Spanish A2 Syllabus: Moving Beyond the Basics (Topics & Examples)

¡Enhorabuena! If you've mastered the A1 level in Spanish, you're ready to move on to A2 (Elementary). This level builds upon your foundation, allowing you to handle more complex situations and express yourself with slightly greater detail and nuance.

The A2 syllabus focuses on expanding your vocabulary, introducing key past and future tenses, and developing the ability to communicate in slightly more extended exchanges about routine matters, past experiences, and future plans. It's about gaining more independence as a Spanish speaker.

At A2, you'll start connecting simple ideas and talking about things that happened yesterday or will happen tomorrow. This is where Spanish really starts to open up!

Overview of A2 Spanish

Upon completing the A2 level, you should be able to:

  • Understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment).
  • Communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters.
  • Describe in simple terms aspects of your background, immediate environment, and matters in areas of immediate need.

You move from isolated phrases to combining ideas and narrating simple events in the past and future.

A2 Syllabus Index: Key Topics

Jump to a specific section:

Past Tenses: Pretérito Perfecto & Pretérito Indefinido (Introduction)

Talking about the past is a major step at A2. You'll typically learn at least an introduction to two key past tenses:

Pretérito Perfecto (Present Perfect)

Used for actions that happened in the recent past or actions connected to the present (e.g., "I have eaten", "Have you seen?"). Formed with the present tense of haber + past participle.

  • Haber (present): he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han
  • Past participles: Add -ado to -AR verbs (hablar → hablado), -ido to -ER/-IR verbs (comer → comido, vivir → vivido).
Yo he comido pizza hoy. (I have eaten pizza today.) ¿Tú has visitado España alguna vez? (Have you visited Spain sometime?) Ellos han estudiado mucho esta semana. (They have studied a lot this week.)

(Related: Introduction to Past Tenses article link if available)

Pretérito Indefinido (Simple Past / Preterite)

Used for completed actions in the past with a definite beginning and end (e.g., "I ate yesterday", "She arrived"). Conjugations are specific for each verb ending (-AR, -ER, -IR).

  • -AR verbs (e.g., hablar): hablé, hablaste, habló, hablamos, hablasteis, hablaron
  • -ER verbs (e.g., comer): comí, comiste, comió, comimos, comisteis, comieron
  • -IR verbs (e.g., vivir): viví, viviste, vivió, vivimos, vivisteis, vivieron
Ayer hablé con mi amigo. (Yesterday I spoke with my friend.) Ella comió en el restaurante. (She ate in the restaurant.) Nosotros vivimos en Madrid el año pasado. (We lived in Madrid last year.)

Distinguishing between the uses of Pretérito Perfecto and Pretérito Indefinido is a key A2 skill. The Imperfect tense (used for ongoing or habitual past actions) is often introduced late A2 or early B1.

Talking About the Future: Ir + a + Infinitive & Simple Future (Introduction)

Expressing future plans and intentions is also introduced.

Ir + a + Infinitive (Near Future)

This is the most common way to talk about the near future, similar to "going to [verb]" in English. Formed with the present tense of ir + a + infinitive.

  • Ir (present): voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van
Yo voy a estudiar mañana. (I am going to study tomorrow.) ¿Qué vas a hacer este fin de semana? (What are you going to do this weekend?) Ellos van a viajar a Italia. (They are going to travel to Italy.)

Simple Future (Introduction)

Often, the formal Simple Future is introduced for more distant plans or predictions. Formed by adding endings to the infinitive of the verb.

  • Endings (-AR/-ER/-IR): -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án
Hablaré con él luego. (I will speak with him later.) Ella comerá en casa. (She will eat at home.) Nosotros viviremos aquí. (We will live here.)

Reflexive Verbs and Daily Routines

You'll learn verbs where the action reflects back on the subject, essential for talking about daily routines.

  • Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
  • Reflexive verbs (ending in -se, e.g., lavarse - to wash oneself, levantarse - to get up).
Yo me levanto a las siete. (I get myself up at seven - I get up at seven.) Ella se lava las manos. (She washes her hands - herself the hands.) Nosotros nos acostamos tarde. (We go to bed late.)

Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns

Learning to use pronouns to replace nouns makes your sentences more fluid and natural.

  • Direct object pronouns (replaces the noun receiving the action directly): me, te, lo/la, nos, os, los/las.
  • Indirect object pronouns (replaces the noun receiving the action indirectly, often with 'to' or 'for'): me, te, le, nos, os, les.
  • Placement of pronouns (usually before the conjugated verb).
Tengo el libro. → Lo tengo. (I have the book. → I have it.) Veo a María. → La veo. (I see María. → I see her.) Doy un regalo a mi madre. → Le doy un regalo. (I give a gift to my mother. → I give her a gift.) Doy el libro a Juan. → Le lo doy. → Se lo doy. (I give the book to Juan. → I give it to him. - note the 'le lo' becomes 'se lo')

(Related: Direct and Indirect Objects article link if available)

Basic Commands (Imperative - Tú form)

Giving simple instructions or making requests to someone you address informally (tú).

  • Affirmative commands (e.g., Talk! Eat! Live!).
  • Negative commands (e.g., Don't talk! Don't eat! Don't live!).
Habla más despacio, por favor. (Speak slower, please - tú affirmative command of hablar.) Come la fruta. (Eat the fruit - tú affirmative command of comer.) No hables inglés. (Don't speak English - tú negative command of hablar.) No comas eso. (Don't eat that - tú negative command of comer.)

Comparatives and Superlatives

Comparing things ("taller than", "more interesting than") and saying something is the most/least of a group ("the tallest", "the most interesting").

  • Comparatives: más [adjective] que (more...than), menos [adjective] que (less...than), tan [adjective] como (as...as).
  • Superlatives: el/la/los/las más [adjective] de (the most...of), el/la/los/las menos [adjective] de (the least...of).
Este libro es más interesante que ese. (This book is more interesting than that one.) Mi coche es menos rápido que el tuyo. (My car is less fast than yours.) Ella es tan alta como su hermana. (She is as tall as her sister.) Es el libro más interesante de la tienda. (It is the most interesting book in the store.)

Expanding Prepositions and Adverbs of Place/Time

Using more prepositions and adverbs to give more detail about location and time.

  • Common prepositions: con (with), sin (without), para (for/to - purpose/destination), por (for/by - cause/duration/movement), desde (from), hasta (until/to).
  • Adverbs: aquí/ahí/allí (here/there), hoy (today), mañana (tomorrow), ayer (yesterday), siempre (always), nunca (never), a veces (sometimes).
Voy con mis amigos. (I go with my friends.) El tren va desde Madrid hasta Barcelona. (The train goes from Madrid to Barcelona.) Siempre desayuno café. (I always drink coffee for breakfast.)

(Related: Por vs. Para article link if available)

Quantifiers and Adjectives (More Detail)

Using words to express quantity ("many", "few", "some") and expanding your range of descriptive adjectives, paying close attention to agreement.

  • Quantifiers: mucho/mucha/muchos/muchas (much/many/a lot), poco/poca/pocos/pocas (little/few), alguno/alguna/algunos/algunas (some/any), ningún/ninguna (no/none).
  • More adjectives covering personality, feelings, appearance, opinions.
Tengo muchos libros. (I have many books.) Hay poca gente. (There are few people.) ¿Tienes alguna pregunta? (Do you have any question?) No tengo ningún problema. (I have no problem.) Ella es muy simpática. (She is very nice/friendly.) Me siento cansado hoy. (I feel tired today.)

Expanded Vocabulary Areas

A2 vocabulary dives into more specific and personal topics, enabling you to describe your daily life and experiences.

  • Daily routine activities (verbs like levantarse, ducharse, desayunar, trabajar, cenar, acostarse).
  • Free time and hobbies.
  • Family and friends (more specific relationships).
  • Work and studies.
  • Shopping and describing items.
  • Food and ordering in a restaurant.
  • Talking about the weather.
  • Health and physical description.
  • Expressing likes and dislikes (gustar and similar verbs).
  • Talking about past events and future plans.
  • Places in a town/city and asking for directions.
Por la mañana, me levanto y me ducho. (In the morning, I get up and I shower.) En mi tiempo libre, leo libros. (In my free time, I read books.) Quiero pedir una paella. (I want to order a paella.) ¿Cómo llegar al museo? (How to get to the museum?) Me gusta el chocolate. (I like chocolate.) Me gustan los perros. (I like dogs.)

Your A2 Journey: Connecting and Expanding

The A2 level is where you start moving beyond simple sentences and begin to connect ideas, describe events in the past, and talk about what's coming. It requires dedicated practice, especially with new verb tenses and pronoun usage.

Focus on integrating new vocabulary and grammar into your speech and writing. Try to describe your day, talk about a recent weekend, or tell a friend about your plans for tomorrow.

Sprachlingua's online Spanish courses are designed to guide you systematically through the A2 syllabus, providing clear explanations, interactive exercises, and valuable speaking practice with experienced instructors. Build your confidence to handle more complex conversations.

Ready to take your Spanish to the next level?

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