Theme 2.2: Healthy living and lifestyle - Translation
Translation for Theme 2.2 covers both directions on healthy living and lifestyle: diet, exercise, sleep, stress and giving up bad habits. The examiner is testing deber/tener que/hay que + infinitive for obligation and advice, the gustar-type verb doler for symptoms, hace + [time] + que + present tense for how long a habit has continued, and the informal imperative for advice, none of which translate word for word.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Identify whether a sentence states a fact, gives advice or an obligation, or describes a symptom, since each uses a different structure in Spanish.
- Translate obligation and advice idioms by meaning: tener que + infinitive (to have to), hay que + infinitive (it is necessary to/you have to, impersonal), deber + infinitive (should/ought to, weaker than tener que).
- With doler (to hurt), remember it behaves like gustar: the body part is the grammatical subject and takes an indirect object pronoun, so me duele la cabeza is I have a headache, not 'I hurt the head'.
- Translate hace + [time] + que + present tense as an ongoing action: hace dos años que no fumo means I haven't smoked for two years, keeping the present tense in Spanish even though English needs a perfect tense.
- When translating into Spanish, form the informal imperative correctly for advice (come más fruta, no fumes), remembering that negative commands use the present subjunctive form, not the normal tu form.
- Watch negation in both directions: nunca, nada and nadie can go before the verb alone or after the verb with no in front, and both patterns mean the same thing (nunca como carne / no como carne nunca).
- Check agreements and register last: routine reflexive verbs (acostarse, alimentarse, cuidarse) must agree with the subject, and advice should stay in one consistent register throughout.
Worked example
Translate into Spanish: You should drink more water and you have to sleep at least eight hours. It's necessary to do exercise three times a week. I haven't eaten sugar for two months and I feel much better.
- Split into chunks: 'You should drink more water' / 'you have to sleep at least eight hours' / 'It's necessary to do exercise three times a week' / 'I haven't eaten sugar for two months and I feel much better'.
- 'You should drink more water' uses deber + infinitive, informal tú: debes beber más agua.
- 'you have to sleep at least eight hours' uses tener que + infinitive: tienes que dormir al menos ocho horas.
- 'It's necessary to do exercise three times a week' is the impersonal hay que + infinitive: hay que hacer ejercicio tres veces a la semana.
- 'I haven't eaten sugar for two months' uses hace + time + que + present tense, kept in the present in Spanish: hace dos meses que no como azúcar.
- Full translation: Debes beber más agua y tienes que dormir al menos ocho horas. Hay que hacer ejercicio tres veces a la semana. Hace dos meses que no como azúcar y me siento mucho mejor.
Practice questions
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Q1Translate into Spanish: I have a stomach ache.Show answer
Answer: Me duele el estómago.
Q2Translate into English: Hay que comer más verduras.Show answer
Answer: You have to/It's necessary to eat more vegetables.
Q3Translate into Spanish: You should exercise every day.Show answer
Answer: Debes hacer ejercicio todos los días.
Q4Translate into English: Hace un año que no fumo.Show answer
Answer: I haven't smoked for a year.
Q5Translate into Spanish: Don't eat so much fast food! (negative imperative, tu form)Show answer
Answer: ¡No comas tanta comida rápida!
Q6Translate into English: Nunca duermo lo suficiente entre semana.Show answer
Answer: I never get enough sleep during the week.
Q7Translate into Spanish: We have to reduce our stress.Show answer
Answer: Tenemos que reducir nuestro estrés.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE Spanish exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Translate this passage into English: Para llevar una vida sana, hay que dormir al menos ocho horas y no hay que saltarse el desayuno. Me duelen las piernas cuando corro demasiado, así que ahora hago yoga dos veces a la semana. Hace tres meses que no bebo refrescos y duermo mucho mejor.
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Translate this passage into Spanish: You should reduce your stress and you have to relax more. It's necessary to switch off your phone before bed. I've had a headache for three days, so I have to see the doctor. Don't skip meals!
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See real GCSE Spanish past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
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