Saturday 31 March 2012

Shopping For Stationary

Introduction


This post deals with shopping in general, and more specifically with shopping for stationary.





SCENARIO


Imagine you are shopping for stationary. After exchanging customary greetings, the shop assistant decides to say to you something like: "can I help you/ how can I help you/ what can I do for you?"

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and say:
¿Qué deseas?

Alternatively, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:
¿Que desea (usted)?


OUR TIP

The question in Spanish is an invitation for you to say what you want/ what you are after. Answering that question should be quite straightforward and depends mainly on what you are looking for.


Maybe you are looking for:
  • Material to write on;
  • Writing implements;
  • Office utensils;
  • Office consumables;

Here are some examples of how you could say what you want/ are looking for:
  • Quería un cuaderno de papel rayado (I would like a lined writing pad);
  • Quería un lápiz (I would like a pencil);
  • Quería una caja de lápices de colores (I would like a box of coloured pencils);
  • Quería un bolígrafo (I would like a ballpoint pen);
  • Quería un tubo de pegamento (I would like a tube of glue);
  • Quería un rollo de cinta adhesiva (I would like a roll of sticky tape);
  • Quería una grapadora (I would like a stapler);
  • Quería una caja de grapas (I would like a box of staples);
  • Quería una caja de 'clips' (I would like a box of paperclips);
  • Quería una carpeta (I would like a folder/ file);
  • Quería una papelera (I would like a waste-paper basket);

Now you should practice answering the question:
¿Qué desea (usted)?

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Friday 30 March 2012

Tell Me, Is "fama" Feminine?

Introduction

This post deals with the gender of nouns. There are some patterns which when spotted can help us recognise the gender of Spanish nouns. This post looks at those patterns in general. More specifically, this post looks at the gender of Spanish nouns ending in -a, for example “fama”.




SCENARIO


Imagine you are talking to a relative, a friend or a colleague. Maybe you are studying Spanish together. The other person appears to have a doubt about the gender of a Spanish noun and says to you something like: "tell me, is “fama” a masculine or feminine word?".

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and say:
Dime, ¿es “fama” masculino o femenino?

On the other hand, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:
Dígame, ¿es “fama” masculino o femenino?


OUR TIP

The question is an invitation for you to state the gender of a Spanish noun. When you state the gender of a Spanish noun, you DO NOT need to be concerned about the level of formality in the other person's question.


Remember that Spanish nouns ending in -a are usually feminine. However, don't forget to use this rule with some caution, because there are a some notable exceptions, i.e.: nouns ending in -a, which are masculine -see grammar below*.


Fortunately, “fama” is not one of the exceptions. So, with that in mind, perhaps you could say that “fama” is a feminine noun, e.g.:
  • fama” es femenino* (“fama” is a feminine noun)


If instead of “fama” you were asked about a noun whose gender you didn't know, you could say:
  • No si es masculino o femenino* (I don't know whether it is masculine or feminine noun).

Now you should practice replying to someone who says to you:

Dime, ¿es “fama” masculino o femenino?

*Please see grammar below

Grammar-The Gender of Nouns
What follows are some tips to help you establish the gender of Spanish nouns:

A large number of Spanish nouns end in -o. Most of those nouns are masculine. Some examples of masculine nouns ending in -o:
  • El camino (the way)
  • El carro (the cart/ car)
  • El chopo (the poplar)




Caution: there are also feminine nouns ending in -o, e.g.:
  • La radio (the radio)
  • La mano (the hand)
  • La foto (the photo)
  • La moto (the motorbike)


A large number of Spanish nouns end in -a. Most of those nouns are feminine. Some examples of feminine nouns ending in -a are:
  • La casa (the house)
  • La dama (the lady)
  • La ropa (the clothes)


Caution: there are also masculine nouns anding in -a, e.g.:
  • El día (the day)
  • El tema (the theme)
  • El sistema (the system)
  • El problema (the problem)
  • El teorema (the theorem)

Spanish nouns ending in -aje are usually masculine. Some examples of nouns in this group are:
  • El equipaje (the luggage)
  • El paisaje (the scenery)
  • El garaje (the garage)

Spanish nouns ending in -dad are usually feminine. Some examples of feminine nouns ending in -dad are:
  • La felicidad (the happiness)
  • La caridad (the charity)
  • La personalidad (the personality)

Spanish nouns ending in -ión are usually feminine. Some examples of feminine nouns in ending in -ión are:
  • La canción (the song)
  • La oración (the prayer)
  • La producción (the production)

Caution: there are also masculine nouns ending in -ión, e.g.:
  • El camión (the lorry)
  • El chirrrión (the chariot)

Spanish nouns ending in -tad are usually feminine. Some examples of feminine nouns ending in -tad are:
  • La libertad (the freedom)
  • La lealtad (the loyalty)
  • La amistad (the friendship)

Spanish nouns ending in -tudud are usually feminine. Some examples of feminine nouns ending in -tudud are:
  • La juventud (the youth)
  • La exactitud (the precision)
  • La pulcritud (the neatness)
  • La salud (the health)


Caution: there are also masculine nouns ending in -ud, e.g.:
  • El alud (the avalanche)
  • El ataúd (the coffin)
  • El talud (the incline)

Spanish nouns ending in -umbre are usually feminine. Some examples of feminine nouns ending in -umbre are:
  • La costumbre (the habit)
  • La legumbre (the legume)
  • La pesadumbre (the grief/ sorrow)

Caution: there are also masculine nouns ending in -umbre, e.g.:
  • El alumbre (the alum)
  • El deslumbre (the dazzling)
  • El cazumbre (a type of rope)


Many Spanish nouns end in -e. The gender of nouns in this group doesn't follow a specific pattern.
Some examples of feminine nouns in this group are:
  • La carne (the meat)
  • La parte (the part)
  • La nieve (the snow)

  • El aceite (the oil)
  • El bloque (the block)
  • El cacahuete (the peanut)
  • El carné (the identity card)

Spanish nouns ending in -er are usually masculine. Some examples of masculine nouns ending in -er are:
  • El géiser (the geyser)
  • El ayer (the past)
  • El éter (ether)

Caution: an example of a feminine noun ending in -er is:
  • La mujer (the woman)

Note
*Most Spanish words ending in -er are action words/ verbs. For example, “saber” (to know). I would like to draw your attention to the use in English of the gerund as a noun (the gerund subject/ object), in this example, knowing. Please note that in Spanish, we don't use the present participle/ gerund in such cases. In Spanish, it is the infinitive (“saber”) which is used instead. The gender of such gerund subjects/ objects in Spanish is usually masculine (“el saber”). For example: knowing is good = el saber es bueno.


Spanish nouns ending in -or are usually masculine. Some examples of masculine nouns ending in -or are:
  • El sudor (sweat)
  • El pavor (terror)
  • El calor(the heat)

Caution: an example of a feminine noun ending in -or is:
  • La labor (work)

Note

*The Spanish noun “calor” is sometimes used as a feminine noun. For example, some people may say: “Hace una calor insoportable”.







Spanish nouns which end in -trizare usually feminine. Some examples of feminine nouns ending in -triz are:
  • La actriz (the actress)
  • La emperatriz (the empress)
  • La cicatriz (the scar)

Note


*Many of these are the feminine form of certain nouns ending in -or, such as actoremperadordirectormotor, etc..





Now you should practise using the gender of nouns with some examples of your own.

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Thursday 29 March 2012

Maletero


Today's WOTD is: "maletero" = boot/ trunk

In Spanish, the noun "maletero" is a masculine noun of French origin, the meaning of which is boot/ trunk. The noun “maletero” is also used to refer to a luggage porter.

An example of the use of the word "maletero" is:
  • No cabe nada más en el maletero (there is no room for anything else in the car boot/ trunk).
  • Hoy en día no quedan maleteros en las estaciones ferrocarril (nowadays there aren't any porters left at railway stations).


Love-Spanish.com loves the word "maletero" in the YouTube clip: Maletero tubo escape-Nachy

For more on the word "maletero", visit: Wordreference.com/es/en/ Maletero



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Wednesday 28 March 2012

Booking A Hotel Room

Introduction


This post deals with shopping in general, and more specifically with shopping for/ booking a hotel room.





SCENARIO
Imagine you are trying to book a hotel room. Maybe you are in one of the following situations:
  1. You are on the phone to reservations in a hotel
  2. You are at the front desk in a hotel.
After exchanging customary greetings, the hotel agent decides to say to you something like: "can I help you/ how can I help you/ what can I do for you?"

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and say:
¿Qué deseas?

Alternatively, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:
¿Que desea (usted)?


OUR TIP

The question is an invitation for you to say what you want/ what you are after. When stating what you want, you DO NOT need to be concerned about the level of formality in the other person's question. Your main concern should be about communicating the details of what you want. Perhaps you want to say that what you want/ you are looking for is:
  • A room (unspecified type);
  • A specific type of room;
  • A room (for a number of people);
  • A room (for a given date);
  • A room (for a given number of nights);
  • A room (with specific facilities/ features);

Here are some examples of how you could reply:
  • Quería una habitación (I would like a room);
  • Quería dos habitaciones (I would like two rooms);
  • Quería una habitación individual (I would like a single room);
  • Quería una habitación doble (I would like a double room);
  • Quería una habitación con cama de matrimonio (I would like a room with a double bed);
  • Quería una habitación con dos camas individuales (I would like a twin room)
  • Quería una habitación para el día tres de julio (I would like a room for the 3rd of July);
  • Quería una habitación para dos noches (I would like a room for two nights);
  • Quería una habitación con vista al mar (I would like a room a a sea view)

Now you should practice answering the question:
¿Qué desea (usted)?


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:

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© Copyright 2012 Love-Spanish.com. by Jose M González. All Rights Reserved.