Basic English Course 1

Unit 2: In Class

Learn how to describe your classroom, identify objects, say where things are, and ask who owns them using the verb to be, location words, demonstratives, and classroom language.

Sessions 4-6Classroom objectsLocationDemonstrativesPossessionVerb to be

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Unit Route

Unit 2 helps students survive linguistically in the classroom: name objects, locate people and things, point to near and far items, ask who owns something, and understand basic classroom instructions.

What you will learn

I can name classroom objects.

I can say where people and things are.

I can use in, on, and at.

I can use this, that, these, and those.

I can ask where, what, who, and whose questions.

I can use to be for classroom situations.

ObjectnotebookName the item.

Beis / areConnect subject and information.

Locationon the deskSay where it is.

Pointingthis / thoseShow near or far.

Ownermy / Ana'sSay possession.

QuestionWhere is...?Ask for information.

01Classroom ObjectsPeople and things in class. 02To Be in ClassIdentify and locate things. 03In / On / AtBasic location meaning. 04More Location WordsUnder, next to, near... 05DemonstrativesThis, that, these, those. 06PossessionMy, your, Ana's, mine. 07WH QuestionsWhere, what, who, whose. 08Classroom LanguageUseful instructions and requests. 09Complete ModelPut the unit together. 10ContinueResources after explanation.

Classroom Objects and People

Students first need the names of common people and objects in class. These words become the subjects of Unit 2 sentences.

Adult English class with teacher, students, desks, board, and classroom objects

Real context: the classroom

Unit 2 language happens in a real classroom. Students identify people, name objects, and describe where those objects are.

This is my classroom. The teacher is near the board.

People

teacherThe person who teaches the class.

studentA person who studies.

classmateA student in the same class.

Objects

pen / pencil / markerThings for writing.

notebook / bookThings for reading and taking notes.

backpack / keys / phonePersonal items in class.

Places in class

desk / chairFurniture for students.

board / door / windowParts of the classroom.

bag / backpackContainers for personal items.

penpencilnotebookbookbackpackcellphonelaptopkeysearbudsmarkereraserchairdeskboarddoorwindow

Verb To Be in the Classroom

In Unit 2, the verb to be helps students identify objects, locate people and things, and build classroom questions.

Identification

Use be to say what something is.

This is a pencil. That is the teacher. These are notebooks.

Location

Use be before location information.

The book is on the desk. The keys are in the bag. The students are in class.

Possession

Use be to connect an object and an owner.

This is my notebook. Those are Ana's keys. This pencil is mine.

Questions

Where is the backpack?It is under the chair.

Are these your earbuds?Yes, they are. / No, they are not.

Whose pencil is this?It is Laura's pencil.

Negatives

The phone is not on the desk.Use is not for one object.

These are not my keys.Use are not for plural objects.

We are not in the lab.Use are not with we.

Audio model: to be in the classroom

Listen to a short professional model that uses is and are with classroom people and places.

Location: In, On, and At

These prepositions help students connect people and objects with places. They are small words, but they control meaning.

Classroom objects placed under, on, in, and next to desks for location explanation

Real context: where things are

Students need location words to say where their backpack, notebook, phone, keys, and classmates are in the classroom.

The backpack is under the chair. The notebook is on the desk.

In

Use in when something is inside a place, container, or general area.

in the classroomin the backpackin the bag

On

Use on when something touches a surface.

on the deskon the chairon the board

At

Use at for a point, institution, activity location, or specific place.

at schoolat the doorat the teacher's desk

Preposition	Basic idea	Classroom examples	Spanish idea
in	inside or within an area	in the classroom, in the bag, in the backpack	dentro de / en un área
on	touching a surface	on the desk, on the board, on the chair	sobre / en una superficie
at	point, institution, or specific location	at school, at the door, at the board	en un punto o lugar específico

More Location Words for the Classroom

Unit 2 also needs simple location words that help students describe real objects around them.

underThe backpack is under the chair.

Below something.

next toThe chair is next to the desk.

Beside something.

nearThe teacher is near the board.

Close to something.

behindThe bag is behind the chair.

At the back of something.

in front ofThe board is in front of the students.

At the front.

betweenThe desk is between two chairs.

In the middle of two things.

Audio model: under and next to

Listen to a short model using under and next to with classroom objects.

This, That, These, and Those

Demonstratives help students point to people and objects. The correct word depends on distance and number.

Real context: near and far

When an object is close to the speaker, use this or these. When it is far, use that or those.

this / that + is · these / those + are

Distance	Singular	Plural	Examples
near	this	these	This is my pen. / These are my keys.
far	that	those	That is your backpack. / Those are your books.

one + nearThis is my pencil.Use is.

one + farThat is the board.Use is.

plural + nearThese are my earbuds.Use are.

plural + farThose are the notebooks.Use are.

Audio model: those and this

Listen to a model that contrasts far plural objects and a near singular object.

Possession in the Classroom

Students need possession language to say which object belongs to which person.

Classroom objects on a student desk for possession vocabulary

Real context: object and owner

In class, students often need to identify an object and connect it with an owner: a notebook, a phone, keys, earbuds, a pencil, or a backpack.

This is Ana's notebook. This pencil is mine.

Possessive adjectives

my notebookIt belongs to me.

your pencilIt belongs to you.

his / her phoneIt belongs to him / her.

Owner + 's

Ana's notebookel cuaderno de Ana

Daniel's backpackla mochila de Daniel

Laura's keyslas llaves de Laura

Possessive pronouns

Use these when the object is already clear.

mine / yours / his / hersThis pencil is mine.

Statement patterns

This is my bag.Possessive adjective + noun.

Those are Carlos's keys.Owner + apostrophe s + noun.

This pencil is mine.Possessive pronoun after the verb.

Why this comes before WH questions

Students first learn how to express ownership in statements. Then, in the WH section, they learn how to ask about ownership with whose.

WH Questions for Class

Unit 2 questions help students ask about objects, people, location, and possession.

Question word	Use it for	Structure	Example
What	things	What + is/are + subject?	What is this? It is a marker.
Where	location	Where + is/are + subject?	Where are the keys? They are in the bag.
Who	people	Who + is/are + subject?	Who is that? That is the teacher.
Whose	owner	Whose + noun + is/are + this/these?	Whose pencil is this? It is Ana's.

WH focus

Who, whose, and who's are not the same

In Unit 2, students use WH questions to ask for classroom information. Who asks for a person, whose asks for the owner of an object, and who's is only the contraction of who is. This distinction is important because Spanish speakers often translate ¿de quién? word by word and produce incorrect questions like Of who is this pencil?

Who = quién

Use who when the answer is a person, not an object and not an owner.

Who is that? That is the teacher. Who is your classmate? Maria is my classmate.

Whose = de quién

Use whose when the answer is the owner of something. It normally goes before the noun.

Whose pencil is this? Whose keys are these?

Who's = who is

Who's sounds like whose, but it means who is. It does not show possession.

Who's that? = Who is that? Who's your teacher? = Who is your teacher?

Question type	Structure	Example	Possible answer
One owner / one object	Whose + singular noun + is + this/that?	Whose notebook is this?	It is Ana's notebook. / It is Ana's. / It is hers.
One owner / many objects	Whose + plural noun + are + these/those?	Whose keys are these?	They are Carlos's keys. / They are Carlos's. / They are his.
Owner + location	Whose + noun + is/are + location phrase?	Whose backpack is under the chair?	It is Laura's backpack. / It is Laura's.

Who vs. whose in real class questions

Who is that?Pregunta por una persona: ¿Quién es?

Whose pencil is this?Pregunta por el dueño: ¿De quién es este lápiz?

Who has the pencil?Pregunta quién tiene el lápiz ahora, not necessarily the owner.

Common Spanish-speaker mistakes

Who pencil is this? → Whose pencil is this?Use whose before the object.

Of who is this pencil? → Whose pencil is this?Do not translate de quién word by word.

Who are these keys? → Whose keys are these?Keys are things, not people. Ask for the owner.

These is my keys. ✕

These are my keys. ✓

The book is in the desk. ✕

The book is on the desk. ✓

Where are the backpack? ✕

Where is the backpack? ✓

Who pencil is this? ✕

Whose pencil is this? ✓

Study note: the corrections show sentence patterns students must notice before speaking or writing classroom descriptions. In this section, students must especially separate who for people, whose for possession, and who's for who is.

Classroom Language

Classroom language gives students the phrases they need to participate in class from the beginning of the course.

Teacher instructions

Open your book.Start using the book.

Close your notebook.Stop using the notebook.

Look at the board.Direct attention to the board.

Class participation

Listen, please.Pay attention.

Repeat, please.Say it again.

Work with a partner.Collaborate with another student.

Student requests

Can you repeat, please?Ask for repetition.

I don't understand.Say you need help.

How do you say ___ in English?Ask for a word.

Audio model: classroom readiness

Listen to a short sentence that closes a classroom description.

Complete Classroom Model

This final model puts the complete explanation together: classroom objects, to be, location, demonstratives, possession, and classroom description.

Complete model

This is my classroom.

The teacher is near the board, and my classmates are at their desks.

My blue backpack is under the chair, next to a red notebook.

Those books are on the shelf, but this pencil is mine.

We are ready for our English lesson today.

ObjectbackpackName the item.

Locationunder the chairSay where it is.

Demonstrativethose booksPoint to far plural objects.

Possessionthis pencil is mineIdentify the owner.

Audio model: complete classroom description

This professional American English model gives students natural rhythm for a short classroom description.

Continue after the explanation

These links are not part of the explanation itself. They are the next resources students can open after studying the unit.

Reading Listening Story listening Pronunciation Practice Verb To Be practice Mystery object game Location roulette Back to Course Overview