Reading Comprehension: Understanding Written Spanish

Making sense of written Spanish

In the reading exam you are given short texts in Spanish and asked questions about them. The good news is that you do NOT need to understand every single word to do well. Strong readers work in a smart order: they look at the title to predict the topic, skim the whole text for the general meaning, then read the questions and scan back for the exact detail each one needs. Along the way they lean on cognates, which are Spanish words that resemble English ones, and they use the words around an unknown word to guess its meaning. This module builds those reading habits so that a text you have never seen before stops feeling frightening and starts feeling solvable.

Words for reading Spanish

Learn these five reading terms before you practise them on a text.

Match each Spanish question word to its meaning

Skimming against scanning

Two reading moves do two different jobs. Know which one to reach for.

Which reading move fits?

You need to find the price mentioned in a short Spanish advert as fast as possible. Which reading move fits best?

• Scan the text for that one detail
• Read every word slowly from the start
• Translate the whole advert first
• Give up because it is in Spanish

Do not panic at unknown words

You are not expected to know every word in a Spanish text. When you meet one you do not recognise, look at the words on either side of it and check whether it resembles a word in English. For example, in the sentence Me gusta leer porque aprendo mucho you might not know aprendo, but leer resembles the English word to read and the rest of the sentence points to enjoying reading, so the meaning is still within reach. Skip a stubborn word if you must and come back to it later. Watch out for a false friend as well, such as ropa, which means clothes and not rope. The clues on the page will carry you further than you expect.

Pick the smart reading habits

Select every habit that helps you read a Spanish text well.

• Read the title first to predict the topic
• Look for cognates that resemble English words
• Use the words around an unknown word to guess its meaning
• Stop at the first word you do not know and give up
• Assume every Spanish word means its nearest English look-alike

Order how to read a Spanish text

Put these reading steps in a sensible order.

• Read the title and predict the topic
• Skim the whole text for the general gist
• Read the questions carefully
• Scan back for the detail each question needs
• Check your answer makes sense

Complete the reading facts

Reading quickly for the general meaning is called _____. Reading to find one detail is called _____. A Spanish word that resembles an English word is a _____. Guessing a word from the words around it uses the _____.

Reading a menu in a new country

Imagine you are handed a menu in a country whose language you barely know. You do not read every word. Your eyes sweep down the page for anything you recognise: a picture, a price, a word close to one in your own tongue. You spot something that might be chicken, notice a number you can afford, and make a sensible choice, all without understanding every line. Reading a text in Spanish works in the very same way. You hunt for what you need and use every clue the page offers, rather than trying to turn the whole thing into English word by word. The reader who uses the clues beats the reader who tries to know everything.

Tap the Spanish words that resemble English

Tap every Spanish word below that resembles an English word and helps you guess its meaning.

• el hospital
• la familia
• el problema
• el perro

The Spanish reading run

Answer each one correctly to keep your lives. Choose the best answer.

Handle the tricky text

Read each situation and choose the best move.

• You meet a Spanish word you have never seen before. What is the best first move?
• A Spanish word looks like an English word, but that meaning makes the sentence nonsense. What might be happening?
• A question asks for a specific date in the text. How do you find it fastest?

Complete the reading sentence

Choose the word for each gap to complete one accurate point about reading a Spanish text.

Explain how to read written Spanish

A friend is nervous about the Spanish reading exam and asks how to cope when they do not understand every word. Explain clearly how to read a Spanish text well.

• Explain the difference between skimming and scanning
• Explain how cognates help you read
• Explain how to use the context to guess an unknown word
• Explain why you should read the questions carefully
• Explain what a false friend is and how to avoid being caught out