Vocabulary about Relationships

Understanding the vocabulary: You must be familiar with a wide array of terms related to relationships, such as family members, friends, partners, attributes, emotions and various stages of a relationship. For example, el esposo (husband), la esposa (wife), el novio (boyfriend), la novia (girlfriend), el amigo/la amiga (friend).

Verb and Tense Usage

Using the correct verbs: These play a key role in effective communication about relationships. Common verbs include “ser”/”estar” (to be), “tener” (to have), “gustar” (to like), “querer” (to want/to love), “odiar” (to hate), “romper” (to break up) etc.
Tense usage: Understanding when to use the present, preterite and imperfect tense is crucial. For instance, if you’re talking about an ongoing relationship, use the present tense, but if discussing a relationship that has ended or evolved, the past tenses may be more appropriate.

Adjectives and Demonstrative Pronouns

Adjective usage: Describing friends, family and relationships requires many adjectives. For example, simpático/a (nice), generoso/a (generous), sensible (sensitive), leal (loyal). Remember that adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they’re modifying.
Demonstrative Pronouns: These are used a lot when you discuss relationships. For example, ‘este’ means ‘this’ and ‘ese’ means ‘that’. Don’t forget to match the gender and quantity of the noun you’re referring to.

Expressions and Comparison

Opinions: Learn phrases to express your opinions, preferences, and emotions. This could be anything from “me llevo bien con..” (I get along well with..) to “me encanta pasar tiempo con…” (I love spending time with…)
Comparison: When comparing two or more people or relationships, make sure to be familiar with constructions using “más… que” and “menos… que”.

Prepositions and Discourse Markers

Prepositions: For explaining relationships, words like ‘con’ (with), ‘sin’ (without), ‘entre’ (between/ among) and ‘hacia’ (towards) might be useful.
Discourse Markers: Certain phrases or words can be used to link your thoughts and make your speech or writing smoother. Examples include ‘sin embargo’ (however), ‘por eso’ (therefore), ‘además’ (in addition).

Remember, practise makes perfect. Keep practising these topics through reading, understanding, listening, writing and speaking exercises, and you will gradually build confidence in speaking about relationships in Spanish.