Theme 1: People and Lifestyle — Topic 2: Healthy Living and Lifestyle
Welcome to your study notes for Topic 2: Healthy living and lifestyle (La vida sana y el estilo de vida) for AQA GCSE Spanish (8692)! This unit focuses on communicating about food, physical fitness, mental wellbeing, illnesses, and healthy or unhealthy habits.
Whether you are aiming for Foundation or Higher tier, mastering this topic will help you express your own habits, talk about how you lived in the past, and explain what you plan to do in the future across your Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing exams.
1. Food and Drink (La comida y la bebida)
To discuss healthy living, you need clear vocabulary for balanced eating and nutrition.
Key Vocabulary
• la comida sana / saludable — healthy food
• la comida basura / rápida — junk food / fast food
• la dieta mediterránea — the Mediterranean diet
• las frutas y las verduras — fruits and vegetables
• el agua — water
• el azúcar — sugar
• la grasa — fat
• beber / tomar — to drink / to take (consume)
• comer — to eat
Talking About Nutrition
• Llevo una dieta equilibrada porque como muchas verduras. (I have a balanced diet because I eat a lot of vegetables.)
• Es importante beber dos litros de agua al día para mantenerse hidratado. (It is important to drink two litres of water a day to stay hydrated.)
• La dieta mediterránea es rica en fruta fresca y pescado. (The Mediterranean diet is rich in fresh fruit and fish.)
Key Takeaway: Focus on contrasting healthy choices (frutas, verduras, agua) with unhealthy ones (grasa, azúcar, comida basura).
2. Physical Health & Exercise (La salud física y el deporte)
Regular exercise is a major part of this topic. You will often need to state what sports you do, how often, and why they benefit your health.
Key Verbs and Structures
• hacer ejercicio / deporte — to do exercise / sport
• mantenerse en forma — to stay in shape / keep fit
• entrenar — to train
• llevar una vida activa — to lead an active life
• ser bueno/a para la salud — to be good for one's health
Useful Example Phrases
• Hago deporte tres veces a la semana para mantenerme en forma. (I do sport three times a week to stay in shape.)
• Jugar al fútbol es bueno para el corazón y los músculos. (Playing football is good for the heart and muscles.)
• Prefiero caminar al colegio en vez de ir en coche. (I prefer walking to school instead of going by car.)
Key Takeaway: Use phrases like para + infinitive (e.g., para mantenerme en forma) to explain the purpose and health benefits of your activities.
3. Mental Health & Daily Wellbeing (La salud mental y el bienestar)
Health is not just physical; mental wellbeing, sleep, and managing stress are core elements of this specification.
Key Vocabulary and Reflexive Verbs
• el estrés — stress
• el sueño / el descanso — sleep / rest
• relajarse — to relax
• acostarse (o → ue) — to go to bed
• levantarse — to get up
• sentirse (e → ie) bien / mal — to feel well / unwell
Describing Routine and Balance
• Para evitar el estrés escolar, intento relajarme por las tardes. (To avoid school stress, I try to relax in the evenings.)
• Me acuesto temprano porque el descanso es esencial. (I go to bed early because rest is essential.)
• Cuando duermo ocho horas, me siento mucho mejor. (When I sleep eight hours, I feel much better.)
Key Takeaway: Use reflexive verbs (relajarse, acostarse, sentirse) to describe your daily self-care and wellbeing habits.
4. Illness, Symptoms & Parts of the Body (Las enfermedades y los síntomas)
When discussing illness or visits to the doctor and pharmacy, you must be able to identify body parts and describe physical symptoms correctly.
Common Body Parts (Las partes del cuerpo)
• la cabeza — head
• la espalda — back
• el estómago — stomach
• la garganta — throat
• las piernas — legs
• los ojos — eyes
• los pies — feet
Grammar Rule 1: The Verb Doler (To Hurt / To Ache)
The verb doler (o → ue) works like gustar. You do not conjugate it like a normal verb. Instead, use an indirect object pronoun (me, te, le, nos, os, les) followed by either duele (singular noun) or duelen (plural noun):
• Me duele la cabeza. (My head hurts. / I have a headache.)
• Me duelen las piernas. (My legs hurt.)
• ¿Te duele la garganta? (Does your throat hurt?)
Grammar Rule 2: Idiomatic Expressions with Tener
In Spanish, physical conditions and ailments often use tener (to have), where English uses "to be":
• tener fiebre — to have a fever / temperature
• tener dolor de... — to have a pain in... (e.g., tengo dolor de estómago)
• tener sueño — to be sleepy / tired
• tener hambre — to be hungry
• tener sed — to be thirsty
• tener calor / frío — to be hot / cold
Key Takeaway: Use me duele for singular items, me duelen for plural items, and use tener (not estar) for hunger, thirst, and tiredness.
5. Unhealthy Habits and Risks (Los hábitos poco saludables y los riesgos)
You may be asked to discuss bad habits, addictions, and their consequences on lifestyle.
Key Terms
• fumar — to smoke
• el tabaco / los cigarrillos — tobacco / cigarettes
• el alcohol — alcohol
• las drogas — drugs
• la adicción — addiction
• un estilo de vida sedentario — a sedentary lifestyle
• dañino/a / perjudicial — harmful / damaging
Expressing Dangers and Advice
• Fumar es muy perjudicial para los pulmones. (Smoking is very harmful to the lungs.)
• El alcohol causa muchos problemas de salud. (Alcohol causes many health problems.)
• Un estilo de vida sedentario aumenta el riesgo de enfermedades. (A sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of illnesses.)
6. Essential Grammar: Giving Advice & Setting Intentions
A. Modal Verbs and Impersonal Structures for Advice
Use these formulaic patterns to give recommendations:
• Deber + infinitive: Debo comer menos comida rápida. (I must eat less fast food.)
• Tener que + infinitive: Tienes que dormir ocho horas. (You have to sleep eight hours.)
• Hay que + infinitive: Hay que hacer ejercicio regularmente. (One must / It is necessary to do exercise regularly.)
• Es importante / necesario + infinitive: Es importante evitar el azúcar. (It is important to avoid sugar.)
B. Contrasting Time Frames (Past, Present, Future)
In the Writing paper (both Foundation and Higher), switching between time frames is necessary for securing high marks.
| Time Frame | Tense / Structure | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Past Habit | Imperfect Tense | Cuando era más joven, comía muchos caramelos y no hacía deporte. (When I was younger, I used to eat a lot of sweets and didn't do sport.) |
| Present Habit | Present Tense | Ahora llevo una vida sana y entreno tres veces a la semana. (Now I lead a healthy life and I train three times a week.) |
| Future Intention | Ir a + infinitive / Future | En el futuro, voy a beber más agua y voy a evitar las bebidas azucaradas. (In the future, I am going to drink more water and avoid sugary drinks.) |
Key Takeaway: Practice writing 3-sentence paragraphs that smoothly move from what you used to do (Imperfect), what you do now (Present), to what you will do (Near Future).
7. Common Mistakes & Examiner Pitfalls to Avoid
1. Incorrect syntax with doler:
• Incorrect: Yo duelo mi cabeza
• Correct: Me duele la cabeza.
• Incorrect: Me duele los ojos
• Correct: Me duelen los ojos.
2. Using estar instead of tener for physical states:
• Incorrect: Estoy hambre / Estoy calor
• Correct: Tengo hambre. / Tengo calor.
3. Adding pronouns to impersonal hay que:
• Incorrect: Yo hay que comer bien
• Correct: Hay que comer bien. (impersonal) OR Tengo que comer bien. (personal)
4. Inserting wrong prepositions after modal verbs:
• Incorrect: Debo de comer fruta
• Correct: Debo comer fruta. (Deber takes a direct infinitive).
8. Quick Revision Check
Can you translate these five core sentences into Spanish?
- I have a headache and I am sleepy. → Me duele la cabeza y tengo sueño.
- You have to drink more water. → Tienes que beber más agua.
- It is important to avoid junk food. → Es importante evitar la comida basura.
- When I was younger, I used to eat poorly. → Cuando era más joven, comía mal.
- In the future, I am going to do more exercise. → En el futuro, voy a hacer más ejercicio.