Key points about holiday destinations
Use the Are used to communicate that something must be done without specifying who should do it, where there is no natural subject (like I, you, he, etc.). hay to talk about what holiday attractions.
Use the Words that replace nouns such as he, she, it, they. se with a verb in the he/she form to turn it into an impersonal verb.
A word such as at, for, with, into or from which is usually followed by a noun or pronoun. Prepositions are used to show where something is in place or time. of time in Spanish relate to when something happens and are useful for describing previous and future holiday plans.
This guide contains reading practice and a video comprehension.
Useful vocabulary for countries, languages and nationalities includes:
| Name of country (English) | Name of country (Spanish) | Nationality/language |
|---|---|---|
| England | Inglaterra | ingl茅s, inglesa |
| Scotland | Escocia | escoc茅s, escocesa |
| Wales | Gales | gales, galesa |
| Ireland | Irlanda | irland茅s, irlandesa |
| Great Britain | Gran Breta帽a | brit谩nico, brit谩nica |
| Spain | 贰蝉辫补帽补 | espa帽ol, espa帽ola |
| Italy | Italia | italiano, italiana |
| Germany | Alemania | alem谩n, alemana |
| France | Francia | franc茅s, francesa |
| Chile | Chile | chileno, chilena |
| Mexico | 惭茅虫颈肠辞 | mexicano, mexicana |
| China | China | chino, china |
Holiday destinations
Useful nouns for describing different holiday destinations include:
| Spanish | English | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | beach | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | island |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | village, small town | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | mountain |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | city, large town | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | countryside |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | region | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | country |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | coast | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | view |
Grammar - How to use impersonal verbs
Impersonal verbs in English include verbs such as 鈥榦ne does鈥 or 鈥榦ne goes鈥. Although these sound very formal in English, they are used a lot more commonly in Spanish.
The most common impersonal verb in Spanish is Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. which means 鈥榯here is鈥 or 鈥榯here are鈥.
For example:
Hay un hermoso pueblo en la monta帽a. There鈥檚 a pretty village in the mountains.
Hay que followed by the infinitive is an impersonal way of saying 鈥極ne has to do something鈥.
For example:
Hay que visitar la Sagrada Familia en Barcelona. 鈥 One has to visit the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.
Using the impersonal pronoun 'se'
To turn any Spanish Word used to describe an action, state of being or an occurrence. into an impersonal verb, use the pronoun se and the he/she form of the verb.
For example:
Se necesitan euros. One needs euros.
If there is a The person or thing doing the action or being described. in the sentence, use the singular verb ending (the he/she ending) for a single subject, and the 鈥榯hey鈥 verb ending for plural subjects.
For example:
Se habla espa帽ol en 惭茅虫颈肠辞. - Spanish is spoken in Mexico.
Las tiendas se abren a las nueve. - The shop opens at nine.
Modal verbs with the impersonal 'se'
The following Shows possibility, intent, ability, or necessity. Used alongside the infinitive form of the main verb of a sentence. Common examples of modal verbs include can, should, and must. often are used with the impersonal se:
se puede 鈥 one can
se debe 鈥 one must
se necesita 鈥 one needs
For example:
Se puede ir al restaurante. -One can go to the restaurant.
Se debe ver el castillo. - One must see the castle.
Se necesita su pasaporte. - One needs one鈥檚 passport.
Impersonal verbs - Mini quiz
Complete the following sentences.
__________ ver Paris porque es 颈苍肠谤别铆产濒别.
One must see Paris because it鈥檚 incredible.
infinitive = deber
Se debe ver Paris porque es 颈苍肠谤别铆产濒别.
Use the impersonal se with the he/she form of the verb which is debe.
En Italia ________ ir a muchas playas.
In Italy you can go to lots of beaches.
infinitive = poder
En Italia se puede ir a muchas playas.
Use the impersonal se with the he/she form of the verb which is puede.
En 惭茅虫颈肠辞 ______ se necesita pesos.
In Mexico you need pesos.
infinitive = necesitar
En 惭茅虫颈肠辞 se necesitan pesos.
As the subject of the verb - pesos - is plural, use the impersonal se with the they form of the verb which isnecesitan.
Find out more about impersonal verbs in the Impersonal verbs in Spanish guide.
Reading practice
Read what four people say about going on holiday and answer the questions below.
1. Alba
Lo que me encanta de las vacaciones es el sol y la playa. No me gustan las vacaciones de invierno porque hace demasiado fr铆o.
What type of holiday does Alba prefer?
| A | Skiing holidays |
| B | Holidays at home |
| C | Beach holidays |
The answer is C
Translation:
What I love about holidays is the sun and the beach. I don鈥檛 like winter holidays because it is too cold.
2. Diego
El a帽o pasado fui a Francia, pero este a帽o voy a Italia.
Where did Diego go on holiday last year?
| A | France |
| B | Chile |
| C | Italy |
The answer is A
Translation:
Last year I went to France, but this year I'm going to Italy.
3. Karima
Soy deportista por eso prefiero las vacaciones en la costa con actividades como voleibol en la playa o la vela.
What type of holiday does Karima prefer?
| A | Restful holiday |
| B | Active holiday |
| C | Long holiday |
The answer is B
Translation:
I am sporty so I prefer holidays on the coast with activities like volleyball on the beach and sailing.
4. Javier
Mis padres se quedar谩n en casa durante las vacaciones este a帽o, pero yo me ir茅 a 贰蝉辫补帽补 con mi colegio. Va a estar genial.
Where is Javier going on holiday this year?
| A | On a school trip |
| B | Abroad |
| C | Staying at home |
The answer is A
Translation:
My parents are staying during the holidays at home this year but I am going to Spain with my school. It鈥檚 going to be great.
Vocabulary - Talking about the weather
Useful vocabulary to describe the weather in different tenses includes:
| Spanish present tense | English present tense | Spanish preterite tense | English past tense |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hace sol | It鈥檚 sunny | Hizo sol | It was sunny |
| Hace calor | It鈥檚 hot | Hizo calor | It was hot |
| Llueve | It鈥檚 raining | 尝濒辞惫颈贸 | It rained |
| Hace viento | It鈥檚 windy | Hizo viento | It was windy |
| Hace fr铆o | It鈥檚 cold | Hizo fr铆o | It was cold |
| Nieve | It鈥檚 snowing | 狈别惫贸 | It snowed |
| Hay tormentas | It鈥檚 stormy | Hubo tormentas | It was stormy |
For example:
Normalmente hace sol en 贰蝉辫补帽补. 鈥 Normally it鈥檚 sunny in Spain.
狈别惫贸 mucho en las monta帽as. 鈥 It snowed a lot in the mountains.
Hizo calor ayer por la ma帽ana. 鈥 It was hot yesterday morning.
Useful adjectives for describing holiday destinations
Useful adjectives for describing holidays include:
| Spanish | English | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| animado/a | lively | favorito/a | favourite |
| antiguo/a | old, ancient | genial | great |
| barato/a | cheap | gratis | free (of charge) |
| caro/a | expensive | 颈苍肠谤别铆产濒别 | incredible |
| 肠贸尘辞诲辞/补 | comfortable | hermoso/a | beautiful |
| conocido/a | well-known | 丑颈蝉迟贸谤颈肠辞/补 | historic |
| cultural | cultural | limpio/a | clean |
| divertido/a | fun, enjoyable | precioso/a | beautiful, precious |
| emocionante | exciting | sucio/a | dirty |
| estupendo/a | wonderful, marvellous | tranquilo/a | calm, tranquil, relaxed |
For example:
La ciudad es animada por la noche. 鈥 The town is lively at night.
La comida fue muy barata. 鈥 The food was very cheap.
Desgraciadamente las calles son sucias. 鈥 Unfortunately the streets are dirty.
El hotel fue caro, pero fue 颈苍肠谤别铆产濒别 y hermoso. 鈥 The hotel was expensive but it was incredible and beautiful.
Mi lugar favorito fue la playa conocida. 鈥 My favourite place was the well-known beach.
Grammar - Prepositions of time
Preposition of time in Spanish relate to when something happens.
Common prepositions of time include:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to/at |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | from |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | from/since |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | for/since |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | ago |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | from |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | up to/as far as/until |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | during |
For example:
Voy de vacaciones desde el 2 de agosto hasta el 9 de agosto. 鈥 I go on holiday from 2 August until 9 August.
Durante mis vacaciones me gusta tomar el sol. 鈥 During my holidays I like sunbathing.
Fui a 贰蝉辫补帽补 hace dos a帽os. - I went to Spain two years ago.
Desde hace is used with the present tense to say how long you have been doing something, or how long something has been happening.
For example:
Llueve desde hace tres horas. - It's been raining for three hours.
When used in a question, desde hace often comes at the start.
For example:
驴Desde hace cu谩nto tiempo vives en 贰蝉辫补帽补? - How long have you been living in Spain?
Prepositions of time - Mini quiz
Complete the following sentences.
Estoy de vacaciones _____ la semana pr贸xima.
I鈥檓 on holiday until next week.
Estoy de vacaciones hasta la semana pr贸xima.
_________ sus vacaciones prefiere descansar.
During her holidays she prefers to relax.
Durante sus vacaciones prefiere descansar.
No he visitado 贰蝉辫补帽补 _______ 2018.
I haven鈥檛 visited Spain since 2018.
No he visitado 贰蝉辫补帽补 desde 2018.
Find out more about prepositions of time in the Prepositions of place and time in Spanish guide.
Video comprehension
Mar铆a is trying to decide where to go on holiday. Watch the video then answer the questions below.
Maria is deciding where to go on holiday
Hola, soy Maria. 驴Qu茅 tal?
Bueno, me gustar铆a ir de vacaciones este verano. Pero no s茅 d贸nde ir. 驴Me ayudas a decidir?
Me gustar铆a nadar, leer, tomar el sol, pero m谩s que nada, descansar鈥or eso, me gustar铆a ir a la playa鈥
Barcelona tiene playas preciosas, pero Valencia tambi茅n.
En mi opini贸n, Barcelona es m谩s animada que Valencia, pero tambi茅n m谩s cara.
Y creo que Ibiza tiene algunas de las playas m谩s bonitas de toda Europa鈥
隆Ay! 隆Es tan dif铆cil escoger!
Barcelona鈥 Hmmmm鈥 Lo bueno es que es una ciudad con mucha cultura y mucho ambiente.
Por otro lado, siempre hay much铆sima gente en verano, mucho turismo鈥
Valencia鈥 Hmmm鈥 Siempre hace mucho calor en Valencia en verano, pero a veces hay tormentas.
Vale, pues Ibiza entonces porque me encantan sus playas. S铆, me voy a Ibiza este verano.
隆C贸mo mola! El vuelo a Ibiza desde aqu铆 tarda una hora y media. 隆Eso no es nada!
Pero ahora tengo que planear mi viaje. Lo primero - tengo que reservar un sitio donde alojarme.
En Ibiza hay diferentes tipos de alojamiento. Hoteles, campings鈥 La opci贸n m谩s barata es una habitaci贸n compartida en un albergue juvenil.
Una ventaja es que puedes conocer a otros viajeros y hacer amigos鈥
Una desventaja es que mucha gente ronca鈥. Mi perro ronca todas las noches. 隆Lo odio!
Entonces creo que para mi, la mejor opci贸n es una habitaci贸n individual.
Voy a llamar al albergue juvenil para hacer la reserva鈥
Hola, quiero reservar una habitaci贸n individual para cuatro noches, por favor. Del cuatro hasta el ocho de agosto.
驴Y las habitaciones tienen ducha?
De acuerdo.
驴A qu茅 hora es el check in?
A partir de las dos. Vale, perfecto. Gracias.
隆Tengo muchas ganas! 隆Voy a empezar a hacer la maleta ahora mismo!
Bueno, muchas gracias por ayudarme. 隆Hasta luego!
Translation
Hello. I'm Maria. How are you.
OK, I would like to go on holiday this summer. But I don't know where to go. Can you help me decide?
I would like to swim, read, sunbathe, but more than anything, rest鈥 Therefore I would like to go to the beach.
Barcelona has beautiful beaches but so has Valencia.
In my opinion, Barcelona is more lively than Valencia but also more expensive.
And I think that Ibiza has some of the most beautiful beaches in all of Europe.
Oh! It is so difficult to choose.
Barcelona鈥 Mmmm鈥 The advantage is that it is a city with a lot of culture and a lot of atmosphere.
On the other hand, there are always a lot of people in the summer, a lot of tourism.
Valencia鈥 Mmmm鈥 It is always very hot in Valencia in the summer but sometimes there are storms.
Well then Ibiza as I love its beaches. Yes, I am going to Ibiza this summer.
That's so cool. The flight from here lasts an hour and a half. That's nothing!
But now I have to plan my journey. Firstly, I have to book somewhhere to stay.
In Ibiza there are different types of accomodation. Hotels, campings鈥 The cheapest option is a shared room in a youth hostel.
An advantage is is that you can meet other travellers and make friends.
A disadvantage is that a lot of people snore鈥 My dog snores every night. I hate it!
So I think that for me the best option is a single room
Right I am going to call the youth hostel to book.
Hello, I would like to book a simple room for four nights please. From the 4th to the 8th August.
And do the rooms have showers.
OK.
And what time is check-in?
From 2. OK, perfect. Thank you.
I am so excited. I am going to start packing right now.
Right, thank you so much for helping me. See you soon!
Glossary: roncar = to snore
1. Which activity would Mar铆a most like to do on holiday?
A) read
B) swim
C) rest
D) sunbathe
Answer
C - read
Maria says: 'Me gustar铆a nadar, leer, tomar el sol, pero m谩s que nada, descansar鈥'
I'd like to swim, read, sunbathe, but more than anything, rest鈥
2. Complete the following sentence:
Mar铆a says that Barcelona is livelier than Valencia but it's also _________.
Answer
Mar铆a says that Barcelona is livelier than Valencia but it's also more expensive.
She explains: 'En mi opini贸n, Barcelona es m谩s animada que Valencia, pero tambi茅n m谩s cara.'
In my opinion, Barcelona is livelier than Valencia, but also more expensive.
3. Which two details does Mar铆a give about the weather in Valencia in summer?
Answer
it's very hot.
sometimes there are storms.
She says: 'Siempre hace mucho calor en Valencia en verano, pero a veces hay tormentas.'
It's always hot in Valencia in summer, but sometimes there are storms.
4. Give one advantage and one disadvantage of sharing a room in a youth hostel, according to Mar铆a.
Answer
Advantage - you can meet other travellers/ you can make friends.
Disadvantage - lots of people snore.
She says: 'Una ventaja es que puedes conocer a otros viajeros, hacer amigos鈥 Una desventaja es que mucha gente ronca鈥'
One advantage is that you can meet other travellers, make friends鈥 A disadvantage is that lots of people snore鈥
5. Complete the following sentence:
Mar铆a books a __________ room for ______ nights from the 4th to the ____ _________.
Answer
Mar铆a books a single room for four nights from the 4th to the 8th August.
When she rings the hostel, she says: 'Hola, quiero reservar una habitaci贸n individual para cuatro noches, por favor. Del 4 hasta el 8 de agosto.'
Hello, I want to book a single room for four nights please. From the 4th to the 8th August.
Vocabulary sheet
Click or tap on the image below for a list of useful vocabulary to use when talking about holiday destinations.
Higher Tier - Grammar - Impersonal verbs
Parece que is an impersonal verb that means 鈥榠t seems that鈥.
For example:
Parece que es interesante. - It seems to be interesting.
Vale la pena means 鈥榠t鈥檚 worth it鈥.
For example:
Aprender espa帽ol es dif铆cil pero vale la pena. 鈥 It鈥檚 difficult to learn Spanish but it is worth it.
Vale la pena followed by the infinitive means 鈥榠t鈥檚 worth doing something鈥.
For example:
Vale la pena ir a Argentina. 鈥 It鈥檚 worth visiting Argentina.
Now you have revised the important vocabulary and key grammar points for talking about holiday destinations, why not have a look at the Describing school subjects in Spanish guide?
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