A2 · Unit 11 · 40 words, 2 texts with translation
Choose something to watch tonight
Pick a movie or a series for the evening: say what interests you, what you like and what bores you, and explain what a movie is about.
Texts in this unit
Grammar in this unit
Le and les: to him, to her, to them
You already know lo, la, los, las — "him, her, it, them": La veo (I see her, A2, unit 5). And you've met le with gustar: Le gusta el café (A1, unit 5).
Now le and les get their full job. They answer the question "to whom?": when you give, say, write, buy or tell something to a person.
| Whom? What? (direct object) | To whom? (indirect object) |
|---|---|
| lo — him, it; la — her, it | le — (to) him, (to) her, (to) you (formal) |
| los, las — them | les — (to) them, (to) you (plural formal) |
English uses "him" and "her" for both jobs: "I see him" and "I give him the book". Spanish splits them: lo veo, but le doy el libro.
Me, te, nos, os do both jobs: me ve means "sees me", me escribe means "writes to me". Only "him, her, them" are different. Le has no gender: it means both "to him" and "to her".
- Le escribo un mensaje. — I'm writing him (or her) a message.
- ¿Qué le digo? — What do I tell him (or her)?
- Les he comprado un regalo. — I've bought them a present.
- ¿Le traigo la cuenta? — Should I bring you the check? (a waiter, formal)
- Voy a preguntarle. = Le voy a preguntar. — I'm going to ask him.
It goes in the same place as lo and la: before a conjugated verb or joined to the end of an infinitive.
The person is named, and le stays anyway. English says "I'm writing to my mom", but Spanish adds le too: Le escribo a mi madre — literally "I'm writing to her, to my mom." People almost always say it this way: Le doy las llaves a Pablo (I give Pablo the keys). Les cuento todo a mis padres (I tell my parents everything).
Common mistake: using lo or la where English could say "to him" or "to her". Not ✗ la digo, but le digo (I tell her); not ✗ lo doy el libro, but le doy el libro (I give him the book). A simple test: if you can say it in English with "to" (give the book to him, say something to her), use le or les.
Verbs like gustar: interesar, importar, molestar, apetecer
You already know that me gusta works backward: the coffee "pleases me" (A1, unit 5). Encantar and doler work the same way.
A whole family of verbs about tastes and wishes follows this pattern. The Spanish subject is the thing, not the person, so the verb agrees with the thing.
| Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| interesar | to interest | Me interesa el cine español. — I'm interested in Spanish cinema. |
| apetecer | to feel like | ¿Te apetece un café? — Do you feel like a coffee? |
| importar | to matter; to mind | No me importa esperar. — I don't mind waiting. |
| molestar | to bother, to annoy | Me molesta la música del vecino. — The neighbor's music bothers me. |
| aburrir | to bore | Me aburren las reuniones. — Meetings bore me. |
The rules are the same as for gustar:
- one thing or an infinitive: me interesa, me apetece salir — it interests me, I feel like going out; several things: me interesan, me apetecen — they interest me, I feel like them;
- when the person is named, put a before them, and le or les stays: A Pablo le aburre el fútbol (soccer bores Pablo). A mis padres les interesa todo (my parents are interested in everything).
- after a preposition, use mí and ti instead of yo and tú: a mí, para ti. The others don't change: a él, a nosotros.
Two very common phrases:
- ¿Te importa si abro la ventana? — Do you mind if I open the window?
- ¿Te apetece ir al cine? — Do you feel like going to the movies? In Spain, this is a very common way to invite someone.
The casual me da igual (it's all the same to me) works the same way: A Ana le da igual (it's all the same to Ana).
Common mistake: translating word for word, with "I" as the subject. Not ✗ yo intereso el cine, but me interesa el cine. And don't drop the a: not ✗ Pablo le interesa, but A Pablo le interesa.
Words in this unit
me gustaría — I would like, I'd like
Me gustaría ver una comedia esta noche. — I'd like to watch a comedy tonight.
interesar — to interest
Me interesa mucho el cine español. — I'm really interested in Spanish cinema.
importar — to matter, to mind
¿Te importa si pongo la tele? — Do you mind if I turn on the TV?
apetecer — to feel like, to want
¿Te apetece ver una serie? — Do you feel like watching a series?
molestar — to bother, to annoy
¿Te molesta el ruido? — Does the noise bother you?
aburrir — to bore
Esta película me aburre. — This movie bores me.
da igual — it doesn't matter, it's all the same
Me da igual. ¿Y a ti? — It's all the same to me. What about you?
para nada — not at all
¿Te gusta el terror? — Para nada. — Do you like horror? — Not at all.
gracioso — funny
Mi amigo es muy gracioso. — My friend (male) is very funny.
la comedia — comedy
Esta noche quiero ver una comedia. — I want to watch a comedy tonight.
el drama — drama
Es un drama familiar muy triste. — It's a very sad family drama.
el terror — horror, terror
No veo películas de terror por la noche. — I don't watch horror movies at night.
ciencia ficción — science fiction, sci-fi
Me encantan las series de ciencia ficción. — I love science fiction series.
el documental — documentary
Hoy vemos un documental sobre animales. — Today we're watching a documentary about animals.
el/la protagonista — main character, protagonist
La protagonista de la serie es una médica joven. — The main character (female) of the series is a young doctor.
el argumento — plot, argument
El argumento de la serie es muy sencillo. — The plot of the series is very simple.
la escena — scene
Mi escena favorita es la del final. — My favorite scene is the one at the end.
el director — director
El director de la película es español. — The director (male) of the movie is Spanish.
el amor — love
La película habla del amor entre dos jóvenes. — The movie is about love between two young people.
ganar — to win, to earn
En la serie, el héroe siempre gana. — In the series, the hero always wins.
morir — to die
En el último capítulo muere el protagonista. — The main character dies in the last episode.
tratar — to be about, to try
¿De qué trata la película? — What's the movie about?
la plataforma — streaming service, platform
Esta serie está en una plataforma nueva. — This series is on a new streaming service.
el estreno — premiere, release
El estreno de la película es el viernes. — The premiere of the movie is on Friday.
el subtítulo — subtitle
Veo las series con subtítulos en español. — I watch series with Spanish subtitles.
versión original — original version, original language
Siempre veo las películas en versión original. — I always watch movies in the original language.
ti — you (after a preposition)
Esta serie es para ti. — This series is for you.
contra — against
Hoy el Barça juega contra el Madrid. — Barça is playing against Madrid today.
la risa — laugh, laughter
¡Qué risa! — How funny!
el secreto — secret
El protagonista tiene un secreto. — The main character has a secret.
odiar — to hate
Odio los spoilers. — I hate spoilers.
enamorarse — to fall in love
En la serie, el médico se enamora de su vecina. — In the series, the doctor falls in love with his neighbor.
salvar — to save, to rescue
El héroe salva la ciudad. — The hero saves the city.
escapar — to escape, to run away
Los protagonistas escapan de la ciudad. — The main characters escape from the city.
el héroe — hero
El héroe de la película es un chico normal. — The hero of the movie is an ordinary guy.
el tipo — type, kind, guy
¿Qué tipo de películas te gustan? — What kind of movies do you like?
banda sonora — soundtrack
La banda sonora de esta película es genial. — The soundtrack of this movie is great.
efectos especiales — special effects
Los efectos especiales de esa película son increíbles. — The special effects in that movie are incredible.
las palomitas — popcorn
Siempre compro palomitas en el cine. — I always buy popcorn at the movies.
el spoiler — spoiler
Cuidado, esto es un spoiler. — Careful, this is a spoiler.
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