Praxis Spanish: World Language cheat sheet

Interpretive items target main idea, supporting detail, inference, author's purpose, and tone; a main-idea option must cover the whole passage, not one sentence.

False cognates to flag include 'actual' (current, not actual), 'embarazada' (pregnant), 'éxito' (success), and 'librería' (bookstore).

Spanish sequence markers - primero, luego, después, finalmente - typically signal order-of-events questions.

Preterite marks completed foreground events; imperfect marks background description, habitual past action, and ongoing states.

Formal passages use 'usted,' impersonal 'se,' and formulaic closings; informal passages use 'tú,' direct address, and colloquial markers.

In listening items, numbers, dates, and times are often paraphrased in the correct option; match meaning rather than exact wording.

An inference option must be implied by textual evidence; eliminate any choice that adds information the passage does not support.

Register cues: 'le ruego' and 'atentamente' indicate formal written discourse; 'oye,' 'vale,' and 'qué tal' indicate informal spoken discourse.

Tú is singular informal; usted is singular formal; vosotros/vosotras is informal plural in Spain; ustedes is formal plural in Spain and the general plural in Latin America.

Greetings follow time of day: 'Buenos días' through midday, 'Buenas tardes' in the afternoon, and 'Buenas noches' in the evening or at night.

Conditional forms such as '¿Podría...?' are more polite than present-tense forms such as '¿Puede...?'; 'quisiera' is softer than 'quiero.'

Repair moves include '¿Cómo?', '¿Puede repetirlo?', and circumlocution; they maintain the conversation when comprehension breaks down.

Turn-taking markers such as 'pues,' 'bueno,' 'entonces,' and 'mira' manage discourse rather than add propositional content.

Accepting: 'Claro,' 'De acuerdo,' 'Con mucho gusto'; declining politely: 'Lo siento, pero...' and 'Me temo que...'.

Interpersonal performance is rated on task completion, comprehensibility, language control, vocabulary, and cultural appropriateness.

Double negatives are grammatical in Spanish: 'No veo nada' means 'I see nothing,' and 'No viene nadie' means 'Nobody is coming.'

Presentational tasks are scored on task completion, organization, vocabulary, grammar, and cultural content; a strong response addresses every part of the prompt.

Cohesive devices signal relationships: 'por un lado... por otro lado' contrast, 'además' adds, 'sin embargo' opposes, and 'en conclusión' closes.

Formal written register uses 'usted,' complete forms, precise vocabulary, and impersonal constructions rather than colloquial fillers.

A thesis statement should appear early and be supported throughout the body, then restated or reinforced in the conclusion.

Spoken presentational tasks require clear pronunciation, controlled pacing, and brief self-correction that preserves coherence.

Narrative structure follows planteamiento (setup), nudo (conflict), and desenlace (resolution).

Compare-and-contrast markers include 'mientras que,' 'a diferencia de,' and 'al igual que.'

The products-practices-perspectives framework links cultural products (food, art) and practices (routines, celebrations) to underlying perspectives (values, beliefs).