🇪🇸 Year 9 Spanish

Tense Review & Consolidation

Key Tenses Summary

• Presente: regular -AR (-o/-as/-a/-amos/-áis/-an), -ER (-o/-es/-e/-emos/-éis/-en), -IR (same as -ER). Stem-changing verbs change in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
• Pretérito indefinido: -AR (-é/-aste/-ó/-amos/-asteis/-aron), -ER/-IR (-í/-iste/-ió/-imos/-isteis/-ieron). Key irregulars: ser/ir = fui/fuiste/fue...; tener = tuve; estar = estuve; hacer = hice; poder = pude; decir = dije; venir = vine.
• Pretérito imperfecto: -AR (-aba/-abas/-aba/-ábamos/-abais/-aban), -ER/-IR (-ía/-ías/-ía/-íamos/-íais/-ían). Only 3 irregulars: ser (era), ir (iba), ver (veía).
• Pretérito perfecto: haber (he/has/ha/hemos/habéis/han) + past participle (-ado for -AR, -ido for -ER/-IR). Irregulars: dicho, hecho, visto, abierto, escrito, puesto, vuelto, roto.
• Futuro simple: infinitive + -é/-ás/-á/-emos/-éis/-án. Irregulars: tener → tendr-, hacer → har-, poder → podr-, salir → saldr-, venir → vendr-, decir → dir-, querer → querr-, saber → sabr-, poner → pondr-, haber → habr-.
• Condicional: same stems as futuro + -ía/-ías/-ía/-íamos/-íais/-ían. Use for: polite requests, hypotheticals.
• Pluscuamperfecto: imperfect of haber (había/habías...) + past participle. Use for: the past before the past.

Indefinido vs Imperfecto

• Indefinido: completed, single, or sequential past events with a defined time frame
• Imperfecto: descriptions, habitual past actions, ongoing background situations, interrupted actions
• Classic pattern: "Mientras comía (imperfecto — background), llegó (indefinido — event) mi amigo." (While I was eating, my friend arrived.)

The Subjunctive Mood (Introduction)

Forming the Present Subjunctive

• Take the yo form of the present tense → remove the -o → add the opposite vowel endings
• -AR verbs: -e/-es/-e/-emos/-éis/-en (opposite of present indicative)
• -ER/-IR verbs: -a/-as/-a/-amos/-áis/-an
• Stem-changing verbs: keep the same stem changes in most forms

When to Use the Subjunctive

• After verbs of wanting/advising/recommending: querer que, aconsejar que, recomendar que, preferir que, pedir que — "Quiero que vengas." (I want you to come.)
• After verbs of emotion: alegrarse de que, sentir que, esperar que, temer que — "Me alegro de que estés bien." (I'm glad you're well.)
• After verbs of doubt/denial: dudar que, no creer que, no estar seguro de que — "Dudo que sea verdad." (I doubt it's true.)
• After impersonal expressions: es importante que, es necesario que, es posible que, es mejor que, es una lástima que, ojalá (I hope/wish that)
• After certain conjunctions: para que (so that), aunque (although, when expressing doubt), a menos que (unless), antes de que (before), con tal de que (provided that)
• Ojalá: always followed by subjunctive. "Ojalá haga buen tiempo mañana." (I hope the weather is nice tomorrow.)

Por vs Para

Uses of "Por"

• Cause / reason (because of, due to): "Lo hice por amor." (I did it because of love.)
• Exchange: "Lo cambié por dinero." (I exchanged it for money.)
• Duration: "Estudié por dos horas." (I studied for two hours.)
• On behalf of / in favour of: "Habló por mí." (He spoke on my behalf.)
• Movement through / along: "Caminé por el parque." (I walked through the park.)
• Means of communication/transport: "Hablamos por teléfono." (We talked by phone.)
• Per: "Gano diez libras por hora." (I earn ten pounds per hour.)

Uses of "Para"

• Purpose (in order to): "Estudio para aprender." (I study in order to learn.)
• Destination: "Salgo para Madrid." (I'm leaving for Madrid.)
• Recipient (for someone): "Este regalo es para ti." (This gift is for you.)
• Deadline: "Lo necesito para el lunes." (I need it by Monday.)
• Opinion: "Para mí, es importante." (In my opinion, it's important.)
• Comparison / contrast (for, considering): "Habla muy bien para ser principiante." (He speaks very well for a beginner.)

Society & Current Issues

Social Issues — Key Vocabulary

• el desempleo / el paro (unemployment), la pobreza (poverty), la desigualdad (inequality)
• el racismo / la discriminación / los prejuicios (racism / discrimination / prejudice)
• la violencia de género (gender-based violence), el acoso (harassment/bullying)
• los derechos humanos (human rights), la igualdad de oportunidades (equal opportunities)
• el voluntariado (volunteering), comprometerse con (to commit to), luchar contra (to fight against)
• mejorar (to improve), resolver (to solve), concienciar (to raise awareness)

Environment — Key Vocabulary

• el calentamiento global (global warming), el cambio climático (climate change)
• las energías renovables (renewable energies), el desarrollo sostenible (sustainable development)
• reducir (to reduce), reciclar, desperdiciar (to waste), ahorrar (to save/conserve)
• los gases de efecto invernadero (greenhouse gases), la huella de carbono (carbon footprint)
• Si no actuamos ahora, el mundo sufrirá consecuencias irreversibles. (If we don't act now, the world will suffer irreversible consequences.) — Futuro/condicional for hypotheticals

Advanced Opinion Structures

• En mi opinión / Desde mi punto de vista / A mi modo de ver (In my opinion / From my point of view / The way I see it)
• Estoy convencido/a de que + indicativo (I am convinced that)
• No cabe duda de que... (There is no doubt that...)
• Hay que reconocer que... (One must acknowledge that...)
• Lo que me preocupa es que... (What worries me is...)
• Si bien es cierto que... también es verdad que... (While it is true that... it is also true that...)

The Spanish-Speaking World

El Mundo Hispanohablante

• Spanish is an official language in 20 countries and spoken by approximately 500 million native speakers — the second most spoken language by native speakers in the world
• Key regions: Spain, Mexico (largest Spanish-speaking country: 130m), Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Venezuela, Chile, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Puerto Rico (US territory)
• Spanish has regional variations in vocabulary and pronunciation: vosotros vs ustedes; vos (Argentina/Uruguay); different words for common objects (autobús/camión/bus/guagua)

Culture and Identity

• La Hispanidad: a shared cultural identity across Spanish-speaking countries — language, Catholic heritage, historical connections to Spain, and strong family values
• El Día de la Hispanidad (12 October): celebrated as Columbus Day in the Americas; contested as a symbol of colonialism vs. shared heritage
• Music: flamenco (Andalucia), salsa (Cuba/Colombia/New York), reggaeton (Puerto Rico/Dominican Republic), tango (Argentina/Uruguay), bachata (Dominican Republic)
• Gabriel García Márquez: Colombian novelist, Nobel Prize 1982. "Cien años de soledad" (One Hundred Years of Solitude). Magical Realism movement.
• Frida Kahlo: Mexican artist (1907–1954). Self-portraits exploring identity, postcolonialism, gender, and pain. Global icon.

Latin America — Key Facts

• México: UNAM (one of the world's largest universities), maquiladoras (assembly plants on the US–Mexico border), Día de los Muertos, UNESCO World Heritage sites (Teotihuacán, Chichen Itzá)
• Argentina: second largest country in South America; tango; economic history including currency crises; Patagonia and the Andes
• Cuba: communist state since 1959 Revolution (Fidel Castro); US embargo (blockade); strong music and art traditions despite economic isolation; unique "time capsule" qualities