Key Vocabulary Review (AQA A-Level Spanish): Revision Notes
Key Vocabulary Review
This revision note covers essential vocabulary related to the influence of idols in Hispanic culture, focusing on three main areas: musical idols, sports heroes, and modern fame culture. Understanding this vocabulary is crucial for discussing how celebrities and public figures impact young people in Spanish-speaking societies.
Musical idols and their influence
This section explores vocabulary related to the music industry and how musical idols influence young people. The terms cover performers, fans, success, and the phenomenon of musical fame.
Core vocabulary: the music world
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| amoroso/a | loving |
| el anuncio | advert |
| batir | to beat |
| la cadera | hip |
| el/la cantante | singer |
| la carrera | career |
| componer (de) | to be composed of |
| el/la embajador/a | ambassador |
| la entrada | ticket |
| el éxito | success |
| la fama | fame |
| el fenómeno | phenomenon |
| fundar | to found |
| la influencia | influence |
| influir (influyo) | to influence |
Pronunciation tip: The verb influir follows the pattern of adding 'y' in the first person singular: yo influyo (I influence).
More music industry terms
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| las letras | lyrics, words |
| la libertad | freedom |
| la melena | long hair/mane |
| el modelo a imitar/seguir | role model |
| moreno/a | dark-haired |
| el orgullo | pride |
| originarse | to come from |
| poderoso/a | powerful |
| prohibir (prohíbo) | to forbid |
| quejarse | to complain |
| reivindicativo/a | protest |
| revolucionar | to stir up |
| el/la seguidor/a | follower |
| el/la solista | solo singer |
| la superestrella | superstar |
Additional vocabulary: success and competition
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| suspirar | to sigh |
| la telerrealidad | reality TV |
| vender | to sell |
| el/la ganador/a | winner |
| ganar | to win |
| el genio | genius |
| la grada baja | lower tier (of stadium) |
| hacer trampa (hago) | to cheat |
| el héroe | hero |
| la heroína | heroine |
| el/la hincha | fan |
| humilde | humble |
| implacable | relentless |
| llegar a la cima | to reach the top, to peak |
| el medallero | medal haul |
| mejorar | to improve |
Example sentences:
- La cantante tiene mucha influencia sobre los jóvenes. (The singer has a lot of influence over young people.)
- El grupo se compone de cuatro músicos talentosos. (The group is composed of four talented musicians.)
- Mi hermano es un hincha apasionado del Real Madrid. (My brother is a passionate Real Madrid fan.)
- La superestrella llegó a la cima después de años de trabajo duro. (The superstar reached the top after years of hard work.)
- Las letras de sus canciones hablan de la libertad y el orgullo. (The lyrics of their songs speak about freedom and pride.)
Vocabulary: morals and behaviour
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| moralizar | to moralise, preach |
| el mordisco | bite |
| el/la nadador/a | swimmer |
| la organización benéfica | charitable organisation |
| la paradoja | paradox |
| el partido | match, game |
| la pasión | passion |
| perder (pierdo) | to lose, miss |
| la trampa | cheating |
Example sentences:
- El nadador perdió la medalla de oro por hacer trampa. (The swimmer lost the gold medal for cheating.)
- El cantante trabaja con una organización benéfica para ayudar a los niños. (The singer works with a charitable organisation to help children.)
- Es una paradoja que las estrellas más ricas prediquen sobre la humildad. (It's a paradox that the richest stars preach about humility.)
Sports heroes
This section contains vocabulary specific to discussing sports personalities, athletic competition, and the behaviour of sports figures and fans.
Core vocabulary: sports and competition
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el abono | season ticket |
| el/la aficionado/a | fan |
| el campo | pitch |
| el comportamiento antideportivo | unsportsmanlike behaviour |
| controvertido/a | controversial |
| dar visibilidad a (doy) | to raise the profile of |
| dedicado/a | dedicated |
| el/la delantero/a | forward, striker |
| el deporte minoritario | minority sport |
| el/la deportista | sportsman/woman |
| el dopaje | doping |
| entrenarse | to train |
| exitoso/a | successful |
| faltar al respeto | to disrespect |
| fichar (por) | to sign (for) |
Example sentences:
- El delantero fichó por el Barcelona el año pasado. (The striker signed for Barcelona last year.)
- Los deportistas dedicados entrenan todos los días. (Dedicated sportspeople train every day.)
- El comportamiento antideportivo no se tolera en este deporte. (Unsportsmanlike behaviour is not tolerated in this sport.)
- La campaña dio visibilidad a los deportes minoritarios. (The campaign raised the profile of minority sports.)
- Algunos aficionados faltaron al respeto durante el partido. (Some fans were disrespectful during the match.)
Common mistakes & tips:
- Fichar is followed by por when talking about signing for a team: fichar por el Real Madrid
- Don't confuse el campo (pitch/field) with el partido (match/game)
- El/la aficionado/a and el/la hincha both mean fan, but hincha implies more passion
The new culture of fame
Modern vocabulary relating to celebrity culture, social media influence, and contemporary fame encompasses performance, image, and public perception.
Core vocabulary: celebrity and media
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| abiertamente | openly |
| acérrimo/a | ardent, steadfast |
| apoyar | to support |
| la ascendencia | ancestry |
| la audiencia | audience |
| el certamen | competition |
| chiflar | to like (slang) |
| consciente | conscious |
| el consejo | advice |
| la curiosidad | curiosity |
| discreto/a | discreet |
| la entrevista | interview |
| el/la escritor/a | writer |
| estar de gira (estoy) | to go on tour |
| fomentar | to promote |
Example sentences:
- La cantante habló abiertamente sobre su ascendencia en la entrevista. (The singer spoke openly about her ancestry in the interview.)
- El rapero está de gira por toda América Latina. (The rapper is on tour throughout Latin America.)
- Los influencers fomentan la curiosidad sobre la vida de las celebridades. (Influencers promote curiosity about the lives of celebrities.)
- La audiencia apoyó consciente al artista durante el certamen. (The audience consciously supported the artist during the competition.)
More vocabulary: image and performance
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| imitar | to copy |
| inevitable | unavoidable |
| la interpretación | performance |
| la libertad | freedom |
| medir (mido) | to measure |
| la moda | fashion |
| el modelo | model |
| el modelo | (fashion) model |
| el nivel | level |
| la orientación sexual | sexual orientation |
| el pudor | shyness |
| promiscuo/a | promiscuous |
| protagonizar | to star in |
| el/la rapero/a | rapper |
| seguir (sigo) | to follow |
| trabajador/a | hard-working |
Pronunciation tip: The verb seguir is stem-changing (e→i) and also irregular in the first person: yo sigo (I follow).
Example sentences:
- El rapero protagoniza una nueva película sobre su vida. (The rapper stars in a new film about his life.)
- Es inevitable que los jóvenes imiten a sus ídolos. (It's unavoidable that young people copy their idols.)
- La modelo habló sobre su orientación sexual con mucho pudor. (The model spoke about her sexual orientation with much shyness.)
- Los trabajadores de la industria musical miden el éxito por el nivel de seguidores. (Workers in the music industry measure success by the level of followers.)
- Muchos adolescentes siguen la moda de sus artistas favoritos. (Many teenagers follow the fashion of their favourite artists.)
Understanding irregular verbs in context
Several key verbs in this vocabulary list have irregular conjugations that you need to master:
Stem-changing verbs:
- perder (e→ie): pierdo, pierdes, pierde, perdemos, perdéis, pierden
- medir (e→i): mido, mides, mide, medimos, medís, miden
- seguir (e→i): sigo, sigues, sigue, seguimos, seguís, siguen
First person irregular:
- influir: influyo, influyes, influye, influimos, influís, influyen
- prohibir: prohíbo, prohíbes, prohíbe, prohibimos, prohibís, prohíben
- hacer: hago, haces, hace, hacemos, hacéis, hacen
- dar: doy, das, da, damos, dais, dan
Common mistakes & tips:
- Don't forget the spelling change in influir - add 'y' in most forms: influyo, influyes, influye
- Remember that hacer trampa means to cheat, not to make a trap
- Estar de gira is a set phrase - don't try to translate it word-for-word
- Many of these nouns can be both masculine and feminine depending on who they refer to: el/la cantante, el/la deportista, el/la escritor/a
Practical application
Understanding how to use these terms naturally requires practice. Here are some extended examples showing multiple vocabulary items in context:
Extended Context Example 1:
El año pasado, una superestrella del pop revolucionó la industria musical con sus letras reivindicativas sobre la libertad. La cantante se originó en una familia humilde pero llegó a la cima gracias a su trabajo duro y su fenómeno en las redes sociales. Ahora tiene millones de seguidores que imitan su estilo y la consideran un modelo a seguir.
(Last year, a pop superstar revolutionised the music industry with her protest lyrics about freedom. The singer came from a humble family but reached the top thanks to her hard work and social media phenomenon. Now she has millions of followers who imitate her style and consider her a role model.)
Extended Context Example 2:
Los deportistas exitosos tienen mucha influencia sobre los jóvenes aficionados. Cuando un delantero famoso ficha por un equipo nuevo, los hinchas apasionados compran su camiseta y lo apoyan durante cada partido. Sin embargo, el comportamiento antideportivo como hacer trampa o faltar al respeto puede destruir la carrera de un héroe deportivo.
(Successful sportspeople have a lot of influence over young fans. When a famous striker signs for a new team, passionate supporters buy his shirt and support him during each match. However, unsportsmanlike behaviour like cheating or being disrespectful can destroy a sports hero's career.)
Key Points to Remember:
- Master the gender of nouns - many words for people can be masculine or feminine: el/la cantante, el/la deportista, el/la rapero/a
- Learn irregular verb conjugations for key verbs like influir, prohibir, seguir, perder, hacer, and medir
- Understand set phrases like hacer trampa (to cheat), estar de gira (to be on tour), and llegar a la cima (to reach the top)
- Remember that vocabulary about idols and fame is highly relevant for discussing modern Hispanic culture and youth identity
- Practice using these terms in different tenses to discuss past influences, current trends, and future predictions about celebrity culture