Vocabulary – Advantages and disadvantages of media and technology
Useful nouns to describe the advantages and disadvantages of media and technology include:
| Spanish | English | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | a disadvantage | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | social media |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | device, gadget | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | risk |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | media | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | health |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | mobile phone | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | technology |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | computer | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | variety, choice |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | danger | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | an advantage |
Useful adjectives include:
| Spanish | English | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| adictivo/a | addictive | online | online |
| caro/a | expensive | necesario/a | necessary |
| débil | weak | peligroso/a | dangerous |
| fácil de usar | easy to use | popular | popular |
| fuerte | strong | práctico/a | practical |
| gratis | free | seguro/a | safe, sure, secure |
| importante | important | social | social |
| moderno/a | modern | útil | useful |
For example:
El contenido de algunos sitios de internet es muy peligroso. – The content of some websites is very dangerous.
Las redes sociales son muy populares con muchos jóvenes. – Social media is very popular with lots of young people.
Prefiero los medios de comunicación que son fáciles de usar. – I prefer media that’s easy to use.
Comprar en línea es muy práctico. – Shopping online is very practical.
Grammar - How to form the imperative of regular verbs
Imperatives are used to give commands, orders and instructions. Examples of the imperative in English include:
Look at this video!
Stay safe online!
Use the tú form of the imperative when talking to one person informally.
To form the positive (affirmative) imperative for the tú form of regular verbs, take the s off the tú form of the present tense.
For example:
miras (you look) → ¡Mira! (Look!)
escuchas (you listen) → ¡Escucha! (Listen!)
ves (you watch) → ¡Ve! (Watch!)
How to form the imperative of irregular verbs
Many high frequency verbs have irregular imperatives in the tú form:
decir (to say) → ¡Di! (say)
hacer (to make/do) → ¡Haz! (do, make)
salir (to make/do) → ¡Sal! (do, make)
ser (to be) → ¡Sé! (be)
tener (to have) → ¡Ten! (have)
ir (to go) → ¡Ve! (go)
venir (to put) → ¡Ven! (put)
poner (to put) → ¡Pon! (put)
For example:
¡Haz tus deberes! - Do your homework!
¡Sé seguro! - Be safe!
¡Ten cuidado! - Be careful!
¡Ven aquí! - Come here!
Remember
Add an upside-down exclamation mark at the beginning of the command and another regular exclamation mark at the end.
For example:
¡Pon el móvil sobre la mesa! (Put the mobile phone on the table!)
The imperative – Mini quiz
Complete the following sentences in Spanish:
¡_____ este sito de web!
Look at this website! (you singular informal)
mirar = to look
¡Mira este sito de web!
Mirar is a regular ar verb. To form the imperative in the singular informal form, remove the ‘r’.
¡_____ esta foto!
‘Upload this photo!
subir = to upload
¡Sube esta foto!
Subir is a regular ir verb. To form the imperative in the singular informal form, take the tú form, subes and remove the s.
¡_____ seguro!
Be safe!
ser = to be
¡Sé seguro!
Ser is an irregular verb. The imperative in the singular informal form is sé.
Find out more about using the imperative in the Imperatives in Spanish guide
Reading practice
Read the introduction to this article about young peoples' use of technology and answer the questions below.
Las redes sociales son un problema de la sociedad moderna que preocupa tanto a profesores como a padres.
Muchos menores no quieren hacer otras actividades durante su tiempo libre, por ejemplo, estar al aire libre, salir con amigos, hacer deporte porque prefieren dedicar más tiempo a la tecnología.
What are parents and teachers worried about?
Social media
Why are they worried about this?
Because young people are stopping other activities to spend more time on new technology.
Now read the rest of the article and complete the sentences below with the correct answer.
Los niños pasan casi la misma cantidad de tiempo en el colegio que frente a* una pantalla.
Un estudio dice que un 50% de los jóvenes de entre 12 y 19 años pasa más de tres horas al día en internet y un 58% de los jóvenes juegan a los videojuegos con el ordenador y con los teléfonos móviles durante una hora cada día.
Estos juegos y apps son más populares que el cine, la música y las películas.
*frente a = in front of
- Children spend almost the same amount of time in front of a screen as…
| A | playing with friends. |
| B | at school. |
| C | doing homework. |
The answer is B.
Children spend almost the same amount of time in front of a screen as at school.
The article says - Los niños pasan casi la misma cantidad de tiempo en el colegio que frente a una pantalla.
Children spend almost as much time at school as they do in front of a screen.
- According to the article, 50% of young people spend…
| A | 50% of their time online. |
| B | 58% of their time online. |
| C | more than three hours a day online. |
The answer is C.
The article says - …un 50% de los jóvenes de entre 12 y 19 años pasa más de tres horas al día… - …50% of young people aged 12 to 19 spend more than three hours a day on the Internet…
- According to the article, young people use their phones to…
| A | play games. |
| B | watch videos. |
| C | chat with friends. |
The answer is A.
According to the article, young people use their phones to play games.
The article says - …58% de los jóvenes juegan a los videojuegos con el ordenador y con los teléfonos móviles durante una hora cada día.
…58% of young people play video games on computers and mobile phones for an hour each day. Using phones to watch videos and chat to friends is not mentioned in the article.
- According to the article, games apps are…
| A | as popular as listening to music. |
| B | more popular than listening to music. |
| C | less popular than listening to music. |
The answer is B.
According to the article, games apps are more popular as listening to music.
The article says - Estos juegos y apps son más populares que el cine, la música y las películas.
These games and apps are more popular than cinema, music and films.
Click or tap on Show more to read a translation.
Social media is a problem in modern society that worries both teachers and parents.
Many children do not want to do other activities during their free time, for example, being outdoors, going out with friends, playing sports because they prefer spending more time on technology.
Children spend almost as much time at school as they do in front of a screen.
One study states that 50% of young people aged 12 to 19 spend more than three hours a day on the Internet and 58% of young people play video games on computers and mobile phones for an hour each day. These games and apps are more popular than cinema, music and films.
Vocabulary - Opinions on media and technology
Opinions on media and technology include:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Pienso que las redes sociales son divertidas pero también pueden ser adictivas. | I think social media is fun but it can also be addictive. |
| Mi madre dice que paso demasiado tiempo en mi móvil jugando y charlando con mis amigos. | My mother says I spend too much time on my mobile phone playing and chatting with my friends. |
| Me parece que el internet es muy útil para ayudarte hacer investigaciones. | It seems to me that the internet is very useful to help you do research. |
| Mi padre dice que la inteligencia articificial le ayuda a escribir cartas y reportajes en su trabajo y guarda mucho tiempo. | My father says that artificial intelligence helps him write letters and reports at work and saves a lot of time. |
| En mi opinión usar bien la tecnología es necesario en nuestro mundo del siglo veintiuno. | In my opinion, using technology well is necessary in our twenty-first century world. |
| Lo que no me gusta es el ciberacoso porque no se puede esconder del internet y mi mejor amiga ha side víctima de eso. | What I don't like is cyberbullying because you can't hide from the internet and my best friend has been a victim of that. |
| Por una parte creo que el internet es muy útil para hacer compras en línea, pero por otra parte creo que hay problemas de seguridad y se debe tener una contraseña muy segura. | On one hand, I think the internet is very useful for online shopping, but on the other hand, I think there are security issues and you should have a very secure password. |
All Foundation Tier vocabulary listed in this guide can be found on the vocabulary sheet below.
Grammar – The imperfect tense
The imperfect tense is used:
to describe repeated or continuous actions in the past
to describe what something or someone was like in the past
to say what people used to do or what things used to be like
For example:
Hacía mis deberes en papel. - I used to do homework on paper.
Mi primer ordenador era muy grande. - My first computer was very big.
En el pasado jugaba con videojuegos todo el tiempo. - In the past, I used to play computer games all the time.
The imperfect tense is frequently used with phrases that describe how often something used to happen.
For example:
regularmente - regularly
a veces - sometimes
cada día/todos los días - every day
generalmente - usually
Regular verbs in the imperfect tense
The majority of Word used to describe an action, state of being or an occurrence. are Something that follows the usual or ‘regular’ pattern. in the imperfect tense.
The imperfect is formed by removing the ar, ir and er endings from the infinitive to form the The part of the verb that is left once the infinitive ending (ar/er/ir) has been taken off. It can also be called a radical. and adding the imperfect endings:
| ar verbs | er verbs | ir verbs |
|---|---|---|
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to play | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to make/do | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to share |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - I used to play | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - I used to do | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - I used to share |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - you (singular) used to play | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - you (singular) used to do | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - you (singular) used to share |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - he/she used to play | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - he/she used to do | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - he/she used to share |
The endings for er and ir verbs are the same.
Irregular verbs in the imperfect tense
There are only three Something that does not follow the usual or ‘regular’ pattern. verbs in the imperfect tense in Spanish:
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to go | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to be | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to see |
|---|---|---|
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - I used to go | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - I used to be | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - I used to see |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - you (singular) used to go | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - you (singular) used to be | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - you (singular) used to see |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - he/she used to go | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - he/she used to be | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - he/she used to see |
The imperfect of hay (there is/there are) is había (there was/there were/there used to be).
Había is used frequently for describing things in the past. For example:
En mi colegio había muchas salas de ordenadores. - In my school, there used to be lots of computer rooms.
The imperfect - Mini Quiz
Complete the following sentences in Spanish
_______ con los videojuegos cada día.
I used to play computer games every day.
jugar = to play
Jugaba con los videojuegos cada día.
Jugar, to play, is a regular ar verb. To form the imperfect tense in the ‘I’ form, remove the ar and add aba.
¿_______ tecnología de niño?
Did you (singular informal) used to use technology as a child.
usar = to use
¿Usabas tecnología de niño?
Usar, to use, is a regular ar verb. To form the imperfect tense in the ‘you’ singular informal form, remove the -r and add abas.
_______ mensajes todo el tiempo.
She used to receive messages all the time.
recibir = to receive
Recibía mensajes todo el tiempo.
Recibir, to receive, is a regular ir verb. To form the imperfect tense in the ‘she’ form, remove the ir and add ía.
Mi ordenador _____ muy lento.
My computer used to be very slow.
ser = to be
Mi ordenador era muy lento.
Ser, to be, is an irregular verb. The imperfect tense in the ‘it’ form is era.
Have a look at the The imperfect tense in Spanish guide to find out more about using the imperfect.
Listening practice
Listen to the following clips from a radio programme where students from Tenerife are talking about the pros and cons of mobile phones.
For each speaker, choose the correct statement.
| A | They are too expensive |
| B | Some people are addicted |
| C | They are not very practical |
| D | They are useful for emails |
| E | You can stay in touch easily |
| F | You can download music |
Note there are six statements but only four people to match to a statement - two of the statements are there to distract from the correct answers.
Mika
What does Mika say?
The answer is E
Mika says that mobile phones are practical, but statement C is there as a distractor because what he goes on to say is that he can communicate easily with his friends.
Transcript
Sara: ¿Qué piensas de los móviles, Mika?
Mika: Mi móvil es práctico porque puedo comunicarme con mis amigos fácilmente.
Translation
Sara: What do you think of mobile phones, Mika?
Mika: My mobile is practical because I can communicate easily with my friends.
Luna
What does Luna say?
The answer is A
This is the only possible option as Luna mentions mobiles costing a lot of money.
Transcript
Mika: ¿Qué dices tú, Luna?
Luna: Creo que los móviles cuestan mucho dinero. Son demasiado caros para la mayoría de los jóvenes.
Translation
Mika: What do you say, Luna?
Luna: I think mobile phones cost a lot of money. They are too expensive for the majority of young people.
Dino
What does Dino say?
The answer is F
Dino doesn't use the word for music, he says he downloads songs. Don't be tricked by statement D – he says that he never sends emails.
Transcript
Luna: ¿Qué opinas, Dino?
Dino: Para mí, lo más útil es poder descargar mis canciones favoritas. Nunca mando correos electrónicos.
Translation
Luna: What is your opinion, Dino?
Dino: For me, the most useful thing is being able to download my favourite songs. I never send emails.
Sara
What does Sara say?
The answer is B
This is the only possible option as Sara talks about mobile phones being addictive for some people.
Transcript
Dino: ¿Y tú, Sara?
Sara: Pienso que los teléfonos móviles pueden ser adictivos para algunas personas. Personalmente paso muchísimo tiempo en línea.
Translation
Dino: And you, Sara?
Sara: I think that mobile phones can be addictive for some people. Personally, I spend a lot of time online.
Vocabulary sheet
Click or tap on the image below for a list of useful vocabulary to use when talking about advantages and disadvantages of media and technology.
Higher Tier – Vocabulary – Media and technology
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el ciberacoso | cyberbullying |
| la contraseña | password |
| el contenido | content, contents |
| la protección | protection |
| la seguridad | security, safety |
| la tendencia | tendency, trend |
| la velocidad | speed, velocity |
| la víctima | victim |
| apropriado/a | appropriate, suitable |
| inútil | useless |
Es importante tener una contraseña fuerte. – It’s important to have a strong password.
A veces los niños encuentran contenido que no es apropiado para su edad. - Sometimes children find content that is not appropriate for their age.
All vocabulary listed in this guide can be found on the vocabulary sheet below.
Higher Tier – Grammar – The imperfect tense
The majority of verbs are regular in the imperfect tense.
The imperfect is formed by removing the ar, ir and er endings from the infinitive to form the stem and adding the imperfect endings.
The full conjugation of the verb is needed at the Higher Tier.
Click or tap on Show more to see the full conjugation of regular verbs in the imperfect, including the we, you (plural) and they forms.
| ar verbs | er verbs | ir verbs |
|---|---|---|
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to play | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to make/do | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to live |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - I used to play | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - I used to do | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - I used to share |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - you (singular) used to play | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - you (singular) used to do | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - you (singular) used to share |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - he/she used to play | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - he/she used to do | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - he/she used to share |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - we used to play | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - we used to do | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - we used to share |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - you (plural) used to play | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - you (plural) used to do | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - you (plural) used to share |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - they used to play | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - they used to do | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - they used to share |
Click or tap on Show more to see the full conjugation of the three irregular verbs in the imperfect, including the we, you (plural) and they forms.
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to go | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to be | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to see |
|---|---|---|
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - I used to go | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - I used to be | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - I used to see |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - you (singular) used to go | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - you (singular) used to be | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - you (singular) used to see |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - he/she used to go | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - he/she used to be | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - he/she used to see |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - we used to go | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - we used to be | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - we used to see |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - you (plural) used to go | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - you (plural) used to be | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - you (plural) used to see |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - they used to go | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - they used to be | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - they used to see |
Higher Tier - Vocabulary sheet
Click or tap on the image below for a list of useful Higher Tier vocabulary to use when describing the advantages and disadvantages of media and technology.
Now you have practised the key vocabulary and grammar needed for talking about advantages and disadvantages of media and technology, why not have a look at the Talking about different sports in Spanish guide?
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