Bulgaria DZI Spanish cheat sheet

Skim the questions first, then read the text: locate the paragraph containing each keyword before answering.

Distinguish global questions (main idea, purpose, tone) from local ones (detail, reference, vocabulary in context); global answers must cover the whole text.

For main-idea items, reject options that are true but too narrow (one detail) or too broad (beyond the text).

Reference items (pronouns, demonstratives): the antecedent usually appears in the same or preceding sentence and must agree in number and gender.

Inference items: the answer is a necessary consequence of the text, not merely plausible; if it needs outside knowledge, it is wrong.

Literary texts: identify narrator (first/third person), setting, characters, conflict and resolution; tone words (irónico, nostálgico, neutro) drive attitude questions.

Vocabulary in context: substitute each option into the sentence and check that the surrounding grammar and logic still work.

Watch negation and concession markers (no… sino, aunque, sin embargo, salvo) - they invert or limit the apparent meaning.

Ordering and matching items: anchor on connectors (primero, luego, por último, por un lado… por otro) and on repeated lexical chains.

Ser vs estar: ser for identity, origin, profession, inherent traits, time and place of events; estar for location, temporary states, and result of change (está cansado, está cerrado).

Preterite vs imperfect: preterite for completed, bounded events; imperfect for background, habits, descriptions and ongoing states (cantaba, tenía, era).

Subjunctive triggers: expressions of wish, emotion, doubt, negation of opinion, and value judgments (quiero que, es posible que, no creo que) + que + subjunctive.

Conditional sentences: si + presente → futuro/presente/imperativo; si + imperfecto de subjuntivo → condicional simple; si + pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo → condicional compuesto.

Por vs para: por = cause, exchange, duration, means, movement through; para = purpose, destination, deadline, recipient, opinion.

Object pronouns: indirect precedes direct (me lo da); le/les → se before lo/la/los/las (se lo dije).

Gender and number traps: -ma Greek words (problema, tema, idioma) are masculine; -dad, -ción, -tad, -umbre are feminine.

Connectors by function: addition (además), contrast (sin embargo), cause (ya que), consequence (por lo tanto), reformulation (es decir).

Read the answer options during the pre-listening pause; predict the type of information needed (number, place, reason, speaker's attitude).

First listening: capture the global message and speaker relationship (formal/informal, tú/usted) and the communicative situation.

Second listening: confirm specific data - times, prices, dates - noting that Spanish often states numbers twice or corrects them (son las… no, las…).

Distractor rule: an option that repeats a word heard in the audio is often wrong; the correct answer is usually a paraphrase.

Track discourse markers that signal the answer: pues, es que, la verdad es que, por eso, aunque, en cambio.

In dialogues, attribute statements to the right speaker; questions about 'what does the woman want' require separating the two speakers' intentions.

Numbers and dates: distinguish dieciséis/sesenta, doscientos/dos mil, and note that veintiuno drops the -o before masculine nouns (veintiún años).

If a word is unknown, keep listening - the next clause often restates it in simpler terms.

Guided tasks (email, note, message): follow the required register - tú for friends, usted for formal requests - and include every bullet of the prompt, one idea per bullet.

Standard formulas: Querido/a… / Estimado/a…; openings (Me pongo en contacto para…); closings (Un saludo, / Atentamente, / Recibe un cordial saludo).

Free essay structure: introduction stating the thesis, two body paragraphs each with one argument plus example, and a conclusion that restates the position without new data.

Cohesion checklist: vary connectors (en primer lugar, además, sin embargo, por consiguiente, en definitiva) and avoid repeating the same one.

Word-count control: plan roughly 25% introduction, 55% body, 20% conclusion; count words only after drafting.

Accuracy priority: agreement, verb tense consistency and accents on interrogatives and past tenses (qué, cómo, habló, hablé) weigh more than literary flourish.

Register and formulaic phrases for opinions: a mi juicio, cabe destacar que, no cabe duda de que, en mi opinión - followed by indicative, not subjunctive.

Letters of complaint or request: state the problem, give details with dates, request a concrete solution, and close politely.

Monologue tasks: use a fixed frame - presentar el tema, dar dos razones con ejemplos, opinión personal, conclusión - to guarantee coherence under time pressure.

Interaction tasks: respond to the interlocutor's question first, then add one reason or example; never answer with a single word.

Buy time naturally with fillers (bueno, pues, es decir, déjame pensar) rather than long silence or switching to another language.

Repair strategies: rephrase with a synonym or a definition (es una especie de…, es algo que sirve para…) instead of stopping.

Pronunciation focus: stable vowels (five clean vowels), b/v merged, ll/y yeísmo accepted, and stress on the correct syllable for verb forms (hablo vs habló).

Formal interview: use usted consistently, conditionals for politeness (¿podría repetir?, me gustaría saber…), and formulaic greetings and farewells.

Photo or prompt description: describe foreground, background, people's actions (están + gerundio) and speculate with puede ser que + subjunctive.

Self-correction is positive: noticing and fixing an error (digo…, mejor dicho…) counts as control, not as failure.