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Year 10
AQA

Aprender un idioma: 'hay que', 'se puede', 'se necesita', 'se debe'

I can make suggestions about how to learn Spanish using 'hay que', 'se debe', 'se puede' and 'se necesita'.

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New
New
Year 10
AQA

Aprender un idioma: 'hay que', 'se puede', 'se necesita', 'se debe'

I can make suggestions about how to learn Spanish using 'hay que', 'se debe', 'se puede' and 'se necesita'.

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. Impersonal verbs don’t refer to a particular person or thing.
  2. Common impersonal verb phrases in Spanish are 'hay que', 'se puede', 'se necesita' and 'se debe'.
  3. To make suggestions to someone, use 'hay que', 'se puede', 'se necesita' or 'se debe' followed by an infinitive verb.
  4. Passive sentences focus on what is done rather than who does it.
  5. In Spanish, passive sentences can be formed using reflexive pronoun 'se' + 3rd person singular or plural verb.

Keywords

  • Impersonal verb - verb that doesn't refer to a particular person or thing

  • Se - pronoun used for impersonal verbs and also in reflexive passive constructions

  • Infinitive - form of the verb giving its general meaning, with no subject or tense

  • Passive - grammatical construction that focuses on what is done rather than who does it

Common misconception

To mean 'you' in an impersonal, general sense use 'tú'.

'Tú' means 'you' when directed at a specific person. To mean 'you' in an impersonal, general sense use 'se' e.g. 'se puede' (you can).


To help you plan your year 10 spanish lesson on: Aprender un idioma: 'hay que', 'se puede', 'se necesita', 'se debe', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Learning Cycle 3 contains Higher Tier grammar. Task B1a provides a good opportunity for the use of mini-whiteboards to check students' translations in real time.
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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which word means 'there'?
Correct answer: ahí
hay
típico
tarde
todo
Q2.
Match the Spanish and English.
Correct Answer:aprender,to learn, learning
tick

to learn, learning

Correct Answer:jugar,to play, playing
tick

to play, playing

Correct Answer:hacer,to do, doing
tick

to do, doing

Correct Answer:practicar,to practise, practising
tick

to practise, practising

Correct Answer:publicar,to publish, publishing
tick

to publish, publishing

Correct Answer:usar,to use, using
tick

to use, using

Q3.
Match the Spanish and English.
Correct Answer:baloncesto (m),basketball
tick

basketball

Correct Answer:deberes (mpl),homework
tick

homework

Correct Answer:frase (f),sentence
tick

sentence

Correct Answer:papel (m),paper
tick

paper

Correct Answer:peligro (m),danger
tick

danger

Correct Answer:pregunta (f),question
tick

question

Q4.
Order the words to say: 'I don't like going to the theme park'.
1 - no
2 - me
3 - gusta
4 - ir
5 - al
6 - parque
7 - temático
Q5.
Write in English: 'trabajamos en un laboratorio'.
Correct Answer: We work in a laboratory., We work in a lab.
Q6.
Write in Spanish: 'they do an exercise'.
Correct Answer: Hacen un ejercicio., Ellos hacen un ejercicio., Ellas hacen un ejercicio.

6 Questions

Q1.
Which phrases mean 'you must' in general?
Correct answer: hay que
Correct answer: se debe
tú debes
se necesita
se puede
Q2.
Order the words to say: 'you can revise the words with friends'.
1 - se
2 - puede
3 - repasar
4 - las
5 - palabras
6 - con
7 - amigos
Q3.
Match the sentence halves.
Correct Answer:se vende,comida
tick

comida

Correct Answer:se necesita,ayuda
tick

ayuda

Correct Answer:se construye,una escuela
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una escuela

Correct Answer:se venden,revistas
tick

revistas

Correct Answer:se necesitan,profesores
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profesores

Correct Answer:se construyen,casas
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casas

Q4.
Write in English: 'se sirve desayuno'.
Correct Answer: Breakfast is served.
Q5.
Write in Spanish: 'you can read the text'. Use an impersonal verb.
Correct Answer: Se puede leer el texto.
Q6.
Write in Spanish: 'you must not take drugs'. Use an impersonal verb.
Correct Answer: No se debe tomar drogas.

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