Learn Spanish through Play: AT THE PARK // Actions (Verbs)

by | Jul 9, 2013 | Learn Spanish with Play

In this post we learn about Spanish action words (verbs) that we use at the park.

What’s playing at the park without lots of action!?  And what is language without verbs?  Just think how that last sentence would sound if we did not have verbs: And what language without verbs?
I am Kali would become I Kali.
We ran around the park would become We around park.
I like to swing would become I like.

You get the idea.  Verbs compose a major part of what we like to express through language on a daily basis.  In Spanish, verbs can seem a little tricky–compared to English verbs they seem more complex and complicated.  So for this exercise we are going to stick to the infinitive and the gerund forms of the verbs.  Do not let those grammar terms scare you away.  Just trust me that those two forms are the easiest to use when starting to learn Spanish.  You can learn how to use them below, and you will simply plug words into a formula.  I promise you can do it!!!

Here are the verbs we used on this particular trip to the park. (Pronunciation guide provided at the end.)

Esconder = to hide
Deslizar = to slide 
Sentarse = to sit
Columpiar = to swing
Escalar = to climb (a mountain)
Subir = to climb / to get up on
Bajar = to get down / to go down
Tocar = to play (an instrument)
Jugar = to play (a game, or just play in general)

When you look at these vocab pictures, notice the verb is written in blue in two forms.  The capitalized one is the infinitive, which in English is when we say verbs with the word “to” before them.  For example “I like to swing.”  To swing is in the infinitive because like is also a verb.  Does that make sense?  So basically, when two verbs go walking, the second one is in the infinitive.  This happens because the subject of the sentence (in our case above the subject is I) is already doing one action, in our case, the subject is liking something–doing the action of liking.  So the second action needs to play a supporting role, and we call that supporting role the infinitive.

If all of this grammar hurts your head, just scroll down to the part where I give you the sentence formula, and you can plug the words in where needed without thinking about it.  My brain, however, likes to ask “Why??” so every now-and-then I answer the whys of grammar for those of you who are like me!  (This is why math never worked for me, because I wanted to know why we do that in algebra, and you cannot really understand that without trigonometry or physics or whatever.)

Back to the park.  So the capitalized word is the verb in its infinitive form and the verb in lower case is in its gerund form.  The gerund is like our English -ing form: walking, riding, playing, swinging.  Here are some sentences you can plug these new words into!

For the first set you use the infinitive (the verbs in caps), and for the second set you use the gerund (the verbs in lower case).

¿Quieres ___________?  (key-AIR-ehs ______________?)
Do you want _______________?
Quiero ___________________.  (key-AIR-oh _____________.)
I want __________________.


Estás ________________.  (ehs-TAHS _______________.)
You are ________________.
Estoy __________________.  (ehs-TOY _________________.)
I am ____________________.
Try some of these sample sentences:
¿Quieres COLUMPIAR?       (Do you want to slide?
¡Sí! Quiero COLUMPIAR.       (Yes!  I want to slide.)
Estás deslizando.        (You are sliding.)
Estoy escalando.        (I am climbing.)
Refer to the guide below for help with pronunciation.  Feliz parking!
Spanish
Pronunciation
English
esconder
ehs-cohn-DEHR
to hide
escondiendo
ehs-cohn-dee-EHN-doh
hiding
deslizar
dehs-lee-SAHR
to slide
deslizando
dehs-lee-SAHN-doh
sliding
sentarse
sehn-TAHR-say
to sit
sentándote
sehn-TAHN-doh-tay
siting
columpiar
koh-loom-pee-AHR
to swing
columpiando
koh-loom-pee-AHN-doh
swinging
escalar
ehs-kah-LAHR
to climb (a mountain)
escalando
ehs-kah-LAHN-doh
climbing
subir
soo-BEER
to climb (steps, or get up on)
subiendo
soo-bee-EHN-doh
climbing
bajar
bah-HAHR
to get down, to go down
bajando
bah-HAHN-doh
getting down, going down
tocar
toh-KAHR
to play (an instrument)
tocando
toh-KAHN-doh
playing
jugar
who-GAHR
to play (a game or play in general)
jugando
who-GAHN-doh
playing
Kali Carollo

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