10 WAYS TO SPEAK ABOUT YOUR PREFRENCES

THE PREFERENCE TALK

for Speaking Part 1 of your Oxford Test

 40% of Oxford test of English Speaking Part 1 questions which have been published
so far are about preferences.
 What sort of things do you enjoy…; Do you prefer…; Do you like… are some of them.
 In order to receive points for range of vocabulary and grammar you shouldn’t
overuse the same vocabulary or grammar.

TO BE KEEN ON + ING or NOUN

= gustar, ser entusiasta de

Well, I am extremely keen on watching youtube videos from which I can

learn a lot about my exam. I personally think that technology really
helps my generation.

OR Well, I am extremely keen on youtube videos…

FIND SOMETHING (+ING or NOUN) IRRESISTIBLE

= no poder resistirse a algo

To be honest, I find sleeping irresistible. Whenever I have time to take a

nap and I am just a little bit tired, I cannot resist the temptation.

OR To be honest, I find my bed irresistible.

GET A BUZZ FROM SOMETHING (+ING or NOUN)

= gozar con algo, volverse loco por algo

I won’t lie, I really get a buzz from riding my new motorbike. I have
bought it very recently and it is the first time I really feel that I have a
decent vehicle. I have to say that I am very much proud to use it and feel
like going everywhere on two wheels.

OR I won’t lie, I really get a buzz from my new motorbike…

 Some universal expressions which could be used in Speaking Part 1 and help
you get points for fluency (naturalness) have been marked in green. If you
want, you can introduce them to your vocabulary.

GET (QUITE) A THRILL OUT OF (+ ING or NOUN)

= emocionarse

Well, although I am very much used to travelling abroad, I do still get

quite a thrill out of crossing the borders when travelling in Europe. A
few decades ago European countries weren’t as unified as they are now.

OR Although I have been working in a laboratory for a long time, I do

still get quite a thrill out of experiments we make there even if they are
insignificant.

TO HAVE A VERY SOFT SPOT FOR (+ NOUN)

= tener debilidad por

When it comes to food, I have to admit that I have a very soft spot for
sweets in general. This is probably my reaction to stress but I can’t deny
that I am also a lover of Swiss chocolate and to put it all briefly I just
can’t resist a good snack.

TO APPEAL

STH APPEALS TO SM

= atraer

It might seem not too appropriate for such a young person as myself but
fast motorbikes really appeal to me. Actually I don’t feel concerned
about security or anything like that. I have to confess that I just simply
like to feel free.
 ADORE + NOUN/ING; APPRECIATE + NOUN; FANCY + NOUN/+ -ING

= adorer, apreciar, gustar, querer

Quite frankly, I am not exactly sure which is my favourite flavour. I’d say
that I very much fancy having strawberry ice-creams.

This is something I can’t exactly tell you but I think that my favourite
family member is my mother. I appreciate her patience and adore the
way she cares for my father.

PREFER + GERUND/NOUN + TO + GERUND/NOUN

= preferir algo antes de algo

This question could be answered in many ways. In general terms, I

prefer watching movies and series on Netflix to ordinary TV. The main
reason for that is the amount of adds that you can find on free media
nowadays. To sum up, for me it is about comfort rather than money.

WOULD PREFER + TO-INFINITIVE + RATHER THAN + BARE INFINITIVE

= preferir algo antes de algo

If I had to pick up only one option, I would prefer to live in a country

with cold climate rather than stay somewhere too hot. Being originally
from Lanzarote, where temperature is rather high comparing to the rest
of Europe, I personally consider seeing snow and being able to skate as
something extremely attractive.

WOULD RATHER + BARE INFINITIVE + THAN + BARE INFINITIVE

= preferir algo antes de algo

Let me see, I would rather practise sport with other people than do it
alone. In my case, feeling accompanied motivates me and I do recognize
that this factor is decisive when it comes to my persistence.