Key Idea: Experiences is about what you do and live through: free time, travel, life stories, growing up, traditions and moving to another country. You use these words in reading, listening, writing and speaking.
Phrases for every lesson
- Give your view: {{En mi opinión… / Creo que…|In my opinion… / I think…}}
- Weigh two sides: {{Por un lado… por otro lado…|On the one hand… on the other hand…}}
- Link your ideas: {{sin embargo, por lo tanto|however, therefore}}
- When you write: choose the text type and tone, then plan a hook, your ideas and an ending.
Leisure & free time
- Words: {{el ocio, la afición, el pasatiempo|leisure, hobby, pastime}}, {{apuntarse a, quedar con los amigos, aprovechar el tiempo|to sign up for, to meet up with friends, to make good use of your time}}, {{relajarse, divertirse|to relax, to have fun}}
- Debate: active hobbies or too much screen time? Alone or with others?
Travel & holidays
- Words: {{el viaje, las vacaciones, el destino|trip, holidays, destination}}, {{reservar, hacer la maleta, alojarse|to book, to pack, to stay}}, {{el turismo de masas, viajar por libre|mass tourism, to travel independently}}
- Debate: a package holiday or travelling on your own? What does mass tourism do to a place?
Life stories
- Words: {{una experiencia, un recuerdo, la infancia|an experience, a memory, childhood}}, {{un punto de inflexión, superar una dificultad|a turning point, to overcome a difficulty}}, {{echar de menos, estar orgulloso/a|to miss, to be proud}}
- Debate: do hard experiences help us grow, or is staying at home more comfortable?
- A life story has its own plan: hook, the story, what you learnt, close.
Rites of passage
- Words: {{el rito de paso, la etapa, la madurez|rite of passage, stage, maturity}}, {{crecer, independizarse, despedirse|to grow up, to leave home, to say goodbye}}, {{la graduación, un momento inolvidable|graduation, an unforgettable moment}}
- Debate: do big ceremonies still matter? Is there pressure to grow up?
Customs & traditions
- Words: {{la costumbre, la tradición, la fiesta|custom, tradition, festival}}, {{el desfile, el traje típico, el baile|parade, traditional costume, dance}}, {{la receta tradicional, las raíces|traditional recipe, roots}}
- Debate: keep traditions alive or follow modern life? Are festivals for the community or for tourists?
Migration
- Words: {{emigrar, inmigrar, el/la inmigrante|to emigrate, to immigrate, the immigrant}}, {{adaptarse, integrarse, el choque cultural|to adapt, to integrate, culture shock}}, {{la barrera del idioma|the language barrier}}
- Debate: the difficulties of emigrating, or the benefits of living abroad?
Each theme needs the same three things: its own words, an opinion with a reason, and linking words between your ideas.
What does «hacer la maleta» mean? To pack.
What does «superar una dificultad» mean? To overcome a difficulty.
What does «independizarse» mean? To leave home.
Which lesson uses a different writing plan? Life stories. The middle tells the story and then what you learnt from it.
What is «el choque cultural»? Culture shock.
What does «alojarse» mean? To stay.