Unit 2 A1 exercises: Spanish alphabet, sounds, stress and questions (with answers)

This workbook belongs with Unit 2 of the A1 Spanish course (Alphabet, pronunciation, and orthography). Instructions are in English; the Spanish is the level you are learning. You will practise five steady vowels, letter names, ñ, j, rr, ll, stress and written accents, spelling a name, and the paired question marks ¿ ?.

Theory guide: Spanish alphabet and pronunciation
Previous: Unit 1: greetings and names

Do each block without opening the answer. Say every Spanish answer aloud. A written answer that you cannot pronounce is not finished practice.

In this unit:

1. Lesson 1 — Grammar and orthography
2. Lesson 2 — Vocabulary and sounds
3. Lesson 3 — Reading
4. Lesson 4 — Listening transcript
5. Lesson 5 — Writing

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Lesson 1 — Grammar and orthography

Goal: frame questions with ¿ ?, ask for spelling with ¿Cómo se escribe?, use stable vowels, and mark stress accurately.

Exercises 1–5 — Choose the correct form

1. Which sentence is written correctly?
   a) Cómo te llamas? b) ¿Cómo te llamas? c) ¿Cómo te llamas.
2. “How is it spelled?” is:
   a) ¿Cómo se escribe? b) ¿Cómo es escribe? c) ¿Cómo escribe se?
3. Choose the word meaning “dog”:
   a) pero b) perro c) peró
4. Which spelling means “year”?
   a) ano b) año c) añó
5. Which word has an accent on the final syllable?
   a) teléfono b) español c) casa

Show answer

1. b) ¿Cómo te llamas? — Spanish opens and closes the question. English only gives you a closing mark, so a copies an English habit.
2. a) ¿Cómo se escribe? — This is the useful beginner chunk for asking about spelling. Spanish does not need English do.
3. b) perro — rr signals a trill and gives the noun “dog.” Pero means “but”; the difference is meaningful.
4. b) año — The tilde is part of the letter ñ. Without it, ano is a different word.
5. b) español — A word ending in a consonant other than n or s normally stresses its final syllable. Teléfono has an explicit accent on é; casa stresses the first syllable by the vowel-ending rule.

Exercises 6–10 — Add punctuation or an accent

Rewrite each item correctly.

6. Como se escribe tu nombre
7. Puedes repetir por favor
8. Mi apellido es Garcia
9. La palabra es telefono
10. Tu perro se llama Rayo

Show answer

6. ¿Cómo se escribe tu nombre? — Cómo is a question word and takes an accent; add both question marks.
7. ¿Puedes repetir, por favor? — Add the opening mark, closing mark, and a comma before the polite phrase.
8. Mi apellido es García. — The proper name keeps its accent on í. This is a statement, so use a full stop, not question marks.
9. La palabra es teléfono. — Teléfono is stressed on lé, against the normal vowel-ending rule, so it needs é.
10. Tu perro se llama Rayo. — In this sentence tu means “your” and has no accent; perro needs rr. Tú with an accent means “you.”

Exercises 11–15 — Repair the English calque

Translate or correct the phrase in parentheses.

11. (How do you spell your surname?)
12. × Do you are Ana?
13. (Is it with b or v?)
14. × I say “pair-oh” for pero. What is the better pronunciation instruction?
15. (Can you repeat slowly, please?)

Show answer

11. ¿Cómo se escribe tu apellido? — Spanish uses se escribe, literally “is written,” as the natural request.
12. ¿Eres Ana? — Spanish question order does not copy English do. The verb eres already carries the question.
13. ¿Con b o con v? — Con means “with.” Letter names are be and uve.
14. Say pe-ro with two clear vowels and one quick tongue tap. English pair-oh contains an English diphthong and an English r, so it hides the Spanish target.
15. ¿Puedes repetir despacio, por favor? — Puedes is “can you,” repetir is “repeat,” and despacio is “slowly.” Put ¿ ? around the whole question.

Exercises 16–20 — Stress detective

Underline the stressed syllable in each word (use capitals in your answer), then say whether the written accent is required by the normal rule.

16. casa
17. hotel
18. inglés
19. teléfono
20. María

Show answer

16. CA-sa, no written accent: vowel ending means penultimate stress.
17. ho-TEL, no written accent: final consonant l means final stress.
18. in-GLÉS, written accent required: the word ends in s, so the default would be penultimate stress; é overrides it.
19. te-LÉ-fo-no, written accent required: the word ending in a vowel would normally stress fo, but the intended stress is lé.
20. Ma-RÍ-a, written accent required to keep í separate and stressed. The mark also tells you not to blend í-a into one English-like glide.

Contrast note

English readers may expect a question to announce itself only at the end, a vowel to become a diphthong, and an accent to change the vowel quality. Spanish does none of these automatically. ¿Dónde? tells you from the first character that a question has begun; a remains a clean “ah”; and á mainly tells you where the stress falls. Use the spelling as information, not as decoration.

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Lesson 2 — Vocabulary and sounds

Goal: recognise the unit lexical set and connect each word to a sound or spelling action. Every noun in the key includes el or la.

Exercises 1–15 — Match, classify, and complete

1. Match la vocal with: a) consonant b) vowel c) surname.
2. Match el apellido with: a) first name b) surname c) sound.
3. Match deletrear with: a) to spell b) to repeat c) to read.
4. Complete: ¿Cómo se ___ tu nombre?
5. Complete: ¿Puedes ___, por favor?
6. Which item is not a spelling term: la letra / el sonido / el perro / el acento?
7. Choose the connector: Es difícil, ___ practico.
8. Choose the noun: “the tilde” = el acento / la tilde / la palabra.
9. Put in a useful order: nombre / mi / es / Ana.
10. Add an article: ___ apellido; ___ letra; ___ sonido.
11. Which word contains ñ: España / perro / rojo?
12. Which word contains j: llave / jamón / año?
13. Which word contains ll: lluvia / García / vocal?
14. Which word has rr: pero / repetir / perro?
15. Translate: “I speak slowly.”

Show answer

1. b, la vocal = vowel. It is feminine, so remember la, not el vocal.
2. b, el apellido = surname. It is masculine: el apellido.
3. a, deletrear = to spell. It is a verb, so it does not take el/la.
4. escribe: ¿Cómo se escribe tu nombre? The reflexive-looking se is part of the standard impersonal formula.
5. repetir: ¿Puedes repetir, por favor? After puedes, the next verb stays in the infinitive.
6. el perro is not a spelling term; it is “the dog.”
7. pero: Es difícil, pero practico. Do not confuse it with perro, “dog.”
8. la tilde. El acento can mean a stress mark or accent, but the small mark over ñ is specifically la tilde.
9. Mi nombre es Ana. Spanish allows Me llamo Ana too, but the exercise practises the given words.
10. el apellido, la letra, el sonido. Gender is part of vocabulary learning; memorise the article with the noun.
11. España has ñ. Say es-PA-ña, with the palatal “ny” sound.
12. jamón has j, a breathy consonant, and an accent on ó.
13. lluvia begins with ll, commonly like English y in many accents.
14. perro has rr, the trill spelling between vowels.
15. Hablo despacio. Despacio is an adverb, so it does not need an article. The subject pronoun yo is optional.

Exercises 16–20 — Pronunciation sorting

Put each word under the best heading: clear five-vowel practice, ñ, j, rr, or ll.

16. luna
17. niño
18. rojo
19. perro
20. llave

Show answer

16. clear five-vowel practice: luna — u is a steady “oo,” not the English diphthong in tune.
17. ñ: niño — Both ñ and the final o need clear articulation.
18. j: rojo — The first r is strong at the start of a syllable, and j is breathy.
19. rr: perro — Hold the tongue trill longer than the tap in pero.
20. ll: llave — In many regions it begins like English y. Regional “zh” variants are also understandable.

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Lesson 3 — Reading

Goal: understand a short message about spelling a name, stress, and the pero/perro contrast. Read once silently, once aloud, and once while checking punctuation.

Text

En la clase de español, Ana conoce a Javier. Ana pregunta: «¿Cómo se escribe tu nombre?». Javier responde: «J-A-V-I-E-R: jota, a, uve, i, e, erre». Ana repite despacio. Después, Javier escribe el apellido de Ana: Muñoz. «Tiene ñ», dice Ana. «Sí, y la palabra perro tiene rr. Pero es otra palabra», responde Javier. En la pizarra, la profesora escribe teléfono, inglés y María. Explica que la tilde marca la sílaba fuerte en estas palabras. Al final, todos leen cinco vocales: a, e, i, o, u.

Gloss: la clase = class; conoce = meets; responde = answers; despacio = slowly; apellido = surname; pizarra = board; sílaba fuerte = stressed syllable; al final = at the end. The quotation marks do not change the questions: the actual question still has ¿ ?.

Questions 1–10

1. Who does Ana meet?
2. What does Ana ask?
3. Which letter name does Javier use for J?
4. Which special letter is in Muñoz?
5. Does perro or pero have rr?
6. What does the tilde mark in the teacher’s examples?
7. Copy the three accented words.
8. Why does Ana repeat slowly?
9. What do the students read at the end?
10. Write one question from the text with both question marks.

Show answer

1. Ana meets Javier. The first sentence says Ana conoce a Javier.
2. She asks ¿Cómo se escribe tu nombre? This is the Unit 2 spelling formula.
3. J = jota. Do not use the English name “jay” in a Spanish spelling sequence.
4. Muñoz contains ñ. The tilde is essential: it is not an optional decoration.
5. Perro has rr. Pero has one r and means “but.”
6. It marks the stressed syllable in these examples. It does not simply make a vowel longer or more English.
7. teléfono, inglés, María. Copy each accent, including the accent over the capital-like vowel í in María.
8. She repeats slowly so she can hear and confirm each letter. Asking for repair is a successful communication strategy.
9. They read a, e, i, o, u, the five Spanish vowels.
10. ¿Cómo se escribe tu nombre? is one correct answer. The opening and closing marks frame the question.

Reading follow-up

Read Muñoz, Javier, perro, pero, and María three times. First exaggerate the contrasts; second use a natural pace; third cover the text and recall the spelling. English learners often remember a word’s meaning but erase its accent or special letter when writing from memory. This short recall step makes orthography active.

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Lesson 4 — Listening transcript

Goal: catch letter names, question punctuation, stress, and the one-r/two-r contrast. Transcript practice (audio to follow): ask a partner or text-to-speech reader to read the dialogue twice. First listen without looking; then use the transcript.

Transcript

Clara: Hola. ¿Puedes escribir mi nombre?
Tom: Sí. ¿Cómo se escribe?
Clara: Clara: ce, ele, a, erre, a.
Tom: ¿Con una r o con dos?
Clara: Con una: Clara. Mi perro se llama Bruno, con dos erres.
Tom: Ah, pero tu perro es muy tranquilo.
Clara: Sí. Y mi apellido es Peña: pe, e, eñe, a.
Tom: ¿Eñe, no ene?
Clara: Exacto. La eñe tiene tilde.
Tom: Gracias. Voy a escribirlo despacio.

Questions 1–10

1. What does Tom offer to do?
2. How many r’s are in Clara?
3. How many r’s are in perro?
4. What does pero mean in Tom’s sentence?
5. What is Clara’s surname?
6. Which letter does Tom initially check?
7. What is the name of the letter ñ?
8. Which phrase means “exactly”?
9. What does Tom say he will do slowly?
10. Write the two words that contrast one r and two r’s.

Show answer

1. Tom offers to write Clara’s name. The opening question is ¿Puedes escribir mi nombre?
2. One r is in Clara. It is written between vowels and is a tap, not a trill.
3. Two r’s are in perro. The spelling signals the longer trill.
4. Pero means “but.” Tom says “But your dog is very calm,” not “your dog” with an extra r.
5. Her surname is Peña. The ñ is a separate letter sound.
6. He checks whether it is una r o dos (“one r or two”).
7. The letter is eñe. Ene is the name of ordinary n, so the distinction matters.
8. Exacto means “exactly.”
9. He will write it (lo, Clara’s surname/name information) slowly: Voy a escribirlo despacio.
10. Clara and perro. Their r spellings make the useful contrast.

Listening strategy

On a second listen, tap the table on each vowel in ce-e-le-a-erre-a. On a third, pause after ¿Con una r o con dos? and answer before Clara does. This is not a test of accent recognition; it is a test of noticing information. If your speaker uses a different sound for ll or z, do not mark the entire dialogue wrong. Focus on the target letters and stress.

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Lesson 5 — Writing

Goal: ask for and confirm a spelling in 4–8 clear Spanish sentences, with correct punctuation and accents.

Task

Imagine you meet a classmate online. Write six sentences:

1. Greet the person and give your name.
2. Ask how the person’s name is written.
3. Spell your first name using Spanish letter names or separate letters.
4. Spell a surname containing ñ, an accent, or both (you may invent Peña, García, or Muñoz).
5. Use pero or perro in a meaningful sentence.
6. Ask the person to repeat slowly.

Planning box — use these words: Hola, me llamo, ¿Cómo se escribe…?, la letra, la tilde, perro, pero, repetir, despacio, por favor.

Sentence repair

Repair each sentence before writing your own text.

1. Como se escribe tu nombre?
2. Mi apellido es Munoz.
3. Quiero un pero.
4. Puedes repetir por favor.
5. Javier has jota sound like English job.

Show answer

1. ¿Cómo se escribe tu nombre? Add the opening mark and the accent on Cómo.
2. Mi apellido es Muñoz. Replace ordinary n with ñ; the spelling changes the sound and the surname.
3. Quiero un perro. A dog is perro with a trill. Pero means “but,” so it cannot follow un as the noun intended here.
4. ¿Puedes repetir, por favor? Add both question marks and the polite comma.
5. A natural beginner explanation is: La jota tiene un sonido fuerte, como una respiración. Do not claim it is the English j in job. Spanish j is breathy.

Model answer

Hola, me llamo Maya. ¿Cómo se escribe tu nombre? Mi apellido es García: ge, a, erre, ce, í, a; la í tiene tilde. Quiero un perro, pero mi perro está en casa. ¿Puedes repetir despacio, por favor?

Commentary: The first sentence reuses the Unit 1 name formula. The second is a complete question with ¿ ?. García keeps its accent; í is stressed and separated from the final a. Perro is the animal, while pero joins two ideas. The final question uses puedes + infinitive repetir, not an English auxiliary. You can adapt the model to your own name; do not remove a real accent just because it is uncommon in English.

Self-check rubric

• 2 points: both question marks appear around every question.
• 2 points: vowels are written correctly and accents/ñ are preserved.
• 2 points: pero/perro has the intended meaning and spelling.
• 2 points: the spelling sequence is understandable.
• 2 points: the message has six sentences and a polite repetition request.

Eight points means the writing communicates. If you score lower, repair only one category at a time: punctuation first, special letters second, then pronunciation aloud.

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Review quiz and answers

Before you leave the unit, answer without looking:

1. Name the five vowels.
2. What does the tilde in ñ do?
3. What is the default stress of a word ending in a vowel?
4. What does an acute accent override?
5. Translate pero and perro.
6. Write “How is it spelled?”.
7. Add punctuation to Puedes repetir.
8. Name the Spanish letters j, ñ, and y.

Show answer

1. a, e, i, o, u. Keep each vowel steady and audible.
2. It marks a separate letter, ñ, with the “ny” sound; it is not decorative.
3. Stress the penultimate syllable.
4. It overrides the normal stress rule and tells you which syllable is strong.
5. Pero = but; perro = dog.
6. ¿Cómo se escribe?
7. ¿Puedes repetir?
8. jota, eñe, ye (also i griega for y). Regional letter-name preferences do not change the spelling.

A five-minute follow-up plan

Tomorrow, read the model dialogue aloud once. Then write your name, a surname with an accent, and perro/pero from memory. Record a-e-i-o-u, pero-perro, ano-año, and rojo. Listen back and ask: Are my vowels steady? Can I hear one tap versus a trill? Did I keep the tilde? Finally, type one question with ¿ and ?. Small daily retrieval is more useful than one long pronunciation session.

When these tasks feel comfortable, return to the theory guide and read the dialogue at a natural pace. Keep the Unit 1 workbook nearby for name and greeting review. You now have the sound-and-spelling tools needed to make later Spanish vocabulary readable rather than a list of mysterious English approximations.