Things to do (AQA GCSE Spanish): Revision Notes
Things to do
Key vocabulary for places and activities
When talking about where you're going and what you plan to do, these phrases are essential:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| al centro comercial | to the shopping centre |
| al centro deportivo | to the sports centre |
| de compras | shopping |
| al cine | to the cinema |
| al museo | to the museum |
| a la piscina | to the swimming pool |
| al teatro | to the theatre |
| cenar en un restaurante | to eat in a restaurant |
| jugar al fútbol en el parque | to play football in the park |
| dar un paseo en los jardines | to go for a walk in the gardens |
| tomar algo en el café | to have something to eat/drink at the café |
Expressing future plans
The future tense
The future tense in Spanish is equivalent to using "will" in English. It's formed by taking the infinitive verb and adding specific endings.
Formation:
- Take the complete infinitive (-ar, -er, or -ir verb)
- Add these endings: é, ás, á, emos, éis, án
- The endings are the same for all three verb types
Examples:
- hablar → hablaré (I will speak)
- dar → darás (you will give)
- ver → verá (he/she will see)
- comer → comeremos (we will eat)
- vivir → viviréis (you will live)
- ir → irán (they will go)
Irregular verbs in the future tense
Some common verbs have irregular stems in the future tense, but they still use the same endings:
| Infinitive | Irregular stem | Example |
|---|---|---|
| tener (to have) | tendr- | tendré, tendrás, etc. |
| hacer (to do/make) | har- | haré, harás, etc. |
| poder (to be able) | podr- | podré, podrás, etc. |
| poner (to put) | pondr- | pondré, pondrás, etc. |
Special form: habrá = there will be
Example sentences and time expressions
When talking about future plans, you'll often use these time expressions:
- El próximo fin de semana iremos a... (Next weekend we'll go to...)
- La semana que viene cenaremos en... (Next week we'll eat in...)
- Este sábado jugaremos al... (This Saturday we'll play...)
Example paragraph: "El viernes por la noche iré al teatro con mis amigas porque hay una obra que quiero ver. El sábado trabajaré en el café en el centro porque tengo un trabajo allí los fines de semana. El domingo mi familia y yo comeremos en un restaurante con los abuelos."
This translates to: "On Friday night I will go to the theatre with my friends because there's a play I want to see. On Saturday I will work in the café in the centre because I have a job there at weekends. On Sunday my family and I will eat in a restaurant with my grandparents."
Translation practice
Spanish to English:
- La semana que viene cenaremos en un restaurante en la ciudad.
- Llovió mucho ayer y decidimos no ir al parque para dar un paseo con el perro.
English to Spanish: 3. Next weekend I will go to the swimming pool with my friends. 4. Tomorrow we will play football in the park.
Answers:
- Next week we will eat in a restaurant in the city.
- It rained a lot yesterday and we decided not to go to the park to go for a walk with the dog.
- El próximo fin de semana iré a la piscina con mis amigos.
- Mañana jugaremos al fútbol en el parque.
Remember!
- The future tense endings are the same for all verb types: é, ás, á, emos, éis, án
- Add these endings directly to the infinitive form of regular verbs
- Key irregular verbs change their stems: tener→tendr-, hacer→har-, poder→podr-, poner→pondr-
- Time expressions like "el próximo fin de semana" and "la semana que viene" help you talk about future plans
- Practice combining places (al centro comercial, a la piscina) with activities (jugar, cenar, dar un paseo) using the future tense