Friday 29 August 2014

It Is Twenty Five Minutes To Eleven

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 eleven, so in Spanish you should say:


Son las once 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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Thursday 28 August 2014

Is That Gentleman Your Father?

Introduction

This post is about the use of describing words/ adjectives in general, and more specifically about the use of the masculine/ singular form of demonstrative adjectives -demostrativos.





SCENARIO




Imagine you talking to a friend or a work colleague. You are talking about family/ relatives. Looking at a picture, the other person who doesn't know your parents says: "is that gentleman your father?".

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and say:
¿Ese señor es tu padre?

Alternatively, he/ she could choose to be a little bit more formal and say:
¿Ese señor es su padre?


OUR TIP

The answer to this question is quite straightforward. You should pay particular attention to noun-adjective agreement -see grammar notes below*.



Here are some sample replies:
  • Sí, ese* señor es mi padre (yes, that gentleman is my father);
  • No, ese* señor no es mi padre (no, that gentleman is not my father);
  • No, ese* señor es mi tío (no, that gentleman is my uncle);


Now you should practise answering the question:
¿Ese señor es tu padre?

*NB See Grammar below

*Grammar-Adjectives


Gender
Number
Adjective
señor
masculine
singular
ese
señores
masculine/
mixed
plural
esos
señora
feminine
singular
esa
señoras
feminine
plural
esas

Noun-Adjective Agreement

See notes below on Noun-Adjective agreement

Noun-Adjective Agreement
In Spanish describing words/ adjectives have to agree in gender and number with the noun(s) they describe.

Adjectives -Gender
Many Spanish describing words/ adjectives have two forms:
  • A masculine gender form (for example, alto)
  • A similar, but different feminine gender (for example, alta).

A few Spanish describing words/ adjectives have one single form for both masculine and feminine (for example, inteligente).

Every time you use a describing word which has two separate forms (for example, alto/ alta), you need to choose the form which matches the gender (masculine/ feminine) of what you are describing.

Adjectives -Number
In contrast with English, Spanish describing words/ adjectives have also plural* forms. Every time you use a describing word with a plural noun (for example, señoras), you must use the plural form of the corresponding describing word/ adjective (for example, esas).

You should use the masculine/ plural form of a describing word/ adjective when it describes multiple persons/ things of different grammatical genders.

*NB View posts with details about the plural of Spanish words here.

Adjectives -Use
All the practical examples in this post refer to one person, señor (gentleman). Consequently, they require the masculine/ singular form of a describing word/ adjective, for example, ese.

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Tuesday 26 August 2014

Estilo

Today's WOTD is: "estilo" = style
In Spanish, “estilo” is a masculine noun of Latin/ Greek origin, the main meaning of which is style, as in:
  • Esa chica tiene mucho estilo (that girl has lots of style);


A Spanish expression with the word “estilo” is:
  • Por el estilo (similar/ similarly);
    • Me gusta esa película y otras por el estilo (I like that film and others like it/ similar to it);

Love-Spanish.com loves the word "estilo" in the YouTube clip: Cómo seducir a alguien al estilo FRIENDS

For more on the word "estilo", visit: Wordreference.com/es/en/ Estilo

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

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Monday 25 August 2014

Estante

Today's WOTD is: "estante" = shelf
In Spanish, “estante” is a masculine noun of Latin origin, the main meaning of which is shelf, as in:
  • Las llaves están en aquel estante (the keys are on that shelf);

    The related word “estantería” is a feminine noun meaning a set of shelves or a bookcase -for books, as in:
  • Los libros están en la estantería (the books are in the bookcase);

Love-Spanish.com loves the word "estante" in the YouTube clip: ¿Cómo hacer un estante a la medida?

For more on the word "estante", visit: Wordreference.com/es/en/ Estante

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

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Saturday 23 August 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 vergüenza?

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


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 vergüenza to make your answer a bit more informative.



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


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

*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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Thursday 21 August 2014

Desgracia

Today's WOTD is: "desgracia" = misfortune

In Spanish, “desgracia” is a feminine noun of Latin origin, the main meaning of which is misfortune or bad luck, as in:
  • La desgracia parece acompañarnos por dondequiera que vamos (misfortune/ bad luck seems to follow us wherever we go);

The noun “desgracia” is also often used to refer to adversity, hardship or poverty.

A related word is “desgraciadamente”, unfortunately, as in:
  • Desgraciadamente, hoy no puedo asistir a clase de español (unfortunately, today I can't attend my Spanish lesson);

Some Spanish expressions with the word “desgracia” are:
  • Caer en desgracia (to fall on hard times);
  • Por desgracia (unfortunately);
    • Por desgracia, hoy no puedo asistir a clase de español (unfortunately, today I can't attend my Spanish lesson)
  • Por suerte o por desgracia (whether we like or not);
    • Por suerte o por desgracia estamos aquí (whether we like it or not, we are here);

Love-Spanish.com loves the word "desgracia" in the YouTube clip: Pituquitos - La desgracia'

For more on the word "desgracia", visit: Wordreference.com/es/en/ Desgracia

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

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Wednesday 20 August 2014

Arena

Today's WOTD is: "arena" = sand

In Spanish, “arena” is a feminine noun of Latin origin, the main meaning of which is sand, as in:
  • La arena de esa playa es muy gruesa (the sand in that beach is very coarse);


A related word is “arenal”, a masculine noun meaning a sandy area.


A Spanish expression with the word “arena” is:
  • Arena movediza (quicksand);

Love-Spanish.com loves the word "arena" in the YouTube clip: ArenasMovedizas - Joaquin Sabina.

For more on the word "arena", visit: Wordreference.com/es/en/ Arena

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

Spanish lessons online
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Tuesday 19 August 2014

It Is Half Past Ten

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 half past ten, so in Spanish you should say:


Son las diez y media








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.