2.2 Reading Tarea 2: Notes, Signs & Short Notices (Match 6 Sentences to 9 Texts)

Understanding Tarea 2: Short Texts and Matching Sentences

Tarea 2 of Prueba 1 tests whether you can find specific information, words and phrases in the very short texts of everyday life: a note on the fridge, an entry in a diary, a supermarket offer, a sign at a pool, a notice at a station. The official specifications describe it like this:

In the Modelo 0 the letters run from A to J, because one extra text is used for the worked example (Frase 0: No puedes pasar con el perro, answer A: Prohibido entrar con animales). You choose six letters for sentences 6 to 11. Each letter is used once at most.

What the Sentences Look Like

The sentences are short statements about a text, not long profiles of people. In the Modelo 0 they include Es más barato en internet, Quiere escribir a alguien de su familia, Esta información está en una estación and El fin de semana hace mal tiempo. Each one paraphrases information in one text, so your job is to recognise the same meaning in different words.

Linguistic Features of Public Spanish Signage

The texts in Tarea 2 rarely use long, complex sentences. Instead, they rely on concise grammatical formulas designed to convey maximum regulatory or commercial information in minimal space.

Impersonal Structures and Passive 'Se'

The impersonal and passive pronoun se is the standard construction on public notices:

• Se alquila / Se alquilan: Used to advertise property rentals (e.g., Se alquila habitación exterior = Exterior room for rent; Se alquilan bicicletas = Bicycles for rent).
• Se busca / Se buscan: Used when searching for employees, missing items, or services (e.g., Se busca camarero con experiencia = Seeking experienced waiter; Se busca perro perdido = Lost dog).
• Se vende / Se venden: Used for commercial sales (e.g., Se vende coche de segunda mano = Used car for sale).
• Se prohíbe / Se prohíben: Used for legal prohibitions (e.g., Se prohíbe fumar = Smoking prohibited; Se prohíbe la entrada de animales = Animals prohibited).

Prohibitions, Rules, and Obligations

Signs communicating rules often use infinitive verbs or impersonal nouns without any conjugated verb:

• Prohibido + infinitivo: Prohibido aparcar (No parking), Prohibido sacar fotos (Photography forbidden), Prohibido comer en la sala (No eating in the hall).
• Prohibido el paso: Entry strictly forbidden / authorized personnel only.
• Silencio, por favor: Silence requested (common in libraries, hospitals, and study halls).
• Obligatorio el uso de...: Mandatory use of specific equipment (e.g., Obligatorio el uso de gorro de baño en la piscina).

Commercial and Classified Formulas

Commercial notices frequently feature fixed economic and logistical expressions:

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Full Practice Set: Nine Texts, Six Sentences

Read the nine texts, then match sentences 1–6. Three texts are not used.

A  BIBLIOTECA MUNICIPAL. Silencio, por favor. No se puede comer ni beber
   en la sala de lectura.
B  Agenda. Martes: dentista a las 10:30. Comprar pan y leche. Llamar a
   Pablo por su cumpleaños.
C  PISCINA DEL BARRIO. Obligatorio el uso de gorro de baño. Niños menores
   de 8 años: siempre con un adulto.
D  SUPERMERCADO DÍA A DÍA. Ofertas de esta semana: yogures 2x1. Tomates:
   1,50 euros el kilo.
E  Mamá: hoy ceno en casa de Marta. Vuelvo a las once. Tu comida está en
   la nevera. Besos, Clara.
F  TEATRO PRINCIPAL. Entradas en la taquilla: 20 euros. En nuestra página
   web: 15 euros.
G  ESTACIÓN DE AUTOBUSES. Los billetes para Toledo se compran en la
   ventanilla número 3.
H  FARMACIA CENTRAL. Abierto de lunes a sábado, de 9:00 a 21:00, sin
   cerrar a mediodía.
I  EL TIEMPO. Fin de semana: lluvia y viento en el norte. Sol en el sur.

1. Aquí no puedes tomar un bocadillo.
2. Es más barato comprar por internet.
3. Esta persona no cena en casa hoy.
4. Esta información está en una estación.
5. Esta semana un producto es más barato.
6. Esta persona tiene una cita con el médico de los dientes.

Answers and traps

• 1 → A. No se puede comer matches no puedes tomar un bocadillo. Text E also mentions food (comida, nevera), but it is a note about dinner, not a rule.
• 2 → F. The theatre is cheaper on its website (página web). Text D also has a cheaper price, but nothing about the internet.
• 3 → E. Hoy ceno en casa de Marta means Clara is not having dinner at home.
• 4 → G. Only G belongs in a station. Do not choose I because a forecast might be shown on a station screen; the sentence needs the text that is clearly about the station.
• 5 → D. Ofertas de esta semana: yogures 2x1.
• 6 → B. Dentista is the "doctor for teeth" in the paraphrase.
• Unused: C (pool rules), H (pharmacy hours) and I (weather).

Systematic Matching Routine

1. Read the sentences first and underline the key idea: a prohibition, a price comparison, a place, a person's plan or a day.
2. Scan the nine texts for that idea expressed in different words (no puedes ↔ prohibido; más barato ↔ two prices).
3. Check every detail: a text that matches the topic can still fail on the day, the place or the person.
4. Cross off each letter you use, and remember that three texts remain unused.
5. Never leave a gap: there is no penalty for wrong answers, so make your best choice for every item.