Present Tense (el presente)
What you do/are doing now.
-AR (hablar)
hablo · hablas · habla · hablamos · habláis · hablan -ER (comer)
como · comes · come · comemos · coméis · comen -IR (vivir)
vivo · vives · vive · vivimos · vivís · viven AQA GCSE Spanish 8698
🇪🇸 AQA GCSE Spanish Reference Sheet 2026
Verb conjugations, ser vs estar, pronouns, gustar-type verbs and exam technique for all four papers — your complete AQA GCSE Spanish 8698 reference for 2026.
All Required Tenses Ser vs Estar AQA 3 Themes 4-Paper Technique
Our reference sheets are free to download — save this one as PDF for offline revision.
Aligned with the latest 2026 syllabus and board specifications. This sheet is prepared to match your exam board’s official specifications for the 2026 exam series.
All the Core AQA GCSE Spanish Grammar & Vocabulary in One Place
AQA GCSE Spanish (8698) tests four skills across three broad themes. This reference sheet brings together every essential tense, the ser/estar distinction, pronoun rules and theme vocabulary you need, plus exam technique for each paper at Foundation and Higher tier.
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All AQA tenses: present, preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, perfect, subjunctive
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Ser vs estar, articles, pronouns, gustar-type verbs and reflexives
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Vocabulary structured around the three AQA themes
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Exam technique for Papers 1–4 (F & H tiers)
Verb Conjugations — Regular -AR, -ER, -IR Verbs
Master regular endings; irregulars build from these patterns.
Preterite (el pretérito) — completed past actions
Single, completed actions in the past.
-AR (hablar)
hablé · hablaste · habló · hablamos · hablasteis · hablaron -ER/-IR (comer/vivir)
comí · comiste · comió · comimos · comisteis · comieron Trigger words: ayer, anoche, la semana pasada, el año pasado, en 2020.
Imperfect (el imperfecto) — used to / was doing / background
Continuous or repeated actions / descriptions in the past.
-AR (hablar)
hablaba · hablabas · hablaba · hablábamos · hablabais · hablaban -ER/-IR (comer/vivir)
comía · comías · comía · comíamos · comíais · comían Trigger words: siempre, todos los días, normalmente, cuando era pequeño/a.
Preterite vs Imperfect
When to use which is heavily tested.
Preterite
Single, completed action with a clear start/end Imperfect
Background, description, repeated/habitual past action, ongoing 'was doing' Cuando era pequeña (imp), fui a España (pret). Future Tenses
Two ways to talk about the future.
Immediate future
ir + a + infinitive — 'voy a estudiar' (I'm going to study) Simple future (-ar/-er/-ir)
Add to the infinitive: -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án — hablaré, comeré, viviré Conditional (el condicional)
Would do.
Formula
Add to the infinitive: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían hablaría · comería · viviría Present Perfect (el pretérito perfecto)
Have done — recent past with present relevance.
Formula
haber (present) + past participle — he/has/ha/hemos/habéis/han Past participles
-AR → -ado · -ER/-IR → -ido — hablado, comido, vivido Pluperfect (el pluscuamperfecto)
Had done — completed before another past action.
Formula
haber (imperfect) + past participle — había/habías/había/habíamos/habíais/habían Present Subjunctive (el subjuntivo)
Used after expressions of doubt, emotion, wish; after ojalá; after cuando referring to the future (Higher tier).
Formation
Take 'yo' present stem, drop -o, add: -AR → -e endings (hable) · -ER/-IR → -a endings (coma, viva) Espero que vengas. · Cuando sea mayor, viajaré. Common Irregular Verbs
Memorise these in present, preterite and past participle.
SER (to be — permanent)
Present
soy · eres · es · somos · sois · son Preterite
fui · fuiste · fue · fuimos · fuisteis · fueron Past participle
sido ESTAR (to be — temporary/location)
Present
estoy · estás · está · estamos · estáis · están Preterite
estuve · estuviste · estuvo · estuvimos · estuvisteis · estuvieron TENER (to have)
Present
tengo · tienes · tiene · tenemos · tenéis · tienen Preterite
tuve · tuviste · tuvo · tuvimos · tuvisteis · tuvieron IR (to go) / HACER (to do/make)
IR present
voy · vas · va · vamos · vais · van IR preterite (= ser preterite)
fui · fuiste · fue · fuimos · fuisteis · fueron HACER present
hago · haces · hace · hacemos · hacéis · hacen HACER past participle
hecho Other Key Irregulars (yo form)
PODER → puedo · QUERER → quiero · DECIR → digo · PONER → pongo · SABER → sé · DAR → doy · VENIR → vengo Irregular past participles
abierto, cubierto, dicho, escrito, hecho, muerto, puesto, roto, visto, vuelto SER vs ESTAR — When to Use Each
Both mean 'to be' but have different uses. Two helpful acronyms below.
Use SER for permanent / inherent (DOCTOR)
DOCTOR — Description, Occupation, Characteristic, Time, Origin, Relationship.
Description
Es alta. (She is tall.) Occupation
Soy estudiante. Characteristic
Es simpática. Time
Son las tres. Origin
Soy de Inglaterra. Relationship
Es mi hermana. Use ESTAR for temporary / location (PLACE)
PLACE — Position, Location, Action (-ndo), Condition, Emotion.
Position
Está sentado. Location
Madrid está en España. Action (continuous)
Estoy estudiando. Condition
El café está frío. Emotion
Estoy triste. Meaning Changes
Some adjectives change meaning depending on ser/estar.
ser aburrido (boring) vs estar aburrido (bored) · ser listo (clever) vs estar listo (ready) · ser bueno (good person) vs estar bueno (tasty/healthy) Articles, Adjectives & Pronouns
Articles
Definite (the)
el · la · los · las Indefinite (a/some)
un · una · unos · unas Adjective Agreement & Position
Endings
-o → -a (f) / -os (mp) / -as (fp) — bueno/buena/buenos/buenas. -e and most consonants: same m/f, add -s/-es for plural. Position
Usually AFTER the noun. Some go before (gran, buen, mal, primer, último) and may shorten. Comparative & Superlative
Comparative
más + adj + que · menos + adj + que · tan + adj + como (as...as) Superlative
el/la/los/las + más + adj — 'el más alto' (the tallest) Absolute
Add -ísimo/a — 'guapísima' (extremely pretty) Irregular
bueno → mejor · malo → peor · grande → mayor · pequeño → menor Subject Pronouns
yo · tú · él/ella/usted · nosotros/as · vosotros/as · ellos/ellas/ustedes Often dropped because the verb ending shows the subject.
Direct Object Pronouns
me · te · lo/la · nos · os · los/las Position: BEFORE conjugated verb, or attached to infinitive/gerund/imperative. 'Lo veo' / 'Voy a verlo'.
Indirect Object Pronouns
me · te · le · nos · os · les le/les become 'se' when followed by lo/la/los/las. 'Se lo doy'.
Gustar-Type Verbs
Spanish flips the structure: the thing liked is the SUBJECT.
Singular thing
Me gusta el chocolate. Plural things
Me gustan los chocolates. Verb / activity
Me gusta nadar. Other 'gustar' verbs
encantar, interesar, importar, doler, hacer falta, faltar Reflexive Verbs
Action done to oneself.
Pronouns
me · te · se · nos · os · se levantarse, ducharse, vestirse, divertirse, acostarse Negatives
no (not) · nunca/jamás (never) · nada (nothing) · nadie (nobody) · ningún/ninguna (no, not any) · ni... ni (neither... nor) · tampoco (neither/either) Spanish allows double negatives: 'No tengo nada'.
AQA GCSE Spanish — The 3 Themes (2026)
Build vocabulary banks for every sub-topic — examiners reward range and accuracy.
Theme 1 — Identity & Culture
Me, my family and friends; technology in everyday life; free-time activities; customs and festivals.
Sub-themes
la familia, los amigos, las relaciones, la tecnología, las redes sociales, los pasatiempos, el deporte, la música, las fiestas Key verbs
llevarse bien con, pelearse, navegar, descargar, hacer deporte, celebrar Theme 2 — Local, National, International & Global Areas of Interest
Home, town, neighbourhood and region; social issues; global issues; travel and tourism.
Sub-themes
la casa, la ciudad, el barrio, el medio ambiente, la pobreza, los sin hogar, el cambio climático, las vacaciones, los transportes Key verbs
vivir, reciclar, contaminar, proteger, viajar, visitar, ayudar Theme 3 — Current and Future Study and Employment
My studies; life at school/college; education post-16; jobs, career choices and ambitions.
Sub-themes
las asignaturas, los profesores, el uniforme, el bachillerato, la universidad, los trabajos, las prácticas, el dinero Key verbs
estudiar, aprender, aprobar, suspender, trabajar, ganar, hacerse, esperar Useful Connectives & Phrases for Top Marks
Drop several into every long answer — these signal Higher-tier control.
Opinion Phrases
Pienso que... · Creo que... · En mi opinión... · Me parece que... · Desde mi punto de vista... Connectives
y · pero · o · porque · ya que · sin embargo · además · por lo tanto · aunque · por ejemplo Sequencing
primero · luego · después · entonces · finalmente · al principio · al final Time Markers
ayer · hoy · mañana · el fin de semana pasado · el año que viene · hace dos años · durante · desde hace Higher-Tier Phrases
Es importante que (+ subjunctive)... · Si tuviera la oportunidad... · Lo que me interesa es... · No solo... sino también... Exam Technique — AQA GCSE Spanish Papers 1–4
Same content, different demands per paper. Match strategy to question type.
Paper 1 — Listening (F: 35 min · H: 45 min)
25% of GCSE. Section A in English, Section B in Spanish.
Read every question BEFORE the audio plays · Predict vocabulary · Listen for negatives, time markers, qualifiers (muy, mucho, no, nunca) You hear each section twice. Use the second listen to confirm — not start over.
Paper 2 — Speaking (F: 7–9 min · H: 10–12 min)
25% of GCSE. Role play (15 marks) + Photo card (15 marks) + General conversation (30 marks).
Role play
'Usted' (formal) form · use 'quisiera', '¿podría...?' · include unprepared question and one in a different tense Photo card
Describe (En la foto hay... / Veo...) + opinion + answer pre-set questions with justification General conversation
Cover 2 themes. Aim for at least one example each of: opinion, preterite, imperfect, future, subjunctive (Higher) Paper 3 — Reading (F: 45 min · H: 1 h)
25% of GCSE. Section A: questions in English. Section B: questions in Spanish. Section C: translation ES→EN.
Skim → scan → read for inference. Watch for false friends (constipado, embarazada, sensible). Translation ES→EN
Translate the meaning, not word-for-word. Don't leave gaps; make a sensible guess from context. Paper 4 — Writing (F: 1 h · H: 1 h 15)
25% of GCSE. Foundation: structured short writing tasks. Higher: 90-word + 150-word + translation EN→ES.
Plan
Introduction · 2–3 main points (each in a different tense) · conclusion with opinion Range
Different tenses · ser/estar correctly · varied connectives · attempt subjunctive (Higher) Translation EN→ES
Identify tense → choose preterite vs imperfect → ser vs estar → check accents and ñ How to Use This Reference Sheet
Boost your Cambridge exam confidence with these proven study strategies from our tutoring experts.
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Speak Out Loud Daily
Even 10 minutes of speaking in Spanish daily — about your day, opinions, plans — builds the fluency examiners reward in Paper 2.
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Build Theme Vocabulary Banks
For each AQA sub-theme, build a list of 30+ words. Add useful verbs and connectives next to each so you can recycle them in writing.
✏️
Drill Preterite vs Imperfect
Most lost marks in writing come from mixing these up. Practice with a paragraph that mixes both: 'When I was little (imp), one day I went (pret)...'.
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Listen to Spanish Daily
Use News in Slow Spanish, AQA-style listening practice or short YouTube videos. Ear training is the most-skipped revision step.
Reference Sheet FAQ
Quick answers about this free PDF and how to use it for exam revision and active recall.
Is the AQA GCSE Spanish Reference Sheet 2026 free to download as a PDF?
Yes. This Tutopiya formula sheet is free to use and you can download it as a PDF from this page for offline revision. There is no payment or account required for the PDF download.
What Spanish topics and equations does this formula sheet cover?
This page groups key Spanish formulas in one place for revision. Master AQA GCSE Spanish (8698) with this 2026 reference sheet. Covers verb conjugations across all required tenses, ser vs estar, articles, pronouns, gustar-type verbs, the three AQA themes and exam technique for all … Always cross-check with your official syllabus and past papers for your exam session.
Can I use this instead of the official exam formula booklet in the exam?
No. In the exam you must follow only what your exam board allows in the hall—usually the official formula booklet or data sheet where provided. This page is a revision and teaching aid, not a replacement for board-issued materials.
Who is this formula sheet for (Secondary)?
It is written for students preparing for assessments at Secondary in Spanish, including classroom revision, homework support, and independent study. Teachers and tutors can also share it as a quick reference.
How should I revise with this formula sheet?
Work through past paper questions, quote the correct formula before substituting values, and check units and notation every time. Pair this sheet with timed practice and mark schemes so you see how examiners expect working to be set out.
Where can I get more help with Spanish revision?
Explore Tutopiya’s study tools, past paper finder, and revision checklists linked from our tools hub, or book a trial lesson with a subject specialist for personalised support alongside this formula reference.
Need Help with AQA GCSE Spanish Speaking & Writing?
Practice AQA-style role plays, photo cards and 90/150-word writing tasks with a native or near-native Spanish tutor. We focus on tense range, ser/estar accuracy and exam technique.
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This reference sheet aligns with AQA GCSE Spanish (8698) specification content for 2026 examinations.
Always include examples of preterite, imperfect AND future tenses in every long writing answer — range of tenses is heavily rewarded at both tiers.