This exam tips covers Errores del subjuntivo y del pretérito within Dictation Higher sets (H) for GCSE Spanish. Revise Dictation Higher sets (H) in Dictation for GCSE Spanish with 13 exam-style questions and 10 flashcards. Use this page as part of a wider topic revision path rather than treating it as an isolated fact. It is section 3 of 4 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.
⚠️ Errores del subjuntivo y del pretérito
These five errors all come from the same source: students know the spoken form but do not know the spelling rule. Learn the rule, not just the word.
❌ Error 1: llegé
✅ Correcto: llegué
Why it costs marks: -gar verbs change g → gu before é in the yo preterite to preserve the hard /g/ sound. llegé does not exist — llegué is the only correct form.
❌ Error 2: buscé
✅ Correcto: busqué
Why it costs marks: -car verbs change c → qu before é in the yo preterite to preserve the hard /k/ sound. busqué is the only correct spelling.
❌ Error 3: empezé
✅ Correcto: empecé
Why it costs marks: -zar verbs change z → c before é because z never appears before e or i in standard Spanish. empecé is the only correct form.
❌ Error 4: levantandome
✅ Correcto: levantándome
Why it costs marks: Adding -me to levantando shifts the syllable count. The written accent on the á preserves the original stress on the -TAN- syllable. Without it, the form is both incorrect and ambiguous.
❌ Error 5: No hable (as negative imperative)
✅ Correcto: ¡No hables!
Why it costs marks: Negative imperatives use the present subjunctive tú form (hables, not hable). The ¡! punctuation is also required at the start. ¡No hables! = Don't speak! (tú). ¡No hable! = Don't speak! (usted) — a different register entirely.
Practice questions for Dictation Higher sets (H)
Listen to the sentence three times, then write exactly what you hear in Spanish.