Key Vocabulary Review (AQA A-Level Spanish): Revision Notes
Key Vocabulary Review
This revision note covers essential vocabulary from Topics 1 and 2, focusing on three key areas: artistic movements in Spain, cybersecurity and hacking, and the Catholic Church's influence in Latin America. These vocabulary lists will help you discuss political and social issues in the Hispanic world with confidence.
The vocabulary in this revision note is organised into three thematic areas, each with example sentences showing how to use the terms in different tenses. Pay special attention to the pronunciation tips and common mistakes sections to avoid errors in your exam.
Artistic movements in twentieth-century Spain
Understanding artistic vocabulary helps you discuss cultural and political expression through art. Spain's artistic legacy from the last century includes movements that reflected social upheaval, political conflict, and cultural identity. These terms are particularly useful when discussing how artists like Picasso, Dalí, and Miró used their work to comment on Spain's turbulent twentieth century.
Vocabulary: Art and artistic expression
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| la angustia | distress |
| la armonía | harmony |
| autodidacta | self-taught |
| caótico | chaotic |
| el cuadro | picture, painting |
| colaborar | to collaborate |
| contundente | forceful |
| la corriente | trend, movement |
| la costumbre | habit, custom |
| la deformación | loss of shape, deformation |
| la dimensión | dimension |
| enfatizar | to emphasise |
| extenso | extensive |
| fallecer | to pass away, to die |
| el fondo | background |
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| la forma | shape |
| el genio | genius |
| el gesto | gesture |
| el grito | scream, cry |
| grueso | thick |
| guerrero | warlike |
| monstruoso | hideous |
| el movimiento | movement |
| la obra | work (of art) |
| la perspectiva | perspective |
| la posteridad | posterity |
| rechazar | to refuse, to reject |
| sobresalir | to stand out |
| surgir | to arise, to appear |
| tedioso | tedious |
| el trazo | stroke, line |
Example sentences in context
Using Artistic Vocabulary Across Different Tenses
Present tense:
- El artista enfatiza la angustia de la Guerra Civil en sus cuadros. (The artist emphasises the distress of the Civil War in his paintings.)
- Los movimientos artísticos surgen de las costumbres y la identidad nacional. (Artistic movements arise from customs and national identity.)
- Picasso sobresale como el genio más importante del siglo XX. (Picasso stands out as the most important genius of the 20th century.)
Preterite tense:
- El pintor colaboró con otros artistas autodidactas durante la dictadura. (The painter collaborated with other self-taught artists during the dictatorship.)
- Dalí falleció en 1989, dejando un legado extenso. (Dalí passed away in 1989, leaving an extensive legacy.)
- El cuadro surgió de una perspectiva caótica de la sociedad. (The painting arose from a chaotic perspective of society.)
Imperfect tense:
- El fondo de sus obras reflejaba la armonía de la naturaleza. (The background of his works reflected the harmony of nature.)
- Los gestos en las pinturas eran contundentes y guerreros. (The gestures in the paintings were forceful and warlike.)
Present subjunctive:
- Es importante que el arte enfatice los problemas sociales. (It's important that art emphasises social problems.)
- Esperamos que la obra sobresalga en la exposición. (We hope that the work stands out in the exhibition.)
Pronunciation tip
The word surgir is irregular in the first person: "yo surjo". Remember that the 'g' changes to 'j' before 'o' or 'a' to maintain the soft sound.
Security and hacking in the digital age
This vocabulary helps you discuss modern technological threats and cybersecurity issues, which are increasingly relevant political topics in the Spanish-speaking world. Understanding these terms is essential for discussing government surveillance, data protection laws, and digital rights.
Vocabulary: Cybersecurity and technology
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el acoso | harassment |
| el ajuste | setting, adjustment |
| asequible | accessible, affordable |
| borrar | to delete, to erase |
| chantajear | to blackmail |
| el cibernauta | internet user |
| el código | code |
| colapsar | to crash, to collapse |
| el contenido | content |
| la contraseña | password |
| deshabilitar | to disable |
| el delito | crime |
| espiar | to spy |
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| estropear | to ruin, to damage |
| etiquetar | to tag, to label |
| fisgar | to pry on, to snoop |
| el formulario | form |
| fraudulento | fraudulent, illegal |
| el historial | history, record |
| la identidad | identity |
| identificar | to identify |
| inapropiado | inappropriate |
| ingenioso | clever, ingenious |
| insertar | to insert |
| la herramienta | tool |
| la privacidad | privacy |
| la seguridad | security |
| sospechoso | suspicious |
Example sentences in context
Using Cybersecurity Vocabulary Across Different Tenses
Present tense:
- Los hackers espían a los ciber usuarios para robar contraseñas. (Hackers spy on internet users to steal passwords.)
- Es importante borrar el historial para proteger la privacidad. (It's important to delete the history to protect privacy.)
- Los criminales chantajean a las víctimas con contenido inapropiado. (Criminals blackmail victims with inappropriate content.)
Preterite tense:
- El sistema colapsó debido a un virus ingenioso. (The system crashed due to a clever virus.)
- Los delincuentes insertaron código fraudulento en el formulario. (The criminals inserted fraudulent code into the form.)
- La empresa identificó el acoso cibernético y deshabilitó la cuenta sospechosa. (The company identified the cyberbullying and disabled the suspicious account.)
Present perfect tense:
- Los hackers han estropeado la seguridad de muchas plataformas asequibles. (Hackers have damaged the security of many affordable platforms.)
- El gobierno ha ajustado las leyes sobre delitos informáticos. (The government has adjusted the laws on computer crimes.)
Future tense:
- Las herramientas de seguridad serán más ingeniosas en el futuro. (Security tools will be more ingenious in the future.)
- Los ciber usuarios deberán proteger mejor sus contraseñas. (Internet users will have to protect their passwords better.)
Common mistakes and tips
- Don't confuse el historial (browsing/medical history) with la historia (history as a subject or story)
- Espiar is irregular: "yo espío" (I spy), not "yo espio"
- La contraseña always takes the article "la", never "el"
The Catholic Church's influence in Latin America
This vocabulary enables you to discuss the Church's political and social role in Latin American society, including historical and contemporary issues. These terms are particularly important for analysing debates about social justice, education, and moral authority in the region.
Vocabulary: Religious and political terms
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| anticapitalista | anticapitalist |
| los bienes ajenos | other people's property |
| cargar contra | to attack, to charge against |
| el centro | (political) centre ground |
| la competencia | competition, rivalry |
| consentir | to consent, to allow |
| el crucifijo | crucifix |
| la degradación | deterioration, degradation |
| desear | to desire, to covet |
| la doctrina | doctrine |
| el dominio | control, power, domain |
| en vano | in vain |
| evangélico | evangelical |
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el grupo pentecostal | pentecostal group |
| la hegemonía | hegemony, supremacy |
| la hoz | sickle |
| la idolatría | idolatry |
| innovador | innovative |
| el jesuita | Jesuit |
| juzgar | to judge |
| marginar | to marginalise |
| el martillo | hammer |
| mayoritario | majority |
| nocivo | damaging, harmful |
| el/la pastora | pastor |
| la posmodernidad | postmodernity |
| promediar | to mediate |
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| la promiscuidad | promiscuity |
| reclamar | to demand, to complain about |
| el reto | challenge |
| el rito | rite, ritual |
| santificar | to keep (the Sabbath) holy |
| teóricamente | theoretically |
| el terreno | field, sphere, ground |
| gratuitamente | free of charge |
| la indemnización | compensation |
| el lucro cesante | loss of earnings |
| menor | underaged, minor |
| proporcionar | to provide |
| el virus troyano | Trojan virus |
Example sentences in context
Using Religious and Political Vocabulary Across Different Tenses
Present tense:
- La Iglesia Católica ejerce un dominio significativo en la política latinoamericana. (The Catholic Church exercises significant control in Latin American politics.)
- Los grupos evangélicos reclaman más libertad religiosa. (Evangelical groups demand more religious freedom.)
- La doctrina católica juzga ciertos comportamientos como nocivos para la sociedad. (Catholic doctrine judges certain behaviours as harmful to society.)
Preterite tense:
- Los jesuitas proporcionaron educación gratuitamente a comunidades marginadas. (The Jesuits provided education free of charge to marginalised communities.)
- La Iglesia cargó contra las ideas anticapitalistas durante la Guerra Fría. (The Church attacked anticapitalist ideas during the Cold War.)
- El grupo pentecostal consintió en promediar en el conflicto. (The pentecostal group agreed to mediate in the conflict.)
Imperfect tense:
- La hegemonía católica era mayoritaria en todos los terrenos sociales. (Catholic hegemony was predominant in all social spheres.)
- Los pastores evangélicos marginaban a quienes no seguían los ritos tradicionales. (Evangelical pastors marginalised those who didn't follow traditional rites.)
Present subjunctive:
- Es importante que la Iglesia no desee controlar los bienes ajenos. (It's important that the Church doesn't desire to control other people's property.)
- Esperamos que los líderes religiosos proporcionen soluciones innovadoras a los retos modernos. (We hope that religious leaders provide innovative solutions to modern challenges.)
Conditional:
- La sociedad sería más inclusiva si no se marginara a las minorías. (Society would be more inclusive if minorities weren't marginalised.)
- Teóricamente, la separación entre Iglesia y Estado proporcionaría más libertad. (Theoretically, the separation between Church and State would provide more freedom.)
Pronunciation tip
The word juzgar maintains the 'g' sound throughout conjugation except before 'e': "yo juzgo" but "yo juzgué" (preterite). This is to keep the hard 'g' sound.
Common mistakes and tips
- El centro in political contexts means the centre ground/centrist position, not just a physical centre
- Don't confuse el dominio (control/power) with el domingo (Sunday)
- Cargar contra takes the preposition "contra", not "a": "cargar contra las ideas", not "cargar a las ideas"
- Los bienes ajenos literally means "other people's goods/property" - it's a fixed expression often used in religious and legal contexts
- En vano is an adverbial phrase meaning "in vain" - it doesn't change form
Remember!
Key Points to Remember:
-
Artistic vocabulary helps you discuss Spain's cultural and political expression through movements like Cubism and Surrealism, which often reflected social upheaval and identity struggles.
-
Cybersecurity terminology is essential for discussing modern political issues such as government surveillance, data protection laws, and digital rights in the Hispanic world.
-
Religious vocabulary enables you to analyse the Church's historical and contemporary political influence in Latin America, including debates about social justice, education, and moral authority.
-
Use appropriate tenses when discussing these topics: present for current issues, preterite for specific historical events, imperfect for ongoing past situations, and subjunctive for opinions and hopes.
-
Practice using these terms in context rather than memorising isolated translations - this will help you develop fluency and produce more sophisticated arguments in your exam responses.