Friday 23 December 2011

What Is Your Home Like?

Introduction


This post deals with describing things in general, and in particular, describing a home.







SCENARIO


Imagine you are talking to a relative, a friend or a work colleague. You are talking about where you live. The other person wants to know about your home and say to you: "what is your home like?". 

The other person could choose to be less formal and say:
¿Cómo es tu casa?

Alternatively, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:
¿Cómo es su casa?


OUR TIP


Answering that question should be quite straight forward. You should NOT need to consider more formal or less formal replies. Just say something about your home.


Perhaps you want to mention:
  • The size of your home.
  • The features and facilities in your home.
  • The location of your home.

Here are some examples of how you could describe your home:
  • Mi casa es bastante grande  (my home is quite big).
  • Mi casa es muy pequeña  (my home is very small).
  • Mi casa es pequeña pero es muy bonita y acogedora (my home is small but nice and cosy).
  • Mi  casa es moderna y espaciosa (my home is modern and roomy).
  • Mi  casa está completamente amueblada (my is fully furnished).
  • Mi  casa tiene aire acondicionado y calefacción central (my home has air conditioning and central heating).
  • Mi  casa tiene tres dormitorios, sala/ comedor, cocina y cuarto de baño (my home has three bedrooms, living/ dining room, kitchen and bathroom).
  • Mi  casa tiene un dormitorio pequeño y dos grandes (my home has one small and two large bedrooms).
  • Las puertas de mi casa son de madera (my home's doors are made of wood).
  • Las ventanas de mi casa tienen doble cristal (my home's windows are double glazed).
  • El piso de mi casa es de parqué (my home has parquet flooring).
  • Mi  casa está en un lugar muy tranquilo (my home is in a very quiet spot).
  • Mi casa está muy bien comunicada (my home is very well communicated/ handy for public transport).
  • Mi  casa está muy cerca de mi trabajo (my home is very near my workplace).
  • Mi casa está al lado de la playa (my home is by the beach).


Notes


See further practical examples of describing places/ people/ etc.





Now you should practise answering the question:
¿Cómo es tu casa?

Spanish lessons online
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Thursday 22 December 2011

Tell Me, What Game Would You Prefer We Played?

SCENARIO
Imagine you are talking about games/ sports with a relative, a friend or a colleague.  Maybe you are trying to choose a game to play together/ against each other. The other person wants you to name your preferred choice and decides to say to you: "tell me, what game would you prefer we played?".

 He/ she could choose to be less formal and say to you:
Dime, ¿a qué preferirías que jugásemos?

Alternatively, he/ she could choose to more formal and say to you:
Dígame (usted), ¿a qué preferiría que jugásemos?



OUR TIP
You DO NOT need be concerned about the degree of formality in what your relative/ friend/ colleague says to you. Whether the other person uses a more/ less formal register is irrelevant to most choices of reply.

Basically, your answer depends on what you want say about your game preferences. Perhaps you want to say that:
  • You personally prefer playing a particular game.
  • You personally would prefer playing a particular game.
  • You prefer that you both play a particular game.
  • You would prefer that you both played a particular game.

Here are some examples which deal with those basic possibilities:
  • Prefiero jugar a tenis (I prefer playing tennis).
  • Preferiría jugar a tenis (I would prefer playing tennis).
  • Prefiero que juguemos a tenis* (I prefer we play tennis).
  • Preferiría que jugásemos a tenis(*) (I would prefer we played tennis).

Now you should practice answering the question:
Dime, ¿a qué preferirías que jugásemos?

*/ (*)Please see grammar below


Grammar-Subjunctive
1) Please note tthe use of the present subjunctive in the following typical expressions of preferences using the verb 'preferir':
  • "I prefer <you to do something>".
  • "I prefer <him/ her/ it to do something>".
  • "I prefer <us to do something>".
  • "I prefer <you-plural to do something>".
  • "I prefer <them to do something>".
  • "I prefer <something to happen>".

In order to express these in Spanish, you could use:
  • "prefiero que <presente de subjuntivo>... " 

Some examples of this use of the present subjunctive are:
  • Prefiero que haga sol (I would prefer it to be sunny).
  • Prefiero que no vayas a Madrid (I would prefer you not to go to Madrid).
  • Prefiero que Pedro  me llame por teléfono (I would prefer Pedro to phone me).
  • Prefiero que vayamos a la playa (I would prefer us to go to the beach).
  • Prefiero que me escribáis (I would prefer you-plural to write to me).
  • Prefiero que mis amigos me llamen por teléfono (I would prefer my friends to phone me).

2) Please note also the use the imperfect subjunctive in the following typical expressions of preferences using the verb 'preferir':
  • "I would prefer <you to do something>".
  • "I would prefer <him/ her/ it to do something>".
  • "I would prefer <us to do something>".
  • "I would prefer <you-plural to do something>".
  • "I would prefer <them to do something>".
  • "I would prefer <something to happen>".

In order to express these in Spanish, you could use:
  • "prefiería que <imperfecto de subjuntivo>... " 

Some examples of this use of the imperfect subjunctive are:
  • Preferiría que hiciese sol (I would prefer it to be sunny).
  • Preferiría que no fueses a Madrid (I would prefer you not to go to Madrid).
  • Preferiría que Pedro  me llamase por teléfono (I would prefer Pedro to phone me).
  • Preferiría que fuésemos a la playa (I would prefer us to go to the beach).
  • Preferiría que me escribierais (I would prefer you-plural to write to me).
  • Preferiría que mis amigos me llamasen por teléfono (I would prefer my friends to phone me).

Now you should practice this type of use of the subjunctive with some sentences of your own.

This is another Free online Spanish lesson from Love-Spanish.com. We conduct lessons online on this and many other topics using the latest video conferencing facilities. Online lessons are the ideal way to improve listening and speaking skills. For more details on our lessons online and how to book them, please visit:

© Copyright 2011 Love-Spanish.com. by JM González. All Rights Reserved

Wednesday 21 December 2011

Labio

Today's WOTD is: 'labio' = lip

In Spanish, the noun 'labio' is a masculine noun of Latin origin, the main meaning of which is lip. The noun 'labio' is often used in its plural form, 'labios'.

 Some commonly used expressions containing the word 'labio' in them are:
  • Barra de labios (lipstick).
  • Labio leporino (cleft lip/ harelip).
  • Labios agrietados (chapped lips).
  • Labios resecos (dry/ chapped lips).
  • Labio superior (upper lip)*.
  • Lápiz de labios (lipstick).
  • Leer los labios (to lip-read).
  • Morderse los labios (to bite one's lip/ a sign of suppressed emotion?).
  • No descoser los labios (to be quiet/ not speaking).
  • No despegar los labios (to be quiet/ not speaking).
  • No salir ni una palabra de los labios de alguien (not to utter a single word).
  • Pintalabios (lipstick).
  • Sin despegar los labios (without uttering a single word).
*NB The expression 'labio superior' should not be used to describe a person described in English as having a stiff upper lip.

Examples of the use of the word 'labio' are:
  • Me gusta el color de esa barra de labios (I like the colour of that lipstick).
  • El labio leporino es un defecto congénito (cleft lip is a congenital deformity).
  • Necesito una crema para labios agrietados y resecos (I need a cream for chapped lips).
  • Lápiz de labios, el accesorio indispensable (lipstick, the must have accessory).
  • ¿No te gustaría aprender a leer los labios? (would you not like to learn lip-reading?).
  • Morderse los labios es una señal de ansiedad (biting your lip is a sign of anxiety).
  • Pedro no despegó los labios (Pedro remained silent).
  • De tus labios no salió ni una palabra (you didn't utter a single word).
  • ¿Ese pintalabios es tuyo? (is that lipstick yours?).
  • Ni despegaste los labios (you didn't utter a single word).

Love-Spanish.com loves the word 'labio' in the follwing YouTube clip: Maná - Labios Compartidos (Video Oficial)
 
For more on the word 'labio', visit: Wordreference.com/es/en/ Labio
 
*NB 'Click' on the speaker icon next to the word “labio” in the link to hear the word pronounced.


This is another Free online Spanish lesson from Love-Spanish.com. We conduct lessons online on this and many other topics using the latest video conferencing facilities. Online lessons are the ideal way to improve listening and speaking skills. For more details on our lessons online and how to book them, please visit:

 
For more Free Spanish:
Follow us on:
Twitter: @LoveSpanish_com
Facebook: Facebook.com/ Love.Spanish
© Copyright 2011 Love-Spanish.com. by Jose M González. All Rights Reserved.

Tuesday 20 December 2011

What Is Your Town Like?

Introduction


This post deals with describing a town/ a place.







SCENARIO


Imagine you are talking to a relative, a friend or a work colleague. You start talking about the town where you come from. The other person knows nothing about it and says to you: what is your home town like. 

The other person could choose to be less formal and say:
¿Cómo es tu pueblo?*

Alternatively, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:
¿Cómo es su pueblo?*




OUR TIP

Answering that question should be quite straight forward. You should NOT need to consider more formal or less formal replies. Just say something about your town.


Perhaps you want to mention:
  • Its name.
  • Its location.
  • Its size (big/ small/ its population).
  • Its history/ anything the town is known for.
  • Any features (old church/ historic sites/  etc.)
  • Whether it is clean/ dirty, noisy/ quite, etc..


Here are some examples of what you could say about your town:
  • Mi pueblo se llama Escairón (my town is Escairón).
  • Escairón es un pueblo de Galicia (Escairón is a town in Galicia, Spain). 
  • Mi pueblo es bastante grande (my town is quite big).
  • Escairón es muy pequeño (Escairón is very small).
  • Escairón tiene unos mil habitantes (my town has about 1000 inhabitants).
  • Mi pueblo es muy antiguo (my town is very old).
  • Mi pueblo es famoso por sus fiestas (my town is famous for its 'fiestas').
  • Mi pueblo tiene una iglesia románica (my town has a Romanesque church).
  • Mi pueblo tiene una playa muy limpia y bonita (my town has a very clean and picturesque beach).
  • Mi pueblo es moderno y muy limpio (my town is modern and very clean).
  • Mi pueblo es muy tranquilo (my town is a very quiet).
  • Mi pueblo es muy alegre y bullicioso (literally: my town is very 'happy and noisy'- my town has a cheerful bustling/ bubbly/ lively atmosphere).
  • En mi pueblo hay un supermercado, un banco y una farmacia (there is a supermarket, a bank and a chemist in my town).

*Notes
A similar question could be used in the slightly different scenario in which the subject of conversation is the neighbourhood in which you live. See a post dealing describing your neighbourhood -barrio.

See further practical examples of describing people and places.



Now you should practise answering the question:
¿Cómo es tu pueblo?

Spanish lessons online
Skype/ Google+ Hangout/ Facetime
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© Copyright 2011 Love-Spanish.com. by Jose M González. All Rights Reserved.

Monday 19 December 2011

Tell Me, What Would You Rather Do?

SCENARIO
Imagine you are discussing joint activities with a relative, a friend or a colleague. For some reason, you may be failing to make much progress.  The other person may feel the need to ask you to concentrate on identifying your preference. The other person wants you to tell him/ her "what you would prefer doing".

He/ she could choose to be less formal and say to you:
Dime, ¿qué preferirías hacer?

Alternatively, he/ she could choose to more formal and say to you:
Dígame, ¿qué preferiría hacer (usted)?



OUR TIP
You DO NOT need be concerned about the degree of formality in what your relative/ friend/ colleague says to you. Whether the other person uses a more/ less formal register is irrelevant to your choice of reply. 

Situations like this one invite answers which should include a 'conditional' tense. There is 'conditional' verb in the request, which should be reflected in the reply. Basically, your answer depends on what you want to say about your preferences. Maybe you want to say that your preference is:
  • Doing something (unconditional).
  • Doing something (on some condition -real possibility).
  • Doing something (on some condition - only probable possibility).
  • Doing something (on some condition - impossible condition).

Here some examples which deal with those basic possibilities:
  • Preferiría ir de compras (I would rather go shopping)-unconditional.
  • Preferiría ir de compras si no llueve (I would rather go shopping if it does not rain)-Real possibility.
  • Preferiría ir de compras si no lloviese (I would rather go shopping if it did not rain)-only probable posibility*.
  • Hubiera preferirido haber ido de compras si no hubiese llovido (I would have preferred to have gone shopping if it had not rained)-impossible condition*

Now you should practice answering the question:
Dime, ¿qué preferirías hacer?

*Please see grammar below


Grammar-Subjunctive
Please note that this form of expressing your preferences is a typical example of the use of conditional and subjunctive:
  • "I would rather <do something> if  <something happened>".
  • "I would have preferred <to have done something> if  <something had happened>".
  • "I would prefer <doing something> if  <someone did something>".
  • "I would have preferred <to have done something> if  <someone had done something>"

Please note also that the order could also be changed to:
  • "If  <something happened>, I would rather <do something>".
  • "If  <something had happened>, I would have preferred <to have done something>".
  • "If  <someone did something>, I would prefer <doing something>".
  • "If  <someone had done something>, I would have preferred < to have done something>".

In order to express this in Spanish, you could use:
  • "si <imperfecto de subjuntivo>..., preferiría... "
  • "si <pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo>..., preferiría... "
  • "preferiría..., si <imperfecto de subjuntivo>... " 
  • "preferiría..., si <pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo>... "  

Some examples of imperfect subjunctive and conditional are:
  • Si hiciese sol, preferiría ir a la playa (if it was sunny, I would rather go to the beach).
  • Si hubiese hecho sol, habría preferido haber ido a la playa (if it had been sunny, I would have preferred to have gone to the beach).
  • Preferiría llamarte, si me dieses tu número de teléfono (I would prefer to call you if you gave me your telephone number).
  • Preferiría haberte llamado, si me hubieses dado tu número de teléfono (I would have preferred to have called you if you had given me your telephone number).

Now you should practise conditional and subjunctive expressions of this type of your own.


This is another Free online Spanish lesson from Love-Spanish.com. We conduct lessons online on this and many other topics using the latest video conferencing facilities. Online lessons are the ideal way to improve listening and speaking skills. For more details on our lessons online and how to book them, please visit:

For more Free Spanish:
Follow us on:
Twitter: @LoveSpanish_com
© Copyright 2011 Love-Spanish.com. by Jose M González. All Rights Reserved

Sunday 18 December 2011

Dedo

Today's WOTD is: 'dedo' = finger

In Spanish, the noun 'dedo' is a masculine noun of Latin origin, the main meaning of which is finger. The Spanish noun 'dedo' may also be used to refer to a:
  • A toe* 
  • A finger/ toe of an animal.
  • A small amount of drink (ususally a spirit) in a glass. 
*NB In Spanish we don't have separate words/ nouns for fingers and toes. Fingers are referred to as 'dedos de la mano' and toes as  'dedos del pie'.

 Some commonly used expressions containing the word 'dedo' in them are:
  • A dedo (hitchhiking - in travel).
  • A dedo (undemocratic form of electing someone/ hand picked).
  • Alzar el dedo (to raise a hand to indicate:
    • a wish to speak at a meeting, in the classroom, etc.
    • a nod/ agreement with a proposal in show of hands
  • Chuparse el dedo (to look naive).
  • Cogerse los dedos (to get the fingers burned).
  • Contar con los dedos (use the fingers to count or add up).
  • Contar con los dedos de la mano (to count in very small numbers).
  • Contar con los dedos de una mano (to count in very small numbers).
  • Dedo anular (ring finger - next to the pinkie).
  • Dedo auricular (little finger/ pinkie).
  • Dedo corazón (middle finger).
  • Dedo cordial (middle finger).
  • Dedo gordo (thumb).
  • Dedo índice (index finger).
  • Dedo médico (= Dedo anular/ ring finger - next to the pinkie).
  • Dedo meñique (little finger - the pinkie).
  • Dedo pulgar(*) (thumb).
  • Dedo saludador (index finger).
  • Estar para chuparse los dedos (to be really tasty/ yummy)
  • Hacer dedo (to hitchhike).
  • Levantar el dedo (= Alzar el dedo - see meaning above).
  • Levantar un dedo (to lift a finger).
  • Mamarse el dedo (= Chuparse el dedo - to look naive).
  • Mover un dedo (to lift a finger).
  • No chuparse el dedo (to be alert/ to be awake to possible deception).
  • No mamarse el dedo (to be alert/ to be awake to possible deception).
  • No tener dos dedos de frente (to be stupid).
  • Pillarse los dedos (= Cogerse los dedos - meaning as before).
  • Poner a alguien los cinco dedos en la cara (to slap somebody's face).
  • Poner el dedo en la llaga (to say something which is spot on and may hurt).
  • Ponerse el dedo en la boca (gesture inviting somebody to be quiet/ to shut up).
  • Señalar con el dedo a alguien (to point the finger at someone).
  • Yema del dedo (the tip of the finger).
(*)NB The English word inch (unit of measurement) translates into Spanish as 'pulgada'. The Spanish word/ noun 'pulgada' is related to the word 'pulgar' (thumb). A 'pulgada' is a unit of measurement linked to the length of the thumb. Please note also that the name given in Spanish to the character of children's tales Tom Thumb is 'Pulgarcito' (literally, 'little thumb').

Examples of the use of the word 'dedo' are:
  • El secretario general de ese partido siempre ha sido elegido a dedo (the General Secretary of that party has never been democratically elected but handpicked).
  • Conseguí ir de Madrid a Barcelona a dedo (I managed to get from Madrid to Barcelona hitchhiking.).
  • El que quiera café que levante el dedo (all those wanting café, please raise the hands).
  • ¿Tú qué crees, que me chupo el dedo? (do you really think I am stupid?).
  • ¡Cuidado no vayas a pillarte los dedos! (be careful! make sure you don't get your fingers burned).
  • Las ventajas de esa opción se pueden contar con los dedos de una mano (the advantages of that option are really few).
  • Ese pollo está para chuparse los dedos (that chicken is really yummy).
  • ¡Ten cuidado! a veces es peligroso hacer dedo (be careful! sometimes hitchhiking could be dangerous).
  • Pedro no movió ni un dedo para ayudarnos (Pedro didn't lift a finger to help us).
  • Hace falta no tener dos dedos de frente para hacer eso (you have to be pretty dim to do that).
  • A Ramón le pusieron los cinco dedos en la cara (Ramón had his face slapped).
  • Al acusar a María de haber mentido pusiste el dedo en la llaga (when you acused María of lying, you were spot on).
  • Señalar con el dedo es de mala educación (it is bad manners to point your finger).
  • Ponme sólo un dedo de whisky (I will have just a drop of whisky).

Love-Spanish.com loves the word 'dedo' in the follwing YouTube clip: Grupo Encanto - Pulgarcito
 
For more on the word 'dedo', visit: Wordreference.com/es/en/ Dedo
 
*NB 'Click' on the speaker icon next to the word “dedo” in the link to hear the word pronounced.


This is another Free online Spanish lesson from Love-Spanish.com. We conduct lessons online on this and many other topics using the latest video conferencing facilities. Online lessons are the ideal way to improve listening and speaking skills. For more details on our lessons online and how to book them, please visit:

 
For more Free Spanish:
Follow us on:
Twitter: @LoveSpanish_com
Facebook: Facebook.com/ Love.Spanish
© Copyright 2011 Love-Spanish.com. by Jose M González. All Rights Reserved.

Saturday 17 December 2011

See You Later!

Introduction





This post deals with saying goodbye to someone in general.





SCENARIO
Imagine you are coming to the end of a conversation with a relative, a friend or a work colleague. Alternatively, maybe you are at the end of a phone call to him/ her. It may also be the case that you have bumped into him/ her but you are not stopping to talk to each other. At this point, the other person says goodbye to you.


In Spanish, the other person could say:
¡Hasta luego!




OUR TIP

Presumably, you want to say goodbye back to him/ her. There are a wide range of expressions you could use to say goodbye. Perhaps you want to choose an expression which would be appropriate to say goodbye:


  • In the morning.
  • In the afternoon/ early evening.
  • At night.
  • At any time.

Here are some examples of how you could say goodbye:
  • ¡Adiós, buenos días! (goodbye!-use in the morning only).
  • ¡Adiós, buenas tardes! (goodbye!-use in the afternoon/ early evening only).
  • ¡Adiós, buenas noches! (goodbye!-use at night only).
  • ¡Hasta luego! (see you later!-use any time).
  • ¡Hasta la vista! (see you!-use any time).
  • ¡Hasta mañana! (see you tomorrow!-use any time).
  • ¡Hasta pronto! (see you soon!-use any time).

You could add a personal touch to each one of these expressions by appending the name of the person you are saying goodbye to at the end of each expression. Thus, if you were saying goodbye to Ramón Blanco or Laura Coral, you may want to say:
    •  ¡Adiós, buenos días, Ramón! (goodbye, Ramon-use in the morning only).
    •  ¡Adiós, buenas tardes, Laura! (goodbye, Laura-use in the afternoon/ evening only).
    • ¡Adiós, buenas noches, Ramón! (goodbye, Ramon-use at night only)
    • ¡Hasta luego, Laura! (see you later, Laura-use at any time).
    • ¡Hasta la vista, Ramón! (see you, Ramón-use any time).
    • ¡Hasta mañana, Laura! (see you tomorrow, Laura-use any time).
    • ¡Hasta pronto, Laura! (see you soon, Laura-use any time).

The above expressions are quite informal. If you wanted your expressions to be more formal, you should place a more formal title such as Don/ Doña in front of the name or Señor/ Señora in front of the surname. The resulting expressions would be:
    • ¡Adiós, buenos días, Don Ramón! (goodbye, Don Ramon-use in the morning only).
    •  ¡Adiós, buenas tardes, Doña Laura! (goodbye, Doña Laura-use in the afternoon/ evening only).
    • ¡Adiós, buenas noches, Señor Blanco! (goodbye, Mr Blanco-use at night only)
    • ¡Hasta luego, Señora Coral! (see you later, Mrs Coral-use any time).
    • ¡Hasta la vista, Don Ramón! (see you, Don Ramón-use any time).
    • ¡Hasta mañana, Doña Laura! (see you tomorrow, Doña Laura-useany time).
    • ¡Hasta pronto, Señora Coral! (see you soon, Mrs Coral-use any time).


Now you should practise saying goodbye to other people using a variety of expressions

This is another Free online Spanish lesson from Love-Spanish.com. We conduct Spanish lessons online on a wide range of topics using the latest video conferencing facilities. Online lessons are the ideal way to improve listening and speaking skills. For more details on our lessons online and how to book them, please visit:

For more Free Spanish:
Follow us on:
Twitter: @LoveSpanish_com
© Copyright 2011 Love-Spanish.com. by Jose M González. All Rights Reserved