Local Environmental Issues (Junior Cert Spanish): Revision Notes
Local environmental issues
When discussing environmental problems in your local area, you'll need specific vocabulary and structures to express ongoing situations and concerns. This topic combines essential environmental terminology with the important grammar pattern of seguir + present participle to describe continuous actions.
Key vocabulary
Environment and nature
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el medio ambiente | the environment |
| la naturaleza | nature |
| el espacio verde | green space |
| el jardín | the garden |
| el bosque | the wood, forest |
| el parque | the park |
| el río | the river |
| el aire | the air |
Problems and pollution
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| la falta | the lack |
| el ruido | the noise |
| el tráfico | the traffic |
| el coche | the car |
| la carretera | the road |
| la basura | the rubbish, litter |
| sucio/a | dirty |
| la contaminación | pollution |
Actions
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| limpiar | to clean |
| recoger | to collect, pick up |
| destruir | to destroy |
| causar | to cause |
Example sentences in context:
- En mi región, tenemos un problema con la basura. (In my area, we have a problem with litter.)
- El tráfico causa demasiado ruido. (The traffic causes too much noise.)
- Hay una falta de espacios verdes en mi barrio. (There's a lack of green spaces in my neighbourhood.)
- La industria sigue causando contaminación. (Industry continues to cause pollution.)
Grammar note: Remember that problema is masculine despite ending in -a, so we say un problema, not una problema.
Grammar focus: Seguir + present participle
This structure expresses continuous or ongoing actions - equivalent to "keep on doing", "continue to do" or "still be doing" in English.
Formation
seguir (conjugated) + present participle
| Person | seguir | + present participle |
|---|---|---|
| yo | sigo | |
| tú | sigues | + -ando (for -ar verbs) |
| él/ella/usted | sigue | + -iendo (for -er/-ir verbs) |
| nosotros/as | seguimos | |
| vosotros/as | seguís | |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | siguen |
Present participle formation
The key to this grammar pattern lies in understanding how to form present participles correctly:
- -ar verbs: remove -ar, add -ando (caminar → caminando)
- -er verbs: remove -er, add -iendo (comer → comiendo)
- -ir verbs: remove -ir, add -iendo (vivir → viviendo)
Worked Example: Using seguir + present participle
Step 1: Choose the correct form of seguir Los coches (they) = siguen
Step 2: Form the present participle causar (-ar verb) = remove -ar, add -ando = causando
Step 3: Combine Los coches siguen causando contaminación. (Cars continue to cause pollution.)
More example sentences:
- Seguimos destruyendo los bosques. (We keep on destroying the forests.)
- La gente sigue tirando basura en el parque. (People keep on throwing litter in the park.)
Phrase bank for environmental discussions
Learning these key phrases will help you structure your responses effectively when discussing local environmental issues.
Introducing problems
- En mi región, tenemos un problema con... (In my area, we have a problem with...)
- En mi barrio, lo peor es... (In my neighbourhood, the worst thing is...)
- Hay demasiado/a... (There's too much...)
- Hay una falta de... (There's a lack of...)
These introductory phrases are particularly useful for speaking exams where you need to discuss your local area. They provide a natural way to begin your response and demonstrate good command of Spanish structures.
Expressing ongoing situations
- La industria sigue causando... (Industry continues to cause...)
- Seguimos teniendo problemas con... (We keep having problems with...)
- La situación sigue empeorando (The situation keeps getting worse)
Expressing opinions
- En mi opinión, el problema más grave es... (In my opinion, the most serious problem is...)
- Creo que necesitamos más... (I think we need more...)
Translation practice
Test your understanding of the vocabulary and grammar patterns with these translation exercises.
Spanish to English Practice:
- Seguimos teniendo problemas con la basura en los parques.
- En mi barrio hay demasiado tráfico y ruido.
English to Spanish Practice:
- In my area, we have a lack of green spaces.
- Industry continues to cause pollution in the river.
Common errors and fixes
Watch out for these frequent mistakes when using environmental vocabulary and the seguir + present participle structure:
Critical Grammar Errors to Avoid:
- ✗ La problema ✓ El problema - 'Problema' is masculine despite the -a ending
- ✗ Seguir destruir ✓ Seguir destruyendo - Use the present participle (-ando/-iendo), not the infinitive
- ✗ Sigo destuyendo ✓ Sigo destruyendo - Don't forget the 'r' in 'destruyendo'
- ✗ Hay muchas basura ✓ Hay mucha basura - 'Basura' is uncountable, use 'mucha' not 'muchas'
Key Points to Remember:
- Use seguir + present participle to express ongoing environmental problems
- El medio ambiente vocabulary helps you discuss local issues effectively
- Present participles end in -ando (for -ar verbs) or -iendo (for -er/-ir verbs)
- Flexible phrases like "En mi región, tenemos un problema con..." help structure your responses
- El problema is masculine - don't be fooled by the -a ending!
Translation answers:
- We keep having problems with litter in the parks.
- In my neighbourhood there's too much traffic and noise.
- En mi región hay una falta de espacios verdes.
- La industria sigue causando contaminación en el río.