GCSE Spanish Grammar: Commands, the Passive and the Present Continuous

Three pieces of the GCSE Spanish grammar list are the focus of this material, as they appear in the reformed specifications (first exams in 2026). Commands: at Foundation tier the affirmative tú command, with the eight irregular forms sé, ve, ten, ven, haz, di, pon and sal; at Higher tier the affirmative plural (vosotros) command as well. The present continuous: estar with a present participle for what is happening now, including the spelling change in leyendo and the e → i change in verbs like pedir and servir, and its past partner, the imperfect continuous. The passive, a Higher-tier point: ser with a past participle and por, and se with a third-person verb. (The tier labels follow the Spanish grammar list in AQA's specification, for example.)

These structures come up everywhere in the exam: instructions in a reading text or a role-play, a photo description (están comiendo, está leyendo), a translation from Spanish that uses the passive, or a Higher writing task that needs a range of structures.

The quiz has twelve questions. Six ask for the right irregular tú command in a situation (come here, do your homework, tell me the truth, put the book on the table, be careful, go home), with distractors that are present-tense statements or preterites. Two Higher-tier questions practise vosotros commands. Two test the present continuous with leyendo and sirviendo, and two, at Higher tier, the passive with ser and with se.

The fourteen flashcards set out regular and irregular tú commands, pronouns joined to commands, vosotros commands, the present and imperfect continuous, the spelling changes in the present participle, both passives, and the double meaning of ve.

The written sheet asks you to produce the forms: all eight irregular commands in sentences, instructions to a younger brother, a teacher's instructions to a group (Higher), sentences in the present continuous, a translation with the imperfect continuous, passive transformations with ser and translations with se (Higher), and a short explanation of the rules. Model answers are given for every item.

• Use regular and irregular tú commands (sé, ve, ten, ven, haz, di, pon, sal), with pronouns attached
• Form affirmative vosotros commands (Higher)
• Form the present continuous and the imperfect continuous, including leyendo and pidiendo
• Recognise and form the passive with ser + past participle + por (Higher)
• Use the passive with se, with the verb agreeing with the noun (Higher)

Practice material written by Zestly, based on the DfE GCSE modern foreign languages subject content (2022), Spanish grammar, and on the Spanish grammar list in AQA's GCSE Spanish specification (8692, version 1.0, section 3.2), used here as an example.