Theme 1.3: Free-time activities and hobbies - Reading comprehension
Reading comprehension on Theme 1.3, free-time activities and hobbies, covers texts about sports, music, gaming, reading and how teenagers spend their free time and weekends. The examiner is testing whether a student can identify the correct subject of gustar-type verbs (me/te/le/nos/les gusta, encanta, interesa, aburre), separate habitual present-tense activities from a single past occasion described in the preterite, and pick out frequency words (siempre, a menudo, de vez en cuando, nunca) attached to each activity. Texts frequently describe more than one person's hobbies in the same passage, so matching the right activity to the right name is a key skill.
Before you start
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Method
- List every gustar-type verb (me gusta, me encanta, me interesa, me aburre) together with its pronoun (me/te/le/nos/les) to work out precisely whose opinion is being given, since le gusta belongs to someone else, not to me.
- Notice the singular/plural agreement of gustar with the thing that follows (me gusta el futbol but me gustan los deportes), which helps you parse the sentence quickly even though it is not usually tested directly.
- Underline time markers to separate a habitual activity in the present tense (todos los sábados, los fines de semana) from a specific past occasion in the preterite (el fin de semana pasado, ayer, el verano pasado).
- Watch for negatives that reverse an otherwise positive-sounding activity (no me gusta nada, ya no juego al tenis, nunca veo la televisión).
- Note frequency adverbs (siempre, a menudo, a veces, de vez en cuando, nunca) attached to each activity for questions that ask how often something happens.
- Read multiple-choice options in full rather than reacting to the first recognisable word, since similar-sounding hobbies (baloncesto and balonmano, for example) are easy to confuse.
- When several friends are named, cross-check each hobby against the correct name carefully, since matching questions often swap two friends' activities as a deliberate trap.
Worked example
Read this extract and decide whether the statement that follows is true, false or not mentioned. Texto: A Hugo le encanta el futbol y juega todos los sábados con su equipo del barrio. Sin embargo, odia la natación porque no sabe nadar muy bien. El verano pasado probó el surf por primera vez y le gustó muchísimo. Afirmación: A Hugo le gusta más la natación que el futbol.
- Find the pronoun and verb attached to football: a Hugo le encanta el futbol - the pronoun le confirms this is Hugo's opinion, and encanta is a strongly positive verb.
- Find the pronoun and verb attached to swimming: odia la natación - odiar means to hate, a strongly negative verb.
- Compare the two: football is loved, swimming is hated, so the statement claiming he prefers swimming is the opposite of the text.
- Because the text directly contradicts the statement, the correct answer is false.
Practice questions
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Q1In 'A mis padres les interesa mucho la política, pero a mi me aburre', who finds politics boring?Show answer
Answer: The writer (me), not the parents.
Q2Translate into English: 'Juego al baloncesto todos los martes con mis amigos.'Show answer
Answer: I play basketball every Tuesday with my friends.
Q3What tense is used in 'El sábado pasado fui al cine con mi hermana', and what does the sentence mean?Show answer
Answer: The preterite (past tense); it means Last Saturday I went to the cinema with my sister.
Q4True or false: 'Ya no juego a videojuegos' means the person currently plays video games regularly.Show answer
Answer: False - ya no means no longer, so it means the person has stopped playing video games.
Q5Give the English meaning of 'de vez en cuando'.Show answer
Answer: From time to time/occasionally.
Q6A text says 'Nos encanta el ajedrez, pero nunca tenemos tiempo para jugar.' What is stopping the writer(s) from playing chess more?Show answer
Answer: A lack of time (they never have time).
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. Hola, me llamo Bea. En mi tiempo libre me encanta tocar la guitarra; llevo cinco años en clases y toco en un grupo con dos amigas del instituto. Ensayamos los jueves por la tarde y a veces damos pequeños conciertos en fiestas del barrio. También me gusta leer novelas de fantasia, aunque no tengo tanto tiempo como antes porque los exámenes se acercan. El verano pasado fui a un festival de música con mi mejor amiga y fue una de las mejores experiencias de mi vida. Lo único que no me gusta nada es el deporte: se me da fatal y siempre me eligen la última en los partidos de futbol del instituto. (a) How long has Bea been having guitar lessons? (b) What does Bea's band do on Thursday evenings, and sometimes at neighbourhood parties? (c) Why does Bea have less time to read than before? (d) What did Bea do last summer, and with whom? (e) What is Bea's attitude to sport, and why?
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Lee el texto y contesta a las preguntas. Tres amigos hablan de sus aficiones. Nico: A mi me chiflan los videojuegos, sobre todo los de estrategia; juego casi todos los días después de hacer los deberes. Sara: Yo prefiero estar al aire libre; hago senderismo con mi familia casi todos los domingos y también practico escalada de vez en cuando. Iker: A mi me da igual el deporte, la verdad; prefiero quedarme en casa dibujando o viendo series. ¿Verdadero, falso o no se menciona? (a) A Nico le encantan especialmente los videojuegos de estrategia. (b) Nico juega a videojuegos antes de hacer los deberes. (c) Sara hace senderismo casi todos los domingos. (d) Sara nunca practica escalada. (e) A Iker le encanta el deporte. Elige la opción correcta para (f): A Iker le gusta (i) el senderismo, (ii) dibujar y ver series, (iii) los videojuegos de estrategia.
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See real GCSE Spanish past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
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