Papeleos y burocracia
Paperwork and bureaucracy
- Navegar por la seguridad social, los permisos de trabajo y el papeleo. (Navigate social security, working permits and paperwork.)
- Conozca sus obligaciones y trámites en el país. (Know your obligations and paperwork in the country.)
- Verbos irregulares en el pretérito perfecto (Irregular verbs in the present perfect)
Learn essential Spanish phrases and grammar for dealing with paperwork and bureaucracy in Spain. This lesson covers practical dialogues for applying to Social Security, work permits, and residency documents. Focus on irregular verbs in the present perfect tense needed for formal procedures, plus useful vocabulary and conversational practice.
Listening & reading materials
Practice vocabulary in context with real materials.
Vocabulary (19) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercise 1: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
El seguro
The insurance
2
El empleo
Employment
3
Entregar
To submit
4
El ayuntamiento
The town hall
5
El funcionario
The official
Exercise 2: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 3: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. He ______ toda la documentación en el ayuntamiento esta semana.
(I have ______ all the documentation at the town hall this week.)2. ¿Has ______ la solicitud para obtener el permiso de trabajo?
(Have you ______ the application to get the work permit?)3. El funcionario me ha ______ que entregue todos los papeles necesarios.
(The official has ______ me to submit all the necessary papers.)4. Todavía no he ______ de la cita para la renovación del seguro social.
(I have not yet ______ from the appointment for the social security renewal.)Exercise 4: Procedures at the Town Hall
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Poner - Submit
Pretérito perfecto
- yo he puesto
- tú has puesto
- él/ella ha puesto
- nosotros hemos puesto
- vosotros habéis puesto
- ellos han puesto
Llenar - Fill out
Pretérito perfecto
- yo he llenado
- tú has llenado
- él/ella ha llenado
- nosotros hemos llenado
- vosotros habéis llenado
- ellos han llenado
Entregar - Hand in
Pretérito perfecto
- yo he entregado
- tú has entregado
- él/ella ha entregado
- nosotros hemos entregado
- vosotros habéis entregado
- ellos han entregado
Exercise 5: Verbos irregulares en el pretérito perfecto
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: Irregular verbs in the present perfect
Show translation Show answershemos puesto, han vuelto, han hecho, ha dicho, Has dicho, Has hecho, has escrito, Has puesto
Grammar Share Copied!
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Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Poner to put Share Copied!
Pretérito perfecto
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) he puesto | I have put |
| (tú) has puesto | you have put |
| (él/ella) ha puesto | he/she has put |
| (nosotros/nosotras) hemos puesto | we have put |
| (vosotros/vosotras) habéis puesto | You have put |
| (ellos/ellas) han puesto | They have put |
Llenar to fill Share Copied!
Pretérito perfecto
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) he llenado | I have filled |
| (tú) has llenado | You have filled |
| (él/ella) ha llenado | he/she has filled |
| (nosotros/nosotras) hemos llenado | we have filled |
| (vosotros/vosotras) habéis llenado | You have filled |
| (ellos/ellas) han llenado | they have filled |
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Paperwork and Bureaucracy: Essential Spanish for Living and Working in Spain
This lesson focuses on the key vocabulary and grammatical structures needed for dealing with various bureaucratic processes in Spain, such as applying for work permits, registering at the Social Security office, and submitting documents at the town hall. You will practice common conversations used in real-life public offices to help you navigate these formal interactions confidently.
What You Will Learn
- Practical dialogues: Role-play scenarios for asking about unemployment benefits, pension applications, work permit requests, and residency document reviews.
- Irregular verbs in the present perfect tense: Master frequently used irregular verbs like poner (puesto), escribir (escrito), and decir (dicho), essential for discussing completed actions related to paperwork.
- Useful expressions: Form phrases to ask about procedures, required documents, and appointment scheduling.
- Verb conjugation practice: Exercises that reinforce the correct use of irregular verbs in context, such as "He puesto toda la documentación" (I have submitted all the documents).
Highlights of the Lesson
You will encounter realistic examples such as requesting information at the Social Security office: "¿Me puede indicar dónde debo hacer el trámite?" (Can you tell me where I should complete the process?). You will also study how to express completed actions in the past relevant for bureaucratic tasks, using the pretérito perfecto tense with verbs like haber + past participle.
Note on Spanish Bureaucracy Vocabulary
In Spanish bureaucratic language, formal expressions are often used, and procedures require specific documents like certificado de empadronamiento (certificate of residence registration) or contrato de trabajo (work contract). Unlike in English, the present perfect (pretérito perfecto) is commonly used to describe recent completed actions related to official paperwork, so phrases like "He entregado los documentos" (I have handed in the documents) are typical.
Key phrases to remember include:
- Solicitar permiso de trabajo — to apply for a work permit
- Hacer trámite — to complete a bureaucratic procedure
- Fecha de la cita — appointment date
- Formulario — form
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