Saturday 31 May 2014

It Is Ten Minutes Past 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 ten minutes past nine, so in Spanish you should say:


Son las nueve y diez






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 30 May 2014

Who Are You Calling?

SCENARIO



Imagine you are calling someone on the phone. A relative, a friend or a colleague who is with you is curious and says: "who are you calling?"

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

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


OUR TIP

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



If the person you are calling was a female (her name is María Botero) and you want to refer to her in an informal manner, you could say:
  • Llamo a María Botero (I am calling Maria Botero);
  • Estoy llamando a María Botero (I am calling Maria Botero);
  • Llamo a mi amiga María Botero (I am calling my friend Maria Botero);
  • Estoy llamando a mi amiga María Botero (I am calling my friend Maria Botero);

* NB See examples of replies when calling:




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

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Wednesday 28 May 2014

Tell Me, Who Was Likely To Call Him?

Introduction


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





SCENARIO


Imagine you are talking to a relative, a friend or a colleague about a third person (male). It appears that someone phoned him. You are speculating about who that person might be. At some point, the other person says: "tell me, who was likely to call him?".

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and say:
Dime, ¿quién era probable que lo llamase?

On the other hand, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:
Dígame, ¿quién era probable que lo llamase?



OUR TIP

Consider using a subjunctive mood if you want to indicate that your answer is speculative/ not fact. Make sure that you conjugate your verbs correctly. Remember that in some cases you will have to choose between a more formal or a less formal option -see examples below.


Typical answers could be:
  • Era probable que lo llamase* yo, ¿no? (it was likely that I called him, wasn't it?);
  • Era probable que lo llamases* tú, ¿no? (it was likely that you -familiar called him, wasn't it?);
  • Era probable que lo llamase* usted, ¿no? (it was likely that you -formal called him, wasn't it?);
  • Era probable que lo llamase* Pedro, ¿no? (it was likely that Pedro called him, wasn't it?);
  • Era probable que lo llamase* María, ¿no? (it was likely that María called him, wasn't it?);
  • Era probable que lo llamásemos* nosotros, ¿no? (it was likely that we called him, wasn't it?);
  • Era probable que lo llamaseis* vosotros, ¿no? (it was likely that you -familiar/ plural called him, wasn't it?);
  • Era probable que lo llamasen* ustedes, ¿no? (it was likely that you -formal/ plural called him, wasn't it?);
  • Era probable que lo llamasen* sus padres, ¿no? (it was likely that his parents called him, wasn't it?);

Now you should practise replying to someone who says to you:
Dime, ¿quién era probable que lo llamase?

*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-Imperfect Tense

    1. Regular Verbs Ending in -ar
Subject
TRABAJAR
(TO WORK)
I
Yo
TRABAJARA o TRABAJASE
You
TRABAJARAS o TRABAJASES
You Usted*

TRABAJARA o TRABAJASE
He Él
She
Ella
We
Nosotros
TRABAJÁRAMOS o TRABAJÁSEMOS
You
Vosotros**

TRABAJARAIS o TRABAJASEIS
You
Ustedes***
TRABAJARAN o TRABAJASEN
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
COMIERA o COMIESE
You
COMIERAS o COMIESES
You Usted*

COMIERA o COMIESE
He Él
She
Ella
We
Nosotros
COMIÉRAMOS o COMIÉSEMOS
You
Vosotros**
COMIERAIS o COMIESEIS
You
Ustedes***
COMIERAN o COMIESEN
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
VIVIERA o VIVIESE
You
VIVIERAS o VIVIESES
You Usted*
VIVIERA o VIVIESE
He Él
She
Ella
We
Nosotros
VIVIÉRAMOS o VIVIÉSEMOS
You
Vosotros**
VIVIERAIS o VIVIESEIS
You
Ustedes***
VIVIERAN o VIVIESEN
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 imperfect-subjunctive mood of regular verbs with some examples of your own.

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Tuesday 27 May 2014

Cartelera

Today's WOTD is: "cartelera" = billboard


In Spanish, “cartelera” is a feminine noun of Provençal origin, the main meaning of which is billboard, as in:
  • En el aeropuerto hay una cartelera enorme (at the airport there is a huge billbord);

The word “cartelera” also means listings*, as in:
  • ¿Esa película sigue en cartelera? (is that film still showing in cinemas?);

*NB This meaning refers to a section usually found in newspapers/ magazines which is dedicated to films, TV programmes, etcetera and which includes programme guides/ listings.



The word “cartelero”/ “cartelera” also means billposter/ billsticker, as in:
  • Pedro es cartelero (Pedro is a billposter/ billsticker);


The word “cartelero”/ “cartelera”, may be used to describe an artist/ act as popular/capable of drawing in the crowds, as in:
  • Esta noche actúa un prestidigitador muy cartelero (tonight's act is a very popular magician);


Love-Spanish.com loves the word "cartelera" in the YouTube clip: Estrenos de Cartelera - Shrek 2

For more on the word "cartelera", visit: wordreference.com/es/ Cartelera

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Monday 26 May 2014

It Is Five Minutes Past 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 five minutes past nine, so in Spanish you should say:


Son las nueve y cinco






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


Spanish lessons online
Skype/ Google+ Hangout/ Facetime
Great lessons
© Copyright 2014 Love-Spanish.com. by Jose M González. All Rights Reserved.

Saturday 24 May 2014

Do You Feel Feverish?

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. Your cheeks look a bit flushed and the other person says: "do you feel feverish?"

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

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


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

Now you should practise answering the question:
¿Tienes fiebre?
*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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