What goes into an invitation

A good invitation answers four questions: What is being celebrated? When? At what time? Where? El sábado celebro mi cumpleaños. La fiesta es a las ocho en mi casa.

Then you ask whether the person is coming: ¿Vienes? or ¿Quieres venir? And if you like, you ask for something: ¿Puedes traer una tarta?

Replying to an invitation

First you say thank you: Gracias por la invitación. Then you accept – ¡Sí, voy! – or decline with a short reason: Lo siento, no puedo. El sábado trabajo.

Examples

  • El sábado celebro mi cumpleaños.
  • La fiesta es a las ocho en mi casa. ¿Vienes?
  • Gracias por la invitación. ¡Sí, voy!
  • Lo siento, no puedo. El sábado trabajo.

Exercises

A1WritingSimple invitations

Exercise 1 of 5

What is missing from the invitation?

Select all the information Marta still needs.

Luis writes to Marta: ¡Hola, Marta! El sábado celebro mi cumpleaños. ¿Vienes? Un abrazo, Luis

Choose all correct answers
A1WritingSimple invitations

Exercise 2 of 5

The occasion

Drag the words into the correct order.

Start with the day: on Saturday you are celebrating your birthday at home.

A1WritingSimple invitations

Exercise 3 of 5

When is the party?

There is a mistake in the invitation. Correct the sentence.

La fiesta es en las ocho en mi casa.

A1WritingSimple invitations

Exercise 4 of 5

Your invitation to Marta

Write the invitation in complete sentences. The greeting and the closing are already there.

On Saturday you are celebrating your birthday. The party is at eight o'clock at your home. Invite Marta and ask her to bring a cake.
¡Hola, Marta!
Occasion and day:
Time and place:
Ask whether she is coming:
Ask for the cake:
Un abrazo, Luis

Now you are on the other side: you receive an invitation and reply – once accepting, once declining.

A1WritingSimple invitations

Exercise 5 of 5

Accepting or declining

Reply to Luis's invitation.

Reply 1 – you are happy to come:
Thank him for the invitation:
Accept:
Reply 2 – you can't come because you work on Saturday:
Say you're sorry and that you can't:
Give the reason: