Spanish course

Lesson 182 of 238

New here? This is lesson 182 of a free 238-lesson Spanish course.

Start hereHow this works

Small steps in Spanish

It's been a week since Justin named his goal, and this lesson is the follow-up: saying how it's going, naming the hard part, and shrinking the goal down to something doable.

You'll pick up five lines that carry a whole progress report, and you'll use them on the same morning walk around the block.

By the end of this lesson

Say how a goal is going, what the hard part is, and your next small goal.

  • Estoy avanzando con ___I'm making progress with ___
  • Lo más difícil es ___The hardest part is ___
  • ¿Cómo vas a lograrlo?How are you going to do it?
  • Me estoy poniendo metas pequeñasI'm setting small goals
  • Puede tardar un poco, pero creo que puedo ___It may take a while, but I think I can ___

Scene — the same walk

Morning, a week later. The same walk around the block in El Laurel, with Yako trotting alongside Justin's chair-free path.

Amanda is heading out to work and catches up with them at the corner, coffee in hand.

Justin walks down a sunlit El Laurel street while Yako trots beside him on two chairs and Amanda catches up at the corner holding a coffee cup.

Learn — progress and goals

Five lines, one little report: progress, the hard part, the plan, and a patient promise to yourself.

Note how several of them end in a blank you can fill with anything.

  1. Justin, mid-stride with a proud small smile, speaks to Amanda about his progress while Yako trots alongside on his two chairs.

    Estoy avanzando con ___

    I'm making progress with ___

    When to use it: Say this to give a positive update on something you're working on.

    Avanzando is a gerund, like English -ing, so it paints the progress as happening right now.

    Say it: ah-bahn-SAHN-doh, with a soft v that sounds like a b.

  2. Justin gestures at his own knee with a strained, honest expression, explaining the hardest part, while Amanda watches closely.

    Lo más difícil es ___

    The hardest part is ___

    When to use it: Say this when someone asks what's hard about what you're doing.

    Difícil carries an accent because the stress falls on the second-to-last syllable, and words stressed there need a written accent when they end in a consonant like l.

  3. Amanda, curious and encouraging, asks Justin how he plans to do it, gesturing with her coffee cup.

    ¿Cómo vas a lograrlo?

    How are you going to do it?

    When to use it: Ask this to find out someone's plan for reaching a goal.

    Lograrlo packs it into one word: lograr plus lo, meaning to achieve it.

    Say it: loh-GRAHR-loh, with a single tap of the r before the l.

  4. Justin holds up his thumb and forefinger a small distance apart, smiling as he describes setting small goals.

    Me estoy poniendo metas pequeñas

    I'm setting small goals

    When to use it: Say this to explain your strategy of breaking a big goal into small ones.

    Ponerse metas literally means to set goals for yourself.

  5. Justin gazes down the street with calm determination, speaking about taking his time, while Amanda gives an approving wave and Yako beams.

    Puede tardar un poco, pero creo que puedo ___

    It may take a while, but I think I can ___

    When to use it: Say this to be honest about the timeline while staying confident.

    Tardar means to take time, so puede tardar un poco means it might take a while.

Story — one week later

A week has passed, and Justin gets the classic follow-up question on the same walk.

Watch how he reports progress, admits the hard part, and shrinks the goal. The highlighted lines are today's.

  1. Morning light on the same block. Yako trots at Justin's pace.
  2. Yako¿Qué cuentas, Justin?What's new with you, Justin?
  3. JustinEstoy avanzando con el español.I'm making progress with Spanish.
  4. Yako¿Sí? ¿Y qué tanto cuesta?Really? And what's so hard about it?
  5. JustinLo más difícil es la gramática.The hardest part is the grammar.
  6. Amanda hurries up with her coffee and joins the walk for half a block.
  7. Amanda¿Cómo vas a lograrlo?How are you going to do it?
  8. JustinMe estoy poniendo metas pequeñas.I'm setting small goals.
  9. Amanda¿Como qué?Like what?
  10. JustinDiez palabras nuevas cada día.Ten new words a day.
  11. AmandaTú puedes.You can do it.
  12. Yako nods so hard his horns wobble.
  13. JustinPuede tardar un poco, pero creo que puedo tener una conversación.It may take a while, but I think I can have a conversation.
  14. YakoEstás mejorando. Yo lo noto.You're getting better. I notice it.
  15. JustinGracias, Yako.Thanks, Yako.

Practice — say where you are

You'll listen, match, fill gaps, and answer Yako and Amanda directly.

By the end, you can give a full update on any goal without breaking a sweat.

0 of 11 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. Match the pairs

    Spanish

    Estoy avanzando con ___Drop the English here
    Me estoy poniendo metas pequeñasDrop the English here
    Puede tardar un poco, pero creo que puedo ___Drop the English here

    English

    Drag an English line onto its Spanish, or tap one and then the other.

  3. Fill the gap

    I'm setting small goals

    Me estoy poniendo ____ pequeñas

  4. What do you say?

    Yako says he wants to learn English this year. Ask him how he's going to do it.

  5. What does it mean?

    Estás mejorando

  6. Pick the reply

    Yako says:

    ¿Qué cuentas? ¿Cómo va tu español?

    What's new? How's your Spanish going?

    And you reply with:

  7. Build the line

    How are you going to do it?

    ¿ ?

    Tap the words in order.

  8. Which one doesn’t belong?

  9. What do you say?

    Amanda asks what's hard about learning Spanish. For you, it's the grammar.

  10. True or false?

    This line admits it might take a while, but you still believe you can do it.

  11. What do you say?

    Yako is nervous about his first English class and mentions he might quit. Encourage him.

Say it — your update

Now you're Justin on the morning walk, giving your own update. When it's your turn, tap the microphone and say the line.

Tap ▶ first if you want to hear the model. Your recording stays on your device.

  1. Yako¿Qué cuentas?What's new with you?
  2. Justin (you)Say you're making progress with Spanish.

    Estoy avanzando con ___

    I'm making progress with ___

0 of 4 said

Recap — what you can say now

SpanishEnglish
Estoy avanzando con ___I'm making progress with ___
Lo más difícil es ___The hardest part is ___
¿Cómo vas a lograrlo?How are you going to do it?
Me estoy poniendo metas pequeñasI'm setting small goals
Puede tardar un poco, pero creo que puedo ___It may take a while, but I think I can ___
Next: lesson 183I'm into it lately

Save your progress — it’s free

Keep your place in the course and see which lines you’ve learned.

Want the next lesson in your inbox?

Get the next lesson by email, one a day.

Where should we start?
Join the newsletter

Daily lesson emails are coming soon. Newsletter subscribers get them first.

Keep practicing with Yak Cards

Want to keep this progress-report toolkit handy? Grab the Yak Cards for this lesson and review them anywhere.

A daily round with the Yak Cards keeps your goals talk ready for the next check-in.

Open Yak Cards