GCSE Spanish revision notes, key terms and practice questions.
Translating into English
Read the whole sentence, then write it in natural English rather than word for word.
Spanish often leaves out the subject pronoun: hablo = I speak, hablamos = we speak. Use the verb ending to work out who is doing it.
Watch the tense: fui = I went / I was; iba = I used to go / I was going; iré = I will go; iría = I would go.
Desde hace + present = have been doing: vivo aquí desde hace diez años = I've lived here for ten years. Llevo + time + gerund works the same way: llevo dos años estudiando español.
Don't miss small words: muy, siempre, nunca, ya no, también, possessives and time phrases.
False friends
embarazada = pregnant (not embarrassed), la librería = bookshop (a library is la biblioteca), el éxito = success (an exit is la salida), actualmente = at the moment, sensible = sensitive.
la carpeta = folder (a carpet is la alfombra), estar constipado = to have a cold, recordar = to remember, la ropa = clothes, largo = long (large is grande), molestar = to annoy.
Translating into Spanish
Most adjectives go after the noun and agree with it: un coche rojo, unas casas blancas.
Spanish often needs an article where English doesn't: I like dogs = me gustan los perros.
Gustar works backwards: I like football = me gusta el fútbol; I like cats = me gustan los gatos.
Negatives go before the verb: no juego; nunca juego or no juego nunca.
Object pronouns go before a conjugated verb: I see him = lo veo.
Use the personal a before a person as the object: I visit my grandmother = visito a mi abuela.
Ser for lasting traits and jobs; estar for location and feelings.
Exam technique
Translate every idea: each part carries a mark. Don't add or leave out detail.
If you don't know a word, use a similar word you know rather than leaving a gap.
Check verb endings and agreement of adjectives and articles.
Don't forget accents: they can change meaning (hablo = I speak, habló = he or she spoke).
Read your translation back to check that it makes sense.
Key terms
un falso amigo
a false friend: a word that looks like English but means something else