Paso 1: Re-read the letter from Manuel. (From the “En contexto” pages in this chapter, reprinted below). La fecha: Hoy es el 11 de febrero ¡Hola! Me llamo Manuel y soy de Perú. Mi familia no es muy grande. Mi mamá se llama Teresa y ella es de Lima, la capital de Perú y una ciudad grande. Mi papá se llama Roberto y es de Chiclayo, una ciudad pequeña al norte de Lima. Mi mamá es amable y mi papá es generoso. Mis hermanos son Lucas y Marisol, ellos son inteligentes. Somos una familia muy unida (close-knit). Mis mejores amigos son Juan y Rodolfo, ellos son chicos tontos. Ellos son de Cuzco, cerca de Machu Picchu. Pero ahora, nosotros somos estudiantes en la Universidad de Lima. Las clases son difíciles. ¿Cómo es tu familia? ¿De dónde son tus amigos? ¿Eres estudiante también? ¿Cómo son tus clases?

As you are reading his letter, write down some notes: How does he introduce himself? What information does he include about himself? What type of questions did he ask you? What verb did he use to: describe something/someone identify someone/something ask or say where someone is from ask and say his or someone’s profession

- Information about himself: He mentions his family members (mom, dad, siblings), their names, and where they are from. He describes his family as close-knit.

- Questions asked: Manuel asks about the recipient's family, their friends' origins, whether they are a student, and how their classes are.

- Verbs used:

- To describe something/someone: Manuel uses "es" (is) to describe his mom as kind and his dad as generous.

- To identify someone/something: He identifies his family members and friends by their names.

- To ask or say where someone is from: Manuel asks about the recipient's friends' origins and also mentions where his family members are from.

- To ask and say his or someone's profession: Manuel doesn't explicitly mention professions in the letter.