Grammar overview — the AQA defined grammar list for Spanish
AQA GCSE Spanish requires active command of a defined grammar list. This overview maps the full landscape; click each sub-code for the detailed treatment.
Grammar sub-topics
| Code | Area | Key content |
|---|---|---|
| G.N | Nouns & articles | gender, plurals, definite/indefinite/lo |
| G.A | Adjectives | agreement, apocopation, position, comparative, superlative |
| G.AD | Adverbs | -mente formation, irregulars, intensifiers |
| G.PRO | Pronouns | subject, DO/IO, reflexive, relative, demonstrative, disjunctive |
| G.SE | Ser vs estar | uses of each — permanent vs temporary |
| G.V.PRES | Present tense | regular + radical-changing + key irregulars |
| G.V.PRET | Preterite | regular + irregular (fui, hice, tuve…) |
| G.V.IMP | Imperfect | formation, contrast with preterite |
| G.V.FUT | Near future + future | ir a + inf, simple future, conditional |
| G.V.OTHER | Other moods/tenses | subjunctive, pluperfect, passive (HT) |
| G.NEG | Negation | no, nada, nadie, nunca, ningún, double negatives |
| G.Q | Questions | question words (qué, quién, cuándo…), inversion |
| G.PREP | Prepositions | a, de, en, por, para, con, sin, desde, hasta |
| G.CONJ | Conjunctions | y/e, o/u, pero, sino, porque, ya que, aunque, sin embargo |
| G.NUM | Numbers, dates, time | cardinal/ordinal, calendar, clock |
Grammar hierarchy — what earns marks
Bronze (Foundation pass): present tense, ser/estar basics, basic negation, numbers
Silver (C/D crossover): preterite (regular + fui/hice/tuve), imperfect for description, near future (ir a + inf), comparison
Gold (A/A):* si-clauses (imperfect + conditional), present subjunctive (after querer que/esperar que), pluperfect, passive, complex relative clauses
The golden rule — accuracy over complexity
A short, accurate sentence outscores a long, error-ridden attempt at complexity. Only "reach" for Higher structures if you know them cold.
Grammar in writing — minimum requirements
Every 90-word or 150-word task should contain:
- Three tenses — present + preterite + conditional/future
- At least two connectives beyond y and pero
- At least one opinion verb + justification
- Ser vs estar demonstrated correctly — at least once each
Top 5 Spanish grammar errors to avoid
- Si + conditional → WRONG: Si tendría… ✗ → Si tuviera… ✓ (imperfect subjunctive after si at Higher; imperfect indicative at Foundation-style si-clauses)
- Missing reflexive pronouns — me llamo, me levanto, me acuesto — the reflexive must be there
- "De" after negation — no tengo ningún amigo (note: ningún not no tengo no amigos)
- Ser/estar confusion — Estoy estudiante ✗ → Soy estudiante ✓ (identity/profession = ser)
- Apocopation — buen chico (not bueno chico); gran hombre (not grande hombre before noun)
AI-generated · claude-opus-4-7 · v3-deep-spanish