Present (Presente de indicativo)
Habitual / current actions.
-AR (hablar)
hablo · hablas · habla · hablamos · habláis · hablan -ER (comer)
como · comes · come · comemos · coméis · comen -IR (vivir)
vivo · vives · vive · vivimos · vivís · viven IB Diploma Programme Spanish B (SL & HL)
🇪🇸 IBDP Spanish B Reference Sheet 2026
All major Spanish tenses including the subjunctive, ser vs estar, por vs para, pronouns, the five prescribed themes, conceptual understandings, text types and exam technique — your complete IB DP Spanish B reference for 2026.
All Tenses + Subjunctive 5 Prescribed Themes Conceptual Understandings Paper 1 / Paper 2 / IO
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 IBDP Spanish B Grammar, Themes & Skills in One Place
IB Diploma Programme Spanish B is for students with prior experience of Spanish — not native speakers. The course is built around 5 prescribed themes, 5 conceptual understandings (audience, context, purpose, meaning, variation) and a wide range of text types. This reference sheet brings together every essential tense, grammar rule, theme and exam technique you need at SL and HL for 2026.
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All major tenses + present, imperfect and perfect subjunctive
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Ser vs estar, por vs para, gustar-type verbs and verbs of becoming
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All 5 prescribed themes with sub-topics and key vocabulary
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Exam technique for Paper 1, Paper 2 and the Individual Oral (SL & HL)
Verb Conjugations — All Major Tenses
IB Spanish B examiners reward range AND accuracy across tenses. Plan to use at least 4 tenses in every long writing answer.
Preterite vs Imperfect
Two past tenses with different aspect — examiners reward correct contrast.
Preterite (Pretérito indefinido)
Completed actions: hablé · hablaste · habló · hablamos · hablasteis · hablaron. Triggers: ayer, anoche, el mes pasado, en 2019. Imperfect (Pretérito imperfecto)
Description / habit / background: hablaba · hablabas · hablaba · hablábamos · hablabais · hablaban. Triggers: siempre, todos los días, mientras, cuando era joven. Use BOTH together: 'Mientras leía (imp.) un libro, sonó (pret.) el teléfono.'
Future & Conditional
Future (Futuro)
Infinitive + -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án → hablaré, hablarás… ('I will speak…'). Conditional (Condicional)
Infinitive + -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían → hablaría, hablarías… ('I would speak…' / polite). Common irregular stems (used for both)
tener → tendr-, salir → saldr-, poder → podr-, hacer → har-, decir → dir-, querer → querr-. Compound past tenses
Present perfect (Pretérito perfecto)
haber (present) + past participle → he hablado ('I have spoken'). Trigger: hoy, esta semana, alguna vez, ya, todavía no. Pluperfect (Pluscuamperfecto)
haber (imperfect) + past participle → había hablado ('I had spoken'). Used for an action before another past action. Subjunctive — three forms required at IB
Used after expressions of doubt, emotion, desire, necessity and certain conjunctions.
Present subjunctive
Take 'yo' present indicative stem → swap endings: -AR → -e/-es/-e/-emos/-éis/-en; -ER/-IR → -a/-as/-a/-amos/-áis/-an. 'Quiero que hables.' Imperfect subjunctive
Take 3rd person plural preterite, drop -ron, add -ra/-ras/-ra/-ramos/-rais/-ran (or -se forms). 'Si tuviera tiempo, viajaría.' Perfect subjunctive
haber (present subjunctive) + past participle → 'haya hablado'. 'Espero que hayas terminado.' Triggers: WEIRDO — Wishes, Emotion, Impersonal expressions, Recommendations, Doubt, Ojalá. Also after 'cuando + future', 'para que', 'antes de que', 'aunque + uncertainty'.
SER vs ESTAR & POR vs PARA
These distinctions are heavily examined and used by markers as accuracy indicators.
SER (permanent / inherent)
Identity, origin, profession, characteristics, time, possession, material. 'Es de Madrid.' · 'Soy profesora.' · 'Son las tres.' ESTAR (state / location)
Location, temporary state, ongoing actions (estar + gerundio), result of an action. 'Estoy cansado.' · 'Está en la cocina.' · 'Estoy estudiando.' Meaning-changing adjectives
ser aburrido (boring) ↔ estar aburrido (bored) · ser listo (clever) ↔ estar listo (ready) · ser bueno (good person) ↔ estar bueno (tasty/in good shape) · ser rico (rich) ↔ estar rico (delicious). POR — cause / motion / exchange
Reason ('por amor'), duration ('por dos horas'), motion through ('por el parque'), exchange ('gracias por'), means ('por avión'), passive agent ('escrito por'). PARA — purpose / destination / deadline
Purpose ('para aprender'), recipient ('para ti'), destination ('salgo para Madrid'), deadline ('para el lunes'), opinion ('para mí'). Pronouns & Verbs of Becoming
Subject and object pronouns
Subject
yo · tú · él/ella/usted · nosotros/as · vosotros/as · ellos/ellas/ustedes Direct object (DO)
me · te · lo/la · nos · os · los/las Indirect object (IO)
me · te · le · nos · os · les Order before verb
IO before DO ('me lo dio'). 'Le' / 'les' becomes 'se' before 'lo/la/los/las' ('Se lo di'). Reflexive pronouns
me · te · se · nos · os · se → 'me levanto, te levantas, se levanta…' Gustar-type verbs
The thing liked is the subject; the person is an indirect object.
(A mí) me gusta el cine. (A nosotros) nos gustan las películas. Same pattern: encantar, interesar, importar, doler, parecer, faltar, quedar. Relative pronouns
que (most common, things and people) · quien/quienes (people, after preposition) · el cual / la cual / los cuales (formal, avoids ambiguity) · lo que ('the thing that…') · cuyo/cuya/cuyos/cuyas (whose — agrees with thing possessed). Verbs of becoming
ponerse + adjective
Sudden / temporary state — 'se puso triste'. volverse + adjective
Involuntary / radical change — 'se volvió loco'. hacerse + noun/adjective
Active / gradual — 'se hizo médico'. convertirse en
Change of nature/role — 'se convirtió en una estrella'. Five Prescribed Themes (2026)
All Paper 1 prompts and most Paper 2 / IO content link to these five themes — build vocabulary banks for each.
1. Identidades (Identities)
Self-image, lifestyle, beliefs, language, health.
Sub-topics
estilo de vida · creencias y valores · lenguas e identidad · salud y bienestar · subculturas. Key vocabulary
la identidad, la pertenencia, los valores, la diversidad, el bienestar, la autoestima. 2. Experiencias (Experiences)
Activities, holidays, life stories, rites of passage, migration.
Sub-topics
actividades de ocio · vacaciones · historias de vida · ritos de paso · migración. Key vocabulary
la experiencia, el viaje, la migración, la nostalgia, el recuerdo, integrarse. 3. Ingenio humano (Human ingenuity)
Communication, technology, science, art, entertainment.
Sub-topics
tecnología · medios de comunicación · arte · entretenimiento · innovación científica. Key vocabulary
la innovación, la tecnología, las redes sociales, la inteligencia artificial, la creatividad. 4. Organización social (Social organization)
Family, education, work, community, justice.
Sub-topics
la familia · la educación · el mundo laboral · la comunidad · ley y orden. Key vocabulary
la justicia, la igualdad, la ciudadanía, los derechos, las responsabilidades, la convivencia. 5. Compartiendo el planeta (Sharing the planet)
Environment, human rights, peace, conflict, globalisation.
Sub-topics
el medio ambiente · los derechos humanos · la paz y el conflicto · la globalización · la pobreza. Key vocabulary
el cambio climático, la sostenibilidad, los derechos humanos, la pobreza, la desigualdad, los refugiados. Conceptual Understandings & Text Types
Every Paper 1 task is judged on whether you address audience, context, purpose, meaning AND variation through the right text type.
5 conceptual understandings
Audience (público)
Who are you writing for? Adapt vocabulary, register and tone. Context (contexto)
When/where does the text appear? Magazine? Speech? School blog? Purpose (propósito)
Inform, persuade, narrate, entertain, instruct. Meaning (significado)
Choose register, syntax and vocabulary that convey your intended meaning precisely. Variation (variación)
Adjust formality, dialect markers and tone for the situation. Internal documents (private register)
Memo · email · entrada de blog · diario · carta personal — informal/semi-formal register, first person, direct address. Mass media (public register)
Artículo (de noticias / de opinión) · informe · reseña · columna de opinión · entrevista · podcast (guion) · publicación en redes sociales. Academic / formal
Ensayo · informe · propuesta · discurso formal — third person, formal connectors (no obstante, por consiguiente, en conclusión). HL Literary Works & Higher-Level Phrases
HL students study TWO literary works in Spanish and must reference them in the IO.
Literary works (HL only)
Read at least two complete literary works originally written in Spanish. Track theme, narrator, register, key extracts and one global issue you can discuss in the IO. Connectors for top marks
Adding
además, asimismo, también, por otra parte. Contrasting
sin embargo, no obstante, pese a, por el contrario, mientras que. Cause / consequence
puesto que, ya que, debido a, por lo tanto, en consecuencia, por consiguiente. Concluding
en definitiva, en resumen, para concluir, en última instancia. Subjunctive trigger phrases
Es importante que… · Ojalá que… · Aunque + subj. (= even if) · Cuando + subj. (future ref.) · Para que… · Antes de que… · No creo que… Exam Technique — Paper 1, Paper 2 & Individual Oral
Different components reward different skills — match yours to the task.
Paper 1 — Productive skills (Writing)
Choose ONE of three text-type tasks linked to the prescribed themes.
SL
1 hour 15 minutes · 250–400 words · 1 of 3 tasks. HL
1 hour 30 minutes · 450–600 words · 1 of 3 tasks. Plan
Identify text type → audience → register → purpose → outline 3–4 paragraphs → include opinion + justification + at least one subjunctive. Paper 2 — Listening + Reading
Two papers in one session.
Listening (SL ~45 min, HL 1 hour)
Three audio passages, multiple-choice and short-answer; you hear each twice. Reading (1 hour both levels)
Three written texts, mixed task types; HL texts include literary extracts. Read all questions BEFORE the audio. Watch for negatives, qualifiers and synonyms (paraphrase) — answers rarely use exact words from the audio.
Individual Oral (Internal Assessment)
Internally assessed, externally moderated.
SL
15 min prep + 12–15 min recording. Photo describing a prescribed theme + theme question (3–4 min description) + 4–5 min discussion + general conversation. HL
20 min prep + 12–15 min recording. Extract from a literary work studied (3–4 min analysis) + 4–5 min discussion + general conversation on themes. Always: describe → analyse → give opinion + justification → connect to a prescribed theme → use a range of tenses.
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 in Spanish for 10 Minutes Daily
Describe your day, react to a news headline, summarise a podcast in Spanish. Fluency is built by daily output, not weekly bursts.
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Build Theme-Based Vocabulary Banks
For each of the 5 themes, build a list of 30+ words with sub-topics. Add 2–3 idioms and 2–3 connectors per theme.
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Use a Range of Tenses + Subjunctive
Top-band Paper 1 answers use present, past (preterite + imperfect), future/conditional AND at least one subjunctive form. Plan this in your outline.
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Listen to Authentic Spanish Daily
Use Radio Ambulante, El País podcasts, RTVE noticias, Spanish-language Netflix with Spanish subtitles. 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 IBDP Spanish B 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 B topics and equations does this formula sheet cover?
This page groups key Spanish B formulas in one place for revision. Master IB Diploma Programme Spanish B (SL & HL) with this 2026 reference sheet. Covers all major tenses including subjunctive, ser vs estar, por vs para, the 5 prescribed themes, conceptual understandings, text types … 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 (Post-Secondary)?
It is written for students preparing for assessments at Post-Secondary in Spanish B, 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 B 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 IBDP Spanish B Speaking, Writing & Subjunctive?
Practice IB-style Paper 1 tasks, listening and the Individual Oral with a native or near-native Spanish tutor. We focus on tense range, subjunctive accuracy, theme vocabulary and IO technique.
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This reference sheet aligns with IB Diploma Programme Spanish B (SL and HL) syllabus content for 2026 examinations.
Always include examples of past, present AND future tenses, plus at least one subjunctive, in every long writing answer — range of tenses and moods is heavily rewarded.