Religious Celebrations: Grammar and Phonics (AQA GCSE Spanish): Revision Note

Religious celebrations: grammar

The ability to discuss traditions, past events, and future plans is key to performing well on this topic. The specific grammar points for this section include suffixes and prepositions.

Suffixes

In essence, a suffix is a component added to the end of a word stem/root that creates a new word, often resulting in a change in the word’s grammatical function or meaning.

Common suffixes:

• -idad

Forms nouns from adjectives (often equivalent to English ‘-(i)ty’). Example: seguridad (safety/security), from seguro.

• -able

Forms adjectives from verb stems (equivalent to English ‘-able’). Example: evitable (avoidable), from evitar.

Other important suffixes:

• -mente

Forms adverbs from adjectives (equivalent to English ‘-ly’). Example: normalmente (normally), from normal.

• -ísimo/a

Forms superlatives (meaning 'very' or 'extremely'). Example: facilísimo (very easy), from fácil.

• -ito/a

Forms diminutives (meaning 'little' or showing affection/endearment). Ejemplo: librito (little book), from libro.

Practical example

If you encounter the sentence: La velocidad era peligrosísima en esa calle (the speed was very dangerous in that street), by recognising the suffixes, you can quickly decode the key nouns and adjectives:

• Velocidad: If you recognise the root veloz (not listed but related to speed) or the pattern -idad (from the table above). Since the function is 'Forms nouns from adjectives, you can understand it means speed (a noun)

• Peligrosísima: The suffix -ísima (meaning very) added to the adjective peligroso (dangerous) can show you that the speed was very dangerous

Prepositions: personal ‘a’, possessive ‘de’

Mastering prepositions is essential for clear communication.

The personal ‘a’ (The "people preposition")

The Personal ‘a’ is perhaps one of the most famous traps for English speakers, but it follows one golden rule.

• The rule: The ‘a’ must be used directly before a specific person (or a personified entity, like la Virgen) when that person is the Direct Object of the verb. If you forget it, your sentence might sound incomplete.

• Easy tip (The "touch rule"): If the action of the verb is landing directly on a known person, treat it like a mini-destination marker. You wouldn't say "I see my grandmother" in Spanish; you say, "I see to my grandmother."

• Examples in context:

  • Action: Give. Le doy un regalo a mi abuela. (I give a present to my grandmother)

  • Action: Visit. Siempre visitan a la Virgen en la iglesia. (They always visit the Virgin in the church)

• Mandatory contraction: If the person / object (the Direct Object) is a masculine singular noun preceded by el, the Personal 'a' and el must contract to form al. Example: Voy al templo. (I go to the temple).

The possessive ‘de’ (The "linkage preposition")

The preposition de is a versatile and basic structure used at the Foundation and Higher tiers. It most often translates to “of” or “from”.

• Possession rule: De is used to show possession or relationship, replacing the English apostrophe ('s) structure. It links two nouns together

• Easy tip (The "backwards reading" rule): When you see the combination "noun 1 + de + noun 2", read it backwards in English. The Spanish phrase la casa de Hugo is literally "the house of Hugo," meaning Hugo’s house

• Examples in context:

  • Possession: El desfile de Semana Santa es largo. (The procession of Holy Week is long)

  • Origin: De is also used to indicate origin (from). Compramos dulces de la sinagoga. (We bought sweets from the synagogue)

• Mandatory contraction: If the second noun in the possessive chain (the owner) is masculine singular and uses el, the preposition de and el must contract to form del. Example: La casa del padre. (The father's house, or the house of the father)

Religious celebrations: phonics

Practicing these sounds will ensure your pronunciation is clear and comprehensible, which is key for the Speaking and Listening papers.

• [z] Spelt with 'z' (e.g., plaza, manzana) or 'c'.

  • Vi una plaza sucia cerca de la iglesia. (I saw a dirty square near the church.)

• [rr] The strong, rolled 'r' sound spelt with 'rr' or 'r-' at the start of a word.

  • Tengo que cerrar el templo ahora. (I have to close the temple now.)

• The sound [ll] (e.g., llamar or calle).

  • Queremos llegar a la calle del desfile. (We want to arrive at the street of the procession.)