Spa 1102
Guide for the Final Exam

  1. Accents and Punctuation: Do you remember how to divide a word into its basic syllables? Where does the natural accent fall in Spanish?  Why are the "sticky" vowels so important? 
  2. Survival Sentences and Basic Conversation: What are the most important oral survival questions/phrases you have learned at this point in your Spanish studies?  How long of a conversation/paragraph can you write?  Do you know how to introduce and talk about your friends and family?  Can you share their daily activities and hobbies with someone?
  3. Question words: How many questions words have we learned? What is the question word for "do" in Spanish?  Can you create a question with each word?  When do you use "qué" versus "cuál"?  Can you create a question with "yo" as the subject?  Which verb conjugation accompanies "quién" or "quiénes"?
  4. Possession: How many possessive adjectives are there?  When do you use them?  In terms of adjective/noun agreement, is there anything special to remember about possessive adjectives?
  5. Prepositions: Have you reviewed all of your prepositions of place (under, over, in front of, behind, etc.) (170)?
  6. Direct Object Pronouns: What are “transitive verbs” and how do they limit when you can use a “direct object pronoun”? When and why do we use “direct object pronouns”? What are the “direct object pronouns” in Spanish and where do we place them? Which questions can we use so as not to mistake which object in a sentence is the direct object?

7.      Indirect Object Pronouns: What is an indirect object pronoun? When do we use it? What question do we ask to identify it? Which indirect object pronouns and direct object pronouns are the same? Which ones are different? What should you know about the indirect object pronouns “le” and “les” and verbs like “gustar”?

8.      Double Object Pronouns: Do you know how to use both a direct object pronoun and an indirect object pronoun in the same sentence? Which one do you place nearest to the verb (review)? When do you replace “le” or “les” with “se”?

  1. Demonstrative Adjectives/Pronouns: Did you review the use of demonstrative adjectives? What is their relationship to the indicators of space (aquí, ahí, allá)? Did you remember that demonstratives can function as adjectives and therefore must agree in number and gender with the noun they describe? What is the difference between “ese” and “eso”? How can a demonstrative adjective be turned into a demonstrative pronoun? Where do you place the demonstrative pronoun's accent?
  2. Comparison Sentences: Are you able to construct comparison sentences?  While we are using comparatives, when must we be careful about agreement? Which four comparative adjectives have irregular forms?  How do you create "king of the hill" or "bottom of the pile" sentences (superlative comparisons)?
  3. Verbs: 
    1. Can you conjugate all your verbs and use them in context?  Have you practiced generating a question/answer sequence for each verb?   Can you fill-in the blanks in a cloze paragraph?  What are your best strategies for completing this type of exercise?  
    2. Have you been reviewing your AR, ER, and IR verbs? 
    3. How many irregular verbs should you know (ser, estar, ir, tener, dar, decir, etc.)? 
    4. Do you know how to conjugate as well as determine when to use "ser" and "estar"? 
    5. How many compound verb structures can you create (for example, “tener ganas de”, “tener que”, “ir a”, “poder”, “deber”, and “necesitar”? 
    6. Have you studied all of the idiomatic expressions you can create with the verb "tener"? 
    7. Do you remember how to conjugate stem-changing verbs?  When do verbs stem change? Have you studied the initial list of stem-changing verbs as well as the second one? 
    8. How many GO verbs have we studied?
    9. What is the difference between "saber" and "conocer"?  Do these verbs have any irregular forms?
    10. How many reflexive verbs are there? Have you identified the reflexive verbs that are also stem-changing? Can you describe your daily routine using all of the reflexive verbs? Can you use a reflexive verb without a reflexive pronoun? Can you create a reflexive verb by adding a reflexive pronoun to a normal verb? Why is the verb “llamarse” so important?
    11. How do you form the present progressive tense? When does a native Speaker use it? How does his/her use of the verb differ with our linguistic patterns in English? Which two types of verbs create irregular present participle? Did you forget that the present progressive is a compound verb structure, must always be accompanied by the verb “estar”, and establishes the same pronoun placement relationships as other compound verb structures? Can the present participle be used with other verbs than “estar”? When it is used this way, what does it express?  How do you correctly express “I’m travelling to Madrid in a week?” in Spanish?
    12. Have you studied the verbs “dar” and “decir”?
  1. Vocabulary: Have you been studying your vocabulary over time in quick exposures (10-15 min per day, twice a day)?  Have you studied the following vocabulary:
    1. adjectives of physical appearance and personality
    2. campus buildings
    3. chores and related domestic items
    4. class subjects
    5. colors (p. 19)
    6. expressions of politeness and courteous rejection
    7. family relationship (brother, brother-in-law, etc.)
    8. furniture
    9. greetings and farewells, titles
    10. house rooms and related items
    11. invitation etiquette
    12. leisure activities
    13. parts of the body related to reflexive verbs (157)
    14. pastimes
    15. personal care items
    16. prepositions of place
    17. survival commands (the acrostic “Las Vegas Race”)