{"id":93,"date":"2026-09-30T17:09:07","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:09:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leweb2ks.dev\/vitrine-vocadial\/en\/resources\/classroom-instructions-in-spanish\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T17:09:07","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:09:07","slug":"classroom-instructions-in-spanish","status":"publish","type":"vd_ressource","link":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/resources\/classroom-instructions-in-spanish\/","title":{"rendered":"Classroom instructions in Spanish: teacher commands and pupil phrases"},"content":{"rendered":"

One pupil or the whole class?<\/h2>\n\n

Spanish instructions change with the person you speak to. This is the first choice to make, and the one textbooks sometimes blur.<\/p>\n\n

  1. One pupil: t\u00fa<\/span>.<\/strong> Escucha.<\/span> Abre el libro.<\/span> Si\u00e9ntate.<\/span><\/li>
  2. The whole class in Spain: vosotros<\/span>.<\/strong> Escuchad.<\/span> Abrid el libro.<\/span> Sentaos.<\/span><\/li>
  3. The whole class in Latin America: ustedes<\/span>.<\/strong> Escuchen.<\/span> Abran el libro.<\/span> Si\u00e9ntense.<\/span> This form is also used in the Canary Islands and parts of Andalusia.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

    Choose the variety your scheme of work teaches and stick to it in your instructions; you can mention the other form when it comes up. Most UK textbooks teach Castilian Spanish, with vosotros<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n

    Teacher instructions<\/h2>\n\n
    To the class (Spain)<\/th>To one pupil<\/th>To the class (Latin America)<\/th>English<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    Escuchad.<\/td>Escucha.<\/td>Escuchen.<\/td>Listen.<\/td><\/tr>
    Mirad la pizarra.<\/td>Mira la pizarra.<\/td>Miren la pizarra.<\/td>Look at the board.<\/td><\/tr>
    Repetid.<\/td>Repite.<\/td>Repitan.<\/td>Repeat.<\/td><\/tr>
    Abrid el libro.<\/td>Abre el libro.<\/td>Abran el libro.<\/td>Open your books.<\/td><\/tr>
    Cerrad el libro.<\/td>Cierra el libro.<\/td>Cierren el libro.<\/td>Close your books.<\/td><\/tr>
    Sacad el cuaderno.<\/td>Saca el cuaderno.<\/td>Saquen el cuaderno.<\/td>Get your exercise books out.<\/td><\/tr>
    Guardad las cosas.<\/td>Guarda las cosas.<\/td>Guarden las cosas.<\/td>Put your things away.<\/td><\/tr>
    Leed.<\/td>Lee.<\/td>Lean.<\/td>Read.<\/td><\/tr>
    Escribid la fecha.<\/td>Escribe la fecha.<\/td>Escriban la fecha.<\/td>Write the date.<\/td><\/tr>
    Levantad la mano.<\/td>Levanta la mano.<\/td>Levanten la mano.<\/td>Put your hand up.<\/td><\/tr>
    Sentaos.<\/td>Si\u00e9ntate.<\/td>Si\u00e9ntense.<\/td>Sit down.<\/td><\/tr>
    Levantaos.<\/td>Lev\u00e1ntate.<\/td>Lev\u00e1ntense.<\/td>Stand up.<\/td><\/tr>
    Trabajad en parejas.<\/td>Trabaja con tu compa\u00f1ero.<\/td>Trabajen en parejas.<\/td>Work in pairs.<\/td><\/tr>
    Venid aqu\u00ed.<\/td>Ven aqu\u00ed.<\/td>Vengan aqu\u00ed.<\/td>Come here.<\/td><\/tr>
    Silencio, por favor.<\/td>Silencio, por favor.<\/td>Silencio, por favor.<\/td>Quiet, please.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

    For exercises, the same verbs come back: completad<\/span> (fill in), unid<\/span> (match), subrayad<\/span> (underline), contestad a las preguntas<\/span> (answer the questions), traducid<\/span> (translate).<\/p>\n\n

    And for feedback: \u00a1Muy bien!<\/span>, \u00a1Excelente!<\/span>, \u00a1Casi!<\/span> (nearly), Otra vez<\/span> (again), M\u00e1s alto<\/span> (louder), \u00a1Venga!<\/span> (come on, in Spain).<\/p>\n\n

    How the imperative works<\/h2>\n\n
    1. T\u00fa<\/span>: the present tense minus the s.<\/strong> escuchas<\/span> \u2192 escucha<\/span>, lees<\/span> \u2192 lee<\/span>, repites<\/span> \u2192 repite<\/span>. Stem changes stay: cierra<\/span>, repite<\/span>.<\/li>
    2. Eight irregular t\u00fa<\/span> forms.<\/strong> ven<\/span> (come), di<\/span> (say), haz<\/span> (do), pon<\/span> (put), sal<\/span> (go out), ten<\/span> (have), ve<\/span> (go), s\u00e9<\/span> (be).<\/li>
    3. Vosotros<\/span>: the infinitive with d instead of r.<\/strong> escuchar<\/span> \u2192 escuchad<\/span>, leer<\/span> \u2192 leed<\/span>, abrir<\/span> \u2192 abrid<\/span>. No exceptions.<\/li>
    4. Reflexive vosotros<\/span> forms lose the d.<\/strong> sentad<\/span> + os<\/span> \u2192 sentaos<\/span>; levantaos<\/span>, callaos<\/span>. The colloquial form “sentaros” is very common in Spain but is not standard. The one exception, idos<\/span> (go away), is rarely needed in class.<\/li>
    5. Ustedes<\/span>: the present subjunctive.<\/strong> escuchen<\/span>, abran<\/span>, saquen<\/span>, vengan<\/span>.<\/li>
    6. Pronouns attach to positive commands.<\/strong> si\u00e9ntate<\/span>, \u00e1brelo<\/span>: note the written accent that keeps the stress in place.<\/li>
    7. Negative commands use the subjunctive.<\/strong> No hables.<\/span> No habl\u00e9is.<\/span> No hablen.<\/span> (“Don’t talk.”)<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

      You don’t need to teach all of this at KS2 or early KS3. Pupils can learn the classroom commands as fixed phrases first and discover the pattern later, when the imperative comes up in the course.<\/p>\n\n

      Pupil phrases<\/h2>\n\n
      Spanish<\/th>English<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
      \u00bfPuedo ir al ba\u00f1o?<\/td>Can I go to the toilet?<\/td><\/tr>
      \u00bfC\u00f3mo se dice “ruler” en espa\u00f1ol?<\/td>How do you say “ruler” in Spanish?<\/td><\/tr>
      \u00bfQu\u00e9 significa “cuaderno”?<\/td>What does “cuaderno” mean?<\/td><\/tr>
      No entiendo.<\/td>I don’t understand.<\/td><\/tr>
      \u00bfPuede repetir, por favor?<\/td>Can you repeat, please?<\/td><\/tr>
      M\u00e1s despacio, por favor.<\/td>More slowly, please.<\/td><\/tr>
      \u00bfC\u00f3mo se escribe?<\/td>How do you spell it?<\/td><\/tr>
      \u00bfEn qu\u00e9 p\u00e1gina?<\/td>On what page?<\/td><\/tr>
      Tengo una pregunta.<\/td>I have a question.<\/td><\/tr>
      He terminado.<\/td>I’ve finished.<\/td><\/tr>
      No tengo bol\u00edgrafo.<\/td>I haven’t got a pen.<\/td><\/tr>
      \u00bfMe prestas una regla?<\/td>Can you lend me a ruler? (to a classmate)<\/td><\/tr>
      Perd\u00f3n, llego tarde.<\/td>Sorry I’m late.<\/td><\/tr>
      Me toca a m\u00ed.<\/td>It’s my turn.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

      Regional notes: in Spain you also hear \u00bfPuedo ir al servicio?<\/span>. He terminado<\/span> is the usual form in Spain, Termin\u00e9<\/span> in most of Latin America. A pen is un boli<\/span> (from bol\u00edgrafo<\/span>) in Spain, una pluma<\/span> in Mexico and una lapicera<\/span> in Argentina.<\/p>\n\n

      T\u00fa or usted to the teacher?<\/h3>\n\n

      \u00bfPuede repetir?<\/span> uses usted<\/span>; \u00bfPuedes repetir?<\/span> uses t\u00fa<\/span>. In Spain, many secondary pupils address their teachers as t\u00fa<\/span> and by first name or as profe<\/span>; in much of Latin America pupils use usted<\/span>. In a UK classroom, Se\u00f1or<\/span>, Se\u00f1ora<\/span> or Se\u00f1orita<\/span> with a surname is a UK convention rather than a Spanish one, but it works well: just make pupils use the verb form you have chosen consistently.<\/p>\n\n

      Typical mistakes of English-speaking learners<\/h2>\n\n
      • T\u00fa forms to the whole class:<\/strong> Escucha<\/span> to thirty pupils. Use escuchad<\/span> or escuchen<\/span>.<\/li>
      • “Sentado” for “sit down”:<\/strong> sentado<\/span> means “seated”. You will hear \u00a1Todos sentados!<\/span> as a colloquial order, but the imperative is si\u00e9ntate<\/span>, sentaos<\/span> or si\u00e9ntense<\/span>.<\/li>
      • Missing accents:<\/strong> si\u00e9ntate<\/span>, lev\u00e1ntate<\/span>, \u00bfQu\u00e9 significa?<\/span><\/li>
      • Upside-down question marks forgotten:<\/strong> \u00bfPuedo ir al ba\u00f1o?<\/span><\/li>
      • “\u00bfPuedo ir a el ba\u00f1o?”:<\/strong> a + el contracts to al<\/span>.<\/li>
      • “\u00bfC\u00f3mo se dice en espa\u00f1ol ruler?”:<\/strong> put the word before en espa\u00f1ol<\/span>.<\/li>
      • Pronunciation:<\/strong> the final d of escuchad<\/span> is soft and often barely heard; the j of trabajad<\/span> is the throaty sound of “loch”.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n

        In class: building a target-language classroom<\/h2>\n\n

        Classroom language is the Spanish your pupils hear most often, so it pays to install it deliberately.<\/p>\n\n

        1. Start with ten to twelve core phrases: five instructions, five pupil requests. Display them on the wall with a picture for each.<\/li>
        2. Give each instruction a gesture: a hand behind the ear for escuchad<\/span>, opening hands for abrid el libro<\/span>.<\/li>
        3. Add one new phrase a week, and make it the phrase of the week.<\/li>
        4. Expect pupil requests in Spanish: \u00bfPuedo ir al ba\u00f1o?<\/span> is the most motivating sentence in any language.<\/li>
        5. Hand over the role: a pupil gives the instructions at the start of the lesson, or leads a round of Sim\u00f3n dice<\/span>.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

          Keep English for safeguarding, for anything that needs to be understood with certainty, and for short explanations when Spanish would only confuse. The aim is not an English-free lesson but a room where Spanish is the natural language of routine.<\/p>\n\n

          Adapting to your class<\/h3>\n\n
          • A1<\/b>Understand and follow ten instructions; ask to go to the toilet in Spanish.<\/li>
          • A2<\/b>Use all the pupil phrases unprompted; add por favor<\/span> and gracias<\/span> every time.<\/li>
          • B1<\/b>Give instructions to the class: a pupil runs the starter using vosotros<\/span> or ustedes<\/span>.<\/li>
          • B2<\/b>Negotiate in Spanish: \u00bfPodr\u00edamos trabajar en grupos?<\/span> \u00bfNos puede dar m\u00e1s tiempo?<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n

            At KS2, the commands are best learnt through songs and games. At KS3, make pupil requests in Spanish a class expectation. At GCSE, classroom Spanish becomes the vehicle for discussing tasks, opinions and school itself.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Escuchad, abrid el libro, \u00bfpuedo ir al ba\u00f1o?: the core Spanish classroom instructions, with t\u00fa, vosotros and ustedes forms and pupil phrases.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"menu_order":24,"template":"","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Classroom Instructions in Spanish: Key Phrases | VocaDial","_seopress_titles_desc":"Spanish classroom language: teacher instructions for one pupil or the whole class (t\u00fa, vosotros, ustedes), pupil phrases, and how to teach in Spanish.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"_vd_topic":"consignes","_vd_target":"es","_vd_module":"","_vd_level":"A1","_vd_minutes":"7","_vd_card_word":"\u00a1Escuchad!","_vd_answer":"Classroom instructions in Spanish use the imperative. To one pupil: escucha<\/span>, mira<\/span>, abre el libro<\/span>, si\u00e9ntate<\/span>. To the whole class in Spain: escuchad<\/span>, mirad<\/span>, abrid el libro<\/span>, sentaos<\/span>; in Latin America: escuchen<\/span>, miren<\/span>, abran el libro<\/span>, si\u00e9ntense<\/span>. Pupils ask \u00bfPuedo ir al ba\u00f1o?<\/span>, \u00bfC\u00f3mo se dice\u2026?<\/span> and No entiendo<\/span>.","_vd_faq":"[{\"q\":\"How do you say \\\"Can I go to the toilet?\\\" in Spanish?\",\"a\":\"\u00bfPuedo ir al ba\u00f1o?<\\\/span> In Spain you will also hear \u00bfPuedo ir al servicio?<\\\/span>\"},{\"q\":\"What is the difference between escucha, escuchad and escuchen?\",\"a\":\"Escucha<\\\/span> is to one pupil (t\u00fa<\\\/span>), escuchad<\\\/span> to a group in Spain (vosotros<\\\/span>), escuchen<\\\/span> to a group in Latin America or formally (ustedes<\\\/span>).\"},{\"q\":\"How do you say \\\"sit down\\\" in Spanish?\",\"a\":\"Si\u00e9ntate<\\\/span> to one pupil, sentaos<\\\/span> to the class in Spain, si\u00e9ntense<\\\/span> in Latin America. \\\"Sentaros\\\" is common in speech but not standard.\"},{\"q\":\"How do you say \\\"I don't understand\\\" in Spanish?\",\"a\":\"No entiendo<\\\/span>, or No lo entiendo<\\\/span> (I don't understand it). Follow with \u00bfPuede repetir, por favor?<\\\/span>\"},{\"q\":\"Should I use vosotros or ustedes with my class?\",\"a\":\"Use the form of the Spanish your course teaches. Most UK textbooks use Castilian Spanish, so vosotros<\\\/span>; if you teach Latin American Spanish, use ustedes<\\\/span>.\"}]","_vd_key":"consignes-es","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-93","vd_ressource","type-vd_ressource","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource\/93","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/vd_ressource"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource\/93\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}