Theme 1.1: Identity and relationships - Translation
Translation for Theme 1.1 covers both directions on identity and relationships: family structure, describing people, getting on well or badly with someone, resemblance, and reflexive relationship verbs. The examiner is testing the choice between ser and estar (permanent identity and traits versus temporary state or location), the personal a before a specific person, and idiomatic relationship verbs such as llevarse bien/mal con and parecerse a, which cannot be translated word for word in either direction.
Before you start
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Method
- Before translating in either direction, decide whether ser or estar is needed: ser for identity, personality, relationships and defining physical traits (es simpático, es mi hermanastro); estar for mood, condition or location (está enfadada, está en casa).
- Identify the tense and person of every verb before writing: watch especially for the imperfect (era, tenía) used to describe people in the past, such as a grandparent who has died.
- Translate relationship idioms by their meaning: llevarse bien/mal con (to get on well/badly with), parecerse a (to look like/resemble), apoyarse mutuamente (to support each other), no tener nada que ver con (to have nothing to do with).
- When translating into Spanish, remember the personal a before a specific person used as a direct object (quiero a mi padre, respeto a mi abuela), and do not add a before a thing.
- When translating into Spanish, place possessive adjectives correctly (mi, mis, su, sus, nuestro/a/os/as) and check they agree in number with the thing owned, not with the owner.
- When translating into English, resolve ambiguous third-person possessives using context, since su hermano can mean his, her or their brother depending on who is speaking.
- Check agreements last in either direction: in Spanish, adjective and noun gender/number; in English, that pronouns and tense stay consistent with the person and time already established.
Worked example
Translate into Spanish: My stepmother and I don't get on very well, but I respect her because she always supports me. My grandfather was very generous when he was alive.
- Split into chunks: 'My stepmother and I don't get on very well' / 'but I respect her' / 'because she always supports me' / 'My grandfather was very generous when he was alive'.
- 'don't get on very well' is the reflexive llevarse bien in the negative, first person plural: mi madrastra y yo no nos llevamos muy bien.
- 'I respect her' needs the personal a because it is a specific person, and a direct object pronoun once the noun is not repeated: la respeto.
- 'because she always supports me' uses apoyar with an indirect object pronoun: porque siempre me apoya.
- 'My grandfather was very generous when he was alive' needs the imperfect era for a description of someone now dead, and cuando vivía for 'when he was alive': mi abuelo era muy generoso cuando vivía.
- Full translation: Mi madrastra y yo no nos llevamos muy bien, pero la respeto porque siempre me apoya. Mi abuelo era muy generoso cuando vivía.
Practice questions
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Q1Translate into Spanish: I get on well with my cousins.Show answer
Answer: Me llevo bien con mis primos.
Q2Translate into English: Mi hermano se parece a mi padre.Show answer
Answer: My brother looks like/resembles my father.
Q3Choose ser or estar and translate: My uncle is a doctor.Show answer
Answer: Mi tío es médico (ser, because it states a profession).
Q4Choose ser or estar and translate: My mother is angry today.Show answer
Answer: Mi madre está enfadada hoy (estar, because it is a temporary mood).
Q5Translate into Spanish: I respect my teachers a lot (use the personal a).Show answer
Answer: Respeto mucho a mis profesores.
Q6Translate into English: Nos apoyamos mutuamente en los momentos difíciles.Show answer
Answer: We support each other in difficult times.
Q7Translate into Spanish: Their relationship is very strong.Show answer
Answer: Su relación es muy fuerte.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE Spanish exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Translate this passage into English: Mis padres se divorciaron hace cinco años y ahora vivo con mi madre y mi padrastro, Antonio. Al principio no nos llevabamos bien, pero ahora nos apoyamos mucho. Sigo viendo a mi padre biológico los fines de semana y nuestra relación es muy fuerte.
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Translate this passage into Spanish: My best friend and I have known each other since primary school. We get on brilliantly and we support each other with our problems. My older sister used to be very strict with me, but now we are very close and I love her a lot.
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