The Magic of MnemonicsEnglish speakers learning Mexican Spanish
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By the end of this module, you can...

Ask what a word or phrase means

When you hear a familiar-looking Spanish word or expression but are unsure of its meaning, you can ask for the meaning and check that you understood the explanation correctly.

You will learn to

ask what a known word or expression means and verify your understanding.

You will use

qué, significa, la palabra, la frase, and ¿está bien?.

Start here

Begin with the meaning-question frame. Every new item is introduced before productive practice uses it.

Lesson 1 — Learn and Retrieve: Ask What Something Means

Build one meaning-question frame and reuse it with words and expressions you already know. The current use of qué is limited to this meaning question.

New Word · 1 of 5

qué

Meaning: what

Use qué only as the question word “what” in the meaning-question frame taught here.

Pronounced: keh

Pronunciation: qu sounds like k. The written accent marks the question word.

Reference: No extra popup is needed. Keep this use limited to asking meaning.

Practice 1 of 48

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Recognize the new question word: what does “qué” mean in this lesson?

New Form · 2 of 5

significa

Meaning: means / does … mean

Use significa only in ¿Qué significa…? with a known word, expression, or authorized noun unit.

Pronounced: seeg-NEE-fee-kah

Pronunciation: The g is hard; stress NEE.

Reference: This bounded form does not open other persons or tenses.

Practice 2 of 48

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Ask what “posible” means.

Practice 3 of 48

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Translate into English: “¿Qué significa ‘posible’?”

Practice 4 of 48

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Ask what “normal” means.

Practice 5 of 48

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Ask what “hola” means.

Practice 6 of 48

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Ask what “gracias” means.

Practice 7 of 48

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Ask what “perdón” means.

Practice 8 of 48

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Ask what “necesito” means.

Practice 9 of 48

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Ask what “perfecto” means.

Practice 10 of 48

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Ask what the known phrase “buenos días” means, without yet using the new noun for “phrase.”

Practice 11 of 48

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Translate into English: “¿Qué significa ‘gracias’?”

Practice 12 of 48

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You hear “hasta luego” and want its meaning. Ask in Spanish.

Practice 13 of 48

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You hear “no entiendo” and want its meaning. Ask in Spanish.

Practice 14 of 48

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Ask what “la información” means.

Lesson 2 — Build and Connect: Word, Phrase, and Verification

Add la palabra and la frase when you want to identify the type of item. Then use ¿está bien? as one complete verification expression.

New Noun · 3 of 5

la palabra

Meaning: word

Learn la palabra together as one feminine singular noun unit.

Pronounced: lah pah-LAH-brah

Pronunciation: Stress LAH in palabra; use a light r.

Reference: The article la is recycled from Module 8. No plural or indefinite form is introduced.

Practice 15 of 48

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Say “the word.”

Practice 16 of 48

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Ask: “What does the word ‘normal’ mean?”

Practice 17 of 48

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Translate into English: “¿Qué significa la palabra ‘posible’?”

Practice 18 of 48

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Ask what the word “perfecto” means.

New Noun · 4 of 5

la frase

Meaning: phrase

Learn la frase together as one feminine singular noun unit.

Pronounced: lah FRAH-seh

Pronunciation: Stress FRAH; pronounce the final e.

Reference: The article la is recycled from Module 8. No plural or indefinite form is introduced.

Practice 19 of 48

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Say “the phrase.”

Practice 20 of 48

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Ask: “What does the phrase ‘buenos días’ mean?”

Practice 21 of 48

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Ask what the phrase “hasta luego” means.

Practice 22 of 48

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Ask what the phrase “no entiendo” means.

New Expression · 5 of 5

¿está bien?

Meaning: is that right? / is it okay?

Use ¿está bien? as one complete verification expression. Do not take it apart to build other sentences.

Pronounced: ehs-TAH byen

Pronunciation: Stress TAH; bien is one syllable.

Reference: Protected expression: this does not authorize the wider estar system.

Practice 23 of 48

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Say “Is that right?”

Practice 24 of 48

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Translate into English: “¿Está bien?”

Practice 25 of 48

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After hearing an explanation, check that you understood it correctly.

Practice 26 of 48

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First ask what “normal” means. After hearing the explanation, verify that you understood correctly.

Practice 27 of 48

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First ask what the word “posible” means. Then verify your understanding.

Practice 28 of 48

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First ask what the phrase “buenas tardes” means. Then verify your understanding.

Lesson 3 — Compare Spanish and English: “What does … mean?”

Spanish–English comparison

English uses “does … mean”; Spanish uses ¿Qué significa…?

English normally asks “What does ‘posible’ mean?” Spanish does not insert a separate word matching English does in this question. The complete Spanish frame is ¿Qué significa “posible”?

EnglishSpanish used hereWhat to notice
What does “posible” mean?¿Qué significa “posible”?No separate Spanish word is added for English does.
What does the word “normal” mean?¿Qué significa la palabra “normal”?la palabra identifies the item as a word.
What does the phrase “buenos días” mean?¿Qué significa la frase “buenos días”?la frase identifies the item as a phrase.
Is that right?¿Está bien?Learn the Spanish verification expression as a protected whole.

Current lesson rule: qué is used only for this meaning-question function here; significa stays in this exact frame; ¿está bien? remains a complete expression.

Practice 29 of 48

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English says “What does possible mean?” Build the Spanish question.

Practice 30 of 48

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Translate into English: “¿Qué significa ‘normal’?”

Practice 31 of 48

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English says “What does the word perfecto mean?” Build the Spanish question.

Practice 32 of 48

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Translate into English: “¿Qué significa la palabra ‘gracias’?”

Practice 33 of 48

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English says “What does the phrase buenos días mean?” Build the Spanish question.

Practice 34 of 48

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Translate into English: “¿Qué significa la frase ‘hasta luego’?”

Practice 35 of 48

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English says “Is that right?” Use the complete Spanish verification expression.

Practice 36 of 48

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In the comparison lesson, interpret “¿Está bien?” in natural English.

Apply and Communicate

Use the new meaning questions inside realistic repair exchanges. Earlier greetings, courtesy, repetition requests, and understanding language may return, but Module 10 language is not introduced.

Practice 37 of 48

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You hear “confirmación” at a service desk. Ask what it means.

Practice 38 of 48

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You hear “documentación.” Ask what it means.

Practice 39 of 48

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You hear the word “ideal.” Ask what the word means.

Practice 40 of 48

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You hear the phrase “buenas noches.” Ask what the phrase means.

Practice 41 of 48

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Apologize, then ask what “identificación” means.

Practice 42 of 48

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Say you do not understand, then ask what “información” means.

Practice 43 of 48

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Ask politely for repetition, then ask what “perfecto” means.

Practice 44 of 48

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Ask what “gracias” means. After hearing the answer, check that you understood correctly.

Practice 45 of 48

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Ask what the phrase “hasta luego” means. After the explanation, verify your understanding.

Practice 46 of 48

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At a service desk, apologize, say you do not understand, then ask what “confirmación” means.

Practice 47 of 48

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In a conversation, ask for repetition politely, then ask what the phrase “buenos días” means.

Practice 48 of 48

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Complete the learner side of the exchange: greet, apologize, say you do not understand, ask what “hasta luego” means, verify that you understood correctly, then thank the person and close.

Ready to Continue

You can now ask what a known word or phrase means

You can ask for meaning with ¿Qué significa…?, identify a word with la palabra, identify a phrase with la frase, and verify your understanding with ¿Está bien?.

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