HSC Spanish Beginners (NSW) flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Listening played twice

The HSC beginners listening passages are heard two times. Use the first hearing for general meaning and the second for specific details such as numbers, times and names.

Discourse markers in listening

Words like bueno, entonces, pues, por eso and sin embargo signal a new idea, a conclusion or a contrast, helping you follow the structure of a spoken passage.

Tú versus usted

Tú and vosotros are informal, used with friends, family and peers. Usted and ustedes are formal or plural-polite, used with strangers, officials and older people. The choice reveals the relationship.

Voy a plus infinitive

This construction expresses a future plan or intention, as in voy a estudiar esta noche. It is common in messages about arrangements and is easier than the future tense.

Acabo de plus infinitive

This means I have just done something, as in acabo de llegar. It places the action immediately before the present moment and often appears in spoken dialogues.

Numbers and prices

Listening tasks often test quantities, prices and times. Note that Spanish uses coma for decimals and punto for thousands, and that euro is pronounced with distinct syllables.

Negation flips answers

Expressions such as no creo que, casi nunca, nunca and tampoco reverse the expected answer. If the speaker says casi nunca voy, the correct answer is that they rarely go.

Skimming versus scanning

Skimming means reading quickly for the main idea, using titles and first sentences. Scanning means searching a text for one specific piece of information such as a time or price.

False friends to watch

Embarazada means pregnant, not embarrassed. Actualmente means currently, not actually. Largo means long, not large. These traps cause wrong answers in reading tasks.

Spanish question words

¿Dónde? asks where, ¿cuándo? when, ¿cuánto? how much, ¿quién? who, ¿por qué? why, ¿cómo? how. Matching the question word to the text narrows the search.

Formal letter openings

Estimado señor or Estimada señora opens a formal letter, closed with Atentamente or Un saludo. Informal messages use Hola or Querido/a and close with Un abrazo or Besos.

Text types in reading

Beginners reading texts include emails, notices, advertisements, timetables, menus, blogs, brochures and short articles. Each has a recognisable layout and set of formulaic phrases.

Answer from the text

Reading answers must come from the passage, not from general knowledge. If the notice says cerrado los lunes, the answer is that it is closed on Mondays, even if shops usually open then.

Guessing unknown words

Use context, word families and suffixes to infer meaning. The ending -ción often marks a noun, -dad forms abstract nouns, -mente forms adverbs, and prefixes re- and des- change meaning.

Synonyms in questions

Questions often paraphrase the text. Barato matches económico, gratis matches sin coste, and cerca matches a poca distancia. Recognising these pairs speeds up matching.

Reading for gist first

Read the title, headings and the first and last sentence of each paragraph before answering. This gives the topic and purpose, so detail questions are answered faster and more accurately.

Writing task checklist

Before writing, list the required content points, text type, audience and word count. A missing content point usually costs more marks than a small grammar error.

Connectives for coherence

Use además, sin embargo, por eso, primero, luego, finalmente and aunque to link ideas. Connectives show control of structure and raise the quality of written responses.

Formal versus informal writing

Formal texts use usted forms, Estimado señor and Atentamente. Informal texts use tú forms, Hola or Querido and Un abrazo. The register must match the stated audience.

Accents change meaning

Written accents distinguish words: si means if but sí means yes; el is the article but él means he; esta is this but está means is located. Omitting accents causes errors.

Gender and number agreement

Spanish adjectives agree with nouns in gender and number: un chico alto, una chica alta, unos chicos altos. Articles and quantifiers must agree as well.

Ser versus estar

Ser describes identity, origin and inherent traits: soy estudiante, es española. Estar describes location, states and temporary conditions: estoy cansado, está en casa.

Preterite for past events

The preterite expresses completed past actions: ayer fui al cine, comí paella. Beginners writing tasks about last weekend or last holidays usually require this tense.

Word count discipline

Staying within the set word count is part of the task. Plan the number of sentences before writing, and count afterwards rather than adding padding that weakens the response.

Extending spoken answers

Add a reason with porque, an example with por ejemplo, or a contrast with pero. A one-word answer earns little; an extended answer shows control of grammar and vocabulary.

Reusable speaking stems

Learn openers such as En mi opinión, Creo que, Me gusta porque and El año pasado fui. These let you start answers fluently while planning the rest of the sentence.

Spanish vowel sounds

Spanish has five pure vowels: a, e, i, o, u. Each keeps one sound regardless of position, unlike English vowels, so clear vowel production greatly improves intelligibility.

Rolled versus tapped r

A single r between vowels is a light tap, as in pero. A double rr and an r at the start of a word are rolled, as in perro and rojo. The contrast changes meaning.

Circumlocution strategies

When a word is unknown, describe it in Spanish: es una cosa que..., es como..., sirve para... This keeps the conversation in Spanish and demonstrates resourcefulness.

Repair phrases for speaking

Use Perdón, ¿puedes repetir?, ¿Cómo se dice... en español? and Un momento, por favor to manage gaps. These phrases maintain communication without switching to English.

Fillers maintain fluency

Short fillers such as pues, bueno and es que hold the turn while you plan. Long silences lose marks, so a natural filler keeps the exchange going.

Question forms for speaking

Recognise and produce ¿Qué?, ¿Cuándo?, ¿Por qué?, ¿Cuánto? and ¿Te gusta? In a conversation you may need to ask the teacher questions as well as answer them.