NationStates Jolt Archive

This thread is going to be made of up of informal Spanish lessons for anyone interested. I will post a lesson, with practice, as well as audio links if necessary (and possibly work that can be done online on other free sites). You can ask questions along the way, make comments, add in Spanish tips, practice, and so on. As the lessons progress, I'll keep a list of links to them in this first post so you can access them at your convenience! Enjoy!

To learn how to type Spanish accents and punctuation, visit this site. (http://www.irvingisd.net/districtweekly/flyers/typing_in_spanish.htm)

Lesson 1: Introduction to the Spanish Language (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9475344&postcount=4)
- letter sounds, stress and intonation
-------------Cultural Moment #1: Hispanics in the U.S.A (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9514726&postcount=94)

Lesson 2: Building Vocabulary; Greetings (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9475582&postcount=10)
-------------Practice on the Web#1 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9495942&postcount=68)
-------------Cultural Moment #2: Spain (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9514809&postcount=95)

Lesson 3: Building Vocabulary; Making Presentations (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9475775&postcount=14)
-------------Synthesise Lessons 2 and 3 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9475940&postcount=21)
-------------Reading Assignment #1 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9476013&postcount=23)
-------------Listening Assignment #1 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9476092&postcount=28)

Lesson 4: Describing yourself and others (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9476427&postcount=38)
-------------Synthesise: Translate! (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9476546&postcount=39)
-------------Practice on the Web #2 and #3 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9496030&postcount=69)
-------------Cultural Moment #3: Interactive Spanish Tour (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9514821&postcount=96)

Lesson 5: What is your name? (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9476712&postcount=42)
-------------Listening Assignment #2 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9521074&postcount=101)
-------------Reading Assignment #2 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9521081&postcount=102)

Lesson 6: Personal States. (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9494509&postcount=51)
-------------Synthesise: Translate! (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9494609&postcount=52)
-------------Cultural Moment #4: Cinco Bebecitos (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9549167&postcount=107)

Lesson 7: Present Indicative Conjugation (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9495199&postcount=62)
-------------Practice on the Web #4: AR verbs (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9496464&postcount=74)
-------------Spelling Changing Verbs: ER and IR (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9496569&postcount=76)
-------------Practice: Identify Subject Pronouns (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9500396&postcount=78)

Lesson 8: Telling Time (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9496242&postcount=71)
-------------Practice on the Web #5: Telling Time/Days of the Week (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9496399&postcount=73)
-------------Synthesise: Translate! (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9500541&postcount=79)

Lesson 9: Stem-Chaging Verbs (present indicative) (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9501297&postcount=84)
-------------Practice on the Web #6: Stem-changing verbs, (E to IE) (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9501686&postcount=85)
-------------Practice on the Web #7: Stem-changing verbs, (O to UE and E to I) (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9501718&postcount=86)

Lesson 10: Definite and Indefinite Articles (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9514705&postcount=93)

Lesson 11: Irregular Verbs (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9520961&postcount=99)
-------------Practice on the Web #8: Irregular Verbs (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9521012&postcount=100)

Lesson 12: Nouns, Gender and Number (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9539968&postcount=103)
-------------Making agreements:Pluralising Nouns and Adjectives (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9554385&postcount=114)

Lesson 13: Interrogative (question) Words (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9553682&postcount=109)
-------------Asking Questions (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9554021&postcount=110)
-------------Practice on the Web #9: Interrogative Words (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9554420&postcount=115)

Lesson 14: The Reflexive (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9554339&postcount=113)
-------------Themed Reading #1: The Family (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9555947&postcount=116)

Lesson 15: Comparatives (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9567975&postcount=119)

Lesson 16: The Superlative (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9569450&postcount=120)

Lesson 17: The Diminutive (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9594478&postcount=121)

Good idea. I took two years in HS. Whenever I pay attention, a lot comes back. I'm considering a course at the local community college. Spanish could be helpful in my work.

This thread is going to be made of up of informal Spanish lessons for anyone interested. I will post a lesson, with practice, as well as audio links if necessary (and possibly work that can be done online on other free sites). You can ask questions along the way, make comments, add in Spanish tips, practice, and so on. As the lessons progress, I'll keep a list of links to them in this first post so you can access them at your convenience! Enjoy!

Uno, um, I don't know Spanish. :(

But I do know Latin!!! :)

Lesson 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE SPANISH LANGUAGE

The Spanish alphabet

There are 30 letters in the Spanish alphabet, though this is sometimes up for debate. In any case, the four extra letters represent single sounds in the Spanish language. The extra letters are: ch, ll, rr, and ñ.

You can hear each letter in the Spanish alphabet pronounced here (http://members.aol.com/alvareze/spanish/frame.html)


Doubled Letters

Only three letters are EVER doubled in Spanish; LL, RR, and CC. Everywhere else, Spanish uses only single letters. This makes spelling a heck of a lot easier.

Another tip is that Spanish is phonetic. That's right! If you can say it, you can spell it...and visa versa! None of this ph=f or ough = ow or uff!


Silent Letters

The only letter that is silent in Spanish is H. You pronounce every other single letter. There are no diphthongs (combination of vowels that have one sound), and letters are not left off the ends of words. Pronounce each letter separately.

The only time you'll pronounce an H is when it comes together with C. CH is pronounced the same as it is in English.

Vowels

The great thing about Spanish vowels is that they only have one sound. They never vary. No short, or long vowels...just one sound.

A = like the A in father.
E = long A sound, like play
I = long E sound, like see
O = long O sound, like photo
U = oo sound, like in moon

Consonants to look out for

QU, C and K = all have the same sound, like the K in kite
e.g. que, casa, kilo


C = changes from a hard K sound to a soft S sound when followed by an I or E
e.g. (hard c) casa, actriz
(soft c) cielo, cero

J = is pronounced like a hard H. It has a sound kind of like clearing the throat, or saying Hah!
e.g. jota, ajo

G = has a hard G sound like in grape UNLESS followed by an I or E. Then it sounds like the J.
e.g. (hard g) guitarra, grande
(soft g) gira, general

LL = the double L sounds like the Y in yellow. Sometimes it will sound like the J in jello, but that is a regional difference. Both are correct.
e.g. llevar, allí, ellos

RR = the double R is a rolled R. Think Scottish! And exaggerate, don't be scared! It really makes a difference in meaning! For example, an untrilled R in pero, and the word means 'but'. A trilled rr, in perro, and the word means 'dog'.
e.g. arroz, perro

Ñ = the ñ makes a sound like the NIO in onion, like an N with a Y after it.
e.g. año, niña

Z = sounds like an S

P, T, K, R = these consonants are unaspirated, meaning they do not cause a puff of air when pronounced. Hold your hand in front of your face and feel that puff of air when you say the words, "pear, rat, trip, and koala". Try making the sounds shorter so that they do not produce that puff.
e.g. pero, kilo, tango, aro

B, V = often these sounds are reversed in Spanish...but not always. There really isn't a hard rule, and it's just something you pick up along the way. But be aware...in some words like 'abuela', the B sounds like a V, and in others, like 'vela', the V sounds like B. Those crazy hispanics!


Stress and Intonation

There are three rules when it comes to pronouncing Spanish words.

1. The default stress (emphasis) is on the second last syllable of the word.

mu/ CHA/ cha, se/ ÑO/ra, TO/dos

The only time this is not the case is when:

2. There is an accent mark. Then the accented syllable is stressed. Accent marks ONLY denote stress. They do not change the sound of the word.

te/ LÉ/fo/no, Ma/RÍ/a

3. The word ends in a consonant (other than N or S). Then the stress is on the last syllable.

ver/DAD, a/ZUL

Great first lesson, Sinuhue! Pronouncing the unaspirated "p" is proving to be a difficult task.

When you first begin to learn a language, it isn't necessary yet to learn the meaning of every single word. More important is your ability to understand and reproduce common, useful phrases.

Language learning happens in steps. At the beginning, you simply memorise words and phrases. The spoken language sounds like one long run-on sentence, punctuated occasionally by the few words you are able to pick out.

As you begin to grasp the grammar, you realise that you lack the vocabulary to fill in the gaps. It's easy to become frustrated at this point, because while you may be quite articulate in your mother tongue, you are forced to use 'baby talk' in the new language. THAT'S OKAY! Time and experience will build up your vocabulary for you...just remember...you've spent most of your life building up your mother tongue...don't expect fluency in another language immediately.

The third stage is the most strange for many people. You begin dreaming in the other language. You may even forget words in your first language from time to time. Your brain is processing this information so that you actually begin to THINK in the new language, rather than translate from your first language into this one. This is when the learning really starts to sink in.

So, don't expect full comprehension and grammatical skill right away. Repetition, exposure to the language, and application of what you have learned is key.

Are we allowed to breath in when we say our p's??

Great first lesson, Sinuhue! Pronouncing the unaspirated "p" is proving to be a difficult task.
You need to swallow it a bit...like you hiccup just as you are pronouncing it. The sound is very short for all the unaspirated consonants.

The hardest one to do is the 'r'. It sounds much different in Spanish than it does in English. More like a rolled 'd' (or a Japanese 'r'). For anyone having trouble with this one, don't move your mouth the way you do when usually pronouncing the 'r'. Instead, place the tip of your tongue on the top of your mouth and roll a single 'r'. (In order to roll, your tongue will move away from the roof, and then back)

Are we allowed to breath in when we say our p's??
I wouldn't advise it. It would work, but it's a bad habit that will slow you down later on.

Our English 'p' is most aspirated in words like 'pear' and 'party'. It is more like the Spanish 'p' in words like 'apply' and 'appreciate'. You follow through more in words that have a vowel following the 'p'. Try to do the latter in all your Spanish 'p's.

Paco, partido, apio

Lesson 2: BUILDING UP A VOCABULARY, GREETINGS

Greetings and Introductions

Listening exercise
Listen to the following ( http://rapidshare.de/files/4148594/Lesson_2_conv1.wav.html) conversation. As you are listening to it, read the text below.

Pilar: - ¡Hola Ramona! ¿Cómo estás?
Ramona: - Bien, gracias. Y tú, ¿cómo estás?
Pilar: - Muy bien.

Listening exercise
Now listen to this ( http://rapidshare.de/files/4148612/Lesson_2_conv2.wav.html)conversation, and read the text below.

señora Vargas:- ¡Hola Bárbara! ¿Cómo está?
Bárbara: -Bien, señora, gracias. Y usted, ¿cómo está?
señora Vargas:- Muy bien.


Vocabulary:

Hello = ¡Hola!
How are you = ¿Cómo estás?, ¿Cómo está?
I'm well = bien, muy bien.
Thanks = gracias

In Spanish, one can either speak in a formal, or an informal manner, depending on who is being addressed. Towards friends, children, or close family members, people often use the informal speech. Towards elders, people at work, or strangers, the formal is used.

In the first conversation, the informal is used. (tú and ¿cómo estás?) The second conversation used many of the same words, but uses the formal. (usted and ¿cómo está?)

Practice
Imagine you are greeting the following people. Greet them, and ask how they are doing, following the conversations as models. For best results, write the sentences out, using the same spelling and punctuation as in the models, AND say them outloud.

1. Your boss (or teacher).
2. Your best friend.
3. A shop owner.
4. A younger sibling or relative.

gracias senora sinuhue

como escribe "Ñ" en la computadora?

gracias senora sinuhue

como escribe "Ñ" en la computadora?
This site (http://www.irvingisd.net/districtweekly/flyers/typing_in_spanish.htm) give you detailed information on how to type the accents.

I always type in Word first then copy and paste, because no matter how I try, I can't get the accents in on NS any other way.

You need to swallow it a bit...like you hiccup just as you are pronouncing it. The sound is very short for all the unaspirated consonants.

The hardest one to do is the 'r'. It sounds much different in Spanish than it does in English. More like a rolled 'd' (or a Japanese 'r'). For anyone having trouble with this one, don't move your mouth the way you do when usually pronouncing the 'r'. Instead, place the tip of your tongue on the top of your mouth and roll a single 'r'. (In order to roll, your tongue will move away from the roof, and then back)

Oh, the "r" in Spanish is very close to its Swedish counterpart: http://web.hhs.se/isa/swedish/9-43.wav

The sample is taken from this page (http://web.hhs.se/isa/swedish/chap9.htm), dealing with Swedish pronunciation. As you can see, it's a lot more complex than Spanish to someone used to English, and also why I hesitate to do one of these threads for Swedish...

Lessson 3: BUILDING VOCABULARY; MAKING INTRODUCTIONS

Before you go out drinking, um...I mean...before you go to CHURCH...yeah, that's what I meant...well, anyway, you often need to make introductions. The simplest method of doing so is presented below, along with vocabulary words that can be substituted for the subjects introduced.

Listening exercise
Listen to the following presentations (http://rapidshare.de/files/4149776/Lesson_3_conv1.wav.html), and read the text below. Notice that the form changes a bit depending on the gender of the person being presented.

1. Éste es mi amigo, David.
2. Ésta es mi amiga, Andrea.
3. Éste es mi hermano, Manuel
4. Ésta es mi hermana, Angelica.

Vocabulary

this one is (male) = éste es
this one is (female) = ésta es
my (singular) - mi

amigo = friend (male)
amiga = friend (female)
hermano = brother
hermana = sister
madre = mother
padre = father
primo = cousin (male)
prima = cousin (female)
tío = uncle
tía = aunt
abuelo = grandfather
abuela = grandmother

For flash cards and more family vocabulary:Vocabulary: Family ( http://www.quia.com/jfc/137588.html)

Practice

Introduce each of the people presented in the vocabulary list above. Remember to use 'éste' for males and 'ésta' for females. For best results, write out the sentences, and practice saying them out loud.

Listening exercise
Listen to the following presentations (http://rapidshare.de/files/4149828/Lesson_3_conv2.wav.html), and read the text below.

1. Éstos son mis amigos.
2. Éstas son mis amigas.
3. Éstos son mis padres.
4. Éstos son mis hermanos.

Vocabulary

these ones are (group of males, or mixed group of males and females) = éstos son
these ones are (group of only females) = éstas son
my (plural) = mis

amigos = friends
hermanos = siblings
padres = parents
primos = cousins
tíos = aunts and uncles
abuelos = grandparents

amigas = female friends
hermanas = sisters
madres = mothers
primas = female cousins
tías = aunts
abuelas = grandmothers


Nouns are either feminine or masculine in Spanish. Groups of people are feminine if only females are present. For example, 'amigas' is a group of only female friends. 'Amigos' can be just males, or a mixed group of males and females. 'Padres' can be just fathers, or both fathers and mothers, while 'madres' can only be mothers.

Practice

Introduce each of the groups of people presented in the vocabulary above. Remember to use 'éstos son' for groups that are all male, or mixed male and female, and 'éstas son' for groups that are all female.

Sinuhue - Kewl idea, however since I live in Canada I can't think of any where I would ever need to speak Spanish..lol I'm good with English & French. But it's nice of you to offer to help people learn, kudos! :)

Sinuhue - Kewl idea, however since I live in Canada I can't think of any where I would ever need to speak Spanish..lol I'm good with English & French. But it's nice of you to offer to help people learn, kudos! :)

Spanish is the most requested language of learning after French right now:). And plenty of people, especially in the West, have this animosity towards French whereas they see Spanish as a 'fun' language. This is what keeps people like myself employed!

The need might not be as great in Canada, but there is plenty of opportunity to use Spanish anyway. There are many Latin communities in Canada...you'll find Spanish speakers pretty much in any urban centre. Lots of Chileans and Salvadorians (these tend to be the strongest and largest communities right now), as well as Latinos from other countries. Most of them will speak French or English, but even if you just want to speak Spanish for travel, I'd suggest finding out about cultural events in your area and tracking down some Spanish-speakers to practice on! (careful...you might end up with a spouse...that's what happened to me!)

Oh, the "r" in Spanish is very close to its Swedish counterpart: http://web.hhs.se/isa/swedish/9-43.wav

The sample is taken from this page (http://web.hhs.se/isa/swedish/chap9.htm), dealing with Swedish pronunciation. As you can see, it's a lot more complex than Spanish to someone used to English, and also why I hesitate to do one of these threads for Swedish...
Spanish is fairly simple for English speakers, as are most Romance languages. It's not that great of a leap as it may be for Swedish, or other languages...still, I wouldn't hesitate at all if I were you! Just because it's difficult doesn't mean it can't be done!

Now before I do a whole bunch more work for this...I just need to know if there is actually going to be use made of this thread. Are people interested in continuing?

Now before I do a whole bunch more work for this...I just need to know if there is actually going to be use made of this thread. Are people interested in continuing?

Its cool actually. Next time I go to the Mexican restaurant down the street, I can greet the greeter back!!

Now before I do a whole bunch more work for this...I just need to know if there is actually going to be use made of this thread. Are people interested in continuing?

Waaaaaaa! talk about an ambitious thread! Er, it's certainly interesting, though I've never been much cop at languages... I'm interested in seeing more, however, sure!

Synthesise: Lesson 2 and 3

Alright, we haven't gotten too far into things, but guess what...you already know a lot more than you may think! This exercise will guide you in synthesising the information in Lesson 2 and 3, so that you can both greet someone, and make introductions.

Listening Exercise

Listen to the following two conversations (http://rapidshare.de/files/4150866/Synthesise_conv1.wav.html). One is an informal conversation, and the other is more formal (between María and her grandmother). Notice that María's grandmother addresses María informally (with tú instead of usted), but María stays formal.

Informal:

María: - ¡Hola Belita! ¿Cómo estás?
Belita: - Bien, gracias. ¿Y tú?
María: - Muy bien. Belita, ésta es mi prima, Carmen.

Formal:

María: -¡Hola abuela! ¿Cómo está?
señora Soto: - Bien, gracias. ¿Y tú?
María: - Muy bien. Abuela, éstos son mis amigos.

Review of Vocabulary

Greetings:

¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás?

¡Hola! ¿Cómo está?

Bien, gracias.

¿Y tú?

¿Y usted?

Presentations:

Éste es mi _________

Ésta es mi _________

Éstos son mis ________

Éstas son mis ________

Practice

Create conversations between you and another person, where you greet one another, ask how you are doing, and then present someone, or a group of people. Consider to whom you are speaking, and decide whether or not the informal, or the formal is appropriate. Pay close attention to making agreements. That is, pay attention to the subject being presented...are they male or female, or a group of people?

Waaaaaaa! talk about an ambitious thread! Er, it's certainly interesting, though I've never been much cop at languages... I'm interested in seeing more, however, sure!
I'll try to include some hot cultural moments in between lessons, for those who are just here for thrills:). Such as: Valencia's Tomato Festival (http://www.valenciatrader.com/index.php?sectionid=74&contentid=7212&parentid=) :D

Reading Assignment #1

If you have access to a microphone, please try this reading assignment! It's great practice, and the best way for me to help you with your pronunciation. Record the following conversation, and upload it to a web-host (http://ul3.rapidshare.de). Then you can either TG me with the link, or post the link in-thread for comments. (in-thread posts will get in-thread comments)

Record yourself reading the following: (you can leave out the names of the speakers if you wish):

Reading Assignment #1

Manuel: - ¡Hola David! ¿Cómo estás?
David: -Bien, gracias. ¿Y tú, cómo estás?
Manuel: - Muy bien. David, ésta es mi prima, María.
David: ¡Hola María!

Now before I do a whole bunch more work for this...I just need to know if there is actually going to be use made of this thread. Are people interested in continuing?

Definitely interested in learning. Thanks for the effort you're putting in

"Wer fremde Sprachen nicht kennt, weiß nichts von seiner eigenen." J.W. von Goethe.

Would it be inappropriate to add '"Useful" Spanish Phrases'?

(careful...you might end up with a spouse...that's what happened to me!)

I think my husband might object..lol ;)

I see your point though.

RR = the double R is a rolled R. Think Scottish! And exaggerate, don't be scared! It really makes a difference in meaning! For example, an untrilled R in pero, and the word means 'but'. A trilled rr, in perro, and the word means 'dog'.
e.g. arroz, perro

Um, what if you can't roll your rr? I've tried and tried, but I can't do it. I can't flutter tongue either (a flute technique).

Listening Assignment #1

Listen to the following conversation. It contains the vocabulary you have already been presented with. Write down the sentences that you hear. This will help you develop the ability to separate words during regular speech. Listen to the sentences as often as you wish. After you have finished writing, you can go back through the vocabulary and ensure that you have included correct spelling, and punctuation. You can submit your finished work, or not. It's up to you!

There are 8 sentences in total.

Listening Assignment #1 ( http://rapidshare.de/files/4151621/listening_assignment1.wav.html)

Neat idea, Sin! :D

I oughta do this same thing with Cajun French. Laissez les bon temps rouler!!

Would it be inappropriate to add '"Useful" Spanish Phrases'?
Absolutely NOT inappropriate at all! In fact, quite welcome! If at all possible, the phrase, the English equivalent AND a recording would be ideal, so that people can have an aural model to follow.

Feel free to make any contributions one might find useful to those interested in learning Spanish!

Neat idea, Sin! :D

I oughta do this same thing with Cajun French. Laissez les bon temps rouler!!

Doesn't that mean "Let the good times roll!!"?

Doesn't that mean "Let the good times roll!!"?

Yes ... but I don't wanna hijack Sin's thread. It's a neat idea.

I wonder how many copycats will show up. :D Pig-Latin for Dummies, that sort of thing.

Um, what if you can't roll your rr? I've tried and tried, but I can't do it. I can't flutter tongue either (a flute technique).
Some people have a very hard time with this. All I can offer you is a sample of rolled 'r's to listen to, and to try to imitate. It comes with practice, but not everyone is able to do it as dramatically as soccer announcers:). I also suspect that it is in part genetic, much as being able to roll your tongue is.

The biggest thing to remember is, while it may sound funny in English, this is a legitimate sound in Spanish, that be more, or less stressed depending on the situation. Don't hesitate to be overly dramatic...what you consider to be 'over the top' in terms of rolling 'r's is probably just right in Spanish!

Sample ( http://rapidshare.de/files/4151981/rolled_r.wav.html) of the following:

Rrrrroll up the rrrrim to win!
el perro (dog)
el arroz (rice)
el error (mistake)

Now before I do a whole bunch more work for this...I just need to know if there is actually going to be use made of this thread. Are people interested in continuing?

I'd be interested.

Most of what you've covered so far, I remember from high school, and my pronunciation then was pretty good, minus the rolling rr.

But knowing a just a little bit can get you in trouble (I assume stories are ok). I worked in a Mexican restaurant for a while and actuallly decided to reply when one of the Mexicans in the kitchen talked to me. I think he was rather disappointed to find out I didn't know much. It went like this:

Him: "Como esta?"
Me: "Asi asi. Y tu?"
Him: *big smile* "Habla espanol?"
Me: "Eh....muy, muy pequeno."
Him: Long sentence I didn't understand most of, but it had the word "bonita" in it

Me: "Um....Gracias." and I went back to work. I really hope the "bonita" was directed at me! =)


Anyways, the words I used that you haven't gone over yet:

Asi asi (possibly misspelled) = so-so
Habla = Do you speak
muy = very or a lot
pequeno (the n has a tilda) = little
bonita = pretty (directed towards a female noun)

I wonder how many copycats will show up. :D Pig-Latin for Dummies, that sort of thing.
Hehehehheee...we have to check ages though...remember, Pig Latin is the big parental code, and kids are not allowed to learn it too early, or the whole conspiracy is RUINED!!!!

Rrrrroll up the rrrrim to win!
el perro (dog)
el arroz (rice)
el error (mistake)

Mmmm.....arroz.....

The few bits of Spanish that everyone at the restaurant I worked at had to learn, so that the cooks could understand, were:

"Mas arroz, por favor!"
"Mas frijoles, por favor!"
"Mas frijoles refritas, por favor!"

=)

frijoles = beans
por favor = please

Ok, enough Mexican restaurant stories.

¿Dónde está el baño? - "Where is the bathroom?"

I'm sure I have others, and I can't record them, but I will attempt to think of more useful things in a moment. See, the other things I know, are things like "I want you because you're in heat" and "I don't know because goats are in my head".

Lesson 4: DESCRIBING YOURSELF AND OTHERS

This lesson will introduce you to subject pronouns, and making adjectives agree to the gender and number of subjects.

Subject Pronouns

I = yo
you (informal) = tú
he = él
she = ella
you (formal) = usted
we (mixed male and female group or just males) = nosotros
we (just females) = nosotras
you (plural, informal) = vosotros, vosotras*
they (mixed male and female group, or just males) = ellos
they (females) = ellas
you (plural) = ustedes

* Vosotros and vosotras are hardly ever used in Latin America, though they are still in use in Spain. However, I will not be teaching vosotros/vosotras because of their limited use. 'Ustedes' can be used to mean 'you' in the plural for both formal and informal situations.

The Verb SER, 'to be'

There are two verbs that mean 'to be' in Spanish (SER, ESTAR). The differences between the two verbs will be explored later. For now, we will be using SER in order to describe ourselves and others.

One thing that you do need to know about SER is that it describes characteristics that don't change (or that are mostly permanent). Things like your nationality, you height and weight, your personality, your hair and eye colour, and so on. Yes, to a certain extent you can change some of these characteristics...but even if you dye your hair, you still have a natural colour underneath it.

Things you can not use SER for are things that change. Like your mood, your health, where you are at any given moment. If you use SER with these things, you are telling people that you are ALWAYS that thing. Always sick (terminal), always depressed, whatever. This lesson will focus on describing things that are not considered transitory.

Conjugation of SER

If you've never studied a language before, you may not know what conjugation is. Conjugation means changing the verb (action word) to describe who is doing the action. For example, in English, the verb 'to eat' changes a bit depending on who is doing the eating. I eat, but she eats. The differences are more noticeable in Spanish.

SER: to be (listen ( http://rapidshare.de/files/4153023/conjugation_of_ser.wav.html))

yo soy
tú eres
él/ella/usted* es
nosotros/as somos
ellos/ellas/ustedes son

*notice I've lumped él, ella and usted together, and ellos, ellas and ustedes together. That is because, the conjugation is the same for all the third-person singular subjects (he, she, you formal), as it is for the third-person plural subjects (they, you plural). Nosotros becomes feminine with an 'as' at the end instead of 'os', so rather than write the two words out, the feminine ending is added on as a reminder.

Vocabulary

Adjectives must agree with the subjects (or nouns) they are describing. Adjectives can be masculine or feminine, singular or plural, depending on what the subject is.

The masculine form is given first, followed by the feminine. (e.g. lindo, linda). If there is just one form, it is both masculine and feminine.

To pluralise an adjective:

1. when the word ends in a vowel, just add 's'

- lindo, lindos, linda, lindas

2. when the word ends in a consonant, add 'es'

-azúl, azules

Adjectives

lindo/a = handsome/beautiful
bonito/bonita = pretty
inteligente = intelligent
sympático/sympática = easy-going
listo/lista - smart, quick witted
feo/fea = ugly
alto/alta = tall
bajo/baja = short
gordo/gorda = fat
flaco/flaca = skinny
canadiense = Canadian (notice, nationalities are not capitalised)
estadounidense = from the US
irlandese/irlandesa = Irish
inglés = English
(more nationalities here ( http://spanish.about.com/cs/culture/a/nationalities.htm))



Listening exercise: (listen ( http://rapidshare.de/files/4153052/Lesson4_conv1.wav.html))

1. Yo soy canadiense.

2. Él es flaco.

3. Nosotros somos inteligentes. (notice that when the subject is plural, the adjective must be pluralised as well!)

4. Ellas son lindas.

Practice

Describing yourself and others:

Model: subject pronoun + conjugation of SER + adjective

Now you try it! Describe yourself, your friends, your family, or whoever, using the short list of adjectives given here! Make sure you are writing sentence AND practicing your pronunciation.

Synthesise: Translate!

Use the vocabulary and the constructions you've learned so far in order to translate the following conversation into Spanish. That's right! You're already ready to do some translating! Now get to it! You can submit your translation, or not...your choice!

(I imagine this kind of conversation would quickly lead to violence, but hey...it's good practice!)

Manuel: Hi David! How are you?
David: Good, thanks! And you?
Manuel: Good. This is my sister, Ramona.
David: Hi Ramona! These are my cousins.
Manuel: They are ugly.
David: Ramona is ugly.
Ramona: You are ugly, David!

Manuel: Hi David! How are you?
David: Good, thanks! And you?
Manuel: Good. This is my sister, Ramona.
David: Hi Ramona! These are my cousins.
Manuel: They are ugly.
David: Ramona is ugly.
Ramona: You are ugly, David!

Ok, but I don't know how to do tildes, upside down punctuation, etc. I know they should be there though.

Manuel: Hola David! Como esta?
David: Bien, gracias! Y tu?
Manuel: Bien. Esta es mi hermana, Ramona.
David: Hola Ramona! Estos son mi primos.
Manuel: Ellos son feos.
David: Ramona es fea.
Ramona: Tu eres feo, David!

Ok, but I don't know how to do tildes, upside down punctuation, etc. I know they should be there though.

Manuel: Hola David! Como esta?
David: Bien, gracias! Y tu?
Manuel: Bien. Esta es mi hermana, Ramona.
David: Hola Ramona! Estos son mi primos.
Manuel: Ellos son feos.
David: Ramona es fea.
Ramona: Tu eres feo, David!

Since there is nothing to indicate that Manuel should be talking to David in the formal, you would use ¿Cómo estás? instead...though what you've written is perfectly acceptable as well.

Perfect! You've made the right agreements for gender, and number. Excellent work! Now you can go start fights in Spanish! :D

This site (http://www.irvingisd.net/districtweekly/flyers/typing_in_spanish.htm) teaches you how to get all the right accents and puncutation, though you may have to type in a word processing program first, then copy and paste.

Lesson 5: WHAT IS YOUR NAME?

This lesson is pretty short, and teaches you the basic ways to tell others your name, and ask the names of others.

Introducing yourself

There are three ways to tell people your name:

1. Yo soy Sinuhue.
2. Mi nombre es Sinuhue.
3. Me llamo Sinuhue.

The first uses the subject pronoun for 'I', the verb SER (to be) and then your name. In essence, "I am _______".

The second is the most common way English speakers introduce themselves. It is correct, but not widely used. It says "My name is _______".

The best way to tell someone your same is the third way. "I call myself __________". This is the most common way of introducing yourself.

Asking the names of others

¿Cómo te llamas? = What do you call yourself (what is your name)? This is informal.

¿Cómo se llama? = What does he/she call him/herself? (What is his or her name?) It can ALSO be used to ask someone their name in the formal..."What is your name?"

Listening exercise:

Listen to the following sentences (http://rapidshare.de/files/4154540/Lesson_5conv1.wav.html), and read the text below. Various ways of introducing people's names are modeled.

1. Me llamo Pancha. Y tú, ¿cómo te llamas?
2. Yo soy María Soto. Y él, ¿cómo se llama?
3. Se llama David.
4. Y ella, ¿cómo se llama?
5. Ella es Felisa.

Practice

Introduce yourself in three different ways. Ask the names of others, using the formal, and the informal. Try to write out as many sentences and combinations as you can, and practice reading them out loud.

Interlude of brevity: Phrases you just HAVE to know!

I'm drunk. = Estoy borracho/borracha.

I need more beer! = ¡Necesito más cerveza! (wine = vino)

What is your daughter's name? = ¿Cómo se llama su hija?

I'm rich and famous. Did I mention I'm rich? = Soy rico (rica) y famoso (famosa). ¿Te dijé que soy rico (rica)?

I didn't do it! = ¡No lo hice!

I want to call my lawyer! = ¡Quiero llamar a mi abogado!

So THAT'S Montezuma's revenge! = ¡Eso es la venganza de Montezuma!

How much does that cost? = ¿Cuánto vale? OR ¿Cuánto cuesta?

You sonofabitch thief! = ¡Hijo de puta ladrón!

I'm really sorry! = Lo siento mucho!

I'm an idiot. = Soy tonto (tonta for females).

And funniest English translation...

"Estoy embarazada. Muy embarazada." *weird looks at your tummy*
"What? I'm just trying to say I'm embarrassed!"
"No you idiot, you just told everyone you were very pregnant!" :D

So I don't labour away at this for no reason, any one who plans on doing any of these lessons at some time, please TG me and let me know. You can also include suggestions as to what you'd like to learn, and I'll integrate it. If there isn't a lot of interest, I'll get back to my lucrative belly-lint harvest and leave the Spanish lessons to others :p

Here's a very useful one: Mexicans will refer to George W Bush as "la chupacabra" occasionally. This is just the term for "president". ;) :D

Here's a very useful one: Mexicans will refer to George W Bush as "la chupacabra" occasionally. This is just the term for "president". ;) :D
Hardly!

Chupacabra (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chupacabra)

And most hispanics just say 'Boosh' :p

Hardly!

Chupacabra (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chupacabra)

Yeah, I know, I was joking.

Mira, qué bien, un poquito de cultura!!! LOL

Saludos.

"No sé porque yo tengo cabras en mi cabeza."

Lesson 6: Personal States

Asking after the health and wellbeing of others, as well as answering such questions, is usually how conversations begin. In the following lesson, you will be doing both.

How are you?
In Lesson 2, you learned how to ask, 'how are you'.

¿Cómo estás? is informal, and used with close friends or relatives.

¿Cómo está? is more formal, or polite.

There are a number of ways to answer these questions. Listen to the following (http://rapidshare.de/files/4254307/Lesson_6_con1.wav.html) to hear each sentence pronounced.

Describing your state of wellbeing: VOCABULARY

With ESTOY (I am):

(Sometimes the adverb you use with estoy will change depending on your gender. If the word ends in 'o' it is usually masculine, and if it ends in 'a' it is feminine. Both forms are given when there is a difference.)

Estoy bien, gracias. = I am well, thank you.

Estoy mal. = I'm not doing well.

Estoy cansado. (cansada) I'm tired.

Estoy enfermo. (enferma) I'm sick.

Estoy feliz. = I'm happy.

Estoy triste. = I'm sad.

When you use 'estoy' (I am) and an adverb, you can add in 'muy' to mean 'very'.

Estoy muy bien.

With TENGO (I have):

Tengo hambre. = I'm hungry (literally, I have hunger)

Tengo sed. = I'm thirsty.

Tengo frío. = I'm cold.

Tengo calor. = I'm hot.

Tengo sueño. = I'm sleepy.

Tengo rabia. = I'm enraged/angry.

Tengo miedo. = I'm scared.

Sí = yes
No = no

Omission of Subject Pronouns

You might notice that there are less words in the Spanish phrase than in the English equivalent. (e.g. tengo sed = I have thirst).

The reason for this is that in Spanish, you can omit the subject pronoun (I, he, she, we, they etc) because the verb conjugation alone can tell you who is doing the action. In essence, you have sentences in Spanish that literally translate as: 'estoy bien' = am well. Yet, we know that 'I' am well, because the verb is conjugated to the 'I' form. You'll see this in more depth later.


Forming questions from statements.

Not only can you use these statements to answer questions posed to you, but you can also turn them around and use them as questions. What needs to be changed is the verb conjugation. All that you need to do aside from that, is raise your voice at the end, just as you would with a question in English.

ESTAR (to be)

estoy = I am
estás = you, informal, are
está = you, formal, are

TENER (to have)

tengo = I have
tienes = you, informal, have
tiene = you, formal, have

¿Estás bien? (Are you, informal, well?)

¿Tiene frío? (Are you, formal, cold?)

¿Está enfermo? (Are you sick? 'Enfermo' is used is you are asking a male, and 'enferma' is used when asking a female.)

¿Tienes hambre? (Are you, informal, hungry?)

Practice

Translate the following conversation into English, using the vocabulary presented above. Pay attention to whether or not the form of address would be formal, or informal.

Raúl: ¿Cómo está Señor Herrera?
Sr. Herrera: Estoy mal.
Raúl: ¿Está enfermo?
Sr. Herrera: Sí, estoy muy enfermo.

Now, translate the following conversation into Spanish.

Raúl: How are you, David?
David: I'm well, thank you. How are you?
Raúl: I'm tired.
David: Are you sick?
Raúl: No.

Translate!

Using ALL of the vocabulary and constructions you have learned so far, translate the following conversation into Spanish! Make sure you are also practicing reading your sentence out loud. (words you haven't yet been presented with are translated in brackets)

Rosalía: ¡Hola, Ramona! ¿Cómo estás?

Ramona: Estoy muy bien, gracias. Y tú ¿cómo estás?

Rosalía: Estoy cansada. Soy estudiante ahora (now).

Ramona: ¿Sí?

Rosalía: Sí, pero (but) estoy feliz. Mira (look), éste es mi amigo, Mauricio.

Ramona: ¡Hola, Mauricio! ¿Estás bien?

Mauricio: Sí, estoy bien gracias. ¿Eres amiga de (of) Rosalía?

Ramona: Sí, soy amiga de Rosalía.

Translate the following conversation into English, using the vocabulary presented above. Pay attention to whether or not the form of address would be formal, or informal.

Raúl: ¿Cómo está Señor Herrera?
Sr. Herrera: Estoy mal.
Raúl: ¿Está enfermo?
Sr. Herrera: Sí, estoy muy enfermo.

Raul: How are you, Mr. Herrera?
Mr. Herrera: I am not well.
Raul: Are you sick?
Mr. Herrera: Yes, I am very sick.

Now, translate the following conversation into Spanish.

Raúl: How are you, David?
David: I'm well, thank you. How are you?
Raúl: I'm tired.
David: Are you sick?
Raúl: No.

Raul: Como estas, David?
David: Estoy bien, gracias. Como estas?
Raul: Estoy cansado.
David: Estas enfermo?
Raul: No.

Raul: How are you, Mr. Herrera?
Mr. Herrera: I am not well.
Raul: Are you sick?
Mr. Herrera: Yes, I am very sick.

Raul: ¿Cómo estás, David?
David: Estoy bien, gracias. ¿Cómo estás?
Raul: Estoy cansado.
David: ¿Estás enfermo?
Raul: No.

Poifect! I added in the punctuation and accents, just in case anyone wants to check their work. You did the two most important things: chose properly between formal and informal (estás), and changed the adverb to suit the gender of the subject (cansado, masculine). ¡Bien trabajo!

Rosalía: ¡Hola, Ramona! ¿Cómo estás?
Ramona: Estoy muy bien, gracias. Y tú ¿cómo estás?
Rosalía: Estoy cansada. Soy estudiante ahora (now).
Ramona: ¿Sí?
Rosalía: Sí, pero (but) estoy feliz. Mira (look), éste es mi amigo, Mauricio.
Ramona: ¡Hola, Mauricio! ¿Estás bien?
Mauricio: Sí, estoy bien gracias. ¿Eres amiga de (of) Rosalía?
Ramona: Sí, soy amiga de Rosalía.

Rosalia: Hi, Romona! How are you?
Ramona: I am very well, thank you. And you, how are you?
Rosalia: I am tired. I am a student now.
Ramona: Yes? (This would probably translate more as Oh?)
Rosalia: Yes, but I am happy. Look, this is my friend, Mauricio.
Ramona: Hi, Mauricio! Are you well?
Mauricio: Yes, I am well, thank you. Are you Rosalia's friend?
Ramona: Yes, I am Rosalia's friend.

Only three letters are EVER doubled in Spanish; LL, RR, and CC. Everywhere else, Spanish uses only single letters. This makes spelling a heck of a lot easier.And double <n> in perenne ("perennial") and innovación ("innovation") ...
Double <e> in the foreignism jeep ("jeep") and in the native word sobreesdrújulo ("having the stress on the fourth-to-last syllable") ...
Double <m> in the Latinism súmmum, meaning "the greatest" ...
Double <i> in priísta ("supporter of the Mexican Institutional Revolutionary Party") ...
Double <o> in zoológico ("zoo") and other words from the Greek zôion meaning "animal" ...

Happy to be of assistance :-)

*snip*
The exceptions to the rule (only doubled letters being ll, rr, and cc) are few, and beginners don't need to worry about them at this point.

Edit: that sounded snippy...thanks for the addition!

Great first lesson, Sinuhue! Pronouncing the unaspirated "p" is proving to be a difficult task.

Ya, that "p"'s a bitch.

Good Idea!

You should use sound files, if you can find them.

If someone has a thread for teaching Chinese, tell me, because I want to learn that language!

Foxstenikopolis out!

Yo no necessito (sp?) la clase de Sinuhue porque soy en la clase de Espanol dos de mi escuela.

Hmm, though I didn't know whether soy or estoy was supposed to be used. I'm in spanish classes for 3 more years...so it seems kinda permanent in a short-term perspective...

Just explaining myself. Otherwise this seems very useful for other NS'ers.

Though there's also wikipedia....

Yo no necessito (sp?) la clase de Sinuhue porque soy en la clase de Espanol dos de mi escuela.

Hmm, though I didn't know whether soy or estoy was supposed to be used. I'm in spanish classes for 3 more years...so it seems kinda permanent in a short-term perspective...

Just explaining myself. Otherwise this seems very useful for other NS'ers.

Though there's also wikipedia....
hehehhee...but I'll help you out on specific stuff if you have questions:)

You should have used 'estoy' because your location is not a permanent thing. (even if it feels like it...I mean, you go home I hope...?) You use 'soy' when you're talking about where you come from (permanently).

Lesson 7: PRESENT INDICATIVE CONJUGATION

For you grammar nuts, let's get this out of the way now, and get you conjugating some verbs in the present tense! This lesson will introduce you to 10 regular verbs that you can use to expand your vocabulary.

Omission of subject pronouns

Don't forget, in Spanish, the subject pronoun (I, you, she, he, we, they) is often left out, because we can tell from the verb form, who is doing the action.

Present tense indicative conjugation

There are 3 types of Spanish verbs. AR, ER and IR. To conjugate them, you drop the AR, ER or IR ending and add a different ending, depending on who is doing the action.

For example: HABLAR (to speak)

Drop the AR and you have HABL-

Endings for AR verbs

The verb endings for AR verbs are as follows:

yo = o
tú = as
él/ella/usted = a
nosotros/as = amos
ellos/ellas/usteded = an

So, if you want to say, she speaks, you take the verb HABLAR, drop the AR to get HABL-, and add the A (the ending for ella). That gives you: habla.

If you want to be specific, and say, "she speaks" (it also means she is speaking), then don't omit the subject pronoun. Ella habla.

yo hablo
tú hablas
él/ella/usted habla
nosotros/as hablamos
ellos/ellas/ustedes hablan

Endings for ER verbs

Both ER and IR verbs have the same verb endings, so you really only have to memorise two sets of endings:

LEER (to read)

yo = o
tú = es
él/ella/usted = e
nosotros/as = emos
ellos/ellas/ustedes = en

yo leo
tú lees
él/ella/usted lee
nosotros/as leemos
ellos/ellas/ustedes leen

Endings for IR verbs

VIVIR (to live)

yo = o
tú = es
él/ella/usted = e
nosotros/as = imos
ellos/ellas/ustedes = en

yo vivo
tú vives
él/ella/usted vive
nosotros vivimos
ellos/ellas/ustedes viven

Notice that the ER and IR endings are almost exactly the same...the only difference is in the nosotros form.

Practice

Use the guides above to conjugate the following regular verbs into the present indicative tense. Conjugate them into all the forms (yo, tú, él/ella/usted, nosotros, ellos/ellas/ustedes).

CANTAR (to sing)
BAILAR (to dance)
ESCUCHAR (to listen)
TRABAJAR (to work)

BEBER (to drink)
COMER (to eat)

ASISTIR (to attend)

Many AR verbs are regular, but there are a lot of irregular ER and IR verbs, which is why I've given you mostly AR verbs in this list.

Use your verbs!

Some vocabulary is going to be presented to you, and some is going to be left up to you to understand from context. You will be choosing which verb best fits the sentences below. Look for the subject pronouns (included to help you out) and make sure you conjugate the verbs correctly for that subject.

Vocabulary

una cerveza - a beer
el pollo asado - roast chicken
un concierto - a concert
una canción - a song
la cumbia - the cumbia (a dance)
en un restaurante - in a restaurant
la radio - radio
una novela- a novel
en un apartamento - in an apartment
el español - Spanish

VERBS TO USE:
hablar (to speak)
leer (to read)
vivir (to live)
cantar (to sing)
bailar (to dance)
escuchar (to listen)
trabajar (to work)
beber (to drink)
comer (to eat)
asisitir (to attend)

SENTENCES:

1. Yo ________________ un concierto hoy día.

2. Ellas _______________ la cumbia.

3. Nosotros ________________ la radio.

4. ¿Usted ______________ en un restaurante?

5. ¿Tú _______________ el pollo asado?

6. Roberto ____________ una novela policíaca.

7. Nosotras _____________ en un apartamento.

8. Yo __________________ una cerveza.

9. Ustedes ________________ una canción triste.

10. ¿Tú _________________ español?

SENTENCES:
1. Yo ________________ un concierto hoy día.
2. Ellas _______________ la cumbia.
3. Nosotros ________________ la radio.
4. ¿Usted ______________ en un restaurante?
5. ¿Tú _______________ el pollo asado?
6. Roberto ____________ una novela policíaca.
7. Nosotras _____________ en un apartamento.
8. Yo __________________ una cerveza.
9. Ustedes ________________ una canción triste.
10. ¿Tú _________________ español?

1. asisto ((hoy dia = today?))
2. bailan
3. escuchamos
4. trabaja
5. comes
6. lee ((would novela policiaca translate to "crime novel" or "mystery novel"?)
7. vivimos
8. bebo
9. cantan
10. hablas ((Most people usually ask this with "habla", is that because you just automatically use the formal if you don't know them?))

Despite leaning against it in the Moderation, I think this is a great idea after reading the thread. Good luck with everything Sinuhue, and I commend you on your dedication to this thread.

Him: "Como esta?"
Me: "Asi asi. Y tu?"
Him: *big smile* "Habla espanol?"
Me: "Eh....muy, muy pequeno."
Him: Long sentence I didn't understand most of, but it had the word "bonita" in it

Me: "Um....Gracias." and I went back to work. I really hope the "bonita" was directed at me! =)
I think your dialogue drew comments because of your slight mistake in the choice of adjectives. "Pequeño" is the adjective that refers to size as in a little car. Little when used to describe amount is "poco." So you should have said "muy poco." No offence to Hispanics that work at restaurants, being Hispanic myself, when you, Dempublicents, made the comment with the word "pequeño" who knows what thoughts that brought to their mind... if you get my drift.

I also remember some one making the comment about the infamous double r. Don't worry if you can't do it. My mother is a native Spanish speaker, and I've grown up speaking the language, but to this day, I still can't trill the r while both my brother and sister can. I figure if I haven't been able to do it in 20 some years, I never will. Besides, there are ways to compensate for his... or at least mask it to a degree. Just don't let it dissuade you. Spanish is a wonderful language, and it is tons of fun once you've mastered it and can enjoy and appreciate its subtleties such as slang.

Le pido disculpa por la interrupción, Señora. (By the way, grand idea. I may participate just for the fun of it.)

1. asisto ((hoy dia = today?)) hoy= today, dia = day...I suppose it sounds redundant in English, but you've got the translation right...and all of the conjugations too:)

6. lee ((would novela policiaca translate to "crime novel" or "mystery novel"?) Crime novel. Not all mystery novels are about crimes.

10. hablas ((Most people usually ask this with "habla", is that because you just automatically use the formal if you don't know them?))
The default is formal for someone you don't know...but it's probably also the case that people just don't hear the final 's' if it's not formal. A lot of accents 'swallow' the s (Chileans in particular do this).

So you can say, ¿Habla español? or ¿Hablas español?.

Despite leaning against it in the Moderation, I think this is a great idea after reading the thread. Good luck with everything Sinuhue, and I commend you on your dedication to this thread.
Thanks! I haven't checked on the status of the request in Moderation, but since it remained unanswered for a day or two, I thought it would be okay (or at least could be moved to spam if it was deemed such).*sheepish*

Practice on the Web: Saludos y Despedidas

You will visit a webpage to practice your greetings (saludos) and your farewells (despedidas). (you might need to have quicktime installed, I'm not sure...it loaded without incident for me...let me know if you have trouble) Before you do, here is a bit of vocabulary you will need:

Vocabulary

buenos días - good day (can be used to greet, or say goodbye)
buenas tardes - good afternoon (can be used to greet, or say goodbye)
buenas noches - (can be used to greet, or say goodbye)
hasta luego - until later
adiós - goodbye
hasta pronto - until soon (see you soon)

You can do the exercise however you like, it's up to you to follow the directions, or modify the material to what suits you!

Practice on the Web #1: Saludos y Despedidas ( http://www.trentu.ca/spanish/masarriba/leccion1a.htm)

Practice on the Web: Descriptions using Ser

Vocabulary

The following are all adjectives. Adjectives must agree to the gender and number of nouns being described. When discussing people, and their characteristics, getting the gender right is fairly easy. It becomes a bit more difficult later on when we start describing other nouns...but that can wait:).

Generally, adjectives that end in a letter other than 'o' or 'a' are unisex...that is, they stay the same regardless of the gender of the noun. If the adjective ends in an 'o', it is masculine. Replace the 'o' with an 'a' to make it feminine!


grande - big
pequeño - small
alto - tall
delgado - thin (also, flaco)
gordo - fat
bueno - good
malo - bad, evil
interesante - interesting
aburrido - boring
trabajador - hardworking
perezoso - lazy (literally means 'sloth'. another word is flojo)

Practice on the Web #2: Descriptions of People ( http://www.trentu.ca/spanish/masarriba/leccion2a.htm)

Part II: Nationality

In this exercise, you can practice naming someone's nationality, whether they are male or female, or a group (default for plural is male unless only women are present).

For the nationalities that end in 'o', it is easy enough to change it to feminine by dropping the 'o' and adding an 'a'. Other nationalities are a bit more difficult, and will simply take memorization to master.

Notice that with individuals, 'es' is used, but with pairs, or groups, 'son' is used.

Practice on the Web #3: Nationalities ( http://www.trentu.ca/spanish/masarriba/leccion2a.htm#Nacionalidad)

Heheh. Nice idea. I don't need it, though, since it's my native language (I'm from Argentina). If you ever need help, don't hesitate to send me a PM, telegram or add me to your MSN contact list. :p

Lesson 8: TELLING TIME

It's the best way to sleaze your way into a conversation with that hot Peruvian girl, or Ecuadorian guy you always see down at the market...asking what time it is in Spanish is an innocuous start to a fiery romance! (I make no guarantees as to the validity of this statement)

In any case, telling the time is a useful piece of information, in any language.

Keep in mind, however, that most of Latin America uses the 24 hour clock for official time keeping. People you meet may or may not specify 'de la mañana' (in the morning), 'de la tarde' (in the afternoon) or 'de la noche' (at night) when they tell you the time. Hopefully you won't be too drunk to tell whether or not that shiny thing in the sky is the sun, or the moon, and further explanations won't really be necessary!

First, you need to know your numbers! Let's go up to 60, so we can make sure to include all the minutes we may need. Hell, let's just go to a hundred...why not?

Numbers

uno - one
dos - two
tres - three
cuatro - four
cinco - five
seis - six
siete - seven
ocho - eight
nueve - nine
diez - ten

once - eleven
doce - twelve
trece - thirteen
catorce - fourteen
quince - fifteen
diez y seis - sixteen
diez y siete - seventeen
diez y ocho - eighteen
diez y nueve - nineteen
veinte - twenty

veinte y uno - twenty-one
veinte y dos - twenty-two
veinte y tres - twenty-three...continue on using veinte y...until you reach thirty

treinta - thirty
treinta y uno - thirty-one
treinta y dos - thirty-two...etc.

cuarenta - forty
cuarenta y uno - forty-one....etc

cincuenta - fifty...etc

sesenta - sixty....etc

setenta - seventy....etc

ochenta - eighty....etc

noventa - ninety....etc

cien - one hundred
ciento uno - one hundred and one
ciento dos - one hundred and two...etc

Asking the time

You can ask what time it is in a number of ways:

¿Cuál es la hora? - What is the hour?

¿Qué hora es? - What hour is it?

¿Qué horas son? - What hour is it?

It really depends on where you travel, because in México and Spain, it's more common to hear ¿Qué horas son?, while in many other Spanish-speaking countries, ¿Qué hora es? is used. Either is understandable.


Avoid saying, ¿Cuál es el tiempo?
Although 'tiempo' CAN mean time, it more often refers to the weather. So you might be asking about the hour, and get a long involved explanation about the seasonal rain patterns and the strange wind these past few days...stick to referring to specific time in hours and you can avoid this!

Telling the time

When someone asks you the time, you can respond in various ways. The most simple is to just state the hour, and the minutes past the hour. There is no o'clock in Spanish...you only say, "It is 2:20" and people know you are talking about the time.

Son las dos y veinte. - It's two twenty o'clock.

Notice that the verb SER (to be) is used, and that 'son' is the plural form of the verb. That is because unless you are talking about one o'clock, all the hours are plural.

Es la una y tres. - It's three past one.

This is the only time you will use 'es' instead of 'son' when telling the time.

Now, instead of saying, "it's five fifty-five", you CAN shorten things and say, "it's five to six". There are two ways to say this:

Son las cinco para las seis. - It's five until six o'clock.

MORE COMMON IN LATIN AMERICA:

Faltan cinco para las seis. - There are five minutes until six.

Half-past, quarter-past, noon and midnight

media - half
cuarto - quarter (don't get this mixed up with CUATRO, which is four)
el mediodía - noon
la medianoche - midnight

Son las cuatro y media. - It's four thirty, it's half-past four.

Son las tres y cuarto. - It's three-fifteen, it's a quarter past three.

Es el mediodía. - It's noon. Notice, noon is singular, so you use 'es' instead of 'son'.

Es la medianoche. - It's midnight.

Practice

Translate the following times into Spanish. Write out all the numbers. You can use any model you like.

a) 1:15
b) 8:50
c) 12:00 (do this one three different ways)
d) 24:00 (do this one two different ways)
e) 9:30

By the way, the same word is used for both watch (wristwatch) and clock.

el reloj - clock, watch

Heheh. Nice idea. I don't need it, though, since it's my native language (I'm from Argentina). If you ever need help, don't hesitate to send me a PM, telegram or add me to your MSN contact list. :p
You could always compile a list of 'argentísmos' for us...a list of slang and idioms particular to Argentina (or even specific regions of Argentina). These differences in slang and vocabulary between countries in Latin America are pretty neat...and could be very useful for people planning to travel to Argentina! When I have a bit more time I plan on doing this for Chile...but any latinos who pop in are invited to give us some of your slang (with translations)!

Practice on the Web #5: Telling Time/Days of the Week

The vocabulary you will need for this lesson is presented below:

Vocabulary

Days of the week

el lunes - Monday
el martes - Tuesday
el miercoles - Wednesday
el jueves - Thursday
el viernes - Friday
el sábado - Saturday
el domingo - Sunday

Notice, days of the week are NOT capitalised in Spanish. Usually when you are talking about a day in the week, you don't include 'el'. However, if you are speaking of THIS Thursday, Friday, or whatever, or a specific day of the week, then you use 'el'.

e.g. Yo voy lunes. (I'm going Monday)
Yo nací el lunes, 15 de agosto. (I was born on Monday, the 15th of August)

As well, if there is something that happens on the same day every week, you would use 'los' to indicate this.

e.g. Yo voy los lunes al clase. (I go to class on Mondays)

School Subjects (Clases)

el horario de clases - class schedule
el español - Spanish
la historia - history
el francés - French
el alemán - German
el inglés - English
la matemática - Math
las ciencias - Sciences
la biología - Biology
la física - Physics
la química - Chemistry
la educación física - Physical Education
la música - Music
la literatura - Literature
etc...

Practice on the Web #4: Telling Time (http://www.trentu.ca/spanish/masarriba/leccion2a.htm#La%20hora)

Matching: Vocabulary (http://www.quia.com/mc/137578.html)

Practice on the Web #4: AR verbs

This exercise allows you to practice your conjugation of AR verbs, as well as beefing up your vocabulary!

Vocabulary

Verbs: all of these verbs are regular, and follow the pattern you've been taught.

PREPARAR (to prepare, to make)
LAVAR (to wash)
CAMINAR (to walk)
TRABAJAR (to work)
HABLAR (to speak)
NADAR (to swim)
PRACTICAR (to practice)
MIRAR (to watch)

Misc Vocab

el desayuno - breakfast
el almuerzo - lunch
la cena - supper
los platos - the dishes
la escuela - elementary school
el colegio - junior high/high school
la universidad - University
la biblioteca - library
la librería - bookstore

el teléfono - the phone........note, one does not talk ON the phone in Spanish. One talks 'por' the phone.

en - in
la piscina - the pool
el tenis - tennis
la televisión - tv
la música - music

Practice on the Web #5: AR verbs ( http://www.trentu.ca/spanish/masarriba/leccion2b.htm)

Muchas Grácias, Señora.

Present Indicative: Spelling Changing Verbs

Many ER and IR verbs are spelling-changing verbs...meaning that verb changes slightly, usually in the 'yo' form, though all other endings are the same as for regular verbs. These aren't quite irregular verbs, but they can sometimes be tricky. Luckily, there are a few rules you can follow to help you navigate your way through spelling-changing ER and IR verbs!

1. Verbs that end in -CIR or -CER (preceded by a vowel) have a change from C to CZ in the 'yo' form.

conducir (to drive): conduzco
producir (to produce): produzco
traducir (to translate): traduzco
conocer (to know, to be acquainted with): conozco
ofrecer (to offer): ofrezco
parecer (to seem like): parezco

All the other forms, tú, él, ella, etc, follow the regular pattern. The reason these verbs change in the yo form is to maintain the soft 'c' sound. For example, if you didn't include the z you would have:

conducir = drop the IR, conduc = add an 'o' for the 'yo' form = conduco

It would be pronounced CONDUKO, because C is only soft (s) before an I or an E.

2. Verbs that end in -GUIR have a change from GU to G in the 'yo' form.

seguir (to follow): sigo
consegir (to get, to obtain): consigo

Notice that the 'e' changed to an 'i' as well. All the other forms follow the regular pattern.

3. Verbs that end in -UIR have a change from I to Y in all but the nosotros forms, since an unstressed I between two vowels is changed to y.

construir (to construct)

yo construyo
tú construyes
él/ella/usted construye
nosotros construimos
ellos/ellas/ustedes construyen

destruir (to destroy) follows the same pattern

Muchas Grácias, Señora.
De nada. (it's nothing:))

And gracias isn't accented, because it's actually only two syllables:

GRA/CIAS

And since this word doesn't end in a consonant other than 'n' or 's', the stress falls on the second-last syllable...in this case the FIRST syllable.

Sorry to be pedantic...just thought it was a good change to review syllabification!

Practice: IDENTIFY SUBJECT PRONOUNS

Look at the following conjugated verbs, and decide which subject pronoun (yo, tú, él/ella/usted, nosotros, ellos/ellas/ustedes) it is conjugated to. Also, make a note of what the verb means.

Por ejemplo: lee (él/ella/usted) [to read]

1. hablo
2. viven
3. asistes
4. escucha
5. trabajamos
6. cantan
7. bebes
8. como
9. bailamos
10. lee

Synthesise: TRANSLATE!

This exercise will have you translate from Spanish to English, and visa versa. All of the vocabulary that has been presented so far may be included. Yes, the verbs too. Note that the subject pronoun (yo, tú, él etc) may not always be included...you'll have to figure out the subject from how the verb is conjugated.

Spanish to English

Translate the following conversation. You can listen (http://rapidshare.de/files/4287956/synthesise_conv2.wav.html) to it as well.

CLARA: ¡Hola! Yo soy Clara! ¿Cómo te llamas tú?
ANITA: Me llamo Anita. ¿Cómo estás?
CLARA: Muy bien, gracias. Y tú, ¿cómo estás?
ANITA: Estoy bien.
CLARA: ¿Eres canadiense?
ANITA: No, no soy canadiense. Soy inglés.
CLARA: ¡Hablas bien el español!
ANITA: Gracias. Soy estudiante de español. ¿Estudias?
CLARA: No, no estudio. Trabajo en un restaurante.
ANITA: ¿Qué hora es?
CLARA: Son las dos y media.
ANITA: ¡Ay no! Mi clase de español es a las dos y cuarto!

English to Spanish

Translate the following conversation into Spanish.

PACO: Hi Carlos! How are you?
CARLOS: I'm sick.
PACO: Do you work today (hoy)?
CARLOS: Yes, I work at noon. How are you?
PACO: I'm very happy! This is my friend, Anita. She is English.
CARLOS: Hello Anita! My name is Carlos. I'm a friend of Paco. Are you a student?
ANITA: Yes, I study Spanish.

id like to say, FUCK SPANISH.

if you guys peak over at My Perfect Society, a thread i started, i will be adding a new article about languages and my distaste for mutlicultural societies. Or at least their languages.

This thread is going to be made of up of informal Spanish lessons for anyone interested. I will post a lesson, with practice, as well as audio links if necessary (and possibly work that can be done online on other free sites). You can ask questions along the way, make comments, add in Spanish tips, practice, and so on. As the lessons progress, I'll keep a list of links to them in this first post so you can access them at your convenience! Enjoy!

muy bien, ahora nosotros nesicitamos clases de japonese, punjabi, yopenese, pali y otras idiomas!

EDIT: hmm, pienso que yo he empezado una clase de yopenese en este forum?

id like to say, FUCK SPANISH.

if you guys peak over at My Perfect Society, a thread i started, i will be adding a new article about languages and my distaste for mutlicultural societies. Or at least their languages.
Sí quieres estar ignorante de las lenguas de otros, es tu deber. Pero no tienes que venir aquí y estar sin respeto, ¿ya? Chau.

muy bien, ahora nosotros nesicitamos clases de japonese, punjabi, yopenese, pali y otras idiomas!
Me gustaría ofrecer estas lenguas también, pero no las hablo. :( Y no creo que mucha gente quiera aprender mi lengua materna, Cree.

Lesson 9: STEM-CHANGING VERBS(present indicative)

Stem-changing Verbs

Certain verbs show a change in the stem (the part that is left after dropping the AR, ER or IR). The endings are still the same as they are for regular verbs. The stem changes for all but the 'nosotros' form.

Verbs that are stem-changing verbs will be listed from now on with the vowel change in parenthesis. E.g; doler (ue).

1. E to IE

PENSAR (to think)

The E changes to IE in all but the 'nosotros' form.

yo pienso
tú piensas
él/ella/usted piensa
nosotros pensamos
ellos/ellas/ustedes piensan

EMPEZAR (to begin)

yo empiezo
tú empiezas
él/ella/usted empieza
nosotros empezamos
ellos/ellas/ustedes empiezan

2. E to I

PEDIR (to request)

The E changes to I in all but the 'nosotros' form.

yo pido
tú pides
él/ella/usted pide
nosotros pedimos
ellos/ellas/ustedes piden

SEGUIR (to follow)

yo sigo (this is one of the spelling-chaging verbs [-GUIR] that drops the U in the 'yo form')
tú sigues
él/ella/usted sigue
nosotros seguimos
ellos/ellas/ustedes siguen

3. O to UE

PODER (to be able to, can)

The O changes to UE in all but the 'nosotros' form.

yo puedo
tú puedes
él/ella/usted puede
nosotros podemos
ellos/ellas/ustedes pueden

CONTAR (to count)
DORMIR (to sleep) [UE]
VOLVER (to return) [UE}
ENCONTRAR (to find, to come accross) [UE]

4. U to UE

JUGAR (to play)

The U changes to UE in all but the 'nosotros' form.

yo juego
tú juegas
él/ella/usted juega
nosotros jugamos
ellos/ellas/ustedes juegan

[U]Verbs that are irregular in the first person singular only

These verbs follow the regular pattern of conjugation in all but the 'yo' form:

DAR (to give)
yo doy

HACER (to do, to make)
yo hago

PONER (to put)
yo pongo

SABER (to know)
yo sé

SALIR (to go out)
yo salgo

TRAER (to bring)
yo traigo

VER (to see)
yo veo

Practice on the Web #6: STEM-CHANGING VERBS (E to IE)

Vocabulary

PREFERIR (to prefer)
PENSAR en (to think, of) [IE]
QUERER (to want) [IE]
TENER (to have) [IE]
TENER QUE (to have to do something, e.g; tener que comer, "have to eat")

Practice on the Web: Stem-Changing Verbs (E to IE) ( http://www.trentu.ca/spanish/masarriba/leccion4a.htm#Unos%20verbos%20radicales)

TENER (to have)

yo tengo
tú tienes
él/ella/usted tiene
nosotros tenemos
ellos/ellas/ustedes tienen

Practice on the Web: Tener ( ttp://www.trentu.ca/spanish/masarriba/leccion2b.htm#Tener)


Tener que...

When you use the verb TENER (to have) with QUE and then another, unconjugated verb, you are saying that something has to be done, or must be done.

[I]Paco tiene que comer. Paco has to eat.
Nosotros tenemos que salir. We have to go out.
Ellos tienen que escuchar. They have to listen.

Conjugate ONLY the verb TENER, and leave the second verb in its infinitive (unchanged) form.

Practice on the Web: Tener que ( http://www.trentu.ca/spanish/masarriba/leccion2b.htm#Tener%20que)

Practice on the Web #7: STEM-CHANGING VERBS (O to UE, E to I)

Vocabulary

ir (to go) - This is an irregular verb, not a stem-changing verb. The conjugation is found below.

yo voy
tú vas
él/ella/usted va
nosotros vamos
ellos/ellas/ustedes van

SALIR (to go out) [irregular only in the yo form, yo salgo]
PODER (to be able to) [UE]
TENER (to have, TENER + QUE means 'have to') [IE]
JUGAR (to play) [UE]
COMPRAR (to buy)
COSTAR (to cost) [UE]
ALMORZAR (to eat lunch) [UE]
VOLVER (to return) [UE]
DORMIR (to sleep) [UE]
PEDIR (to request, ask for) [I]
SERVIR (to serve) [I]

Practice on the Web #: Stem-changing verbs (O to UE, E to I) (http://www.trentu.ca/spanish/masarriba/leccion4a.htm#Mas%20verbos%20radicales)

Translate the following times into Spanish. Write out all the numbers. You can use any model you like.

a) 1:15
b) 8:50
c) 12:00 (do this one three different ways)
d) 24:00 (do this one two different ways)
e) 9:30

By the way, the same word is used for both watch (wristwatch) and clock.

el reloj - clock, watch

a) Es la uno y cuarto.
b) Son las diez para las nueve.
c) Son el mediodía.
Son los doce.
Son las doce de la tarde.
d) Es la medianoche.
Son las viente y cuatro. (Can't you do vienticuatro - but only in the twenties, or something like that?)
Son las doce de la noche.
e) Son las nueve y media.

Practice: IDENTIFY SUBJECT PRONOUNS

Look at the following conjugated verbs, and decide which subject pronoun (yo, tú, él/ella/usted, nosotros, ellos/ellas/ustedes) it is conjugated to. Also, make a note of what the verb means.

Por ejemplo: lee (él/ella/usted) [to read]

1. hablo
2. viven
3. asistes
4. escucha
5. trabajamos
6. cantan
7. bebes
8. como
9. bailamos
10. lee

1. hablo (yo) [to speak]
2. viven (elles/ellas/ustedes) [to live]
3. asistes (tu) [to attend]
4. escucha (el/ella/usted) [to listen]
5. trabajamos (nosotros/nosotras) [to work]
6. cantan (elles/ellas/ustedes) [to sing]
7. bebes (tu) [to drink]
8. como (yo) [to eat]
9. bailamos (nosotros/nosotras) [to dance]
10. lee (el/ella/usted) [to read]

Translate the following conversation. You can listen (http://rapidshare.de/files/4287956/synthesise_conv2.wav.html) to it as well.

CLARA: ¡Hola! Yo soy Clara! ¿Cómo te llamas tú?
ANITA: Me llamo Anita. ¿Cómo estás?
CLARA: Muy bien, gracias. Y tú, ¿cómo estás?
ANITA: Estoy bien.
CLARA: ¿Eres canadiense?
ANITA: No, no soy canadiense. Soy inglés.
CLARA: ¡Hablas bien el español!
ANITA: Gracias. Soy estudiante de español. ¿Estudias?
CLARA: No, no estudio. Trabajo en un restaurante.
ANITA: ¿Qué hora es?
CLARA: Son las dos y media.
ANITA: ¡Ay no! Mi clase de español es a las dos y cuarto!

Clara: Hi! I am Clara! What is your name?
Anita: My name is Anita. How are you?
Clara: Very well, thanks. And you, how are you?
Anita: I am well.
Clara: Are you Canadian?
Anita: No, I am not Canadian. I am English.
Clara: You speak Spanish well!
Anita: Thank you. I am a Spanish student. Do you study?
Clara: No, I do not study. I work in a restaurant.
Anita: What time is it?
Clara: It is 2:30.
Anita: Oh no! My Spanish class is at 2:15!

English to Spanish

Hehe, the harder part.

Translate the following conversation into Spanish.

PACO: Hi Carlos! How are you?
CARLOS: I'm sick.
PACO: Do you work today (hoy)?
CARLOS: Yes, I work at noon. How are you?
PACO: I'm very happy! This is my friend, Anita. She is English.
CARLOS: Hello Anita! My name is Carlos. I'm a friend of Paco. Are you a student?
ANITA: Yes, I study Spanish.

Paco: ¡Hola, Carlos! ¿Como estas?
Carlos: Estoy enfermo.
Paco: ¿Trabajas hoy dia?
Carlos: Si, trabajo a las doce.
Paco: ¡Estoy muy feliz! Esta es mi amiga, Anita. Ella es ingles.
Carlos: ¡Hola, Anita! Me llamo Carlos. Estoy un amigo de Paco. ¿Estidias?
Anita: Si, estudio espanol.

(For some reason, word will only give me Ñ, and won't let me do lowercase, so I didn't include the tilde in espanol).

I tried to do this without looking back at all, so it probably has errors.

a) Es la uno y cuarto.
b) Son las diez para las nueve.
c) Son el mediodía. Mediodía is singular, so you use 'es' instead of 'son.
Son los doce.
Son las doce de la tarde.
d) Es la medianoche.
Son las viente y cuatro. (Can't you do vienticuatro - but only in the twenties, or something like that?)
That's right. In the teens and in the twenties, you can combine the numbers, but not after that. Combining the numbers sometimes changes the stress, so an accent has to be added to maintain the emphasis in the proper place:

dieciséis (notice the 'z' changes to a c)
diecisiete
dieciocho
diecinueve
veinte
veintiuno
veintidós
veintitrés,
veinticuatro
veinticinco
veintiséis
veintisiete
veintiocho
veintinueve

So that you don't get confused with 'son las veinte y cuatro' meaning either 'it's 24:00 or 20:20', you can shorten it down to 'son las veinticuatro'.

You might see number contractions (e.g; cuarentidos) in some areas you travel through. It isn't correct, but that doesn't stop it from happening! If you use these contractions, just remember they are only SUPPOSED to be used, again, in the teens and the twenties.


Son las doce de la noche.
e) Son las nueve y media.

Good job! Just one slight error!

1. hablo (yo) [to speak]
2. viven (elles/ellas/ustedes) [to live]
3. asistes (tu) [to attend]
4. escucha (el/ella/usted) [to listen]
5. trabajamos (nosotros/nosotras) [to work]
6. cantan (elles/ellas/ustedes) [to sing]
7. bebes (tu) [to drink]
8. como (yo) [to eat]
9. bailamos (nosotros/nosotras) [to dance]
10. lee (el/ella/usted) [to read]
Perfect!

The Spanish to English translation was correct:


Paco: ¡Hola, Carlos! ¿Como estas?
Carlos: Estoy enfermo.
Paco: ¿Trabajas hoy dia?
Carlos: Si, trabajo a las doce.

Here you just forgot to add in the translation for "how are you" (cómo estás).
Paco: ¡Estoy muy feliz! Esta es mi amiga, Anita. Ella es ingles.
Carlos: ¡Hola, Anita! Me llamo Carlos. Estoy un amigo de Paco. ¿Estidias? (u, not i)

Being someone's friend counts as a more permanent description, so SER is used. You could say 'soy un amigo de David', but it sounds a bit weird...like you're counting yourself as one friend out of a multitude of friends. It's more of a passive voice coming out there. Better to say, 'soy amigo de David'.
Anita: Si, estudio espanol.

(For some reason, word will only give me Ñ, and won't let me do lowercase, so I didn't include the tilde in espanol).

I tried to do this without looking back at all, so it probably has errors.
Very few areas...you're doing very well!

Lesson 10: DEFINITE AND INDEFINITE ARTICLES

Making Agreements (Gender and Number)

This presentation ( http://campus.northpark.edu/spanish/pp/Gender_files/frame.htm) leads you through a step-by-step explanation of how to make adjectives agree with nouns. It also introduces you to definite articles (the).

Definite articles (the)

In English, we have only one 'the', whether the object we are talking about is singular, or many objects (e.g; the lettuce, the beads), and since our words do not have gender, we have no changes to match gender either.

In Spanish, the object being spoken of has gender, and is singular or plural. The definite article must reflect this.

el - masculine, singular.....el auto
los - masculine, plural.....los autos
la - feminine, singular.....la casa
las - feminine, plural....las casas

The definate article 'el' combines with 'a' to form 'al' and combines with 'de' to form 'del'. These are the ONLY contractions found in Spanish.

Use of the definite article

The definite article is used MORE in Spanish than it is in English. Here are eight examples of the use of the definite article in Spanish, where it would not be used in English:

1. To refer to a noun that is used in a general sense, as a representative of the class or group to which it belongs.

Por ejemplo:

El amor y la guerra, son cosas muy similares. (Love and war are very similar things.)

El fútbol es un deporte muy emocionante. (Soccer is a very exciting sport.)

2. In place of a possessive adjective for parts of the body and articles of clothing, when it is obvious who the possessor is.

Yo me lavo la cara y las manos. (I wash my face and my hands.)

Pongo los guantes. (I put on my gloves.)

3. With days of the week, when 'on' an be used in English.

Voy al baile el sábado. (I'm going to the dance on Saturday.)

Vamos al parque los jueves. (We go to the part on Thursdays.)

4. To tell time.

Es la una. (It's one o'clock.)

Son las dos. (It's two o'clock.)

5. With nouns in a series.

La cumbia, el merengue, y el tango son bailes populares. (The cumbia, merengue and tango are popular dances.)

6. With titles such as señor, señora, señorita, doctor, profesor etc, when referring to or talking about an individual (not talking directly TO them).

La señora Morales es muy linda. (Mrs. Morales is very beautiful.)

El profesor Gómez trabaja aquí. (Teacher Gómez works here.)

Hola doctor Alvardo. (Hello Doctor Alvarado.)

The masculine plural article los is used with a surname to refer to a family.

LosSimpson son chistosos. (The Simpsons are funny.)

7. With names of languages or fields of study, except after the verbs aprender, estudiar, enseñar, hablar, leer when it is usually omitted. It is also left out after the preposition en (in).

El español es una lengua linda. (Spanish is a beautiful language.)

Estudio música y química. La química es difícil. (I study music and chemistry. Chemistry is very difficult.)

¿Cómo se dice 'te quiero' en inglés? (How do you say 'I love you' in English?)

8. With rates and prices.

El choclo cuesta cien pesos el kilo. (The corn costs a hundred pesos per kilo.)

Gano diez dolares la hora. (I make ten dollars an hour.)


Indefinate Articles

The indefinate articles can mean some or several, before a number they can mean 'approximately'. They refer to generalities instead of specifics.

un - masculine, singular.....un auto (a car, instead of el auto, THE car)
unos - masculine, plural.....unos autos
una - feminine, singular.....una casa
unas - feminine, plural.....unas casas

Hay unos sesenta groupos aquí. (There are approximately sixty groups here.)

Use of the indefinite article

The indefinite article is used LESS in Spanish than in English. In Spanish, it is omitted:

1. Before an unmodified noun that indicates profession, occupation, religion, nationality or political affiliation, following the verb SER. It is used, however, when the noun is modified (with an adjective for example). Compare:

Soy católica. Soy una católica devota. (I'm a Catholic. I'm a devout Catholic.)

Soy estudiante de español. Soy un estudiante inteligente. (I'm a Spanish student. I'm an intelligent student.)

2. Before the words medio, otro and usually cierto. These expressions agree with the nouns they modify in gender and number.

Fuimos a otro concierto. (We went to another concert.)

Media hora más tarde, salimos. (A half an hour later, we left.)

3. Before the numbers cien and mil.

Hay mil gramos en un kilogramo. (There are a thousand grams in a kilogram.)

Practice

Complete the following paragraph using the definite or indefinite article where it is necessary. You must try to judge whether or not the nouns are masculine or feminine, singular or plural in order to make the articles agree.

Carlos Soto es _____ productor de música muy famoso. La mayoría de sus canciones son en _____ español, pero también produce _____ otras en frances. <<_____ francés es _____ lengua muy bella,>> dice _____ señor Soto. Durante nuestra entrevista, _____ famoso productor se sienta afuera en el balcón, son sus anteojos (sunglasses) oscuros en _____ mano y una boina (beret) en _____ cabeza. <<Soy _____ millionario, ______ mujeres me adoran, pero no soy _____ hombre feliz. Como dice mi tercera esposa, <<_____ amor, _____ dinero, _____ amor y _____ salud no son todo en _____ vida.>>

Cultural Moment #1: Hispanics in the U.S.A

As we go through these lessons, cultural components will be inserted for those interested. This particular presentation is about Hispanics in the U.S.

Hispanics in the U.S.A ( http://campus.northpark.edu/spanish/culture/USA_files/frame.htm)

Cultural Moment #2: Spain

Before you go through this slide show (to view it as a slide show, click on the icon in the bottom right hand side of the screen), try to answer the following questions:

1. What languages are spoken in Spain?

2. What is the capital city of Spain?

3. What is the current currency of Spain? What was the old currency called?

Cultural Moment #2: Spain ( http://campus.northpark.edu/spanish/culture/Espana_files/frame.htm)

For a less general cultural moment, also visit this brief description of Valencia's Tomato Festival ( http://www.valenciatrader.com/index.php?sectionid=74&contentid=7212&parentid=)!

Cultural Moment #3: Interactive Spanish Tour

This is an online tour that has been developed by Alberta Education. Go ahead and fiddle around with it. You will be able to practice greetings and farewells, as well as learning vocabulary and so on.

Interactive Spanish Tour (http://www.learnalberta.ca/Launch.aspx?content=%2fcontent%2filslt%2fFlash%2fpopup.html)

I'm in the middle of a PD week, so I'm not going to have time to put much more up this week...expect more lessons in a couple of days:). And please...if you have ANY questions or comments so far (how could I change the lessons...some good links for beginners, interesting vocab you know, whatever!) please feel free to post!!!!! We'll keep things organised in the first post, so you don't worry that you'll be cluttering up the lessons themselves.

Uno, um, I don't know Spanish. :(

But I do know Latin!!! :)
Me too!!

Lesson 11: IRREGULAR VERBS

Irregular verbs are thankfully, fairly uncommon in Spanish. You might have slight variations in spelling in one or more of the forms, but most of those changes have been covered in the spelling-changing and stem-changing verbs lesson. The truly irregular verbs require you to memorise their conjugations.

ESTAR (to be)

yo estoy
tú estás
él/ella/usted está
nosotros/as estamos
ellos/ellas/ustedes están

*note, the accents are very important. If you leave the accent off está or estás, the meanings of these words actually change.

ésta - demonstrative pronoun, 'this one'
está - third person singular conjugation of ESTAR 'he/she/you are'
esta - demonstrative adjective, 'this'
estas - demonstrative adjective, 'these'
estás - second person singular conjugation of ESTAR, 'you are'

SER (to be)

yo soy
tú eres
él/ella/usted es
nosotros/as somos
ellos/ellas/ustedes son

*the difference between SER and ESTAR will be discussed in more depth in a future lesson.

IR (to go)

yo voy
tú vas
él/ella/usted va
nosotros/as vamos
ellos/ellas/ustedes van

HABER (to have)

yo he
tú has
él/ella/usted ha
nosotros/as hemos
ellos/ellas/ustedes han

DECIR (to say)

yo digo
tú dices
él/ella/usted dice
nosotros/as decimos
ellos/ellas/ustedes dicen

VER (to see)

yo veo
tú ves
él/ella/usted ve
nosotros/as vemos
ellos/ellas/ustedes ven


VENIR (to come)

yo vengo
tú vienes
él/ella/usted viene
nosotros/as venimos
ellos/ellas/ustedes vienen


Other irregularities:

Not all irregular verbs are irregular in every form. The following are examples of verbs that are only irregular in one form, or have a spell-change that is necessary to maintain the sound of the root.

DAR (to give)

yo doy
tú das
él/ella/usted da
nosotros/as damos
ellos/ellas/ustedes dan

If you notice, all the forms except 'yo' follow the regular conjugation pattern.

The following verbs are similar to DAR in that the only irregularity is in the 'yo' form. All other forms follow the regular pattern! The irregular form only will be given.

CABER (to fit)
yo quepo

CAER (to fall)
yo caigo

CONOCER (to know, be acquainted with)
yo conozco

HACER (to do, to make)
yo hago

PONER (to put)
yo pongo

SABER (to know)
yo sé

SALIR (to go out)
yo salgo

TRAER (to bring)
yo traigo

VALER (to be worth)
yo valgo

Practice on the Web #8: Irregular Verbs

Go here ( http://www.trentu.ca/spanish/masarriba/leccion5a.htm#Unos%20verbos%20irregulares) to practice conjugating some common irregular verbs.

In the following exercise, fill in the blanks with the proper conjugation of the verb listed in brackets.

1. (saber) Ustedes _________ mejor que yo el nombre del restaurante.
2. (ver) Yo no ________ la casa, ¿dónde está?
3. (hacer) ¿Qué __________ ahora?
4. (traer) Ramona _________ la torta de cumpleaños.
5. (venir) Yo _________ as las seis y (salir) _________ as las ocho.
6. (poner) ¿Dónde __________ nosotros el sillón?
7. (conocer) Ellos no __________ a mi hermana.
8. (dar) ¿Qué _________ tú a la señora?
9. (ir) ¿Dónde _________ nosotros esta noche?
10. (estar) Mis padres ___________ en Ecuador.

You can also visit this site (http://www.colby.edu/~bknelson/exercises/chart_pres.html) to practice conjugating regular, spelling changing, stem changing and irregular verbs in the present tense.

Listening Assignment #2

Listen to the following five sentences, and write what you hear. You may have to listen to each sentence more than once. Make sure you go back over it to check for proper spelling, punctuation, and agreements.

Listening Assignment #2 (http://rapidshare.de/files/4392379/listening_assignment2.wav.html)

Reading Assignment #2

If you have access to a microphone, please try this reading assignment! It's great practice, and the best way for me to help you with your pronunciation. Record the following conversation, and upload it to a web-host (http://ul3.rapidshare.de). Then you can either TG me with the link, or post the link in-thread for comments. (in-thread posts will get in-thread comments)

Record yourself reading the following: (you can leave out the names of the speakers if you wish)

Reading Assignment #2

Violeta: ¡Hola! Yo soy Violeta. Y tú, ¿cómo te llamas?
Ramón: Mi nombre es Ramón. ¿Cómo estás?
Violeta: Estoy bien, gracias. Y tu amigo, ¿cómo se llama él?
Ramón: Es David. Es estudiante de español.

Lesson 12: NOUNS, GENDER AND NUMBER

So far I've been pretty sparse on the details about determining the gender of nouns, so I thought it was time to get more in-depth. You already know how to tell the gender or definite and indefinite articles (el, los, la, las, un, unos, una, unas).

1. Although most nouns ending in 'a' are feminine and most nouns ending in 'o' are masculine, here are a few important exceptions:

la mano - hand
la foto - photograph
la fotografía - photography
el día - day
el drama - drama
el idioma - language
el mapa - map
el poema - poem
el poeta - poet
el problema - problem
el programa - program
el sistema - system
el tema - subject, theme

Many nouns that end in -ma, -pa, or -ta have Greek roots and are masculine.

As well, one of the most common mistakes people make when pretending to speak Spanish is to say, 'no problemo'. NO!!! It's NO PROBLEMA!!!!!!!!!:)

2. Nearly all nouns that end in -dad, -tud-, ión and -umbre are feminine:

la actividad - activity
la actitud - attitude
la televisión - television
la costumbre - custom

3. Most nouns ending in 'r' and 'l' are masculine; most nouns ending in 'z' are feminine.

el color - colour
el papel - paper, role
la paz - peace
la voz - voice

4. To form the plural of a noun that ends in a vowel, add 's'. If the singular noun ends in a consonant, add 'es'.

el disco - los discos (records)
la cantante - las cantantes (singers)
el rey - los reyes (kings, kings and queens)
el papel - los papeles (roles)

5. To form the plural of a noun ending in 'z', change the 'z' to 'c' and add 'es'.

la actriz - las actrices
la voz - las voces

6. Remember that in forming the plural of nouns, it is sometimes necessary to add or delete an accent to maintain the stressed syllable of the singular form.

el joven - los jóvenes (young people)
el examen - los exámenes (exams)
la canción - las canciones (songs)
el bailarín - los bailarines (dancers)

Spanish/English Cognates

Cognates are words that are spelled almost exactly the same in either language, and that have the same meaning. Most often, these words have the same roots. There are thousands of cognates in Spanish and English, with minor spelling changes or accents.

A list of a few cognates can be found here ( http://www.musicalspanish.com/tutorial/cognates.htm), and a little worksheet from the same site can be found here ( http://www.musicalspanish.com/tutorial/cognates-worksheet.htm). If you like quizzes....check this one ( http://www.musicalspanish.com/tutorial/cognates-quiz.htm) out!

Most of the words that end in -tion in English will change to -ción, or -sión in Spanish. For example:

nation - nación
imagination - imaginación
plantation - plantación
transportation - transportación

BUT BE CAREFUL! Not all words that LOOK the same MEAN the same thing!

E.g; the word embarazada looks an awful lot like embarrassed, doesn't it? But it means PREGNANT!!!! So don't go around saying someone has made you embarazada...unless you really mean it!

Rule of thumb:

If the word looks like it's a cognate, you can probably be pretty sure it's going to mean about the same thing in English and Spanish. If you find out otherwise thought, try not to get caught misusing that word forever.

E.g. asistir - does not mean to 'assist', it actually means 'to attend', a performance, a meeting, whatever. Once you find an exception, try hard to remember it!

A bigger list of cognates (PDF) (http://www.colorincolorado.org/cognates.pdf)
This page takes a while to load...be patient!

Bumped for being important.

Excellent thread Sin! I'm adding it to favorites so I can use the info. I dont have time to go to classes, so I've been trying to teach myself Spanish. Thanks a lot..... :)

Wow! Finally a comment! Yay! And way more people who voted yes...I suppose I should get back to adding lessons...*checks watch*...tomorrow:).

In the meantime, read/watch the following rhyming story, and learn how Spanish folks play 'little piggies':)

Cinco bebecitos (http://www.storyplace.org/sp/preschool/activities/babystory.asp)

Variations in Spoken Spanish

For those of you interested in such things, here is a linguistic breakdown of some of the pronunciation differences between various Spanish speakers. Unfortunately, there are no audio samples to go alone with it...but I'll keep looking.

Variations in Spoken Spanish (http://www.staff.ncl.ac.uk/i.e.mackenzie/varieties.htm)

Lesson 13: INTERROGATIVE (question) WORDS

Question Words

¿Cuándo? - When
¿Cómo? - How
¿Por qué? - Why
¿Qué? - What
¿Dónde? - where
¿Adónde? - to where (are you going...is it headed...)
¿Quién, quiénes? - Who (must agree in number to subject)
¿Cuánto, cuánta, cuántos, cuántas? - How many (must agree in gender and number to subject)

Notice that all of these question words have accents. The accents are not there to influence stress, but to mark them as question words. The reason for this is that the same words, without accents, have different meanings. Without the accents, they are no longer interrogative (question words), but rather words that can be used in answers or other statements.

Cuando - when
Como - like
Porque - because
Que - that, than
Donde - where
Quien, quienes - who
Cuanto, cuanta, cuantos, cuantas - how many

Look at the difference:

1. ¿Cuándo vas a casa? (When are you going home?

Voy cuando el auto llega. (I'll go when the car arrives.)

2. ¿Cómo está la sopa? (How is the soup?)

Está como agua tibia, sin sabor. (It's like warm water, without taste.) *¡Ojo! 'como' is also the first person present conjugation of the verb "to eat"

3. ¿Por qué haces eso? (Why are you doing that?)

Porque quiero hacerlo. (Because I want to do it.)

4. ¿Qué música te gusta más? (What music do you like most?)

Me gusta más la música latina que la música ingles. (I like latin music more than English music.)

5. ¿Dónde están mis zapatos? (Where are my shoes?)

Están donde tu los puniste ayer. (They're where you put them yesterday.)

6. ¿Adónde vamos? (Where are we going to?)

Vamos donde yo quiero, ahora, ¡callate! (We're going where I want, now shut up!)

7. ¿Quiénes cantan? (Who are [the people] singing?)

Quien quiere cantar, puede. (Who wants to sing, can.)

8. ¿Cuántas personas van al restaurante? (How many people are going to the restaurante?)

No sé cuantas van. (I don't know how many are going.)

Respond

You do not have to answer all questions using the unaccented question words. The above are just examples so you can tell the different meanings. Below are some questions, and modelled responses. After the model, please respond with your own information. You can use the same verb conjugation as is demonstrated in the model.

1. ¿Cuántos años tienes tú?

Model: Tengo veinte y siete años.

Your response:

2. ¿Cómo estás?

Model: Estoy cansada.

Your repsonse:

3. ¿Dónde vives?

Model: Vivo en Alberta, Canada.

Your response:

4. ¿Adónde vas hoy día?

Model: Hoy día voy al trabajo.

Your response:

5. ¿Quién es tu mejor amigo o amiga?

Model: Mi mejor amiga es Dionne.

Your response:

6. ¿Qué tipo de música te gusta más, y por qué?

Model: Me gusta más la música latina por que es muy linda.

Your response:

7. ¿Cuándo comes la cena?

Model: Como la cena a las ocho.

Your response:

ASKING QUESTIONS

You don't always have to use question words to form questions in Spanish. As with English, a statement can be made into a question simply by adding the proper punctuation (¿?) and by raising the voice at the end when speaking the phrase.

Comes la sopa. (You eat the soup.)

¿Comes la sopa? (Are you eating the soup?)

Turning statements into questions

Sometimes the order of the statement can be moved around to make it a better-phrased question.

Tu cumpleaños es el 15 de enero. (Your birthday is January 15.)

¿Es tu cumpleaños el 15 de enero? (Is your birthday January 15th?)

Practice:

Usually the verb is used as the intial word when changing statements to questions, but not always. Try making the following statements into questions both ways...by adding punctuation, and by changing the position of the verb:

1. Tu hermana es linda.

2. Ustedes hablan español.

3. El profesor es muy inteligente.

4. Hoy es el 31 de agosto.

5. La televisión es cara.

Again ... great stuff, Sin!

I'm printing out these posts and am putting them in a notebook for my kids. Spanish is mandatory learning in Texas and your lessons are very helpful. My seven year old is absorbing it super quick and we have set aside some time every day designated as "Spanish hour".

Between this and Ameslan and my interjections of Cajun French and Yiddish, my kids are gonna have a lot of languages crammed in their heads. :D

Again ... great stuff, Sin!

I'm printing out these posts and am putting them in a notebook for my kids. Spanish is mandatory learning in Texas and your lessons are very helpful. My seven year old is absorbing it super quick and we have set aside some time every day designated as "Spanish hour".

Between this and Ameslan and my interjections of Cajun French and Yiddish, my kids are gonna have a lot of languages crammed in their heads. :D
The more the merrier...especially the younger they are...us old fogeys have already been hardwired...but they are like maps yet to be drawn...*stops waxing poetic*...I really should start the sign language with my kids...they pick up on that sort of thing so well. Time for a visit to the library for some videos!

Lesson 14: THE REFLEXIVE

The reflexive is essentially a way of indicating that an action is being done to the subject. This is especially important since when speaking about body parts, or articles of clothing, you don't usually use possessive adjectives like my, your, his and so on to indicate who these things belong to. Unless there is some reason to think otherwise, those things are assumed to belong to the person mentioned.

What that means is you will have a sentence like: She combs the hair. Ella peina el pelo. Unless there is something added to that sentence to make it clearer, she could be combing someone else's hair, the hair of dog or manniquen...we don't really know. So a reflexive pronoun is added in, to show that the action is being done to the person doing the action.

Ella se peina el pelo. She is combing her hair. (herself)

Confused? Don't worry. You'll get it.

Any action that is done to oneself, or to the person who is doing the action, is reflexive. Pretty much any verb in Spanish can be reflexive. Take a look at the following:

Hablo en ingles. (I speak in English)
Me hablo en ingles. (I speak to myself in English)

See the difference? In one, the action is being directed outwards, in the second, it is being directed at the person (me) who is doing the action (me). Think of other actions that you yourself do, that are focused on yourself. Brushing your teeth. Dressing yourself. Feeding yourself. Reminding yourself. Laughing to yourself. These are all reflexive actions.

Reflexive Prounouns

yo - me
tú - te
él/ella/usted - se
nosotros/as - nos
ellos/ellas/ustedes - se

Notice the third person plural and singular are both 'SE'.

Now, doesn't this make more sense?

Me llamo Sinuhue. (I call myself Sinuhue)

¿Te aburres? (Are you getting bored, or are you boring yourself?)

Nos vamos a hablar. (We are going to talk to one another.)
Se reúnen cada mes. (They get together every month.)

Where reflexive pronouns go:

1. Reflexive pronouns can precede a conjugated verb:

Me lavo la cara. (I wash my face)

Te caes fuerte. (Yo fall down hard.)

2. They can also be attached to an infinitive, when there are two or more verbs being used in the same phrase.

Vamos a reunirnos en el cafe. (We will get together in the café)

In this case, the conjugated verb is 'vamos' and the infinitive (unconjugated verb) is reunir. The reflexive pronoun is simply added to the end of the infinitive.

You could also just put the pronoun in front of the conjugated verb. You can't go wrong that way:

Nos vamos a reunir el el café.

Verbs that are meant to be reflexive add an 'se' on to the end of the infinitive in order to indicate that it should be reflexive:

aburrirse (to bore)
divertirse (to entertain)
llamarse (to call)
reunirse (to get together)

Practice:

Use the above reflexive verbs to say the following:

1. We bore ourselves.

2. They entertain themselves.

3. You call yourself April.

4. You (plural) get together in the restaurant.

MAKING AGREEMENTS: PLURALISING NOUNS AND ADJECTIVES

The following online exercise requires you to make the nouns and adjectives plural. The articles as well as the nouns and adjectives need to be pluralised. Don't worry too much if you have a 'wrong' answer just because you couldn't type in the proper accents.

PLURALISE (http://www.colby.edu/~bknelson/exercises/adj_noun.html)

Practice on the Web #9: INTERROGATIVE WORDS

This site gives you four exercises you can use to practice identifying which interrogative word is appropriate, as well as allowing you to get the hang of some of the trickier interrogatives. You also get a chance to hear some questions and select the appropriate response.

Practice on the Web #9: INTERROGATIVE WORDS (http://www.colby.edu/~bknelson/exercises/interrogatives.html)

THEMED READING #1: The Family

The following exercise requires you to listen to the following themed reading and answer questions based on the information provided. The reading is also provided below.

Don't worry if you do not understand everything. At this point it is simply important that you are exposed to the oral language. You will notice many cognates and words that seem familiar. Go with your instinct, as many of these words will have the meaning you think they do.

Pertinent vocabulary is presented before the themed reading.

And please forgive any stutters or errors in my pronunciation:).

Vocabulary

esposo (la esposa) - spouse
divorciarse - to divorce
el divorcio - divorce
el pariente - relative
hermano/a - sibling
hijo/a - son, daughter
marido - husband
padre (la madre), los padres - father, mother, parents
abuelo/a - grandfather, grandmother
bisabuelo/a - great grandfather, great grandmother
nieto/a - grandchild
primo/a - cousin
sobrino/a - nephew, niece
tío/a - uncle, aunt
casarse - to get married
crecer (zc) - to grow, to grow up
morir (ue) - to die
nacer (zc) - to be born
casado/a - married
joven - young, a youth
la juventud - youth
la muerte - death
el nacimiento - birth
la niñez - childhood
la vejez - old age
unido/a - united, close
viejo/a - old

Themed Reading

Listen to it here (http://rapidshare.de/files/4583451/La_Familia.WAV.html). It's 19.7MB, so the download may take some time...save it to your desktop so you don't have to keep downloading it...make yourself a sandwich while it's downloading!

Tradicionalmente la familia tiene una importancia especial para los españoles. Cuando los norteamericanos hablan de <<su familia>>, generalmente mencionan a su esposo o esposa y a sus hijos, y posiblemente a sus padres o hermanos. Cuando un español piensa en <<su familia>>, piensa también en sus abuelos, tíos, primos, sobrinos, y otros parientes. En parte esta diferencia se debe a la movilidad de la familia norteamericana. En España mucha gente nace, crece y muere en la misma ciudad. Típicamente las familias son unidas. Si uno tiene un problema o necesita tomar una decisión importante, habla con un pariente. En las fiestas, muchas veces, varias generaciones están presentes, desde los bebés hasta los bisabuelos. Hay gran respeto por la gente mayor.

Naturalmente las cosas están cambiando, sobre todo en las grandes ciudades. Hasta el año 1981, no existía el divorcio en España porque la Iglesia Católica tenía mucha influencia. Hoy muchos matrimonios se divorcian. El papel de la mujer también es diferente. Antes ella trabajaba sólo en la casa como esposa y madre. Hoy muchas españolas tienen un trabajo fuera de la casa. Antes los jóvenes obtenían su primer trabajo por medio de la familia o los amigos de la familia, pero ahora no es siempre así. A pesar de estos cambios, la tradición de la familia unida todavía es un factor importante en España y en los otros países hispanos.

Questions:

1. Cuando los norteamericanos piensan en su familia, ¿en quiénes piensan? ¿y los españoles? ¿Por qué hay esta diferencia?

2. ¿Cree usted que siempre va a pasar la vida en la misma ciudad donde nació?

3. Si usted tiene un problema o necesita tomar una decisión importante, ¿con quién habla primero?

4. ¿Cuándo empezó el divorcio en España?

5. ¿Cómo era el papel de la mujer española en el pasado? ¿y hoy?

6. En tiempos pasados, ¿cómo obtenían muchos jóvenes su primer trabajo?

7. Para usted, ¿es importante la familia o no? ¿Por qué?

The themed readings and questions have been taken from the book, "En Contacto: Gramática en Acción", 5th edition, by Mary McVey Gill, Brendy Wegmann and Teresa Méndez-Faith

Me llamo Sinuhue. (I call myself Sinuhue)


Heh ... I'm reminded of a bit from Family Guy ...

Brian: Hola, me llamo es Brian ... Nosotros queremos ir con ustedes.. uhhhh ...
Worker: Hey, that was pretty good, except when you said "me llamo es Brian," you don't need the "es," just me llamo Brian.
Brian: Oh, oh you speak English!
Worker: No, just that first speech and this one explaining it.
Brian: You .... you're kidding me, right?
Worker: Que?

This is so generous of you! Thanks very much!

Lesson 15: COMPARATIVES

Comparisons of equality:

When you want to compare things that are the same, or of equal value or characteristics.

1. Tan + adjective (or adverb) + como

This means as....as

Por ejemplo:

Yo soy tan alta como mi prima. (I am as tall as my cousin.)

David es tan simpático como Eliseo. (David is as good-natured as Eliseo.)

Notice that the adjective agrees with the noun(s) before tan. The adjective agrees with the first noun(s) mentioned.

Mi abuelo es tan rabioso como mi mamá. Mis hermanos son tan antipáticos como él. (My grandfather is as short-tempered as my mom. My brothers are as antisocial as he.)

2. Tanto (a, os, as)[/B} before a noun means [I] as much (many)[/I} or [I] so much (many)[/I}; it agrees with the noun it modifies. Tanto como means as much as and does not show agreement.

Por ejemplo:

¡Tantas preguntas! (So many questions!)

Ellos hablan tanto como ellas. (They talk as much as they do.)

3. Tan can also mean so

Por ejemplo:

Es tan lindo! (He's so handsome!)

La sopa es tan deliciosa! (The soup is so delicious!)

Practice

Complete the following comparisons of equality. Make sure you are making the proper agreements!

Por ejemplo: Es tan americano como un pastel de manzana.
1. Tiene __________ fuerza ___________ Hércules.
2. Es ___________ hermosa __________ Cleopatra.
3. Es ___________ viejo _____________Matusalén.
4. Es ___________ rápida ____________ Mercurio, el mensajero de los dioses.
5. Tiene __________ dinero ___________ el rey Midas.
6. Tiene __________ hijos ____________ la viejita que vivía en un zapato.
7. Tiene pies __________ pequeños _________los pies de Cenicienta (Cinderella).

Comparisons of Inequality

Of course one of the first things you want to learn to say in Spanish is, "I'm better than you!", especially on NS:). So here you go!

1. Más + adjective (or adverb) + que

Por ejemplo:

Es más frío en Canada que en Estados Unidos. (It's colder in Canada than in the US.)

Ellas es más gorda que su hermana. (She is more plump than her sister.)

2. Menos + adjective (or adverb) + que

Por ejemplo:

Soy menos habladora que tú. (I'm less of a talker than you.)

Éste es de menor precio que el otro. (This one is cheaper than the other one.)

3. [B]Más[B] + noun + que for more (noun) than, menos + noun + que for less (noun) than

Por ejemplo:

Ella gana más dinero que él. (She makes more money than he does.)
Pero ella disfruta menos la vida que él. (But she enjoys life less than he does.)

4. Before a number, de is used instead of que to mean than

Por ejemplo:

Hay más de dos libras en un kilogramo. (There are more than two pounds in a kilogram.)

*However, in the negative, no más que before a number means [I]only:
¿No hay más que tres mesas aquí? (There are only three tables here OR There are no more than three tables here?)

5. Negatives (not affirmatives as in English) are used after que in comparisons. Spanish is a language of double, sometimes triple negatives. (more in the next lesson on this)

Necesitamos igualidad ahora más que nunca. (We need equality now more than (never) ever.)

Ellas es más bella que nadie. (She is more beautiful than (no one) anyone.)

Practice

Make the following statements into comparisons of equality or inequality, using the models you've learned.

Por ejemplo: romántico: ir a un baile/ ir a caminar en la playa

Es más romántico ir a caminar en la playa que ir a un baile.

1. feliz: los solteros/ los casados
2. popular: los coches grandes/ los coches pequeños
3. fácil: tocar la guitarra/ tocar el violín
4. contento: los pobres/los ricos
5. emocionante: ver a los reyes de España/ ver al presidente de Estados Unidos
6. más: un galón/ dos litros

Lesson 16: THE SUPERLATIVE

Irregular comparative forms

Adjectives

bueno/a - good
malo/a - bad
mucho/a - few
grande - large, great
pequeño/a - small, little

Adverbs

bien - well
mal - badly
mucho - much, a lot
poco - a little

Comparatives

mejor - better
peor - worse
más - more
menos - less
mayor - older
menor - younger
más grande, más pequeño - bigger, smaller

*mejor and peor generally precede, rather than follow the nouns they modify

Carlos es menor que su hermano. (Carlos is younger than his brother.)

Mis mejores amigos vienen. (My best friends are coming.)

The Superlative

adjective - bonito (handsome)
comparative - más bonito (more handsome)
superlative - el más bonito (the most handsome)

1. To form the superlative of adjectives, place the definite article before the comparative. If a noun is mentioned, it generally follows the definite article.

Por ejemplo: el hombre más rico. (The richest man.)

Chile tiene la región más seca y la ciudad más alta del mundo. (Chile has the driest region and the highest city in the world.)

2. 'De' is used to express English 'in' or 'of' after a superlative.

Por ejemplo:

Es la decisión más importante de todas. (It's the most important decision of all.)

Ella es la más simpática de todos. (She is the nicest one of all.)

3. The definite article is not used with superlative adverbs.

¿Quién nos escribe más menudo? (Who writes to us the most often?)

The nueter 'lo' precedes a superlative adverb followed by a phrase expressing possibility.

Por ejemplo:

lo + (más)(menos) + adverb + posible que + poder

Te llamaré lo más pronto posible. (I'll call you as soon as possible.)
Llegamos lo más temprano que pudimos. (We arrived as early as we could.)

4. The absolute superlative can be formed with muy + adjective (adverb) or with the ending -ísimo (a, os, as).

Por ejemplo:

¿Llegaron muy tarde? (Did they arrive very late?)
Tardísimo. (Very late indeed)

Esas rosas son carísimas. (These roses are very expensive.)
Esas rosas son muy caras. (These roses are very expensive.)

Note that if the -ísimo ending is added to a word ending in a vowel, the final vowel is dropped. If the word ends in a z, change the z to c; change a final co to qu and a final go to gu:

feliz - felicímo (z - c)
poco - poquísimo (co - qu)
largo - larguísimo (go - gu)

Practice

Following the example below, make these sentences superlatives.

Por ejemplo:

Ella es muy joven.

Es la menor de todos.

1. Elena es muy responsable.
2. Tú eres muy simpática.
3. Ese señor es muy viejo.
4. Somos muy alegres.
5. Ese futbolista es muy bueno.
6. Son muy pequeños.
7. Mi hermana es muy joven.
8. Ese músico es muy malo.

Lesson 17: THE DIMINUTIVE

In Spanish, the diminutive is used very frequently. It can be done to show closeness, or fondness of something, to emphasise an object's size or a person's youth. We don't really have an equivalent for it in English.

The diminutive is formed by adding a suffix to a word. The most common endings are -ito, -ita, but you will also see -illo, -illa, -ecito, -ecita, -ecillo, -ecilla, -cito, -cita .

Por ejemplo:

niño - niñito (little boy)
chica - chiquita (little girl)
casas - casitas (little houses)

1. A word ending in -co or -ca changes to -qu.
chico - chiquito

2. A word ending in -go or -ga changes to -gu
amigo - amiguito

3. Words ending in a vowel drop the vowel and add -ito or -ita.
auto - autito
sopa - sopita

4. Words ending in a consonants usually add -cito or -cita
amor - amorcito
flor - florcita
autor - autorcito

Sometimes diminutives can express ridicule - the ending -illo or -ecillo is sometimes used for this purpose.

Por ejemplo:

¡Qué coquetilla! - What a little flirt!

¿Vives en esta callecilla? - You live on this tiny little street?

But more often, dimunitives are used as a normal part of everyday speech, and there is no hard and fast rule as to when they should be used.

Practice:

Rewrite the following sentences without using diminutives. This will help you recognise the root of words. In order to help, the English equivalent is given as well, so you can pick out the pertinent words. The diminutive connotation is included after the translation.

1. Dame un besito. - Give me a kiss (little kiss)
2. ¿Cómo se llama el gatito? - What's the name of your cat? (kitty)
3. ¡Qué delgadita estás! - How thin you are! (tiny)
4. ¿Dónde están los chiquillos? - Where are the children? (little kids)
5. Tráeme un cafecito, por favor. - Bring me a coffee please. (a bit of coffee)
6. Viene solito. - He's coming alone. (all alone)
7. ¿Quién vive en esa casita? - Who lives in this house? (this precious little house)

Me gustaría ofrecer estas lenguas también, pero no las hablo. :( Y no creo que mucha gente quiera aprender mi lengua materna, Cree.

Me encantaria aprender Cree. En mi trabajo, nosotros hacemos artos proyectos con los Cree.

Digame, el Cree del norte de Quebec es el mismo que hablan en el oeste de Canada?

Me encantaria aprender Cree. En mi trabajo, nosotros hacemos artos proyectos con los Cree.

Digame, el Cree del norte de Quebec es el mismo que hablan en el oeste de Canada?
No, el Cree del norte de Quebec es en el dialecto 'n', Nehinawewin. Hablo el dialecto 'y', Nehiyawewin. Hay muchas palabras similares, pero es muy dificíl entender los que hablan Nehinawewin.