SpanishB2Lesson 5.1
🇪🇸 Spanish B2 · Lesson 5.1

Reseñar una obra — Reviewing a film or book

Write a balanced critique with nuanced evaluative language.

Listen first

Two friends disagree about an acclaimed but slow film.

🔊 Real audio — spoken by your browser in Spanish. Tap any word below to hear it.
New vocabulary — tap to hear
la tramathe plot 🔊
el repartothe cast 🔊
el guionthe screenplay/script 🔊
carecer deto lack 🔊
destacar porto stand out for 🔊
una obra sobrevaloradaan overrated work 🔊

Now say it

Tap the phrase to hear it, then press the mic and repeat — we score your pronunciation for real (Chrome/Edge).

« Es una pena que un guion tan flojo arruine una idea brillante. » 🔊
It's a shame that such a weak script ruins a brilliant idea.
—
Pronunciation

Live conversation lab

Practise this dialogue live with a native-trained tutor. Next session opens soon.

Read the dialogue

Tap any line to hear it. Grammar appears in context, never as a dry rule.

La película destaca por su fotografía, aunque la trama se hace lenta. 🔊The film stands out for its cinematography, although the plot drags.
A mí me parece sobrevalorada; el guion carece de tensión. 🔊I find it overrated; the screenplay lacks tension.
Es una lástima que no aprovecharan mejor un reparto tan bueno. 🔊It's a shame they didn't make better use of such a good cast.
Coincido. Resulta increíble que ganara tantos premios. 🔊I agree. It's incredible that it won so many awards.
Bueno, no negarás que la banda sonora es memorable. 🔊Well, you can't deny the soundtrack is memorable.
Eso sí; en conjunto, le pondría un siete sobre diez. 🔊That, yes; overall, I'd give it a seven out of ten.
Grammar in focus · subjunctive after value judgements

Reviews are full of value judgements, which trigger the subjunctive in the subordinate clause: « Es una lástima que la trama sea lenta », « Resulta increíble que ganara premios » (imperfect subjunctive for a past event), « Me sorprende que no haya tenido éxito » (perfect subjunctive). The pattern is [evaluative expression] + que + [subjunctive]. Common openers: « es una pena/lástima que », « es lógico que », « resulta sorprendente que », « me parece injusto que ».

Write it yourself

Write a mini-review (4–5 sentences) of a film or book, balancing one strength and one weakness, with a value judgement + subjunctive.

Saved to your writing portfolio
Tip for this task
« ¡Bien! » After value judgements use the subjunctive: « Es una pena que carezca de ritmo ». For a past event, the imperfect subjunctive: « Es increíble que ganara ». End with an overall verdict, e.g. a rating.

Quick check

An adaptive quiz confirms you've got it and schedules the right words for review.

1. « Es una lástima que la trama ___ tan lenta. »
2. « Resulta increíble que ___ tantos premios » (past event).
3. « Carecer de » means…
Back to module