Spanish · B1 · Everyday language
Little Useful Details in Spanish
This guide focuses on describing school equipment and using prepositions to help your child find or use specific items correctly. We will focus on adjective agreement following prepositions.
What you'll learn
- Identify common school supplies in Spanish.
- Use prepositions 'con' (with) and 'en' (in/on) to provide instructions.
- Master adjective agreement in gender and number for school-related nouns.
Spanish phrases for little useful details
Puedes escribir tu nombre con el lápiz blando.
You can write your name with the soft pencil.
'Blando' means soft/supple, often used for graphite grades.
Intenta dibujar las letras con un lápiz grueso.
Try drawing the letters with a thick pencil.
'Grueso' describes the thickness of the pencil/lead.
Empieza tu dibujo con los nuevos lápices de colores.
Start your picture with the new coloured pencils.
Note how 'nuevos' agrees with the plural 'lápices'.
Toma el bolígrafo con la punta ancha.
Take the pen with the broad tip.
'Punta' is feminine, so 'ancha' must also be feminine.
¿Te gustaría un bolígrafo con una punta fina?
Would you like a pen with a fine tip?
'Fina' describes the thinness of the tip.
Podemos practicar tus letras con la libreta pequeña.
We can practise your letters with the small notebook.
'Libreta' is a common word for a school notebook.
Puedes llevar tu equipación de deporte en una bolsa grande.
You can carry your sports kit in a large bag.
'Grande' is gender-neutral in Spanish.
Tu hoja de lectura está en la carpeta azul.
Your reading sheet is in the blue folder.
Colors like 'azul' follow the noun and match in number.
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
Lápiz
Pencil
Plural: lápices (the 'z' changes to 'c').
Bolígrafo
Pen
Often shortened to 'boli' in casual conversation.
Carpeta
Folder
A false friend; it does not mean 'carpet' (which is 'alfombra').
Punta
Tip / Point
Used for both pencils and pens.
Adjective Agreement after Prepositions
In Spanish, adjectives must agree in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) with the noun they modify. Unlike some other languages, the ending does not change based on the case (dative, etc.), but remains consistent based on the noun itself, even after prepositions like 'con' (with) or 'en' (in).
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine Singular | con el [noun] -o | con el lápiz grueso |
| Feminine Singular | con la [noun] -a | con la punta ancha |
| Masculine Plural | con los [noun] -os | con los lápices nuevos |
More examples
¿Dónde está mi estuche pequeño?
Where is my small pencil case?
'Estuche' is masculine, so 'pequeño' is used.
Pon la regla en la mochila roja.
Put the ruler in the red backpack.
The preposition 'en' does not change the adjective 'roja'.