AP® Spanish Language and Culture review sheet from Aim for Five (aimforfive.com/spanish/units/5/5-5)
Unit 5 · Topic 5.5
5.5 Sports and Leisure (Deportes y tiempo libre)
This topic is about sports and how people spend their free time, from soccer to a Sunday bike ride. You'll see how sports and leisure bring communities together, like Bogotá's Ciclovía, where main streets close to cars on Sundays and holidays.
Key terms
- el tiempo libre
- el pasatiempo
- la afición
- el aficionado
- el equipo
- la ciclovía
Soccer and other sports
Soccer (el fútbol) is the most popular sport in most Spanish-speaking countries. Uruguay won the first World Cup in 1930 and won again in 1950; Argentina won in 1978, 1986 and 2022; Spain won the men's World Cup in 2010 and the Women's World Cup in 2023.
Rivalries are part of the culture: el clásico between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona in Spain, and el superclásico between Boca Juniors and River Plate in Buenos Aires. Fans have regional names: el aficionado and la afición in Spain, el hincha and la hinchada in Argentina, Uruguay and other countries.
Soccer isn't everything. Baseball (el béisbol) is the top sport in the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Venezuela, and many Major League players come from those countries. Basque pelota (la pelota vasca) is traditional in northern Spain.
The Ciclovía of Bogotá
Since 1974, Bogotá has closed many of its main roads to cars every Sunday and public holiday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Today the Ciclovía covers more than 120 kilometers of streets, and the city estimates that about 1.5 million people use it on an average day. People bike, run, skate and walk, and there are often free exercise classes in parks along the route.
Cities in many countries have copied the idea. It's a great example for an essay because it connects sports and leisure with health, public space and city planning.
Free time
- el tiempo libre (free time), el ocio (leisure), el pasatiempo (hobby), la afición also means a hobby or passion: su afición es la fotografía
- dar un paseo (to go for a walk), quedar con amigos (Spain, to meet up), salir a tomar algo (to go out for a drink or snack)
- el puente: a long weekend created when a holiday falls next to a weekend
- The plaza is a meeting point in many towns, where people of all ages spend evenings outside.
- The siesta is part of the stereotype, but many people in big cities work through the afternoon and don't nap every day.
Sports words that trip students up
| Spanish | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| el partido | the match, the game | A sports game is a partido; el juego is a game in general, like un juego de mesa (a board game) |
| jugar al fútbol / jugar fútbol | to play soccer | Spain uses al; much of Latin America leaves it out |
| empatar | to tie | ganar (to win), perder (to lose) |
| el equipo | team, also equipment | Context decides |
| la cancha / el campo | the field or court | cancha in Latin America; campo for a soccer field in Spain |
Language toolkit: habits and likes
- soler + infinitive for habits: Los domingos suelo montar en bici.
- The impersonal se: En Bogotá se cierran las calles los domingos.
- Verbs like gustar: me encanta el béisbol, nos interesan los deportes extremos, le aburren los videojuegos.
Worked examples
Try each one yourself first, then open the solution.
- Example 1
Finding why a detail is included
Texto escrito para esta práctica: «¡Domingo sin carros! Este domingo, de 7:00 a 14:00, la avenida Central será solo para peatones, ciclistas y patinadores. Habrá clases gratuitas de baile en la plaza y un taller para reparar bicicletas. Las personas que necesiten llegar al hospital en carro podrán usar la calle 8, que permanecerá abierta. Trae agua, protector solar y ¡a moverse!». Pregunta: ¿Por qué el anuncio menciona la calle 8? (A) Porque allí habrá clases de baile. (B) Para que quienes tengan que ir al hospital en carro sepan cómo llegar. (C) Porque allí empieza una carrera. (D) Para prohibir las bicicletas en esa calle.
Show the solutionHide the solution
- Step 1: Find the sentence with la calle 8 and read it whole: people who need to get to the hospital by car can use street 8, which will stay open.
- Step 2: Work out the purpose. The main avenue is closed to cars, so the announcement solves a practical problem for drivers with an urgent need.
- Step 3: Notice the subjunctive in que necesiten: it refers to whoever might need it, not to specific people. That supports quienes tengan que in choice (B).
- Step 4: Check the others. The dance classes are in la plaza (A). There's no race (C). Nothing says bikes are banned anywhere (D).
Answer: (B) Para que quienes tengan que ir al hospital en carro sepan cómo llegar.
Common mistakes
- Translating "to play a sport" with tocar. Tocar is for instruments; for sports use jugar (a) or practicar un deporte.
- Using el juego for a soccer game. A match is el partido.
- Writing "realizar ejercicio" for everyday exercise. People usually say hacer ejercicio.
- Treating the siesta as a fact of daily life everywhere. Describe practices carefully, as some people or some places, not "all Spaniards".
On the exam
- Ads and flyers for events (a race, a summer camp, a car-free day) are typical promotional material. Expect questions on purpose, audience and specific details such as times and places.
- Interviews with athletes or fans often test inference: how does the speaker feel about winning, losing or their community?
- The Ciclovía, public sports programs and screen time versus outdoor play all make good essay evidence on health and community.
Connected topics
Videos
Check yourself
5 questions on 5.5 Sports and Leisure (Deportes y tiempo libre). Pick an answer to see if you got it, and why.
Texto escrito para esta práctica
¿Cuál es el objetivo principal de la iniciativa que se anuncia?
Según el anuncio, ¿qué ofrece la escuela de bicicleta?
¿Qué papel tienen las personas mayores del barrio en la actividad?
¿Por qué el anuncio menciona la Ciclovía de Bogotá?
¿Qué se puede inferir del lema final «el domingo, la ciudad es de la gente»?
0 of 5 answered