Theme 2.1/2.3: Where I live and the environment - Translation
Translation for Theme 2.1/2.3 covers both directions on the local area and the environment: describing a town or region, comparing places, and environmental problems and solutions. The examiner is testing the imperfect for background description of how a place used to be, comparatives and superlatives of place, the impersonal se construction (se recicla), and hay que/se debería for proposing solutions, none of which map directly onto English word order.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Use the imperfect to describe what a place used to be like (antes había, era más tranquilo) as background, and the present or preterite for how it is now or a specific change that happened.
- Translate comparatives and superlatives of place accurately: más contaminado que (more polluted than), el pueblo más tranquilo de la región (the quietest village in the region), using de rather than en after a superlative meaning in/of.
- Recognise the impersonal se construction for general practices and rules: se recicla el papel (paper is recycled), no se debe tirar basura (you must not litter), and do not invent a subject that is not in the Spanish.
- Translate environmental solutions with hay que, se debería (conditional of deber, softer than se debe), and the future for predictions: si no actuamos, la situación empeorará.
- Watch false friends in this theme: contaminación means pollution, not only medical contamination, and el medio ambiente (the environment) must not be shortened to el ambiente, which just means atmosphere.
- Keep quantities and units precise when translating statistics given in a passage (el treinta por ciento, miles de toneladas), since these are checkable marks.
- Check verb mood last for suggestions: hay que and se debería both take the infinitive, never a conjugated verb, so hay que reciclar is correct and hay que reciclamos is not.
Worked example
Translate into Spanish: My town used to be much quieter, but now there is a lot of traffic and pollution. Plastic is recycled in most houses, but we have to do more. If we don't act soon, the situation will get worse.
- Split into chunks: 'My town used to be much quieter' / 'but now there is a lot of traffic and pollution' / 'Plastic is recycled in most houses' / 'but we have to do more' / 'If we don't act soon, the situation will get worse'.
- 'My town used to be much quieter' is a background description of the past, so the imperfect: mi pueblo era mucho más tranquilo.
- 'but now there is a lot of traffic and pollution' is the present: pero ahora hay mucho trafico y contaminación.
- 'Plastic is recycled in most houses' uses the impersonal se: se recicla el plastico en la mayoria de las casas.
- 'but we have to do more' uses tener que: pero tenemos que hacer más.
- 'If we don't act soon, the situation will get worse' is a real future condition, si + present + future: si no actuamos pronto, la situación empeorará. Full translation: Mi pueblo era mucho más tranquilo, pero ahora hay mucho trafico y contaminación. Se recicla el plastico en la mayoria de las casas, pero tenemos que hacer más. Si no actuamos pronto, la situación empeorará.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Q1Translate into Spanish: My city is more polluted than before.Show answer
Answer: Mi ciudad está más contaminada que antes.
Q2Translate into English: Antes había menos coches en el centro.Show answer
Answer: There used to be fewer cars in the centre.
Q3Translate into Spanish: Glass is recycled here.Show answer
Answer: Se recicla el vidrio aquí.
Q4Translate into English: Hay que proteger el medio ambiente.Show answer
Answer: We have to protect the environment.
Q5Translate into Spanish: This is the cleanest beach in the region.Show answer
Answer: Esta es la playa más limpia de la región.
Q6Translate into English: Si no reciclamos más, la situación empeorará.Show answer
Answer: If we don't recycle more, the situation will get worse.
Q7Translate into Spanish: We should use public transport more.Show answer
Answer: Deberíamos usar más el transporte público.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE Spanish exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Translate this passage into English: Vivo en una ciudad pequeña que antes era muy tranquila, pero en los últimos años ha crecido mucho. Ahora hay más trafico y más contaminación que antes. Se reciclan el papel y el plastico en casi todas las casas, pero mucha gente todavía tira basura en la calle. Si no cambiamos nuestros habitos, la situación empeorará.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 6 available
Translate this passage into Spanish: My village used to be very peaceful, but now it is noisier because of the traffic. Cans are recycled in most schools, but we still throw away too much plastic. We should walk more instead of using the car. If nothing changes, our air will get worse.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 6 available
See real GCSE Spanish past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the theme 2.1/2.3: where i live and the environment - translation worksheet pack - 5 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
Next topics
Not quite what you needed?
Tell us what is missing on theme 2.1/2.3: where i live and the environment - translation, or which topic to write up next. Every request is read, and we reply to every one.
Build a full practice pack.
This topic is one of hundreds in the library - pick the ones a student needs and generate a printable PDF in minutes.