Travel and Tourism - Vocabulary and the Preterite Tense
Talk about your past holidays in Spanish. Build your Travel and Tourism vocabulary and master the preterite tense (el preterito) - the regular endings and the key irregular fui.
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¡Bienvenido de vacaciones! ✈️
Examiners love hearing about your holidays - especially in the **past**. This module builds your Spanish Travel and Tourism vocabulary and teaches **el pretérito**, the tense you need to say what you DID on holiday. (A native speaker should review this module before launch.)
El vocabulario: viajes 🧳
Learn these travel words with their articles - the article tells you the gender.
Match the Spanish to the English 🔗
- el hotel
- la playa
- la montaña
- la maleta
- the hotel
- the beach
- the mountain
- the suitcase
La palabra correcta 🏖️
Which Spanish word means 'the beach'?
- la playa
- la montaña
- la maleta
- el hotel
El pretérito: la regla ⏮️
To talk about **completed past actions**, use el pretérito. The "yo" (I) endings are: - **-ar** verbs: **-é** -> visité (I visited), viajé (I travelled) - **-er / -ir** verbs: **-í** -> comí (I ate), salí (I went out) Watch the accent on the final letter! One key irregular verb: **ir/ser -> fui** (I went).
La forma "yo" 🎯
Complete: 'Yo ___ el museo' (I visited the museum). 'visitar' is an -ar verb. Which is the correct preterite?
- visité
- visito
- visitaré
- visitando
-ar vs -er / -ir ⚖️
The preterite endings depend on the verb group. Learn both patterns.
Verbos en pretérito ✅
Select the TWO verbs that are in the preterite (past) tense. (visité, fue, visito and voy mean I visited, he/she went, I visit and I go.)
- visité
- fue
- visito
- voy
Completa las frases 📝
El verano pasado fui de _____ a la _____. Me alojé en un _____. Viajé en _____ y llevé una _____ grande.
Match the infinitive to its "yo" preterite 🔁
- visitar
- viajar
- comer
- ir
- visité
- viajé
- comí
- fui
Forma el pretérito 🧩
To form the "yo" preterite: -ar verbs take the ending _____ (viajar -> viajé). -er and -ir verbs take _____ (comer -> comí). The verb ir is irregular: yo _____ (I went). The preterite describes a _____ action, and you must keep the _____ on the final vowel.
Construye la frase 🪜
An interactive activity.
Las vacaciones pasadas 🎬
An interactive activity.
The grade-9 habit 🌟
Three habits win marks in the preterite. First, get the **endings** right: -ar verbs take -é (visité), -er and -ir verbs take -í (comí, salí). Second, learn the key irregular: **ir/ser -> fui** (I went). Third - and easily missed - keep the **accent** on the final vowel: visité, viajó, comió. Endings, irregulars, accents.