Wednesday 30 April 2014

What Causes You Embarrassment?

Introduction


This post showcases/ highlights a typical use of the verb dar*.






SCENARIO

Imagine you are talking to a relative, a friend or a work colleague about what causes embarrassment or awkwardness.

At some point, the other person says: "what causes you embarrassment?"

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and say:
¿Qué cosas te dan apuro?

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be more formal and say:
¿Qué cosas le dan a usted apuro?


OUR TIP

Answering this question should be straightforward. Listing things which cause you to feel awkward may be sufficient. However, you may use the expression dar apuro to make your answer  more informative.


Here are some examples of how you could use that expression:
  • Me dan apuro muchas cosas (lots of things make me feel awkward/ embarrassed);
  • Me da apuro la gente mal educada (people without manners make me feel awkward/ embarrassed);
  • Me da apuro hablar con desconocidos (talking to strangers makes me feel awkward);
  • Me da apuro hablar en público (public speaking makes me feel awkward);


Now you should practise answering the question:
¿Qué cosas te dan apuro?

*See uses of verb dar below

*Verb Dar - Typical Uses/ Expressions


Dar alcance a To catch up with someone/ something
Dar apuro To cause embarrassment/ to make one feel embarrassed
Dar asco To cause nausea/ to make one feel nauseated
Dar calabazas To reject/ to give the brush off
Dar caña To hurry/ to harry/ to speed up
Dar celos To cause jealousy/ to make one feel jealous
Dar clase de To teach a subject
Dar corte To cause embarrassment/ to make one feel embarrassed
Dar cosa To cause fear/ unease/ discomfort
Dar de alta To discharge/ To give the all clear (medical)
Dar de baja To give leave (medical)
Dar de sí To be elastic/ stretchable
Dar envidia To cause envy/ make one feel envy
Dar ganas de To feel like doing something
Dar lástima To be in a sorry state/ to move someone to feel pity
Dar miedo To cause fear/ to make one feel frightened
Dar pena To cause pity/ sadness
Dar rabia To anger/ to make one mad
Dar vergüenza To cause embarrassment/ to make one feel embarrassed
Darse cita To meet/ to come together
Darse prisa To hurry up
No dar abasto To be overloaded/ To be unable to cope


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Tuesday 29 April 2014

Do You Feel Hungry?

Introduction


This post showcases/ highlights a typical use of the verb tener*.






SCENARIO

Imagine you are talking to a relative, a friend or a work colleague. You haven't eaten for a while and the other person says: "do you feel hungry?"

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

Alternatively, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:
¿Tiene usted hambre?


OUR TIP

A straightforward yes/ no answer could be sufficient. But if you wanted to be a bit more informative you could say:



  • Sí, tengo hambre (yes, I feel hungry);
  • Sí, tengo un poco de hambre (yes, I feel a little hungry);
  • Sí, tengo bastante hambre (yes, I feel quite hungry);
  • Sí, tengo mucha hambre (yes, I feel very hungry);
  • No, no tengo hambre (no, I don't feel hungry);


Now you should practise answering the question:
¿Tienes hambre?

*See uses of verb tener below

*Verb tener - Typical Uses/ Expressions

Tener calorTo feel hot
Tener celosTo feel jealousy/ to be jealous
Tener cuidadoTo be careful
Tener dolorTo feel pain/ to have an ache
Tener envidiaTo feel envy/ to be envious
Tener fiebreTo be feverish
Tener fríoTo feel cold
Tener ganas de algoTo look forward to something
Tener hambreTo feel hungry
Tener la culpaTo be at fault
Tener miedoTo feel afraid
Tener pensadoTo have in mind
Tener prisaTo be in hurry
Tener sedTo feel thirsty
Tener sueñoTo feel sleepy
Tener suerteTo be lucky
Tener tosTo have a cough
Tener xx* años/ meses/ etc.To be xx years/ months/ etc. old
Tenerle rabia a alguienTo have it in for someone

*NB Express ages by conjugating tener and replacing xx with a number. For example, I am 18 years old = tengo 18 años.

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Monday 28 April 2014

Capítulo

Today's WOTD is: "capítulo" = chapter


In Spanish, “capítulo” is a masculine noun of Latin origin, the main meaning of which is chapter, as in:
  • Estoy leyendo el primer capítulo de este libro (I am reading the first chapter of this book);

The noun “capítulo” is also often used to refer to an episode in a series of TV or radio programmes, as in:
  • Los mejores momentos del capítulo 26 de la serie de TV Isabel (the highlights of episode 26 of the TV series Isabel);

The related word “capitular” can be an action word/ verb meaning to capitulate or surrender, as in:
  • La ciudad asediada capituló (the besieged city surrendered/ capitulated);

Some Spanish expressions with the word “capítulo” are:
  • Capítulo general (general chapter);
  • Cerrar capítulo (to close/ finish/ end a chapter);
  • Ser capítulo aparte (to be something different or which is worthy of being dealt with separately);
    • Todos tenemos nuestros puntos débiles, pero Pedro es capítulo aparte (we all have our foibles, but Pedro is another matter);

Love-Spanish.com loves the word "capítulo" in the YouTube clip: Anuar Martinez - Un Capítulo Más (Canción de Graduación)

For more on the word "capítulo", visit: Wordreference.com/es/en/ Capítulo*

*NB 'Click' on the speaker icon next to the word “capítulo” in the link to hear the word pronounced.

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Saturday 26 April 2014

It Is Twenty Five Minutes To Nine

SCENARIO



Imagine a relative, a friend or a work colleague is asking you: "what time is it?"

In Spanish, the other person could say:
¿Qué hora es?



Now 'click' on the speaker icon below to listen to the other person's question.









The Time is:

The question above is an invitation for you to say what time it is.



Looking at the clock, you see the time is twenty five minutes to nine, so in Spanish you should say:


Son las nueve menos veinticinco








Now 'click' on the speaker icon below to listen to the time in Spanish.









Now you should practise answering the question:

¿Qué hora es?

If your system/ device supports it, you may use the widget below to record and listen to your answers.


Powered by Vocaroo


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Friday 25 April 2014

Do You Have A Cough?

Introduction


This post deals with a typical use of the verb tener*.





SCENARIO



Imagine you are in the doctor's surgery. Whilst examining you, the doctor says: "do you have a cough?"

In Spanish, the doctor could choose to be less formal and say:
¿Tienes tos?

Alternatively, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:
¿Tiene usted tos?


OUR TIP

A straightforward yes/ no answer could be sufficient. But if you wanted to be more informative you could say:



  • Sí, tengo tos (yes, I have a cough);
  • Sí, tengo un poco de tos (yes, I have a little cough);
  • Sí, tengo mucha tos (yes, I cough a lot);
  • No, no tengo tos (no, I don't have a cough);

Now you should practise answering the question:
¿Tienes tos?

*See uses of verb tener below

*Verb Tener - Typical Uses/ Expressions

Tener calor
To feel hot
Tener celos
To feel jealousy/ to be jealous
Tener cuidado
To be careful
Tener dolor
To feel pain/ to have an ache
Tener envidia
To feel envy/ to be envious
Tener fiebre
To be feverish
Tener frío
To feel cold
Tener ganas de algo
To look forward to something
Tener hambre
To feel hungry
Tener la culpa
To be at fault
Tener miedo
To feel afraid
Tener pensado
To have in mind
Tener prisa
To be in hurry
Tener sed
To feel thirsty
Tener sueño
To feel sleepy
Tener suerte
To be lucky
Tener tos
To have a cough
Tener xx* años/ meses/ etc.
To be xx years/ months/ etc. old
Tenerle rabia a alguien
To have it in for someone

*NB Express ages by conjugating tener and replacing xx with a number. For example, I am 18 years old = tengo 18 años.

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Thursday 24 April 2014

Who Do You Mean?

SCENARIO



Imagine you are talking to a relative, a friend or a colleague about one of your acquaintances. Unable to establish who you mean, the other person says: "who do you mean?"

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and say:
¿A quién te refieres?

Alternatively, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:
¿A quién se refiere (usted)?


TIPS

Responding should be quite straightforward. However, before you reply, you should decide how you are going to refer to the person you mean*.



If the person you are meaning is a male (his name is Pedro Botero) and you want to refer to him in an informal manner, you could say:
  • Me refiero a Pedro Botero (I mean Pedro Botero);
  • Me refiero a mi amigo Pedro Botero (I mean my friend Pedro Botero);

* NB See examples of replies when meaning:




Now you should practise answering the question:
¿A quién te refieres?

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Wednesday 23 April 2014

Tell Me, Who Is Likely To Live Here?

Introduction


This post is about verb conjugation and in particular the present tense, subjunctive mood of regular verbs ending in -ir.




SCENARIO



Imagine you are talking to a relative, a friend or a colleague. You are looking at a house and talking about who is likely to end up living there. At some point, the other person says: "tell me, who is likely to live here?".

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and say:
Dime, ¿quién es probable que viva aquí?

On the other hand, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:
Dígame, ¿quién es probable que viva aquí?


OUR TIP

Answering the question is quite straightforward. However, please note that some answers require you to choose between a more formal or a less formal option -see examples below:


  • Es probable que yo viva* aquí (it is likely that I will here);
  • Es probable que tú vivas* aquí, ¿no? (it is likely that you -familiar will live here, isn't it?);
  • Es probable que usted viva* aquí, ¿no? (it is likely that you -formal will live here, isn't it?);
  • Es probable que Pedro viva* aquí, ¿no? (it is likely that Pedro will live here, isn't it?);
  • Es probable que María viva* aquí, ¿no? (it is likely that Maria will live here, isn't it?);
  • Es probable que nosotros vivamos* aquí, ¿no? (it is likely that we will live here, isn't it?);
  • Es probable que vosotros viváis* aquí, ¿no? (it is likely that you -familiar/ plural will live here, isn't it?);
  • Es probable que ustedes vivan* aquí, ¿no? (it is likely that you -formal/ plural will live here, isn't it?);
  • Es probable que Pedro y María vivan* aquí, ¿no? (it is likely that Pedro and Maria will live here, isn't it?);

Now you should practise replying to someone who says to you:
Dime, ¿quién es probable que viva aquí?

*Please see grammar topic below, Verbs

Verbs

A verb is a 'doing' word which conveys:
  • What action takes place in a sentence
  • Who does that action
  • When that action occurs.
In addition, the verb may also convey the mood or feelings of the speaker toward the action which takes place. The verb may, for example, indicate whether the speaker is stating a fact, expressing a wish or indeed giving an order.

Verb Conjugation
Please see notes on conjugation* at the end of this post.

Subjunctive Mood-Present Tense

    1. Regular Verbs Ending in -ar
Subject
TRABAJAR
(TO WORK)
I
Yo
TRABAJE
You
TRABAJES
You
Usted*

TRABAJE
He
Él
She
Ella
We
Nosotros
TRABAJEMOS
You
Vosotros**
TRABAJÉIS
You
Ustedes***
TRABAJEN
They
Ellos
They
Ellas

*NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you'
**NB 'You' plural
*** NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you' plural

    2. Regular Verbs Ending in -er
Subject
COMER
(TO EAT)
I
Yo
COMA
You
COMAS
You
Usted*

COMA
He
Él
She
Ella
We
Nosotros
COMAMOS
You
Vosotros**
COMÁIS
You
Ustedes***
COMAN
They
Ellos
They
Ellas

*NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you'
**NB 'You' plural
*** NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you' plural

    3. Regular Verbs Ending in -ir
Subject
VIVIR
(TO LIVE)
I
Yo
VIVA
You
VIVAS
You
Usted*

VIVA
He
Él
She
Ella
We
Nosotros
VIVAMOS
You
Vosotros**
VIVÁIS
You
Ustedes***
VIVAN
They
Ellos
They
Ellas

*NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you'
**NB 'You' plural
*** NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you' plural

* Verb Conjugation Notes
It is worth remembering once more that in its basic form (infinitive), a Spanish verb is just a general 'doing' word. In that form, a verb simply indicates an action and nothing else. If we want a verb to be more specific about the action in a sentence, we need to conjugate it. It is only when conjugated that the verb indicates:
  • Who does the action
  • When the action takes place
  • The mood/ attitude of the speaker towards the action

The conjugation tables above refer to using conjugation establish who does the action. What follows below are some notes on establishing when the action takes place and the mood/ attitude of the speaker towards the action.

Subjunctive Mood
The use of subjunctive mood is disappearing English. Nowadays is often viewed as an old and unfashionable form of the language.

In contrast, the use of subjunctive mood is very much alive and in everyday use in Spanish. This widespread use of subjunctive mood tends to be the bane of many a learner of Spanish from the English speaking world.

The concept of subjunctive mood is perhaps best illustrated by contrasting its use against the use of indicative mood with examples in English. The following are a couple of examples which should serve that purpose:
  • Indicative mood (“Peter eats an apple”).- Indicative mood is commonly used to make statements of facts or positive beliefs such as this one. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes above), the speaker makes a clear and unambiguous statement of a fact (Peter eats an apple).
  • Subjunctive mood (“Peter would eat an apple if he were hungry”).- In contrast with indicative mood, subjunctive mood is commonly used to make statements indicating hypothetical or non-fact actions. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes), in this case the speaker sees the action of eating an apple as something hypothetical, something which may or may not happen (Peter would eat an apple... if he were hungry).
Verb Tenses
Verb tenses relate to setting the time period (when) during which the action of the verb takes place. Basic times (periods) for Spanish verb actions are:
  • The past (before now)
  • The present (now)
  • The future (after now)
Each Spanish verb tense corresponds to one of those basic time periods. In other words choosing a verb tense places the action of the verb in one of those basic periods and determines when the action takes place.


Now you should practise the use of the present-subjunctive mood of regular verbs with some examples of your own.

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