Good Spanish isn't just correct verbs — it's ideas joined smoothly. This lesson gives you the connective toolkit: comparatives (more/less/as … than), prepositions (to, with, for, without…), the personal a, adverbs (how you do things), and the connectives that link your sentences.
Make a guess: does «Este libro es más bueno» work for 'better'?
Mission 1Does Sam's «más bueno» pass the test?
Mission 2When does Spanish slip in an extra «a»?
Mission 3What did Sam miss in «rápidomente»?
Work through each screen and answer the questions as you go — some ask you to recognise the right word, some ask you to produce it by typing. Collect ⭐ stars and press Start.
Comparing things
más … que, menos … que, tan … como
To compare two things you wrap the adjective in a fixed frame:
más / menos + adjective + quetan + adjective + como = "as … as"
más alta que — Ana es más alta que Luis. (Ana is taller than Luis.)
menos caro que — Es menos caro que el otro. (It's less expensive than the other.)
tan alto como — Es tan alto como su padre. (He's as tall as his father.)
Irregular comparatives (no más): mejor = better, peor = worse, mayor = older/bigger, menor = younger/smaller. Este libro es mejor que ese — for better, use mejor rather than más bueno.
Quick check
Completing a comparison
?Complete: Ana es más alta ____ Luis. ("Ana is taller than Luis.")
Quick check
As … as
?Complete: Es tan alto ____ su padre. ("He's as tall as his father.")
Type it
Your turn — complete the comparison
1Complete: Es más inteligente ____ ("more intelligent than"). Type the missing word.
Hint: with más + adjective, "than" is one short word.
Type it
Your turn — irregular comparative
2Give the Spanish irregular comparative meaning "better".
Hint: for "better", Spanish uses one special word rather than más bueno (as in Es ___ que ese).
The most / the least
Superlatives Higher
To say the most or the least, add the article and (often) de for "in/of":
el / la / los / las + más / menos + adjective (+ de)
la ciudad más grande de España — the biggest city in Spain.
el estudiante menos ruidoso de la clase — the least noisy student in the class.
Irregular superlatives:el mejor = the best, el peor = the worst — Es el mejor jugador del equipo. Keep the whole structure for Higher; at Foundation, recognising el más / el mejor is plenty.
Mission 1 check
Does Sam's «más bueno» pass the test?
?Ana wants to say "This phone is better than the other one." Which version is right?
Mission 2 of 3
When does Spanish slip in an extra «a»?
Make a guess: when does Spanish slip in the extra «a»?
Little linking words
Prepositions
Prepositions glue words together. The common ones to know:
a
to
de
of / from
en
in / on
con
with
sin
without
para
for / in order to
sobre
on / about
entre
between
hasta
until
desde
from / since
hacia
towards
Possession with de:el coche de mi padre — my father's car (there's no 's in Spanish).
para + infinitive = "in order to":Estudio para aprobar — I study in order to pass.
sin + infinitive:Se fue sin hablar — he left without speaking.
Higher Higher:antes de + infinitive = "before doing" (antes de salir), después de + infinitive = "after doing" (después de comer). Two prepositions both translate as "for" — por and para — and CCEA tests the contrast. The next screen sorts them out.
Two words for "for"
por vs para
English "for" splits into two Spanish words. Choosing the right one is a CCEA grammar point. The quick rule:
por — looking back
Reason ("because of / thanks to"), duration ("for a length of time") and exchange ("in return for").
para — looking forward
Purpose ("in order to"), destination ("heading for") and recipient ("meant for someone").
Gracias por el regalo. — Thanks for the present. (reason)
Estudié por dos horas. — I studied for two hours. (duration)
Pagué diez euros por el libro. — I paid ten euros for the book. (exchange)
Estudio para aprobar. — I study (in order) to pass. (purpose)
Salgo para Madrid. — I'm leaving for Madrid. (destination)
Este regalo es para ti. — This present is for you. (recipient)
Memory hook:parapoints forward — a purpose, a place you're heading, a person it's for. If it's a reason, a stretch of time, or a swap, reach for por.
Quick check
por or para?
?Complete: Compré flores ____ mi madre. ("I bought flowers for my mother" — she's the person they're meant for.)
A heavily-tested rule
The personal a
When a specific person (or a pet) is the direct object of a verb, Spanish puts a in front — even though English has nothing there:
Veo a María. — I see María.
Busco a mi hermano. — I'm looking for my brother.
Conozco a tu profesor. — I know your teacher.
For things, there is no personal a: Veo la casa (I see the house) — no a.
Watch the merge:a + el = al. So "I see the boy" is Veo al niño, never a el niño.
Quick check
Personal a — yes or no?
?Which sentence is written correctly?
Mission 2 check
When does Spanish slip in an extra «a»?
?Four pupils translate "I'm looking for the teacher and my bag." Which version is right?
Type it
Your turn — personal a
3Translate "I see my brother" into Spanish. Remember the personal a.
Hint: veo + personal a + mi hermano (he's a specific person).
Type it
Your turn — the merge
4Contract a + el into the single Spanish word.
Hint: two letters — it's how "to the / at the (masc.)" is written, as in Veo ___ niño.
Sort it
Does it need the personal a?
Tap a phrase, then drop it into the right bin. The gap is shown as "…".
Needs personal a (a person)
No personal a (a thing)
Mission 3 of 3
What did Sam miss in «rápidomente»?
Make a guess: what did Sam miss in «rápidomente»?
How you do things
Adverbs: adjective + -mente
Most adverbs are built from the feminine singular adjective + -mente (like English "-ly"):
adjective
feminine → adverb
rápido (fast)
rápida → rápidamente
lento (slow)
lenta → lentamente
fácil (easy)
fácil → fácilmente
Common other adverbs to learn whole: bien (well), mal (badly), muy (very), mucho, poco, siempre, nunca, a veces, a menudo (often), demasiado (too much).
Watch:bueno is an adjective (a good…), bien is the adverb (well). Say Habla bien ("He speaks well") — never habla bueno.
Type it
Your turn — build an adverb
5Turn the adjective fácil (easy) into the adverb meaning "easily".
Hint: fácil is the same in masculine/feminine, so just add -mente (keep the accent).
Quick check
Building an adverb
?What is the adverb ("quickly") formed from rápido?
Quick check
bien or bueno?
?Which sentence correctly says "He speaks well"?
Linking your sentences
Connectives (joining words)
These little words turn short sentences into flowing writing — examiners reward them:
Spanish
English
y (→ e before i-/hi-)
and
o (→ u before o-/ho-)
or
pero
but
porque
because
aunque
although
cuando
when
mientras
while
también
also
sin embargo
however
Spelling shifts:y becomes e before an i-/hi- sound (español e inglés), and o becomes u before an o-/ho- sound (siete u ocho) — just to avoid two identical sounds colliding.
Game · Match
Match the connective to its English
Tap a Spanish connective on the left, then tap its English meaning on the right.
SPANISH
pero
porque
aunque
sin embargo
mientras
también
ENGLISH
however
but
also
although
while
because
Mission 3 check
What did Sam miss in «rápidomente»?
?Leo wants to write "My dad drives carefully." He knows «cuidadoso» means "careful". Which version is right?
Sort it
Pick the joining word
Choose the word or form that fits each gap.
Recap
Your joining-ideas toolkit
Comparatives:más / menos + adj + que; tan + adj + como; irregulars mejor, peor, mayor, menor.
Superlatives (Higher):el/la + más/menos + adj (+ de); el mejor, el peor.
Prepositions:a, de, en, con, sin, para, sobre, entre, hasta, desde, hacia; de for possession; para + inf = in order to.
por vs para:por = reason, duration, exchange; para = purpose, destination, recipient. Gracias por… vs Es para ti.
Personal a: before a specific person/pet as object (Veo a María), not a thing; a + el = al.
Adverbs: feminine adjective + -mente (rápida→rápidamente); plus bien, mal, muy, siempre, nunca… — and bien ≠ bueno.
Connectives:y (e), o (u), pero, porque, aunque, cuando, mientras, también, sin embargo.
Join your ideas and your writing jumps a level. Press Finish to see your score.
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¡Mini-lesson completa!
⭐⭐⭐
You've built the joining-ideas toolkit for CCEA GCSE Spanish. 🎉
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Next in the spine: The preterite — talking about the completed past. Then lock this in with the Evaluate confidence quiz.