Released Units

FSI Spanish Basic Course is the perfect complement to any other Spanish learning material.
You can study the complete course or just focus on units you are interested in.

Level 1

Unit 1    Useful Phrases I

• Pronunciation
  
  

Unit 2    Useful Phrases II

• Counting to 29
• Pronunciation
• Some demonstratives: esto, eso

Unit 3    Arriving in Surlandia

• Gender of singular nouns and adjectives

Unit 4    At the Embassy

• Number in nouns, adjectives and articles
• The irregular verb estar

Unit 5    First Day at Work​

• The irregular verb ser

Unit 6    Having Lunch

• Present tense forms of regular -ar verbs
• Semantic differences between está(n) and hay
• Review: Use of definite articles with titles

Unit 7    Looking for an Apartment

• Present tense forms of regular -er verbs
• The demonstratives este, ese, aquel 
• Review: The distribution of ser and estar

Unit 8    The Neighbor's Apartment​

• Present tense forms of regular -ir verbs
• The obligatory contractions: al, del
• Review: Noun-adjective agreement

Unit 9    At a Friend's Apartment​

• The present perfect: haber + past participle (-do form)
• Possessive adjectives: Long forms
• Review: Adjective position

Unit 10   Laundry and Cleaning​

• Personal a
• Direct clitic pronouns
• Past participles functioning as modifiers
• Review: Present tense forms

Unit 11   Interviewing​

• Possessives: Short forms
• The negative particle no with verbs
• Review: Unemphatic 'some, any' from English

Unit 12   No Water​​

• Subject pronouns
• Pronouns after prepositions
• Components of phrases: con, sin, después, antes de
• Statement intonation patterns: Normal and contrastive statements
• Review: Adjective agreement in remote position

Unit 13   At a Party​

• The gerund (-ndo form) and the present continuous
• Possessive constructions with de
• Nominalized possessive constructions
• Question intonation patterns: Information questions
• Review: Placement of negative particle no

Unit 14   Family

• Present tense forms of the irregular verbs ir, dar, ver
• The periphrastic future construction
• Question intonation patterns: Yes-no questions
• Review: The present perfect

Unit 15   Going through Customs​

• Indirect clitic pronouns: One object
• Indirect clitic pronouns: Two objects
• Question intonation patterns: Yes questions
• Review: Possessive constructions

Level 2

Unit 16   Sightseeing

• Redundant constructions with indirect clitic pronouns
• Question intonation patterns: No questions
• Review: Masculine demonstrative forms
• Reading: Los Nuevos Vecinos

Unit 17   Social Life

• Preterite tense forms of regular verbs
• Question intonation patterns: Affirmative confirmation questions
• Review: Possessive phrases with quién
• Reading: Comentando

Unit 18   Discussing Work

• Imperfect tense forms of regular verbs
• Imperfect tense forms of irregular verbs
• Question intonation patterns: Negative confirmation questions
• Review: Word order in information questions
• Reading: Comentando (continuación)

Unit 19   Visit to Air Mission I​

• Preterite and imperfect in the same construction
• Question intonation patterns: Echo questions
• Review: Spanish simple tense for English verb construction in interrogations
• Reading: Los Robinson

Unit 20   Visit to Air Mission II​

• Direct and indirect clitics in the same construction
• Exclamatory qué, cómo
• Question intonation patterns: Choice questions
• Review: Postposed full-form possessives
• Reading: La Primera Visita

Unit 21   The Weather

• Irregular preterite forms
  • The verb dar
  • Verbs with extended stems: estar, andar, traer
  • Verbs with modified stems: poder, traducir
  • Verbs with suppleted stems: ser, ir
• Review: Imperfect tense forms
• Reading: Plan de Estudiar
  
  

Unit 22   Going to the Market

• Present tense irregular verbs
  • Stem vowel changing: poder, querer, seguir
• Statement intonation patterns: Sentence modifiers
• Review: Preterite tense forms
• Reading: Jane and Ruth

Unit 23   At the Market

• Present tense irregular verbs
  • Velar stem extensions: conocer, salir
  • Mixed stem-vowel changing and velar stem extensions: venir, tener
  • Mixed miscellaneous: caer, traer, oír, hacer, decir, saber
• Statement intonation patterns: Leave-takings
• Review: The obligatory clause relator que
• Reading: ¿Quién Rompió los Platos?​

Unit 24   In the Stores

• Reflexive clitic pronouns
• Chart of clitic pronouns
• Reflexive clitic pronouns with progressive and periphrastic future verb constructions
• Expressions for time of day
• Review: Gender class assignment of certain nouns (I)
• Reading: Los Fuentes se Despiden

Unit 25   A Visa Interview I

• Reflexive and indirect clitic pronouns in the same construction
• Review: Verb-subject order in certain dependent clauses
• Reading: Señora Sistemática

Unit 26   A Visa Interview II

• Reflexive and direct clitic pronouns in the same construction
• Reflexives with no designated agents
• Review: Gender class assignment of certain nouns (II)
• Reading: Día de Mercado

Unit 27   Sports

• Formal imperative forms for regular verbs
• Formal imperative forms for irregular verbs
• Familiar imperative forms for regular verbs
• Familiar imperative forms for irregular verbs
• Review: Nominalized possessives
• Reading: La Técnica de Comprar

Unit 28   At the Golf Course

• Indirect imperative forms
• Hortatory (1st person) imperative forms
• Review: Preterite tense forms
• Reading: Ciudades Latinoamericanas

Unit 29   At the Tennis Court

• Clitic pronouns
  • with imperative forms
  • with infinitives
  • with -ndo forms
• Review: Present perfect
• Reading: El Barrio Viejo de Las Palmas

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Unit 30   Bullfighting

• General review
• Reading: En el Mercado​

Level 3

Unit 31    At a Dinner Party

• Past progressive
• Review
  • Nominalized verb forms as subject of a sentence
  • Gerund (-ndo forms) in absolute constructions
• Reading: Los Negocios en Surlandia

Unit 32    A Conversation after Dinner

• Cardinal numbers, days of the week, months of the year
• Some semantic correlations:
  • saber-conocer
  • preguntar-pedir
• Review: Strong stress as a function differentiator in verbs
• Reading 1: Resultados del Viaje a Surlandia
• Reading 2: Presidente Inaugura La Represa del Río Chico​

Unit 33    Saying Goodbye

• Articles before nominalized adjectives
• Ordinal numbers
• Review
  • Reflexive pronouns
  • Definite articles with days of the week and time expressions
• Reading 1: El Viaje
• Reading 2: Geografía de Surlandia

Unit 34    Talking Economics

• The prepositions por and para
• Colors
• Review
  • gustar, faltar, parecer
  • Progressive construction in questions
• Reading 1: Unas Cartas
• Reading 2: Progreso Urbano y Facilidades Públicas

Unit 35    A Country Barbecue

• Nominalization of articles
• Some semantic correlations
  • tomar-llevar
  • salir-dejar
• Review
  • Position of the pronouns in commands
  • Agreement of adjectives: hundreds
• Reading 1: Feliz Coincidencia
• Reading 2: Problemas de Educación

Unit 36    A Phone Call

• Present subjunctive (after ojalá)
• Review
  • Spanish infinitive for English -ing forms
  • Placement of verb modifiers
• Reading 1: Una Visita al Campo​
• Reading 2: Surlandia y su Economía

Unit 37    A Cocktail Party

• Present subjunctive in noun clauses functioning as the object of a verb
• Review
  • Indefinite adjectives as modifiers
  • Genders in demonstratives
• Reading 1: Una Carta
• Reading 2: Historia y Desarrollo Político de Surlandia

Unit 38    Giving up Smoking

• Present subjunctive in noun clauses functioning as the subject of a verb
• Review
  • Use of definite articles with gustar
  • Use of indefinite articles with modified nouns after ser
• Reading 1: Conflictos Internacionales
• Reading 2: Orígenes del Panamericanismo

Unit 39    Buying a Car

• The diminutive suffix -ito
• The intensive suffix -ísimo
• Adverbs in -mente
• Review
  • Verbs with included subject
  • The adjective todo
• Reading 1: Los Primeros Días
• Reading 2: La Organización de los Estados Americanos y su Campo Social

Unit 40    Mourning a Grandmother

• Present subjunctive in relative clauses
• Review
  • Adjective position: obligatory postposed adjectives
  • Nominalization of demonstratives
• Reading 1: Solución del Conflicto
• Reading 2: La Organización de los Estados Americanos y la Paz y Seguridad del Continente

Unit 41    A Student Strike

• Present subjunctive in subordinate clauses: obligatory occurence
• Review
  • Prepositions
  • Nominalization of possessives
• Reading 1: Un Robo
• Reading 2: Policía Propónese Terminar con Criminales

Unit 42    At the Barber Shop

• Present subjunctive in subordinate clauses: conditioned occurence
• Review
  • Prepositions + que
  • Nominalization of adjectives
• Reading 1: Un Incidente de Tránsito
• Reading 2: ¡Oh, el Tránsito!

Unit 43    At the Gas Station

• Comparison of inequality
• The position of no in expressing contradictions and reservations
• Review
  • Spanish verb = English verb + preposition
  • Nominalization of definite articles
• Reading 1: Comprando un automóvil
• Reading 2: Los Problemas del Transporte en Latinoamérica (I)

Unit 44    At the Beach

• Comparison of equality
• Exclamatory expressions
• Irregular past participles
• Review
  • Spanish verb + verb = English verb + preposition + verb
  • Stress pattern contrast in preterit forms
• Reading 1: La Carrera Panamericana
• Reading 2: Los Problemas del Transporte en Latinoamérica (II)

Unit 45    A Baptism

• The pluperfect tense
• The shortening of certain adjectives
• The past participle of postures
• Review
  • Spanish verb + adjective + verb = English verb + adjective + to + verb
  • Present subjunctive forms
• Reading 1: Los Pequeños Problemas de los Phillips
• Reading 2: Un Informe Semi-Annual

Level 4

Unit 46    Getting Sick

• Comparison of identity and similarity
• Word order: subject and verb
• Position of adverbial phrase modifier
• Review
  • Spanish verb + preposition + object = English verb + object
  • Spanish reflexive verb + preposition + object = English verb + object
  • Stem changing verbs in present tense
  • Nominalization in comparisons
• Reading: Una Convención de la Federación Interamericana de Comercio​

Unit 47    Discussing Language

• The imperfect subjunctive
• The present perfect and pluperfect subjunctives
• Review
  • Spanish verb + a/de + infinitive
  • Spanish verb + que/en + infinitive
  • The intensifier mismo
  • Hortatory reflexives
• Reading: Un Día Memorable

Unit 48    The Binational Centers

• The conditional tense and the perfect conditional construction
• Conditional sentences with a subjunctive verb and a conditional verb
• The periphrastic conditional
• Review
  • The neuter article lo with nominalized adjectives
  • Stem changing verbs in preterite
  • The present progressive construction with alternate conjugated verbs
• Reading: Progreso y Salud Pública

Unit 49    Running for Congress

• The future tense and the future perfect construction
• Conditional sentences
• Review
  • Irregular present / Irregular preterite forms
  • Gender in pronouns after prepositions: Inanimate objects
  • Gender in pronouns after prepositions: Personal objects
  • Spanish subjunctive = English infinitive
• Reading: Mediodía en la Capital

Unit 50    Adapting to Life in Surlandia​

• Imperfect subjunctive in main clauses
• Imperfect and pluperfect subjunctive after ojalá, aunque and como si
• Review
  • Spanish indirect pronoun for English 'for'
  • Tú imperative: affirmative and negative
  • Preterite, pluperfect, and perfect in contrast​
• Reading: La Lotería y Ud.​