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How to Write an Amazing Essay in Spanish

Has your teacher asked you to write an essay in Spanish? Essays are probably the most common type of homework around the world. Teachers want you to write essays because they’re a way to improve your abilities when you’re learning a new language. 

Writing essays may not seem like fun, but it actually improves your cognitive abilities! The act of researching, organizing, and writing pushes you to increase your knowledge on different topics, strengthens your critical thinking skills, and advances your ability to communicate and express your thoughts.

With all these benefits in mind, it’s no wonder you want to write a great essay in Spanish. But there are times when your ideas vanish and your mind goes blank—you wonder, where do I begin and what steps do I follow? 

Even if you’re a pro when it comes to writing in English, writing an essay in Spanish can be a challenge. In this blog post, I’ll help you overcome this small hurdle to help you make your Spanish essay cohesive, persuasive, and as professional as possible.

Are you ready to write an amazing essay in Spanish?

Basics and Benefits of Writing Essays

Strong writing skills are important for school, college, and a professional career. It’s likely that Spanish is not your first language, but if you’re learning the language then writing a research-fueled Spanish essay gives you all sorts of advantages. It enables you to practice grammar, spelling, vocabulary, as well as synthesize your ideas and thoughts surrounding the topic you’re writing about.

Writing a terrific essay in Spanish requires planning, organization, and structure. Having a process saves you time and once you’ve established a system that works for you, the writing comes easy! 

How to Structure an Essay in Spanish

Similar to when you’re telling a story, your essay should follow a traditional story arc. This means that you start with an appealing introduction, after which you develop your idea within the body of the essay, and finally, you close your thoughts or argument with a summary and conclusion. 

Let’s take a deeper look at these 3 parts of an essay in Spanish:

1. Introduction

Start your essay with a summary of the topic you’ll cover throughout your piece. The introduction reflects the argumentative line that your whole essay follows. It should be brief but not too short. I recommend making the intro 10% of your whole essay. 

A good introduction gives enough information by stating a problem or the reason why you’re writing the essay and why the reader should be compelled to read it. 

Some writers choose to write the introduction after they’ve written the body and conclusion. I think it’s a good strategy that allows you to summarize and evaluate the body of your whole essay before you aim to highlight important points in your introduction. 

My biggest advice is to make it clear what the reason for your essay’s existence is, so that your reader can feel excited to know more, and invited to learn from you. 

This is the main part of your essay. I recommend that you dedicate 80% of your whole essay to the body. This critical section develops the core ideas of your essay in Spanish as it’s where you present the main ideas and their arguments in relation to the topic you’re writing about. 

This part requires you to do research from reputable sources, fact checking, and tying all your ideas together in a cohesive way. 

3. Conclusion

The remaining 10% of your essay in Spanish should focus on bringing the essay to a close. You want to summarize all the main ideas of your topic and establish your final posture on it. 

Preferably, leave no loose ends and make sure the ending of your essay has the ability to create a discussion or invite the reader to find out more about the topic. 

Steps to Follow to Write an Essay in Spanish

Every writer has a unique system that works for them. What works for me might not work for you, and vice versa. 

The steps and path you follow for writing an essay in Spanish depend on the knowledge and fluency you have of the language as well as your familiarity with writing. 

Nevertheless, I recommend some basic steps that will help you if you’re a beginner when it comes to writing an essay in Spanish. 

1. Define a Topic

Choose a topic of interest to you. If the topic is not assigned by your teacher, go for a current issue or interesting topic that will inspire you to research as much as possible. Check the local media, or go online and find out what topics are available for you to discuss.

2. Do Your Research

This aspect is critical—you must find reliable sources of information for your essay. Go to a library if possible, find academic papers online, and gather as much documentation as possible that helps you understand the central themes and patterns of your chosen topic.

As a plus, if you do your research in Spanish, you’ll see other essays in Spanish that will help you develop your own Spanish writing style, tone, and personality.  

3. Determine Your Position

After you’ve gathered enough research, you’ll begin to see an angle or position you can take in relation to the information. The angle or position you take is essentially your “point.” Ask yourself, “What’s my point in writing this?” When you’ve answered that, you’ve discovered your position. 

To support your position, your research should include quotes, statistics, and any relevant information you can find from credible sources. 

4. Draft an Outline

This step is vital for organizing your arguments and ideas. Since Spanish is not your first language, an outline will allow you to translate words or phrases. In addition to listing Spanish notes in your outline, keep this basic process in mind:

• Know your audience
• Gather all notes, research, and supporting materials
• Organize them into a cohesive flow 
• Be sure to organize by how each subtopic relates to the main topic and to each other

5. List Spanish Words and Terms

Since you’re writing an essay in Spanish, it’s only befitting that you have a list of specific words and terms you want to include in it. 

Draft a list of terms that are relevant to your essay in Spanish, whether they’re reminders in your outline or they’re unfamiliar terms that beg to be further researched. 

The terms you choose allow you to set a tone and define whether you’re using standard Spanish, informal Spanish, or literary and formal language. 

The tone you choose to follow in your essay guides your word choice. 

Here’s a list of words and phrases in Spanish that can help with your writing:

6. Write the Body of Your Essay

Focus on fully developing your argument with relevant examples and evidence to support your position. Each paragraph should focus on only one argument along with supporting evidence, and the flow from one paragraph to the next should sound natural and rational. 

Spanish is a richer language, so don’t be afraid of writing longer sentences than usual, but make sure you combine them with short dynamic phrases. It’s essential to keep your reader interested! 

7. Write an Engaging Introduction

Once you’re done with the body of your essay, start writing the introduction. The purpose of your intro is to set a tone and prepare the reader for what follows. 

Putting together your introduction at the end allows you to absorb what you’ve written and define how to present the topic and express your point. 

8. Summarize and Conclude

The conclusion is your essay is an opportunity to tie all your points together and restate the main argument. Since some essays are meant to be objective, I recommend you include a paragraph or sentence that stimulates reflection and enriches the reader’s perspective on the topic. 

9. Final Edits and Proofreading

This final step is the second most critical when it comes to writing an essay in Spanish! Edit for correcting typos, punctuation, grammatical errors, and spelling. 

I recommend you share your Spanish essay with a native speaker who can proofread it before you turn it in. Another person’s perspective can help you spot an error or a section that lacks cohesion. 

A Few Final Tips

Read your essay as many times as possible.

I find myself making changes to essays after reading them at least 4 or 5 times. You need to check your essay for: 

• readability
• consistency
• transitions between paragraphs, 
• unnecessary fillers, and 
• adequate adverbs and adjectives.

Think and write in Spanish, if possible

By drafting an outline, doing your research, and organizing your ideas in Spanish from the beginning, you fully immerse yourself and make writing an essay in Spanish more efficient. 

On the contrary, by writing and researching in English with the goal of translating, you’ll end up in a tough spot with way much more work than intended. 

Ready to Write Your First Essay in Spanish?

I hope by sharing my essay-writing experience in this blog post that you feel more confident about writing your essay in Spanish. I know it can be frustrating and challenging at times, but don’t be afraid to make mistakes and correct them later. 

The truth is, the more comfortable you feel speaking Spanish, the more your writing skills in Spanish will improve. 

If you’re ready to take the next step and work on your speaking skills, join us at Homeschool Spanish Academy! You can sign up for a free trial class with one of our native, Spanish-speaking teachers. Before you know it, you’ll be speaking Spanish and writing essays like a pro!

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Tips and ideas to improve your Spanish writing skills

First things first

In order to write well, you need to read, a lot. Reading is an excellent way to improve your knowledge of Spanish structure, grammar, and vocabulary, so be sure to make reading a variety of materials part of your regular Spanish practice.

Correct spelling is essential, and in Spanish that means not just using the right letters, but also including the right accents on them. Check out our article about the best way to type accents in Windows and Linux  (note that this refers to French examples, but the same rules apply!)  

Spanish writing ideas

Our popular Spanish Weekend Workout includes writing challenges and dictations for Premium subscribers - learn more:

• Spanish writing challenges
• Spanish dictations

For regular Spanish practice, I highly recommend that you keep a journal. If you write a little bit every day, you'll soon find that it gets easier, just like everything you practice regularly. It doesn't really matter what you write, though your level of Spanish will limit you to some extent. But as long as it's something that interests you and that you have or can find the necessary vocabulary and grammar for, you can write whatever you want.

• Your daily routine (wake up, get dressed, go to work, etc.)
• Personal experiences (a party, vacation memories, meeting your best friend...)
• Book / movie reviews
• Letters to the editor
• Essays 

Getting feedback

Writing is one thing, but in order for this exercise to have any value, you need to ask for corrections. You can use a grammar checker and/or search engine to get very basic corrections, but if you really want to improve, you need human input.

When you have specific questions about vocabulary and grammar, you can ask on Kwiziq Spanish's Q&A forum . For detailed corrections, try posting on an online forum such as Lang-8 to get help from native Spanish speakers. Let them know you'd appreciate an in-depth proofread so that you can improve as much as possible.

Another possibility is to find a pen pal , but make sure s/he's a native Spanish speaker. Two English speakers learning Spanish are very likely to reinforce one another's mistakes; you need a native speaker if you're serious about improving.  

Dictations combine listening comprehension with writing skills, and are an integral part of the Spanish educational system.

Lingua.com Dictados en Español en línea - a selection of dictations for non-native speakers of all skill levels

Aprenderespanol.org - a small selection of dictations and dialogues for non-native speakers

The four basic language skills

• Listening to Spanish
• Reading in Spanish
• Speaking Spanish
• Writing in Spanish

Like speaking, writing requires knowledge of everything from grammar to vocabulary, so be sure to sign up for a Kwiziq Spanish account to kwiz your way to better Spanish!

51 Spanish Phrases for Essays to Impress with Words

• January 7, 2021

Joanna Lupa

Communicating in a foreign language is hard enough, even in everyday situations, when no sophisticated or academic vocabulary is needed. 

Being able to write an actual essay in Spanish requires you not only to have a solid grammar base but also be knowledgeable about specific phrases and words typically used in school and university writing. 

For those of you who study in one of the Spanish speaking countries or are toying with the idea of signing up for an exchange program, I have prepared a summary of useful Spanish phrases for essays. They are divided into the following categories:

• Connectors (sequence, contrast, cause and effect, additional information, and conclusion)
• Expressions to give your opinion, agree and disagree with a thesis
• fancy academic expressions

Spanish Connectors to Use in Essays

Written language tends to be more formal than the spoken one. Ideas get explained in complex sentences showing how they relate to each other. A fantastic tool to achieve that is connectors.

What are some useful Spanish connectors for essays? Let’s have a look at the ten examples below:

• 🇪🇸 primero – 🇬🇧 first
• 🇪🇸 segundo – 🇬🇧 second
• 🇪🇸 el siguiente argumento – 🇬🇧 the next argument
• 🇪🇸 finalmente – 🇬🇧 finally, last but not least 
• 🇪🇸 sin embargo – 🇬🇧 however, nevertheless, nonetheless
• 🇪🇸 por lo tanto – 🇬🇧 therefore, thus
• 🇪🇸 además – 🇬🇧 besides
• 🇪🇸 por un lado….por el otro lado – 🇬🇧 on the one hand….on the other hand
• 🇪🇸 a menos que – 🇬🇧 unless
• 🇪🇸 a pesar de (algo) – 🇬🇧 despite / in spite of (something)
• 🇪🇸 aunque / a pesar de que – 🇬🇧 although / even though
• 🇪🇸 debido a – 🇬🇧 due to
• 🇪🇸 puesto que / dado que – 🇬🇧 given that
• 🇪🇸 ya que –  🇬🇧 since
• 🇪🇸 mientras que – 🇬🇧 whereas
• 🇪🇸 en conclusión – 🇬🇧 in conclusion
• 🇪🇸 para concluir – 🇬🇧 to conclude

Do you think you would know how to use these connectors in an essay? Let’s suppose you are writing about ecology:

🇪🇸 Los paises han estado cambiando sus politicas. Sin embargo, aún queda mucho por hacer.  🇬🇧 Countries have been changing their policies. However, there is still a lot to do. 

🇪🇸 Una de las amenazas climáticas es el efecto invernadero. Además está la contaminación del agua que presenta un serio riesgo para la salud.  🇬🇧 One of the climate threats is the greenhouse effect. Besides, there is water pollution that presents a severe health hazard. 

🇪🇸 A pesar de los acuerdos internacionales, varios países no han mejorado sus normas ambientales.  🇬🇧 Despite international agreements, many countries haven’t yet improved their environmental standards. 

🇪🇸 Debido a la restricción en el uso de bolsas de plástico desechables, Chile ha podido reducir su huella de carbono.  🇬🇧 Due to the restrictions in the use of disposable plastic bags, Chile has been able to reduce its carbon print. 

Spanish Phrases to Express Your Opinion in Essays

Essay topics commonly require you to write what you think about something. Or whether you agree or disagree with an idea, a project, or someone’s views. 

The words below will allow you to express your opinion effortlessly and go beyond the typical “creo que ” – “ I think ”:

• 🇪🇸 (yo) opino que – 🇬🇧 in my opinion
• 🇪🇸 me parece que – 🇬🇧 it seems to me
• 🇪🇸 desde mi punto de vista – 🇬🇧 from my point of view
• 🇪🇸 (no) estoy convencido que  – 🇬🇧 I am (not) convinced that
• 🇪🇸 no me cabe la menor duda – 🇬🇧 I have no doubt 
• 🇪🇸 estoy seguro que – 🇬🇧 I’m sure
• 🇪🇸 dudo que – 🇬🇧 I doubt
• 🇪🇸 sospecho que – 🇬🇧 I suspect
• 🇪🇸 asumo que – 🇬🇧 I assume
• 🇪🇸 estoy (totalmente, parcialmente) de acuerdo – 🇬🇧 I (totally, partially) agree
• 🇪🇸 no estoy de acuerdo en absoluto – 🇬🇧 I absolutely disagree
• 🇪🇸 opino diferente – 🇬🇧 I have a different opinion
• 🇪🇸 me niego a aceptar – 🇬🇧 I refuse to accept
• 🇪🇸 estoy en contra / a favor de – 🇬🇧 I am against / in favor of
• 🇪🇸 no podría estar más de acuerdo – 🇬🇧 I couldn’t agree more
• 🇪🇸 encuentro absolutamente cierto / falso  – 🇬🇧 I find it absolutely correct / false

Phrases like these can really give shape to your essay and increase its formality level. This time, let’s verify it with views on education: 

🇪🇸 Opino que estudiando remotamente los jóvenes están perdiendo las habilidades sociales.  🇬🇧 In my opinion, remote schooling makes youngsters lose their social skills. 

🇪🇸 Dudo que esta decisión traiga verdaderos cambios para el sistema educacional en mi país.  🇬🇧 I doubt this change will bring any real changes to the educational system in my country. 

🇪🇸 Estoy totalmente de acuerdo con que todos deberían tener acceso a educación de calidad. 🇬🇧 I totally agree that everyone should have access to good quality education. 

🇪🇸 Estoy en contra de escuelas solo para niñas o solo para niños.  🇬🇧 I am against girls-only or boys-only schools. 

Pay attention to certain language differences between English and Spanish versions. The most common mistake that my students make is to say “ I am agree ” ❌ (direct translation from “ Estoy de acuerdo ”) instead of “ I agree ”✔️. 

Fancy Academic Verbs and Expressions for Essays in Spanish

Would you like to impress your professor with sophisticated academic vocabulary or get extra points on your DELE? Grab a pen and take notes:

• 🇪🇸 afirmar  – 🇬🇧 to state
• 🇪🇸 refutar – 🇬🇧 to refute, to reject
• 🇪🇸 argumentar – 🇬🇧 to argue that
• 🇪🇸 poner en duda  – 🇬🇧 to cast doubt
• 🇪🇸 poner en evidencia – 🇬🇧 to shed light 
• 🇪🇸 demostrar – 🇬🇧 to demonstrate
• 🇪🇸 concentrarse en – 🇬🇧 to focus on
• 🇪🇸 sostener – 🇬🇧 to sustain
• 🇪🇸 reflejar – 🇬🇧 to reflect
• 🇪🇸 considerando (que) – 🇬🇧 considering (that)
• 🇪🇸 siendo realista – 🇬🇧 realistically speaking
• 🇪🇸 de cierto modo – 🇬🇧 in a way
• 🇪🇸 en lo que se refiere a – 🇬🇧 with regards to
• 🇪🇸 en vista de – 🇬🇧 in view of
• 🇪🇸 de acuerdo a – 🇬🇧 according to
• 🇪🇸 no obstante – 🇬🇧 nevertheless

So many great words to work with! And some of them sound really similar to English, right? This is exactly why Spanish is such a good option when you want to learn a second language.

Let’s see how to make all these verbs and phrases work:

🇪🇸 Los resultados de los nuevos estudios ponen en duda la relación entre el consumo de huevos y altos niveles de colesterol.  🇬🇧 The recent study findings cast doubt on the relation between egg consumption and high cholesterol levels. 

🇪🇸 Los autores del estudio argumentan que los azucares y los carbohidratos juegan un rol importante en este asunto.  🇬🇧 The authors of the study argue that sugars and carbs play an important role in this topic. 

🇪🇸 En lo que se refiere al consumo de carne, este influye directamente los niveles de colesterol malo, sobre todo si es carne con mucha grasa. 🇬🇧 Regarding meat consumption, it directly influences the levels of “bad” cholesterol, especially in the case of greasy meat. 

Spanish Resources

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Spanish Essay Phrases: 40 Useful Phrases for an Impressive Writeup

7  Comments

May 30, 2019

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Do you need to write a lot of essays in Spanish? If you do, don’t worry. It's about to get a little bit easier for you because here in this article, we’ve listed many useful Spanish essay phrases that you can readily use in your essays.

Feel free to pepper your essays with the words and expressions from this list. It would certainly elevate your essays and impress your teachers. You're welcome!

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No time to read now? Then you might opt to get the list in PDF instead. If you sign up to the newsletter, you'll get the list of Spanish essay phrases in PDF format plus free audio files. 

Spanish Essay Phrases

Additional Resources

You can also check out the following resources:

84 Spanish Expressions for Agreeing and Disagreeing

Common Spanish Verbs

Expresiones útiles para escribir en español

Looking for more Spanish phrases? Check out this e-book with audio!

Try to use the essay phrases in Spanish that you learned in this lesson and write a few example sentences in the comments section!

About the author 

Janey is a fan of different languages and studied Spanish, German, Mandarin, and Japanese in college. She has now added French into the mix, though English will always be her first love. She loves reading anything (including product labels).

VERY VERY useful !! Gracias

Amazing! This will definitely help me in tomorrow’s spanish test 🙂

Sounds good

Thanks for the assistance, in learning Spanish.

Amazing article! Very helpful! Also, this website is great for Spanish Beginners.

It’s easy when you put it that way

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In Spanish Essay

Introduction.

Writing an essay in Spanish can be an enriching experience, allowing you to express your thoughts and ideas in a different language. Whether you’re a student learning Spanish or a writer exploring new horizons, composing an essay in Spanish requires a solid understanding of the language and its unique characteristics.

Choose an Engaging Topic

The first step in writing a compelling essay in Spanish is selecting an engaging topic. Choose a subject that piques your interest and allows you to showcase your language skills. Consider topics related to culture, history, literature, or current events in the Spanish-speaking world.

Organize Your Essay

Start your essay with an introduction that introduces the topic and provides some background information. Engage the reader from the outset and clearly state the purpose of your essay.

The main body of your essay should consist of well-structured paragraphs. Each paragraph should focus on a single idea or argument, supported by evidence or examples. Use transition words to ensure a smooth flow between paragraphs.

Conclude your essay by summarizing the main points and restating your thesis. Leave the reader with a thought-provoking closing statement.

Use Rich Vocabulary

Incorporate a diverse range of vocabulary into your essay to make it more captivating and expressive. Use synonyms and adjectives to add depth to your writing. However, avoid using words or expressions that you’re unsure of, as it may lead to miscommunication.

Grammar and Syntax

Verb conjugation.

Pay close attention to verb conjugation, as it plays a crucial role in Spanish grammar. Ensure that the verb agrees with the subject in tense, number, and person.

Spanish often follows a different word order than English. The standard order in Spanish is subject-verb-object (SVO), but this can change depending on emphasis or context.

Accents and Punctuation

Spanish uses accent marks (tildes) to indicate stress on certain syllables and differentiate between homonyms. Proper use of punctuation, such as commas and periods, is essential for clarity and coherence.

Seek Feedback and Edit

After completing your essay, seek feedback from native Spanish speakers or language instructors. They can provide valuable insights and help you identify areas for improvement. Don’t forget to edit your essay for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.

Writing an essay in Spanish offers an excellent opportunity to enhance your language skills and explore new cultural perspectives. Select an interesting topic, organize your essay effectively, and use rich vocabulary and proper grammar to create a compelling piece of writing. With practice and perseverance, you can become a skilled Spanish essayist, conveying your thoughts eloquently in this beautiful language. In Spanish El Dorado Meaning

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Writing an Essay in Spanish: Tips for a Great Essay

When learning Spanish, many students put all their energy into practicing speaking. They chat with classmates, engage in conversations with native speakers, and tune into Spanish TV shows or podcasts. But amidst this flurry of spoken practice, writing often gets pushed aside like yesterday's homework.

Yet, without honing those writing chops, achieving true fluency in Spanish—or any language for that matter—can be tough. That's why, in this article, we're jumping into writing an essay in Spanish, showing why it's not just a dreaded task but a great chance to boost your language skills. ¡Vamos!

Quick Tips on Writing in Spanish

Now that you're ready to tackle Spanish essay writing, let's make sure you're armed with some handy tips from our Spanish essay writer :

• Mind Your Spelling : Pay close attention to how words are spelled. Good spelling can make your writing look professional and help you avoid embarrassing mistakes.
• Use Transition Words : Incorporate transition words like 'sin embargo' (however), 'por lo tanto' (therefore), and 'además' (moreover) to connect your ideas and make your essay flow smoothly.
• Stick to Simple Sentences : Keep your sentences straightforward and easy to understand. Avoid using overly complicated phrases that might confuse your reader.
• Practice Grammar Regularly : Brush up on grammar rules to avoid common mistakes. Pay attention to verb conjugations, noun-adjective agreement, and sentence structure.
• Expand Your Vocabulary : Learn new Spanish words and phrases regularly to enrich your writing. Try using a Spanish-English dictionary or language-learning app to discover new vocabulary.
• Read Spanish Texts : Read books, articles, and essays written in this language to familiarize yourself with the language's structure and style. Pay attention to how sentences are constructed and how ideas are expressed.

With these quick tips in mind, let’s now check out a step-by-step guide to crafting an essay in Spanish.

Choose a Compelling Subject

When you start your essay, picking a compelling subject is your first step. Choose a topic that you care about. It will show in your writing, making it more engaging and lively.

Think about what excites you or what you want to know more about. Maybe there's a part of Spanish culture that fascinates you, like flamenco dancing or the traditional food of a specific region. Or perhaps you're intrigued by a historical figure or a current issue in Spanish-speaking countries.

Once you settle on a topic, dig into it. Look up articles, watch videos, and gather as much information as you can. This background work will not only beef up your knowledge but also give you plenty of material to draw from when you sit down to write your essay.

Generate Ideas

Brainstorming can really kick things into gear by helping you develop a deep and varied pool of thoughts related to your topic. Start by jotting down everything that comes to mind about your subject. Don't worry about organizing these ideas yet; the goal is to get all your thoughts out on paper. You might be surprised by what you come up with!

Use mind maps to help visualize the connections between different ideas. Draw a circle in the center of a page, write your main topic in it, and then branch out with related ideas, connecting them with lines to show how they relate to each other and to the central theme.

Asking questions can also spark more ideas. What? Who? Where? When? Why? How? These questions can lead you to consider different angles of your topic that you might not have thought about before.

Once you have a good list of ideas, look for patterns or themes that could form the backbone of your essay. Choose the ones that are most interesting to you, or that have plenty of information available, and you'll find your essay starts to take shape naturally from there.

Craft an Opening

The opening, or introduction, should not only introduce your topic but also pique the reader's curiosity. Here's how you can create an engaging introduction:

• Start with a hook : Begin with an intriguing statement, a surprising fact, or a provocative question related to your topic. For example, if you're writing about the influence of Spanish cinema, you might start with statistics about the international awards Spanish films have won.
• Provide some background : After grabbing the reader's attention, give a bit of background to place your topic in context. This doesn't have to be detailed but should provide enough information to understand the importance of the topic and why it's relevant.
• State your thesis : End your introduction with a clear thesis statement that will guide the rest of your essay, making sure it's specific and directly related to your topic.

Structure the Essay

A well-organized essay makes it easier for your readers to follow your arguments and understand the points you're making. As previously mentioned, your introduction should start with a hook to capture interest, provide some background information to set the scene and conclude with a strong thesis statement that outlines your main argument or perspective.

As for the body section, start each paragraph with a topic sentence that introduces the main idea of the paragraph. This sentence should link back to your thesis statement and indicate how this paragraph will support your overall argument. Then, follow the topic sentence with evidence, examples, and explanations to flesh out your argument.

Lastly, begin your conclusion by briefly summarizing the key points you have discussed. Then, reinforce your thesis statement with a fresh rephrasing, showing how the body of your essay has supported it throughout.

Recap the Content

Now that you've laid out your arguments in the body of your essay, it's time to recap. Briefly go over the main points from each section of your essay. This reminds the reader of what you've discussed and how it all connects. Then, tie each point back to your thesis statement. Also, mention any particularly strong evidence or insightful observations again, reinforcing their importance.

Ensure Coherence and Relevance

Once you've recapped the content of your writing, it's essential to ensure coherence and relevance throughout. You can do this by reviewing the transitions between paragraphs and sections, ensuring they flow smoothly and logically from one idea to the next.

Also, look for any redundant or repetitive information. Remove anything that doesn't add value to your argument or that repeats points you've already made. It's also important to avoid going off on tangents or introducing unrelated information.

Lastly, before finalizing your essay, ask yourself if every part of it is relevant to your main argument. If not, consider revising or removing those sections to maintain focus.

Review for Clarity and Style

Once you've ensured coherence and relevance in your writing, it's time to review for clarity and style. Break down long or convoluted sentences into shorter, more straightforward ones. This helps prevent confusion and keeps your writing clear. You can also read your essay aloud to yourself or have someone else read it to you. This can help you identify awkward phrasing or unclear passages that may need revision.

Edit for Errors

Finally, it's time to edit your essay for errors. This step is crucial for ensuring that your writing is polished and professional. Using a spellchecker or asking a native speaker to proofread your essay for you is usually a good idea. Then, double-check your formatting, including margins, font size, and spacing. Make sure your essay follows any specific formatting guidelines provided by your instructor.

By thoroughly editing your essay for Spanish language errors, you ensure that your final product is polished and ready to impress your readers. Take your time with this step to catch any mistakes and make the necessary revisions for a flawless finish.

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52 Spanish Writing Prompts to Level Up Your Language Skills

Here’s a method that’s quite effective for helping you build confidence in your Spanish , no matter your level.

You only need two items: pencil and paper.

That’s right, we’re going to get you that much-needed writing practice !

With Spanish writing prompts, you can strengthen your grasp on Spanish verb conjugations , grammatical structures , vocabulary and more.

Ready your writing materials, buckle up and let’s get started.

Spanish Writing Prompts for Beginners

1. daily routine (with a twist), 2. dream vacation, 3. mysterious object, 4. unlikely friends, 5. family portrait, 6. time capsule, 7. unexpected gift, 8. language exchange, 9. lost in the city, 10. the weather today, 11. my favorite season, 12. a visit to the zoo, 13. at the restaurant, 14. a day without technology, 15. a mysterious letter, 16. a visit to the doctor, 17. my favorite book or movie, 18. an unexpected friendship, 19. my ideal home, 20. the magical object, spanish writing prompts for intermediate learners, 21. postcard from paradise, 22. dear diary, 24. never have i ever, 25. lost in translation, 26. haunted house, 27. future professions, 28. unexpected encounter, 29. secret diary, 30. culinary adventure, 31. the mysterious package, 32. childhood memories, 33. social media: yay or nay, 34. the art of persuasion, 35. the time-traveling journal, spanish writing prompts for advanced learners, 36. ideal friend, 37. alternate timeline, 38. eco-friendly habits, 39. artistic inspiration, 40. tangled tales, 41. culinary fusion, 42. lost and found in translation, 43. untranslatable beauty, 44. cultural dilemma, 45. the mind’s canvas, 46. echoes of history, 47. nature’s poetry, 48. evolving traditions, 49. the four-day workweek, 50. cultural collage, 51. ephemeral moments, 52. language odyssey, tips to practice spanish by writing for beginner, intermediate and advanced learners, intermediate, and one more thing….

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Focus on: Present simple tense

You’ve probably had to write about your daily routine at some point in Spanish class. This prompt is great because it forces you to practice present simple verbs, which are used to talk about repeated or habitual actions. But writing about your morning coffee and shower routine can get a little dry.

So, for this writing prompt, try to write about a daily routine from someone else’s point of view. Pretend you’re someone else—a celebrity, a farm animal, a person from the future, an alien—and write about “your” daily routine. Not only is this a fun exercise in creativity, it also allows you to incorporate new vocabulary.

Sample: Soy un gato. Cada mañana cazo ratones en el jardín. Luego los llevo a la mesa y se los doy a mi dueño humano. (I’m a cat. Every morning, I hunt mice in the garden. Then, I bring them to the table and give them to my human owner.)  

Keep practicing: Instead of writing from a first-person point of view, write as though you’re reporting on someone’s daily routine. This will allow you to practice third-person verb conjugations. Since in Spanish, first- and third-person conjugations are often quite different in the present simple, it’s worth your time to practice them both.

Focus on: Future tense

You’ve been working hard on your Spanish studies , so you’ve definitely earned that dream vacation—and this fun writing prompt!

Picture this: you’ve been given the golden opportunity to take a dream vacation anywhere in the world. Now, think about where you would go, what you would do and how you would feel during this incredible trip. Since this one takes place in the future, it’ll flex your mastery of the Spanish future tenses.

Sample: En las vacaciones de mi sueños, voy a viajar a las playas hermosas de Bora Bora. Pasaré mis días buceando en aguas cristalinas y relajándome en la arena blanca. (On my dream vacation, I will travel to the beautiful beaches of Bora Bora. I will spend my days diving in crystal-clear waters and relaxing on the white sand.)

Keep practicing: Instead of writing about your own dream vacation, write about the dream vacation of someone you know very well, like a friend or family member. This will give you practice in conjugating verbs in the future tense for third-person subjects.

Focus on: Descriptive adjectives

Imagine you discover a mysterious object in your backyard. (It doesn’t have to be a UFO—it can literally be anything!) Write a description of this object using as many adjectives in Spanish as you can. Make your description as vivid and intriguing as you can.

Sample: Encontré un objeto redondo y brillante enterrado en la tierra húmeda. Era pequeño pero pesado, y tenía un brillo metálico. Su superficie estaba llena de detalles grabados y parecía antiguo y misterioso. (I found a round, shiny object buried in the damp earth. It was small but heavy, and had a metallic sheen. Its surface was full of engraved details and looked ancient and mysterious.)

Keep practicing: Instead of describing an object you found, describe an object that your favorite book or movie character found.

Focus on: Comparatives and superlatives

From simple adjectives, let’s take it up a notch. Write a short story or paragraph about two characters who are very different from each other, but still become close friends. Use comparatives and superlatives to describe their personalities, interests and unique qualities.

Sample: María era la más callada de la clase: siempre estaba más interesada en los libros que en conversaciones ruidosas. Por otro lado, Juan era el más extrovertido, siempre listo para contar chistes y hacer reír a todos. A pesar de sus diferencias, María y Juan se hicieron mejores amigos. (Maria was the quietest in the class: she was always more interested in books than in noisy conversations. Juan, on the other hand, was the most outgoing, always ready to tell jokes and make everyone laugh. Despite their differences, Maria and Juan became best friends.)

Keep practicing: Add a third character into the mix. Compare and contrast this third character with both of your existing characters.

Focus on: Possessive pronouns

I’m sure you’ve seen the “describe your family” prompt at some point. This one turns that prompt a bit on its head.

Imagine you’re describing a family portrait to a friend. Write a paragraph talking about each family member’s appearance and personality, using possessive pronouns to show their relationships.

Sample: En la foto de mi familia, mi hermana lleva su vestido favorito y sostiene a su gato en los brazos. Mi padre está junto a su bicicleta, sonriendo. Mi madre está recogiendo verduras de nuestro huerto y se ve orgullosa. Mis perros están a mi lado, jugando con su pelota favorita. (In my family photo, my sister is wearing her favorite dress and holding her cat in her arms. My father is standing next to his bicycle, smiling. My mother is picking vegetables from our garden and she looks proud. My dogs are next to me, playing with their favorite ball.)

Keep practicing: Write about the family portrait of a fictional family, including extended family members like cousins, aunts and uncles. Not only will this help you practice using possessive pronouns with a variety of nouns, but you’ll also brush up on your family vocabulary .

Focus on: Reflexive verbs

Reflexive verbs refer to action words that the subject of a sentence does to itself. It’s a pretty simple concept, but that doesn’t mean the corresponding writing prompt has to be boring!

For this one, pretend you’re making a time capsule that you’ll bury soon and open years later. In that time capsule, you’re going to include a letter to your future self describing your current interests, hobbies and daily routine. When writing the letter, make sure you practice using reflexive verbs.

Sample: Querido yo del futuro: en este momento, me levanto temprano cada día y me preparo un desayuno saludable. Luego me relajo leyendo un libro o meditando. Me dedico tiempo a mí mismo para crecer y aprender. Espero que sigas manteniendo estas prácticas positivas. (Dear future me: right now, I wake up early every day and make myself a healthy breakfast. Then, I relax by reading a book or meditating. I take time for myself to grow and learn. I hope you will continue to maintain these positive practices.)

Keep practicing: Write a letter to a friend describing their current interests and routines using reflexive verbs. This will give you practice using reflexive verbs in the third person — specifically, the pronoun se .

Focus on: Direct and indirect object pronouns

As you know, there are a ton of pronouns in Spanish . For this exercise, we’re going to focus on direct and indirect object pronouns.

The direct object is the one that receives the action from the subject (e.g., “Juan gave the ball,” where the ball is the direct object). Meanwhile, the indirect object is the thing or object receiving the direct object (e.g., “Juan gave the ball to Maria,” where Maria is the indirect object).

You can practice these tricky pronouns with this prompt. Here, you have to write a story about a character who receives an unexpected gift from a mysterious sender. Use direct and indirect object pronouns to describe the gift, the recipient and the actions involved.

Sample: Juan recibió un paquete en la puerta de su casa. Al abrirlo, encontró un reloj elegante. No sabía quién se lo había enviado, pero le agradeció al misterioso remitente en una tarjeta que decía: “Para ti, con cariño”. (Juan received a package at his front door. When he opened it, he found an elegant watch. He didn’t know who had sent it to him, but he thanked the mysterious sender on a card that read, “To you, with love.”)

Keep practicing: Using the character above, imagine that they sent their unexpected gift to a friend or other third-party.

Focus on: Using different tenses

Now this will be probably be a relatable prompt for you personally. For this one, you’ll write a dialogue between two language exchange partners discussing their language learning experiences. Use a variety of tenses (present, past and future) to describe their progress and goals.

Sample: María: He estado estudiando inglés durante dos años. Quiero visitar Nueva York algún día y poder comunicarme sin problemas. (Maria: I have been studying English for two years. I want to visit New York someday and be able to communicate without any problems.)

John: Yo aprendí francés en la escuela, pero lo dejé. Si pudiera, lo retomaría y viajaría a París. Tú aún puedes lograr tu meta. (John: I learned French in school, but I stopped. If I could, I would take it up again and travel to Paris. You can still achieve your goal.)

Keep practicing: Write a dialogue where one character talks about their language learning journey, and the other character offers advice and encouragement using different tenses.

Focus on: Giving directions

You’ve probably had plenty of practice asking for directions as a tourist in a Spanish-speaking country . Imagine being on the other side of the conversation for a change!

This time, pretend you’re a tour guide in a foreign city. Write a conversation between a lost tourist and yourself, giving them step-by-step directions to a popular landmark or attraction in the city.

Sample: Turista: ¡Disculpe! Estoy perdido y quiero llegar a la catedral.  (Tourist: Excuse me! I’m lost and I want to get to the cathedral.)

Tú: Claro, no te preocupes. Gira a la derecha en la esquina y sigue recto dos cuadras. Luego cruza la plaza y verás la catedral a tu izquierda. Será imposible que no la veas. (You: Sure, don’t worry. Turn right at the corner and go straight for two blocks. Then cross the square and you’ll see the cathedral on your left. It will be impossible for you to miss it.)

Keep practicing: Imagine the tourist you’re talking to has no sense of direction whatsoever—i.e., if you tell them to “go left,” they will just look at you quizzically as if they don’t know what “left” means. In other words, come up with the most creative ways to give directions to someone who’s directionally-challenged!

Focus on: Weather expressions

How’s the weather right now for you? Whether it’s good or bad, now’s the time to write about it—in Spanish!

For this exercise, you need to describe the current weather in your area, including temperature and conditions.

Sample:   Hoy está soleado y cálido. La temperatura es de 25 grados Celsius o 77 grados Fahrenheit. (It is sunny and warm today. The temperature is 25 degrees Celsius or 77 degrees Fahrenheit.)

Keep practicing: Listen to the weather forecast for the next week, and write a summary about it. Imagine you’re giving that summary to a friend.

Focus on: Seasons and related activities

Going off of the weather theme, let’s jump into seasons. This time, talk about your favorite season and the activities you enjoy during that time.

Sample: Mi estación favorita es el otoño. Me encanta recoger hojas y tomar chocolate caliente. (My favorite season is autumn. I love collecting leaves and drinking hot chocolate.)

Keep practicing: Write about a season you don’t particularly like and explain why.

Focus on: Animal vocabulary

If you like to marathon animal documentaries on YouTube, now’s your chance to put your knowledge of common animals to good use in your Spanish studies.

For this one, imagine visiting a zoo. (Even better, write about your last visit to the zoo.) Mention the animals you saw (or imagined you saw) and what they were doing.

Sample: Vi elefantes jugando en el agua y leones descansando bajo el sol. (I saw elephants playing in the water and lions resting in the sun.)

Keep practicing: If you want to move beyond statements like “The tiger has stripes,” you can try describing a zoo visit from the perspective of one of the animals.

Focus on: Ordering food

I’m sure you have at least one favorite restaurant. It doesn’t have to be a Spanish restaurant—the great thing about studying languages is learning about their specific words for specific food or ingredients .

For this exercise, write about your experience at a restaurant, including what you ordered and how the food tasted.

Sample: Pedí una hamburguesa con papas fritas y estuvo deliciosa. (I ordered a burger and fries and it was delicious.)

Keep practicing: Write a dialogue between a waiter and a customer in a restaurant.

Focus on: Daily routines without technology

Can you imagine a world without smartphones and desktop computers?

If that sounds like a lot to wrap your head around, imagine just one day of it. In Spanish, describe a day where you can’t use any technology (phones, computers, etc.), and explain how you spent your time.

Sample: Pasé el día leyendo libros, dibujando y paseando por el parque. (I spent the day reading books, drawing and walking in the park.)

Keep practicing: Now that you’ve managed to imagine a world without modern conveniences, you probably appreciate just how useful your devices are. This time around, write about these wonderful pieces of technology and what role they play in your daily life.

Focus on: Writing a short message

This one may seem like a simple, straightforward exercise, but it’s really not. This one allows you to practice being concise in Spanish—that is, conveying as much as you can in as few words as you can.

Here, you’ll write a short letter to a friend inviting them to a mysterious event, providing clues but not revealing the details of it.

Sample: Hola, amigo; te invito a un evento especial que se realizará este viernes. ¡Espero que puedas venir! (Hello friend, I invite you to a special event taking place this Friday. I hope you can make it!)

Keep practicing: Imagine that your friend gave you a response asking for more information about the event, and write what you think your friend would have said.

Focus on: Expressing symptoms and health issues

Do you remember the last time you paid a visit to the doctor’s office? You can write about that experience, describing your symptoms and what the doctor told you. You can also write about an imagined visit and what that would’ve been like.

Sample: Fui al médico porque tenía fiebre y dolor de garganta. Me recetó medicina y me dijo que descansara. (I went to the doctor because I had a fever and a sore throat. He prescribed medicine and told me to rest.)

Keep practicing: Instead of describing the visit to a third party (like a family member or friend), write a dialogue between a patient and doctor using all of the medical vocabulary you know.

Focus on: Expressing opinions

If you’re the sort who has an opinion on everything, I’ll bet you’ll enjoy this one! For this exercise, write about your favorite book or movie, explaining why you like it and what makes it special. The book or movie doesn’t have to be originally in Spanish—the important thing is that you can express your honest thoughts about that piece of media in Spanish.

Sample: Mi libro favorito es ‘Harry Potter’ porque tiene magia y aventuras emocionantes. (My favorite book is ‘Harry Potter’ because it has magic and exciting adventures.)

Keep practicing: Now that you’ve written about books and movies you like, write about those you don’t like.

Focus on: Describing relationships

You could say this is an offshoot of our earlier exercise “Unlikely Friends,” in that you have to write about an unexpected friendship between two very different people. The difference is that you’re going to go beyond just comparatives and superlatives, and describe the relationship as a whole. Talk about how you and your friend met and what activities you enjoy together, for example.

Sample: Conocí a Pablo en un taller de arte y ahora pintamos juntos todos los fines de semana. (I met Pablo in an art workshop and now we paint together every weekend.)

Keep practicing: Write about a friendship that starts off on the wrong foot but eventually becomes strong. It can be from your own experience, from someone else’s or entirely made-up.

Focus on: Describing living spaces

I’m sure we all have a certain kind of house we’d like to live in—and this exercise is your chance to talk about your ideal home . Describe details like the location, size, rooms and special features you’d like your dream home to have.

Sample: Mi casa ideal estaría cerca de la playa, tendría un jardín grande y una cocina moderna. (My ideal house would be close to the beach, have a large garden and a modern kitchen.)

Keep practicing: After describing your ideal home, try to write about a less-than-ideal home for you.

Focus on: Creative writing and imaginary scenarios

For our last beginner-friendly Spanish writing prompt, let’s give you a bit more free rein. Don’t worry about the particular grammatical concept you need to master—just express yourself in Spanish as best you can.

Imagine you find a magical object that can grant you just one wish. Describe the object, your wish and what happens next.

Sample: Encontré una lámpara mágica y pedí viajar al pasado para conocer a mis abuelos. (I found a magic lamp and asked to travel back in time to meet my grandparents.)

Keep practicing: Write a different story where finding the magical object has unexpected consequences. For example, for every wish you ask from the magic lamp, the wish-granting genie has to stay inside it for another 100 years. (If that sounds a bit too tragic, feel free to make it a bit more lighthearted and fun!)

Focus on:  Present continuous

For this writing prompt, write a postcard to a friend or family member as though you’re on vacation. Describe what’s going on around you and what you’re doing as you write.

This particular prompt is great for practicing the present continuous tense, which is used to talk about actions happening in the moment of speaking.

Sample: Estoy tomando un café al lado del mar. Hay mucha gente en la playa. Algunas personas están caminando en la orilla y otras se están bañando. ¡Lo estoy pasando muy bien! (I’m drinking a coffee next to the sea. There are a lot of people on the beach. Some people are walking on the shore, and others are swimming. I’m having a great time!)

Keep practicing: Find a classmate or a writing partner. Each of you should choose a vacation location and write a postcard to the other, without mentioning what place you’re writing about. Instead, try to convey it through your description of what’s happening around you. Then, switch postcards and try to guess where the other person wrote about.

Focus on: Preterite and imperfect tenses

Reflecting on events in your life in a diary format is a great way to practice preterite and imperfect verbs. There are many ways to do this.

You could simply write about what has happened to you that day, write about a day in the past (a fun vacation day, for example) or invent a diary entry from someone else’s perspective—whatever stokes your creativity!

Sample: Hoy fui con mi madre al parque. Empezó a llover y nos fuimos a casa. Cuando llegamos, ya eran las ocho, así que puse la mesa mientras ella hacía la cena. (Today I went with my mother to the park. It started to rain and we went home. By the time we arrived, it was eight o’clock, so I laid the table while she made dinner.)

Keep practicing: Why not turn this writing prompt into a nightly routine? Keeping a journal can be a great way to get in your daily Spanish writing practice. Plus, it’s a great way to keep track of your progress over time.

Focus on: Commands

Choose a task that you know how to do well, and write a step-by-step explanation of it as though you were guiding a friend through the process.

This prompt is a great way to practice the Spanish commands. Plus, depending on what your specific hobby or area of expertise is, this could be a great way to learn new, specific vocabulary relevant to your interests.  

Sample: Para empezar, pon aceite en una sartén y pica dos dientes de ajo. (To begin, put oil in a pan and chop two cloves of garlic.)

Keep practicing : In Spanish, the way to give a command changes based on who you’re talking to. You say a command differently depending on if you’re talking to one person or multiple people. The form also changes based on whether you’re in a formal or informal situation.

So now, re-write your step-by-step instructions, but this time pretend you’re giving those directions to your boss (use the usted form), a group of friends (use the vosostros form ) or the Spanish royal family (use the ustedes form).

Focus on: Present perfect

Have you ever played the party game “Never Have I Ever”? The point of the game is to reveal things you’ve never done, in order to get others to reveal that they have done them. In Spanish, the game is called Yo nunca (I never). It’s great for getting to know people—and, incidentally, it’s also great for practicing the present perfect tense.

For this writing prompt, write sentences about things you’ve never done, starting with the phrase Yo nunca (I’ve never) followed by a present perfect verb.

Sample: Yo nunca he viajado a China. (I’ve never traveled to China.)

Keep practicing: Convert your phrases into questions as though you were asking a friend if they have ever done the action in question. You can start your questions with the phrase “Alguna vez has…” (Have you ever…)

Focus on: Idiomatic expressions

Like all languages, Spanish has its fair share of idioms—phrases that mean something much different from their literal translations. There’s usually a historical or cultural basis for how the idiom came to be and why it means the way it does, but that’s for another discussion altogether.

This time, think of a common idiom or expression in your native language. Write a short story that incorporates this expression, but translate it directly into Spanish. Try to make the translated idiom fit naturally within the story.

Sample: Mi amiga estaba nerviosa antes de su audición, así que le dije que se rompiera una pierna. Ella me miró confundida y preguntó si en verdad quería que se lastimara. Tuve que explicarle que en inglés, “romperse una pierna” es un deseo de buena suerte. (My friend was nervous before her audition, so I told her to break a leg. She looked at me confused and asked if I really wanted her to hurt herself. I had to explain to her that in English, “break a leg” is a good luck wish.)

Keep practicing: Instead of translating an idiom from English, think of a common Spanish idiom and write a short story that includes it. This will help you practice incorporating Spanish idiomatic expressions in context.

Focus on: Conditional tense

The conditional tense allows you to express ideas about hypothetical situations—things that never happened, things that you’d like to happen, etc. That sounds very dry and academic, so let’s pair it with a fun writing prompt!

Imagine you’ve just inherited an old house from a distant relative. Write a letter to your best friend describing your thoughts and plans for the house.

Sample: Si restaurara esta casa antigua, tendría que reparar los techos y renovar las ventanas. También instalaría un jardín hermoso en el patio trasero. Si decidiera venderla, podría sacar una buena ganancia; pero si optara por vivir aquí, tendría un lugar único y lleno de historias. (If I were to restore this old house, I would have to repair the roofs and renovate the windows. I would also install a beautiful garden in the backyard. If I decided to sell it, I could make a nice profit. But if I chose to live here, I would have a unique place full of stories.)

Keep practicing: Instead of inheriting a house, imagine you won a large sum of money. Describe how you would use it using the conditional tense. You can talk about traveling the world, giving it away to charity—whatever you’d like to do with a huge sum of money.

Focus on: Future tense with probability

When I say “future tense with probability,” I mean emphasizing future actions with how likely they are to happen. You can say the Spanish equivalent of “I think I will be …” or “I will probably be …”

For this prompt, imagine that you’re attending a career fair at your school. Imagine a dialogue between yourself and a classmate about your future professions and write about it. Use the future tense with probability to discuss your aspirations and potential careers.

Sample: Tú: En el futuro, creo que seré médico. Me encanta ayudar a los demás y tengo buenas notas en las ciencias. (You: In the future, I think I will be a doctor. I love helping others and I have good grades in the sciences.)

Amigo: Yo probablemente seré ingeniero. Siempre me ha gustado resolver problemas y construir cosas. (Friend: I will probably be an engineer. I’ve always liked solving problems and building things.)

Keep practicing: Instead of writing about you and your friends’ future, write a dialogue discussing what your parents’ occupations were when they were your age. Again, practice using the future tense with probability.

Focus on: Past progressive tense

The past progressive tense is also known as the past continous tense, and for good reason: it talks about actions that happened continously at some point in the past. It’s pretty easy to construct: get the imperfect tense of estar (to be), conjugate it according to the pronoun it’s paired with and combine it with the gerundio form of the verb.

Now, you’re going to write a short story about your unexpected encounter (imagined or otherwise) with a famous person or a character from a book. Use the past continuous tense to describe what was happening when the encounter took place.

Sample: Estaba caminando por el parque cuando vi a mi actor favorito sentado en un banco, hablando por teléfono. Me emocioné tanto que me tropecé con la raíz de un árbol y caí al suelo. Él me miró con una sonrisa y me ayudó a levantarme. (I was walking through the park when I saw my favorite actor sitting on a bench, talking on the phone. I got so excited that I tripped over a tree root and fell to the ground. He looked at me with a smile and helped me up.)

Keep practicing: This time, write about two characters who unexpectedly run into each other while doing different activities. Use the past continuous tense to create a sense of simultaneous action.

Focus on: Indirect speech (reported speech)

When you’re talking about what another person said (as opposed to quoting them word-for-word), you are using indirect or reported speech. For example, “John says he likes cats” is indirect speech, while “John said: ‘I like cats.'” is direct speech.

For this exercise, imagine you found an old diary with someone’s secrets written in it. Write a story about the person who wrote the diary, using indirect speech to report what they wrote and their feelings.

Sample: Según relataba en sus escritos, Elena confesaba haber estado enamorada en secreto de su mejor amigo de la infancia, Alejandro. Ella escribía que su corazón latía con fuerza cada vez que él entraba a la habitación, y que se sonrojaba cuando él le dirigía la palabra. Aunque nunca se atrevió a confesarle sus sentimientos, las páginas del diario se convirtieron en el refugio de sus emociones más íntimas. (According to her entries, Elena confessed to having been secretly in love with her childhood best friend, Alejandro. She wrote that her heart would race every time he entered the room and that she would blush when he spoke to her. Although she never dared to confess her feelings to him, the diary’s pages became the refuge for her most intimate emotions.)

Keep practicing: Write a story about a conversation between two characters where one character reports what the other character said, using indirect speech to convey the dialogue.

Focus on: Past simple vs. Present perfect

If you often mix up the past simple and past perfect, this is a good exercise to help you set things straight. Also, it’s literally an exercise you can sink your teeth into!

This time, describe a memorable meal you’ve had recently. Explain what you ate, where you were and how it tasted.

Sample: Anoche cené en un restaurante japonés. Pedí sushi y sashimi fresco. No he probado nada tan delicios o desde entonces. (Last night, I had dinner at a Japanese restaurant. I ordered sushi and fresh sashimi. I haven’t tasted anything so delicious since then.)

Keep practicing: Write a short paragraph about a restaurant experience from your past using both the past simple and present perfect tenses.

Focus on: Past perfect

I know “pluscuamperfecto” is quite a mouthful, but trust me: it’s easier than its tongue-twisting appearance might suggest. And if you like reading or writing mystery stories, this will be a fun prompt for you.

For this story, imagine that a mysterious package arrived at someone’s doorstep. (That someone could be you, someone you know or a completely made-up character.) Use the past perfect tense to narrate events that happened before the story’s main events.

Sample: Cuando María abrió el paquete, se sorprendió al ver que alguien ya había abierto el sobre interno. Alguien más había estado curioseando antes que ella. (When Maria opened the package, she was surprised to see that someone had already opened the inner envelope. Someone else had been snooping before her.)

Keep practicing: Describe a moment in which you had already made a decision that significantly impacted your life. Use the Spanish past perfect tense to narrate the events leading up to that decision and its consequences.

Focus on: Past simple vs. past continuous

Narrate a childhood memory where you were engaged in an activity when something unexpected happened. Use both the Spanish past simple and past continuous tenses to vividly depict the sequence of events, your ongoing actions and the interruption that took place.

Sample: Cuando era niño, solía pasar largas tardes jugando en el parque cerca de mi casa. Un día, mientras mis amigos y yo estábamos jugando fútbol, un gato salió de la nada; estaba temblando y se veía triste. Me lo llevé a casa y lo llamé Chicle. Desde entonces, Chicle se volvió parte de nuestra familia. (When I was a child, I used to spend long afternoons playing in the park near my house. One day, while my friends and I were playing soccer, a cat came out of nowhere; he was trembling and looked sad. I took him home and named him Bubblegum. Since then, Bubblegum became part of our family.)

Keep practicing: Describe a memorable event from a vacation you took. Use the Spanish past simple and past continuous tenses to vividly narrate the background actions and the specific moments that stood out during your trip.

Focus on: Conditional clauses with si and future tense.

This time, you’re going to combine what you know about conditional tenses and the simple future in Spanish.

Craft a dialogue between two friends debating the pros and cons of social media usage. Use conditional clauses with si and the future tense to discuss hypothetical outcomes.

Sample: Si no pasara tanto tiempo en las redes sociales, podría concentrarme más en mis estudios y pasatiempos en el futuro. (If I didn’t spend so much time on social media, I could focus more on my studies and hobbies in the future.)

Keep practicing: Do the same exercise, except replace “social media usage” with a different issue.

Focus on: Formal language

For this prompt, you’re going to practice writing in Spanish in the formal register.

Imagine that you’re hosting a formal business event, such as a conference or a networking dinner. Write an invitation email to a respected industry expert, inviting them to speak at the event. Use formal language to convey professionalism and respect.

Sample : Espero que esta carta le encuentre bien. En calidad de organizador del [Nombre del Evento], me complace extenderle una cordial invitación para participar como ponente en nuestro prestigioso evento empresarial que se llevará a cabo el [Fecha] en [Lugar]. Su destacada trayectoria y experiencia en [Área de Conocimiento] lo convierten en un referente indiscutible en la industria. (I hope this letter finds you well. As the organizer of the [Event Name], I am pleased to extend a warm invitation to you to participate as a speaker at our prestigious business event, scheduled to take place on [Date] at [Venue]. Your outstanding career and expertise in [Area of Expertise] make you a true authority in the industry.)

Keep practicing: Imagine that the one you invited responded to you with either a “Yes” or “No.” Write your response to either or both. If they say “No,” write in a way that would gently persuade the other party to change their mind.

Focus on: Narrative tenses

Let’s cap off the intermediate Spanish writing prompts with something that’ll allow more of your creative juices to flow.

This time, write a short story about a person who discovers a magical journal that allows them to travel to different time periods. Use appropriate narrative tenses to describe their experiences.

Sample: Al abrir el diario, me encontré en el antiguo Egipto. Mientras exploraba las pirámides, me di cuenta de que podía entender el idioma y comunicarme con los habitantes. (When I opened the journal, I found myself in ancient Egypt. As I explored the pyramids, I realized I could understand the language and communicate with the inhabitants.)

Keep practicing: Write a paragraph about another adventure the character has using different narrative tenses.

Focus on: Present subjunctive

The subjunctive can be difficult for English speakers to wrap their heads around, especially because it has many different uses. One is to talk about hypothetical situations. So in this writing prompt, you’re going to write about a hypothetical perfect friend.

What qualities would they have? What kinds of things would you do together? Use the phrase “Quiero un amigo que…”  (I want a friend that…) because it’ll necessitate use of the subjunctive mood.

Sample: Quiero un amigo que juegue al futbol conmigo. (I want a friend who plays soccer with me.)

Keep practicing: Write about other hypothetical “ideal” people. What would your ideal employee look like? Your ideal partner? Roommate? Pet? All of these prompts will necessitate a different set of vocabulary, allowing you to practice even more conjugations.

Focus on: Third conditionals

We use third conditionals to talk about impossible hypothetical events. An example of a third conditional in English would be something like, “If you hadn’t arrived so late, you would have gotten a piece of pizza.” Since the speaker is talking about a past event, the outcome described is impossible.

To practice third conditionals, turn to the world of counterfactuals. Think of an event in history or in your own life. How would things be different if the event had never happened, or had happened differently?

Here are some examples to get you started:

• How would the world be different if the Internet had never been invented?
• How would the world be different if chocolate didn’t exist?
• How would your life be different if you had never met your best friend?
• How would your life be different if you had grown up in Spain?

Sample: Si no hubiera conocido a mi mejor amiga, nunca habría aprendido a tocar la guitarra. (If I had never met my best friend, I never would have learned how to play the guitar.)

Keep practicing: Try writing this prompt in second-person question form, as though you were asking a friend. This way, you practice both the construction of a third conditional question as well as the tú conjugations of verbs. For example, you might ask: Si no me hubieras conocido, ¿habrías aprendido a tocar la guitarra? (If you had never met me, would you have learned to play the guitar?)

Focus on: Subjunctive in recommendations

If you need more practice with Spanish subjunctives, I suggest using related writing prompts about topics you enjoy. For example, if you’re all about eco-friendly living, this prompt may be right up your alley.

Here, you’re going to write a blog post encouraging readers to adopt eco-friendly habits in their daily lives. Use subjunctive expressions to give recommendations.

Sample: Es fundamental que reciclemos cada día y que reduzcamos nuestro consumo de plástico para proteger el medio ambiente. (It’s essential that we recycle every day and that we reduce our plastic consumption to protect the environment.)

Keep practicing: Write a list of eco-friendly tips using different subjunctive expressions.

Focus on: Present subjunctive with verbs of influence

On the other hand, if you think that subjunctives are too easy, here’s one way to spice things up: add verbs of influence.

This time, write a letter to an artist you admire, using the present subjunctive with verbs of influence to express how their work has inspired you.

Sample: Espero que continúes creando arte increíble que inspire a generaciones futuras. (I hope you continue creating amazing art that inspires future generations.)

Keep practicing: Write letters to other people you admire, using present subjunctive expressions to convey your admiration.

Focus on: Complex sentence structures

At this point, you’re probably tired of reading and writing the same stock phrases over and over. So now, you’re going to create a narrative with intricate sentences that include relative clauses, participial phrases and other advanced grammatical structures.

Sample: En un bosque encantado, donde los árboles susurran secretos y las estrellas tejen destinos, vivía una criatura misteriosa que solo se revelaba en las noches de luna llena. (In an enchanted forest, where trees whisper secrets and stars weave destinies, lived a mysterious creature that only revealed itself on full moon nights.)

Keep practicing: Rewrite simple sentences from a children’s story using elaborate structures.

Focus on: Incorporating specialized vocabulary

Are you someone who unabashedly loves fusion cuisine and has no second thoughts about shouting that fact on top of the Empire State Building? You’re in luck: not only will this prompt let you do the written equivalent of that, but you’ll also learn to pick up the kind of vocabulary you’d normally not encounter in your Spanish studies.

Specifically, you’re going to write a menu description for a dish that blends elements from two or more culinary traditions.

Sample: Presentamos el “Sushi Mexicano”: tortilla crujiente rellena de delicado pescado fresco, acompañada de aguacate y salsa de soja picante. Una fusión que une a Japón y México en un bocado. (Introducing “Mexican Sushi”: crispy tortilla filled with delicate fresh fish, accompanied by avocado and spicy soy sauce. A fusion that brings together Japan and Mexico in one bite.)

Keep practicing: Design more dishes that combine unexpected ingredients.

Focus on: Humor and wordplay

Speaking of vocabulary, if you pride yourself on your ability to not mix up similar Spanish words, this is your chance to flex your chops in this regard.

In this prompt, you’re going to share funny anecdotes involving misunderstandings or linguistic mishaps while trying to speak Spanish or English.

Sample: Intenté pedir un “embarazado” en lugar de un “empanizado”. ¡Nunca olvidaré la mirada de confusión del camarero y las risas en la mesa! (I tried to order a “pregnant” dish instead of a “breaded” one. I’ll never forget the waiter’s confused look and the laughter at the table!)

Keep practicing: Write a humorous dialogue in which characters misinterpret each other’s words.

Focus on: Cultural nuances

Explore a word or concept in Spanish that doesn’t have an equivalent in English . Discuss its cultural significance and why you find it intriguing.

Sample: Explora la palabra “sobremesa”, que se refiere al tiempo pasado charlando después de una comida en compañía, capturando la importancia cultural de la conexión humana. (Explore the word “sobremesa,” which refers to the time spent chatting after a meal in company, capturing the cultural significance of human connection.)

Keep practicing: Research and write about other untranslatable words in Spanish.

Focus on: Ethical considerations

As an advanced learner , you probably don’t need to zero in so much on specific vocabulary and grammar points anymore. From here on out, I’m going to give you writing prompts that will push your Spanish mastery to the limit.

For this writing prompt, draft an essay discussing a cultural dilemma or ethical issue that you think is important. Explain different perspectives on the matter and offer your own viewpoint.

Sample: El dilema de preservar tradiciones culturales contra adoptar nuevas normas es un tema complejo. Si bien es crucial mantener nuestra identidad, también debemos ser abiertos a la evolución y al progreso. (The dilemma of preserving cultural traditions versus adopting new norms is a complex issue. While it’s crucial to maintain our identity, we must also be open to evolution and progress.)

Keep practicing: Write a sentence expressing a personal opinion on another cultural or ethical issue.

Focus on: Expressing abstract concepts

Write a metaphorical description of the human mind. Compare it to something unexpected and explain the connection.

Sample: La mente humana es como un vasto océano, donde las olas son pensamientos y las profundidades albergan los misterios más oscuros. (The human mind is like a vast ocean, where waves are thoughts and the depths hold the darkest mysteries.)

Keep practicing: Describe other abstract concepts using creative metaphors.

Focus on: Historical narratives

Step right up, history buffs: this writing prompt is for you.

Choose a historical event and narrate it from the perspective of someone who experienced it firsthand. Try to capture their emotions and reactions in a way that’s believable.

Sample: Desde el rincón de mi memoria, revivo aquel día en que la libertad finalmente alzó sus alas sobre nuestra tierra. Las lágrimas de felicidad llenaron los ojos de todos nosotros. (From the corner of my memory, I relive that day when freedom finally spread its wings over our land. Tears of happiness filled all our eyes.)

Keep practicing: Explore the same event from multiple viewpoints.

Focus on: Symbolism

Now it’s time to channel your inner Neruda .

Choose a natural element (e.g., a tree, a river, a mountain) and write a poem that uses it as a symbol to convey a deeper meaning or emotion.

Sample: El árbol anciano, raíces profundas como historias enterradas, sus hojas susurran cuentos al viento, testigos silenciosos de la vida que fluye. (The ancient tree, roots deep like buried stories, its leaves whisper tales to the wind, silent witnesses of flowing life.)

Keep practicing: Create poems using different symbols and themes.

Focus on: Sociocultural changes

Reflect on a traditional aspect of your culture that has evolved over time. Discuss the reasons for these changes and their impact.

Sample: La festividad ancestral del solsticio ha evolucionado de rituales agrarios a una celebración de unidad cultural en la era moderna, reflejando nuestra cambiante relación con la tierra y entre nosotros. (The ancient solstice festival has evolved from agricultural rituals into a celebration of cultural unity in the modern era, reflecting our changing relationship with the land and each other.)

Keep practicing: Predict how current traditions might change in the future.

Focus on: Persuasive writing

Write a persuasive essay arguing for or against the implementation of a four-day workweek in businesses, highlighting its potential benefits or drawbacks on productivity, employee well-being and overall work-life balance.

Sample: La implementación de una semana laboral de cuatro días es una propuesta que merece una consideración cuidadosa. Desde mi perspectiva, esta medida podría beneficiar tanto a los empleados como a las empresas. (The implementation of a four-day workweek is a proposal that deserves careful consideration. From my perspective, this measure could benefit both employees and businesses.)

Keep practicing: Write persuasive pieces about other contemporary issues.

Focus on: Multiculturalism

Write a story in which characters from various cultural backgrounds come together for a common purpose, celebrating their differences.

Sample: En las calles bulliciosas de la ciudad, personas de diversas culturas tejieron un tapiz de amistad y colaboración, demostrando que la diversidad es nuestra mayor fortaleza. (In the bustling streets of the city, people from diverse cultures wove a tapestry of friendship and collaboration, showing that diversity is our greatest strength.)

Keep practicing: Craft narratives that highlight cross-cultural friendships.

Focus on: Reflective writing

Choose a moment from your past that left a lasting impact on you. Describe it in detail and analyze its significance.

Sample: Aquel atardecer en la playa, cuando las olas parecían acariciar el horizonte y el tiempo se detuvo, me recordó que la belleza efímera puede dejar una huella eterna en el corazón. (That sunset at the beach, when the waves seemed to caress the horizon and time stood still, reminded me that ephemeral beauty can leave an eternal mark on the heart.)

Keep practicing: Reflect on other pivotal moments in your life.

Focus on: Language learning journey

Let’s end this entire list with a bang! And I have just the writing prompt for you.

For this last exercise, you’re going to write a letter to your future self reflecting on your Spanish learning journey. Discuss challenges, accomplishments and your aspirations for further language development.

Given the nature of this exercise, I suggest bookmarking this post and going back to this prompt once you feel you’ve already reached your desired level of fluency in Spanish.

Sample: Querido yo del futuro, al mirar atrás en este viaje de aprendizaje del español, veo desafíos conquistados, metas alcanzadas y un amor más profundo por la diversidad de las palabras. ¡Que continúe esta emocionante odisea lingüística! (Dear future self, looking back on this journey of learning Spanish, I see conquered challenges, achieved goals and a deeper love for the diversity of words. May this exciting language odyssey continue!)

Keep practicing: Write letters to your past self at different stages of your language learning journey.

No matter your level of Spanish, writing is an important part of learning Spanish and practicing various aspects of the language. Here are some tips to get the most out of these prompts.

If you’re a beginning Spanish learner, there will inevitably be vocabulary words you don’t know. Don’t fret or get frustrated! Instead of reaching for a dictionary every time you’re at a loss, simply leave a blank space.

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

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The same goes for verb conjugations. If you don’t remember how to conjugate a verb, write it in its infinitive form and flag it with a star or question mark. At the end, go back and look up the correct conjugation.

No more leaving blank spaces on the page! Once your Spanish is at an intermediate level , it’s time to focus on making yourself understood in any situation, even if you can’t always think of the right word.

Whenever the right word feels like it’s beyond your grasp, find a way to describe or express it. Flag this with a star or question mark to remind yourself to later look up the actual word.

Advanced Spanish speakers should be able to communicate in almost any situation. Now, it’s time to focus on diversifying your word usage. Why not make your compositions into mini-competitions with yourself?

For example, if you’re practicing verbs, get a timer and try to write as many verbs as you can in as many conjugations as you can. Once the time is up, count up all your verbs. Give yourself one point for each distinct verb you used (that you conjugated correctly!) and subtract one point for each verb you repeated or conjugated incorrectly.

Whether you’re practicing for your Spanish AP essay or working on your writing skills in general, prompts are a fantastic way to get started. The most important thing is just to write anything about any subject.

Working to form sentences and narratives in Spanish can be difficult at first. But just like any other skill, as you keep working on it, it’ll feel more and more natural.

Writing prompts are a great way to practice Spanish, and you just might have some fun while you study!

If you've made it this far that means you probably enjoy learning Spanish with engaging material and will then love FluentU .

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• UConn Library
• Spanish Studies Subject Guide
• Thinking about Topics

Spanish Studies Subject Guide — Thinking about Topics

• Exploring Broad Topics in Spanish Studies
• Narrowing Topics in Spanish Studies
• Forming a Research Question
• Finding Primary Sources
• Finding Secondary Sources
• Finding Open Access Sources
• Finding Audiovisual Materials
• Finding Current News
• Finding Materials on Microform
• Citing Sources
• Finding Additional Resources

Exploring broad topics in Spanish Studies scholarship is a good way to start thinking about potential topics for your essay, research paper, or project. As you explore some of the broad topics in recent scholarship, consider:

• What are the expectations around the essay, paper, or project? Are there specific geographic or temporal requirements for the assignment?
• What interests you most about some of the broad topics? What are some of the ways that they connect with your interests inside and outside of the classroom?

If you have identified a broad topic, the next step is to adapt or narrow the topic to match the course expectations and requirements for your essay, paper, or project. As you narrow your topic, consider: 

• What are expectations around the length of the paper or project?
• What are the requirements around the use of primary and secondary sources?

Identifying a topic and sources to support your analysis is an important first step in the research process. For many essays and projects, forming a research question and thesis statement is an important next step. As you form a research question, plan to use additional resources: 

• Visit your professors during drop-in office hours or make an appointment with them to discuss your research question and thesis statement early in the process. 
• Use the  UConn Writing Center  to formulate or revise a research question or preliminary thesis statement. The writing center offers free in-person and online tutoring. You can make an appointment, drop-in with a quick question, or request written feedback.
• Email or make an appointment with the  Research Services Librarian for Spanish Studies  for help finding additional primary or secondary sources. 
• << Previous: Overview
• Next: Exploring Broad Topics in Spanish Studies >>
• Last Updated: Mar 27, 2024 3:43 PM
• URL: https://guides.lib.uconn.edu/Spanish

Spanish writing styles and examples to write like a native

A long-term study of Spanish may inspire you to write in the language’s native style.  Check out these Spanish writing styles and examples for you.

Language skills

Four primary skills—listening, speaking, reading, and writing —are developed and practiced when learning the Spanish language . Unless there is a specific reason why you should be concentrating more on one than the others, you must ensure that you work on all four because they are all very important.

Receptive skills include reading and listening. They speak of linguistic comprehension and understanding. We acquire these abilities more passively because we only receive language rather than produce it.

Writing and speaking are useful skills. They refer to the capacity for language production. Since we are producing language when we concentrate on these two abilities, we become more engaged.

You must work on your receptive skills if you want to increase your production abilities. Your productive skills will improve as you put more effort into developing your receptive abilities. You can use the information you read and hear as a model or a guide.

Language production will be simpler because you’ll be writing or speaking from “samples” rather than off the top of your head. We’re going to concentrate on Spanish writing in this blog post. Let’s get going!

Some claim that reading, including your native language, will help you write more effectively. You shouldn’t read any books or articles you deem to be too challenging.

You should read something that is level-appropriate for you, something you can understand and enjoy. Then, based on what you just read, you might write a text.

Make sure to use text as a template each time you write something. Finally, we advise keeping a personal journal in which you can record your thoughts. You’re not required to write profound things. Simply describe your day’s activities in writing.

Formal vs. informal language

Unless we’re writing a WhatsApp message or another similar type of text, we write in a more formal tone than we typically do. Similar to written language, spoken language allows for much more informal language.

The first way to learn a language is orally. Before we can produce language, we must first learn to understand it. As a result, spoken language is more natural than written language. Texts are artificial, so to write “well,” we must learn certain rules.

Writing well is sometimes associated with using formal language, staying away from bad words, shortened words, and spelling errors. You must consider the goal and the audience when writing. Once you are aware of this, you can choose between formal and informal language.

WhatsApp messages

Let’s begin with the text format that is the least formal: WhatsApp messages. Of course, not every WhatsApp message is casual. Even if they message you, your boss, or your teacher, you might still want to use formal language.

However, you’ll more likely use informal language when speaking to friends. In WhatsApp messages, spelling errors, poor word choices, and incorrect punctuation are typically accepted.

Creative writing

Being creative allows you to practice your language skills, which is one of the best things about learning a foreign language. And there are numerous ways to be creative. In any case, keep in mind that having a template before you begin writing is always a good idea.

Write a poem if you enjoy poetry. It could be a completely unrestricted free-verse poem. Alternatively, you could create a rhymed poem with a predetermined format. If you like music, write a song. First, think about what you want to write.

Then think about the melody and rhythm and you’re ready to write your song! Write a story if you like to read it. Think about the plot of your story, how long you want it to be, your characters, and the setting, and off you go!

Writing an essay

If you have to write an academic text such as an essay, you must follow a structure. You first need to think about the type of essay you’re going to write. It might be narrative, argumentative, or descriptive, among others. You also need to consider the topic.

Finally, you need a good bibliography and references. You must always begin your essay with an explanation of its purpose. Then you need to develop your essay into different paragraphs. Finally, you need a conclusion. You can then think of a catchy title.

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Spanish A Level (AQA): Tips for writing a successful literature or film essay

Updated: Dec 10, 2023

In Paper 2 of the AQA A Level Spanish exam, students write one essay for each of the two works they have studied (which can be a text and a film, or two texts).

Students are asked to write approximately 300 words for each question within a 2-hour duration for the whole paper. Although there is no word limit in the AQA A Level exam, and everything you write will be assessed, writing more words does not necessarily mean achieving more marks. Being concise and giving a clear response demonstrate that your reflections and your evaluation of the text or film are strong and accurate.

Essays are assessed according to two criteria: AO3 and AO4. In this post we break down the requirements of each of the Assessment Objectives and look at how you can fulfil them and write an outstanding essay.

Assessment Objective 3 (AO3)

This measures the student’s ability to manipulate the language accurately, in spoken and written forms, using a range of lexis and structure .

The specification gives the following description for the highest marking band:

The language produced is mainly accurate with only occasional minor errors. The student shows a consistently secure grasp of grammar and is able to manipulate complex language accurately.

💡 Tip: Use complex language and vocabulary effectively and appropriately .

The words " effectively " and " appropriately " are important here. It's certainly not necessary to copy out entire pre-learned sentences or rely on formulaic language.

The 2022 Examiner's Report from AQA notes that

There is a fine line between using complex language with a range of structures and forcing inappropriate subjunctives or pre-learned phrases into an essay.

Source: REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – A-LEVEL SPANISH – 7692/2 – JUNE 2022, from aqa.org

The key is to strike the balance between showcasing advanced writing skills and avoiding redundant phrases, or phrases that are stylistically out of place.

Take a moment to read these further comments from the same Examiner's Report:

On the whole it is more important to have the vocabulary needed to express points clearly and to be able to deal with tenses and verbs accurately. It is not appropriate to use phrases such as ‘que yo sepa’ in a literature/film essay, nor the ‘if/would’ structure that we see all the time [...]. Similarly, expressions of emotion that are followed by a subjunctive are out of place in this style of essay; for example ‘me enfada que Paco trate a Paula de esta manera’.

The highest-achieving students are those who are able to use the full range of verb tenses to convey their ideas without relying on pre-learned structures.

Avoid overusing the subjunctive and set phrases; instead, focus on your ability to express yourself clearly and accurately in your writing.

Try some other more complex sentence structures:

Comparative formulations: Este personaje evolucionó mucho más rápido de lo que el lector esperaba.

Using the reflexive as a passive where appropriate:  Las luces en esta escena se usaron para crear una atmósfera de suspense.

Here is the second part of the description for the top marking band under AO3:

The student uses a wide range of vocabulary appropriate to the context and the task.

💡 Tip: Employ a broad range of appropriate vocabulary.

This could include:

Words and expressions related to film: El primer plano / El enfoque / La perspectiva …

Literary words and expressions: En este pasaje / La obra / La escena / El diálogo …

Vocabulary related to the specific text or film. For example, show an understanding of the Colombian Spanish words in “El coronel no tiene quien le escriba” by García Márquez and the terminology related to the historical context.

You will naturally pick up this vocabulary throughout your A Level Spanish course, but you can also refer to our in-course resources and the Quizlet lists for inspiration.

Assessment Objective 4 (AO4)

This measures the student’s ability to show knowledge and understanding of, and respond critically and analytically to, different aspects of the culture and society of countries/communities where the language is spoken. The description for the highest marking band is as follows:

Knowledge of the text or film is consistently accurate and detailed. Opinions, views and conclusions are consistently supported by relevant and appropriate evidence from the text or film.

💡 Tip: Support each of your points with relevant and appropriate evidence .

Although you are not strictly required to learn quotations by heart (according to the AQA examiners, it’s enough to paraphrase  something that a character said), it’s important to have a clear idea of specific events and plot points to reinforce the arguments that you make.

When you re-read your book or re-watch your film, create a knowledge organiser such as a table or mindmap with your own notes on important characters, themes and plot points so that you can revise them easily and have plenty of examples for your essay.

A clear structure is essential to help you organise your ideas. When you plan your essay, make sure there is a reference to the text or film to demonstrate every point that you make and help you to develop your argument.

You can follow this framework:

Introduction - The beginning must include a brief outline of the topic and, very importantly, your thesis statement (the sentence that sums up the central point or idea of your essay).

Each of the following main paragraphs should develop one strong point that relates and justifies the main idea of your essay, and must be supported with specific examples from the book or film.

Evidence from the book / film

Link to title

Conclusion - The last paragraph should include a short but strong conclusion that summarises your evaluation in relation to the original essay question.

Finally, the descriptor for the top marking band under AO4 specifies that:

The essay demonstrates excellent evaluation of the issues, themes and the cultural and social contexts of the text or film studied.

💡 Tip: Focus on evaluation and not description.

As we’ve seen, AO4 focuses on the ability to respond critically and analytically. One common mistake when writing about a film or a text, though, is writing in a descriptive way, simply narrating or recalling events that take place instead of analysing their impact on the subject at hand.

In the same way that a template of the structure can help you write your essay, some sentence starters can guide you to make your paragraphs more analytical. For example:

Make your point:

Es evidente que … / Se puede afirmar que…

Give some evidence:

Una prueba de ello es que …

Develop your point in relation to the original question:

Por consecuencia. ..

De esto se deduce que…

To summarise:

✅ Use complex language and vocabulary effectively  and appropriately .

✅ employ a broad range of appropriate  vocabulary., ✅ support each of your points with relevant and appropriate evidence ., ✅ focus on evaluation  and not description..

Most importantly, practice essay writing as often as you can and use tutor feedback to your advantage!

Kate Maria Languages A Level Academy runs complete A Level courses in Modern Foreign Languages. Find out more about our Spanish A Level course or get in contact to discuss how we can support you.

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16 Useful Tips To Learn How To Write In Spanish

Learning to write in Spanish is one of the most important skills you can acquire while learning the Spanish language .  

If you enjoy writing but have some problems with it, don’t stress, you will get over it. Always remember that writing is a process, even in your native language. 

Writing is a universal communication system, just like speaking. However, they are different in what they can do. Compared to speaking, writing is able to overcome temporal barriers, as its message is usually permanent. 

Therefore, writing in Spanish is one of the most important skills to acquire when learning the language .

How to type Spanish Accents and Letters

First of all, we know that Spanish words have a lot of accents and symbols a little different from English, so if you want to write in Spanish, the first thing we must do is to know how to type them on our computer, in case we have the English keyboard. 

Because, even though you can set the language of the PC in Spanish, you can’t change the physical configuration of your keyboard. That’s why here we’ll teach you how to write Spanish letters and accents with the English keyboard.

First, we must change the language of our keyboard on Windows or Mac, to “English” or “United States-International”.  When installed, in the Windows taskbar (bottom bar), to the far right, there should be an indication of the language that your keyboard is currently using.  

It will probably say “ENG US” or “ENG INTL”.  Click on it to change the current keyboard any time you need to.  The “ENG INTL” keyboard is what you will want to use to easily type Spanish characters. You can also switch keyboards by simultaneously pressing the Windows key and the space bar.

If you press the apostrophe key (‘) or the quotation marks (“), nothing will happen. To type them, you must press the key and then the space bar. Once the space bar is pressed, the apostrophe or quotation mark will appear.

To type a special character, you have to press two keys. To type the “á”, simply press the apostrophe key and then the key for the letter “a”. The other characters are equally easy:

To type the uppercase version of these letters, you must do the same but hold down the SHIFT key while you type the letter.

To type the special punctuation marks, hold down the Alt key while you press the corresponding punctuation mark. 

• ¡ = Alt (hold down) + !
• ¿ = Alt (hold down) + ?

To create accents on the Mac, press and hold down the Option key and, without releasing it, type the letter “e”, then press and release those keys and type the letter over which you want the accent to appear:

• á = Opt + e, then a
• é = Opt + e, then e
• í = Opt + e, then i
• ó = Opt + e, then o
• ú = Opt + e, then u

For the letter “ñ”, you need to hold down the Option key while you type the n, and release and type n again.

• ñ = Opt + n, then n

To place the diaeresis over the “u”, hold down the Option key while pressing the “u” key; then release and type u again.

• ü = Opt + u, then u

The inverted punctuation marks are created as follows:

• ¡ = Opt + 1
• ¿ Opt + shift + ?

15 Ways to Improve Your Writing in Spanish

Now that we have the keyboard set up, we can start typing in Spanish on the computer. Although you can read on to find out why it is better to write by hand! But in the end, it’s all a matter of taste. 

Read these tips to improve your Spanish writing skills!

Before starting to write

1. set your keyboard to spanish.

If you are going to type digitally, the first essential step is to change the configuration of your keyboard to the Spanish language. Spanish has a series of letters, punctuation marks, and symbols that do not exist in English. Especially the letter “Ñ”, which is indispensable in this language.

2. Start writing in a notebook

If you want to write by hand, keeping a notebook in Spanish helps in many ways. It is a way to write in Spanish and give yourself time to think in Spanish each day. It is easier to write about your daily activities just for yourself than to write a formal letter.

3. Select your verbs before you start writing in Spanish

Verb management is one of the most difficult grammatical concepts to master in Spanish. The conjugation of irregular verbs can be especially complicated. 

So a good way to avoid problems with them is when you are defining what you are going to write about, write on another sheet of paper the verbs you plan to use, and have their conjugation sheet at hand. 

4. Don’t try to be impressive

Start with short and simple pieces. Don’t try to impress your friends, colleagues, or fellow students with complicated texts. It is better to start with a simple and clear text than with a long text that is difficult to follow. Try to start writing about what you know how to write, not what you want to write about.

5. Think in Spanish

If you think and work in English with the idea of translating your text later, you will only create more problems for yourself and your text will lack coherence. As soon as you start preparing your text, always think in Spanish. 

This is the only way to improve your Spanish writing skills. I know it can be difficult to think in Spanish, especially at the beginner level , but if you force yourself to do it now, you will save yourself problems in the later stages of your Spanish writing progress.

6. Write about what you like

It is easier to write about things that are interesting to you since you will put more enthusiasm into it. On the other hand, if you start with boring things, you are likely to avoid practicing your writing altogether. This will definitely improve your writing skills.

While you are writing

7. use synonyms.

Using synonyms is a sign that you are already an advanced student of Spanish grammar . It shows that you have a large vocabulary and that you can express your ideas in many different ways in Spanish. 

Avoiding repeating the same word by using synonyms is what you should do when writing in your native language. Doing so demonstrates your progress in the Spanish language. 

8. Use linking words

Textual connectors are transitional words or phrases that give continuity and coherence to texts and are very important in Spanish grammar. They also give fluidity to the writing because they connect sentences and paragraphs in the text. 

They don’t change the meaning of a sentence and are there only to help you “connect” your ideas. Just by adding linking words, you will greatly improve your writing and avoid using short, choppy sentences.

What are the main linking words in Spanish?

9.  look for idiomatic expressions.

For example, Spanish formal letters typically begin with “A quien corresponda” and end with “Atentamente” . Find these kinds of expressions that are idiomatic for the type of writing you are creating and give your writing a more professional look and feel.

When you finish writing

10. check punctuation twice.

One of the most common mistakes Spanish learners make is forgetting to use the initial exclamation and question marks . This is normal since they do not exist in English, but it is not an excuse. 

It is important to use them for good spelling so make it a point to double-check punctuation every time you write in Spanish and, with time, this will no longer be a problem.

Punctuation in Spanish is extremely important as a single accent or period can change the entire meaning of the sentence. Learn how to master Accent Marks in Spanish today!

11. Ask for feedback

When possible, ask a Spanish native speaker or anyone you know who is proficient in Spanish to give you feedback on your writing. 

It could be your teacher or your language partner, but it’s a good idea to get a second feedback, who can correct things you didn’t notice and even give suggestions for improvement. 

12. Write again, but proofread.

If you see that your text had a certain number of errors, rewrite it, but without errors, taking into account all the corrections. This will make your brain pick up the correct way to say it.

Other tips to improve your Spanish writing

13.  find a writing friend.

Finding a native Spanish-speaking friend with whom you can have spoken and written dialogues, it’s a great way to bring your Spanish language improvement to the next level. 

Learn by reading their texts and force yourself to answer even if you don’t have a lot to add. Here you immerse yourself in the language and in the process, make a buddy!

14. Don’t stop writing

The more you write, the easier the words will come to you. You could even set a monthly challenge. You can start by writing 4 short essays a week, or if you have more time, one a day. Set yourself a minimum word count, here’s a list of writing ideas!

Cosas que me gustan

Things I like

Cosas que no me gustan

Things I don’t like

Qué quería ser cuando era niño

What I wanted to be when I was a child

Qué quiero ser en el futuro

What I want to be in the future

Descripción de mi trabajo ideal

Description of my ideal job

Descripción de mi familia

Description of my family

Descripción de mi cantante favorito

Description of my favorite singer

Mi rutina diaria

My daily routine

Crítica de una película o un libro

Movie or book review

15. Read a lot

Reading is a way to learn without even realizing you’re actually learning, and there is no best way to improve your writing than by reading. So just read as long as you can in Spanish. 

Make a habit of reading any material in Spanish you are able to, ideally read about a variety of subjects and use a range of different types of texts. 

Try to read journals, magazines, books , newspapers, booklets, pamphlets, etc. Be aware of all the vocabulary , expressions , and grammatical constructions. 

16. Writing by hand

Research has shown that writing by hand has greater benefits than typing on a keyboard, as it uses our fine motor function and engages several brain regions, triggering muscle memory and helping us to better remember words and phrases.

Handwriting, the simple act of taking a pen or a pencil to write ideas on a piece of paper, forces you to concentrate on what’s really important. When we handwrite, a single neural circuit is activated automatically, according to Stanislas Dehaene, a psychologist at the Collège de France in Paris.

This is because a gesture recognition nucleus is embedded in the handwritten word, a kind of mental simulation recognition in the brain. 

So, in your daily Spanish language practice, be sure to write down your thoughts and ideas on paper.

Start improving your Spanish language skills today!

Writing is the only way to improve your Spanish writing. You need to make the improvement of your writing skills one of your primary objectives during your learning process. 

Create a routine for yourself and follow it. Take these 16 tips into consideration and you will be making great improvements in your writing very soon. 

And if you want to have a teacher to give you feedback on your texts, remember that at SpanishVIP we have professional native teachers ready to accompany you in this learning process. So sign up today for a free 1:1 class or sign up for a 7-day trial of group classes and see why SpanishVIP’s methodology will help you get by in record time!

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To sound natural when writing in Spanish, it is important to use conectores ( transition words ). Transition words link your ideas together, allowing them to flow smoothly from one sentence to the next.

There are many types of transition words you can use when you are writing in Spanish. Let’s take a closer look!

Sequence and Order

The following transition words help us arrange ideas, events, and reasons according to their order of importance or to the order in which they happened chronologically .

Let’s put some of these into context!

Cause and Effect

Use these transition words to make a connection between cause and effect .

Let’s take a look at some examples!

Addition and Agreement

The following transition words add information , express agreement , and reinforce relationships and ideas that came before .

Check out these examples!

Examples, Emphasis, and Clarification

The following transitions are used to introduce examples as support , emphasize a particular fact , or explain a point .

Use these transition words to connect two things by focusing on their differences .

Here are some examples!

Summarizing and Concluding

These transition words can be used to conclude an argument or to summarize ideas .

Want more tips on writing in Spanish? Check out these articles!

• Spanish Punctuation
• Advanced Spanish Punctuation
• Spanish Words to Use in an Essay
• How to Write a Letter in Spanish
• Ace the AP Spanish Exam

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Guest Essay

Some Words Feel Truer in Spanish

By Natalia Sylvester

Ms. Sylvester is the author of the forthcoming children’s book “A Maleta Full of Treasures” (“La Maleta de Tesoros”).

My earliest relationship with language was defined by rules. As an immigrant who came to this country from Peru at age 4, I spent half of my days in kindergarten occupied with learning the rules of the English language. There was the tricky inconsistency of pronunciation to navigate and, once I learned to speak it, the challenge of translating what I’d learned into reading skills.

At home, my mom would often create games to help my sister and me preserve our Spanish and improve our grammar. Driving around our neighborhood in Miami, she’d point at a traffic light, hold up four fingers and say, “Se-ma-fo-ro — on which syllable do you put the accent?”

Each language had its defined space: English in school, Spanish at home. But as my parents became more fluent (and my sister and I more dominant) in English, the boundaries became blurred. Being bilingual empowered us to break barriers beyond the rules and definitions attached to words. Some things were simply untranslatable, because they spoke to this new space we were living in — within, between and around language. We were making a new home here, same as so many immigrants who end up shaping language as much as it shapes us.

It became evident as the phrase “Cómo se dice?” or “How do you say?” became a constant in my home. Sometimes, it’d be my parents who asked, “How do you say” followed by a word like “sobremesa” or “ganas.” It seemed simple enough in theory, but proved nearly impossible for us to translate without elaborating using full sentences or phrases. After all, to have a word to describe a long conversation that keeps you at the table and extends a meal, you’d have to value the concept enough to name it. Some ideas are so embedded in Latin American and Spanish cultures that they exist implicitly. Of course “ganas” can be something you feel but also give, and be at once more tame yet more powerful than “desire.” (If you know, you know.)

Other times, it’d be my sister and I who were curious about a word’s Spanish counterpart. Was there really no differentiating in Spanish between the fingers (dedos) on our hands, and those on our feet we call toes? When we wanted to say we were excited about something, the word “emocionada” seemed to fall short of capturing our specific, well, emotion. Sometimes we would blank on a word. But sometimes, we would find that the perfect word isn’t necessarily in the language we’re speaking.

What I’m describing, of course, has its own word: code switching. The act of shifting from one language or dialect to another, particularly based on social context, is often framed as something that so-called minorities do to fit into more mainstream spaces. It’s true that code switching can be a form of assimilation, a way of shielding ourselves from the prejudices rooted in racism, classism and xenophobia that can arise when we freely express our culture and language in spaces not designed to embrace them. But what I seldom see discussed is how code switching isn’t solely a reactionary response to feeling unwelcome. Within our own communities, it can signal comfort and belonging.

Take the Spanish word “maleta,” or “suitcase” in English. This year, I was at a writing conference and met up with two Mexican American authors, one of whom brought her suitcase to the venue because she had already checked out of the hotel. We walked the halls and offered to help with her maleta, making several jokes and references to it, but never once using the word “suitcase,” despite speaking mainly in English.

This was an entirely natural and unspoken decision. There are some words that simply feel truer in Spanish than they do in English. I call these home words and heart words because I associate them with the place I most grew up using them: at home, among family. Though the words might share a literal definition with their translation, one version carries emotional depth that enriches its meaning. To code switch this way among friends implies we share not only a language, but an intimate understanding of where we come from.

A suitcase is for clothes and possessions when someone travels, but to me, a maleta meant family had arrived from Peru, carrying flavors, textures and memories of my birthplace. Language is rooted in context, which is another way of saying that language is driven by memory. In this way, what we do or don’t choose to translate is another way of telling stories about our past.

Last year, a study on the specific way that Miamians use direct Spanish translations to form English phrases called the practice an emerging dialect. It’s a form of borrowing between languages that results in what is known as calques. For decades, expressions like “get down from the car” and “super hungry,” which are translated from Spanish, have made their way into regional speech, even in the case of non-Spanish speakers.

When I shared the article on social media, my DMs were flooded by friends and family — not only in Miami but also in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas and in Southern California — who joked that they’ve been using these phrases since they were children, and their parents had, too. The novelty was not in their usage but in their validation (whether or not we sought that validation). My friends and I grew up being told to speak a certain way and respect the rules of both languages. We, in turn, didn’t so much break the rules as we simply played with them, swirling bits of English and Spanish together until it resembled something new yet familiar, our fingerprints proudly planted in its mess.

This is one of my greatest joys as a writer. I love language not only for all it can do but also for all it can’t and all the space it leaves in the gaps for creation. It is empowering that something as supposedly fixed as the meaning of a word or phrase is actually alive and evolving. It means we don’t have to lose parts of ourselves to assimilation; we can expand language to include the full breadth of our experiences.

Words are just sounds and letters until we collectively give them meaning through story. When we use language to connect, it’s one of the most beautiful things that make us human.

Natalia Sylvester is the author of the forthcoming children’s book “A Maleta Full of Treasures” (“La Maleta de Tesoros”).

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