If you’re preparing to take the DELE B2, DELE C1 or DELE C2 exam, it’s important to know that in some of their tasks you’ll have to comment on graphs and statistics in Spanish, usually taken from the media.
I’m going to teach you useful vocabulary that will help you answer the writing task and comment on graphs in Spanish like an expert.
Let’s see how to do it through some newspaper clippings taken from the daily El País:
First of all, when you come across a news item, you need to interpret what it’s saying, so that you can then analyze its information correctly and comment on it.
At the same time, it’s important to pay attention to the percentages and to the words that were used to put the news item together.
Analyzing this first clipping, we find the verb “recuperar” (“to recover”, a synonym of “remontar”, “to bounce back”), which indicates that something has grown and improved after having been at lower levels — in other words, it has gone up after an earlier, lower point. You can use these same verbs, or others, to comment on the statistic.
Notice, too, that this recovery was 98%, that is, almost complete. When referring to percentages, bear in mind that in Spanish they are masculine singular, take an article in front and should be treated like any other noun: “El 98%” (masculine) or “un 16,4%” (indefinite). Mentioning them without an article is a mistake.
Below the headline it says that “los precios se dispararon” (“prices shot up”), which implies that they rose quickly and considerably. It’s important to mention in each case whether the reference is to a very sharp rise, a fall or a slowdown in the trend or issue in question.
Also pay attention to the use of connectors such as “respecto a…” or “con respecto de…” (“with regard to…”), as these will help you analyze or compare what the situation is like between one point in time and another.
Let’s move on to another headline to keep learning specific vocabulary:
The expression “tomar impulso” (“to gain momentum”) indicates that something (tourism) has been able to move forward — that is, it’s starting to go up, to grow.
The news item allows us to compare the situation between one moment and another; in this case, between before the pandemic and the present day. In that regard, you can see that the percentage here is low: “solo un 8%” (“only 8%”).
Notice that connectors such as “por debajo de…” (“below…”) are used, something that will also let you compare one moment with another. The opposite expression would be “por encima de…” (“above…”), if the trend had been upward.
Here the word “igualar” is mentioned, which means to draw level, to reach the same height. That word will be useful whenever you want to refer to a statistic that precisely matches an earlier one.
Likewise, the headline includes the verb “aupar”, which means that something rises, as expressed in the phrase: “Aúpa el ánimo”.
Let’s look at a third example:
“Situarse en (porcentaje)” means to stand at that percentage, and you can also see that, within the specific vocabulary for analyzing a statistic, it’s important to point out the highest or the lowest figure — or the highest or lowest since a certain year.
This example also mentions “un incremento”, that is, a rise.
It’s important to be able to comment on what the trend is: whether “ha crecido” (it has grown), “se ha igualado” (it has drawn level), “se está recuperando” (it’s recovering), “ha decrecido” (it has declined) or whether it has outright “caído” (fallen).
Let’s analyze a fourth example:
This article uses the verb “instalar”, which, used in this way, implies that something has arrived and is here to stay.
Secondly, it mentions the items that “encabezan las subidas” (“lead the rises”). Well then, the term “encabezar” implies “estar a la cabeza” — being at the head, right at the top. In this example, those would be the products that have gone up in price the most. The opposite — if they were the ones that had risen the least — would be “estar a la cola de” (“to be at the tail end of”), another useful expression for commenting on the information.
Fifth and final example:
The expression “seguir en máximos” (“to remain at record highs”) means that the trend is pointing sharply upward, but if there is a “signo de enfriamiento” (“sign of cooling”), this implies that it could start to head downward, or to “retroceder” (“fall back”).
At the same time, it states that “el crecimiento se debilita”, that is, growth is becoming weaker, going down.
Bear in mind that the article also draws a comparison and takes the last 17 months as its parameter or starting point.
This whole process of interpreting the information in a headline is what you should follow to be able to comment on graphs and statistics in the DELE exams. Pay special attention to the percentages, the connectors and the comparisons the news item contains so you can analyze and comment on graphs in Spanish like a true native.
By the way, if you need to prepare more thoroughly to master Spanish and learn to comment skillfully on graphs and statistics, I recommend you enroll in my online courses, where you’ll find exactly the content you need to gain the confidence you’re looking for. Sign up for the course: https://aporeldele.com/cursos
