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Although it's important to be able to talk about things you like and love, it's also a good idea to construct negative sentences by using no and other negative words and phrases.
To make a sentence negative in Spanish, put no in front of the verb, eg no me gustan las telenovelas (I don't like soap operas). Here are some other useful negative words:
| nada | nothing |
| nadie | nobody/no one |
| nunca | never |
| tampoco | neither/not either |
| ni ... ni | neither ... nor |
| ninguno/a/os/as | no/not any/none |
| nada |
| nothing |
| nadie |
| nobody/no one |
| nunca |
| never |
| tampoco |
| neither/not either |
| ni ... ni |
| neither ... nor |
| ninguno/a/os/as |
| no/not any/none |
It's important to be able to recognise a range of different opinions. Here are some examples that could be used to describe films and TV programmes:
| aburrido/a | boring |
| cómico/a | funny |
| divertido/a | fun |
| educativo/a | educational |
| emocionante | emotional/exciting |
| entretenido/a | entertaining |
| estúpido/a | stupid |
| fascinante | fascinating |
| gracioso/a | funny |
| informativo/a | informative |
| repetitivo/a | repetitive |
| interesante | interesting |
| histórico/a | historical |
| violento/a | violent |
| infantil | for children |
| clásico/a | classical |
| aburrido/a |
| boring |
| cómico/a |
| funny |
| divertido/a |
| fun |
| educativo/a |
| educational |
| emocionante |
| emotional/exciting |
| entretenido/a |
| entertaining |
| estúpido/a |
| stupid |
| fascinante |
| fascinating |
| gracioso/a |
| funny |
| informativo/a |
| informative |
| repetitivo/a |
| repetitive |
| interesante |
| interesting |
| histórico/a |
| historical |
| violento/a |
| violent |
| infantil |
| for children |
| clásico/a |
| classical |
Amina is talking about the sort of things she and her family like watching.
Answer the questions in English.
Question
What two things do Amina's parents like watching? Why?
News and documentaries, because they like to be informed about what happens in the world.
Question
What does her sister like watching? Why?
Reality programmes, because she thinks they are fun and entertaining.
Question
Why doesn't Amina watch TV? What type of films does she prefer and why?
She prefers watching films on her computer. She likes horror films, because they are exciting and scare her.
Transcript:
A mis padres les gusta ver las noticias y los documentales porque les gusta estar informados de lo que pasa en el mundo. Mi hermana, sin embargo, prefiere los programas de telerrealidad, porque piensa que son divertidos y entretenidos. Yo nunca veo la tele porque prefiero ver películas en mi ordenador. Me gustan las películas de terror porque son emocionantes y me dan miedo.
Translation:
My parents like watching the news and documentaries because they like to be informed about what happens in the world. My sister, however, prefers reality TV programmes because she thinks they are fun and entertaining. I never watch TV because I prefer watching films on my computer. I like horror films because they are exciting and scare me.
Now listen to Joel.
Answer the questions in English.
Question
What does Joel like watching nowadays? Why?
He likes watching soaps because they are entertaining and, sometimes, even funny.
Question
Why is Joel not interested in detective series?
Because they are long and repetitive.
Question
What type of films does he consider to be very violent?
Action films.
Transcript:
Cuando era más joven, me encantaban los dibujos animados, pero ahora las telenovelas son los programas que más me gustan. En mi opinión, las historias de los protagonistas son entretenidas y, a veces, incluso cómicas. Las series policíacas no me interesan nada porque son largas y repetitivas. Tampoco me gustan las películas de acción porque suelen ser demasiado violentas.
Translation:
When I was younger, I used to love cartoons. But now soaps are the programmes that I like the most. In my opinion, the stories of the main characters are entertaining and, sometimes, even funny. Detective series don't interest me at all because they are long and repetitive. I don't like action films either because they are usually too violent.
