MATSEC AM Spanish flashcards

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

Imperfect subjunctive trigger

Used after a past-tense or conditional main clause to express wish, doubt or unreal condition: Esperaba que vinieras; Si tuviera tiempo, viajaría. The -ra form is standard in both speech and writing.

Ser versus estar

Ser marks identity, origin, profession and inherent characteristics; estar marks location, temporary states and progressive aspect. Compare Es alegre (a cheerful person) with Está alegre (is cheerful today).

Personal a

The preposition a precedes a direct object that is a specific person or domestic animal: Vi a Marta. It is omitted after tener in the existential sense and before indefinite nonspecific objects.

Se impersonal

A passive-like construction with se and a third-person verb, common in notices and journalism: Se venden pisos; Se dice que… It translates as English passive or generic 'one/they'.

Por versus para

Por expresses cause, exchange, duration and movement through; para expresses purpose, destination, deadline and recipient. Gracias por el regalo versus Este regalo es para ti.

Hace que duration

Hace + time + que + present states how long an action has lasted up to now: Hace dos años que estudio español. With a negative it means 'it has been… since'.

Acabar de + infinitive

Expresses an action completed immediately before the moment of speaking: Acabo de llegar means I have just arrived. In the imperfect it shifts the reference point back: Acababa de salir.

Seseo and yeísmo

In most Latin American varieties c/z are pronounced as s (seseo) and ll as y (yeísmo). Peninsular Spanish distinguishes c/z as the voiceless th sound.

False friend actual

Spanish actual means current or present-day, not English 'actual'. The English sense is expressed by real, verdadero or efectivo. Similarly actualmente means currently.

False friend realizar

Realizar means to carry out or accomplish, not English 'realize' in the sense of becoming aware. To realize is darse cuenta de. Realizar una pregunta is an anglicism for hacer una pregunta.

Formal letter opening

Estimado/a Sr./Sra. + surname, followed by Me dirijo a usted para… The closing is En espera de su respuesta, le saluda atentamente, then signature. Usted forms are kept throughout.

Informal email closing

Tú forms throughout, opening Hola + first name or ¿Qué tal?, and closings such as Un abrazo, Besos, Hasta pronto or Nos vemos. Register must stay consistent with the opening.

Written accent rule

Words ending in a vowel, -n or -s are stressed on the penultimate syllable; words ending in other consonants on the last. Any deviation from these defaults carries a written accent.

Subjunctive after no creo que

Negated verbs of belief take the subjunctive: No creo que sea verdad. Affirmative creo que takes the indicative: Creo que es verdad. The negation removes commitment to the truth.

Aunque indicative or subjunctive

Aunque + indicative presents a known fact (Aunque llueve, salgo); aunque + subjunctive presents a hypothetical or conceded possibility (Aunque llueva, saldré). Choice signals the speaker's stance.

Preterite versus imperfect

Preterite reports completed, bounded events (Ayer fui al cine); imperfect describes background, habits and ongoing states (Cuando era niño, iba al cine). The contrast structures all past narration.

Double negation in Spanish

Spanish keeps the negative word after the verb: No veo nada, No viene nadie, No tengo ninguno. The construction is grammatical and means a single negative, unlike English.

Decimal and thousands marks

Spanish uses the comma for decimals and the full stop or a space for thousands: 3,50 € and 1.000 euros. Prices in listening tasks are frequently tested on this point.

Telling the time

Use Son las + hour for all hours except one: Es la una. Minutes are added with y (y cuarto, y media, y veinte) or subtracted with menos (menos cuarto).

Cuyo relative adjective

Cuyo agrees with the following noun and means 'whose': el autor cuya novela leímos. It is literary and formal; in speech de quien or que su are preferred.

Conditional politeness

The conditional softens requests to the examiner: ¿Podría repetir la pregunta? ¿Le importaría hablar más despacio? It maintains usted register without sounding abrupt.

Circumlocution strategy

When a word is missing, describe it instead of switching language: la cosa que sirve para cortar el papel. This demonstrates lexical resource and keeps fluency under assessment.

Spanish vowel system

Spanish has five pure vowels with no diphthongisation: a, e, i, o, u. English speakers must avoid gliding, especially in o and e, which affects intelligibility scores.

Collocation depender de

Depender is followed by de, never en: Depende del tiempo. Other fixed prepositions include consistir en, pensar en, soñar con, enamorarse de and insistir en.

Sequence of tenses

A present or future main verb takes the present subjunctive (Espero que vengas); a past or conditional main verb takes the imperfect subjunctive (Esperaba que vinieras). Sequence errors cost accuracy marks.

Para plus infinitive

Para + infinitive expresses purpose: Estudio para aprobar el examen. Por + infinitive or noun expresses cause or exchange: Gracias por venir; Lo hice por ti.

Discourse connectors for essays

Use connectors from several groups: addition (además, asimismo), contrast (sin embargo, no obstante), cause (ya que, puesto que), consequence (por lo tanto, en consecuencia), exemplification (por ejemplo).

Pronoun referent tracking

In reading passages, identify the noun behind él, este, aquel, el cual or cuyo before answering. Referents may point forward across clauses, so read the full sentence.

Passive with ser

Ser + past participle + por expresses passive voice: La novela fue escrita por Cervantes. The participle agrees with the subject. The pasiva refleja with se is far more frequent in speech.

False friend largo

Largo means long in Spanish, not 'large'. Large is grande. Other traps: éxito (success), sensible (sensitive), asistir a (attend), introducir (insert).

Repair phrases in oral

Keep speaking with es decir, o sea, mejor dicho, lo que quiero decir es… These repair markers maintain fluency and coherence instead of breaking into silence or English.

Llevo plus time

Llevo + time + gerund or Llevo + time + sin + infinitive states duration: Llevo dos años estudiando; Llevo un mes sin fumar. It is the everyday alternative to hace… que.