School life
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Lesson notes
Subjects and agreement
- Useful subjects include las matemáticas, las ciencias, la historia, la geografía, la informática, el dibujo, la música and la educación física. A plural subject name affects forms such as me gustan las matemáticas.
- Me gusta la historia porque es interesante gives an opinion and reason; me gustan las matemáticas porque son útiles keeps plural agreement. Different speakers can have different views of the same subject.
Subject vocabulary in context
Rules: keep the infinitive
- Hay que llegar a tiempo expresses impersonal necessity; está prohibido usar el móvil expresses a prohibition; no se debe correr expresses that one should not run. The verb after each construction stays infinitive.
- These are example rules for an invented setting, not policies shared by all schools. Hay que does not name a particular person; tienes que can address tú directly.
Rule constructions
School terms need a country and setting
- In Spain, colegio commonly means a school, often primary, and instituto commonly refers to secondary school. Some colegios include several stages; the names alone do not describe every country’s system.
- Bachillerato is a post-compulsory upper-secondary stage in Spain. Compare only details supplied for named or invented schools; a Spanish-language account does not establish a national uniform rule or finishing time.
Spanish school terms in a stated setting
Opinions can differ between speakers
- Mi asignatura favorita es la informática identifies a favourite subject. Me gusta porque es útil adds a reason; estricto/estricta, simpático/simpática and paciente can describe a stated teacher in a supplied account.
- Use a reason supported by the speaker’s words. A fictional pupil can prefer a uniform because they do not have to choose clothes each morning; this does not prove a universal social effect.
Build a reasoned subject opinion
Read a supplied school timetable
- In the invented example, las clases empiezan a las ocho y media, el recreo es a las diez y media and las clases terminan a las tres. These are teaching times, not a real school’s schedule.
- A las introduces a clock time except singular a la una. El horario is the timetable; el recreo the break; la hora de comer a mealtime; los deberes homework in this setting.
An invented school timetable
Facilities and their articles
- La biblioteca is the library, el gimnasio the gym, el laboratorio the lab and el patio the school courtyard or playground in this account. La cantina can be the canteen here; regional words differ.
- Aula is feminine but commonly takes el directly before stressed initial a: el aula pequeña, las aulas pequeñas. Its adjective and plural article remain feminine; el here does not make aula masculine.
Facilities and agreement
Compare texts and interpret pressure
- In two invented schools, A finishes at three and B at four, so B finishes later. This comparison says nothing about start times, facilities or every school in a country.
- Read: Los exámenes me preocupan porque quiero sacar buenas notas. The speaker mentions exams and marks; other reasons are not established. El estrés, la presión and el acoso escolar are vocabulary terms, not requests to disclose private experiences.
Compare only the supplied details
Past experience and future plans
- El año pasado estudié historia presents a completed past period. El año que viene voy a hacer mis exámenes expresses a future plan with voy a plus infinitive. Keep the time phrase and verb construction coherent.
- A fictional model may combine timetable, opinion and rule: las clases empiezan a las ocho y media; me gusta la informática porque es interesante; hay que llegar a tiempo. Other coherent examples are valid.
Past and future phrases
Slides
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Practice questions
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1.In a school-subject list, what does las ciencias mean?
Easy- Ascience
- Bhistory
- Cscissors
- Dsense
2.What does "la geografía" mean?
Easy- Ageometry
- Bgeology
- CGerman
- Dgeography
3.In a school-subject list, what does el dibujo refer to?
Easy- Amusic
- Bdrama
- Cart or drawing
- Ddesign
4.What does "la informática" mean?
Easy- Ainfants
- BICT or computing
- Cinformation
- DEnglish
5.What does "el recreo" mean?
Easy- Abreak time
- Brecreation centre
- Chomework
- Dlunch
6.In this school account, pupils eat in la cantina. What does cantina mean here?
Easy- Athe timetable
- Bthe library
- Cthe gym
- Dthe canteen
7.What does "el horario" mean?
Easy- Athe horoscope
- Bthe hour only
- Cthe timetable
- Dthe horror
8.What does "la biblioteca" mean?
Easy- Athe gym
- Bthe library
- Cthe bookshop
- Dthe lab
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