Entertainment: Exam Skills (AQA GCSE Spanish): Revision Note

Four young people are talking about what they have read, watched or listened to recently. What is their opinion?

Write P for a positive opinion.
Write N for a negative opinion.
Write P&N for a positive and negative opinion.

Answers:

1. P&N

   los personajes eran interesantes, pero la historia era un poco aburrida

   (the characters were interesting but the story was boring)

2. P

   los protagonistas actuaron muy bien en sus papeles

   (the actors played their roles really well)

3. N

   la letra era demasiado triste para mí

   (the lyrics were too sad)

4. P

   ahora es mi programa favorito ... es tan divertido

   (it’s his favourite series, it's so funny)

Prepare the following role-play.

1. Say what you do in your free time. (Give one detail.)

2. Give your opinion of watching TV.  (Give one detail.)

3. Say something about going to the cinema. (Give one detail.)

4. Give an advantage of reading. (Give one detail.)

5. ? Ask your friend a question about music.

Answers:

Here are some example responses:

1. En mi tiempo libre, me encanta cantar.

2. No me gusta ver la televisión

3. Voy al cine dos veces al mes.

4. Leer es importante porque se puede relajar.

5. ¿Te gusta escuchar música?

Translate these sentences into English.

1. Prefiero leer un periódico cada día.

2. Ella escribió una letra sobre el amor.

3. Vamos a ir a un concierto este fin de semana.

4. Es una película que me da miedo.

5. Ayer escuché una canción nueva.

Answers:

1. I prefer to read a newspaper every day.

2. She wrote lyrics about love.

3. We are going to go to a concert this weekend.

4. It's a film which scares me.

5. Yesterday I listened to a new song.

In question 2, the Spanish noun letra is singular, but we use a plural noun (lyrics) and verb in English. Question 4 uses a relative clause with que, and the idiomatic expression dar miedo which literally means 'to give fear', but cannot be translated word-for-word.

Translate the following sentences into Spanish.

1. I like classical music because it is calm.

2. His books are always a bit sad.

3. The stories were funny but too short.

4. I am going to buy a famous novel.

5. My sisters watch some interesting series.

Answers:

Here are the correct answers:

1. Me gusta la música clásica porque es tranquila.

2. Sus libros siempre son un poco tristes.

3. Las historias eran divertidas pero demasiado cortas.

4. Voy a comprar una novela famosa.

5. Mis hermanos ven unas series interesantes.

When translating into Spanish, remember that adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in gender and number. Check the answers above to ensure you used the correct adjective endings.