Topic Four (1.4): Somos melóman@s
Objectives for this topic
- Discussing musical tastes
- Making comparisons with preferir… a…
- Answering multiple-choice questions
Introduction
In this topic, you will learn how to say the names of different types of musical instruments in Spanish, as well as how to talk about what sort of music you like. You will also learn how to compare two things using the verb preferir and the preposition a together, as well as how to tackle multiple-choice questions effectively.
Working through your coursebook
Please work through the following sections in your coursebook, completing all listed exercises:
- Page 58 Exercise 1: Match the list of musical instruments (1-8) with the images (a-h). Notice that the majority of them are very similar to English!
- Read the ¡Atención! box on the use of desde hace. It’s very important that you know how this is used in Spanish, so read the following additional explanation carefully:
Desde hace allows us to talk about how long we have been doing something in Spanish.
For example, Toco el piano desde hace un mes (I have been playing the piano for one month).
You have to be careful when using desde hace in a sentence in Spanish as it doesn’t work in the same way as English. Desde hace is used in the present tense in Spanish to describe how long you have been doing something, unlike in English, where we have to use the past tense.
Let’s look in more detail at the example about playing the piano:
Toco el piano desde hace un mes is literally saying ‘I am playing the piano for one month’ (present tense).
This sentence would be considered wrong in English (but correct in Spanish).
Desde hace uses the present tense in Spanish where we would use the past tense in English.
- Page 58 Exercise 2: In this activity, you will listen to interviews with three students. Read the questions and possible options carefully, then listen to Audio Disc 1 Track 41. As you listen, choose the correct answer for each question. Read the ¡Atención! box again before you start, and make sure you understand the use of the expression desde hace.
- Page 59 Exercise 3: Listen to Audio Disc 1 Track Audio 42, in which a group of young people discuss their musical preferences. Then read the text and fill in each gap with an appropriate word from the box underneath.
- Page 59 Exercise 4: Translate Pancho and Nuria’s paragraphs from Exercise 3 into English.
- Page 59 Exercise 5: Imagine that you are asked the questions in this activity. How would you answer them for yourself? Look at the example answers below and change the underlined sections for your own answers. Remember to always try and give reasons for your answer – this will help you gain extra marks. Focus on accurate pronunciation – you don’t need to write anything down for this question.
- Toco la guitarra – I play the guitar
- Porque la guitarra es mi pasión – Because the guitar is my passion
- Prefiero la música clásica – I prefer classical music
- Mi artista favorito es Enrique Iglesias porque tiene una voz increíble – My favourite artist is Enrique Iglesias because he has an incredible voice
- Uso Spotify porque hay una gran selección de música – I use Spotify because there’s a large selection of music
- Read the very helpful advice in the Estrategia box on page 58 for tips when completing multiple-choice questions. Don’t always go for the first answer that comes into your head – sometimes that answer will be too obvious! Watch out for tense changes or negative expressions that change the meaning of the statement.
Review
Page 59 Exercise 6: This activity is similar to Exercise 5, but this time you are asked to write down your answers. Use the example answers you were given in Exercise 5 to help you construct your sentences.
Interactive Kerboodle Activities
Log onto Kerboodle and complete the interactive activities for this module:
COMPLETE - Traditional Music Links to an external site.
COMPLETE - Vocab builder: Music Links to an external site.
Support activity for this topic
Log onto Language Nut and choose the Topics page.
Complete activities in the following section:
- Hobbies/Music
Extension activity for this topic
Watch this fun little video to recap musical instruments in Spanish:
WATCH – Musical Instruments (Youtube) Links to an external site.
Write down all the new musical instruments you hear in the video and their English translations.
Check your answers
If you would like to check your answers to this topic, you can do so by consulting the Claro 2 module answers for Topics 3.4 and 3.8.
CHECK - Topic 3.4 Download CHECK - Topic 3.4
CHECK - Topic 3.8 Download CHECK - Topic 3.8
Grammar Alert
Read the Gramática box on page 59 about the use of the verb preferir with a to make comparisons in Spanish. The verb preferir is radical-changing in the present tense and it’s therefore very important that you spend time learning this verb. Radical-changing verbs (or stem-changing verbs, as they are also called) are common in Spanish. These verbs conjugate differently to regular verbs but unlike irregular verbs, they do follow a certain pattern. Don't worry too much about these for now, but it is something you need to be aware of, especially if it affects a verb that you tend to use regularly, such as preferir. You will study more about radical-changing or stem-changing verbs at IGCSE. If you would like a detailed explanation about these now, you will find the following video helpful:
WATCH - Stem-Changing Verbs in Spanish (YouTube) Links to an external site.
Used on its own, the verb preferir means ‘to prefer’, as in prefiero la música rock. However, if you want to make a comparison, as in ‘I prefer rock music to classical music’, then you need to use the preposition a. For example: Prefiero la música rock a la música clásica.
Complete Exercise 2 on page 66 to practise using this verb.
In this module, you’ve also come across the verb tocar. We use tocar when we want to say that we ‘play’ a musical instrument, although, literally, tocar means to touch. You may see signs saying No tocar if you go into a souvenir shop in Spain! Read Patrones y reglas on page 58 carefully and look at how tocar changes in the different tenses.
Vocabulary
Go to page 73 in your coursebook and learn section 3.4. Somos melóman@s (We’re music lovers).