GCSE Spanish₈₆₉₂

GCSE students will be expected to develop and use their knowledge of grammar throughout their course.

The grammar requirements for GCSE are set out in two tiers: Foundation and Higher. Students are required to use their knowledge of grammar from the specified lists, appropriate to the relevant tier of entry. Students entering Higher tier assessments will be required to apply all grammar listed for Foundation tier in addition to the grammar listed for Higher tier.

Students will be expected to use the prescribed grammar across a range of contexts and assessment tasks.

The lists describe grammatical features of the most widely used standard varieties.

The lists are written from the point of view of English-speaking students of the language, and so include some reference to certain cross-linguistically complex relations with English.

Students are required to demonstrate both receptive and productive knowledge of the grammar from the list (although the derivational morphology laid out in the grammar annex can only be included for Paper 3 Reading).

‘Grammar’ is defined as including the morphology (inflectional and derivational) and syntax (rules of word order, relations between words and obligatory use of specific features). The vocabulary lists contain the lexicon that is needed to apply the grammar.

Some grammatical features can be perceived as ‘grammar’ or ‘lexicon’ – these items are listed in the vocabulary list, as stipulated in the DfE Subject Content. The vocabulary list also specifies highly irregular forms within a grammatical subsystem (ie, subparts of paradigms where only some forms are irregular), as laid out in the Grammar requirements. This is because forms, such as irregular stems, are likely to be learnt and retrieved as individual items rather than as part of a broader grammatical system. Listing them in the vocabulary list, therefore, reflects the pedagogical attention required for these highly irregular forms.

Items given in brackets in the grammar list which are prefaced with 'eg' are illustrative, ie serve only to clarify the description of the grammar features, and such items are not included in the vocabulary list. In contrast, items that are not prefaced by 'eg' are comprehensive, providing all the examples of the grammar that are included in the DfE Subject Content, and all such items are contained in the vocabulary list.

Note that the English equivalents of some of the grammar are provided. This is relevant when testing students’ ability to work from English to Spanish (eg, in translation tasks).

3.2.1 Foundation tier

3.2.1.1 Noun phrases

Formation of feminine nouns

Irregular feminine nouns and nouns where the different genders have different English equivalents (eg, hijo , son and hija , daughter) are listed as individual items in the vocabulary list.

• Nouns ending in - o change to - a (eg, vecino/vecina )
• Nouns ending in - or add - a (eg, profesor/profesora )
• No change for nouns ending in - ante /- ente and - ista (eg, estudiante, artista )

Feminised forms of nouns with biological gender relating to jobs are in flux and will be shown appropriate tolerance, reflecting standard and widespread usage (eg, el jefe , la jefe/ jefa ).

Formation of plural nouns

Highly frequent irregulars are listed in the vocabulary list.

• Nouns ending in a vowel add - s
• Nouns ending in a consonant add - es
• Nouns ending in - z change - z to - c and add - es
• Nouns ending in -( i ) ón add - es and drop the written accent

Infinitive used as a noun

Ie, equivalent of the -ing (gerund) in English.

Nominalisation of masculine adjectives for languages (eg, francés ➜ ( el ) francés ) and inflected forms of regular and the highly frequent patterns of nationality adjectives listed in this annex, (eg, ( la ) inglesa , ( los ) españoles ).

Articles

Agreement of articles with noun for gender and number ( el , la , los , las and un , una , unos , unas ).

Functions of definite and indefinite articles, including where their use or omission differs from English (eg, La educación es importante ).

Contraction of definite article el after prepositions de and a (ie, del , al ) are listed in the vocabulary list.

Other determiners

Agreement with nouns for gender and number of the following determiners (only the base form will be listed in the vocabulary list, unless otherwise stated. All English equivalents will be listed).

Demonstrative adjectives ( este, esta, ese, esa ), as well as irregular plural forms ( estos, esos ) and regular plurals ( estas, esas ).

Indefinite adjectives ( cada (invariant), mismo , otro , todo , alguno *, ninguno *, as well as irregular forms algún and ningún ).

*Note, these are listed as determiners, rather than as postnominal adjectives, meaning that these specific forms will not be tested. They are listed only as the base for the other forms with gender and number agreement.

Possessive adjectives ( mi, tu , su , nuestro , vuestro ) as equivalent of English me, you, his/her/itstheir/your-formal singular and plural, our, your-informal plural.

Pronouns

Subject pronouns ( yo, tú, él, ella, nosotros, nosotras, vosotros, vosotras, ellos, ellas, usted and ustedes ) and invariable pronouns ( algo and alguien ) are listed in the vocabulary list. Their grammar (agreement, position) is laid out here.

Default omission of subject pronouns and contexts where overt use appropriate (ie, change of subject and emphasis).

Word order of direct object pronouns ( me, te , lo, la, los, las ) in one- and two-verb constructions (eg, lo miro , lo puedo mirar , puedo mirarlo , ¡ Míralo ! ), in which only a single pronoun is used.

Word order of indirect object pronouns ( me, te , le, les ) in one- and two-verb constructions (eg, te doy , te quiero dar , quiero darte , ¡Dame! ), in which only a single pronoun is used.

Word order of singular reflexive pronouns ( me, te , se ) in one- and two-verb constructions (eg, se lava, se debe lavar , debe lavarse , ¡ Lávate ! ).

Interrogative pronouns ( cuál , cuánto , quién ) and their inflected forms for gender and number.

Use of the relative pronoun que in subject relative clauses.

Neuter demonstrative pronouns ( esto , eso ).

Use of the pronouns alguno and ninguno , including their inflected forms for gender.

3.2.1.2 Verb phrases

Verbs that do not fit into the grammar detailed here can still be listed in the vocabulary list to be learnt in the infinitive form only.

Negation

Word order of verbal negation, with no , ( no ) nada , ( no ) nunca , ( no ) nadie , ( no ) ninguno .

Interrogatives

Interrogatives expressed through:

• intonation, including when using a wh -word ( qué , quién , cuándo , por qué , cómo , cuál , cuánto , dónde )
• wh -word (ie, question words including ‘how’) followed by subject verb word order, including where the overt subject is only sometimes required (eg, ¿ Dónde está (Daniel)? and ¿ Qué hace (la chica )? )

Inflectional morphology

Specific irregular inflected forms (eg, doy , digo ), as a minimum those specified below, are listed in the vocabulary list.

Some verb forms change the spelling in their stems, usually to preserve pronunciation (eg, present: g → j ; preterite: c → qu , g → gu , addition of y to 3^rd persons, and z → c ). Such spelling changes will not be credit-bearing.

Regular (- ar , - er , - ir ) in 1^st , 2^nd , 3^rd persons in singular and plural for:

• Present indicative with both simple (I walk) and ongoing (I am walking) functions.
  • Including five clusters of high frequency verbs that pattern following one of these ‘anchor’ verbs: encontrar ( o → ue ), pensar ( e → ie ), pedir ( e → i ), conocer ( c → zc ), poner (add - g to 1^st person singular). The infinitives within these clusters are listed in the vocabulary list.
  • In the pedir cluster, omission of ‘u’ in the first person of verbs like seguir will not be credit-bearing.
  • Irregular forms of estar , hacer , ir , ser, tener are listed in full in the vocabulary list (including use of tener + noun where the English equivalent is ‘BE + adjective’ eg, + frío , + calor , + año ( s ), + hambre , + sed , + miedo ).
• Present continuous ( estar + present participle), as equivalent of the English ‘BE + -ing’, including spelling changes for verbs whose stems end in a vowel (eg, leer, construir ) and for verbs in the pedir cluster.
• Preterite tense (as equivalent of the English simple past (I walked), ie, referring to past events occurring at specified, known times).
  • Irregular preterite forms of ir , ser, dar are listed in full in the vocabulary list.
  • Irregular preterite stems ( tuve , pude , hice , vine, estuve , puse , quise , dije , traje ) and irregular form hizo are listed in the vocabulary list. Preterite forms of verbs with prefixes on stems which are listed in the vocabulary list, eg, mantuve , will not be listed in the vocabulary list, because tuve is already listed).
  • Stem-changes ( o → u , e → i ) to 3^rd person singular and plural in -IR verbs in the preterite will not be credit-bearing.
  • Small changes to preterite stems or inflections (eg, vi, vio (no accent), empecé ( z → c ), dijeron (no ‘ i' in inflection) will not be credit-bearing.
• Present perfect tense ( haber + past participle, -AR stem + ado , -ER/IR stem + ido ), as equivalent of the English present perfect (I have walked, he has gone).
  • Irregular past participles are listed in the vocabulary list. Past participles of verbs with prefixes on stems which are listed on the vocabulary list, eg, descrito , will not be listed in the vocabulary list, if escrito is already listed.
• Periphrastic future ( ir a + infinitive), as equivalent of the English ‘BE + going to + verb’ and ‘will + verb’.

Regular (- ar , - er , - ir ) for 1^st , 2^nd and 3^rd persons in singular only for:

• Imperfect for habitual (only for equivalent of English ‘used to + verb’) and ongoing (BE + ing) functions.
  • Three irregular verbs: ser ( era, eras ), ir ( iba , ibas ) and ver ( veía , veías ) are listed in the vocabulary list.
  • Other English equivalent functions are listed in the vocabulary list as follows: tenía , tenías (to mean ‘had’), había (to mean ‘there was/were’), estaba , estabas (to mean ‘was/were + state/location’) / era , eras (to mean ‘was/were + trait’).
• Imperfect continuous ( estar + present participle) for ongoing (BE + ing) functions.
• Inflectional future
  • Plus five irregular verbs: tener ( tendr -), hacer ( har -), poder ( podr -), poner ( pondr -) of which the 1^st person singular stems are listed in the vocabulary list, and habrá (‘there will be’).
• Conditional
  • Plus five irregular verbs: tener ( tendr -), hacer ( har -), poder ( podr -), poner ( pondr -) of which the 1^st person singular stems are listed in the vocabulary list, and habría (‘there would be’).
• Imperative (affirmative, 2^nd singular only) and irregular tú commands ( sé , ve , ten, ven , haz , di, pon and sal ) are listed in the vocabulary list.

Syntax of interesar-type verbs

Ie, which tend to occur in Object Verb Subject word order, as listed on the vocabulary list.

Modals, for 1st, 2nd and 3rd persons in singular and plural

Use of modals ( deber , poder , querer , tener que, saber ) + infinitive, including two multi-word complex fixed phrases ( quisiera + infinitive and me/ te /le gustaría + infinitive).

Reflexive use of verbs

Singular only, for 1^st , 2^nd , 3^rd persons.

Reflexive verb forms (eg, lavarse ) with the same meaning as a listed base verb (eg, lavar ) are not listed. Reflexive verb forms with different meanings from a listed base verb (eg, poner , ponerse ) are listed on the same line. When reflexive verb forms with different meanings from a listed base verb are not listed, they will not be tested.

Impersonal verbs

Use of impersonal verb hay .

Use of hay que.

Impersonal use of se for generalised ‘you/one’ function with se puede /se necesita .

Hace + noun (weather, with the relevant words eg, sol , listed in the vocabulary list).

Adjectival phrases

Agreement for gender and number with nouns following regular patterns (of adjectives listed in the vocabulary list):

• Gender and number: - o, -a, - os , -as
• Number only:
  • -e, -es
  • -z, - ces
  • - ista , - istas
• Highly frequent patterns of adjectives for nationality: - ending in consonant (eg, francés , - esa , -es (no accent), - esas (no accent), español , -a, -es, -as ).

Position of adjectives in relation to the nouns they refer to: mostly after nouns, a defined set of prenominal adjectives ( algún , ningún , primer, segundo , tercer , buen , mal, gran ) and a set that changes meaning depending on whether prenominal or postnominal (eg, único ), as listed in the vocabulary list.

Different uses of ser and estar with adjectives as listed in the vocabulary list (including where meanings differ when used with ser and estar , eg, listo /a ).

Use of regular comparative structure menos …que with irregular forms ( mejor and peor ) listed in the vocabulary list.

Adverbial phrases

Adverbs and adverbial phrases are listed in the vocabulary list. Position of adverbs of time, manner, place.

Use of regular comparative structures ( más …que/de, menos …que/de, tan… como ), with irregular forms ( mejor and peor ) listed in the vocabulary list.

Prepositions

Prepositions are listed in the vocabulary list.

Use of the personal a

De to indicate possession (eg, la casa de Hugo )

Para, sin + infinitive

Prepositions as needed in certain verb phrases before an infinitive or noun. These verb + preposition combinations are listed in the vocabulary list alongside the verb entry (eg, dejar ‘to leave’, dejar de + infinitive ‘to stop + verb’, ir ‘to go’, ir de + noun ‘to go (for/on) + noun, to go + -ing’). Where the preposition changes or adds to the meaning of the verb, English translations are listed (eg, llegar ‘to arrive’, llegar a ‘to manage to’).

Derivational morphology (Reading only)

Derivational morphology listed here indicates that even if only the base form (eg, libro ) is listed in the vocabulary list, a derived form that follows one of the patterns listed here (eg, librito ) may be included in reading texts. Or, if only the specific affixed form is listed, the base form may be included in reading texts. Note, if derived forms are included in listening material or required for production, they will be listed separately in the vocabulary list.

Uniformly applicable derivational morphology that changes meaning

Other high frequency patterns

3.2.2 Higher tier

3.2.2.1 Noun phrases

Determiners

Demonstrative adjective aquel , with agreement for gender and number, to mean ‘that’ and ‘those’, with tolerance for using ese etc as alternatives for aquel etc in production.

Pronouns

Word order of the following direct and indirect object pronouns ( nos , os ) in one- and two-verb constructions (such as os veo , os puedo ver , puedo veros ) and plural reflexive pronouns ( nos , os , se ).

Relative pronouns lo que (invariable) and el que, el cual (and their inflected forms for gender and number) in subject relative clauses.

Relative clauses using wh - pronouns ( cuando , donde , que ).

Possessive pronouns, agreement for gender and number, for singular and plural possessors ( el mío , el tuyo , el suyo , el nuestro , el vuestro ).

Neuter demonstrative pronoun ( aquello ).

Use of pronouns after prepositions ( mí , ti , él , ella , usted , nosotros , vosotros , ellos , with agreement for gender and number), irregular forms ( conmigo , contigo ), and emphatic use of pronouns after ‘a’.

Reflexive use of plural forms of pronouns (including with reciprocal function) (eg, nos vemos , os entendéis , se besan ).

3.2.2.2 Verb phrases

Highly irregular specific verb forms are listed in the vocabulary list.

Negation

Word order of verbal negation with ya no , ( no ) tampoco , ( no )… ni …, including the use of ( no) ni … ni … for emphasis.

Inflectional morphology

Plural forms in 1^st , 2^nd , 3^rd persons for:

• Inflectional future
  • Plus irregular verbs (in singular and plural): saber ( sabr -), querer ( querr -), venir ( vendr -), decir ( dir -), salir ( saldr -) of which the 1^st person singular stems are listed in the vocabulary list.
• Conditional
  • Plus irregular verbs (in singular and plural): saber ( sabr -), querer ( querr -), venir ( vendr -), decir ( dir -), salir ( saldr -) of which the 1^st person singular stems are listed in the vocabulary list.
• Imperfect, for habitual (equivalent only of English ‘used to + verb’) and ongoing (‘BE + ing’) functions. This includes the plural forms of the three very high frequency irregular verbs ( ir , ser, ver ).

Some verb forms change the spelling in their stems to preserve pronunciation (eg, present: g → j , preterite: c → qu , z → c , g → gu and addition of y to 3^rd persons). Such spelling changes will be credit-bearing.

Preterite stem changes ( o → u , e → i ) in 3^rd person singular and plural for -IR verbs, where the verbs are part of an anchor group in the present tense, will be credit-bearing.

Stem changes in the present participle form of some –ir verbs ie , o → u (eg, muriendo ), e → i (eg, advirtiendo ) will not be credit-bearing. (The pedir cluster will be credit-bearing as at Foundation).

Imperative for affirmative commands in 2^nd person singular and plural only.

Subjunctive mood in the present, for singular persons only, with five high frequency verbs: hacer , ser, ir , venir , tener (inflected forms as listed in the vocabulary list), with the following functions and contexts of use:

• future after conjunction of time cuando
• after verbs of wishing, command, request, and emotion
• after conjunction que
• to express purpose after para que .

Multi-verb expressions

• Acabar de + infinitive (as equivalent of ‘HAVE just done + verb’).
• Passive voice: ser + past participle + por, se + 3^rd person singular or plural.
• Use of seguir + present participle and llevar + time period + present participle for ongoing actions in the present.
• Present tense with desde hace (as equivalent of ‘have been + ing for x time’).

Impersonal verbs

Listen in the vocabulary list: ( parece , basta , falta , hace falta , vale la pena ).

Adjectival phrases

Adjectives with neuter article lo used as nouns (eg, lo bueno ).

Possessive adjectives as post-verbal complement for singular and plural possessors (eg, mío /a/ os /as, tuyo , suyo , nuestro , vuestro ).

Use of regular superlative adjectives (and irregulars ( el mejor , el peor ) as listed in the vocabulary list).

Adverbial phrases

Use of regular superlative adverb structures (and irregulars as listed in the vocabulary list).

Prepositions

Antes de, después de + infinitive

Syntax of prepositions in questions (eg, ¿Con quién hablas ? )

3.2.3 Spanish sound symbol correspondences

This list specifies key differences in sound spelling correspondences between Spanish and English which students will need to learn at GCSE to be able to read out loud and transcribe with sufficient accuracy at this level.

It is not an exhaustive list of all the sound-spelling correspondences in the Spanish language. Where a letter or combination of letters is pronounced (or a sound spelt) in approximately the same way in Spanish as in English, it is not listed.

• [a]
• [o]
• [e]
• [i]
• [u]
• [ll]
• [ch]
• [ca]
• [co]
• [cu]
• [cu] + vowel
• [ce]
• [ci]
• [z]
• [que]
• [qui]
• [ga]
• [go]
• [gu]
• [ge]
• [gi]
• [gue]
• [gui]
• [j]
• [ñ]
• [v]
• [-r-] [-r]
• [rr] [r-] [-r-]*
• silent h

* word initial [r-] and [-r-] following consonants n, l or s is the same sound-symbol correspondence (SSC) as [rr].

3.2.3.1 Key stress positions and associated spelling rules (Higher tier only)

This list specifies key spelling rules determined by the position of stress, which students will need to learn at GCSE.

When reading words aloud in Spanish:

• stress any vowel that has a written accent
• stress the final syllable in a word, except:
  • stress the penultimate syllable for any word ending in a vowel, ‘n’, or ‘s’ (unless there is a written accent).

When transcribing Spanish, only write an accent on the stressed vowel for:

• words with stress on a final syllable ending in a vowel, ‘n’, or ‘s’
• words with stress on penultimate (second to last) syllable for a word ending in a consonant (other than ‘n’ or ‘s’).

All words with stress on the antepenultimate (third to last) syllable.