Module 7: Compras y Recados - Shopping and Errands

Module Overview

Duration: 2 weeks Level: A2 Prerequisites: Module 6 completion (regular -er/-ir verbs, gustar pattern, ordering at a bar)

What You'll Learn

By the end of this module, you'll be able to:

• ✅ Point to anything in a shop using este, ese and aquel with the right gender and number
• ✅ Replace nouns with the direct-object pronouns lo, la, los, las
• ✅ Talk about plans and the near future with ir + a + infinitivo
• ✅ Ask for sizes, colours and quantities at a Spanish supermarket
• ✅ Survive a Spanish pharmacy — describe what you need without a prescription

Why This Module Matters

In Module 6 you ate and drank in Spanish. This module gets you through everything else a normal day in Spain throws at you: the supermarket on the corner, the pharmacy where you forgot to refill your prescription, the clothes shop where you want that one, not this one, the green one. These are the small interactions that quietly switch back to English the moment you hesitate. Once you can say quiero ese, en mediano, en azul, or voy a comprar pan luego, you've made it through the second-most common kind of conversation in Spain after eating.

This module also delivers the grammar that's been hiding behind every Spanish sentence so far: object pronouns. Lo veo, la conozco, los tengo are the building blocks of every real conversation. Without them, you sound like a beginner. With them, you sound like a local.

Module Journey

👉 Lesson 1: Este, Ese, Aquel

Pointing at things in Spanish

• Three distances: este (here), ese (there), aquel (over there)
• Gender and number: este, esta, estos, estas
• Neuter forms: esto, eso, aquello for unknown things
• Pointing in shops, at menus, across rooms
• Preview: "Quiero ese jersey azul, no este negro"

🔁 Lesson 2: Lo, La, Los, Las

Direct-object pronouns

• Replace nouns you've already mentioned: el pan → lo
• Four pronouns matching gender and number
• Position: right before the conjugated verb
• Useful with comprar, querer, tener, ver
• Preview: "¿Tienes el ticket? — Sí, lo tengo aquí"

📅 Lesson 3: Voy a Comprar

Talking about the near future

• Ir conjugated: voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van
• The formula: ir + a + infinitivo
• Time markers: mañana, esta tarde, este finde, la próxima semana
• Plans, intentions, what's coming up
• Preview: "Mañana voy a comprar regalos para mi familia"

💊 Lesson 4: En la Farmacia y el Supermercado

Sizes, colours and the coger caveat

• Sizes: pequeño, mediano, grande
• The full set of colours with gender agreement
• The verb coger in Spain (and why it doesn't travel)
• Pharmacy vocabulary: pastilla, jarabe, receta, dolor de cabeza
• Preview: "¿Tiene esto en una talla más grande?"

📝 Assessment: Una Mañana de Recados

One full morning of errands

• Plan three errands using voy a + infinitivo
• Ask for two specific items in a shop using este or ese
• Replace at least three nouns with lo / la / los / las
• Describe a headache and ask the pharmacist for something for it

What You'll Build On

This module connects to your previous learning:

• Numbers (M1, M3, M6) come back as prices, sizes and quantities
• Gustar (M6) helps you say no me gusta este, prefiero ese
• Tener (M3) is everywhere — tengo dolor de cabeza, tengo un cupón
• Vosotros keeps appearing — ¿lo tenéis en mediano?
• -ar/-er/-ir verbs (M5, M6) all appear with their new IO pronoun partners

Cultural Connections

Throughout this module, you'll explore:

• 🛒 The Spanish neighbourhood shop rhythm — small, daily, named owner
• 💊 Why Spanish pharmacies sell things you'd need a doctor for elsewhere
• 👖 Clothes-shopping conventions in Spain — probador etiquette
• 🟢 The full Spanish colour palette and where it disagrees with English
• 🚫 The coger caveat — fine in Spain, very much not in Latin America
• 📋 La lista de la compra — the way Spaniards plan a supermarket trip

Study Tips for Success

1. Point and name everything in your kitchen: este pan, esa taza, aquella ventana. Five minutes a day, real objects, three distances.
2. Replace your nouns: write five sentences with full nouns, then rewrite them with lo/la/los/las. Compro el pan → Lo compro.
3. Plan tomorrow in Spanish: write three sentences about what you're going to do — voy a desayunar a las ocho, voy a estudiar, voy a llamar a mi madre.
4. Read a Spanish supermarket flyer: open Mercadona, Carrefour España or Día and read prices and product names out loud.
5. Practise sizes and colours by trying on clothes at home: este jersey en azul, en mediano, no en grande.

Module Resources

• 🛍️ Spanish clothing-size conversion sheet (EU sizes are different)
• 💊 Common pharmacy phrases cheat sheet
• 🎬 "Compras en el Día" — supermarket walkthrough vlogs
• 🎨 Colour-and-noun agreement flashcards
• 🔁 Direct-object pronoun drill set

Skills You're Developing

Beyond vocabulary, this module strengthens:

• Pronoun-thinking: stop repeating the noun, start replacing it
• Future-thinking: talking about what hasn't happened yet
• Concrete description: size, colour, quantity, location
• Asking for help: at the pharmacy, the till, the changing room

Ready to Run Errands in Spanish?

You've ordered tapas, paid the bill, and made it home. Now you can pop into the farmacia for paracetamol, grab ese jersey en azul at Zara, and plan your Saturday in Spanish — voy a hacer la compra por la mañana. By the end of this module, the small daily errands stop being a language obstacle and start being just… your day.

¡Vamos a hacer recados!