By the time you are sitting down to take the AP Spanish language and culture exam, you likely have taken anywhere from two to five years of Spanish. Throughout the years, you have learned countless vocabulary words, from the basics of describing yourself to the various food groups and even travel words.
Here is a list of 50 AP Spanish vocabulary words to add to your repertoire and push you one step closer to a five! Each word is followed by a short sentence showing how it is used in a natural context.
Transition Words
One of the most daunting aspects of the exam are the two written tasks. These transition words can be used in your essays and are a great addition to an AP Spanish vocabulary list.
1. No obstante – nevertheless
Hay mucha nieve afuera, no obstante, es cálido por dentro.
There is a lot of snow outside, nevertheless, it is warm inside.
2. Por lo tanto – therefore
Quiero obtener un 5 en mi examen de AP Spanish, por lo tanto voy a estudiar todos los
días.
I want to get a 5 on my AP Spanish exam, therefore I will study every day.
3. Desarrollar – to develop
Planeo que desarrollar tres puntos.
I plan to develop three points.
4. De hecho – in fact
De hecho, hay muchos cambios en nuestro tecnológia.
In fact, there are a lot of changes in our technology.
5. En cambio – in contrast
Yo, en cambio, preferiría un gato, no un perro.
I, in contrast, would prefer a cat, not a dog.
6. En realidad – actually
En realidad, los cambios no son tan mal.
In reality, the changes are not that bad.
7. Además – moreover
Este cuadro tiene muy colores y además es muy expresivo.
This painting has a lot of colors and moreover is very expressive.
8. En pocas palabras – in short/in a few words
Quiero contarte la historia en pocas palabras.
I want to tell you the story in a few words.
9. Por otro lado – on the other hand
Es una casa bonita, por otro lado está en una calle ruidosa.
It's a pretty house, on the other hand it is on a loud street.
10. Por supuesto – of course
Por supuesto es importante que estudiar.
Of course it is important to study.
11. Por ejemplo – for example
Hoy, por ejemplo, el clima es nublado.
Today, for example, the weather is cloudy.
12. Ambos – both
Ambos chicos quieren ser doctores.
Both boys want to be doctors.
13. Igualmente – similarly
Las dos soluciones son igualmente razonables.
The two solutions are equally reasonable.
Theme Words
The AP Spanish Language exam is centered around six main themes and there are certain vocabulary words that are important to know for each.
Global Challenges
14. La natalidad – birthrate
La natalidad no ha cambiado desde tres años.
The birthrate has not changed for three years.
15. El pronóstico – forecast
La pronóstico económica para España muestra crecimiento.
The economic forecast for Spain shows growth.
16. La población – population
Está estudiando la población de México.
He is studying the population of Mexico.
17. El desafío – challenge
El hambre es uno de los desafíos mundiales.
Hunger is one of the global challenges.
18. Infraestructura – infrastructure
Es importante que un país construya su infraestructura.
It is important for a country to build its infrastructure.
Science and Technology
19. Predecir – to predict
Es difícil predecir los cambios en la ciencia.
It is difficult to predict changes in science.
20. La informática – computer science
La informática es un campo en crecimiento.
Computer science is a growing field.
21. El sitio – website
El sitio tiene un diseño muy fácil de usar.
The website has an easy to use design.
22. Los avances científicos – scientific advancements
La salud ha sido ayudado por los avances científicos.
Healthcare has been helped by scientific advancements.
23. El progreso – progress
Eso será un verdadero progreso.
That would be a real progress.
Contemporary Life
24. El crimen – crime
El crimen es una problema grave de las sociedades modernas.
Crime is a serious problem in modern societies.
25. El desempleo – unemployment
Los políticos quieren reducir el desempleo.
Politicians want to reduce unemployment.
26. Trabajo comunitario – community work
El grupo de estudiantes está haciendo trabajo comunitario.
The group of students is doing community work.
27. Pobreza – poverty
Algunas personas viven en absoluta pobreza.
Some people live in absolute poverty.
Personal and Public Identities
28. Autoestima – self-esteem
Autoestima aplica no sólo a las mujeres, sino también a los hombres.
Self-esteem applies not only to women but also to men.
29. Creencias personales – personal beliefs
A veces es difícil cambiar las creencias personales.
Sometimes it is hard to change personal beliefs.
30. El filántropo – philanthropist
Ella es un filántropo de los derechos humanos.
She is a philanthropist for human rights.
31. Líder – leader
El es un líder naturalmente.
He is a natural leader.
32. Identidad étnica – ethnic identity
Los mexicanos se preocupan mucho por su identidad étnica.
Mexicans care a lot about their ethnic identity.
Families and Communities
33. Los valores – values
No son solamente valores hispanos, son valores universales.
They are not only Hispanic values, they are universal values.
34. Patrimonio – heritage
Su patrimonio es muy importante para ella.
Her heritage is important for her.
35. Las raíces – roots
Echan raíces en su nuevo comunidad.
They put down roots in their new community.
36. Portarse bien – behave well
Los padres deben enseñar a sus hijos a portarse bien.
Parents must teach their children to behave well.
Beauty and Aesthetics
37. Moda – style
Cada persona necesita que define su propio moda.
Every person needs to define their own style.
38. Agraciada – attractive
Los personas en las revistas son agraciadas.
The people in the magazines are attractive.
39. Tratamiento – treatment
Algunas personas buscan tratamientos para el acné.
Some people look for treatments for acne.
40. La armonía – harmony
Necesito armonía en mi casa.
I need harmony in my home.
41. El equilibrio – balance
Esta pintura tiene un buen equilibrio de luz y oscuridad.
This painting has a good balance of light and dark.
Power Verbs
Tired of using the same verbs every other sentence? Well, guess what, so are the exam graders. Put these verbs on your AP Spanish vocabulary list to add richness and uniqueness to your writing and speaking.
42. Señalar – to point out
El señaló su nuevo corte de pelo.
He pointed out her new haircut.
43. Adquirir – to acquire
Su tienda adquirió varias libros nuevos.
Her store acquired various new books.
44. Soler – to be accustomed to
Yo solí al clima cálido.
I got accustomed to the warm weather.
45. Merecer – to deserve
Este logro merece atención especial.
This accomplishment deserves special attention.
46. Perdurar – to remain
Cultura rural y antigua perdura en partes de Perú.
Ancient rural culture remains in parts of Peru.
47. Destacar – to stand out
Es un hombre que destaca por su altura.
He is a man who stands out because of his height.
48. Concordar – to agree
Concordan con la mayoría de la lectura.
They agree with most of the lecture.
49. Comprobar – to prove
Es importante comprobar su punto en un ensayo.
It is important to prove your point in an essay.
50. Ponderar – to analyze
El pondera la cuestión durante una hora.
He analyzed the question for an hour.
Conclusion
This is, of course, by no means an extensive list of words to know, but familiarizing yourself with these AP Spanish vocabulary words can put you one step closer to scoring high on your exam.