expresión
nounCEFR B1
What does “expresión” mean in English?
expression
expression (expresión oral = speaking/oral production; expresión escrita = writing; productive language skill)
Example sentences
La parte de expresión oral del examen dura quince minutos y consiste en una presentación individual seguida de un intercambio conversacional con el examinador.
The oral expression part of the exam lasts fifteen minutes and consists of an individual presentation followed by a conversational exchange with the examiner.
Para mejorar la expresión escrita, conviene leer textos bien escritos con regularidad, prestar atención al estilo y luego intentar imitar las estructuras que más te hayan gustado.
To improve written expression, it is advisable to read well-written texts regularly, pay attention to the style, and then try to imitate the structures you have liked most.
Una expresión que suelen usar los profesores cuando explican el modo subjuntivo es 'lo que quiero que hagas', que ilustra perfectamente el cambio de sujeto.
An expression that teachers often use when explaining the subjunctive mood is 'lo que quiero que hagas', which illustrates the subject change perfectly.
How to use it
Expresión (feminine) in educational contexts means the ability to produce language — to express oneself. It appears in two key fixed phrases: expresión oral (speaking/oral expression) and expresión escrita (writing/written expression). These are the productive counterparts to comprensión oral and comprensión lectora. At B1 these terms are important because they appear in official exam rubrics (DELE, SIELE, school exams) and describe discrete assessed skills. Expresión also has a broader meaning (a linguistic expression, a phrase: una expresión idiomática) which is context-dependent.
Common mistake
Don't translate 'speaking skills' as *habilidades de hablar — the correct term in education is expresión oral. Similarly, 'writing skills' is expresión escrita, not *habilidades de escribir. Watch out for the secondary sense: una expresión means 'a phrase' or 'an expression' (a unit of language), which is completely different from the skill sense. Context disambiguates.