Spanish A1.1 Listening Practice: First Cognate Sentence
Spanish A1 listening practice with audio, transcript, key phrases, and a speaking challenge for first cognate sentence.
Podcast listening is in beta while creation and discussion tools are refined. This published chapter includes its complete segmented audio and transcript.
Level
A1.1
Audio
Segmented audio
Transcript
21 segments
What to notice while you listen
What you'll understand
Build short guided Spanish sentences from one new pattern at a time.
Use es plus one transparent -al word to build an original spoken Spanish answer.
New pattern
es plus one transparent -al word
Practice aloud after listening
Es normal.
A short Spanish listening chapter with transcript.
Unit 1: add es plus one transparent -al word to what you already control, then say one short answer that reuses earlier Spanish instead of starting from a memorized phrase.
Read while you listen.
1. Carmen · Teacher
Welcome back! Today we are learning how to build your very first cognate sentence in Spanish using the word 'normal'. Let's listen to Lucía and Álvaro in a quick conversation.
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2. Lucía · Native Speaker 2
¿El tráfico es normal?
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3. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Sí, Lucía, es normal.
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4. Lucía · Native Speaker 2
¿El menú es normal?
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5. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Sí, todo es normal.
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6. Lucía · Native Speaker 2
Ah, es normal.
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7. Carmen · Teacher
Lucía started by asking Álvaro: '¿El tráfico es normal?' which means 'Is the traffic normal?'. Notice how 'normal' is spelled and used just like in English.
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8. Diego · Student
So words ending in -al like 'normal' sound almost identical in Spanish?
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9. Carmen · Teacher
Exactly, Diego! Many words ending in -al are perfect cognates.
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10. Carmen · Teacher
Next, Álvaro answered: 'Sí, Lucía, es normal.' This means 'Yes, Lucía, it is normal.'
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11. Diego · Student
Does 'es' mean 'it is' here?
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12. Carmen · Teacher
Yes, 'es' means 'is' or 'it is', making 'es normal' a full sentence on its own.
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13. Carmen · Teacher
Lucía then asked: '¿El menú es normal?' meaning 'Is the menu normal?'
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14. Diego · Student
Is 'menú' another transparent word I can rely on?
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15. Carmen · Teacher
It sure is! It works just like 'menu' in English.
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16. Carmen · Teacher
Álvaro replied: 'Sí, todo es normal.' which means 'Yes, everything is normal.'
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17. Diego · Student
What does 'todo' mean in this context?
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18. Carmen · Teacher
'Todo' means 'everything' or 'all'.
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19. Carmen · Teacher
Finally, Lucía said: 'Ah, es normal.' which simply means 'Ah, it's normal.'
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20. Diego · Student
Can I use 'es normal' whenever something isn't a surprise?
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21. Carmen · Teacher
Absolutely! 'Es normal' is a great go-to phrase in everyday conversation. Great job today!
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