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HandoutHandout 1: What You Actually Need
Handout 1: What You Actually Need
You don't need much for this class. that's kind of the point. spanish isn't a supply-heavy hobby, it's a mouth-and-ears hobby. so don't go overboard at costco before week one. here's what actually helps.
Budget tier (get this, skip the rest if money's tight)
- a cheap notebook. small enough to carry, not precious. this is for phrases, not grammar notes. you'll write down stuff you hear at the store, stuff we practice in class, stuff you get wrong and want to remember. don't buy a nice one — you'll be less scared to mess it up in a $2 notebook.
- a pen that works. iykyk.
- your phone. you already have it. we'll use it for a translation app as a backup, not a crutch. more on that below.
- a folder or binder pocket for handouts. i print a lot. keep them together or they end up on your floorboard like mine do.
that's it. that's the budget list. total cost, maybe five bucks if you don't already have a notebook lying around.
Nice-to-have tier (not required, genuinely helpful)
- a physical pocket dictionary. spanish-english, small enough to actually carry. apps are fine but a real dictionary doesn't die at 2%. i still use mine.
- flashcards, blank ones you fill in yourself. don't buy the pre-made 500-word set. you'll make better ones out of the ten phrases you're actually using. write your own, keep them in your pocket, quiz yourself in line at macey's.
- a language app for streaks. duolingo, whatever. it's fine for keeping you honest between classes. it will not teach you to talk to a person. that part's on you and me and the person sitting next to you in class.
- a labeled water bottle or something similar, in spanish. sounds silly. sticking spanish words on stuff you touch all day actually works. i've got "el fregadero" taped under my sink at home. don't ask javier, he thinks it's ridiculous. it works anyway.
Shopping notes, utah county specific
You don't need a special trip for any of this. Target or Macey's has notebooks and pens, Costco has the bulk pack if you want to outfit the whole family. if you want the pocket dictionary or the blank flashcards, a bigger box store or the school supply aisle this time of year will have them — end of summer's actually the best time, everything's marked down for back to school even though we're starting in the dead of winter. don't overthink it.
One real tip: if you're at the grocery store anyway, listen. Utah County has more Spanish in it than people expect if you're paying attention in the checkout line. I've filled half a notebook just standing around waiting to pay. Consider it homework you didn't know you had.
What you don't need
A grammar textbook. Seriously, skip it. If you want one later I'll point you at a good one, but week one isn't the week for it. We're not talking about the language, we're talking in it. Bring your ears and your mouth and be willing to be wrong out loud. That's the actual supply list. Everything else is optional. ✨
HandoutHandout 2: Cheat Sheet — Beginner Spanish Conversation
Handout 2: Cheat Sheet — Beginner Spanish Conversation
quick reference. tape it to your fridge, keep it in the truck, whatever. this is the stuff we actually use in class, so it should look familiar.
The "get me out of trouble" phrases (learn these first, always)
- No entiendo. — I don't understand.
- Más despacio, por favor. — Slower, please.
- ¿Cómo se dice...? — How do you say...?
- ¿Puede repetir? — Can you repeat that?
- No sé. — I don't know.
iykyk — these buy you time to fix everything else. most classes save these for later. we don't.
Greetings / small talk loop
This is the back-and-forth we drill every single class. Say it out loud, both parts, with a partner.
- Buenos días / Buenas tardes / Buenas noches — good morning / afternoon / night
- ¿Cómo está? / ¿Cómo estás? — how are you (formal / casual)
- Estoy bien, gracias. ¿Y usted / y tú? — I'm good, thanks. And you?
- Mucho gusto. — nice to meet you
- Hasta luego. / Nos vemos. — see you later
Numbers (the useful range)
uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez... then diez, veinte, treinta, cuarenta, up to cien.
honestly? I still stall out past a hundred. give me a phone number in Spanish and watch me go quiet mid-sentence. I'm working on it. if you get past a hundred better than me, teach me back.
Store / checkout phrases
This is your Macey's or Costco run, basically.
- ¿Cuánto cuesta? — how much does it cost?
- ¿Dónde está...? — where is...?
- Solo estoy mirando. — just looking
- ¿Tiene...? — do you have...?
- La cuenta, por favor. — the check/bill, please
Jobsite / "need a hand" phrases
Not everyone needs these, but a few of you do, and they're good ones regardless.
- Cuidado. — careful. (Right word, right second — this one's saved a guy from a hot line. Say it like you mean it.)
- Ayúdame, por favor. — help me, please
- Necesito... — I need...
- Espere. — wait
The two rules that matter more than any list
- Say it out loud. Reading it silently doesn't count. Your mouth has to do the work, out loud, even when it feels dumb.
- Good enough talks. Perfect stays home. My accent is rough as gravel and people understand me fine. Don't wait for perfect. Use what you've got.
A note on grammar
You won't find verb charts here. I don't teach it that way — I teach by ear and by repeating things until they stop feeling weird in your mouth. If you want the grammar-book version of why something works, I'll point you toward a real resource, but that's not what this class is for.
Practice homework (no app required)
Next time you're at the store, just listen for a minute in the checkout line. You'll hear more Spanish in Utah County than you'd think. Don't sluff this — it's free practice and it's right there.
That's the sheet. Not long, on purpose. Ten phrases said a hundred times beats two hundred words you can't use. Say it out loud, even the parts that feel stupid. You'll get it. ✨
WorksheetHandout 3: Phrase Checklist — The Stuff You'll Actually Use
Handout 3: Phrase Checklist — The Stuff You'll Actually Use
not a vocab list. a checklist. the difference matters — these are phrases you say out loud until they stop feeling stupid in your mouth, not words you memorize and forget by friday.
check the box once you've said it out loud to a real person (classmate counts, spouse counts, dog does not count, sorry).
the get-out-of-trouble phrases (learn these first, always)
- [ ] no entiendo — i don't understand
- [ ] más despacio, por favor — slower, please
- [ ] ¿cómo se dice ___? — how do you say ___?
- [ ] ¿puede repetir? — can you say that again?
- [ ] lo siento, mi español es nuevo — sorry, my spanish is new
these buy you time. every other phrase on this page depends on you having these first. most classes teach them last. iykyk why that's backwards.
greetings and the basic back-and-forth
- [ ] buenos días / buenas tardes / buenas noches
- [ ] ¿cómo estás? — how are you?
- [ ] estoy bien, ¿y tú? — i'm good, and you?
- [ ] mucho gusto — nice to meet you
- [ ] hasta luego — see you later
string these five together with a partner. that's a whole conversation. don't sluff it just because it looks easy on paper — say it three times before you check the box.
jobsite / practical phrases
(these are mine, from crosspoint. steal them, they work.)
- [ ] cuidado — careful
- [ ] ¿me puede ayudar? — can you help me?
- [ ] ¿dónde está ___? — where is ___?
- [ ] necesito un momento — i need a minute
- [ ] gracias, nos vemos — thanks, see you around
grocery store phrases (your homework field is macey's or costco)
- [ ] ¿cuánto cuesta? — how much does it cost?
- [ ] ¿tiene ___? — do you have ___?
- [ ] esto, por favor — this one, please
- [ ] está bien, gracias — that's fine, thanks
go stand in a checkout line this week and actually listen. you'll hear more spanish in utah county than you think. write down one phrase you catch, even if you don't know what it means yet. bring it next class and we'll figure it out together.
self-check (be honest, no grade attached)
circle one for each:
- i can say these out loud without freezing up: most / some / not yet
- i practiced with another person this week: yes / no / does my kid count
- i wrote down a phrase i overheard somewhere: yes / no
- my accent is rough and i said it anyway: yes / working on it
good enough talks. perfect stays home. ✨
bring this sheet back next week — we'll build on it, not replace it.
HandoutHandout 4: Troubleshooting — What Usually Goes Wrong (and the Fix)
Handout 4: Troubleshooting — What Usually Goes Wrong (and the Fix)
everybody hits the same walls. here's the list, so you know it's not just you.
1. "I know the word but it won't come out."
that's not a vocab problem, that's a mouth problem. you haven't said it enough times out loud yet. reading it and saying it are two different skills. say it twenty more times, even alone in your car.
2. You freeze up and just... don't talk.
this is the actual number one issue in this class, every session. the fix isn't more studying. the fix is opening your mouth before you feel ready. wrong out loud beats right in your head. every time.
3. Sluffing the vowels.
english lets you mumble through vowels. spanish doesn't. "casa" isn't "cah-suh," it's a clean ah. if a word feels off, it's usually a sluffed vowel. slow down and hit each one.
4. Panicking on numbers.
you're not alone — i still stall out over a hundred, i won't pretend otherwise. for beginners: don't try to memorize numbers as a list. practice the ones you'll actually use (prices, time, phone numbers a few digits at a time) and let the rest come later.
5. Trying to translate word-for-word in your head first.
if you're translating english to spanish in your brain before you speak, you'll always be a beat behind. learn phrases as whole chunks, not word puzzles. "¿cómo se dice...?" as one unit, not four words you're assembling live.
6. Getting stuck when they answer back fast.
this is why we teach the escape phrases week one and not week ten. "más despacio, por favor" (slower, please) and "no entiendo" (i don't understand) aren't beginner-level cop-outs. they're tools. use them constantly. nobody thinks less of you.
7. Worrying about your accent.
good enough talks. perfect stays home. javier's corrected my spanish for two years and my accent is still rough as gravel. he understands me fine. you're aiming for understood, not flawless.
8. Only practicing on an app.
apps are fine for streaks. they're not fine for conversation. the owl can't hold a conversation at the deli counter and neither can flashcards. you need a real human across from you, even if that human is your kid repeating verbs back at you in a silly voice.
9. Memorizing lists instead of phrases you'll use.
if you learn 200 random nouns you still can't order food. ten solid phrases, said a hundred times each, beats 200 words said once. quality over quantity, always.
10. Trying to fix your spelling before your speaking.
separate skills. i talk better than i type — accents especially still get me. don't let a missing tilde stop you from saying the sentence out loud. writing can wait. talking can't.
---
bottom line: almost every problem on this list gets fixed the same way — say it out loud, more times than feels necessary, in front of an actual person. that's the whole class. that's the work. ✨
podcast_scriptClass podcast — episode 1
Audio coming soon — show notes below.
JESS: —okay wait, say that again, because I don't think the recorder caught it.
KENNEDY: which part.
JESS: the part where you sat in the truck.
KENNEDY: oh. yeah. so this was maybe eight months into me picking up spanish on my own, before I ever taught anybody anything. coworker needed to get to a supply house, kind of a weird back way, and i just gave him directions. in spanish. no english, not even to fall back on.
JESS: and he found it.
KENNEDY: he found it. texted me a photo of the place like "made it." and i just sat in the truck for a second after. didn't tell anybody. just sat there feeling something i don't feel a ton these days, which was proud. right word, right second. that's the whole game.
JESS: for people just joining us — this is the podcast that goes with Beginner Spanish Conversation, Utah Community Learning, and Kennedy is the one teaching it starting next week. Kennedy, tell people why you, because you're not a —
KENNEDY: not a linguist. no. i'm a person who got tired of pointing at conduit and hoping somebody understood me. half the guys on my crews speak spanish, spanish first for most of them. so i started learning the real stuff. jobsite spanish. "careful," "hand me that," "move, the ladder's going." not textbook stuff.
JESS: and now you teach a room full of adults who probably also just need to survive the checkout line.
KENNEDY: pretty much. i don't do vocab lists. you memorize two hundred words off a list and you still can't say hello to an actual person. i'd rather give you ten phrases and make you say each one a hundred times till it stops feeling stupid in your mouth.
JESS: okay give the people a phrase. right now. something they can use tonight, no class required.
KENNEDY: "no entiendo." i don't understand. and "más despacio, por favor" — slower, please. most classes save those for later. i teach them week one, because those two phrases buy you time to fix everything else. somebody's talking fast at you, you say those, and now you're not drowning. you're just slow. slow's fine.
JESS: that's — okay that's genuinely useful, i'm gonna use that at Costco.
KENNEDY: iykyk. you'll hear more spanish at Costco and Macey's than you think if you actually listen in the checkout line. i keep a notebook of stuff i overhear. wrote down an entire argument between two women about which apples were on sale. felt like a creep doing it. learned three good words though.
JESS: worth it.
KENNEDY: worth it.
JESS: so what actually happens in the room. because I know some people are nervous, they haven't spoken a language out loud since high school French or whatever.
KENNEDY: you're talking minute one. i'm not doing twenty minutes on how spanish verbs work, nobody needs that on day one. you'll say "buenos días" to the person next to you before you've even got your coat off. i pair everybody up constantly. you practice on each other, not on me. i circle around, fix things quiet, keep moving. i'm not gonna put you on the spot in front of the whole room. i'll come to your table if something's off.
JESS: and if somebody's just wrong.
KENNEDY: i'll say "that's not it, try again" and then i wait. i don't rescue you too fast. you gotta sit in the wrong for a second, that's kind of the point. being wrong out loud beats being right in your head, every time. the people who won't say anything because they're embarrassed, those are the ones who learn slowest. i'll say that to your face. kindly.
JESS: kindly but firmly.
KENNEDY: that's fair.
JESS: okay, last thing — next session, what are we building toward.
KENNEDY: next time we're doing the grocery store scenario and the "someone's talking to me and i need an exit" scenario. real stuff. how do you ask where something is, how do you politely end a conversation you can't keep up with anymore. we're not doing hypothetical spain-trip spanish. we're doing tonight-at-macey's spanish.
JESS: love that. alright, that's episode one —
KENNEDY: say it out loud before you go, whatever you learned today. don't just think it. say it.
JESS: no entiendo.
KENNEDY: 😩 close. más despacio.
JESS: más despacio, por favor.
KENNEDY: there it is. ✨ see you next week.
podcast_scriptClass podcast — episode 2
Audio coming soon — show notes below.
JESS: —wait, say that again, because I don't think our listeners caught the good part.
KENNEDY: which part.
JESS: the diaper part.
KENNEDY: oh. yeah. so i read somewhere that talking to babies in a second language does something good for their brains. wires stuff up. so now i just narrate my kid's whole life in spanish. diaper changes, bath time, all of it.
JESS: give us a sample.
KENNEDY: "el pañal. muy sucio." very dirty. that's most of what i say to him honestly.
JESS: does he respond.
KENNEDY: he's four months old, jess. he responds by existing. but i figure i'm building something. probably not. doesn't matter. i do it anyway.
JESS: okay, for people just tuning in — this is episode two of beginner spanish conversation, i'm jess, i produce the podcast, kennedy teaches the class —
KENNEDY: badly, some weeks.
JESS: — she teaches it well, she's just going to fight me on that every episode.
KENNEDY: it's true though. some weeks i'm tired and i just point at people and say "you two, talk."
JESS: which, honestly, is kind of the whole class from what i've seen sitting in.
KENNEDY: that's the work. you can't learn to talk by watching somebody else talk. you gotta open your mouth and be bad at it for a while.
JESS: so give me something a person could use tonight. doesn't matter if they're in the class or not.
KENNEDY: okay. here's the one i give week one, before anything else. "no entiendo." i don't understand. and "más despacio, por favor." slower, please.
JESS: that's it?
KENNEDY: that's the whole toolkit right there. most classes teach you hello and goodbye and colors and save the useful stuff for month three. i do it backwards. you learn "i don't understand" and "slower please" on day one because that buys you time. somebody's talking fast at you, you're drowning, those two phrases pull you back up.
JESS: right word, right second.
KENNEDY: exactly. see, you've been sitting in on this too long.
JESS: it's catchy. okay, tell me the checkout line thing. i heard you keep a notebook.
KENNEDY: oh, yeah, i've got a whole notebook of phrases i've written down at costco and macey's. just listening in line. one time i wrote down this whole back-and-forth between two women about which apples were on sale. felt like a total creep standing there with my cart, but i learned three new words i wouldn't have gotten out of an app in a month.
JESS: what were the words.
KENNEDY: i'm not telling you, i want people to go find their own. that's kind of the point. utah county's got more spanish in it than people think, you just gotta be listening for it. you don't need a plane ticket. you need the checkout line.
JESS: for people who aren't in the class, is that a real tip? just — listen more?
KENNEDY: it's a real tip. put your phone away for one grocery trip and just listen. you'll pick stuff up you didn't know you were picking up. apps are fine for keeping a streak going, but the owl can't hold a conversation with you at the deli counter. you gotta practice on real people eventually.
JESS: and if they're embarrassed?
KENNEDY: everybody's embarrassed. that's not a reason to skip it. the people who won't say it out loud because they're scared of getting it wrong, they're the ones who learn slowest. i'll say that kindly, but i'll say it.
JESS: is that from experience?
KENNEDY: (laughs) i've got a whole list of times i said something wrong out loud in front of people, yeah. that's most of how i learned.
JESS: give me a quick one before we wrap.
KENNEDY: okay — quick one. my coworker javier taught me a phrase once, told me it meant something totally normal. i used it proudly on a customer. it was not normal. customer laughed pretty hard actually. i made javier write it down after so i'd never do that again.
JESS: you're not gonna tell us what it was.
KENNEDY: absolutely not. ask javier.
JESS: fair. okay — next session, what are we covering.
KENNEDY: next time we're doing directions. how to ask for them, how to give them, what to do when somebody's pointing and talking fast and you gotta just nod and follow the pointing. real useful one. i gave a coworker directions once entirely in spanish and he actually made it there. no english at all. that one felt good.
JESS: proud?
KENNEDY: proud. don't get much of that lately. i'll take it where i can get it. ✨
JESS: love that. okay, that's episode two. go listen at the grocery store, folks.
KENNEDY: say it out loud. even if it's wrong. wrong gets smaller.
podcast_scriptClass podcast — episode 3
Audio coming soon — show notes below.
JESS: —wait, back up, you actually wrote it down? in the notebook?
KENNEDY: three new words. i'm not proud of how i got them but i'm not sorry either.
JESS: okay for people just joining us, kennedy has a notebook of phrases she overhears at costco and macey's.
KENNEDY: it's not creepy. it's field research.
JESS: it's a little creepy.
KENNEDY: it's a little creepy. two women arguing about which apples were on sale, full conversation, i got three verbs out of it just standing there with my cart.
JESS: this is episode three of the beginner spanish podcast, i'm jess, i produce these, i do not speak spanish, i just hit record and nod. kennedy teaches the class on tuesdays.
KENNEDY: hi.
JESS: so we're a few sessions in now. how's the room feeling.
KENNEDY: good. loud, which is what i want. quiet room means nobody's practicing, they're just sitting there being embarrassed at each other.
JESS: you want the noise.
KENNEDY: i want the noise. and actually — this happened last class, and it's the reason i still do this. we get to the part where they pair up, greeting, how are you, i'm fine, and you. simple stuff. and one pair just... strung it together. whole back and forth, no stopping, no looking at me for help.
JESS: and?
KENNEDY: i went quiet. i thought we'd need three more weeks for that. we didn't need three more weeks. i stood there kind of stunned honestly.
JESS: that's a good moment.
KENNEDY: it's the whole job in one moment. that's why i keep showing up. every class i think somebody's gonna have that and it's usually somebody i wasn't expecting.
JESS: okay i want the practical thing today. give me one thing a person can use tonight, doesn't matter if they're in the class or not.
KENNEDY: "no entiendo." i don't understand.
JESS: that's it?
KENNEDY: that's the one. most classes teach it last, like it's some bonus phrase. i teach it week one because it buys you time. somebody's talking fast, you're lost, you say "no entiendo" and now they slow down, or they try different words, or they point at something. it doesn't fix the conversation. it keeps you in it.
JESS: no entiendo.
KENNEDY: say it again.
JESS: no entiendo.
KENNEDY: right word, right second, and you're already better off than half the people who freeze and just nod along pretending they got it.
JESS: guilty, honestly, in every language.
KENNEDY: everybody's guilty. that's the fix though. one phrase, say it out loud, done.
JESS: okay tell me the taco thing. i've heard you mention it but never the whole story.
KENNEDY: oh no.
JESS: oh yes.
KENNEDY: so i decide i'm gonna order entirely in spanish, this is early on, i'm feeling good about myself. taco place in provo. i ask for pollo, chicken.
JESS: uh huh.
KENNEDY: guy heard something else. lengua came out. tongue.
JESS: tongue tongue?
KENNEDY: tongue tongue. beef tongue taco.
JESS: what'd you do.
KENNEDY: ate it. wasn't gonna make a scene. it was actually good, texture's weird but the flavor's fine, i'm not mad about it anymore.
JESS: but that's not the lesson.
KENNEDY: that's not the lesson. the lesson is my pronunciation was sluffed just enough that the whole order went sideways, and i still ate my mistake instead of fixing it in the moment. now i'd just say "no entiendo, otra vez" — say it again — and we'd have sorted it out before it got to my plate.
JESS: so the phrase from ten minutes ago would've saved you from tongue.
KENNEDY: would've saved me from tongue. see, it all connects. ✨
JESS: i love that for you. okay, what's coming up next session, give people a reason to show up.
KENNEDY: we're doing the grocery store scenario. full role play, actually walking through asking where something is, asking for a different size, saying you're just looking. it's the one people ask about most because it's the most real. you're gonna use it more than you use "nice to meet you at a party."
JESS: very utah county coded, honestly, half your vocabulary probably comes from a checkout line anyway.
KENNEDY: more than half. you don't need a trip anywhere. you need the produce section on a saturday.
JESS: alright. no entiendo, say it loud, we'll see you tuesday.
KENNEDY: see you tuesday.
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