A blog entry (una entrada de blog) is an informal digital text where you share personal experiences, routines, and opinions with an online readership. It is one of the texts you can create for your Student Language Portfolio (CBA 2), and the core writing skills it develops—answering prompts fully, using different tenses, and linking ideas—are the exact same skills tested in the written examination.
Structure and Layout of a Blog Entry
A blog shares information with online readers. Choose language and a layout that suit your purpose and audience:
- Title (título): Use a short heading that fits your topic, such as Mi colegio or Un viaje genial.
- Collective greeting (saludo): Welcome your readers together using phrases like ¡Hola a todos! or ¡Bienvenidos a mi blog!.
- Body text (entrada): Divide your writing into two or three short paragraphs that cover each prompt clearly.
- Sign-off (despedida): Finish warmly with ¡Hasta pronto! and ask a question such as ¿Y tú? ¿Qué opinas?.
Writing Across Different Timeframes
Choose verb forms that match the time requested:
| Tense | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present (el presente) | Daily routines, current situations, and descriptions | Vivo en Dublín y mi colegio es bastante grande (I live in Dublin and my school is quite big). |
| Past (el pretérito indefinido) | Completed actions at a specific past moment | Ayer visité el museo y compré una camiseta (Yesterday I visited the museum and bought a t-shirt). |
| Near future (el futuro próximo) | Upcoming plans (ir + a + infinitive) | El fin de semana que viene voy a ir a la playa (Next weekend I am going to go to the beach). |
Linking Ideas and Expressing Opinions
Connecting your sentences makes your writing flow smoothly rather than sounding like a disconnected list:
| Function | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Add extra points | además / también | furthermore / also |
| Show contrast | pero / sin embargo | but / however |
| Give a reason | porque / ya que | because / since |
| Order events | primero / luego / después | first / then / afterwards |
Introduce your thoughts with En mi opinión (In my opinion) or Creo que (I think that), and always follow up with a reason using porque.
Take care with gustar agreement. The verb must agree with the thing you like: write me gusta el uniforme (singular), but me gustan las asignaturas (plural).
Marks, CBA 2 Portfolio, and Proofreading
Follow the question:
- Cover every required point and give the requested details.
- Check vocabulary, verbs, spelling, and a suitable opening and ending.
For CBA 2 (The Student Language Portfolio), you can choose a blog entry as one of your three texts. You must attach a Student Reflection Note explaining why you chose it and what you learned, and use feedback to set an improvement goal (such as checking verb endings).
Before finishing any piece of writing, check that adjectives agree with their nouns (comida deliciosa, amigos simpáticos), inverted punctuation is included (¿?, ¡!), and days and months are in lowercase (lunes, mayo).
Key terms
- Entrada de blog
- A blog entry or post written in an engaging, informal style for an online readership.
- Pretérito indefinido
- The simple past tense in Spanish, used for completed past actions at a definite time.
- Futuro próximo
- The near future tense formed by combining the present of ir + a + an infinitive verb (e.g. voy a viajar).
- Conector
- A linking word (such as además, pero, or ya que) used to connect clauses and create cohesive text.
- Registro informal
- Friendly, everyday language suited to peers or readers you address informally.
- Gustar agreement
- The grammatical rule where gustar matches the noun liked (me gusta for singular, me gustan for plural).
Check yourself
Which Spanish greeting correctly opens a blog entry addressed to a group of online readers?
¡Hola a todos! (or ¡Bienvenidos a mi blog!).
How do you form the near future tense (el futuro próximo) in Spanish?
Use the present tense of ir + a + infinitive (for example, voy a participar).
Translate into Spanish: 'Yesterday I visited the museum.'
Ayer visité el museo.
Which connector would you use to introduce a reason for an opinion?
Porque (because) or ya que (since).
Should days of the week, months, and school subjects be capitalised in Spanish?
No, they are written in lowercase (for example, lunes, mayo, historia).