Theme 1.2: Technology in Everyday Life - Listening Comprehension
Listening comprehension for Theme 1.2 (Technology in everyday life) tests whether a student can follow spoken Spanish about phones, apps, social media, the internet and online safety, and extract specific facts, quantities and justified opinions from it. The examiner is checking recognition of core technology vocabulary (la aplicación, subir fotos, las redes sociales, el wifi, el móvil), the ability to track how much time or money a speaker mentions (horas al día, euros al mes), and the ability to follow a speaker giving both an advantage and a disadvantage of technology, including moments where they correct a figure or contradict an earlier statement with a negative.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- In the reading time, underline the command words in each question (how much, how often, advantage/disadvantage, opinion) and predict which technology nouns are likely: el móvil, la pantalla, la aplicación, las redes sociales, la contraseña (password), el wifi.
- Note that Spanish technology vocabulary includes words that vary by region: 'la aplicación' (the app) is used everywhere, but 'el ordenador' (Spain) and 'la computadora' (Latin America) both mean computer, so expect either depending on the speaker's accent.
- Track quantities of time and money precisely: 'paso unas tres horas al día' (I spend about three hours a day) and 'cuesta treinta euros al mes' (it costs thirty euros a month) are typical exam targets; write the figure down the instant you hear it, including words like 'unos/unas' (about), which show it is an estimate.
- Distinguish present tense habits (subo fotos cada día), preterite one-off events (ayer perdí mi contraseña), imperfect habits (jugaba mucho a videojuegos) and near-future plans (voy a comprar un móvil nuevo); for example, 'jugué al fútbol' (I played football, one completed occasion), 'jugaba al fútbol' (I used to play football, a repeated past habit) and 'voy a jugar al fútbol' (I am going to play football, a future plan) all sound similar but answer three different questions.
- Listen for balanced opinions: speakers are often asked for one advantage and one disadvantage of technology, usually joined by 'por un lado... por otro lado' (on one hand... on the other hand) or 'pero' (but); make sure you attribute each opinion to the right side of the argument.
- Listen for negatives that undercut a claim: 'ya no tengo Instagram' (I no longer have Instagram) or 'nunca comparto mi ubicación' (I never share my location) reverse what a less careful listener might assume from the topic alone.
- Expect accent variation and vocabulary swap between Spain and Latin America (el móvil/el celular, el ordenador/la computadora); a Spanish speaker addressing a group of friends asks '¿tenéis Instagram?' (vosotros), while a Latin American speaker would ask '¿tienen Instagram?' (ustedes) for the same meaning - both are correct standard Spanish.
- When a speaker self-corrects a number or a fact (tengo tres... perdón, cuatro aplicaciones de redes sociales), record only the corrected, final version.
Worked example
You hear Diego talking about his phone use. Transcript: 'Uso el móvil bastante, la verdad. Paso unas cuatro horas al día en las redes sociales, sobre todo en TikTok. Antes tenía Instagram también, pero lo borré hace un mes porque perdía demasiado tiempo. Mis padres me dan quince... bueno, ahora son veinte euros al mes para datos móviles. Por un lado, el móvil me ayuda a hablar con mis amigos, pero por otro lado, a veces no puedo dormir bien porque miro la pantalla hasta muy tarde.' Answer in English: (a) How many hours a day does Diego spend on social media? (b) Why did he delete Instagram? (c) How much money does he now get for mobile data? (d) Give one advantage and one disadvantage of his phone use.
- Reading time: underline 'how many hours', 'why...delete', 'how much money' and 'advantage/disadvantage', and predict figures and app names as likely targets.
- Catch the first number: unas cuatro horas al día - about four hours a day on social media, mostly TikTok.
- Follow the preterite lo borré (I deleted it) and the reason clause porque perdía demasiado tiempo (because he was wasting too much time, imperfect describing an ongoing habit) to answer why Instagram was deleted.
- Catch the self-correction: quince... bueno, ahora son veinte euros - the corrected, final figure is twenty euros a month, not fifteen.
- Identify the contrast marker por un lado... pero por otro lado to separate the advantage (helps him talk to friends) from the disadvantage (cannot sleep well because he looks at the screen too late).
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Q1What is the Spanish for 'the app', and name one word that varies between Spain and Latin America for 'computer'?Show answer
Answer: 'La aplicación'; Spain typically says 'el ordenador' while Latin America says 'la computadora' - both are correct, but a student expecting only one word could mishear the other.
Q2You hear 'Paso unas dos horas al día jugando videojuegos.' What does 'unas' add to the meaning of the number?Show answer
Answer: 'Unas' means 'about/roughly', showing the two hours is an estimate rather than an exact figure.
Q3Explain the difference in meaning between 'jugué al fútbol', 'jugaba al fútbol' and 'voy a jugar al fútbol'.Show answer
Answer: 'Jugué al fútbol' (preterite) means 'I played football' - one completed occasion, e.g. yesterday; 'jugaba al fútbol' (imperfect) means 'I used to play football' - a repeated past habit; 'voy a jugar al fútbol' (near future) means 'I am going to play football' - a planned future action.
Q4A speaker says 'Ya no uso Snapchat.' Translate this and explain what 'ya no' signals.Show answer
Answer: 'I no longer use Snapchat' - 'ya no' signals that something used to be true but has now stopped, reversing the expectation set by the topic.
Q5A Latin American speaker says 'mi celular'. What is the Peninsular Spanish equivalent, and what do both words mean?Show answer
Answer: 'Mi móvil' - both mean 'my mobile phone'.
Q6Translate: 'Por un lado el internet es útil para los deberes, pero por otro lado es una distracción.'Show answer
Answer: On one hand the internet is useful for homework, but on the other hand it is a distraction.
Q7A speaker says 'Tengo tres... perdón, cuatro aplicaciones de redes sociales.' Which number should you record as the answer, and why?Show answer
Answer: Four; 'perdón' signals a self-correction, so the final figure given replaces the first one.
Q8You hear a speaker ask a group of friends '¿Tenéis wifi en casa?' and another speaker ask '¿Tienen wifi en casa?' What does this pair of questions show about pronoun use?Show answer
Answer: Both mean 'Do you (all) have wifi at home?'; 'tenéis' is the vosotros form used mainly in Spain, and 'tienen' is the ustedes form used for a group of friends mainly in Latin America - the difference is regional, not a difference in formality here.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE Spanish exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Transcript of the recording: Escucha a Sara hablar de las redes sociales. 'Tengo tres cuentas de redes sociales: Instagram, TikTok y Snapchat. Bueno, en realidad ya no tengo Snapchat, lo borré el mes pasado. Paso unas tres horas al día en el móvil, aunque mis padres dicen que debería pasar menos tiempo. Lo que más me gusta es que puedo hablar con mi prima, que vive en Chile, todos los días gratis. Sin embargo, el año pasado alguien me robó la contraseña de Instagram y tuve que cambiarla. Desde entonces nunca comparto mis contraseñas con nadie.' Answer the following in English: (a) How many social media accounts does Sara actually have now, and why? (2 marks) (b) How much time does she spend on her phone per day? (1 mark) (c) What does she most like about her phone, and who does it involve? (2 marks) (d) What happened last year, and what does she do differently now as a result? (2 marks)
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Transcript of the recording: Escucha a Mateo hablar de los videojuegos. 'Juego a videojuegos casi todos los días, normalmente después de hacer los deberes. Mi juego favorito es de fútbol, aunque también me gustan los juegos de aventuras. El mes pasado gasté cuarenta... no, espera, sesenta euros en un juego nuevo, y mis padres se enfadaron un poco. Para mí, la ventaja de los videojuegos es que juego en línea con amigos de otros países, pero la desventaja es que a veces discuto con mi hermano porque quiere usar la consola también.' Answer the following in English: (a) When does Mateo usually play video games? (1 mark) (b) Name his favourite type of game and one other type he likes. (2 marks) (c) How much did he spend on a new game, and how did his parents react? (2 marks) (d) Give one advantage and one disadvantage he mentions about video games. (2 marks)
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