classroom.
French irregular verbs: conjugation tables, patterns and a routine
Être, avoir, aller, faire and the rest: full present tables, past participles, être verbs and the hidden patterns pupils can use.
The date in French: how to say it, write it and practise it
Le + number + month + year: the pattern, le premier, the year, the questions, and a daily routine for the classroom.
Numbers in French: from 0 to a million, soixante-dix and all
From zéro to un million: 70 to 99 explained, Belgian and Swiss variants, liaisons, spelling rules and a daily five-number routine.
The Spanish alphabet: letters, pronunciation and spelling in class
All 27 letters with their names and pronunciation, what happened to ch and ll, b or v, and routines to get pupils spelling aloud.
Colours in Spanish: list, agreement and classroom use
Rojo, azul, amarillo: the full list, how colours agree, why naranja barely changes, marrón or café, and idioms pupils enjoy.
French tongue twisters for the classroom, sorted by sound
Twelve traditional virelangues, sorted by the sound they work on, with literal translations and a routine for the start of lessons.
Greetings in Spanish: hello, goodbye, tú or usted, and a start-of-lesson routine
Hola, buenos días, hasta luego: greetings through the day, tú or usted, dos besos, and the ¿Qué tal? routine to open every lesson.
Spanish word of the day: a vocabulary routine for the classroom
How to choose the words, make pupils guess, get them reusing it and review it days later, with twenty ready-made Spanish words.
The French alphabet: letters, pronunciation, accents and spelling
The 26 letters with their French names, the accents, cédille, tréma and œ, the E/I and G/J traps, and how to get pupils spelling aloud.
Colours in French: list, agreement, pronunciation and idioms
Rouge, bleu, vert: the full list, how colours agree, why orange and marron never change, bleu clair, and the idioms pupils love.
Greetings in French: bonjour, salut, tu or vous, and a start-of-lesson routine
Bonjour, bonsoir, salut, au revoir: when to say what, tu or vous, la bise, and the Ça va ? routine to open every lesson.
French word of the day: a vocabulary routine for the classroom
How to choose the words, make pupils guess, get them reusing it and review it days later, with twenty ready-made French words.
Do Now activities for MFL: setting up a start-of-lesson routine
A five-minute Do Now in the target language: why it works, a structure that holds all year, pupil leaders, and the traps to avoid.
Getting the whole class speaking in MFL: choral response, cold calling and shy pupils
Choral response, thinking time, cold calling without fear, and ways to bring shy pupils into speaking, with Spanish and French examples.
Animals in Spanish: vocabulary list, pronunciation and a classroom routine
Pets, farm and wild animals in Spanish with their article, how to say them, the gender traps and a picture-based word of the day.
Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos): traditions, vocabulary and respectful lesson ideas
Ofrenda, cempasúchil, calaveras, La Catrina: Mexico's Day of the Dead explained accurately, with vocabulary and respectful lesson ideas.
Christmas in Spain: dates, traditions and Spanish vocabulary
El Gordo, Nochebuena, the twelve grapes and the Three Kings: Christmas in Spain date by date, with vocabulary and greetings.
Family in Spanish: vocabulary, possessives and a classroom routine
Family members in Spanish with their article and pronunciation, the possessives, the traps for English speakers and a daily routine.
Christmas in France: dates, traditions and French vocabulary
Réveillon, bûche de Noël, santons, galette des rois: Christmas in France date by date, with vocabulary and greetings for class.
Food in Spanish: vocabulary, meals and a classroom routine
Food and drink in Spanish with the article and pronunciation, meals in Spain, gustar, regional variants and a daily word of the day.
Classroom instructions in Spanish: teacher commands and pupil phrases
Escuchad, abrid el libro, ¿puedo ir al baño?: the core Spanish classroom instructions, with tú, vosotros and ustedes forms and pupil phrases.
Clothes in Spanish: vocabulary, llevar and a classroom routine
Clothes in Spanish with the article and pronunciation, regional variants, llevar, colour agreement and a picture-based word of the day.
Classroom instructions in French: teacher commands and pupil phrases
Écoutez, ouvrez vos cahiers, je peux aller aux toilettes ?: the core French classroom instructions, with vous and tu forms and pupil phrases.
Parts of the body in Spanish: vocabulary, doler and a classroom routine
Parts of the body in Spanish with the article and pronunciation, how to say what hurts, the gender traps and a daily routine.
Animals in French: vocabulary list, pronunciation and a classroom routine
Pets, farm and wild animals in French with their article, how to say them, the plurals in -aux and a picture-based word of the day.
Prepositions in Spanish: place, time, and por or para
En, a, de, debajo de, por or para: the Spanish prepositions of place and time, and the traps English speakers fall into.
Family in French: vocabulary, possessives and a classroom routine
Family members in French with their article and pronunciation, the possessives, the step-family words and a daily routine.
Prepositions in French: place, time, countries and à, en, dans, chez
Dans, sur, sous, à côté de, à, en, au, chez: the French prepositions of place and time, countries and towns, and the classic traps.
Food in French: vocabulary, meals and a classroom routine
Food and drink in French with the article and pronunciation, the partitive, meal names across the French-speaking world and a daily routine.
Spanish pronouns: subject pronouns, tú or usted, and object pronouns
Yo, tú, él, usted, vosotros, ustedes: Spanish subject pronouns, when to leave them out, object pronouns and word order.
Clothes in French: vocabulary, porter and a classroom routine
Clothes in French with the article and pronunciation, porter and mettre, colour agreement, false friends and a daily word of the day.
French pronouns: subject pronouns, tu or vous, on, and object pronouns
Je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous, ils, elles: French subject pronouns, tu or vous, the many uses of on, and object pronouns.
Parts of the body in French: vocabulary, avoir mal and a classroom routine
Parts of the body in French with the article and pronunciation, irregular plurals, how to say what hurts and a daily routine.
Ser vs estar: rules, exceptions and adjectives that change meaning
Soy or estoy? The rules of ser and estar, the exceptions that trip pupils up, and the adjectives that change meaning: listo, aburrido, rico…
The Spanish present tense: regular endings, irregular verbs and uses
Hablo, como, vivo: the regular present tense endings, the irregular verbs that matter, and what the Spanish present really means.
The French present tense: -er, -ir and -re verbs, irregulars and uses
Je parle, je finis, je vends: regular endings, the -er spelling traps, the irregulars that matter, and how to ask and negate.
The Spanish preterite: regular endings, irregular verbs and when to use it
Hablé, comí, viví, fui, tuve, hice: preterite endings, the irregulars that matter, and when to choose it over the imperfect.
The French perfect tense (passé composé): avoir, être and agreement
J'ai mangé, je suis allé(e): avoir or être, irregular past participles, DR MRS VANDERTRAMP and the agreement rules, clearly set out.
Jobs in Spanish: vocabulary list, feminine forms and a classroom routine
Jobs in Spanish with their masculine and feminine forms, how to say them, the no-article rule after ser and a word of the day routine.
Sports in Spanish: vocabulary, jugar, hacer, practicar and a classroom routine
Sports in Spanish with their article and pronunciation, jugar al fútbol versus hacer natación, regional words and a word of the day routine.
School subjects in Spanish: vocabulary, opinions and a classroom routine
School subjects in Spanish with their article and pronunciation, opinions with gustar, school words and a word of the day routine.
The house in Spanish: rooms, furniture and a classroom routine
Rooms and furniture in Spanish with their article and pronunciation, hay versus está, where things are, and a word of the day routine.
Classroom objects in Spanish: school supplies, pencil case and a classroom routine
Pencil case and classroom objects in Spanish with their article and pronunciation, how to ask to borrow things and a word of the day.
Jobs in French: vocabulary list, feminine forms and a classroom routine
Jobs in French with their masculine and feminine forms, how to say them, the no-article rule after être and a word of the day routine.
Sports in French: vocabulary, jouer à, faire de and a classroom routine
Sports in French with their article and pronunciation, jouer au foot versus faire de la natation, the negative and a word of the day.
School subjects in French: vocabulary, opinions and a classroom routine
School subjects in French with their article and pronunciation, opinions, timetable phrases, school years and a word of the day.
The house in French: rooms, furniture and a classroom routine
Rooms and furniture in French with their article and pronunciation, il y a, chez moi, prepositions of place and a word of the day.
Classroom objects in French: school supplies, pencil case and a classroom routine
Pencil case and classroom objects in French with their article and pronunciation, how to borrow things, false friends and a word of the day.
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All these rituals, ready every morning.
VocaDial projects the date, the time, a number, the word of the day or a tongue twister at the start of every lesson, at your class’s level.