Short personal writing in Junior Cycle Spanish requires you to share personal information, daily routines, and opinions in clear, accurate Spanish. Exam tasks ask you to write about personal information in the format requested, addressing each required point using appropriate verbs, linking words, and tenses.
Core Verbs: Ser, Estar, Tener, and Hay
Choosing the right verb is essential for accurate personal writing. The subject pronoun yo ('I') is usually omitted because the verb ending shows who is performing the action.
| Verb | Main Use | Exam Example |
|---|---|---|
| ser | Identity, nationality and characteristics | Soy irlandés y soy sociable. |
| estar | Location and states | Estoy contento; mi casa está en Dublín. |
| tener | Age, possessions, and specific features | Tengo quince años y tengo los ojos azules. |
| hay | Existence ('there is' or 'there are') | En mi colegio hay una biblioteca. |
Descriptive adjectives usually follow the noun and must agree in gender and number (una casa moderna, profesores simpáticos). Never use ser for age; always use tener (tengo quince años). When describing personal traits like height, use ser (soy alto).
Expressing Opinions and Linking Ideas
Connecting simple sentences helps your writing flow naturally and demonstrates stronger language control.
- Begin opinions with expressions like en mi opinión (in my opinion) or creo que (I believe that).
- With gustar, the verb agrees with the item liked: use me gusta before a singular noun or infinitive (me gusta el arte), and me gustan before plural nouns (me gustan las ciencias).
- Justify your opinions with porque when asked, such as me gusta la música porque es relajante or juego al fútbol porque me divierto.
- Link clauses using simple connectors: y (and), pero (but), también (also), además (moreover), and sin embargo (however).
- Place muy directly before an adjective (muy divertido), but put mucho after a verb (me gusta mucho).
Demonstrating Tense Variety
Use the tense each point needs: present for routines, past for completed experiences, and future for plans.
| Timeframe | Key Structure | High-Frequency Forms | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | Daily routines & states | vivo, estudio, juego | Normalmente juego al baloncesto. |
| Preterite | Completed past events | fui (I went), hice (I did), vi (I saw), fue (it was) | El sábado pasado fui al cine y fue genial. |
| Near future | ir a + infinitive | voy a + verb, vamos a + verb | El próximo verano voy a visitar España. |
Pair verbs with time markers like normalmente (normally), ayer (yesterday), and mañana (tomorrow). In the near future structure, leave the second verb in the infinitive: write voy a salir, never voy salgo.
Structuring Your Exam Response
Before writing, check the instructions carefully. Some tasks instruct you to choose a set number of points (such as incluye cuatro de los siguientes puntos), while others require all points (incluye todos los puntos siguientes).
- Match the requested format. For an informal letter or email, use a suitable greeting and closing; thank the writer when relevant or requested.
- Open with a friendly greeting followed by a colon (Querida Marta: or Hola, Juan:).
- A thank-you line like Gracias por tu carta (Thanks for your letter) or Gracias por tu correo (Thanks for your email) is a useful phrase when relevant.
- Address the required prompts with one or two accurate sentences each.
- Sign off with an informal closing such as Un abrazo (Hugs) or Un saludo (Regards), followed by your name.
- Keep days of the week (lunes), months (julio), and school subjects (historia) in lowercase.
Key terms
- Ser / Estar
- The two Spanish verbs for 'to be': ser denotes identity and characteristics, while estar denotes location and states.
- Tener
- To have; used for age and possession: tengo quince años; tengo los ojos azules.
- Hay
- The invariable form of haber meaning 'there is' or 'there are', used to state existence.
- Gustar
- A verb meaning 'to please', taking the singular form gusta with singular nouns/infinitives and plural gustan with plural nouns.
- Preterite
- A past tense used for completed actions, such as fui al cine (I went to the cinema).
- Futuro próximo
- The near future tense formed with the present of ir + a + infinitive (e.g. voy a viajar).
- Concordancia
- Grammatical agreement in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) between nouns and adjectives.
Check yourself
Which Spanish verb must you use to state your age?
Tener (Tengo ... años).
Why do we say 'Me gusta el arte' but 'Me gustan las ciencias'?
Gustar agrees with the item liked: gusta with a singular noun (el arte) and gustan with a plural noun (las ciencias).
How do you form the near future tense in Spanish?
Use the present tense of ir + a + infinitive verb (e.g. voy a estudiar).
What standard phrase should you use to thank a pen-pal at the start of a reply letter?
Gracias por tu carta (or Gracias por tu correo).
Should school subjects and days of the week have capital letters in Spanish?
No, both school subjects (historia) and days of the week (lunes) are written in lowercase.