My region - the good and the bad (AQA GCSE Spanish): Revision Notes
My region - the good and the bad
Essential vocabulary
When discussing your region and where you live, you'll need these key terms:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| las afueras | outskirts |
| el barrio | area, district |
| bonito/a | pretty |
| el campo | countryside |
| la capital | capital |
| la carretera | road |
| cerca de | near to |
| la ciudad | city, town |
| el edificio | building |
| el espacio | space |
| histórico/a | historic |
| la industria | industry |
| el paisaje | scenery, landscape |
| el parque | park |
| el pueblo | village, small town |
| el ruido | noise |
| tranquilo/a | peaceful, quiet |
| la zona | area, region |
| construir | to build |
| el camino | path, way, route |
Grammar focus: expressing duration with "desde hace"
This is a crucial structure for talking about how long you've been doing something or how long something has been happening.
How it works:
- "desde" means "since" or "from"
- "hace" means "ago"
- Together, "desde hace" means "for" when expressing duration
Key grammar point: In Spanish, you use the present tense with "desde hace" to express actions that started in the past and continue to the present. In English, we would use the present perfect tense.
Examples:
- Vivo en Barcelona desde hace diez años. = I have been living in Barcelona for ten years.
- Trabaja en Madrid desde hace seis meses. = She has been working in Madrid for six months.
- Esta casa está aquí desde hace siglos. = This house has been here for centuries.
Notice how Spanish uses the present tense (vivo, trabaja, está) where English uses "have been" + ing form.
Useful phrases for expressing opinions
These sentence starters will help you discuss the advantages and disadvantages of your area:
Positive opinions:
- La gran ventaja de vivir aquí es que... = The big advantage of living here is that...
- Lo bueno de mi región es que... = The good thing about my area is that...
- Preferiría vivir en el campo. = I would prefer to live in the countryside.
Negative opinions:
- No me gustaría vivir en ningún otro sitio. = I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.
- Lo malo de mi barrio es... = The bad thing about my neighbourhood is...
Example sentences with translations
Here are some practical examples you might use when describing your region:
Present tense examples:
- Vivo cerca de la ciudad pero prefiero el campo. = I live near the city but I prefer the countryside.
- Mi barrio es bastante tranquilo y no hay mucho ruido. = My neighbourhood is quite peaceful and there isn't much noise.
- Las afueras tienen mucho espacio verde. = The outskirts have lots of green space.
Opinion expressions:
- La gran ventaja de vivir aquí es que está cerca de todo. = The big advantage of living here is that it's close to everything.
- Lo malo del centro es que hay demasiado tráfico. = The bad thing about the centre is that there's too much traffic.
Pronunciation tips
- desde: pronounced "DES-deh" - stress on the first syllable
- hace: pronounced "AH-theh" (in Spain) or "AH-seh" (in Latin America)
- región: the accent falls on the final syllable - "reh-HION"
- tranquilo: stress on "qui" - "tran-KEE-lo"
Translation practice
Spanish to English:
- Lo bueno de mi pueblo es que es muy tranquilo.
- Vivo en las afueras desde hace cinco años.
English to Spanish: 3. The bad thing about my area is that there's too much noise. 4. I have been working in the capital for two months.
Answers:
- The good thing about my village is that it's very peaceful.
- I have been living in the outskirts for five years.
- Lo malo de mi zona es que hay demasiado ruido.
- Trabajo en la capital desde hace dos meses.