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while Sra. Nube and Lola are out shopping, Sr. Nube and Petro are at home watching television.
Petro: Papa, lets go out too. Sr. Nube: I am meeting some friends later. I can spare some time now. Lets go. Sr. Nube and Petro were floating around in the sky when they spotted something. Sr. Nube: Can you see that? Los nios dibujan una cucaracha en el tren. (The boys are drawing a cockroach on the train.) Petro: Daddy, those are naughty boys. Sr. Nube: Yes they are. Look over there! Mr Suns boys are drawing on the bus. Mr Suns son Gordon: Duck? Why are you drawing a duck? Mr Suns son Patrick: Why not? I love ducks.
Nouns
In Spanish, nouns are classified into masculine (M) and feminine (F) tren train --- M cucaracha cockroach --- F nios boys --- M nias girls --- F
How do you know if it is masculine or feminine? Here are some ways to help you. Ends in o, s, ma, pa, ta masculine zapato (shoe), pas (country), problema (problem), mapa (map), planeta (planet), programa (program), poema (poem), drama (drama) Ends in a, ion, dad - feminine naranja (orange), admisin (admission), universidad (university) Ends in ista, e can be masculine or feminine turista (tourist), estudiante (student)
Petro: Waittren is not mentioned in these rules Sr. Nube: Thats right. Some nouns do not follow these rules, for example da (day) is masculine. Also, moto (motocycle), foto (photo), mano (hand) and radio (radio) are all feminine. So, you should always use a dictionary to help you. Petro: Why should I care if it is M or F? Sr. Nube: Because an adjective or an article associated with a noun changes with the quantity and the gender of the noun. Lets look at A and The.
un libro (m), el libro (m) una bicicleta (f), la bicicleta (f) un coche (f), el coche (f)
Can you see that A and The changes according to the gender of a noun? A and The can help you to determine the gender of a noun. Joven = young person, can be M or F un joven, el joven una joven, la joven a young man, the young man a young lady, the young lady
Estudiante = student, can be M or F un estudiante, el estudiante una estudiante, la estudiante a male student, the male student a female student, the female student
Certain words change their meanings when they are changed in gender. el polica el cura el corte the plice the priest the cut la polica la cura la corte the police department the cure the court
Ends in s or n, add es and add or delete the accent mark el joven la televisin the young person the television los jvenes las televisiones the young people the televisions
Ends in z, remove z add c and add es el lpiz the pencil los lpices the pencils
las nias means the girls or the female children los nios means the boys or the male children los nios can also mean a mixed group of boys and girls 1 boy and 2 girls = los nios Some nouns are always in plural las gafas = eyeglasses las matemticas = mathematics las vacaciones = vacation 2398 boys and 2 million girls = los nios
Summary
Indefinite Article A Un Una Definite Article The (singular) The (plural) El Los La Las Los
From now on, the term mixed gender will refer to a group of males and females. Definite articles are omitted when referring to some, many, any. Use definite articles only when you are referring to something specific. Quiero comida Quiero la comida I want food (some food, any kind of food) I want the food (specific type of food, could be the food on the table, the food in the kitchen.) I need money (some money) I need the money (specific type of money, could be money given by someone, money from somewhere)
Preposition En
To express on/at a place escribir en la camiseta dormir en el suelo to write on the shirt to sleep on the floor
Explaining dibujan
Before explaining dibujan, you must understand the following Subject Pronouns I yo you t he l she ella you (formal) usted, Ud. or Vd. we (mixed gender/all males) nosotros we (all female) nosotras
Use formal when addressing a person of a higher status such supervisor, teacher, older person, president, etc. Note that Ud., Uds., Vd., Vds. are always in caps. Note that we only focus on present tenses in this book. Dibujar = to draw Present tense
I yo dibujo you t dibujas he/she/you (formal) l/ella/usted dibuja we nosotros/-as dibujamos you all vosotros/-as dibujis they/they/you all (formal) ellos/ellas/ustedes dibujan
Yo dibujo can mean I am drawing or I draw Ella dibuja can mean She is drawing or She draws You can also leave out the subject pronouns I draw/am drawing a bird She draws/is drawing bird Dibujo un pjaro Dibuja un pjaro
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Note: It is better to include ella so that we will know that it is she and not you or he
Ella dibuja un inodoro todos los das She draws a toilet every day. Nosotros dibujamos setenta y ocho patos. We draw seventy-eight ducks.
Nosotros dibujamos setenta y ocho patos can also mean we are drawing 78 ducks. To focus on the process of drawing, you should use the present progressive tense dibujando (drawing). When using progressive tenses, you have to use the appropriate to be verb. Use present tense (draw) for an action you are doing in the moment of speaking or an action you do regularly. Use present progressive tense (drawing) for an action that you are doing in that moment. Estar = to be I am estoy you are ests he is/she is /you are (formal) est we are you all are estamos estis they/they/you all (formal) are estn
Present progressive tense I am you are he is/she is /you are (formal) we are they/they/ you all (formal) are estis estn dibujamos dibujamos you all are
estoy ests est dibujamos dibujamos dibujamos Estamos dibujamos en los libros.
estamos dibujamos
Mi hermano dibuja una vaca y un toro. My brother draws a cow and a bull. (not Mi hermano l dibuja una vaca y un toro) Mi hermano dibujamos una vaca y un toro. My brother is drawing a cow and a bull. (not Mi hermano est dibujamos una vaca y un toro)
Ese gallo dibuja un gallo en mi casa! That rooster is drawing a rooster on my house!
Note that the table showing Estar is different from this table (Ser) I am yo soy you are t eres he is/she is /you are (formal) l/ella/usted es we are nosotros/as somos you all are they/they/you all (formal) are
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This table will be used for the following Soy Amelia Usted es maestro Ella es de Boston I am Amelia You are a teacher She am from Boston
Estar is used for progressive tenses to describe an action that you are doing in that moment. It is not used to describe who you are, what you do, where you are from, etc. Note: pollo = chicken (food) pollo = chicken (animal) gallo = rooster gallina = hen pollito = chick Petro: Makes me hungry how I wish I can have arroz con pollo (rice with chicken). Sr. Nube: How about pollo quesadilla (chicken quesadilla) or picante de pollo (spicy chicken)? Petro: Dad, you are the best! Pollo quesadilla sounds great. Sr. Nube: Now, let me catch that rooster.
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this these that those that (over there, far from speaker ) those (over there, far from speaker)
Aquellos hombres Aquellas seoras Estos hombres / esos hombres Estos hombres y mujeres
Those men over there Those ladies over there These men/those men These men and women
If no nouns are placed after these adjectives, you will add an accent to create: Demonstrative pronouns ste, sta, stos, stas, se, sa, sos, sas, aqul, aqulla, aqullos, aqullas This book is good These fruits are the best Those shows are interesting This is good These are the best Those are interesting Use ste Use stos Use sos
If you are referring to abstract ideas and not nouns, use neuter pronouns: esto, eso, and aquello. Esto es tonto. This is silly Esto me preocupa. That worries me.
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Use que instead ese and esa for certain sentences such as: - El gato que se sienta en la mujer es gordo. The cat that is sitting on the lady is fat. - Los libros que son extensos son aburridos. The books that are long are boring.
Possessive Adjectives
my child mi nio/nia mi telfono my children mis nios/nias my phone mis llaves my keys
his/ her/its children sus nios/nias sus cepillos de dientes your child (formal) su nio/nia her toothbrushes
tu reloj your clock su leche your milk their child su nio/nia su castillo their castle
tus apartamentos your apartments sus palacios your palaces their children sus nios/nias sus bolgrafos their pens
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our child (masculine noun) nuestro nio nuestro lpiz nuestros relojes
Your as in you all your child (masculine noun) vuestro nio your child your children (all (feminine noun) masculine nouns /mixed gender) vuestra nia vuestros nios vuestros hoteles vuestras tarjetas your children (all feminine nouns) vuestras nias your hotels your cards
Certain possessive adjectives change according to gender and quantities of the nouns. All possessive adjectives mentioned above are considered as short form possessive adjectives. They must be placed before the noun. Long form possessive adjectives will be mentioned later. They are placed after the noun. Possessive adjectives are not used with articles of clothing or body parts. Instead of using possessive adjectives, use the (el, los, la, las). Wrong sus pantalones tu brazo mi cara Correct los pantalones el brazo la cara
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Petro: What if I want to say The girls pen? Sr. Nube: Use de. El bolgrafo de la chica which means the pen of the girl Note: chica is the same as nia (referring to a young girl), chico is the same as nio (referring to young a boy). la mesa de Susan = Susans table los coches de los nios = the boys cars
los libros de las profesoras = the teachers books el coche del nio = the boys car Note: de and el is always combined together to form del.
Preposition - De
To express of Un pedazo de manzana Un poco de pimienta A piece of apple A little bit of pepper
To express: What is it about? What is it made of? Agua de coco Una camisa de seda Una compaa de computadoras To express from Soy de Estados Unidos. Ella toma una manzana de la bolsa. I am from United States. She takes an apple from her bag. Coconut water A silk shirt A computer company
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De vs Desde Desde also means from. It is usually with the following prepositions: desde arriba (from above), , desde abajo (from underneath), desde dentro (from inside) Desde is used to indicate a movement from a place and no destination is indicated. Quiere correr desde la playa. He wants to run from the beach (it does not say where he is heading to) Quiere correr de la playa al parque. He wants to run from the beach to the park. Note: It is not a el parque because when a is before el, it is combined to form al
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So Petro
decides to tell Mr and Mrs Sun that their sons are drawing on the bus. By the way they are enemies with the Nube family. Petro talks to Mr and Mrs Sun: Seor y seora Sun, sus nios dibujan en el autobs (Mr and Mrs Sun, your sons are drawing on the bus.)
Mr and Mrs Sun: No, nuestros nios dibujan en papel. Tu familia y tus amigos dibujan en el autobs. (No, our sons draw on paper. Your family and your friends draw on the bus) Petro: Cmo? Mi amigos construyen autobuses grandes, nosotros no dibujan en los autobuses. (What? My friends build big buses, we do not draw on the buses.) Mrs Sun: Ja, ja. Nio tonto. No te creo. Debe ser una mentira. (Ha, ha. Silly boy. I do not believe you. It must be a lie.)
Sr. Nube: Needless to say the Suns are mean, they are liars and ****. Oh well, we have far more important things to talk about. Lets go through them one by one.
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Use this table when talking about someone Long form (never capitalize the s) Abbreviations (in capitals) Mr. Smith el seor Smith el Sr. Smith Mrs. Smith la seora Smith la Sra. Smith Miss Smith la seorita Smith la Srta. Smith Mr. and Mrs. Smith el seor y la seora Smith los Sres. Smith La Sra. Jones est en casa David habla a la seorita Jones. Sarah habla al Sr. Jones. Mrs Jones is at home. David is talking to Miss Jones. Sarah is talking to Mr. Jones.
Petro: But why is it al Sr. Jones and not el Sr. Jones? Sr. Nube: Good question, al is actually a el (to the). Remember a + el = al.
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Preposition A
To express to Vamos al (a + el) parque Vamos a la playa. Let me introduce you to my friend Paul. To express at a specific time Ella est en la escuela a las tres. She is at the school at three oclock (remember en is used to express at a place) To use with gustar" when stressing on the person you are talking about. A mi gusta cantar A ella le gusta el party I love to sing (stress is on I) She loves the party (stress is on she) We are going to the park. We are going to the beach. Te presento a mi amigo Paul.
Cmo
In the conversation, cmo is used to express incredulity. When expressing incredulity, it means what Cmo! Ella no est aqu! Cmo! No lo creo. What! She is not here! What! I don't believe it.
When not expressing incredulity, it means how Cmo ests hoy? Cmo va? Cmo te llamas? Cmo se dice sopa en ingls? How are you today? How is it going? How do you call yourself?/Whats your name? How do you say soup in English?
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Dont confuse the question, Cmo es? with Cmo est? Cmo es Maria? means what is Maria like? Cmo est Maria? means how is Maria right now? By now you should realize that inverted question () and exclamation marks () come before a sentence and ? and ! come after a sentence. By adding question marks a sentence can easily be formed into a question. Hablas ingls. Hablas ingls? You speak English. Do you speak English?
Names of languages aren't capitalized. Definite articles (la, el) should be placed before a language unless the language is placed directly after en, de, hablar, saber, leer, escribir, ensear, estudiar and aprender. The indefinite article is not included after the words tal and que when used in exclamation. Qu hombre! Qu tal broma! What a man! Such a joke!
Como is not the same as cmo. Como means like. For example, John corre como un caballo (John runs like a horse). Thats why accents are very important. Lets consider esta, sta, and est. esta means this sta is a pronoun meaning this one. est is a verb meaning is (remember estar?)
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Some Friends
Lets look at the word amigo mi amigo = my friend (m) mis amigos = my friends (m/ mixed gender) unos amigos = some friends (m/ mixed gender) Another word for some is alguno Singular male alguno Singular female alguna Plural males / mixed gender algunos Plural females algunas mi amiga = my friend (f) mis amigas = my friends (f) unas amigas = some friends (f)
alguno also mean any. Note that if alguno is placed before a singular and masculine noun algn should be used instead. Quieres alguno ms? Hay algn libro sobre el Sr. Bob? Do you want some more? Is there any book about Mr. Bob?
Instead of using unos or alguno, use poco de when you describe the following un poco de azcar un poco de leche un poco de sal un poco de pimienta some sugar some milk some salt some pepper
Using IT
When It is a subject pronoun, it is usually not expressed. Es un problema (It is a problem) Debe ser una mentira (It must be a lie) (Es = is, un = a, problema = problem) (Debe = must, ser = be, una = a, mentira = lie)
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It can be expressed when it is an object pronoun. To understand this further, we have to talk about nouns and pronouns, subject and object. Pronouns = I, he, she, it, we, they Nouns = Sarah, David, Lola, cat, my friends and Sarah, David and Lola Petro kicks Sr. Sun It kicks him. (Petro = subject noun, Sr. Sun = direct object noun) (It = subject pronoun, him = direct object pronoun)
It in this example will not be expressed because it is the subject. Sarah has the book. She has it. (Sarah = subject noun, book = direct object noun) (She = subject pronoun, it = direct object pronoun)
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them (females)
las
If you are talking about subject and object nouns, you will follow Subject noun + verb + object noun Sarah tiene el libro Sarah has the book Sam visita las personas Sam visits the people If you are talking about subject pronoun and object noun, you will follow Subject pronoun + verb + object noun Ella tiene el libro She has the book l visita las personas He visits the people If you are talking about subject noun and object pronoun, you will follow Subject noun + object pronoun + verb Sarah lo tiene Sam nos visita Sarah has it Sam visits us
If you are talking about subject pronoun and object pronoun, you will follow Subject pronoun + object pronoun + verb Ella lo tiene l nos visita She has it He visits us
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Talking about lo
Lo can mean him or it. It can also be a neuter definite article which is placed before an adjective to make an abstract noun. lo + adjective = the + adjective + thing lo bueno (good) = the good thing lo fcil (easy)= the easy thing lo mismo (same) = the same thing lo + adjective/adverb + que = how + adjective/adverb No creo lo feo que es = I do not believe how ugly he is a + lo = like John camina a lo tortuga. lo + que or lo + cual = what or that No puedo decidir lo que es mejor. Lo que me molesta es una idea estpida. I cannot decide what is better. What annoys me is the stupid idea. John walks like a turtle.
Lo can be a neuter pronoun that refers to a concept or a thought. Cathy es linda? Dnde est Paul? Is Cathy pretty? Where is Paul? S, lo es. No lo s. Yes, she is. I do not know it.
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To convert a negative sentence, add no immediately before the verb or pronoun. Sentence She does not need to study I dont understand the document . I dont speak the language. Sarah does not have it Correct Ella no necesita estudiar Wrong No ella necesita estudiar
Sarah no lo tiene
No Sarah lo tiene
Question: Cmo se hace? (How do you do it?) Answer: No s (I dont know) No s cmo (I dont know how) No lo s (I dont know it) You cannot say No lo s cmo because "no lo s" is a stand-alone phrase
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More Verbs
Correr = to run Present tense I yo you t he/she/you (formal) l/ella/usted corre we nosotros/as corremos they/they/you all (formal) vosotros/-as ellos/ellas/ustedes corris corren you all
corro corres
Querer = to want Present tense I yo quiero you t quieres he/she/you (formal) l/ella/usted quiere we nosotros/as queremos they/they/you all (formal) vosotros/-as ellos/ellas/ustedes queris quieren you all
What do you want? I want these. They want to swim in the pool.
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Hablar = to talk, speak Present tense yo t hablo hablas l/ella/usted habla nosotros/as hablamos vosotros/as hablis ellos/ellas/ ustedes hablan
Decir = To say, To tell Present tense yo digo t dices l/ella/usted dice nosotros/-as decimos vosotros/-as decs ellos/ellas/ ustedes dicen
What are you/is he/is she saying? Bob says that Paul is sick.
Construir = To build, to construct Yo construyo T construyes l/ella/ usted construye nosotros/-as construimos vosotros/-as ellos/ellas/ ustedes construs construyen
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Sentarse = To sit oneself down yo me siento t te sientas l/ella/usted se sienta nosotros/as nos sentamos vosotros/as os sentis ellos/ellas/ ustedes se sientan
Creer = to believe, to think yo creo t crees l/ella/usted cree nosotros/as creemos vosotros/as creis ellos/ellas/ustedes creen
Creen que ella est aqu. Ella cree que l est enfermo.
Pensar means to think as in thinking about something. Creer means to believe Pensar = to think yo t l/ella/usted piensa nosotros/as pensamos vosotros/as pensis ellos/ellas/ ustedes piensan
pienso piensas
Present progressive tense estoy pensando ests pensando est pensando estamos pensando estis pensando estn pensando
Ella piensa que es muy importante. El piensa en ella. Estoy pensando en ti.
She thinks that is very important. He thinks about her. I am thinking about you.
Note that ella and ti are preposition pronouns which we will talk about later.
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Instead of using sobre (which means about), en should be used instead. Sobre means about El libro es sobre el amor de comida. James escribe sobre polticas. The book is about the love of food. James is writing about politics.
Pensar de means "to have an opinion about" Esto es lo que pienso del libro. (This is what I think about the book.) Pensar sobre is usually used in questions, asking about the opinions of others. Qu piensas sobre del libro? (What do you think about the book?)
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Adjectives
Sr. Nube: Adjectives describe the characteristics of nouns. They change according to the gender and the quantity of the noun. Adjectives ending in o are in masculine form. To change to the feminine form, change the o to a. When describing plural nouns, add s to o or a. Adjective new old Singular male nuevo viejo Singular female nueva vieja Plural male nuevos viejos Plural female nuevas viejas
Adjectives ending in -e, -ista, or consonant have the same form for both masculine and feminine forms. When describing plural nouns, add es if it ends in or u or a consonant. Add s for the rest. Adjective difficult sad Singular male difcil triste Singular female difcil triste Plural male difciles tristes Plural female difciles tristes
Adjective placed before a noun is to highlight some features of the noun an old friend (a longtime friend) the smart children receive candies. (all the children are smart)
White snow
Snow is always white so adjective should be placed before the noun. If you come across blue snow, you will say nieve azul. Because as compared to white snow, it is blue.
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Adjective placed after a noun is to point out that it is different from others
un amigo viejo
an old friend (as compared to other friends, he is old in age) los nios inteligentes reciben golosinas the smart children receive candies (only the smart children receive presents) A trick is to put that is/are between the noun and adjective un amigo viejo un amigo that is viejo los nios inteligentes reciben golosinas a friend old a friend that is old the children smart receive candies
los nios that are inteligentes reciben golosinas the children that are smart receive candies Colors and nationalities should be placed after the noun the red flower a Spanish book a book about the Spanish language
Multiple adjectives of similar importance are placed after the noun and are joined by y (and). the big and expensive bus
When placed before a noun, bueno and "malo" are shorten to buen and "malo". amigo bueno a friend of good character buen amigo a good friend un hombre malo un mal hombre an evil man a bad man (not really an evil person)
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Grande has 2 meanings. When placed after a noun, it means big, huge un actor grande una fiesta grande buques grandes fiestas grandes a big actor (physically big) a big party big ships big parties
When placed before a noun, grande means great. Note that grande is shortened to gran when placed before a singular noun. un gran actor una gran fiesta grandes buques grandes fiestas a great actor a great party great ships great parties
The opposite of grande is pequeo Pequeo (m, singular) Pequea (f, singular) Pequeos (m, plural) Pequeas (f, plural)
Just like grande, pequea would have different meanings when placed before and after a noun. pequeo conejo (a rabbit that is small) conejo pequeo (compared to other rabbits, this is a small rabbit) pequeo carro (a small car that is small in shape ) carro pequeo (compare to other cars, this is a small car)
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Petro: I get it. So am I right to say pequeo pingino as in the small penguin? Sr. Nube: S, correcto, el abogado tiene miedo del pequeo pingino. (Yes, correct, the lawyer is scared of the small penguin)
Petro: Jaja, el abogado est llorando. So Papa, does tiene means afraid of? (Haha, the lawyer is crying.) Sr. Nube: No, incorrecto, tiene means have, miedo means fear. Petro, we cannot use ser or estar with certain words. Instead, we have to use tener. Let me go through this. Petro: Huhnot again Sr. Nube: But first let me talk about the verb cry Petro: HuhI am so going to cry
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Llorar = to cry Present tense I yo lloro you t lloras he/she/you (formal) l/ella/usted llora we nosotros/as lloramos they/they/you all (formal) vosotros/-as ellos/ellas/ustedes lloris lloran you all
Present progressive tense I am estoy llorando you are ests llorando he is/she is /you are (formal) est llorando we are estamos llorando you all are estis llorando they/they/you all (formal) are estn llorando
Por qu lloras?
Bob est llorando porque nadie lo quiere ayudar. Bob is crying because nobody wants to help him.
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Using Tener
Tener means to have yo tengo t tienes l/ella/usted tiene nosotros/as tenemos vosotros/as tenis ellos/ellas/ ustedes tienen
Petro: I always hear my mum complaining. Tengo que barrer el piso Tengo que lavar los platos. Tengo que limpiar la casa. I have to sweep the floor. I have to wash the dishes. I have to clean the house.
Tener is also used to describe the following: hungry, thirsty, fear, cold, hot Ellos tienen fro. Tengo calor. Tienes hambre? Ella tiene sed. They are cold. (Literally means They have coldness) I am hot. (Literally means I have heat) Are you hungry? (Literally means Do you have hunger?) She is thirsty. (Literally means She has thirst) He is scared to eat banana. (means he has fear)
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Using Estar
I am yo estoy you are t ests he is/she is/it is you are (formal) l/ella/usted est we are you all are they/they/you all (formal) are ellos/ellas/ ustedes estn
Estar is used to refer to an action that you are doing in that moment. (Remember you should use present progressive tenses.) Yo estoy trabajando. I am working now. Estoy durmiendo. I am sleeping now.
Estar is also used to describe health, location and emotions Health Estoy enfermo. Location Estoy en Londres. I am in London. I am sick. Estn enfermos. They are sick.
Emotions (What are you feeling right now?): Estoy un poco aburrido. Estoy trist. I am a little bored. I am sad. Est cansado. Estn felices. He is tired. They are happy.
If you are not referring to a persons/peoples emotions, you should not use estar, use ser. La pelcula es aburrida. Las clases son aburridas. The movie is boring. The classes are boring.
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Using Ser
I am yo soy you are t eres he is/she is /it is/you are (formal) l/ella/usted es we are you all are they/they/you all (formal) are
Ser is use for possession Es car de John . Carro de John es rajo. Ser means to be Quiero ser mdico. I want to be a doctor. It is Johns car. Johns car is red.
But use Estar for sentences such as I want to be happy I always want to be happy Quiero estar contento. Siempre quiero estar contento.
Ser is use to describe who am I? Where am I from? How do I look? Yo soy Irena. (I am Irena). Soy de Espaa. (I am from Spain). Soy espaol. (I am Spanish). Tengo quince aos (I am 15 years old). Soy una estudiante (I am a student). Soy linda. (I am pretty). Note: When describing age, it is Tengo quince aos not Yo soy quince ao. Consider it is as I have fifteen years
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Llamarse = to call oneself I you he/she/you (formal) we you all they/they/you all (formal)
yo me llamo
t te llamas
Llamar = to call someone, to phone someone I you he/she/you (formal) l/ella/usted we you all they/they/you all (formal)
yo
nosotros/as llamamos
llamo
llamas
llama
I am calling this number. They call us (Remember subject and direct object pronoun. Object has to come before the verb)
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Country Spain Japan The United States of America Germany China Mexico France
Pas Espaa El Japn Los Estados Unidos de Amrica Alemania La China Mxico Francia
Nacionalidad (m/f, singular) espaol/espaola japons/japonesa americano/ americana alemn/alemana chino/china mexicano/ mexicana francs/francesa
Certain countries require an article (el, la, las, los) in front of it. The article is removed if a preposition is placed before the country.
I am going to United States. Voy a Estados Unidos. Nationalities are not capitalized. Nationalities changes according to the gender and quantity of the noun it is associated with.
un libro espaol - a Spanish book (m, singular) libros espaoles - Spanish books (m, plural) una obra de arte espaola - a Spanish work of art (f, singular) obras de arte espaolas - Spanish works of art (f, plural)
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Summary
Estar What I am doing right now, what I am feeling right now, health, emotion, location Tengo Means have or having, use for hungry, thirst, cold, hot, sleepy Ser Means to be, who am I? Where am I from? What do I do? How I look like?
If you are confused as to when to use Estar and Tengo you can use sentir (to feel) to help you. Sentirse = to feel Present tense I yo me siento you t te sientes he/she/you (formal) l/ella/usted se siente we nosotros/as nos sentimos you all vosotros/as os sents they/they/you all (formal) ellos/ellas/usted es se sienten
However, if it is to describe what you feel like doing use tener ganas de Tengo ganas de comer. I feel like eating.
Make sure you are not using the verb sentir, which also means to feel. Use sentir to describe the feeling of something, it is usually placed before a noun.
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Sentir = to feel Present tense I yo siento you t sientes he/she/you (formal) l/ella/usted siente we nosotros/as sentimos you all vosotros/as sents they/they/you all (formal) ellos/ellas/ ustedes sienten
I am feeling cold. (I am cold) I feel coldness (It does not mean that I am cold, it means I feel the coldness)
Note that some adjectives change in meaning when used with ser and estar La chica es lista. La chica es mala. The girl is smart. The girl is bad. La chica est lista. La chica est mala. The girl is ready. The girl is sick.
Las peras son verdes. The pears are green. Las peras est verdes. The pears are ripe. Remember: Ser is used describe how a person/a thing is, estar is to describe an action or a situation that is happening right now. Sr. Nube: Anyways, I have to meet my friends now. We will learn more and more Spanish later. Hasta luego! (See you later!) Petro: Adis! (Goodbye!)
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Meanwhile
Sra. Nube and Lola were shopping when Sra. Nube saw something strange.
Lola: Mama, why do you look so shocked? Sra. Nube: The 3 little pigs are real! I saw them! Come with me! Sra. Nube and Lola floated across the sky and to their amazement they saw 3 little pigs, just like the pigs from the story book.
Lola: Oh my god! Los cerdos toman caf en la cafetera cercana. (The pigs are drinking coffee at the nearby caf.) Sra. Nube: I told you so!
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Lola: Look over there. Muchos animales haciendo compras en el ocupado supermercado. (Many animals are shopping at the busy supermarket.)
Sra. Nube: What in the world, this is total madness. The animals are alive! Lola then saw someone familiar. Lola: Hey isnt that dad? Sra. Nube: What is that old man doing here? Lets go check it out.
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Places
el aeropuerto la cafetera el estadio el hospital el mercado el restaurante airport caf stadium hospital market restaurant la biblioteca la escuela la farmacia la librera el museo la polica library school pharmacy bookshop museum police station
Preposition - Cercano
Cercano (m)/ Cercana (f) means nearby. It is an adjective. La comisaria est cercana. Hay una tienda cercana. The police station is nearby. There is a store nearby.
Cercano (m)/ Cercana (f) can also mean close to something Cercano a un milln de dlares Cercano vs Cerca Cerca de means near something, close to somebody. The same form is used for M and F. Do not change it to Cerco. El centro comercial est cerca del hospital. The mall is near the hospital. Hay bancos cerca de tu casa? Are there banks near your house? Estoy cerca de ti. I am close to you. (as in I feel close to you.) Why is it that it is ti and not te? It is ti because it is next to a preposition. This is call preposition pronoun. A pronoun changes when there is a preposition before the pronoun. Close to a million dollars
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Object nouns (direct) me me you te you (formal, male) lo you (formal, him/it (male) female) la you all you all (males/females/ (formal, mixed gender) males/mixed gender) os los lo you all (formal, females) las her/it (female) la them (males/ mixed gender) los them (females)
las
Preposition Pronouns me you m ti you (formal, male, female) usted, Ud., Vd. us (females) him/it (male) l you all you all (males/ mixed (females) gender) vosotros vosotras them (females) ellas I am looking under it. (assume it is a table = mesa) He leaves before you. The gift is for her. She is going with you. He is going with me. her/it (female) ella you all (formal, males/females/ mixed gender) ustedes, Uds., Vds.
nosotras
them (males/mixed gender) ellos Miro bajo ella. l sale antes de ti. El regalo es para ella. Ella va contigo. l va conmigo.
For con, instead of con m and con ti, use conmigo and contigo.
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Look at this sentence I want to see it. To is included in the sentence because of want, it does not indicate a direction or a place. So you have to consider using direct object pronouns. I = Yo (subject) Yo lo quiero ver. want to see = quiero ver I want to see it. it = lo (object)
How about this sentence I give it to her? To is acting as a preposition. But there are 3 pronouns, you cannot say doy lo a ella. You have to consider subject, direct object pronoun and indirect object pronoun. We will talk more about this later. Similarly, you will consider indirect object pronouns for these sentences I write to her, I speak to her and I explain to her.
Cunto
Use cunto (m, singular), cunta (f, singular), cuntos (m, plural), cuntas (f, plural) Cunto? Cuntos? Cunto dinero necesitas? Cuntos quieres? Cuntos aos tienes? How much? How many? How much money do you need? How many do you want? How old are you?
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Numbers
0 to 100 zero = cero 1. uno 6. seis 11. once 2. dos 7. siete 12. doce 3. tres 8. ocho 13. trece 4. cuatro 9. nueve 14. catorce 5. cinco 10. diez 15. quince
For 16 to 19, add dieci to the numbers, be aware of the accent mark on 16. 16. diecisis 17. diecisiete 18. dieciocho 19. diecinueve
For 21 to 29, add veinti to the numbers, again be aware of the accent marks on 22, 23, 26 20. veinte 21. veintiuno 22. veintids 23. veintitrs 24. veinticuatro 29. veintinueve
25. veinticinco
26. veintisis
27. veintisiete
28. veintiocho
For 30 to 99, y is used with numbers between 31 to 99 (except 40, 50, 60, 70 ,80 and 90). Note that no accent marks are required. 30. treinta 31. treinta y uno 34. treinta y cuatro 35. treinta y cinco 38. treinta y ocho 39. treinta y nueve 32. treinta y dos 36. treinta y seis 33. treinta y tres 37. treinta y siete
So all you need to remember are numbers 30. treinta 70. setenta 40. cuarenta 80. ochenta 50. cincuenta 90. noventa
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60. sesenta
From 100 to 1000 Break it down: Separate the hundreds from the rest 145 190 976 ciento cuarenta y cinco (100 + 45) ciento noventa (100 + 90) novecientos setenta y seis (900 + 76)
Any number between 101 and 199 starts with ciento. Beyond 1000 Break it down: separate the 1000s and the 100s and the rest 1.000 (not written as 1000) 2.000 (not written as 2000) 3.000 (not written as 3000) 1.100 (not written as 1100) 1.893 7.259 10.000 37.000 100.000 823.940 1.000.000 2.000.000 9.235.641 mil dos mil tres mil mil cien (1.000 + 100) mil ochocientos noventa y tres (1.000 + 800 + 90 + 3) siete mil doscientos cincuenta y nueve (7.000 + 200 + 59) diez mil treinta y siete mil cien mil ochocientos veintitrs mil novecientos cuarenta ((800 + 23) mil + 900 + 40) un milln dos millones (note that million has plural form) nueve millones doscientos treinta y cinco mil seiscientos cuarenta y uno (9 milliones + (200 + 30 + 5) mil + 600 + 40+1)
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Dots are used to separate the thousands and commas are used to separate the cents. We can also use a blank space to separate the thousands. $42,980.32 should be $42.980,32 or $42 980,32 When describing nouns: The number 1 changes according to gender. Una chica 1 girl
Un chico 1 boy
If a number ends in 1, it changes according to gender 741 741 books 741 tables
setecientos cuarenta y uno setecientos cuarenta y un libros setecientos cuarenta y una mesas
(note that uno is shorten to un because of plural nouns) Numbers 2 to 199 do not change in gender, unless it is end in one 84 books 121 books 111 books ochenta y cuatro mesas ciento veintiuna mesas ciento once mesas 84 tables 121 tables 111 tables
Note that 111 is considered as 100 + 11 not 100 + 10 + 1 Note that when describing masculine nouns, accent is added for number 21. 21 years veintiuna mesas 21 tables
veintin aos
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Numbers 200 to 999.999 changes in gender. It only changes the gender of the hundreds and the one 243 books 243 tables 521 books 521 tables 501 books 501 tables
doscientos cuarenta y tres libros doscientas cuarenta y tres mesas quinientos veintin libro quinientas veintiuna mesas quinientos un libros quinientas una mesas
cuatro mil novecientos un libros cuatro mil novecientas una mesas mil novecientos ochenta y cuatro libros mil novecientas ochenta y cuatro mesas
sesenta y tres mil doscientos treinta y un libros sesenta y tres mil doscientas treinta y una mesas
novecientos ochenta y un mil trescientos once libros books novecientas ochenta y una mil trescientas once mesas tables
981.311 981.311
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novecientos ochenta y un mil trescientos cuarenta y un libros books novecientas ochenta y una mil trescientas cuarenta y una mesas tables
981.341 981.341
For millions
It must be followed by the preposition de dos millones de dlares un milln de aviones ciento dos millones de aviones two million dollars 1 million planes 102 million planes
cinco millones novecientos ochenta y un mil trescientos cuarenta y un libros 5.981.341 books cinco millones novecientas ochenta y una mil trescientas cuarenta y una mesas 5.981.341 tables
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At the hour Es la una Son las dos Es medioda Son las dos de la maana Son las diez de la noche Son las tres de la tarde en punto Es medianoche For 15 minutes use cuarto, quince Son las cuatro y cuarto de la tarde It is 4.15pm Son las siete y quince de la maana It is 7.15am For 30 minutes use media, treinta Son las nueve y media de la noche Son las tres y treinta de la maana It is 9.30pm It is 3.30am It is one oclock (one is always es) It is two oclock (the rest are son) It is 12pm (noon) It is 2am (maana = morning) It is 10pm (noche = night) It is 3pm sharp (tarde = afternoon) It is 12am
For 1 to 14 minutes and 16 to 29 minutes, express time as hour plus minutes Son las dos y cinco de la tarde Es la una y dieciocho de la maana It is 2.05pm It is 1.18am
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For 45 minutes use cuarto, quince Es la una menos cuarto 1 hour minus 15 minutes It is 12.45 Son las nueve menos quince It is 8.45 For 31 minutes to 44 minutes and 46 minutes to 59 minutes, express time as hour minus minutes It is 10.40pm (night) Son las once menos veinte de la noche 11 hours minus 20 minutes It is 6.50pm (evening) Son las siete mentos diez de la noche 7 hours minus 10 minutes Sra. Nube: Here are some other words to describe time Lola: Ya like todo el tiempo which means all the time. Estos insectos tienen muchas fiestas todo el tiempo. (These insects have many parties all the time.)
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Ese hombre compra su comida en la panadera todos los das. That man buys his food at the bakery every day. Nosotros miramos la televisin todas las noches/todas las tardes. We watch the television every night/every afternoon. La tienda abre todos los sbados. The shop opens every Saturday. Mi hermano cocina todas las semanas. My brother cooks every week. Todos los fines de semana, mi to pone una mesa y tijeras en la lavadora. Every weekend, my uncle puts a table and scissors in the washing machine.
every todos los Saturday sbados every week todas las semanas
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Days will always have definite article (el, la, las or los) in front of them, unless the verb ser is stated before the day. The definite article means "on."
Today is Wednesday. Her ugly aunt teaches chemistry on Mondays. Tomorrow is Sunday.
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Months
Months are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence. January enero April abril July julio October octubre February febrero May mayo August agosto November noviembre March marzo June junio September septiembre December diciembre
Lola: Mama, how do I write my date of birth in Spanish? Sra. Nube: Date of birth is fecha de nacimiento. Your date of birth is July 5 2008, you will write it as mi fecha de nacimiento es 5 de julio de 2008. Sra. Nube: Lets say my date of birth is May 13 1995. I will write it as 13 de mayo de 1995 Lola: 1995? Mama, you are way older than that! Sra. Nube: Shhh! Keep quiet.
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Lola: How do I pronounce the dates? Sra. Nube: For July 5 2008, you will say it as cinco de julio de dos mil ocho. For your dads date of birth which is May 13 1962, you will say it as trece de mayo de mil novecientos sesenta y dos. When pronouncing years, it is not nineteen sixty-two but one thousand nine hundred, sixty and two. Lola: Wow, dad is so old! Sra. Nube: Hahaha. He is an old man. Note that January 1st can be said as primero de enero. But you cannot say segundo de enero for January 2nd, and tercero de enero for January 3rd, and so on. first: primero/ primer/ primera third: tercero/ tercer/tercera fifth: quinto/quinta seventh: sptimo/sptima ninth: noveno/novena second: segundo/segunda fourth: cuarto/cuarta sixth: sexto/sexta eighth: octavo/octava tenth: dcimo/dcima
These numbers change according to the quantity and gender of the noun that they are associated with. For 1st and 3rd, drop the o when placed before a singular masculine noun. el segundo mes la segunda casa the second month the second house May 1st January 31st Tom is first/second/third. Tom is the first/second/third king.
Primero de mayo Treinta y uno de enero (use the number 31) Tom es primero/segundo/tercero Tom es el primer/segundo/tercer rey
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More Verbs
Abrir = To open I yo abro you t abres he/she/you (formal) l/ella/usted abre we nosotros/as abrimos you all vosotros/as abrs they/they/you all (formal) ellos/ellas/ ustedes abren
Abro la puerta. Ella abre los libros. Cerrar = to close yo cierro t cierras
l/ella/usted cierra
nosotros/as cerramos
vosotros/as cerris
l/ella/usted toma
nosotros/as tomamos
vosotros/as tomis
Ella toma refresco. Ellos toman el autobs a la escuela. Usted toma fotos de la luna. Bob toma la medicina.
She takes a drink of soda. They take the bus to the school. You take pictures of the moon. Bob takes the medicine.
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Beber = To drink yo bebo t bebes l/ella/usted bebe nosotros/as bebemos vosotros/as bebis ellos/ellas/ ustedes beben
Yo slo bebo agua. Lola bebe caf todas las maanas. Hacer = to make, to do Present tense I you yo hago t haces
we nosotros/as hacemos
Present progressive tense I am you are he is/she is /you are (formal) estoy ests est haciendo haciendo hacienda Haciendo compras.
Shopping (means making purchases, compra is a noun) I do my homework. She makes the bed every Wednesday. They are making the dinner.
Hago mi tarea. Hace la cama todos los mircoles. Estn haciendo la cena.
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Comprar = To buy yo compro t compras l/ella/usted compra nosotros/as compramos vosotros/as compris ellos/ellas/ ustedes compran
Vamos de compras. Compro alimentos. Ella quiere comprar todo. Estudiar = To study yo estudio t estudias
l/ella/usted estudia
nosotros/as estudiamos
vosotros/as estudiis
We study at night.
Yo voy estudiar en la biblioteca esta tarde. I am going to study in the library this afternoon.
Ensear = to teach yo enseo t enseas l/ella/usted ensea nosotros/as enseamos vosotros/as enseis ellos/ellas/ ustedes ensean
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Poner = to put, to place, to set yo pongo t pones l/ella/usted pone nosotros/as ponemos vosotros/as ponis ellos/ellas/ ustedes ponen
They are setting the table. He set the clock. To put on makeup
Sus primos quieren poner sus camas en la cocina. His cousins want to put their beds in the kitchen. To say put away use guarder To say put on clothes use ponerse ponerse el sombrero ponerse una camisa to on the hat to put on a shirt
Necesitar = to need yo necesito t necesitas l/ella/usted necesita nosotros/-as vosotros/as necesitamos necesitis ellos/ellas/ ustedes necesitan
Ellos necesitan noventa y nueve centavos ms. They need ninety-nine cents more. Necesito el nmero telefnico de la universidad. I need the telephone number of the university.
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Pagar = to pay yo pago Dollar = dlar Cent = centavo t pagas l/ella/usted paga nosotros/as pagamos vosotros/as pagis ellos/ellas/ ustedes pagan
Currency should be placed after the number. Nosotros pagamos quince dlares y cuartena y cinco centavos. (We pay $15.45.) Ellas pagan diez pesos. (They pay 10 pesos.) Puedo pagar diez dlares ahora (I can pay 10 dollars now.) To talk about spending money use the verb Gastar Gastar refers to spending money, pasar refers to spending time. Pasar = to happen, to pass, to spend time yo paso t pasas l/ella/usted pasa nosotros/-as pasamos vosotros/-as ellos/ellas/ ustedes pasis pasan
Ella pasa por esta calle Yo prefiero pasar mis vacaciones en casa Yo paso tres horas limpiando la cocina.
She is passing by this street I prefer to spend my vacation at home. I spend three hours cleaning the kitchen
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Sra. Nube: Are you out of your mind? Friends with a LION? Sr. Nube: Whats wrong? La araa, el len y yo son mejores amigos. (The spider, the lion and I are best friends.) Lola: Papa, that is so cool! Sr. Nube: Anyways, Paul is invited to this office party and we are going to check it out. Paul: Ya, those humans want me to hide in a box. I have to go now. Hasta luego. (See you later.) Sr. Nube: Bob, hope on me and I will fly us there. Come on honey, Lola, join us! Sra. Nube: No seas tonto! (Dont be silly!). Lola: Come on, Mama!
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Woman in the office: Ayuda! (Help!) Man in the office: Qu pasa? (What is happening?) Woman in the office: Hay un len en la oficina! (There is a lion in the office!) Man in the office: Ahh, est dentro de una caja. Quiero tocarlo. (Ahh, it is inside a box. I want to touch it.) Lola: Yo tambin! Puedo tocar el len, mam? Estoy tan emocionada. (Me too! Can I touch the lion, mama? I am so excited.) Sra. Nube: NO! Tell the lion to stay away from me! I am leaving now. Sr. Nube: A dnde vas? (Where are you going to?) No te entiendo. (I dont understand you.) Actas como un beb. (You are acting like a baby.) It is more fun being here.
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When bueno is placed before a masculine singular noun, it is changed to buen. Some adjectives such as bueno when placed before a noun would mean really. un jardinero bueno a good gardener un buen jardinero a really good gardener You can also use the word muy which means very (Muy has only one form regardless of quanity or gender.) Esta camisa es muy bonita. un msico muy bueno msicos muy buenos This shirt is very pretty. a very good musician very good musicians (adjectives changes with nouns)
Adjectives that are modified by adverbs or phrases must be placed after the nouns. una persona muy buena un lugar muy bonito una taza llena de agua a very good person a very pretty place a full cup of water
If it gets too complicated, rephrase the sentences and use Ser to help you un msico muy bueno el msico es muy bueno un lugar muy bonito el lugar es muy bonito a very good musician the musician is very good a very pretty place the place is very pretty
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Better (m/f, singular) Mejor mejor que mejor que t Best (m/f, singular) Mejor mejores amigos mejores amigas el mejor nadador de la historia Bad, Worse, Worst Bad (m, singular) Malo Bad (f, singular) Mala better than better than you
Best (m/f, plural) Mejores best friends (all males or mixed gender) best friends (all females) the best swimmer of the history
Change malo to mal when placed before a masculine singular noun, for example un mal amigo (a bad friend). Worse (m/f, singular) Peor peor que ese pan es peor que este pan Worst (m/f, singular) Peor el peor nombre del mundo Worse (m/f, plural) Peores worse than that bread is worse than this bread Worst (m/f, plural) Peores the worst name in the world (Note: de + el = del)
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Note: de is often used with superlatives. It can mean in or of. la peor trabajadora del grupo l es el mejor de todos ella es la mejor de todos Young, Younger, Youngest young (m/f, singular) joven la persona joven el joven la gente joven the young person the young boy the young people young (m/f, plural) jvenes the worst worker of the group he is the best of all she is the best of all
la persona means the person not the female person. David es una persona. (David is a person) Sarah es una persona. (Sarah is a person) younger (m/f, singular), menor hermana menor hermano menor youngest (m/f, singular) menor Tom es el hijo menor. Mi hija menor tiene tres aos. younger (m/f, plural) menores younger sister younger brother youngest (m/f, plural) menores Tom is the youngest son. My youngest daughter is three years old.
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Old, Older, Oldest Old (m, singular) Viejo Old (f, singular) Vieja Old (m, plural) Viejos Old (f, plural) Viejas
Mi viejo abuelo cree que puede caminar por las paredes. My old grandfather thinks that he can walk through the walls.
Older (m/f, singular) Mayor hermano mayor hermana mayor mi hermana es mayor que Lola Oldest (m/f, singular) Mayor Mi hermana es la mayor
Older (m/f, plural) Mayors older brother older sister my sister is older than Lola Oldest (m/f, plural) Mayors my sister is the oldest
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Small, smaller, smallest small (m, singular) pequeo small (f, singular) pequea small (m, plural) pequeos small (f, plural) pequeas
La gata es pequea Los perros son pequeos smaller (m, singular) ms pequeo
The cat (female) is small The dogs are small smaller (f, singular) ms pequea smaller (m, plural) ms pequeos smaller (f, plural) ms pequeas
El zoolgico ms grande est en la ciudad ms pequea. The largest zoo is in the smallest city.
Big, Bigger, Biggest big (m/f, singular), grande big (m/f, plural) grandes
More or Less ms means more or most and menos means less or least. When using ms or menos as more or less respectively, you would usually use que to indicate a comparison. Ella es ms inteligente que t Ella es menos inteligente que t. Paul es ms fuerte que su hermano. Paul es ms dbil que Tom. Paul es menos fuerte que Tom. She is more intelligent than you. She is less intelligent than you. Paul is stronger than his brother. Paul is weaker than Tom. Tom is Paul is less strong than Tom.
When using ms or menos as most or least respectively, you will usually place the (el or al) before ms or menos and place of (de) after ms or menos. El da ms caluroso de marzo El actor menos favorito del ao Same mismo means same Tenemos el mismo nombre We have the same name. The hottest day of March The least favorite actor of the year
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However, tan cannot be used for the following cases Do it like SO. SO (as in thus), they eat the food Hazlo asi. As, comen la comida.
If tan is not follow by an adjective but a noun, tanto should be used tanto (m singular) / tanta (f singular) means so much tantos (m plural) / tantas (f plural) means so many tanta comida tantos platos so much food so many plates
When tanto is used with como it means as much as or as many as Tengo tanto dinero como Amelia Bob hace tanto trabajo como Paul Look at this sentence: David : Odio mi trabajo. Hay tanto trabajo. Hay muchos libros para leer. Demasiado trabajo. Son tan difciles. Estoy tan cansado y quiero dormir. David: I hate my job. There is so much work. There are many books to read. Too much work. They are so hard. I am so tired and I want to sleep. Use tanto because work is a noun
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Use muchos because it is many not so many Use tan because cansado and difciles are adjectives Demasiado means too much or too many too much (m) demasiado demasiados manzanas demasiado ruido too much (f) demasiada too many apples too much noise too many (m) demasiados too many (f) demasiadas
Qu
Use Qu to ask for a definition Qu es XDJHSD? Qu es? What is XDJHSD? What is it?
Use Qu when there is no selection to choose from Qu ms? Qu quieres? What else? What do you want?
Use Qu to express something Qu enorme hospital naranja! What an enormous orange hospital!
Use A qu instead of qu to ask a about a specified time A qu hora es la fiesta? At what time is the party?
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Cul
Used Cul before es and other forms of ser when not seeking a definition Cul es tu problema? Cul es la fecha hoy? Cul es tu nmero de telfono? What is your problem? Whats the date today? What is your phone number?
Used Cul when there is a selection to choose from Cul prefieres? Cul quieres? Which one do you prefer? Which one do you want?
Cul is usually used when the answer is plural For plural, Qu remains in the same form but the plural of cul is cules. Cules son tus colores favoritos? Cules son tus pasatiempos? What are your favorite colors? What are your hobbies?
Cul cannot be used before a noun. Qu should be used instead. Qu regalo quieren ustedes? What (which) gift do you want?
Dnde
Dnde means where Dnde est? Dnde est el bao? Dnde est la escoba? Dnde est tu esposo? Where is it? Where is the bathroom? Where is the broom? Where is your husband? (Wife = esposa)
A Dnde means where to, use this when you are enquiring a destination.
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Preposition Por
Use Por to state a period of time Viajamos por cuatro das Por la noche to mean per dos dlares por documento to mean because of Lloro por el dolor. I am crying because of the pain. two dollars per document We travel for four days At night/In the evening
Note: porque means because (lloro porque estoy en el dolor. I am crying because I am in pain) and Por qu? means why (Por qu ests tan grosero? Why are you so rude?)
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To express the movement through conducir por la ventana caminar por la ciudad to drive through the window to walk through the city
Note: a travs de" means "by means of" a travs de una carta a travs del correo electrnico (de + el del) through a letter through the email
Preposition Para
Means for when referring to a specific time Necesito el regalo para maana. Means in order to Para bailar la samba, necesitas un pollo. In order to dance the samba, you need a chicken. I need the gift for tomorrow.
Means in the direction of when referring to a specific place Voy para China. Means to be given to someone Una mazana para mi hija. To show a comparison Para m, este libro es estpido. For me, this book is stupid. An apple for my daughter. I am going to China.
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Here/There
Hay = there is / there are Hay muchos libros. There are many books.
Hay does not refer to location, to refer to location use all or all
aqu here
ac over here
When using these terms, use the verb estar All estn los libros All, est el banco Estoy ac, en la habitacin. Over there, are the books There, is the bank I am over here, in the room.
More Verbs
Tocar = To touch or to play an instrument yo toco t tocas l/ella/usted toca nosotros/-as tocamos vosotros/-as ellos/ellas/ ustedes tocis tocan
Tocis la guitarra? Tocas mi cara. Actuar = to act, to perform yo t acto actas l/ella/usted acta
nosotros/-as actuamos
Lola performs for her mum. The actors are performing very well.
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Leer = to read yo leo t lees l/ella/usted lee nosotros/-as leemos vosotros/-as leis ellos/ellas/ustedes leen
l/ella/usted camina
nosotros/as caminamos
vosotros/as caminis
Yo camino a la escuela. Caminan al supermercado Pasear = to stroll, to take a walk yo paseo t paseas
l/ella/usted pasea
nosotros/as paseamos
vosotros/as paseis
Andar: to walk, also use to express how the things are going yo ando t andas l/ella/usted anda nosotros/as andamos vosotros/-as andis ellos/ellas/ ustedes andan
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Ir = to go yo voy t vas l/ella/usted va nosotros/as vamos vosotros/as vais ellos/ellas/ ustedes van
My grandmother goes to high school. Can you go with me? I am not going with you
Instead of saying con m (with me) and con ti (with you), use conmigo and contigo Use Ir to state when you are going Voy en la tarde. Cundo vamos? I am going in the afternoon. When do we go?
Use Ir as a form of farewell greeting Me voy. Tengo que ir a casa. I am going. I have to go home.
Use Ir to show how you are going to go Voy en autobs. I am going by bus.
Use Ir to show what youre going to do/ where are you going, a always come after ir Voy a leer I am going to read
Vamos pescando (we are going fishing) is incorrect, you should state Vamos a pescar. (going to fish) instead.
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Venir = To come yo vengo t vienes l/ella/usted viene nosotros/-as venimos vosotros/-as ellos/ellas/ustedes vens vienen
Vienen con nosotros. Quin viene? Siento que t no puedas venir. Llegar = To arrive yo llego t llegas
They come with us. Who is coming? I am sorry that you cannot come.
l/ella/usted llega
nosotros/as llegamos
vosotros/as llegis
Cundo llega el tren? When does the train arrives? Quin llega? Who is arriving?
Dejar = To leave someone or something behind yo dejo t dejas l/ella/usted deja nosotros/as dejamos vosotros/as dejis ellos/ellas/usted es dejan
Voy a dejar mi billetera en casa I am going to leave my wallet behind Mi to perezoso deja su comida en el piso. My lazy uncle leaves his food behind on the floor.
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Dar = to give yo doy t das l/ella/usted da nosotros/-as damos vosotros/-as dais ellos/ellas/ ustedes dan
l/ella/usted sale
nosotros/as salimos
vosotros/as sals
Cundo salimos? When do we go out? Las plantas salen y manejan vehculos. The plants go out and drive vehicles in the garden. Salir con means to leave with someone/something or date someone John sale con sus libros. John sale con Sarah. Manejar = To drive yo manejo t manejas l/ella/usted maneja nosotros/as manejamos vosotros/as manejis ellos/ellas/ ustedes manejan John is leaving with his books. John is going out with Sarah.
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Conducir = to drive yo conduzco t conduces l/ella/usted conduce nosotros/-as conducimos vosotros/-as conducs ellos/ellas /ustedes conducen
Only use conducer and manejar when you are talking about driving. For driving people to places, use "llevar"
Llevar = to bring, to wear, to carry yo llevo t llevas l/ella/usted lleva nosotros/as llevamos vosotros/as llevis ellos/ellas/ ustedes llevan
Te llevar al trabajo. Llevan las bolsas de la escuela. Que talla lleva usted? Ella lleva un abrigo. Trabajar = to work yo trabajo t trabajas
I am driving you to work. They carry the school bags. What size do you wear? She wears a coat. Trabajo = work/job (noun) l/ella/usted trabaja nosotros/as trabajamos vosotros/as trabajis ellos/ellas/ ustedes trabajan
Poder = to be able to, can, may yo puedo t puedes l/ella/usted puede nosotros/as podemos vosotros/as podis ellos/ellas/ ustedes pueden
Puedes or el sonido?
Can you hear the sound? (able to hear, or to hear) Can they wash the socks? (able to wash, lavar to wash) We may help. (able to help, ayudar to help) Good morning. May I help you? (how may I be able to help you?)
Did you notice that the verb after can is always associated with to? This is the same for deber. Deber = ought to, must, should yo debo t debes l/ella/usted debe nosotros/as debemos vosotros/as debis ellos/ellas/ ustedes deben
Debes visitar el lugar (visitar = to visit) Debemos comprar la casa (comprar = to buy)
If you replace the place with it: You should visit it = debes visitarlo (remember subject and direct object pronouns?)
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Here are some other sentences Podemos ayudarte. Pueden comprarla. We may help you. They can buy it. (Consider it as casa which is feminine) I want to see it. Sam needs to wash it.
l/ella/usted oye
nosotros/as omos
vosotros/as os
l/ella/usted nosotros/vosotros/as as escucha escuchamos escuchis The sheep is listening to the radio. We are listening to rock music.
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Ayudar = to help yo ayudo t ayudas l/ella/usted ayuda nosotros/as ayudamos vosotros/as ayudis ellos/ellas/ ustedes ayudan
Notice that a is placed after the verb. Ella me ayuda a hacer mi tarea Me puedes ayudar a llevar las maletas? She helps me to do my homework Can you help me to carry the suitcases?
- Remember subject and direct object pronouns? me must be placed before the verb - Even though hacer means to do and llevar means to carry, a is still placed after the verb.
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him/it (male) lo
her/it (female) la
me
te
Indirect object noun and indirect object pronoun refer to whom or for whom I slap John/him = John/him is direct object noun/pronoun I write/am writing to John/him = John/him is indirect object noun/pronoun I write/am writing a letter to John/him = John/him is indirect object noun/pronoun I write/am writing John/him a letter = John/him is indirect object noun/pronoun
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Lets consider these few sentences: Sarah gives the book to Bob / She gives the book to Bob gives= verb Bob = indirect object noun
Sarah = subject noun She = subject pronoun book = direct object noun to = preposition
Subject noun/ Subject pronoun + verb + direct object noun + preposition + indirect object noun Sarah da el libro a Bob / Ella da el libro a Bob Sarah gives the book to him / She gives the book to him gives= verb him = indirect object pronoun
Sarah = subject noun She = subject pronoun book = direct object noun to = preposition
Subject noun/Subject pronoun + indirect object pronoun + verb + direct object noun Sarah le da el libro/ Ella le da el libro Sarah gives it to him / She gives it to him
Sarah = subject noun She = subject pronoun gives= verb book = direct object noun him = indirect object pronoun Subject noun/Subject pronoun + indirect object pronoun + direct object pronoun + verb Sarah le lo da = Sarah se lo da Ella le lo da = Ella se lo da
Whenever both pronouns begin with the letter "l" change the first pronoun to "se." le lo = se lo les lo = se lo le la = se la les la = se la le los = se los les los = se los le las = se las les las = se las
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You can also attach the direct and indirect object pronouns to the verb Sarah dselo / Ella dselo Sarah gives it to Bob / She gives it to Bob
When attaching the pronouns, count back three vowels and add an accent. To emphasize that the book is given to Bob, add a and Bob Subject noun/Subject pronoun + indirect object pronoun + direct object pronoun + verb + a + indirect object noun Sarah se lo da a Bob / Ella se lo da a Bob Sarah dselo a Bob/ Ella dselo a Bob
Instead of stating the name, you can emphasize the book is given to he by adding a Sarah se lo da a l / Ella se lo da a l Sarah delo a l / Ella dselo a l
You can only add the following to the end of your sentence: a Ud. (formal, you) / a Uds. (formal, you all) a l (he) / a ella (she) a ellos (them, male, mixed gender) / a ellas (them, females) You cannot add yo, t, nosotros/-as, vosotros/-as because the pronouns (me, you, us, you all) do not begin with l and need not change to se. In negative sentences, the negative word is placed directly after the subject noun or subject pronoun. I don't have it for you. I = subject pronoun Yo no se lo tengo. Note that we can leave out the subject nouns or subject pronouns So it will be no se lo tengo it = direct object pronoun you = indirect object pronoun
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Imperatives
Ayude as mentioned in the story is a form of command or instruction. When giving commands, we need to use a special kind of verb: Imperatives. Since you are voicing a command, you will be either talking to you <t, usted(formal)> or you all <vosotros/-as, ustedes (formal)>. All verbs have imperatives. Imperatives can also be in negative form. Help! you t ayuda Dont Help! you t no ayudes Do you t haz you (formal) usted haga you all vosotros/-as haced you all (formal) ustedes hagan you (formal) usted no ayude you all vosotros/-as no ayudis you all (formal) ustedes no ayuden you (formal) usted ayude you all vosotros/-as ayudad you all (formal) ustedes ayuden
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Dont do you t no hagas Stop: Stop it! you t para Dont Stop you t no pares you (formal) usted no pare you all vosotros/-as no paris you all (formal) ustedes no paren you (formal) usted pare you all vosotros/-as parad you all (formal) ustedes paren you (formal) usted no haga you all vosotros/-as no hagis you all (formal) ustedes no hagan
Here are more examples: No vengas! Dmelo! Despirtese! Crucen la calle. Levntate! Sigue las seales. Siga derecho. Doblen a la izquierda/derecha. Dont come! Give it to me! Wake up! Cross the street. Stand up! Follow the signs. Continue straight. Turn to the left/right.
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Sr. Nube talking to Lola: Your mama is very angry. Lola: Pap, usted debe intentar de nuevo (Papa, you should try again) Sr. Nube: Puedo hacer una pregunta? (can I ask you a question) Sra. Nube: Por favor, terminas la conversacin ahora si es una pregunta estpida. (Please end the conversation now if it is a stupid question, si = if) Sr. Nube: Do you see the vegetables over there? Sra. Nube: No s. Espere un minuto. Yo lo veo. Nada fabuloso. (I dont know. Wait a minute. I see it. Nothing fabulous. )
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Sr. Nube: Cuando el semforo es azul, las verduras bailan y cantan juntos en la calle. (When the traffic light is blue, the vegetables dance and sing together on the street.)
Sra. Nube: Muy interesante. (Very interesting.) Sr. Nube: See, there is so much fun here. Lola: Ouch! Algo me golpeo en el cuello? (Something hit me in the neck?). Quin est haciendo eso? (Who is doing that?) Sra. Nube: They are throwing pens and books out the window. (Tiramos bolgrafos y libros por la ventana.) Lola : Estn locos! (They are crazy!)
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Nada = Nothing
No hay nada en la nevera. No haces nada. No tengo nada. There's nothing in the fridge. You do nothing I have nothing.
Why is it No hago nada and not hago nada? nada is negated and means "anything" Nadie = no one, nobody Nadie es perfecto. No hay nadie aqu. Nunca= never Nunca ms Nunca te olvidar Nunca le escribe a nadie Never again I never forget you I never write to anyone Nobody is perfect. There is no one here.
Nadie means anyone because it is negated. No conocemos a nadie que cocina. We do not know anyone that cooks.
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Quin
Quin ms? Quin es? Quin lava la ropa? De quin es? De quines son? Who else? Who is it? Who does the laundry? Whose is it? Whose are they?
Quien (plural = quienes) without the accent means that. Bob, quien es guapo, es enfermero. Bob, who is handsome, is a nurse.
Cundo
Cundo es el examen? Cundo vas a venir para ac? Cuando ests listo? When is the examination? When are you coming over? When are you ready?
Cuando, without the accent, is used in non-questions. Cuando ests listo, sonres para la cmara. When you are ready, smile for the camera.
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I don't know how to swim. Do you know how to use the computer?
Nuestra hormiga mascota no sabe jugar ftbol. Our pet ant does not know how to play football
If refering to a person, a must be inserted. Los muchachos conocen a Paul. Conoces al seor Nube? Lola conoce a mi hermana. The boys know Paul. Do you know Mr. Cloud? (a + el al) Lola knows my sister.
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Colors
Colors must agree in gender and quantity with the nouns they modify: uno coche amarillo one yellow car cinco mil doscientos ochenta y seis coches amarillos 5286 yellow cars una flor amarilla a yellow flower setenta y siete flores amarillas 77 yellow flowers Singular (male & female) Yellow Blue Orange Black White Red Green amarillo, amarilla azul anaranjado, anaranjada negro, negra blanco, blanca rojo, roja verde Plural amarillos, amarillas azules anaranjados, anaranjadas negros, negras blancos, blancas rojos, rojas verdes
Azul, verde have only singular and plural forms; they are the same for masculine and feminine. De qu color es tu cabello? De qu color son tus ojos? Ella apaga la luz anaranjada. What color is your hair? What color are your eyes? She turns off the orange light Joe: Morado es feo. (Purple is ugly.) Kelvin: Morado es mi color favorito. (Purple is my favorite color) Joe: Slo nias les gusta morado. (Only girls like purple.) Kelvin: Tu eres antipatico. (You are mean.)
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Clothes
el vestido el bolsillo el suter la camisa dress pocket sweater shirt los pantalones la falda la ropa interior los pantalones cortos trousers skirt underwear shorts
Body Parts
arm = el brazo heart = el corazn leg = la pierna eye = el ojo nose = la nariz neck = el cuello shoulder = el hombro back = la espalda knee = la rodilla mouth = la boca finger/teo = el dedo skin = la piel tooth = el diente stomach = el estmago chest = el pecho ear = la oreja foot = el pie hair = el cabello head = la cabeza tongue = la lengua hand = la mano
Note: Definite articles should be placed before clothings and body parts when the possessor is clearly stated. Replace the possessive adjectives (his, her, its, ours, etc) with definite articles. Mary cepilla los dientes negros y lleva el vestido marrn. (Mary brushes her black teeth and wears her brown dress). Ella tiene el cabello largo azul y los ojos amarillos. (She has blue long hair and yellow eyes.) Tom lleva los calcetines amarillos y los pantalones cortos anaranjados. (Tom is wearing yellow soaks and orange shorts). Lleva el sombrero verde favorito con la corbata verde (He wears his favorite green hat with a green tie.) Tom tiene el cabello rojo. (Tom has red hair.)
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Sports
el ciclismo el baloncesto el boxeo la vela el esqu el ftbol cycling basketball boxing sailing skiing football el bdminton el bisbol la gimnasia el voleibol la natacin el tenis bdminton baseball gymnastics volleyball swimming tennis
More Verbs
Colorear = To color
yo coloreo t coloreas l/ella/usted colorea nosotros/-as coloreamos vosotros/-as coloreis ellos/ellas /ustedes colorean
l colorea un dibujo. He is coloring a drawing Me encanta colorear imgenes. I love to color images.
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Shapes circle circulo square cuadrado triangle triangulo rectangle rectangulo oval ovalo
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Vestir = To dress oneself Recall that other words such as llevar and ponerse also describe the word wear. Vestir uses another type of pronoun (relative pronoun). We talk about this later. yo me visto t te vistes l/ella/usted se viste nosotros/-as nos vestimos vosotros/-as ellos/ellas/u stedes os se vests visten
Nos vestimos de negro para el funeral. Te vistes para el invierno. Seasons must have el or la infront el invierno = the winter el otoo= the autumn
We dress in black for the funeral. You dress for the winter.
Que tiempo hace? How is the weather? hace sol hace viento hace fro Esperar = To wait
yo espero t esperas l/ella/usted espera nosotros/-as esperamos vosotros/-as esperis ellos/ellas/ ustedes esperan
I wait for the green light They wait on the street Wait a moment. (it is an imperative)
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Parar = To stop yo paro t paras l/ella/usted para nosotros/as paramos vosotros/as paris ellos/ellas/ ustedes paran
Sometime road signs may say Alto, which means stop. Alto is used by people with authority such as the policemen, the military. Alto o disparo! Alto, polica! Stop or Ill shoot! Stop, police!
Jugar = To play yo juego t juegas l/ella/usted nosotros/-as juega jugamos I play with my friends. We play all day. vosotros/ ellos/ellas/ -as ustedes jugis juegan
Tirar = to throw, to throw away yo tiro t tiras l/ella/usted nosotros/-as tira tiramos vosotros/-as tiris ellos/ellas/ ustedes tiran
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Bailar = To dance yo bailo t bailas l/ella/usted baila nosotros/-as bailamos vosotros/-as bailis ellos/ellas /ustedes bailan
Amelia no le gusta bailar. Amelia does not like to dance. El perro bailando. (present progressive verb) The dog is dancing.
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Cantar = To sing yo canto t cantas l/ella/usted canta nosotros/-as cantamos vosotros/-as cantis ellos/ellas/ ustedes cantan
Ella canta muy bien. Cantan una cancin. Apagar = to turn off, to extinguish yo apago t apagas l/ella/usted apaga
nosotros/-as apagamos
vosotros/-as apagis
Ella apaga la computadora todas las noches She turns off the computer every night Apagamos el fuego. We are extinguishing the fire.
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Encender = to turn on, to burn yo enciendo t enciendes l/ella/ usted enciende nosotros/-as encendemos vosotros/as encendis ellos/ellas/ ustedes encienden
Cmo enciendo la televisin? Enciende una vela Mirar = to look yo miro t miras l/ella/usted mira
nosotros/-as miramos
indicate deliberate looking Mira, el dinero est justo aqu. Miro el libro de su hija. show the orientation of something. La sala mira al mar. Ver = to see yo veo t ves l/ella/ usted ve nosotros/-as vemos vosotros/-as veis ellos/ellas/ ustedes ven The living room faces the sea. Look, the money is right here. (Mire = imperative) I am looking at your daughters book.
simple act of seeing Ellos ven la caca. They see the poo.
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see/visit with someone Nos vemos maana see an outcome Voy a ver qu pasa. show understanding Veo la razn. watch a show or movie Mi hermana bajita ve la televisin en el bao. My short sister watches the television in the bathroom. Note: Bajito/a is use to describe people Mi padre no es bajito. Mi madre no es ni alta ni bajita. Use corto/a to describe things Ella lleva una falda corta. Maria tiene el cabello corto. She wears a short skirt. Maria has short hair. My father is not short. My mother is neither tall nor short. I see the reason. I am going to see what happens. We see you tomorrow
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Voy a terminar escribiendo unos libros Cundo termina? Comenzar = to start, to begin
yo comienzo t comienzas l/ella/ usted comienza
nosotros/-as comenzamos
vosotros/-as comenzis
Cundo comienza? La fiesta comienza a las siete de la noche. Preguntar = to ask question
yo pregunto t preguntas l/ella/usted pregunta
nosotros/-as preguntamos
vosotros/-as preguntis
Nosotros vamos a preguntar el maestro. Sofia pregunta sobre ti. Pedir = to request for
yo pido t pides l/ella/usted pide
nosotros/-as pedimos
vosotros/-as peds
ellos/ellas/ustedes piden
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Intentar = to try
yo intento t intentas l/ella/usted intenta nosotros/-as intentamos vosotros/-as intentis ellos/ellas/ ustedes intentan
Debemos intentar comprender el universe. We must try to understand the universe. Intentamos resolver nuestros conflictos. We try to solve our conflicts. Golpear = To hit, to beat
yo golpeo t golpeas l/ella/usted golpea nosotros/-as golpeamos vosotros/-as golpeis ellos/ellas/ ustedes golpean
Quiero golpearlo! I want to hit him! Yo le golpeo en la barriga. I am hitting him in the tummy.
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Mis profesores golpean sus bicicletas con almohadas. My professors hit their bikes with pillows.
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Bob: Te presento a Debbie. (Let me introduce you to Debbie). Esa pobre mujer prefiere escribir en sillas y no en papel (That pitiful lady prefers to write on chairs and not on paper.) Su hija le encanta patear computadoras (Her daughter likes to kick computers).
Lola: Hahaha..that is so funny! Bob: That is Linda. Es una msica gorda y le gusta comer en restaurantes (She is a fat musican and loves to eat at restaurants). Siempre tiene hambre y ordena mil tazas de sopas (she is always hungry and orders a thousand cups of soup).
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Bob: Yes and her brother, Calvin, is another crazy one. He has many weird pets. Su perro mascota siempre agrega un poco de sal y pimienta en su cena. (His pet dog always adds a little salt and pepper to its dinner). Calvin pide frecuentemente sus compaeros de clase duchar su oso mascota con champ y jabn (Calvin frequently asks his classmates to shower his pet bear with shampoo and soap).
Sr. Nube: Qu raro! (Thats weird!) Lola: He has a pet bear? That is insane. Bob: Calvin has even built a tiny theatre for his pet flies. El diminuto teatro est no lleno con personas pero con moscas. (The theater is not full with people but with flies.).
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Sra. Nube: Ven una pelcula. (They are watching a movie) Sr. Nube: Look! Calvin is being attack by monkeys. Esos monos comen su comida. (Those monkeys are eating his food).
Bob: Those monkeys are his pets too. Sra. Nube: Es tan extrao. (He is so strange) Lola: He should just live in the zoo!
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Professions
Profession actor baker dentist doctor driver farmer firefighter florist librarian nurse singer waiter writer Profesin (male) actor panadero dentista mdico conductor agricultor bombero florista bibliotecario enfermero cantante camarero escritor Profesin (female) actriz panadera dentista mdica conductora agricultora bombera florista bibliotecaria enfermera cantante camarera escritora
Food
butter ice cream watermelon broccoli cabbage carrot onion tomato chicken sausage turkey steak rice pizza cake beer la mantequilla el helado la sanda el brcol la col la zanahoria la cebolla el tomate el pollo la salchicha el pavo el bistec el arroz la pizza el pastel la cerveza cheese grape vegetables potato cucumber lettuce spinach beef duck ham lamb pork noodles spaghetti juice wine
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el queso la uva las verduras la patata el pepino la lechuga la espinaca la ternera el pato el jamn el cordero el cerdo los fideos los espaguetis el zumo el vino
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Prepositions Con
con means with Me gusta el caf con una cucharilla de azcar. Sofia corta el pan con un cuchillo. I like coffee with one spoon of sugar Sofia cuts the bread with a knife
Con means to or with when talking to someone Quiero hablar con el estudiante I want to talk to/with the student
Con is used with getting married Ella casarse con un hombre rico She is getting married to a rich man
Casarse means getting married but casar means marry as in the priest is marrying a couple. Use consigo instead of con when you are talking about the subject Est llevando a los libros consigo. He is taking the books with him. (llevando = present progressive tense) Sarah is living with him. (not talking about the subject, use con and preposition pronoun)
Sino = rather, on the contrary l no es estpido, sino demasiado inteligente He is not stupid, on the contrary he is too intelligent
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Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns
Masculine singular El Mo El Tuyo El Suyo Feminine singular La Ma La Tuya La Suya Masculine plural (or mixed gender) Los Mos Los Tuyos Los Suyos Los Nuestros Los Vuestros Los Suyos Feminine plural Las Mas Las Tuyas Las Suyas Las Nuestras Las Vuestras Las Suyas
Mine Yours Yours formal, his, hers ,its Ours Yours (you all) Yours (you all formal), theirs
Remember we have talked about short form possessive adjectives? (my, your, our, etc). They are placed before nouns. Now we shall talk about long forms of possessive adjectives which are placed after the nouns. Sometimes, possessive pronouns act as long forms of possessive adjectives. Long forms of possessive adjectives / Possessive pronouns acting as adjectives
Masculine singular Mo Tuyo Suyo Nuestro Vuestro Suyo Feminine singular Ma Tuya Suya Nuestra Vuestra Suya Masculine plural (or mixed gender) Mos Tuyos Suyos Nuestros Vuestros Suyos Feminine plural Mas Tuyas Suyas Nuestras Vuestras Suyas
My Your Your formal, his, her ,its Our Your (you all) Your (you all formal), their
John lee libro suyo. John reads his book Llevan bolsas suyas. They carry their bags
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Lets analyze these sentences el abrigo suyo = the coat is hers hers is an adjective, hers is linked to a noun coat ste es suyo = This is hers hers is a pronoun, no noun is stated and you can add coat to form this is her coat Sarah talking to David: Es este asiento tuyo? (Is this seat yours?) yours is an adjective, yours is linked to a noun seat Sarah talking to David: No quiero usar el tuyo. (I dont want to use yours.) yours is a pronoun, no noun is linked to your, add seat to form I dont want to use your seat Guidelines 1) Is it a pronoun or an adjective? 2) Is it mine, yours, hers, his, its, ours, theirs? 3) Is it a singular/plural, masculine/feminine noun(s)? 4) Is the verb ser placed before the possessive pronoun? If yes, remove el, los, la, las. Note that possessive pronouns must agree in the quantity and gender of the noun that is being modified (NOT the person/people) Example 1 De quin son los boletos? Whose tickets are these?
Answer: These tickets are theirs
Using short form possessive adjectives = Estos son sus boletos Using long form possessive adjectives = Estos son boletos suyos
Answer: These are ours. 114
Pronoun, ours, plural masculine, ser is before ours = stos son nuestros
Answer: Ours are here
Pronoun, ours, plural masculine, not using ser = los nuestros estn aqu
Answer: Ours are with Paul
Pronoun, ours, plural masculine, ser is not before ours = los nuestros son con Paul Example 2 Paul and Bob pointing to a magazine (una revista).
They say: The magazine is ours
Using short form possessive adjectives = es nuestra revista Using long form possessive adjectives = es revista nuestra
They say: That is ours
Pronoun, ours, singular masculine, not using ser = La nuestra est en casa. Note that suyos can mean theirs or his/hers/yours, so to avoid confusion you can say Estos boletos son de ellos (these tickets are theirs) El abrigo es de ella. The coat is hers. El carro grande es de l. The big car is his.
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Reflective Pronouns
myself yourself himself, herself, itself yourself (formal), se ourselves yourselves themselves, yourselves (formal) se
me
te
nos
os
Attach reflective pronouns to the verbs especially if there is to or can or must tienes que amarte (attach te to amar) = you have to love yourself debemos respetarnos = we must respect ourselves (attach nos to respetar) la historia puede repetirse = history can repeat itself (attach se to repetir) los agricultores quieren golpearse = the farmers want to hit themselves (attach se to golpear)
Reflective pronouns are always used with reflective verbs. Reflective verbs usually have se attached to the verbs as shown below. Paul lava su carro. Paul se lava la cara. Paul washes his car. Paul washes his face.
Note: As mentioned previously, when referring to body parts, use the definite article, so "la cara" not "su cara.
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Duchar = to shower yo ducho t duchas l/ella/usted ducha nosotros/as duchamos vosotros/as duchis ellos/ellas/ ustedes duchan
Ellos duchan las plantas con agua Ducharse= to shower oneself yo me ducho t te duchas
l/ella/usted se ducha
vosotros/as os duchis
Bob se ducha. Ellos se duchan una vez a la semana. Baar = to bathe yo bao t baas l/ella/usted baa
nosotros/as baamos
vosotros/as bais
ellos/ellas/ustedes baan
l/ella/usted se baa
vosotros/as os bais
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Lavar = to wash yo lavo t lavas l/ella/usted lava nosotros/as lavamos vosotros/as lavis ellos/ellas/ ustedes lavan
Lavan los platos Lavamos las ventanas Lavarse = to wash oneself yo me lavo t te lavas
l/ella/usted se lava
vosotros/as os lavis
Me lavo la cabeza
Wash my head (la cabeza = the head, do not say mi cabeza) Sofia washes her face. (la cara = the face)
Me lavo los dientes y me cepillo el cabello. Brush my teeth and brush my hair. Vivir = To live yo vivo t vives l/ella/usted vive nosotros/as vivimos vosotros/as vivs ellos/ellas/ ustedes viven
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Ordenar = To order yo ordeno t ordenas l/ella/usted ordena nosotros/as ordenamos vosotros/as ordenis ellos/ellas/ ustedes ordenan
l/ella/usted nosotros/-as
consigues consigue
l/ella/usted agrega
nosotros/as agregamos
vosotros/as agregis
Agrego el dinero juntos Agregan las carreteras a la autopista Preferir = To prefer yo prefiero t prefieres l/ella/usted prefiere
I add the money together They are adding roads to the highway.
nosotros/as preferimos
vosotros/as prefers
I prefer the blue dress. We prefer coffee to tea. (We prefer the coffee to the tea, a + el = al)
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Escribir = to write yo escribo t escribes l/ella/usted escribe nosotros/as escribimos vosotros/as escribs ellos/ellas/ ustedes escriben
The teacher wants the boys to write the answer. El profesor quiere los chicos escribir la respuesta. Patear = To kick yo pateo t pateas l/ella/usted patea nosotros/as pateamos vosotros/as pateis ellos/ellas/ ustedes patean
Pateamos las piedras. El mesero patea la oveja en el dormitorio. Cocinar = to cook yo cocino t cocinas l/ella/usted cocina
We kick the stones. The waiter kicks the sheep in the bedroom
nosotros/as cocinamos
vosotros/-as cocinis
Fred cocina muy bien. Fred cooks very well. El elefante cocina su almuerzo en el avin. The elephant cooks its lunch in the plane.
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Preparar = to prepare yo preparo t prepares l/ella/usted prepara nosotros/as preparamos vosotros/as preparis ellos/ellas/ ustedes preparan
Comer = to eat yo como t comes l/ella/usted come nosotros/as comemos vosotros/as comis ellos/ellas/ ustedes comen
En el restaurante, esa nia come un pescado y un pollo para desayuno. In the restaurant, that child eats a fish and a chicken for breakfast.
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l/ella/usted desayuna
They are having lunch in the dining room. Cenar (verb) = to have dinner
l/ella/usted cena
nosotros/as cenamos
vosotros/as cenis
Contar = to count (to count, relate, tell) yo cuento t cuentas l/ella/usted cuenta nosotros/as contamos vosotros/as contis ellos/ellas/ ustedes cuentan
Ella cuenta con sus dedos El camarero cuenta sus propinas. y = plus (+) dividido por = divided by ()
She is counting on her fingers. The waiter counts his tips. por = times (x) son = equals (=)
Amar = to love yo amo t amas l/ella/usted ama nosotros/-as amamos vosotros/-as ellos/ellas/ ustedes amis aman
If a noun is placed after the verb gustar, the verb will change accordingly. I love the book = Me gusta el libro me because of I Gusta because of the book = see under le is the verb gusta I love the books = me gustan los libros me because of I Gustan because of the books = see under les is the verb gustan Mi hermano le gusta dibujar vacas y toros (My brother loves to draw cows and bulls) le because of brother gusta because of drawing under le
Margaret no le gusta cocinar. (Margaret doesn't like to cook.) le because of Margret gusta beacause of cooking under le
Consider the sentence as cooking does not pleases Margaret. (It does not pleases Margaret) Put the preposition a in front of the pronoun to stress on the person that you are talking about. After a should be a preposition pronoun. A m me gusta nadir A Bob le gusta bailar A ti te gusta cenar Use to instead of ing Sarah le gusta escribir Te gusta trabajar Sarah likes to write. (instead of he/she likes writing) You like to work. (instead of you like working) I love to swim (focus on me) Bob loves to dance (focus on Bob) You like to eat dinner (focus on you)
Avoid using gustar to talk about liking people Me gusta Sr. Nube, = I like Mr. Nube so much that I would consider dating him (Yuckkk!!!!) If you like Mr. Nube as a friend, use Sr. Nube me cae bien Me gustara means what you would like to do now or in the future Qu le gustara comer? Me gustara ganar mucho dinero What would you like to eat? I would like to earn a lot of money
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Encantar = to like I yo me encanto you t te encantas he/she/yo u (formal) l/ella/ usted le encanta we nosotros/as nos encantamos you all vosotros/as os encantis they/they/ you all (formal) ellos/ellas/ ustedes les encantan
Similarly, if a noun is placed after the verb encantar, the verb will change accordingly. A las nias les encantan las mesas. (The girls like the tables, the tables pleases the girls) Les because of the girls encantan because of the tables Nos encanta este lugar. (We like this place, the place pleases us) Nos because of we encanta because of the place
Me encanta estudiar ingls (I love to study English, studying English pleases me) Me because of I encanta because of studying
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in the end
after a long and exciting day, Sr. Nube, Sra. Nube and Lola went home. Petro: Hola! All of you are back together.
Sr. Nube: Indeed. I met your mum and your sister while visiting my friends. Sra. Nube: Ya and I almost got a heart attack. Petro: Heart attack? What happened? Lola: We saw all kinds of crazy people, animals and even vegetables! Petro: What? Sra. Nube: Dancing vegetables, a boy that keeps a bear as his pet. There are too many things to say.
Sr. Nube: Hey! Why not you, yes you, the reader of this book tell Petro what happened today in Spanish? Sra. Nube: Share it with Petro in Spanish and share it with your friends too. I bet you they will be amazed!
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Acknowledgments
I would like to thank all the editors and illustrators for all the hard work. I would also like to thank the following websites for their wonderful pictures. Muchas Gracias. Copyright Free Images DG Boyz Design Free Digital Photos Open Clipart Library Public Domain Photos www.copyright-free-images.com www.dgboyz.com www.freedigitalphotos.net www.openclipart.org www.public-domain-photos.com
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