School subjects - likes and dislikes (Edexcel GCSE Spanish): Revision Notes
School subjects - likes and dislikes
Learning to express your opinions about school subjects is essential for GCSE Spanish. This topic allows you to share what you enjoy studying and explain your academic preferences using a variety of vocabulary and grammatical structures.
Essential vocabulary for describing subjects
When talking about school subjects, you'll need adjectives to express your feelings and opinions. Here are the most important terms:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| aburrido/a | boring |
| difícil | difficult |
| divertido/a | fun, amusing |
| duro/a | hard |
| fácil | easy |
| favorito/a | favourite |
| importante | important |
| interesante | interesting |
| útil | useful |
| pesado/a | heavy, boring, annoying |
Example sentences:
- Las matemáticas son muy difíciles. (Maths is very difficult.)
- El arte es mi asignatura favorita. (Art is my favourite subject.)
- La historia me parece interesante. (I find history interesting.)
- El inglés es bastante fácil. (English is quite easy.)
Expressing likes and dislikes
These key verbs and expressions will help you communicate your feelings about different subjects:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| me encanta(n) | I love |
| me gusta(n) | I like |
| me da igual | I don't mind |
| odiar | to hate |
| imposible | impossible |
| práctico/a | practical |
Example sentences:
- Me encantan las ciencias. (I love science.)
- Odio las matemáticas. (I hate maths.)
- La música me da igual. (I don't mind music.)
Using -ísimo for emphasis
To make your opinions stronger and more impressive, add -ísimo to the end of adjectives. This creates the superlative form, meaning "really" or "extremely."
How it works:
- Remove the final vowel from the adjective
- Add -ísimo (masculine) or -ísima (feminine)
This is a key grammatical structure for expressing strong opinions in Spanish!
Formation Examples:
- difícil → dificilísimo/a (extremely difficult)
- fácil → facilísimo/a (extremely easy)
- Me gusta muchísimo. (I really like it.)
- Las matemáticas son dificilísimas. (Maths is extremely difficult.)
- El inglés es facilísimo. (English is extremely easy.)
Use -ísimo sparingly in your writing and speaking, as overusing it can sound unnatural.
Useful phrases for academic performance
These expressions help you discuss how well you perform in different subjects:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Se me da(n) bien | I'm good at |
| Se me da(n) mal | I'm bad at |
| Saco buenas notas en | I get good marks in |
| Saco malas notas en | I get bad marks in |
| Mi mejor asignatura es | My best subject is |
| Mi peor asignatura es | My worst subject is |
Example sentences:
- Se me dan bien las lenguas. (I'm good at languages.)
- Saco buenas notas en historia. (I get good marks in history.)
- Mi peor asignatura es la física. (My worst subject is physics.)
Translation practice
Spanish to English:
- Nunca voy a aprobar tecnología. Me parece dificilísima.
- Me encanta el arte, es mi asignatura favorita y es muy divertida.
English to Spanish: 3. I'm good at maths and I get good marks. 4. My favourite subject is music because it's really interesting.
Answers:
- I'm never going to pass technology. I find it extremely difficult.
- I love art, it's my favourite subject and it's very fun.
- Se me dan bien las matemáticas y saco buenas notas.
- Mi asignatura favorita es la música porque es muy interesante.
Exam preparation tips
Speaking exam guidance:
- In the general conversation section, you might be asked: "¿Cuál es tu asignatura favorita?" (What's your favourite subject?)
- Always give reasons for your opinions using porque (because)
- Try to mention both subjects you like and dislike for a balanced response
Key exam tip: Be careful with educación física - this means Physical Education (PE), not Physics. Physics is física.
Sample exam response structure:
- State your favourite subject
- Give a reason why you like it
- Mention a subject you dislike
- Explain why you find it difficult
Summary
Key Points to Remember:
- -ísimo endings make adjectives into superlatives meaning "extremely" or "really"
- Use a variety of opinion expressions like me encanta, me gusta, and odiar to show range
- Always justify your opinions with porque and appropriate adjectives
- Practice both positive and negative opinions about different subjects for exam preparation
- Don't overuse -ísimo - it should be used sparingly for natural-sounding Spanish