Listening practice - Foundation

Some of your Spanish friends are discussing their holidays.

You may find these words helpful.

Question

What does Maia say about her holiday? Choose the three correct details.

A	Her hotel had a view of the coast.
B	She stayed in a luxury hotel.
C	There weren't many facilities.
D	There were good facilities.
E	The weather was lovely.
F	She went to the beach every day.
G	It was too cold to swim in the sea.

Reveal answer

The correct answers are B, D and G.

• A is incorrect because she says that she went to the north coast but does not mention the view.
• B is correct because she says nos alojamos en un hotel de lujo (we stayed in a luxury hotel).
• C is incorrect and is here as a distractor. The text says there were lots of good facilities.
• D is correct because she says that the hotel had muy buenas instalaciones (very good facilities).
• E is incorrect because she says that the weather was not good.
• F is incorrect because she was only able to spend two days on the beach.
• G is correct because she says el agua del mar estaba demasiado fría para bañarse (the sea water was too cold to swim).

Transcript:

Pues nosotros fuimos a la costa norte y nos alojamos en un hotel de lujo que era estupendo con aire acondicionado y muy buenas instalaciones. Lástima que no hizo muy buen tiempo. Solo pudimos pasar dos días en la playa, la cual era preciosa aunque el agua del mar estaba demasiado fría para bañarse.

Translation:

Well, we went to the north coast and we stayed in a luxury hotel which was great with air-conditioning and very good facilities. It was a pity that it wasn't very good weather. We could only spend two days on the beach which was lovely, although the sea water was too cold to swim in.

Question

Why was Pedro's holiday a disaster? Choose the two correct answers.

A	They had a car accident.
B	The car broke down.
C	Their flight was delayed.
D	They had to go to a different hotel.
E	It rained every day.

Reveal answer

The correct answers are B and D.

• A is incorrect because although they had problems with the car, there is no mention of an accident.
• B is correct because he says el coche sufrió una avería en el viaje de ida (the car suffered a breakdown on the way there).
• C is incorrect as there of no mention of travelling by plane.
• D is correct because he says tuvimos que buscar otro hotel (we had to look for another hotel).
• E is incorrect. Although he says hizo un tiempo fatal (the weather was terrible), she does not mention rain.

Transcript:

Nuestras vacaciones fueron un fracaso total. El coche sufrió una avería en el viaje de ida y por lo tanto llegamos muy tarde al hotel y habían dado nuestras habitaciones a otra familia. Así que tuvimos que buscar otro hotel que no era muy bueno. Además, hizo un tiempo fatal.

Translation:

Our holiday was a total failure. The car broke down on the journey there and so we arrived at the hotel late and they had given our rooms to another family. So we had to look for another hotel which wasn't very good. Also, the weather was terrible.

Question

What was good about Nuria's holiday? Choose the two correct answers.

A	She stayed in a luxury hotel.
B	The region was ideal.
C	The people in charge were nice.
D	The food was good.
E	There was a lot to do in the accommodation.

Reveal answer

The correct answers are C and D.

• A is incorrect because although she mentions luxury hotels, they actually stayed in a guest house.
• B is incorrect. She says the accommodation was ideal, not the region.
• C is correct because she says the people in charge eran muy simpáticos (were very nice).
• D is correct because she says las comidas estaban riquísimas (the meals were delicious).
• E is incorrect because she says there was a lot to do in the region, not in the accommodation.

Transcript:

Fui con mi familia a Francia y nos alojamos en una pequeña pensión. Normalmente prefiero los grandes hoteles de lujo, pero la pensión era ideal. Los dueños eran muy simpáticos y las comidas estaban riquísimas. Además había mucho que hacer en la región.

Translation:

I went to France with my family and we stayed in a little B&B. Normally, I prefer big luxury hotels but the B&B was ideal. The owners were very nice and the meals were delicious. Also, there was a lot to do in the area.

Question

What happened during Max's holiday? Choose the two correct answers.

A	He went camping with his friends.
B	He went camping with his family.
C	He stayed in a big tent.
D	He did lots of activities.
E	He hurt his leg.

Reveal answer

The correct answers are A and E.

• A is correct because he says Fui con mis amigos a la montaña a hacer camping (I went with my friends to the mountains to go camping).
• B is incorrect because he went with his friends, not his family.
• C is incorrect because he says nuestra tienda era muy pequeña (our tent was very small).
• D is incorrect because he was unable to join in with all the activities he wanted to.
• E is correct because he says me caí y me hice daño en la pierna (I fell and hurt my leg).

Transcript:

Fui con mis amigos a la montaña a hacer camping. Nos alojamos en un camping fantástico con muy buenas instalaciones. Lo peor era que nuestra tienda era muy pequeña. También, el tercer día me caí y me hice daño en la pierna, así que no podía participar en todas las actividades que quería.

Translation:

I went camping with my friends in the mountains. We stayed at a fantastic campsite with very good facilities. The worst thing was that our tent was very small. As well, on the third day I fell and hurt my leg, so I couldn't join in with all the activities I wanted to.

Question

Why doesn't Laura want to go on holiday with her family again? Choose the two correct reasons.

A	Her younger sister was naughty.
B	Her older sister sunbathed all the time.
C	Her sisters kept watching TV.
D	Her dad played golf every day.
E	Her dad read books.

Reveal answer

The correct answers are B and D

• A is incorrect because she does not mention her younger sister.
• B is correct because she says Mi hermana mayor siempre quería tomar el sol (my older sister always wanted to sunbathe).
• C is incorrect because her brothers were watching TV, not her sisters.
• D is correct because she says mi padre jugaba al golf todos los días (my dad played golf every day).
• E is incorrect because her mum read books, not her dad.

Transcript:

Pues yo no voy a ir nunca más con mi familia de vacaciones. Mi hermana mayor siempre quería tomar el sol, mis hermanos menores veían la tele a todo momento, mi padre jugaba al golf todos los días y mi madre leía libros. Por lo tanto, yo me aburrí un montón. ¡Qué desastre!

Translation:

Well, I'm not going on holiday with my family ever again. My elder sister always wanted to sunbathe, my younger brothers watched TV all the time, my father played golf every day and my mother read books. Therefore I got really bored. What a disaster!