AP Spanish Contemporary Life Vocabulary: Practice Test & Review
Contemporary Life is one of the six AP Spanish themes, and it is the theme that appears most often in reading passages about work, leisure, travel, and daily routines. Audio clips about employment, education, and social customs. Free-response prompts asking you to compare how people in different Spanish-speaking communities live, work, and spend their free time. The vocabulary is practical and everyday, but it is specific to the theme.
This page has a five-set quiz that drills the vocabulary for this theme, plus a full vocabulary guide below it. The quiz covers the words and expressions that appear most often in reading passages and audio prompts. The guide organizes them by sub-category — work and employment, leisure and travel, and housing and social customs — with example sentences.
Start with the evaluation set to see where you stand. You need 80% on a set to unlock the next. Progress is saved in your browser.
Vocabulary Guide
This guide organizes the vocabulary for the Contemporary Life theme by sub-category. The quiz above drills the words. The guide is for review and reference.
The Theme
Contemporary Life is the AP theme that covers how people live today: work, leisure, travel, housing, education, and social customs. The vocabulary is practical and everyday, but it is tested through reading passages about employment policies, tourism, urban life, and changing social norms. The three most common sub-categories on the exam are work and employment, leisure and travel, and housing and social customs.
This theme overlaps with Science and Technology (digital work, remote employment), Families and Communities (housing, family routines), and Global Challenges (economic migration, sustainability). The vocabulary is largely distinct, but the concepts connect. If you can talk about work in this theme, you can also use the same words in the other themes when the prompt is about economic opportunity, migration, or technology.
Work and Employment
| Spanish | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| el contrato indefinido | permanent contract | Fixed expression |
| el contrato temporal | temporary contract | |
| el autónomo / la autónoma | self-employed person | |
| la jornada laboral | working day | |
| el teletrabajo | remote work | |
| el despido | dismissal, layoff | |
| la renuncia | resignation | |
| la excedencia | leave of absence | |
| la brecha salarial | wage gap | |
| la conciliación | work-life balance |
Leisure and Travel
| Spanish | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| el ocio | leisure | |
| el turismo | tourism | |
| la hostelería | hospitality industry | |
| el mochilero / la mochilera | backpacker | |
| la acampada | camping | |
| el senderismo | hiking | |
| el patrimonio | heritage | |
| la sostenibilidad | sustainability | Responsible travel |
| el alojamiento | accommodation | |
| el destino turístico | tourist destination |
Housing and Social Customs
| Spanish | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| el arrendamiento | rental contract | |
| la hipoteca | mortgage | |
| la comunidad de vecinos | residents’ association | Fixed expression |
| la unidad familiar | household unit | |
| la mudanza | move, relocation | |
| la sobremesa | after-meal table talk | Distinctive Spanish-speaking custom |
| el folclore | folklore | |
| la tertulia | gathering for conversation | |
| la urbanidad | etiquette, manners | |
| la convivencia | coexistence |
Fixed Expressions
| Expression | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| trabajar por cuenta propia | to be self-employed | Trabaja por cuenta propia desde hace cinco años. |
| estar en paro | to be unemployed | Perdió su empleo y ahora está en paro. |
| buscar trabajo | to look for work | Lleva tres meses buscando trabajo. |
| conciliar la vida laboral y familiar | to balance work and family life | La empresa ofrece horarios flexibles para conciliar la vida laboral y familiar. |
| disfrutar del tiempo libre | to enjoy free time | Los fines de semana disfrutamos del tiempo libre. |
| hacer turismo | to go sightseeing | Pasamos una semana haciendo turismo por la costa. |
| reservar alojamiento | to book accommodation | Hay que reservar el alojamiento con antelación. |
| mudarse de casa | to move house | Se mudaron de casa el mes pasado. |
Common Mistakes
Confusing “despido” with “renuncia.”
✗ Presentó su despido voluntario porque encontró un mejor empleo.
✓ Presentó su renuncia voluntaria porque encontró un mejor empleo.
Despido is when the employer ends the contract. Renuncia is when the employee ends it.
Using “trabajo” for “empleo” interchangeably in formal contexts.
✗ La tasa de trabajo aumentó el año pasado.
✓ La tasa de empleo aumentó el año pasado.
Trabajo is work (the activity). Empleo is employment (the formal status). In economics and policy contexts, “tasa de empleo” and “tasa de desempleo” are the standard terms.
Writing “tiempo libre” with a possessive that sounds unnatural.
✗ Disfruto de mi tiempo libre con mis amigos.
✓ Disfruto del tiempo libre con mis amigos.
The fixed expression is “disfrutar del tiempo libre,” not “disfrutar de mi tiempo libre.” The “mi” is grammatical but sounds forced.
Confusing “alojamiento” with “alojarse.”
✗ Buscamos un alojarse cerca de la playa.
✓ Buscamos alojamiento cerca de la playa.
Alojamiento is a noun (accommodation). Alojarse is a reflexive verb (to stay, to lodge). The sentence needs the noun.
Quick Reference Chart
| If you want to say… | Use |
|---|---|
| A permanent employment contract | contrato indefinido |
| Working from home | teletrabajo |
| The gap between men’s and women’s pay | brecha salarial |
| Balancing work and personal life | conciliación |
| Leisure activities | ocio |
| The hospitality industry | hostelería |
| A rental contract | arrendamiento |
| The custom of talking at the table after a meal | sobremesa |
Two Sentences That Show the Difference
Le ofrecieron un contrato indefinido después de tres años de trabajo temporal.
They offered him a permanent contract after three years of temporary work.
Contrato indefinido is the goal — long-term, stable employment.
Firmó un contrato temporal por seis meses para cubrir una baja.
He signed a temporary contract for six months to cover a leave.
Contrato temporal is limited — it ends on a fixed date or when the condition ends.
La conciliación entre la vida laboral y personal es una prioridad para los jóvenes.
Balancing work and personal life is a priority for young people.
Conciliación is a policy goal — the effort to make work and life compatible.
La jornada laboral en España es de 40 horas semanales para la mayoría de los trabajadores.
The working day in Spain is 40 hours per week for most workers.
Jornada laboral is a fact — the actual hours of work, not the effort to balance them.
