Subject Guides: Academic Success Center (ASC): Languages

Need Tutoring in Spanish or French?

The ASC does not currently offer Languages tutoring. You can utilize 24/7 Tutoring services for support in languages.

Spanish

Worksheet #1
Practice grammar using this worksheet which covers: vocabulary, "hay", math, opposites, adjectives, definite & indefinite articles, singular and plural forms, and SER.
Worksheet #2
Practice grammar using this worksheet which covers: classes, family, "tener", adjectives, and -ar verbs.
Worksheet #3
Practice grammar using this worksheet which covers: time, days of the week, weather, clothes, seasons, -er/-ir verbs, "gustar", stem-changing verbs, and question asking.
Worksheet #4
Practice grammar using this worksheet which covers: activities, places, descriptions, home appliances, "estar", future tense, and adjectives.
Worksheet #5
Practice grammar using this worksheet which covers: emotions, professions, activities, present progressive, present tense, "ser" and "estar", irregular verbs, "saber" vs. "conocer."

Adjectives
Practice using adjectives in Spanish
Adjetivos antes y después del sustantivo
Visual that explains how Spanish adjectives' meanings change when placed before or after a noun.
Anglicismos y sus equivalentes
Source: profedeele.es. A graphic presenting some common Anglicisms and native Spanish words that can replace them.
ASC Spanish Anglicisms and their equivalents
Explains the legitimate use of Anglicisms and how they are not ineffective.
ASC Spanish common errors
Highlights some common errors of heritage speakers including masculine words ending with -a, orthographic rules, and false friends.
Conjugations
Learn how to conjugate in the present, preterite, imperfect, and future tense.
Definite & Indefinite Articles
Learn some tips and practice using definite and indefinite articles.
Definite Articles Worksheet
Use this resource to practice definite article use.
Demonstrative Adjectives
A brief overview to demonstrative adjectives and demonstrative pronouns used to express the position of something somewhere in space/time. Includes practice exercises.
Gender of Nouns (Indefinite Articles)
Learn how to use indefinite articles.
Gerunds
A guide to the formation of gerundios, or gerunds in Spanish to demonstrate a continuous action.
Irregular Verbs- Preterite
This resource shows the different irregular verbs in the preterite tense.
Nouns Handout
Learn how to use nouns in Spanish
Possessive Adjectives
Identify possessive adjectives and practice using them in examples.
Possessive Adjectives #2
A guide to expressing possession in Spanish using the short and long form. Includes a practice exercise.
Por vs. Para
A brief overview of when to use the preposition por and when to use the preposition para. Includes a practice exercise.
Present Progressive
Explains how to form the present progressive tense.
Preterite Verbs
Practice filling in the blank using preterite verbs.
Reflexive Pronouns Handout
Learn how to use reflexive pronouns and look at different examples.
Reflexive verbs
Practice using reflexive verbs in this handout.
Reflexive Verb Construction
A guide to the formation of reflexive verbs with reflexive pronouns. Includes a link to a quizlet of irregular verbs as well as a practice exercise.
Regular Verbs
Practice conjugating regular verbs in the present tense.
Ser vs. Estar
Explains when to use "ser" and "estar" using acronyms and examples.
Ser vs. Estar #2
A brief overview of when to use the verb ser and when to use estar with practice exercises.
Ser vs. Estar Practice Problems
Practice problems to distinguish the use of "ser" vs. "estar" in sentences.
Spanish past imperfect chart
Source: University of Kansas. Conjugation table for different types of verbs in the past imperfect tense.
Stem Changing in Present and Preterite Tense
Review a quick guide on how stem changes work in the present and preterite tense.
The Imperative
A guide to the formation of el imperativo, or commands in Spanish. Includes the 2nd person singular (informal and formal), the 2nd person plural, and the 1st person plural, as well as irregular verbs and practice conjugation charts.

Accent Rule
A brief overview to written accents in Spanish, with an explanation on when they are needed. Includes a practice exercise.

Elementary Reading Comprehension
Practice reading comprehension for an elementary level.
Beginner Reading Comprehension #1
Practice reading comprehension for a beginner level.
Beginner Reading Comprehension #2
Practice reading comprehension for a beginner level.
Intermediate Reading Comprehension
Practice reading comprehension for an intermediate level.

Reducing Language Anxiety

Workshop description: Students will understand what language anxiety is, what it looks like, and common techniques used to reduce anxiety when learning a foreign language. Presented by Daniela, a Spanish Peer Consultant and Student Initiatives Specialist in the ASC.

Dictionaries

Diccionario de la lengua española
Fully-Spanish dictionary (recommended for upper intermediate learners and above) complete with definitions, etymology, and a word-of-the-day feature. Official dictionary of the Real academia española, the governing body of the Spanish language.
Forvo.com
This is a pronunciation dictionary. Users can search words in many languages and hear recorded native speakers pronounce it.
WordReference.com
An online dictionary. It offers support in many languages and is optimal for finding individual words (more accurate than Google Translate, etc.).

Language Explanations

Difference between "de" and "desde" in Spanish
https://www.thoughtco.com/differences-between-de-and-desde-3079315
Video about Iberian Spanish (from Spain)
A short video explaining the lisp characteristic of Iberian Spanish (from Spain). Video is completely in Spanish.

Podcasts

Iberian Spanish Podcast
Coffee Break Spanish: an Iberian Spanish podcast. Recommended for intermediate learners of Spain's Spanish.
Podcasts for upper beginner or intermediate learners (French & Spanish)
Podcasts for upper beginner or intermediate learners. Offers French and Spanish.
Radio France (app)
Radio France is a public service radio broadcaster. They release diverse audio content on the app.

News (for intermediate and advanced learners)

Canadian French News Site
Canadian French news website. Offers email bulletins. Recommended for advanced learners.
French News Site
French news website. Offers articles and video clips.
Madrid-Based Spanish Newspaper
Madrid-based Spanish newspaper. Covers world news. 9 free articles per month.
U.S. Based Spanish News Site
U.S.-based Spanish news site. Offers articles and video clips. Focus on Latin America.

More Spanish Resources

French

Les prep. et les verbes avance
Resource from the University of Quebec with a chart of many French verbs and which preposition to use. The PDF includes exercises to practice prepositions and their respective verbs.

French Practice Exam
Source: University of Wisconsin system. An exam to help learners gauge their current French level. Useful for preparation to take ULV's language placement exam.

Dictionaries

Dictionnaire de l'académie française
Fully-French dictionary (recommended for upper intermediate learners and above) complete with definitions, etymology, and words in context (example sentences). Official dictionary of L'académie française, the governing body of the French language.
Forvo.com
This is a pronunciation dictionary. Users can search words in many languages and hear recorded native speakers pronounce it.
WordReference.com
An online dictionary. It offers support in many languages and is optimal for finding individual words (more accurate than Google Translate, etc.).

Reducing Language Anxiety