Healthy and unhealthy living — CIE IGCSE Spanish Revision Notes

What you'll learn

This revision guide covers the "Healthy and unhealthy living" topic area within the CIE IGCSE Spanish specification. You'll master essential vocabulary, grammatical structures, and cultural contexts needed to discuss diet, exercise, lifestyle choices, illness, and wellbeing. This topic appears across all four exam papers: Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing.

Key terms and definitions

La alimentación — nutrition, diet; encompasses all aspects of what we eat and drink, a key term for discussing healthy eating patterns

El bienestar — wellbeing; refers to overall physical and mental health, commonly used when discussing balanced lifestyles

La dieta equilibrada — balanced diet; a diet containing appropriate proportions of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals

El estilo de vida — lifestyle; the way a person lives, including habits, routines, and choices affecting health

Las enfermedades — illnesses, diseases; used when discussing health problems and medical conditions

La salud mental — mental health; psychological and emotional wellbeing, increasingly important in modern Spanish discourse

El sedentarismo — sedentary lifestyle; a lifestyle with little or no physical activity, a major health concern

Los trastornos alimentarios — eating disorders; serious conditions like anorexia and bulimia requiring medical attention

Core concepts

Food and nutrition vocabulary

Understanding food groups and nutritional terms is essential for this topic:

Healthy foods:

Las frutas y verduras (fruits and vegetables)
Los cereales integrales (whole grains)
Las legumbres (pulses, legumes)
El pescado (fish)
Las proteínas magras (lean proteins)
Los productos lácteos bajos en grasa (low-fat dairy products)

Unhealthy foods:

La comida basura/chatarra (junk food)
Los dulces (sweets)
Las grasas saturadas (saturated fats)
Los alimentos procesados (processed foods)
Las bebidas azucaradas (sugary drinks)
La bollería (pastries, baked goods)

Key phrases for describing diet:

Llevar una dieta sana/equilibrada (to follow a healthy/balanced diet)
Evitar el exceso de sal/azúcar (to avoid excess salt/sugar)
Consumir cinco porciones de fruta al día (to eat five portions of fruit daily)
Beber dos litros de agua diariamente (to drink two litres of water daily)
Reducir el consumo de carne roja (to reduce red meat consumption)

Exercise and physical activity

Physical activity is central to healthy living discussions:

Types of exercise:

Hacer ejercicio/deporte (to exercise/do sport)
Correr/el footing (to run/jogging)
Nadar/la natación (to swim/swimming)
Montar en bicicleta/el ciclismo (to cycle/cycling)
Caminar/el senderismo (to walk/hiking)
Ir al gimnasio (to go to the gym)
Practicar yoga/pilates (to practice yoga/pilates)

Frequency and duration expressions:

Dos veces a la semana (twice a week)
Cada día/todos los días (every day)
Durante treinta minutos (for thirty minutes)
Por la mañana/tarde (in the morning/afternoon)
Regularmente (regularly)
De vez en cuando (from time to time)

Benefits of exercise:

Mantenerse en forma (to keep fit)
Fortalecer los músculos (to strengthen muscles)
Mejorar la salud cardiovascular (to improve cardiovascular health)
Reducir el estrés (to reduce stress)
Aumentar la energía (to increase energy)
Controlar el peso (to control weight)

Lifestyle choices and habits

This section covers daily habits affecting health:

Positive habits:

Dormir ocho horas por noche (to sleep eight hours per night)
Mantener una rutina regular (to maintain a regular routine)
Relajarse/descansar (to relax/rest)
Pasar tiempo al aire libre (to spend time outdoors)
Tener una actitud positiva (to have a positive attitude)
Evitar el estrés (to avoid stress)

Negative habits:

Fumar/el tabaco (to smoke/tobacco)
Beber alcohol en exceso (to drink alcohol excessively)
Consumir drogas (to take drugs)
Pasar demasiado tiempo delante de pantallas (to spend too much time in front of screens)
Acostarse tarde (to go to bed late)
Llevar una vida sedentaria (to lead a sedentary life)

Consequences:

Aumentar el riesgo de enfermedades (to increase disease risk)
Sufrir de insomnio (to suffer from insomnia)
Tener problemas de salud (to have health problems)
Engordar/adelgazar (to gain/lose weight)
Sentirse cansado/estresado (to feel tired/stressed)

Illness and healthcare

Understanding how to describe ailments and seek medical help:

Common illnesses:

Un resfriado/catarro (a cold)
La gripe (flu)
Una fiebre (a fever)
Dolor de cabeza/estómago/garganta (headache/stomach ache/sore throat)
Una tos (a cough)
Una alergia (an allergy)
El asma (asthma)
La diabetes (diabetes)

Medical vocabulary:

El médico/doctor (doctor)
El/la enfermero/a (nurse)
El hospital (hospital)
La farmacia (pharmacy)
Las medicinas/los medicamentos (medicines)
La receta (prescription)
Una cita (appointment)
Hacerse un chequeo (to have a check-up)

Describing symptoms:

Me duele/me duelen (it hurts/they hurt)
Me siento mal/enfermo (I feel bad/ill)
Tengo náuseas (I feel sick/nauseous)
Estoy mareado/a (I feel dizzy)
No puedo dormir/comer (I can't sleep/eat)

Mental health and wellbeing

Mental health is increasingly examined at IGCSE level:

Mental health conditions:

La depresión (depression)
La ansiedad (anxiety)
El estrés (stress)
Los problemas emocionales (emotional problems)
La presión (pressure)

Wellbeing strategies:

Hablar con alguien de confianza (to talk to someone you trust)
Buscar ayuda profesional (to seek professional help)
Practicar la meditación (to practice meditation)
Hacer actividades relajantes (to do relaxing activities)
Mantener el equilibrio entre trabajo y ocio (to maintain work-life balance)
Cuidar la salud mental (to take care of mental health)

Useful expressions:

Sentirse abrumado/a (to feel overwhelmed)
Estar agobiado/a (to be stressed/overwhelmed)
Necesitar apoyo (to need support)
Mejorar el bienestar emocional (to improve emotional wellbeing)

Cultural contexts and authentic material

IGCSE exams often include authentic Spanish and Latin American contexts:

Spanish healthcare system:

La sanidad pública (public healthcare)
La Seguridad Social (Social Security)
El sistema sanitario español (the Spanish health system)

Dietary patterns:

La dieta mediterránea (Mediterranean diet) - recognized by UNESCO
El horario de comidas español (Spanish meal times)
La comida principal al mediodía (main meal at midday)

Current issues:

La obesidad infantil (childhood obesity)
El aumento del sedentarismo (increase in sedentary lifestyle)
Las campañas de salud pública (public health campaigns)
La concienciación sobre salud mental (mental health awareness)

Worked examples

Example 1: Writing task (90-100 words)

Question: Escribe un artículo para tu revista escolar sobre la importancia de llevar una vida sana. Debes incluir:

qué haces para mantenerte sano/a
por qué es importante hacer ejercicio
qué se debe evitar

Model answer:

En mi opinión, llevar una vida sana es fundamental para tener energía y sentirse bien. Personalmente, intento comer una dieta equilibrada con muchas frutas y verduras, y evito la comida basura. También bebo dos litros de agua cada día.

Hago ejercicio tres veces por semana. Voy al gimnasio los lunes y miércoles, y los sábados juego al fútbol con mis amigos. Creo que es importante hacer deporte porque fortalece el cuerpo, reduce el estrés y mejora el bienestar mental.

Es esencial evitar hábitos nocivos como fumar o beber alcohol. También debemos limitar el tiempo delante de las pantallas y dormir ocho horas cada noche. Si seguimos estos consejos, disfrutaremos de mejor salud.

Examiner commentary: This response covers all three bullet points with appropriate detail. It uses varied vocabulary (equilibrada, nocivos, fortalece), different tenses (presente, preterite implied through routines), and opinion phrases (en mi opinión, creo que). The answer flows naturally and demonstrates good control of IGCSE-level grammar. Mark: 15/15

Example 2: Speaking role-play

Situación: Estás en la consulta del médico en España.

Candidate:

Buenos días, doctor. No me siento bien.
Me duele mucho la garganta y tengo fiebre.
Desde hace tres días.
No, no he tomado ninguna medicina todavía.
¿Cuándo debo tomarla?

Examiner commentary: Clear communication with appropriate register (usted form). Uses specific symptoms vocabulary and time expressions correctly. Demonstrates ability to respond naturally in a medical context. Mark: 5/5 for Communication

Example 3: Reading comprehension

Text extract: "La Organización Mundial de la Salud recomienda hacer al menos 150 minutos de ejercicio moderado por semana. Sin embargo, estudios recientes muestran que el 60% de los jóvenes españoles no alcanza este objetivo debido al sedentarismo y al uso excesivo de dispositivos electrónicos."

Question: ¿Qué problema enfrentan muchos jóvenes españoles? (2 marks)

Model answer: Muchos jóvenes españoles no hacen suficiente ejercicio (1) porque pasan demasiado tiempo usando dispositivos electrónicos/llevan una vida sedentaria (1).

Mark scheme guidance: Award one mark for identifying insufficient exercise and one mark for the cause (sedentary lifestyle/excessive screen time). Accept synonyms and paraphrasing in English or Spanish depending on exam paper.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

Confusing gender of health-related nouns: Remember "la salud" (health) is feminine, "el dolor" (pain) is masculine, and "el/la paciente" (patient) can be both. Learn the article with the noun to avoid agreement errors.
Incorrect use of "doler": Use like "gustar" with indirect object pronouns: "me duele la cabeza" (my head hurts), "me duelen los pies" (my feet hurt). Don't say "yo duelo."
Literal translation from English: Don't translate "to feel sick" as "sentirse enfermo" when meaning nauseous; use "tener náuseas" or "estar mareado/a." Context matters.
Forgetting reflexive verbs: Many health verbs are reflexive: "sentirse bien/mal" (to feel good/bad), "mantenerse en forma" (to keep fit), "cuidarse" (to take care of oneself). Don't omit the reflexive pronoun.
Overusing "muy": Vary your intensifiers: "muy importante" (very important), "sumamente esencial" (extremely essential), "bastante beneficioso" (quite beneficial), "realmente necesario" (really necessary).
Limited vocabulary range: Don't repeatedly use "bueno/malo." Use synonyms: "saludable/sano" (healthy), "nocivo/perjudicial/dañino" (harmful), "beneficioso" (beneficial), "nutritivo" (nutritious).

Exam technique for "Healthy and unhealthy living"

Learn topic-specific collocations: Examiners reward natural phrases like "llevar una dieta equilibrada," "hacer ejercicio regularmente," "reducir el consumo de" rather than word-by-word translations. Memorize chunks of language.
Use the conditional to give advice: The conditional tense scores well in speaking and writing: "Deberías comer más verduras" (You should eat more vegetables), "Sería mejor dormir ocho horas" (It would be better to sleep eight hours), "Podrías ir al gimnasio" (You could go to the gym).
Include justifications and opinions: Don't just list facts. Explain why: "Es importante hacer deporte porque..." Include opinion phrases: "En mi opinión," "Creo que," "Me parece que," "Desde mi punto de vista."
Prepare for both formal and informal registers: Medical contexts often require "usted" form; writing to friends uses "tú." Practice both and recognize when each is appropriate from the exam question context.

Quick revision summary

Master essential vocabulary for food groups, exercise types, lifestyle habits, illnesses, and mental health. Practice describing daily health routines using present tense and frequency expressions. Learn to give health advice using the conditional and imperative. Understand reflexive verbs like "sentirse," "mantenerse," and "cuidarse." Prepare authentic contexts like Mediterranean diet and Spanish healthcare. For exams, use varied vocabulary beyond basic adjectives, justify opinions with "porque," and adapt register (tú/usted) appropriately. Focus on natural collocations that native speakers use rather than literal translations from English.