Technology in Everyday Life: Social Media and the Internet (Vocabulary)
The vocabulary of social media and the internet covers the platforms, actions and issues that make up how young people spend time online. Examiners test whether you know the specific verbs that go with online actions (subir fotos, compartir contenido, seguir a alguien, hacerse viral) rather than a generic verb like usar for everything, and whether you can discuss both benefits and risks - la privacidad, el ciberacoso - with balanced opinion language. This vocabulary regularly appears alongside opinion structures that weigh advantages against disadvantages, since 'las redes sociales tienen ventajas y desventajas' is one of the most common framing sentences in GCSE Spanish writing and speaking.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Learn the core online-action verbs as specific collocations: subir fotos (to upload photos), compartir contenido (to share content), publicar una entrada (to post), navegar por internet (to browse the internet) - do not translate 'to post' or 'to share' with a generic verb.
- Learn the noun set for describing your online presence: el perfil (profile), el seguidor/la seguidora (follower), seguir a alguien (to follow someone), hacerse viral (to go viral) - note seguidor changes for gender.
- Learn the risk and safety vocabulary for higher-tier discussion: la privacidad (privacy), el ciberacoso (cyberbullying), un desconocido/una desconocida (a stranger) - these are needed for balanced opinion answers.
- Learn estar conectado/conectada (to be online/connected) and desconectarse (to log off/disconnect) as a contrasting pair, useful for discussing screen-time balance.
- Build balanced-opinion language specific to this theme: por un lado... por otro lado..., las redes sociales tienen ventajas y desventajas, lo positivo es... pero lo negativo es... - examiners reward candidates who weigh both sides rather than giving a one-sided view.
- For listening, listen for platform names and app-related nouns spoken quickly (una aplicación, una notificación) and for negative framing (no deberían, es peligroso) which often signals a warning about online risk.
- For writing and translation, practise linking an online habit to a consequence, positive or negative (subo fotos... para mantener el contacto con mis amigos; el ciberacoso puede... afectar a la autoestima), since cause-and-effect sentences score more highly than simple description.
Worked example
Using these bullet points, write two full Spanish sentences: (1) what you usually do on social media; (2) a risk of social media, with a balanced comment.
- For bullet 1, choose a specific online-action verb rather than usar: 'Suelo subir fotos y compartir contenido con mis amigos en las redes sociales.'
- For bullet 2, name a risk with the correct noun: 'El ciberacoso es un problema muy grave entre los jóvenes.'
- Add a balancing structure to show two sides: 'Por un lado, las redes sociales nos ayudan a mantener el contacto; por otro lado, pueden afectar a la autoestima de las personas.'
- Check that seguidor/seguidora and any other gendered noun agree correctly if a specific person is mentioned.
- Confirm the balanced-opinion connective (por un lado/por otro lado) links the positive and negative points clearly.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1Give the Spanish phrase for 'to upload photos'.Show answer
Answer: Subir fotos.
Q2Translate into English: 'El video se hizo viral en pocas horas.'Show answer
Answer: The video went viral within a few hours.
Q3Give the Spanish for 'cyberbullying'.Show answer
Answer: El ciberacoso.
Q4Translate into Spanish: 'I follow many friends on social media.'Show answer
Answer: Sigo a muchos amigos en las redes sociales.
Q5Give one Spanish phrase meaning 'to share content'.Show answer
Answer: Compartir contenido.
Q6Complete: Es importante proteger tu _____ (privacy) en internet.Show answer
Answer: Privacidad.
Q7Give the Spanish verb meaning 'to log off/disconnect'.Show answer
Answer: Desconectarse.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE Spanish exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Translate this passage into English: 'Paso mucho tiempo en las redes sociales: subo fotos, comparto contenido y sigo a mis cantantes favoritos. Por un lado, me ayudan a mantener el contacto con amigos que viven lejos, pero por otro lado me preocupa el ciberacoso, que afecta a muchos jóvenes de mi edad. Por eso, creo que es fundamental proteger tu privacidad en internet.'
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Read this text and answer the questions in English. 'Un estudio reciente revela que los adolescentes españoles pasan una media de tres horas al día en las redes sociales. Muchos afirman que les ayuda a mantenerse en contacto con sus amigos y a descubrir nuevos intereses. Sin embargo, casi un veinte por ciento dice haber sufrido ciberacoso alguna vez, y los expertos recomiendan hablar con un adulto de confianza si esto ocurre. También aconsejan desconectarse al menos una hora antes de dormir.' (a) How much time do Spanish teenagers spend on social media daily, on average? (1 mark) (b) What two benefits do many teenagers report? (2 marks) (c) What worrying statistic is given about cyberbullying? (1 mark) (d) What two pieces of advice do experts give? (2 marks)
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Write approximately 40 words in Spanish about social media. You must include: what you usually do on social media; a benefit of social media; a risk of social media; your opinion about how much time young people should spend online.
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See real GCSE Spanish past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
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