Describe a person who is good at learning and speaking new languages

Band 6

I would like to talk about my friend Ioana, who is very good atExpresión básica; limita el Lexical Resource learning languages. We met at university in Cluj, in Romania, four years ago, and now we isError de concordancia sujeto-verbo: debería ser “are” in the same group. She can speak five languages: Romanian, French, English, German and a little Spanish, but her Spanish is still, erVacilación natural, muletilla leve, quite basic. She started French with her grandmother when she was a child, and she began English and German at school. Now she learns new things in some different ways. First, she watches films without subtitles, and when she hears a new word she writeError de concordancia sujeto-verbo: debería ser “writes” it in a small notebook. She reads this notebook on the bus every morning. Second, she speaks to tourists in the old town, because she is not afraid of make mistakesError en la forma del verbo: debería ser “is not afraid of making mistakes”. Third, once a week she has a video call with a language partner in Madrid, and they talk about many thingsExpresión vaga; “all sorts of topics” es más precisa. Last year she goError de tiempo verbal: debería ser “went” to Spain for a short course, and her Spanish became much better. She also reads a short article in Spanish every evening before she goes to sleep. Our classmates often ask her for help before exams, and she always explains patiently. You knowMuletilla usada como marcador de vacilación, I feel she is a really greatAdjetivo básico; limita el Lexical Resource person and I admire her a lot. Sometimes I feel a little jealous, because I studyError de tiempo verbal: debería ser “have been studying” English for ten years and I still don’t speak so easily. But she also gives me advice, so I want to practise more.

Band 7

I’d like to talk about my friend Ioana, who has a real talent for learning languages. We met at university in Cluj, in Romania, four years ago, and we’re now in the same group. She can speak five languages: Romanian, French, English, German and a little Spanish, although her Spanish is still quite basic. She started French with her grandmother as a child, and she began English and German at school. She has several methods for learning new things. First, she watches films without subtitles, and whenever she hears a new word she writes it down in a small notebook, which she reads on the bus every morning. Second, she speaks to tourists in the old town, because she isn’t afraid of to makeError en la forma del verbo: debería ser “making” mistakes. Third, once a week she has a video call with a language partner in Madrid, and they talk about all sorts of topicsExpresión natural y flexible. Last year she took a short course in Spain, and her Spanish improved noticeablyAdverbio preciso en lugar de “became much better”. She also reads a short article in Spanish every evening before she goes to sleep. Our classmates often ask her for help before exams, and she always explains patiently. To be honestMarcador discursivo que introduce un sentimiento personal, I admire her enormously, but I’m also a little envious, because I’ve been studying English for ten years and I still can’t speak as fluently as she doesEstructura comparativa “as … as” usada con acierto. She’s generous with advice, so she motivateError de concordancia sujeto-verbo: debería ser “motivates” me to practise more.

Band 8

I’d like to talk about my friend Ioana, who has a real flair for languages. We met at university in Cluj, in Romania, four years ago, and we’re now in the same group. She speaks five languages: Romanian, French, English, German and a little Spanish, although her Spanish is still at an early stage. She started French with her grandmother as a child, and she began English and German at school. She goes about learning new things in several ways. For a start, she watches films without subtitles, and whenever she hears a new word she jots it down in a small notebook, which she reads on the bus every morning. She also strikes up conversations with touristsLocución verbal idiomática in the old town, since she isn’t afraid of making mistakes. Once a week she has a video call with a language partner in Madrid, and they talk about everything under the sunExpresión idiomática usada con naturalidad. Last year she took a short course in Spain, and her Spanish improved noticeably. She also reads a short article in Spanish every evening before she goes to sleep. Our classmates often ask her for help before exams, and she always explains patiently. I admire her enormously, though, if I’m honest, I’m also slightly envious, because I’ve been studying English for ten years and still can’t speak as fluently as she does. She’s generous with advice, too, and the more I watch her, the more I want to practiseComparativo correlativo usado con acierto, so, on balance, she’s a source of motivation rather than discouragement.