Las redes sociales — Core Social Media Vocabulary
📱 Las redes sociales — Core Social Media Vocabulary
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| las redes sociales | social media / social networks |
| publicar (una foto / un vídeo) | to post / publish |
| compartir | to share |
| subir | to upload |
| seguir (e→i) | to follow — yo sigo, tú sigues, él/ella sigue |
| comentar | to comment |
| en directo | live (streaming) |
| el contenido | content |
| el/la influencer | influencer (same word in Spanish) |
| viral | viral (same word in Spanish) |
| el ciberacoso | cyberbullying |
| la privacidad | privacy |
| la adicción | addiction |
| dañino/a | harmful |
Note: seguir is e→i stem-changing. yo sigo, tú sigues, él/ella sigue, nosotros seguimos, vosotros seguís, ellos siguen. In social media contexts, sigo a muchos influencers = I follow many influencers. The personal a is required before people — see the error cards below.
AQA Paper 4 Writing and Paper 3 Speaking at Higher tier expect complex sentence structures, not just vocabulary lists. Two structures are especially rewarded on social media topics: aunque + indicative for concession, and a balanced argument using connectives.
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💡 Errores frecuentes — Common Errors
❌ Error 1: "Sigo muchos influencers en las redes."
✅ Correcto: "Sigo a muchos influencers en las redes."
Por qué: When seguir means "to follow a person", it requires the personal a before the human object. In Spanish, direct objects that are specific, identified people must be preceded by the preposition a — this is called the a personal. Examples: sigo a mis amigos, sigo a los influencers, sigo a esta cantante. The personal a cannot be omitted when you are following people. (Note: if the object were a non-specific or non-human noun — e.g. sigo una dieta — the personal a is not used. But for influencers, friends, and named individuals: always include it.)
❌ Error 2: "Sería mejor si habría más control en internet."
✅ Correcto: "Sería mejor si hubiera más control en internet."
Por qué: In conditional sentences with si expressing a hypothesis or wish, the si-clause requires the imperfect subjunctive — not the conditional. Habría is the conditional of haber; it belongs in the result clause, not after si. The correct pattern is: si + imperfect subjunctive (hubiera) → conditional (sería). So: si hubiera más control → sería mejor. Putting habría after si is one of the most common Higher-level errors in AQA writing and the examiner will mark it as a grammatical inaccuracy. Never write si + conditional.
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