Theme 1.1: Me, my family and friends - Reading comprehension
Reading comprehension for Theme 1.1, me, my family and friends, covers texts in which Spanish speakers describe themselves, their family and their friends: who is in the family, physical appearance, personality, ages and pets. The examiner is testing whether a student can identify who is being described among several people in one text, using possessive adjectives (mi, mis, su, sus), correct agreement of descriptive adjectives (alto/alta, simpatico/simpatica) and simple present-tense verbs (tener, ser, vivir, llamarse). At foundation and early higher levels this is usually multiple choice, true/false/not mentioned or a grid matching a name to a description, rather than free continuous prose.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Before reading in detail, skim the text once to count how many people are being described and note their names or relationship to the writer (hermano, madrastra, mejor amiga).
- Underline every possessive adjective (mi, mis, tu, su, sus, nuestro/a) next to a family or friend noun: exam boards deliberately place two similar people close together, such as mi hermano and su hermano, to test careful reading.
- Highlight descriptive adjectives and check their ending (-o for a male, -a for a female, -os/-as for a group) to work out exactly who has which physical feature or personality trait when several people share one paragraph.
- Note the tense of each verb: soy, tengo and vivo describe the writer now, while era and tenía (imperfect) describe someone in the past, such as a pet that has since died or a grandparent who has passed away.
- Watch for negatives placed directly before the verb (no tengo hermanos, no nos parecemos) since they reverse the expected meaning and are a common true/false trap.
- For matching or grid questions, cross-reference age, hair colour and personality together rather than a single detail, because two people in the text may share one feature but not all three.
- When a question asks you to answer in English, write a natural English sentence rather than a word-for-word translation, and include every detail the mark scheme is likely to reward, for example both the relationship and the personality trait.
Worked example
Read this short extract and decide whether the statement that follows is true, false or not mentioned. Texto: Me llamo Lucía y tengo dos hermanos. Mi hermano mayor, Pablo, es alto y muy trabajador, pero mi hermano pequeño, Dani, es bastante perezoso. No tengo hermanas. Afirmación: Dani es más trabajador que Pablo.
- Identify the two people named: Pablo, described as el hermano mayor, and Dani, described as el hermano pequeño.
- Find the adjective attached to each name: Pablo is muy trabajador (hard-working) and Dani is bastante perezoso (rather lazy).
- Compare these two facts directly against the statement, which claims Dani is more hard-working than Pablo - this is the exact opposite of what the text says.
- Because the text gives information that directly contradicts the statement, rather than simply omitting it, the correct answer is false, not not mentioned.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1What does 'mi hermanastro' mean in English?Show answer
Answer: My stepbrother.
Q2In the sentence 'Mi prima tiene un perro, pero yo no tengo mascotas', who owns a dog?Show answer
Answer: The writer's cousin, not the writer.
Q3Complete the sentence with the correct possessive adjective: ___ padres se llaman Carmen y Luis (use the form for 'my' before a plural noun).Show answer
Answer: Mis, so the sentence reads Mis padres se llaman Carmen y Luis.
Q4True or false: 'Soy hija única' means the speaker has several brothers and sisters.Show answer
Answer: False - it means the speaker is an only child (and female, from the ending -a).
Q5Translate into English: 'Mi abuela era muy cariñosa.'Show answer
Answer: My grandmother was very affectionate (the imperfect tense era suggests this is a memory, often of someone who has since died).
Q6A text reads: 'No me parezco a mi padre, pero tengo los ojos de mi madre.' Which physical feature does the writer share with their mother?Show answer
Answer: Their eyes.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE Spanish exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Lee el texto y contesta a las preguntas en inglés. Me llamo Marta y vivo en Sevilla con mi familia. Somos cinco en casa: mis padres, mi hermana mayor Elena, mi hermano pequeño Toni y yo. Elena tiene diecinueve años y estudia en la universidad, pero no vive con nosotros durante el curso porque la residencia está cerca de sus clases. Toni solo tiene ocho años y es muy travieso: siempre hace ruido y no me deja estudiar tranquila. Mis padres trabajan mucho - mi madre es enfermera y mi padre es profesor de inglés. También tenemos un perro pequeño y blanco que se llama Rocky. Me llevo muy bien con mis padres, pero a veces discuto con Toni porque es demasiado ruidoso para mi gusto. (a) During term time, how many people actually live in the house with Marta? (b) Why does Elena not live at home during term time? (c) Give one word that describes Toni's character. (d) State the jobs of Marta's mother and father. (e) Why does Marta sometimes argue with Toni?
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Lee el texto y contesta a las preguntas. Diego escribe sobre sus amigos: Mi mejor amigo se llama Álex. Es muy gracioso y siempre me hace reir, aunque a veces llega tarde a todo. Mi amiga Nuria es más seria que Álex y me ayuda mucho con los deberes de matemáticas. No tengo muchos amigos, pero prefiero tener pocos amigos buenos que muchos conocidos. Álex y Nuria no se llevan muy bien entre ellos porque tienen personalidades opuestas, pero los dos son importantes para mi. ¿Verdadero, falso o no se menciona? (a) Álex siempre llega puntual. (b) Nuria ayuda a Diego con los deberes de matemáticas. (c) Diego tiene muchisimos amigos. (d) Álex y Nuria se llevan muy bien. (e) Nuria es más graciosa que Álex. Elige la respuesta correcta para (f): Según el texto, Diego prefiere (i) tener muchos amigos, (ii) tener pocos amigos buenos, (iii) no tener amigos.
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See real GCSE Spanish past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
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