Spanish · B1 · Milestone
B1 three-quarter milestone in Spanish
This milestone review celebrates your independence! At the B1 level, you can now describe methods, discuss hypotheticals, and explain complex sequences using advanced sentence structures like 'instead of' and passive voice.
What you'll learn
- Express how something is done using gerunds.
- Form hypothetical 'what if' questions using the conditional mood.
- Use relative pronouns accurately with prepositions.
- Describe past habits and ongoing situations using passive constructions.
Spanish phrases for b1 three-quarter milestone
Ahorras tiempo preparando tu equipo de deporte por la noche en lugar de buscar todo por la mañana.
You save time by packing your sports kit in the evening instead of searching for everything in the morning.
Uses 'en lugar de' + infinitive for 'instead of'.
¿Es ese el amigo al que ayudaste cuando el proyecto se volvió difícil?
Is that the friend whom you helped when the project became difficult?
'Al que' is used for a relative clause referring to a person you helped.
Si organizaras una fiesta de pijamas, ¿a qué amigos invitarías?
If you organised a sleepover, which friends would you invite?
A classic hypothetical using the past subjunctive and conditional.
El pegamento fuerte mantiene unido el modelo, pero también necesitamos papel grueso para el techo.
Strong glue holds the model together, but we also need thick paper for the roof.
Reviewing adjective agreement: 'fuerte' and 'grueso'.
Desde que te uniste al club, te has vuelto más seguro porque conoces a los otros niños.
Since you joined the club, you have become more confident because you know the other children.
'Desde que' indicates a starting point in time.
O pondremos el escritorio al lado de la ventana, o lo dejaremos entre las estanterías.
Either we will put the desk beside the window, or we will leave it between the shelves.
Uses the 'O... o' structure for 'Either... or'.
Cuando tenía diez años, a menudo esperaba delante de la biblioteca y coleccionaba ideas para proyectos escolares.
When I was ten, I often waited in front of the library and collected ideas for school projects.
Uses the Imperfect tense for childhood descriptions.
Los carteles que vuestro grupo diseñó se están exponiendo en el vestíbulo.
The posters that your group designed are being displayed in the hall.
The 'se' passive is a natural way to describe actions happening to objects.
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
En lugar de
Instead of
Always followed by an infinitive verb in this context.
Fiesta de pijamas
Sleepover
A common phrase for children's social gatherings.
Se volvió
Became
Used for sudden or significant changes in state.
Vestíbulo
Hall / Lobby
The main entrance or hallway of a school or building.
Hypotheticals (The 'If' Clause)
To talk about imaginary situations, we use the Past Subjunctive after 'si' and the Conditional for the result.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Past Subjunctive | -ara / -iera | Si tuviera tiempo... (If I had time...) |
| Conditional | -ía | ...iría al parque. (...I would go to the park.) |
Gerunds as Methods
In English, we say 'by doing'. In Spanish, you simply use the Gerund (-ando/-iendo) without a preposition.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Method | Gerundio | Aprendes leyendo. (You learn by reading.) |
More examples
¿O quieres fruta o quieres yogur?
Do you want either fruit or yogurt?
Demonstrates the correlative 'O... o'.
Estudiaba mientras escuchaba música.
I used to study while I listened to music.
Review of simultaneous past actions using the Imperfect.