Communicative Activity to Work on Oral Expression in Class
Working on likes and preferences in Spanish is one of the most effective and natural ways to develop oral expression in the Spanish as a Foreign Language (ELE) classroom. Through peer interviews, students not only practice key structures like “I like,” “I prefer,” and “I hate,” but also strengthen interaction, active listening, and connection in the classroom.
In this article, we explain how to implement the “I – Both – My Partner” activity, an ideal dynamic for fostering authentic communication in the classroom.
Dynamics: Interview and Matching Diagram
Objective
To discover what students have in common through a structured interview.
Development of the activity
- Students work in pairs.
- They ask each other questions about their likes and dislikes and routines.
- They complete a diagram divided into three parts:
Me
Both
My partner
The goal is not only to gather information, but also to identify similarities and differences and then share them with the class.
Examples of questions
These questions help activate key vocabulary and grammatical structures:
- What kind of music do you like?
- Do you have a favorite singer or band?
- Do you like going to the movies or do you prefer watching films at home?
- What time do you usually get up?
- What is your favorite day of the week and why?
- What do you do on weekends?
These questions allow us to work on:
- Verbs like gustar, encantar, preferir
- Present indicative
- Expressions of frequency (siempre, a veces, nunca)
- Justification of opinions
Conclusión
The interview activity about tastes and preferences is a key tool in teaching Spanish as a foreign language. It is simple, adaptable, and highly effective in promoting authentic interaction.
Regularly incorporating it into the classroom improves fluency, confidence, and group cohesion.
