NCEA Level 2 Spanish flashcards

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

Listening: penultimate stress rule

Spanish words ending in a vowel, -n or -s are stressed on the second-to-last syllable: hablan, casas, joven. Words ending in any other consonant are stressed on the final syllable: hablar, ciudad, papel.

pero vs perro

A single tapped r in pero means 'but'; the trilled rr in perro means 'dog'. The contrast is phonemic in Spanish, so mispronouncing it can change the word entirely.

b and v in speech

In most Spanish varieties b and v are pronounced the same, so pairs like tubo/tuvo and baca/vaca sound identical. Meaning comes from context, not from the sound.

Preterite vs imperfect stress

Preterite forms often stress the final syllable (hablé, comió, vivió); imperfect forms stress the stem (hablaba, comía, vivía). Hearing the stress helps identify the tense.

Numbers 16 to 29

16–19 and 21–29 are written as single words: dieciséis, diecisiete, veintiuno, veintidós. From 31 upward the tens are separate: treinta y uno, cuarenta y dos.

Listening distractor pattern

A speaker may mention an option and then reject it, or a second speaker may correct the first. Track who says what and listen for negation words like no, nunca, instead of the first noun heard.

tú vs usted

Use tú with peers, friends and children; use usted with adults, strangers and formal situations. Mixing the two within one exchange is a register error in the speaking assessment.

ir a plus infinitive

The everyday spoken future is ir + a + infinitive: voy a estudiar, vamos a salir. The synthetic future (estudiaré, saldremos) is more formal and less common in conversation.

Spanish five pure vowels

Spanish has five vowels - a, e, i, o, u - each with one stable sound. Unstressed vowels are not reduced as in English, so every vowel must be pronounced clearly.

Accents on question words

Interrogatives carry a written accent: ¿qué?, ¿dónde?, ¿cuándo?, ¿cómo?, ¿quién? The accent appears even when the question is spoken rather than written.

Opinion frames in speaking

Phrases such as creo que, me parece que, en mi opinión and por un lado... por otro lado let you express and contrast views, which raises the language-range band in interaction.

Fluency fillers

Pues, bueno, es que... and o sea keep an exchange flowing while you plan the next idea. Use them sparingly; they cannot replace actual content or answers.

Formal usted command forms

Formal commands use the subjunctive form: hable, coma, venga, diga. Add por favor or ¿podría...? to soften requests when speaking to an adult.

Follow-up question rule

After answering, ask a question back - ¿y tú?, ¿por qué?, ¿desde cuándo? Sustained two-way exchange, not monologue, is what the interaction standard rewards.

False friend: actual

Actual means 'current' or 'present-day', not 'actual'. Actually is usually en realidad or de hecho. So la situación actual is 'the current situation'.

False friend: librería

Librería means 'bookshop', not 'library'. The library is la biblioteca, and a book is un libro. Similar traps: embarazada (pregnant), éxito (success).

por vs para

Por marks cause, exchange, duration and movement through (por eso, por dos horas). Para marks purpose, destination, deadline and recipient (para estudiar, para mañana, para ti).

ser vs estar

Ser expresses inherent identity, origin and profession. Estar expresses location, temporary states and progressive forms: está cansado, está en casa, está estudiando.

Personal a

A specific human direct object takes the preposition a: vi a María, conozco a tu hermano. It is omitted after tener: tengo dos hermanos, tiene un perro.

Subjunctive triggers

Expressions of wish, emotion, doubt or purpose take the subjunctive: quiero que vengas, es importante que sepas, para que entiendas, ojalá llueva.

Relative pronoun que

Que links a clause to a person or thing: el libro que leí, la chica que canta. After a preposition use quien or quienes: el amigo con quien viajé.

Sequence markers

Primero, luego, después, mientras, al final and sin embargo organise a text. In reading questions they signal the order of events and contrasts between ideas.

Cognate caution

Many Spanish words resemble English but differ in meaning or gender: problema and sistema are masculine despite the -a ending; idioma, mapa and planeta are also masculine.

Reading for gist first

Read the title and the first sentence of each paragraph before detailed questions. This establishes the topic and lets you locate the paragraph where each answer sits.

Irregular preterites

High-frequency irregular preterites: fui (ir/ser), hice (hacer), tuve (tener), estuve (estar), dije (decir), pude (poder), vine (venir), quise (querer).

Formal email frame

Open with Estimado/a señor/a and Le escribo para... Close with En espera de su respuesta, le saluda atentamente. Keep usted forms consistent throughout the message.

Informal message frame

Open with ¡Hola! ¿Qué tal? and close with Escríbeme pronto. Un abrazo or Besos. Use tú forms throughout and keep the register informal consistently.

gustar-type agreement

With gustar, doler and faltar the verb agrees with the thing, not the person: me gustan los libros, le duele la cabeza, nos falta tiempo. The person appears as an indirect object pronoun.

Connectors for range

Además, sin embargo, por lo tanto, aunque, ya que and mientras que link ideas and demonstrate language range. One well-placed connector per paragraph is sufficient.

Adjective agreement chain

Adjectives, articles and demonstratives agree with the noun in gender and number: unas casas blancas, estos libros nuevos. Mismatches are among the most visible accuracy errors.

Accent meaning contrasts

Accents distinguish words: si (if) vs sí (yes), el (the) vs él (he), esta vs está, hablo vs habló. Missing accents in writing are treated as accuracy errors.

Writing assessment criteria

NCEA Level 2 writing is judged on communication, organisation, and language range and accuracy. Varied tenses and structures with controlled errors score above long strings of simple sentences.