Helping a friend (Edexcel GCSE Spanish): Revision Notes
Helping a friend
Key vocabulary - Problems your friend might face
Understanding problems that friends experience is essential for offering support and advice. Here are important terms you'll need:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el error | mistake |
| fumar | to smoke |
| perder | to lose |
| romperse | to break |
| salir | to go out |
| el comportamiento | behaviour |
| empezar a + infinitive | to start to |
| evitar | to avoid |
| negarse a + infinitive | to refuse to |
Notice that empezar a and negarse a are followed by the infinitive form of the verb. This pattern is common in Spanish and essential for expressing the beginning or refusal of actions.
Example sentences in context
- Mi amigo empezó a fumar el año pasado. (My friend started smoking last year.)
- Ella perdió interés en sus estudios. (She lost interest in her studies.)
- Su comportamiento cambió mucho. (His/her behaviour changed a lot.)
Key vocabulary - How to help and support
When offering solutions and support to friends, these phrases will be particularly useful:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ayudar | to help |
| dejar de + infinitive | to stop ...ing |
| intentar | to try |
| mostrar | to show |
| olvidar | to forget |
| equivocarse | to make a mistake |
| incluso | even |
Example sentences in context
- Intenté ayudar a mi amiga con sus problemas. (I tried to help my friend with her problems.)
- Le mostré las fotos para hacerla recordar. (I showed her the photos to make her remember.)
- Incluso mis padres estaban preocupados. (Even my parents were worried.)
Grammar focus - The preterite tense
The preterite tense allows you to describe completed actions in the past, making it perfect for talking about how you helped a friend or what problems occurred.
Formation rules
The preterite tense corresponds to the English simple past (I helped, she went, we saw). To form regular preterite verbs, remove the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, -ir) and add the appropriate ending:
Worked Example: Regular -ar verbs (like visitar)
- yo visité (I visited)
- tú visitaste (you visited)
- él/ella visitó (he/she visited)
- nosotros visitamos (we visited)
- vosotros visitasteis (you visited)
- ellos visitaron (they visited)
Worked Example: -er and -ir verbs (like salir)
- yo salí (I went out)
- tú saliste (you went out)
- él/ella salió (he/she went out)
- nosotros salimos (we went out)
- vosotros salisteis (you went out)
- ellos salieron (they went out)
Common Irregular Forms to Memorize
Some common verbs have irregular first-person singular forms in the preterite:
- empecé a... (I started to...)
- me negué a... (I refused to...)
- me equivoqué (I made a mistake)
These irregular forms must be memorised as they don't follow the standard patterns.
Reading comprehension strategies
When tackling reading comprehensions about helping friends, follow these key approaches:
Text Structure Awareness
Reading comprehension questions typically follow the same sequence as the text itself. This means you can work through the passage systematically, locating answers in order as you read.
Key question types
Look out for questions asking about:
- Past behaviours and changes - use preterite tense vocabulary
- Reactions and responses - focus on emotional language
- Outcomes and results - identify cause-and-effect relationships
Translation practice
Worked Example: Translation Practice
Spanish to English:
- Mi amigo empezó a fumar el año pasado.
- Intenté hacerle ver sus errores.
English to Spanish:
- She stopped going out with her old friends.
- I showed her the photos to help her remember.
Answers:
Spanish to English:
- My friend started smoking last year.
- I tried to make him see his mistakes.
English to Spanish:
- Dejó de salir con sus viejas amigas.
- Le mostré las fotos para ayudarla a recordar.
Key Points to Remember:
-
Problem vocabulary helps you understand and describe difficulties friends face, including behavioural issues and bad habits
-
Solution vocabulary enables you to express how you can support and help friends through challenging times
-
The preterite tense is essential for narrating past events about friendship problems and how they were resolved
-
Reading questions follow text order - work through systematically to locate answers more efficiently
-
Context clues in reading passages often help you understand unfamiliar vocabulary through surrounding words and phrases