Reach Spanish A1

Proof required

Record a 3-minute unscripted introduction in Spanish: your name, where you're from, your job or studies, 2–3 things you like or do regularly, and your current location and how you feel right now. Use ser at least 3 times and estar at least 2 times, in different contexts. Write 80 words explaining how you're approaching the ser/estar distinction specifically — what's helping you distinguish them?

What gets checked

• Ser and estar each appear at least the required number of times and are used in correct contexts — 'Soy cansado' (wrong — state, not identity) vs. 'Estoy cansado' is the A1 diagnostic; if this error appears, the ser/estar distinction has not been internalized
• The introduction covers all five requested elements — if elements are missing, the vocabulary range hasn't been reached
• The ser/estar account is specific to the submitter's actual learning approach, not a textbook definition — 'I use a mnemonic' or 'I always ask myself if it's a state or an identity' are real approaches; 'I'm learning the rules' is not informative

Common mistakes

• Treating ser/estar as a memorization task (memorizing lists of examples) rather than an intuition-building task — ser/estar intuition is built by repeatedly asking 'is this a characteristic or a state?' before speaking, not by memorizing that 'soy alto' and 'estoy aquí' are both correct
• Skipping spoken practice until grammar feels secure — Spanish A1 spoken practice should begin within the first two weeks; the ser/estar distinction becomes much clearer through making errors in conversation and getting corrected than through studying

Resources

What a verifier looks for

• Check the ser/estar distinction carefully — 'Estoy de México' (origin) is a common A1 error (should be 'Soy de México'); the direction of the error is also diagnostic: estar for identity claims is harder to produce than ser for state claims
• Ask the submitter to describe a different person using ser and estar — can they correctly apply the distinction in a new context not covered in the recording?
• The ser/estar account should show genuine engagement with the challenge: someone who says 'I ask myself if it's permanent or temporary' will apply the rule correctly far more reliably than someone who has memorized example sentences

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Proof required

Submit the recording (5 minutes minimum, both sides clearly audible). Write 100 words on: what was clearest to understand and why, one moment where you had to ask for repetition and what specifically you didn't catch, and whether the speaker's Spanish accent was the variety you've been studying.

What gets checked

• Both sides are audible and the conversation is genuine — not a scripted exchange or an interview format where only the native speaker asks questions
• The repetition account is honest: A1 comprehension will miss things; an account with no repetition requests suggests either scripted preparation or suppression of the evidence of difficulty
• The accent observation is specific: the submitter should be able to identify roughly whether the speaker is from Spain, Mexico, or elsewhere, even if only approximately — this verifies actual Spanish listening engagement

Common mistakes

• Waiting for Spanish to feel 'right enough' before speaking — A1 Spanish conversations are specifically supposed to be difficult, partial, and full of comprehension gaps; the goal is to survive them, not to perform them fluently
• Using a conversation partner who speaks English-Spanish code-switching throughout — the proof requires a genuine Spanish-language session, not a hybrid English-Spanish practice

Resources

What a verifier looks for

• Listen for whether the conversation is genuinely two-way — if the entire 5 minutes is the native speaker asking questions and the submitter answering, the submitter hasn't demonstrated initiating communication
• Ask the submitter to reproduce the repetition moment: what exactly didn't they understand, and what did they say in Spanish to ask for repetition? 'Puedes repetir, por favor?' is the A1 repair strategy — did they use it?
• The accent observation is a diagnostic: a submitter who says 'I couldn't tell where they were from' at A1 is honest; a submitter who claims perfect comprehension at all times is not

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Proof required

Submit a recording (if in-person or phone) or screenshot of the message exchange (if written). Write 150 words on: what was communicated, whether you had to switch to English at any point and why, and one thing you couldn't express in Spanish during the interaction and how you navigated it.

What gets checked

• The interaction is with a genuine non-tutor stranger or non-acquaintance — not a language exchange partner or Spanish-speaking friend who knew in advance you would be practicing
• The code-switching account is honest — A1 interactions often involve switching to English when vocabulary runs out; documenting this honestly is more useful than claiming it didn't happen
• The 'couldn't express' account identifies a specific vocabulary or expression gap and how it was navigated — paraphrase, gesture, dictionary lookup, or English; all are valid A1 strategies

Common mistakes

• Choosing an interaction so simple that it tests only A0 vocabulary (saying 'hola') and counting it as A1 transfer — the interaction must require at least one piece of A1 vocabulary beyond basic greetings
• Using a pre-written script for the interaction and not reporting it — the proof requires genuine A1 communication in the moment, not a performance of memorized phrases

Resources

What a verifier looks for

• Check whether the interaction required genuine A1 Spanish — a one-word transaction (pointing and saying 'uno') doesn't demonstrate A1 production; the interaction should include a full sentence at minimum
• Ask the submitter to reproduce the moment they 'couldn't express' something: can they now say it in Spanish after the interaction, even if they couldn't during it?
• The code-switching account is the most useful data point — ask the submitter what they switched to English for and why; this diagnosis shows exactly where A2 vocabulary study should focus

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