01Places and Location
Where People and Things Are
Use place vocabulary with the verb to be to say where a person or object is. In beginner English, the most useful structure is: person or thing + am / is / are + place.
People
Daniel is in the church.One person: use is.
Sofia is in the park.Use in for many enclosed or general places.
They are in class.More than one person: use are.
Things
The notebook is on the desk.Use on when something touches a surface.
The keys are in the bag.Use in when something is inside a place or container.
The computer is in the lab.Use in for rooms: in the lab, in the classroom.
Teacher's TipFor Unit 2 games, students can answer with short sentences first: She is in the library. Then they can expand: She is in the library with her notebook.
02Location Prepositions
Using In, On, and At
Use in, on, and at to connect a person or thing with a place. These words are small, but they change the meaning of the sentence.
In
Use in when the person or object is inside a place, inside an area, or surrounded by that place.
Daniel is in the church.He is inside the church building.
Emma is in the library.She is inside the library.
Sofia is in the park.The park is a general area around her.
On
Use on when something is on a surface, on a line/path, or on top of a natural place.
Laura is on the mountain.She is on the mountain surface or trail.
The notebook is on the desk.The notebook touches the desk surface.
The poster is on the wall.The poster touches the wall surface.
At
Use at when the place is treated as a point on a map, a destination, an institution, an event, or a regular activity location. It does not always mean the person is outside the building.
Mateo is at school.School is his institution or daily activity location.
Carlos is at the supermarket.The supermarket is the destination or service point.
Lucas is at the hospital.He may be inside the building; the speaker is naming the general location.
| Use | Basic idea | Good examples | Why? |
|---|
| In | Inside or within an area | in the church, in the library, in the restaurant, in the park | The person is inside the place or inside its general area. |
| On | Surface, path, line, or top of a place | on the mountain, on the desk, on the wall, on the bus | The person or object is touching a surface, route, or transport surface. |
| At | Point, destination, event, institution, or service location | at school, at the supermarket, at the beach, at the hospital, at the bus station, at the door | The speaker treats the place as a point or purpose. It may still be physically inside. |
Simple Classroom RuleAsk this: Is the person clearly inside a room, container, or area? Use in. Is the person or object touching a surface, route, or top? Use on. Is the place a point, destination, service, event, or institution? Use at. Some places can use more than one preposition depending on meaning: in the hospital can mean inside the building or admitted as a patient; at the hospital names the hospital as the current location.
03Demonstratives
This, That, These, and Those
Demonstratives help students point to objects or people. Choose the word according to distance and number.
This
Use this for one person or thing near you.
This is my pencil.The pencil is near me.
Is this your phone?Question with one near object.
That
Use that for one person or thing far from you.
That is Daniel.Daniel is not close to me.
What is that?Ask about one far object.
These
Use these for two or more people or things near you.
These are my earbuds.The earbuds are near me.
Are these your keys?Question with plural near objects.
Those
Use those for two or more people or things far from you.
Those are your notebooks.The notebooks are far from me.
What are those?Ask about plural far objects.
Common PatternThis / that + is for one. These / those + are for two or more. In Spanish, students often forget to change is to are; practice the pair together.
04WH Questions
Ask for Information
WH questions begin with a question word. In Unit 2, students mainly need where, what, who, and whose. The verb to be usually comes immediately after the question word or after the subject.
| Question word | Use it for | Structure | Example |
|---|
| Where | Location | Where + is / are + subject? | Where is Laura? She is on the mountain. |
| What | Things or actions | What + is / are + this / that / these / those? | What are those? They are notebooks. |
| Who | People | Who + is / are + subject? | Who is that? That is Carlos. |
| Whose | Possession or owner | Whose + noun + is this/that? / Whose + noun + are these/those? | Whose bag is this? It is Ana's bag. |
Short Answers
Where is Mateo?At school.
What is this?A pencil.
Complete Answers
Where is Mateo?Mateo is at school.
What is this?This is a pencil.
Whose Questions
Use whose when you want to know the owner of a person, object, or group of objects. It means de quien.
Whose pencil is this?It is Laura's pencil. / It is hers.
Whose keys are these?They are Carlos's keys. / They are his.
Whose backpack is that?It is my backpack.
Whose vs. WhoWho asks for a person: Who is that? Whose asks for an owner: Whose phone is this? Do not say Who phone is this?
05Possession
What Is in Your Bag?
The Mystery Object Guessing Game belongs here because it practices demonstratives, object vocabulary, possession, and WH questions. In English, possession often feels different from Spanish because the owner usually comes before the object.
Ask About Ownership
Is this your cellphone?Yes, it is. / No, it is not.
Are these your earbuds?Yes, they are. / No, they are not.
Report Ownership
This is Ana's notebook.One object.
Those are Laura's keys.Plural objects far from the speaker.
With a name
Use this when you point to an object and ask who owns it.
Is this Maria's marker?Owner first: Maria's + marker.
Is this Daniel's backpack?This sounds very natural in English.
Object first
Use this when the object is already clear and you only want to confirm the owner.
Is this marker Maria's?Maria's at the end means de Maria.
Are these pencils Daniel's?Use are for plural objects.
Spanish Speaker TipSpanish says el marcador de Maria. English can say Maria's marker or this marker is Maria's. Both are correct. The difference is focus: Maria's marker focuses on the owner before the object; this marker is Maria's focuses on the object first.
Practice LinkBefore playing Mystery Object Guessing Game, review: this / these for objects in the student's hand, and that / those for objects across the room.
06Full Grammar Page
Verb To Be
The verb to be is important enough to study on its own page. Open the complete explanation for the present, past, questions, negatives, short answers, and contractions.
07Practice Connection
Move from explanation to practice
After studying this unit, use the sentence builder, Mystery Object Guessing Game, and the new Location Card Roulette to practice the same grammar in speaking tasks.