Key Vocabulary Review (AQA A-Level Spanish): Revision Notes
Key Vocabulary Review
This note covers essential vocabulary for discussing young people's role in politics, unemployment challenges, and visions for an ideal society. These terms are fundamental for expressing opinions about political engagement, social issues, and civic participation in Spanish-speaking contexts.
Young people and politics: activism or apathy
This section focuses on vocabulary related to political participation, government structures, and civic attitudes. Understanding these terms will help you discuss whether young people are actively engaged in politics or remain indifferent to political matters.
Core political vocabulary
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el activismo | activism |
| la alianza | alliance |
| animarse a | to be driven/encouraged to |
| la apatía | apathy |
| el cargo | position |
| el/la ciudadano/a | citizen |
| codicioso | greedy, materialistic |
| la conciencia | awareness |
| el congreso | congress, conference |
| conservador | conservative |
| continuista | who maintains the status quo, traditionalist |
| la deficiencia | shortcoming, failure |
| destacado | renowned, noted |
| el/la diputado/a | representative, MP |
Ejemplo de uso: Vocabulario político básico
- El activismo juvenil ha crecido en los últimos años. (Youth activism has grown in recent years.)
- Muchos jóvenes sufren de apatía política. (Many young people suffer from political apathy.)
- Es importante que los ciudadanos tengan conciencia social. (It's important that citizens have social awareness.)
- El diputado destacado pronunció un discurso sobre la juventud. (The renowned MP gave a speech about youth.)
Political structures and actions
Understanding the vocabulary for political structures and leadership roles is essential for discussing how young people can engage with existing institutions and create change through formal channels.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el/la dirigente | leader |
| encabezar | to lead |
| escalar | to climb |
| encargarse de | to be in charge of |
| encuestar | to survey |
| el/la graduado/a | graduate |
| la gubernatura (Méx) | governorship |
| influyente | influential |
| el levantamiento | uprising |
| el/la líder | leader |
| manifestar (manifiesto) | to state, express |
| el movimiento | movement |
| la muestra | sample |
| ostentar | to occupy, hold |
| percibir | to perceive, sense |
Ejemplo de uso: Estructuras y acciones políticas
- La líder del movimiento estudiantil encabezó la manifestación. (The leader of the student movement headed the demonstration.)
- Los jóvenes graduados se encargan de encuestar a la población. (Young graduates are in charge of surveying the population.)
- El político influyente ostenta un cargo importante en el gobierno. (The influential politician holds an important position in the government.)
Further political terminology
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| politizar | to politicise |
| el protagonismo | prominence, importance |
| la reunión | meeting |
| el/la senador/a | senator |
| el tirón | pull, appeal, persuasion |
| el/la titulado/a | graduate |
| tomar parte en | to take part in |
| la vía | way, track |
| eventual | casual (work) |
| el indicio | sign, indication |
| industrializar | to industrialise |
| la informalidad laboral | casual labour |
| el intento | attempt |
| la legislación | legislation |
| lograr | to succeed |
Ejemplo de uso: Terminología política adicional
- Los senadores tomaron parte en la reunión sobre legislación juvenil. (The senators took part in the meeting about youth legislation.)
- El candidato logró politizar el debate sobre el empleo eventual. (The candidate managed to politicise the debate about casual work.)
- La nueva vía legislativa tiene mucho tirón entre los jóvenes. (The new legislative approach has a lot of appeal among young people.)
Pronunciación: The letter 'g' before 'e' or 'i' sounds like the 'h' in 'hat': legislación (leh-hees-lah-see-ON), dirigente (dee-ree-HEN-teh).
Employment and organisations
This vocabulary set covers employment structures and labour organisations, which are crucial when discussing the practical challenges young people face in entering the workforce and securing stable employment.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el negocio | business |
| la Organización Internacional del Trabajo | International Labour Organisation |
| el plan de choque | action plan |
| precario | precarious, uncertain, unstable |
| el razonamiento | reasoning |
| reaccionar | to react |
| recurrir | to turn to, resort to |
| retroceder | to go backwards |
| el salario | salary |
| la Seguridad Social | Social Security |
| el/la sociólogo/a | sociologist |
| el sueldo | wage |
| tardío | late |
| temporal | seasonal, casual |
Ejemplo de uso: Empleo y organizaciones
- El empleo temporal es muy precario para los jóvenes. (Temporary employment is very precarious for young people.)
- Los trabajadores recurren a la Organización Internacional del Trabajo para defender sus derechos. (Workers turn to the International Labour Organisation to defend their rights.)
- El gobierno presentó un plan de choque para mejorar los salarios. (The government presented an action plan to improve salaries.)
Youth unemployment
This vocabulary set addresses the challenges young people face regarding employment, including types of work, social problems, and economic difficulties. These terms are crucial when discussing youth unemployment rates and their social consequences.
Unemployment terminology
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| abaratar | to cheapen, reduce |
| agravar | to make worse |
| alarmante | alarming |
| anterior | previous |
| el colectivo | collective, group |
| costear | to pay for, finance |
| cualificar | to qualify |
| definitivo | final, definitive |
| dejar el nido | to fly the nest |
| la delincuencia | crime |
| devastador | devastating |
| la emancipación | emancipation, freedom |
| la estigmatización | stigmatisation |
Ejemplo de uso: Terminología del desempleo
- La delincuencia juvenil es alarmante en algunas zonas urbanas. (Youth crime is alarming in some urban areas.)
- El desempleo tiene un efecto devastador en el colectivo de jóvenes. (Unemployment has a devastating effect on the group of young people.)
- Muchos jóvenes no pueden dejar el nido por la falta de empleo. (Many young people cannot fly the nest due to lack of employment.)
- La emancipación económica es definitiva para la independencia. (Economic emancipation is definitive for independence.)
Mistake común: Don't confuse el colectivo (the group/collective) with colectivo as an adjective (collective). The article makes the difference: el colectivo juvenil (the youth group) vs un esfuerzo colectivo (a collective effort).
Their ideal society: a pipe dream?
This section explores vocabulary related to social values, ideals, and the characteristics of an ideal society. These terms help you express views about societal structures, values, and aspirations for the future.
Social values and characteristics
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| altruista | altruistic, unselfish |
| ante | in front of |
| atar | to tie |
| la austeridad | austerity |
| colaborar | to get involved with, collaborate |
| consultar | to consult, ask |
| devolver (devuelvo) | to return, give back |
| dinámico | dynamic |
| disolver (disuelvo) | to break up, dissolve |
| el entorno | environment, surroundings |
| la especie | species |
| la formación | training |
| el impuesto | tax |
| el/la inquilino/a | tenant |
Ejemplo de uso: Valores y características sociales
- Una sociedad altruista colabora con los más necesitados. (An altruistic society collaborates with those most in need.)
- El entorno dinámico favorece la formación de los jóvenes. (A dynamic environment favours young people's training.)
- Los inquilinos consultan sobre los impuestos que deben pagar. (Tenants consult about the taxes they must pay.)
- Es importante devolver a la sociedad lo que nos da. (It's important to give back to society what it gives us.)
Pronunciación: The verb disolver is irregular like volver: yo disuelvo, tú disuelves. Similarly, devolver: yo devuelvo, tú devuelves.
Societal structures and concepts
Understanding terms related to societal structures and institutional frameworks enables you to discuss how societies organize themselves and what mechanisms exist for creating social change.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| la inversión | investment |
| juvenil | youth, youthful |
| la Ley Mordaza | Gag Law/Rule |
| madurar | to mature |
| malintencionado | malicious |
| nacionalista | nationalist |
| la ONG (Organización No Gubernamental) | NGO (Non-Governmental Organisation) |
| pesar | to influence, carry weight |
| poner en marcha (pongo) | to implement, launch |
| primordial | fundamental, essential |
| prohibitivo | prohibitive |
| el segmento | part, section |
| superar | to exceed, surpass |
| tapar | to cover (up) |
| la vivienda | home, housing |
| voluntario | voluntary |
Ejemplo de uso: Estructuras y conceptos sociales
- La inversión en vivienda juvenil es primordial para el desarrollo. (Investment in youth housing is fundamental for development.)
- Las ONG ponen en marcha proyectos voluntarios para ayudar a la comunidad. (NGOs launch voluntary projects to help the community.)
- La Ley Mordaza es criticada por limitar la libertad de expresión. (The Gag Law is criticised for limiting freedom of expression.)
- Los precios prohibitivos de la vivienda impiden que los jóvenes maduren independientemente. (Prohibitive housing prices prevent young people from maturing independently.)
- El segmento juvenil de la población supera el 20%. (The youth segment of the population exceeds 20%.)
Mistake común: Poner en marcha requires the irregular form pongo in the first person singular present tense, not "pono". This is the same pattern as poner (to put): yo pongo.
Common mistakes & tips
Gender agreement: Remember that nouns like el/la ciudadano/a, el/la diputado/a, el/la dirigente change according to gender. The article and adjective must agree: la diputada destacada (the renowned female MP), el ciudadano concienciado (the aware male citizen).
Verb irregularities: Several verbs in this vocabulary are irregular. Pay attention to:
- Devolver (to return): yo devuelvo, él devuelve
- Disolver (to dissolve): yo disuelvo, ellos disuelven
- Poner en marcha: yo pongo en marcha
False friends:
- Eventual means "casual" (work), not "eventual" in the sense of "finally happening"
- Actual means "current", not "actual" (which is real in Spanish)
- Sensible means "sensitive", not "sensible" (which is sensato in Spanish)
Register and formality: Terms like la gubernatura (governorship) and ostentar (to hold/occupy) are formal. Use them in essays and formal discussions rather than casual conversation. More neutral alternatives include el puesto (position) and tener (to have).
Distinguishing similar words:
- El sueldo typically refers to a monthly wage
- El salario is a more general term for salary/wage
- Both are acceptable, but sueldo is more commonly used in everyday speech
Remember!
Puntos clave para recordar:
-
Political engagement vocabulary includes terms for both activism (el activismo, el movimiento) and apathy (la apatía, continuista), allowing you to discuss contrasting attitudes towards politics.
-
Employment terminology covers various types of work: temporal (seasonal/casual), eventual (casual), precario (precarious), helping you discuss the challenges young people face in the job market.
-
Social ideals vocabulary enables discussion of positive values like altruista (altruistic), colaborar (to collaborate), and dinámico (dynamic), as well as structures like la ONG (NGO) and la vivienda (housing).
-
Irregular verbs such as devolver, disolver, and poner require special attention to their conjugation patterns - these are commonly tested in exams.
-
Gender markers (el/la) are essential - many political and professional terms have both masculine and feminine forms that must agree with articles and adjectives.