Your Nuevo Prisma A2 class has reached a topic you could use outside the classroom. Perhaps you want to explain why you joined a group, tell someone what happened at the weekend, or offer to help at an event. Between lessons, choose one question from that topic and give a short answer aloud. It can be easier to notice what you need when the answer is yours.
This guide follows Nuevo Prisma A2, first edition (2013), from Editorial Edinumen. It uses units 1, 7 and 12 as examples. The publisher's material and your teacher's assignments remain your starting point. The three linked HearSay scenes are original conversations on related themes, available through the Nuevo Prisma A2 hub. They are optional, not the book's official audio.
Quick answer: Choose the unit your class is studying. Listen to a short exchange from the book or an original companion scene. Pause at a question and answer with one true detail of your own. Listen again, check a word or form you were unsure of, then ask a classmate a new follow-up question. Bring anything unresolved to your next lesson.
Start with a small, real answer
One question is enough to begin. If your current unit is about meeting people, explain why you are somewhere. If it is about telling a story, say what happened first. If it is about an event, offer to do one job. You do not need to turn any of those into a long presentation. A short answer lets you find out whether the next part of the exchange makes sense.
Listen first for the situation: who is speaking, what does one person need, and what does the other person know? Replay the question you want to answer. Say your reply aloud without reading. Then look at the text to check only the word or structure that stopped you. Try again with the text out of sight. This works with your textbook recording, a partner or one of the original scenes below. You can stop there or add a question of your own.
Keep the example close to your life. You might not belong to a choir or volunteer at a race, but you have probably joined a group, heard an unexpected story or helped organise something. Change the details that make the answer yours. If you practise with a classmate, let them ask a follow-up you did not prepare. Alone, write a plausible follow-up and answer it after a short pause. The point is to keep responding rather than reciting a fixed script.
Use the chapter, then return to it
Before the next class, note the unit number, the question you answered and one phrase you checked. If you tried two answers, keep only the difference that mattered: a time, a reason or a new detail. Bring the sentence you could not settle to your teacher. That makes the book useful as a reference for a real intention, not just a source of sentences to repeat.
You do not have to add a new daily schedule to your homework. A single short exchange can be useful when it is connected to the topic your class is already covering. If the publisher's audio gives you the question you need, use that. If you want another setting, one original conversation can give you a different person to respond to.
Explain why you joined in unit 1
Unit 1, Nos conocemos, includes introductions, reasons for learning Spanish and preferences outside class. In First night at the choir, Iván arrives at a community choir in Pamplona before its first rehearsal of the season. Maite has sung there for years and notices he is new. They use tú with each other. Iván has to explain why he came, ask about the group and say what worries him.
Listen for the question that invites Iván to say why he joined. Pause and give an answer about a group or class you chose. You may have joined to meet people, learn something or make time for a hobby. Give one reason and one detail. If you would rather not share a personal story, invent a small, ordinary one. Check the unit for a way to express purpose that your class has studied, then try the answer again without reading.
For a second turn, imagine that you are Maite. What would you tell a new member before the first meeting? Keep the advice practical and kind. With a partner, let them ask a question you did not expect, such as where to put their bag or whether they need to know everyone already. If you practise alone, give one brief piece of advice, then respond as the newcomer. This asks you to listen as well as explain your own reason.
The scene also contains a small social problem: Iván is new to the city and unsure what the evening will be like. Try acknowledging a worry before answering it. You can use a similar move when welcoming someone to a class, sports group or workplace. Your exact words may be simple. The useful practice is noticing what the other person needs to know.
For another pass, switch from introducing yourself to asking about the group. Imagine that you need to know when the next meeting starts, whether you should bring anything and whom you can ask if you miss a rehearsal. A partner can answer using a detail of their own. If you are alone, listen again for how Maite handles a question, then make one more question that would help a newcomer. The two turns give you a way to practise both asking and responding within the same unit theme.
This greeting helps you review the present indicative with regular and irregular verbs. To practice, say your own name and ask a question back. Try replacing coro with another setting, like clase de cocina (cooking class) or club de lectura (book club).
This part illustrates the grammar rules of ¿Por qué/Para qué + presente de indicativo and para + infinitivo. You can practise by giving two distinct reasons for joining a real or imaginary group. You might use para hablar español (to speak Spanish) or porque quiero hacer deporte (because I want to do sport).
As the dialogue continues, Maite asks Iván if he has sung in a choir before and tells him not to worry. This is where you can practise using phrases like no te preocupes (do not worry) to reassure someone. In the fourth part, Maite shares useful tips for the first few weeks, giving you examples of es útil/bueno/necesario + infinitivo and tener que or poder + infinitivo. Try formulating your own pieces of advice using these structures, such as es necesario llegar temprano (it is necessary to arrive early).
Next, Iván shares what makes him nervous, while Maite explains what gets on her nerves during rehearsals. This transition lets you use verbs that function like gustar, including preocupar (to worry), molestar (to bother) and interesar (to interest). Think of one thing that worries you in a group setting and say it aloud, for instance, me preocupa hablar en público (I am worried about speaking in public).
Towards the end, Iván explains how he travels to the community centre, and Maite suggests an alternative route. This section helps you review vocabulary for getting around town. Finally, Maite explains the structure of rehearsal nights, from warming up to heading to the bar, using sequence markers such as primero (first), luego (then) and al final (in the end). You can practise outlining your own evening routine using these three connectors.
Tell the important part of a story in unit 7
Unit 7, Cuenta, cuenta..., turns to stories and reactions. HearSay's The dog in the park starts in a café near a design studio in Palma. Aina tells her colleague Toni about something that happened while she was in the park on Sunday. Toni wants every detail. The two have known each other for years and use tú.
First, listen for the event that makes Toni ask another question. What did Aina notice, and what did she do next? Summarise it in two sentences before checking the text. You need not capture every adjective. The useful distinction is between what was happening before and the event that changed the story. If your class is practising past forms, compare your summary with the chapter before you repeat it.
Now tell a small story of your own. Choose an ordinary surprise: you met someone unexpectedly, missed a bus, found an object or changed a plan. Say where you were, what happened and how it ended. A partner can stop you after the event and ask “What happened next?” If you are alone, pause your recording at that point and continue with one extra detail. You can tell the same story twice, changing the listener or the detail they ask about.
Reacting matters too. Toni is not simply waiting for Aina to finish. He asks for more and responds to what she says. After a partner tells a short story, ask one question about a detail you genuinely want to know. If their answer changes your understanding, say so. This makes the exercise a conversation rather than two separate speeches.
If you find the order of events confusing, draw a three-part line on a page: before, the surprising event, and what happened next. Put only a word or two in each part. Tell the story from those prompts without reading the recording. Afterwards, check whether you changed the order or left out a detail that mattered. You can do this with Aina's account, a story in your book or a small event from your own week. The notes support your telling without becoming another script to memorise.
This greeting lets you practise conversational reactions. You can use ¡cuenta, cuenta! when a classmate mentions an interesting event.
Here you see the contrast between the pretérito imperfecto (estaba corriendo, no había, estaba temblando) and the pretérito indefinido (vi, hiciste). It also demonstrates the use of estar + gerundio in the past. To practise, describe a background action you were doing when a sudden event interrupted you, like estaba cocinando cuando sonó el teléfono (I was cooking when the phone rang).
As the conversation continues, Toni asks what the dog looked like, and Aina describes him, giving you practise with animal descriptions and physical traits. In the fourth step, Aina explains that the dog was wearing a collar and describes the tag. This allows you to practise structures like es de or está hecho de followed by material, and sirve para + infinitivo, which are useful for describing everyday objects.
When Aina reveals who the dog belonged to, Toni reacts with surprise. This provides a natural way to practise linguistic resources for reacting, such as ¡no me lo puedo creer! (I cannot believe it!). Next, Toni asks how the story ended, and Aina explains the resolution, including a small disappointment, which helps you practise describing the conclusion of a sequence of events.
To conclude their chat, Toni notices Aina's new scarf, which turns out to be a present from the dog's grateful owner. This final part lets you practise giving and accepting compliments in a natural way. You can practise this by complimenting a classmate on something they are wearing or using, such as me gusta tu bufanda (I like your scarf), and replying appropriately.
Offer help in unit 12
Unit 12, ¡Campeones!, includes sport, volunteering, offering help and expressing hopes. Volunteering at a charity run is set at a water station on a charity run in Santander. Rodrigo has come to volunteer for the first time. Estela coordinates the group. They need to organise the drinks and prepare for the runners. They use tú.
Listen for the job Rodrigo offers to do and the reply Estela gives him. Pause and offer a different, small job that would help at an event you know: moving chairs, handing out water, putting up a sign or checking a list. Give a reason if it would help the organiser decide. If you are with a partner, let them redirect you to another task. Respond to the change rather than repeating your first offer.
The scene also gives you a way to express a hope for the day. Think of something you would hope for at a real event, such as good weather, enough volunteers or an early finish. Say it in a sentence that fits the forms your class has reached. If you are uncertain about the verb, check unit 12 or bring the attempt to your teacher. You do not need to invent a grand ambition to practise this part of the unit.
For a final listening pass, identify what Rodrigo can do now and what he is learning from Estela. Summarise the difference, then think of a task at which you would be the experienced person. How would you explain it to a newcomer? The question links this unit back to the welcoming scene in unit 1 without copying either conversation.
You can take the same exchange away from sport. A community meal, school fair or neighbourhood clean-up also needs people to offer help and agree on who will do what. Choose one event you know. Say what you can do, ask what still needs doing, and express one hope for how the day will go. If your partner gives you a different job, answer that request instead. This variation keeps the unit's language useful even if you have never stood at a race water station.
This opening lets you practise offering and asking for help. Try changing las cajas de agua to other tasks, like las mesas (the tables) or las sillas (the chairs).
This exchange highlights the contrast between saber (to know how to do something) and conocer (to be familiar with a person or place).
As they work together, Rodrigo asks Estela about the organiser and the race itself, allowing you to practise using saber and conocer to talk about people and events. In the fourth step, they look at the sky and hope for good weather. This provides a natural context for the present subjunctive to express wishes, such as espero que no llueva (I hope it does not rain) or ojalá venga mucha gente (I hope many people come).
Later on, Estela asks Rodrigo if he runs, and he describes his past injury and his routine of swimming. This helps you review verbal periphrases like volver a + infinitivo (to do something again) and empezar a + infinitivo (to start doing something). Try describing a sport or activity you stopped and then started again, using he vuelto a correr (I have started running again) or quiero empezar a nadar (I want to start swimming).
Next, Estela asks Rodrigo why he decided to volunteer, which allows you to express personal aspirations and motives using the infinitive and the subjunctive. Finally, as the first runners arrive, Estela and Rodrigo hand out water and cheer them on. This lets you practise sports vocabulary and words of encouragement, such as ¡vamos! (come on!) or ¡ánimo! (cheer up!).
Take the next question to class
Across these three scenes, the extra step is a follow-up: why did you join, what happened next, or where can you help? Change the question as well as your answer. A classmate can ask it, or you can write it on a card and respond after a pause. If you miss a detail in a recording, replay the short part that carries it and check what changed your understanding.
Keep a small note of what you wanted to say. A question about a time, a past form or a polite offer gives your teacher something specific to answer. Try the revised sentence once more after class, then move on with your current unit. The method also works entirely with the publisher's audio and your class assignments.
The Nuevo Prisma A2 hub links the twelve original companion courses if you want a further scene on the unit you are studying. Choose one because its situation interests you, then return to your textbook and classwork.
HearSay is not affiliated with or endorsed by Editorial Edinumen. Nuevo Prisma A2 is a trademark of its owner. These are our own conversations, written around each chapter's themes.
FAQ
Which edition and units does this guide use?
It follows the first edition of Nuevo Prisma A2 (2013) and uses units 1, 7 and 12. If your edition is different, compare the topics in your own contents page.
Can I use the practice routine without HearSay?
Yes. Use the publisher's recordings, your teacher's assignments and a partner, or pause and answer on your own. The HearSay scenes are optional original conversations on related themes.
What if my story is very short?
Start with where you were and what happened. Add one detail when you can, then invite a question. Ask your teacher about a form you are unsure of before practising it repeatedly.