📖LearnModule 9 · Lesson 3 of 30Independent User · CEFR B2, completedUnit 1 · La narración escrita
Los marcadores del relato
Module 9 of the free Spanish course (CEFR B2, completed), lesson 3 of 30: A story needs signposts. On this page: 9 words with their genders and respellings, the rule, a watch-out line, the conjugation table and the audio — the study notes behind the workbook's QR.
The words
Spanish
English
Say it
en cuanto
as soon as
ehn KWAHN-toh
justo cuando
just as
HOOS-toh KWAHN-doh
una vez que
once (in time)
OO-nah behs keh
apenas
hardly
ah-PEH-nahs
sonar
to ring
soh-NAR
enseguida
immediately
ehn-seh-GEE-dah
mientras tanto
meanwhile
MYEHN-trahs TAHN-toh
a la mañana siguiente
the next morning
ah lah mah-NYAH-nah see-GYEHN-teh
ellos habían llegado tarde
they had arrived late
EH-yohs ah-BEE-ahn yeh-GAH-doh TAR-deh
Respellings follow the course’s say-it key; the stressed syllable is in capitals. Print this lesson’s flashcards (PDF) — the words on the front, the English and respelling on the back.
La regla · The rule
A story needs signposts, and Spanish has better ones than en ese momento repeated six times. En cuanto (as soon as), justo cuando (just as), una vez que (once), apenas (hardly), enseguida (immediately), mientras tanto (meanwhile).
Y también · And also
En cuanto llegó, la fiesta empezó — as soon as he arrived, the party began. Justo cuando salía, sonó el teléfono — notice the imperfecto for the interrupted action, exactly as in Module 1 of this band. Ellos habían llegado tarde: the pluperfect sets what was already so.
Ojo · Watch out
en cuanto and una vez que take the indicative for a past event (en cuanto llegó) and the SUBJUNCTIVE when the meaning is future: en cuanto llegue. mientras tanto is meanwhile; mientras alone is while.
llegar, pluscuamperfecto — the table
yo había llegado · tú habías llegado · él/ella/usted había llegado · nosotros habíamos llegado · ustedes habían llegado · ellos/ellas habían llegado
Do it now — on paper
Say all 9 words aloud twice from the respelling, then once from the Spanish spelling alone — begin with en cuanto.
Copy every word with its accents on paper; then cover the English column and write each meaning back from the Spanish.
Write out llegar, pluscuamperfecto in full from memory, every person, and check each form against the table above.
This free course is the reading half. The writing half — write-in lessons, daily practice pages with built-in review, self-checks and a full answer key — is the companion workbook series, The Spanish Ladder: one workbook per module, fifteen in all, released band by band with the Basic band (Modules 1–5) first.
Keep these words
Turn this lesson’s words into flashcards, then space your reviews — the two habits the research behind our study guides backs hardest.