Verdadero/falso in listening: You're in the right spot — choosing the true statements works exactly as it does at SL: decide what the recording proves, then choose exactly the number asked.
What changes at HL
- The method doesn't change.
- At HL the proof can be buried in a longer, more detailed stretch of speech.
- Practising the prove-it-before-you-choose habit here sets you up perfectly.
- Lock it in now and the longer texts won't faze you.
The exam instruction you'll see: In the Spanish Paper 2 Listening, this question type is introduced by an instruction like:
«Elige las cinco frases verdaderas.» → Choose the five true statements.
What a listening true/false item is: In Paper 2 Listening, true/false usually comes as ‘choose the N true statements’: a list of statements about the recording, and you pick only the ones the speaker actually says. You choose; you don't write a justification.
It asks two things
- Decide whether each statement is verdadero or falso — does it match what is said?
- Choose exactly the number of true statements asked for (often five).
Why there is no justification here: Quoting words as proof is how true/false works in Paper 2 Reading (the V/F + justify lesson in Unit 6). In listening you prove each answer to yourself: before you choose a statement, you should be able to name the words you heard that make it true.
- verdadero / falso
- true / false
- la afirmación / la frase
- the statement
- las frases verdaderas
- the true statements
- elegir
- to choose
- marcar
- to tick, to mark
- el detalle relevante
- the relevant detail (the part that proves it)
Heard, not guessed: A statement can sound likely, repeat a word you heard, or have been true in the past. Choose it only if the recording says it is true now. Every choice needs proof you heard.
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The mechanics on one card: Here is how a ‘choose the true statements’ item works. English explains the mechanics; the rule everyone forgets is that a choice needs proof you heard, not a word that merely sounds familiar.
| Aspecto | Verdadero/falso en la comprensión auditiva |
|---|---|
| Qué te dan | una lista de afirmaciones sobre la grabación |
| Qué decides | qué afirmaciones son verdaderas |
| Qué escribes | solo las afirmaciones elegidas, sin justificación |
| ¿Cuántas? | exactamente las que se piden (a menudo cinco) |
| La prueba | el detalle relevante que oyes |
Proof, not a matching word: A statement that repeats a word from the recording is not automatically true. Check that the meaning matches: who, when, how many, yes or no. The relevant detail that confirms it is your proof.
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A method for every list: You don't need every word — you need a method. Run the same five steps on each list and you'll never choose a statement you can't prove.
Choose the true statements
Read the statements
Read every statement before the audio and underline the key idea in each: who, when, where, how many.
Listen for the part it refers to
Locate the moment in the recording each statement is about — that's where your proof lives.
Decide true or false
Decide V/F by comparing the statement with what the recording actually says.
Check the proof
Pin down the words you heard that prove it. Watch tenses, negatives and synonyms: the proof is often reworded.
Choose exactly N
Mark only the statements you can prove, and count: exactly the number the question asks for.
Read → Locate → Decide → Prove → Choose N
Use both plays: You hear each recording twice. On the first play, mark the statements you're sure of. On the second, check the doubtful ones and count your choices: exactly the number asked.
This is exactly how it feels: This is exactly how a true-statements item feels — you hear it, you don't see the words. In the real exam you'd hear it twice.
How to practise it
Read
Read the statements first.
Play
Play the clip.
Decide
Decide which statements are true.
Prove
Name the words that prove each choice.
Check
Reveal the transcript to check.
Read → Play → Decide → Prove → Check
Verdadero/falso — la rutina de Sofía
Listen to Sofía describe her routine, then choose the two true statements before you reveal the transcript — that's how a Paper 2 listening true/false item works.
- ¿Qué dos frases son verdaderas? (A) Sofía desayuna en casa. (B) Sofía desayuna con sus compañeros. (C) Sofía va a clase en autobús. (D) El instituto está a cinco minutos.
Hola, me llamo Sofía. Antes desayunaba en casa, pero desde que empecé el instituto nuevo desayuno en la cafetería con mis compañeros. Siempre tomo una tostada y un zumo de naranja. Después, vamos juntos andando a clase porque el instituto está muy cerca, a solo cinco minutos.
Hi, my name is Sofía. I used to have breakfast at home, but since I started the new school I have breakfast in the cafeteria with my classmates. I always have toast and an orange juice. Afterwards, we walk to class together because the school is very close, only five minutes away.
- B y D.
Beware the past-tense trap: «Antes desayunaba en casa» is the past — true once, false now. The words «desde que empecé el instituto nuevo desayuno en la cafetería» prove statement A is falso. Know the words that decide each choice, and you hear it twice to check.
Practice with exam-style questions
Answer exam-style questions and get AI feedback that shows you exactly what examiners want to see in a full-marks response.
Where marks are lost: Most true-statement marks are lost on technique, not on Spanish. Compare what good candidates do with the traps everyone else falls into.
Buenas prácticas
- Choose exactly the number of statements asked.
- Choose only what you can prove with the detalle relevante you heard.
- Watch verb tenses — «antes» vs «ahora» can flip the answer.
- Listen for meaning and synonyms — the proof is often reworded.
Errores típicos
- Choose more or fewer statements than asked.
- Choose a statement just because it repeats a word from the recording.
- Be fooled by a past-tense detail that's no longer true.
- Choose what sounds likely, or what you know about the topic, instead of what was said.
Proof wins the mark: A choice only earns the mark if the recording makes the statement true. Before you choose, name the words you heard that prove it — if you can't, leave it and check on the second play.