Types of home — Vivo en un piso means I live in a flat; una casa adosada is a terraced house. Mi casa tiene tres habitaciones means My house has three rooms; dormitorio specifically means bedroom. Do not assume every habitación in a property notice is a bedroom.
Rooms and location — La cocina está al lado del salón means The kitchen is next to the living room. Hay un jardín detrás de la casa means There is a garden behind the house. Hay introduces existence; estar locates a known thing. Encima de and debajo de mean above/on top of and underneath.
Town and countryside — En mi barrio hay tiendas, pero no hay piscina means In my neighbourhood there are shops but no swimming pool. Vivo en el campo means I live in the countryside; vivo en las afueras means on the outskirts. Mention both availability and absence accurately.
Advantages and problems — Es tranquilo, pero está lejos del colegio means It is quiet but far from school. Hay demasiado tráfico means There is too much traffic. Distinguish a personal preference from a general claim: para mí, es cómodo means for me, it is convenient.
Community services — Una biblioteca, un centro de salud and una estación mean a library, a health centre and a station. Se necesita un parque means A park is needed. Explain which group's stated needs a proposal serves rather than assuming everyone benefits equally.
Environmental choices
Problems — La contaminación, la basura and el cambio climático mean pollution, rubbish and climate change. Hay basura en el río means There is rubbish in the river. Identify what the text actually reports and distinguish a local litter problem from a claim about climate causes.
Household actions — Reciclo papel, reutilizo bolsas y ahorro agua means I recycle paper, reuse bags and save water. Apago las luces means I turn off the lights. Reuse and recycling are different actions; choose the one described. Ahorrar can mean save money or conserve a resource in context.
Transport and resources — Voy a pie para reducir la contaminación means I walk to reduce pollution. Es importante usar menos energía means It is important to use less energy. Menos is invariable here; mucho agrees when describing a noun: mucha energía. Retain the purpose phrase in translation.
Obligation and possibility — Hay que proteger el medio ambiente means We/one must protect the environment. Se puede cerrar el grifo means One can turn off the tap. Debemos actuar means We should act. Do not replace can with must: it changes the strength of the message.
Supported comparison — El autobús cuesta menos, pero tarda más compares cost and journey time. A proposal may help one aim and create another difficulty. Report evidence and conditions, not an unsupported promise that a single action solves every environmental problem.
Change and application
Then and now — Antes vivía en un pueblo, pero ahora vivo en una ciudad means I used to live in a village, but now live in a city. Había más árboles means There used to be more trees; había stays singular with a plural noun. Ayer planté un árbol is one completed event.
Future and wishes — Voy a ahorrar más agua means I am going to save more water. Me gustaría vivir cerca del mar means I would like to live near the sea. Habrá un parque means There will be a park; habría un parque means There would be a park, not a definite future promise.
Reading a proposal — Quieren construir un parque, pero todavía no tienen dinero means They want to build a park, but still do not have money. The park is proposed, not already built. Identify intention, obstacle and actual completed work separately.
Describing and justifying — Describe your real or fictional area with locations, one strength and one problem. Explain a suitable improvement with a reason and future intention. In translation, check hay/está/tiene, place prepositions, quantity and the strength of modals.
Four-skill practice — Read a fresh community notice, hear a partner describe a change, ask one follow-up and write a reasoned response. Record what the actual work shows and select a specific PLC target. Confidence alone does not demonstrate spoken understanding or extended writing.
Housing and floors — Vivo en un piso en la segunda planta means I live in a flat on the second floor. La planta baja is the ground floor, not the first floor in standard Spanish numbering. Hay una cocina, un salón y un jardín describes kitchen, living room and garden. El piso can mean flat or floor depending on context; use the surrounding words rather than fixing one meaning.
Services and access — La panadería está cerca, pero la estación está lejos means The bakery is near, but the station is far away. Tardo diez minutos a pie means It takes me ten minutes on foot. Correos refers to the post office/postal service in context. A list of facilities does not show how easy they are to reach; include travel time or a supported distance comparison.
Waste and resource use — Separo la basura, reciclo el papel y reutilizo las bolsas means I sort rubbish, recycle paper and reuse bags. El vidrio is glass as a material; un vaso is a drinking glass. Apago la luz means I turn off the light. Reusing, recycling and reducing consumption are different actions; link the stated action to the actual material or resource.
Environmental evidence — Hay menos coches y menos ruido means There are fewer cars and less noise. La contaminación del aire means air pollution; la sequía drought. One hot day does not establish a change in climate. When interpreting a report, preserve the timescale, quantities and stated cause; do not turn a proposed benefit into a measured result.
Test yourself
30 questions · Random sets of 10. These quick checks support revision; practise longer explanations and justified judgements too.
Mind map
Use the branches to recall the ideas and explain their connections. Check the revision notes for the full detail.
ES9 · 1
View ES9 · 1 mind mapOpen the full-size map to zoom. Use the printable view for A4 landscape or enlarge to A3.
Mr Kidman's Classroom
