Key Phrases and Advanced Structures
Now you're ready to put it all together with essential phrases and more complex grammar that'll really impress your examiner. These structures will help you sound like a natural Spanish speaker rather than someone just translating from English.
Master these key questions because they're exam gold! Questions like ¿Te llevas bien con tu familia? (Do you get on with your family?) and ¿Cuáles son las cualidades de un buen amigo? (What are the qualities of a good friend?) come up constantly in speaking and listening papers.
The advanced grammar is where you can really shine. Using direct object pronouns (mis padres le conocen - my parents know him) and mixing your tenses properly will push your grade up significantly. Remember: imperfect tense for what you used to do regularly, preterite for completed past actions.
Those key verbs (hacer, ser, estar, tener, ir, querer) are absolute essentials - you simply must know all their forms. They appear in virtually every Spanish conversation about family and friends, so drilling these conjugations will pay off massively in your exams.
Pronunciation tip: Remember that 'll' sounds like 'y' in English - so el anillo (ring) sounds like "ah-NEE-yo", and don't pronounce the 'h' in huérfano (orphan)!