Aural - Dialogo (Dialogue)

Decoding the Exam Questions: What the Examiner Wants

Before the recording begins, you have time to read through the English questions. Use this time to underline the question words and identify exactly what information the marking scheme is looking for.

Rules for Writing Aural Answers

• Check the number of hearings printed on the paper and announced on the recording before the section starts. It varies between sections. If a track is played only twice, you must secure your specific details on the second hearing.
• Give exactly the number of points asked for. If a question asks for two reasons, examiners mark the first two you write down. A correct third point will not rescue a wrong first point.
• Write your answers in clear English or Irish. A short, exact phrase is enough—'lack of adequate facilities' scores full marks—as long as it is unambiguous and contains every required detail. Do not spend time writing long sentences.
• Never offer alternatives joined by 'or'. Writing 'She was angry or disappointed' invites the examiner to mark the incorrect half. Commit to one clear answer.
• Leave nothing blank. An intelligent guess based on the topic costs nothing and can pick up marks.

Spoken Clues, Duration, and Opinion Structures

Conversational Spanish uses specific structural patterns to signal duration, difficulty, and contrast. Recognizing these patterns tells you that the answer is coming.

Duration: Four Ways a Speaker Answers 'How Long?'

Questions about how long an activity has been going on, or when an event started, appear regularly in interview dialogues:

• Past tense + hace + time = 'ago': Empecé a jugar al tenis hace diez años* ('I started playing tennis ten years ago'). The action started in the past.
• Llevar + time + gerundio* = 'have been doing something for [time]': Llevo tres años estudiando en la universidad* ('I have been studying at university for three years'). The action is ongoing.
• Llevar + time + sin + infinitive* = 'have gone [time] without doing something': Llevo dos meses sin entrenar* ('I have gone two months without training').
• Desde vs. Desde hace:* Juego desde 2021 means 'I have played since 2021' (point in time), whereas Juego desde hace cuatro años means 'I have been playing for four years' (duration). Hace cuatro años que juego* means the exact same thing.

Cue Phrases That Announce Opinions and Difficulties

When exam questions ask 'What does she find hardest?' or 'What does he like most?', listen for these structures:

• lo más duro / lo más difícil es...* – the hardest thing is…
• lo mejor / lo peor es que...* – the best / worst thing is that…
• lo que más me gusta es... / lo que menos me gusta es...* – what I like most / least is…
• lo que más me costó fue...* – what I found hardest was…
• sobre todo...* – above all / especially… (this often flags the exact detail required by the marking scheme)

Correction and Contrast Signals

Speakers frequently correct an assumption or introduce an exception using no... sino ('not X, but rather Y'). If you hear No es italiano, sino español, the correct answer is Spanish, never Italian. When a verb follows, Spanish uses sino que: No fue a la fiesta, sino que se quedó estudiando ('He didn't go to the party; instead he stayed studying'). Other contrast markers include en vez de or en lugar de (instead of), al contrario (on the contrary), and a pesar de (in spite of).

Numbers, Approximators, and Conversational Distractors

Examiners regularly test your precision by using numbers that sound similar at natural speed, or by introducing details that are revised seconds later.

Confusable Number Stems

In standard Peninsular Spanish, the letters c (before e/i) and z are pronounced like the 'th' in 'think'. In Latin America, they are pronounced as an 's'. Instead of getting caught up by the consonant sound, focus on the stem of the word:

• 15 vs. 50: quince [stem: quin-] vs. cincuenta [stem: cincu-]
• 13 vs. 30: trece [stem: trec-] vs. treinta [stem: treint-]
• 12 vs. 2: doce [stem: doc-] vs. dos [short monosyllable]
• 60 vs. 70: sesenta [-sen-] vs. setenta [-ten-]
• 500 vs. 5,000: quinientos vs. cinco mil

Times, Dates, and Years

• Clock times: a las siete en punto (7:00 sharp), a las siete y cuarto (7:15), y media (7:30), menos cuarto (6:45). Parts of the day include de madrugada (in the early hours), al mediodía (at midday), and a medianoche (at midnight).
• Dates: el quince de marzo (15 March), a principios de junio (early June), a mediados de mes (mid-month), a finales de año (at the end of the year).
• Years: Spanish never splits years into pairs of digits. 1998 is spoken as mil novecientos noventa y ocho, and 2025 is dos mil veinticinco. Listen for mil or dos mil and write down the numbers as digits immediately.

Essential Qualifiers

Leaving out a qualifying word can cost you the entire mark on factual questions. Always carry across these frequency and quantity words:

• suele + infinitive:* he/she usually… (Suele cancelar el entrenamiento* = she often/usually cancels training).
• a menudo (often), a veces (sometimes), rara vez / casi nunca* (rarely / hardly ever).
• casi (almost), unos / alrededor de (about / approximately), más de / menos de* (more than / less than).
• solo / solamente (only), apenas (hardly, barely), ni siquiera* (not even).
• salvo / excepto / menos (except): Entrena todos los días salvo los domingos* → "She trains every day except Sundays".
• ya no (no longer, not any more), todavía no / aún no (not yet): Ya no juega en el equipo* → "She no longer plays on the team" (writing "she plays on the team" reverses the fact).
• la mitad (half), un tercio (a third), uno de cada tres (one in three), el treinta por ciento (30%), el doble* (twice as much).

Two-Minute Number Drill

Have a classmate or teacher read ten prices, times, and dates in Spanish (for example: quince euros con cincuenta, a las ocho menos cuarto, el veinticinco por ciento, mil novecientos ochenta y dos). Write down only the digits. Repeat this drill until you record all ten accurately under time pressure.

Social Register: Tuteo vs. Usted

Working out whether the speakers are using the informal register (el tuteo) or the formal register (el trato de usted) in the first ten seconds helps you identify the setting and the relationship between the people involved.

In Peninsular Spanish (Spain), vosotros is informal plural and ustedes is formal plural. However, speakers from Latin America use ustedes as the plural for both friends and strangers. When listening to a Latin American speaker, judge formality by looking at singular address (tú versus usted), greetings, and overall tone.

Essential Vocabulary for Dialogue Themes

Dialogues in recent examinations frequently focus on studies, employment, technology, personal health, and retail services.

Watch Out for False Friends

• éxito means success (not exit, which is la salida*).
• asistir a means to attend an event (not to assist, which is ayudar*).
• atender* means to serve or look after a customer or patient.
• el compromiso means a commitment or obligation (a compromise is un acuerdo or una solución intermedia*).
• estar agotado* means to be sold out when referring to tickets or goods, but means completely exhausted when referring to a person.

A Reliable Routine for Every Dialogue

Use the pauses between playings systematically by following this four-step routine:

1. Pre-Reading: Read the English questions carefully before the track starts. Note whether the question asks 'Why', 'When', or 'Mention two'. Use the question content to predict the topic and listen out for related vocabulary.
2. First Hearing (Gist and Broad Context): Identify who is speaking, their relationship, and the main subject of their discussion. Jot down raw facts, numbers, and key Spanish words in pencil in the margin.
3. Second Hearing (Factual Precision and Qualifiers): Listen specifically for answers to the prompt questions. Write numbers down as digits. Capture all qualifying words (almost, except, often, lack of) and verify whether a speaker corrected an earlier statement.
4. Final Hearing (Confirmation and Checking): If a third playing is provided, use it to ensure you did not fall for a distractor. Confirm that your final notes reflect the agreed outcome rather than the initial suggestion.

In the Last Thirty Seconds

• Check that every single answer is written in English or Irish, not Spanish.
• Ensure you gave the exact number of points requested—no more, no less.
• Check that essential qualifiers (casi, solo, ya no, la falta de) are included.
• Ensure you wrote the final agreed time or price, not the first one mentioned.
• Never leave an answer blank.

Key terms

Conversations overheard

The phrase the syllabus uses for recorded conversations between two or more native speakers, assessed through questions answered in English or Irish.

El registro (Register)

The degree of formality in speech, distinguishing informal address (tú/vosotros) from formal address (usted/ustedes).

hace vs. desde hace

With a past tense, 'hace' means 'ago' (completed action); with a present tense, 'desde hace' means 'for' (ongoing action up to now).

llevar + gerundio

A structure indicating how long an action has been continuing: 'Llevo dos años viviendo aquí' = 'I have been living here for two years'.

no... sino

A contrast structure meaning 'not X, but rather Y', where the second element represents the correct factual statement.

acabar de + infinitive

A set phrase meaning to have just done something: 'Acabo de llegar' = 'I have just arrived'.

la talla vs. el número vs. el tamaño

'La talla' refers to clothing size, 'el número' denotes shoe size, and 'el tamaño' describes physical dimensions or volume.

el tique vs. la factura

'El tique' is a till receipt from a shop, whereas 'la factura' is an itemised invoice or formal bill.

soler (suele + inf.)

A verb meaning 'to usually do something'; frequently used in spoken Spanish to express frequency ('often' or 'usually').

menos mal

An expression meaning 'thank goodness' or 'what a relief', signaling that an issue has been resolved.

ni me va ni me viene

A colloquial idiom meaning 'it makes no difference to me' or 'I couldn't care less', expressing complete indifference.

la falta de

A phrase meaning 'the lack of', commonly introducing the key reason required in listening comprehension marking schemes.