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Learn it your way
A short class with Sarah and her students. The other ways are under More.
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Your card says: you are a customer in a café in Madrid; you want a sandwich and a drink; the waiter will tell you something is not available. What is your goal?
To order food and a drink, and to pay at the end.
Good. Should you write out every line you will say?
No, just useful phrases, like 'Quisiera...' and 'La cuenta, por favor'.
Right. And what will you do when the waiter says your sandwich is sold out?
Ask what else they recommend, then choose something politely.
Perfect. That moment is where your real speaking skill shows.
You ask for directions and the local person answers very quickly. You only caught 'a la derecha'. What can you do?
Ask them to repeat: '¿Puede repetir, por favor?'
Yes. And if you cannot remember a word you need?
Describe it. If I forget the word for bridge, I can say 'the thing that crosses the river'.
Excellent. What about a long silence while you think?
Use a filler like 'pues' or 'a ver' so the conversation keeps going.
In a job interview, how do you address the interviewer in Spanish: tú or usted?
Usted, because it is a formal situation with someone we don't know.
So how would you change '¿Tienes experiencia?' if you were the interviewer?
'¿Tiene experiencia?', using the usted form of the verb.
Good. What else makes an interview sound professional?
A polite greeting, full answers with examples, and asking a question at the end.
Exactly. Choosing the right register is part of speaking well.
sets the situation, role, goal and sometimes a complication.
key words and questions leave room to respond to your partner.
real interaction means reacting to what your partner actually says.
ask for repetition, use fillers and paraphrase to keep talking.
use formal language, such as usted, vous or Sie, with strangers, officials and interviewers.
prepare, perform, get feedback and perform again.
In a restaurant role-play, the waiter announces that a dish is sold out, and the customer asks for a recommendation and chooses politely.
In a directions role-play, the tourist repeats the directions back, such as "a la derecha y luego todo recto", to check that they have understood.
In a job interview role-play, the candidate uses the formal register throughout and asks one question about the job at the end.
After a performance, a partner gives one strength and one target, for example "clear pronunciation; next time use a filler instead of a long silence".
Read the card and know your goal; listen, respond, and stay in your role.
Sofia froze when the "waiter" said her paella was finished. Then she remembered her strategies: "Pues... ¿qué me recomienda?" The waiter suggested a soup, she ordered it, and the conversation flowed again.
Ask, Fill, Rephrase: ask for repetition, fill the pause, rephrase the word you are missing.
R.O.L.E. - Read the card, Organise useful phrases, Listen and respond, Evaluate with feedback.
Term
What information does a scenario card give?
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Term
Why prepare key phrases instead of a full script?
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Term
How do you ask someone to repeat in Spanish and in French?
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Term
Which form of "you" do you use in a Spanish job interview?
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Name three strategies for when you get stuck.
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An activity in which learners act out a situation, taking on roles, to practise speaking.
A card that sets out the situation, roles, goal and any complication for a role-play.
An unexpected problem added to a scenario so that speakers must react.
The level of formality of language, from informal to formal.
Speaking without a script, responding to what others say in the moment.
A short word or sound, such as "pues" or "alors", used to gain thinking time.
Expressing an idea in other words when you do not know or cannot remember the exact word.
The rise and fall of the voice, which can show questions, surprise or politeness.
This lesson describes how the Role-Play Scenarios activity works: you act out real-life situations in the target language, such as ordering at a restaurant, asking for directions or attending a job interview, moving from prepared dialogues towards spontaneous conversation.
In Role-Play Scenarios you work with a partner or a small group to perform everyday situations in the target language. Each role-play starts from a scenario card that sets the situation, your role, your goal and sometimes a complication. This lesson explains the cycle of preparing, performing and improving; the key language for three model scenarios (a restaurant, asking for directions and a job interview); the strategies that keep a conversation going when you get stuck; and how to choose a formal or informal register.
The task in one sentence With a partner or a small group, act out real-life situations in the target language, such as ordering at a restaurant, asking for directions or attending a job interview.
How a role-play works
From script to spontaneity At first you may practise with a model dialogue. Later you perform with only the scenario card and a few keywords. Speaking without a script is harder, but it is exactly what builds real fluency.
Three model scenarios
When you get stuck
What is assessed The activity is assessed on speaking. Your teacher looks at how clearly and accurately you communicate, the range of vocabulary and structures you use, your pronunciation and intonation, and how well you interact with your partner. The Assessment Criteria lesson explains this in detail.