Aspects

Mini-lesson B1: *comerse*/*beberse* with a “completed action” meaning. At home, with food and drink we use “se” to highlight the result: everything is gone, all consumed! (in Russian grammar terms: the meaning of “completedness”).

Key idea: with "se", *comerse*/*beberse* get stronger. They indicate that you finish it all (totality) and, sometimes, that you enjoy it. Roughly like "eat/drink it all up" in English.

Comer vs comerse: Comí la paella. = neutral action. Me comí la paella (entera). = I finished it; sounds more emphatic.

How to talk about the length of your driving lessons: "llevar + gerundio" and "hace + tiempo + que". Key patterns in Spain for actions that are still continuing in the present.

¿Comer o comerse? ¿Beber o beberse? ¿Saber o saberse? Elige bien: el “se” añade matiz (totalidad, memoria, énfasis).

Idea clave: con “se” indicamos que la acción se completa del todo o que hay énfasis. Piensa en inglés: “eat it all / drink it all”.

In colloquial Spanish, **se** can mark totality or personal involvement.

- **He comido tortilla** = I ate (some) tortilla / I’ve eaten tortilla (part of it / in general).
- **Me he comido la tortilla** = I ate the WHOLE tortilla.

Use this **pronominal form** to show the action is fully completed.

¿Intención, duración, inmediatez o repetición? Guía rápida de perífrasis útiles. (In English: "going to / for a long time / just / again")

Intención (futuro cercano): ir a + infinitivo. Ej.: Este mes voy a buscar piso en Madrid. Muy usado para planes.

Estar + gerundio = action in progress right now. Ex.: Estoy estudiando (I’m studying right now).

It’s used at the moment of speaking or around now; also for temporary actions. Ex.: Últimamente estoy leyendo mucho. (Lately I’ve been reading a lot.)

Useful verb phrases to talk about continuity, stopping, and repetition. Use them to say “I’m still doing it”, “I stop”, or “I do it again”. For English speakers, think “to continue / to stop / again”.

In the supermarket queue, we use **llevar + gerundio** to talk about how long an action has been in progress: "Llevo 20 minutos esperando" (literally: "I’ve already been waiting for 20 minutes").

Goal: say how long you’ve had your study or work habit. In Spain people talk a lot about time management and work–life balance; learn how to talk about it clearly!

Mini A2 stand-up guide: near future and sprint plans (for English speakers).

Duración en proyectos: llevar + gerundio y llevar sin + infinitivo. In English this is roughly like "I've already been doing it / I haven't been doing it for X time."

Two keys to understanding Spanish sports TV: very common verbal periphrases used by commentators in Spain.

Llevar + gerundio = duration: “ya llevo X tiempo haciendo algo”. (in English: “I’ve already been doing something for X time”).

En español, comerse/beberse añaden idea de totalidad o énfasis: “me lo comí” = lo terminé. Es el mismo verbo, pero en forma pronominal cambia el matiz de significado .

Comer vs comerse. Beber vs beberse. With “se”, the verb sounds more “complete”: it adds the idea of “all, the whole thing” (in English: “to eat/drink it all up”). Very useful in the supermarket or in bars.