IB examiners reward precision. This lesson sharpens four things that separate a good answer from a great one: por vs para, the ser/estar adjectives that change meaning, the difference between formal and informal register, and the amigos falsos — words that look English but aren't. In IB Diploma Spanish B, this grammar powers your work across the five prescribed themes — Identities, Experiences, Human ingenuity, Social organization and Sharing the planet — especially when you adapt register across different Identities.
Work through each screen and answer the questions — some ask you to choose, some to recall the real meaning. Collect ⭐ and press Start.
Use para when you point forward — to a goal, a recipient, a destination or a deadline:
Memory hook: para looks ahead — to the aim, the person it's for, or the deadline.
Use por when you look back to a cause, or express exchange, duration or motion through:
Rule of thumb: para = the aim (why you do it); por = the cause, cost, time or route.
Some adjectives mean one thing with ser (permanent trait) and another with estar (state):
| adjective | with ser | with estar |
|---|---|---|
| aburrido | boring | bored |
| listo | clever | ready |
Trait vs state: ser gives the essential quality; estar gives the passing condition.
Spanish chooses the pronoun by register. The catch for IB Spanish B: usted (formal) takes the él/ella verb form, not a "you" form:
| register | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| informal | tú (tienes) | vosotros (tenéis) |
| formal | usted (tiene) | ustedes (tienen) |
The trap: usted tiene — not usted tienes. Formal "you" borrows the third-person form (tiene, habla, es).
These look English but mean something else — get them wrong and the meaning flips:
| Spanish | looks like | really means |
|---|---|---|
| éxito | exit | success |
| actual | actual | current / present |
| sensible | sensible | sensitive |
| embarazada | embarrassed | pregnant |
| realizar | realise | to carry out |
| molestar | molest | to bother |
| largo | large | long |
| constipado | constipated | having a cold |
Classic slip: estoy embarazada means "I'm pregnant", not "I'm embarrassed" (that's tengo vergüenza).
Sort each phrase by whether it uses por or para.
Tap a Spanish word on the left, then its real English meaning on the right.
por = cause (gracias por), exchange (pagué por), duration (por dos años), through (por España).
para = goal (para aprobar), recipient (para ti), destination, deadline (para el lunes).
ser/estar shift: ser aburrido (boring) / estar aburrido (bored); ser listo (clever) / estar listo (ready).
Register: usted takes the él/ella form (usted tiene); ustedes for plural formal.
False friends: éxito = success, actual = current, sensible = sensitive, embarazada = pregnant, realizar = to carry out, largo = long.
Cluster 10 rounds off the backbone: essay and translation technique. Press Finish.
You've built register, nuance & false friends for IB Diploma Spanish B SL. 🎉
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Next in the backbone: essay & translation technique — connectives, opinion with nuance, and EN↔ES translation traps.