Friday 31 July 2015

Butaca

Today's word is: "butacaarmchair

In Spanish, “butaca” is a feminine noun of Cumanagoto Indian language origin, which means armchair and used as in:
  • Esa butaca es muy cómoda (that armchair is very comfortable);


The noun “butaca” is often used to refer to a seat in a theatre/ plane/ bus/ etc. and the corresponding ticket which entitles someone to occupy that seat
  • Tenemos butacas reservadas para la película de esta noche (we have seats reserved/ booked for tonight's film)


A Spanish expression with the word “butaca” is:
  • Butaca de patio (a seat in the stalls/ the main floor/ the arena/ orchestra section)
  • Patio de butacas* (the stalls/ the arena/ the orchestra section/ the main floor)


Notes


*The lower sitting area in front of the stage in a theatre is commonly know in Spanish as “la platea” or “el patio de butacas





Love-Spanish.com loves the word "butaca" in the YouTube clip: LaButaca Vacía - Jairo


For more on the word "butaca", visit: Wordreference.com/es/en/ Butaca

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

Spanish lessons online
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© Copyright 2015 Love-Spanish.com by Jose M González. All Rights Reserved.

Monday 27 July 2015

Tell Me, Is It Likely That Someone May Feel Cold?

Introduction


This post is about verb conjugation -the present tense, subjunctive mood of irregular verb sentir.





SCENARIO



Imagine you are talking to a relative, friend or colleague about a party which is expected to last well into the night. Not sure if it could get too cold for some people, the other person says: "tell me, is it likely that someone may feel cold?".

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and say:
Dime, ¿es probable que alguien sienta frío?

On the other hand, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:
Dígame, ¿es probable que alguien sienta frío?


OUR TIP

Making a sentence which answers that question should be straightforward, but remember:



  • Make sure that you conjugate your verb correctly
  • Choose between formal or familiar options to suit the occasion -see examples below.

Typical answers could be:
  • Es probable que yo sienta* frío (it is likely that I may feel cold);
  • Es probable que tú sientas* frío, ¿no? (it is likely that you -familiar may feel cold, isn't it?);
  • Es probable que usted sienta* frío, ¿no? (it is likely that you -formal may feel cold, isn't it?);
  • Es probable que Pedro sienta* frío (it is likely that Pedro may feel cold);
  • Es probable que María sienta* frío (it is likely that Maria may feel cold);
  • Es probable que mis amigos y yo sintamos* frío (it is likely that my friends and I may feel cold);
  • Es probable que vosotros sintáis* frío, ¿no? (it is likely that you people -familiar/ plural may feel cold, isn't it?);
  • Es probable que ustedes sientan* frío, ¿no? (it is likely that you people -formal/ plural may feel cold, isn't it?);
  • Es probable que Pedro y María sientan* frío (it is likely that Pedro and María may feel cold);

Now you should practise replying to someone who says to you:
Dime, ¿es probable que alguien sienta frío?

*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.

Irregular Verbs
Verb: sentir
The Spanish verb sentir is irregular* in some tenses, as shown in the table below:

Tense
Mood
Regular
Irregular
Present
Indicative

Imperfect
Indicative

Preterite
Indicative

Future
Indicative

Conditional
Indicative

Perfect
Indicative

Pluperfect
Indicative

Future Perfect
Indicative

Conditional Perfect
Indicative

Present
Subjunctive

Imperfect
Subjunctive

Perfect
Subjunctive

Pluperfect
Subjunctive


* NB:
  • Conjugate tenses in the regular column the same as other regular verbs ending in -ir
  • The present tense conjugation/ subjunctive mood is shown below


Subjunctive Mood/ Present Tense - Conjugation
    Verb: sentir
Subject
SENTIR
(TO FEEL)
I
Yo
SIENTA
You
SIENTAS
You Usted*

SIENTA
He Él
She
Ella
We
Nosotros
SINTAMOS
You
Vosotros**
SINTÁIS
You
Ustedes***
SIENTAN
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 to 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 tense of the irregular verb sentir with some examples of your own.

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© Copyright 2015 Love-Spanish.com by Jose M González. All Rights Reserved.

Tuesday 21 July 2015

Metro

Today's word is: "metro" = metre


In Spanish, “metro” is a masculine noun of Greek origin, which means metre/ meter and used as in:
  • Tres metros de cuerda (three metres/ meters of rope)





The word “metro” is combined with standard prefixes to form units of length. Common units of length thus formed are:

Spanish
English
Symbol
Length
milímetro
millimetre/ millimeter
mm
1/1000m
centímetro
centimetre/ centimeter
cm
1/100m
decímetro
decimetre/ decimeter
dm
1/10m
decámetro
decametre/ decameter
dekametre/ dekameter
dam/ Dm/ dkm
10m
hectómetro
hectometre/ hectometer
hm
100m
kilómetro
kilometre/ kilometer
km
1000m



The word “metro” is also a shortening of “metropolitano”, also a masculine noun meaning underground or subway, and used as in:
  • El metro es cómodo y rápido (the underground/ subway is comfortable and fast)


The describing word/ adjective “métrico” is a related word which means metric, and is used as in:
  • El Sistema Métrico Decimal (the Metric System or International System of Units -SI)
  • Cinta métrica (measuring tape)


Some Spanish expressions with the word “metro” are:
  • Billete de metro (metro/ subway ticket/ fare)
  • Boca de(l) metro (metro/ subway entrance)
  • Línea de metro (metro/ subway line)
  • Metro cuadrado (square metre/ meter)
    • Un piso de 90 metros cuadrados (a 90 square metres/ meters flat)
    • Precio del metro cuadrado* (price per square metre/ meter)
  • Metro cúbico (cubic metre)
    • Dos metros cúbicos de agua (two cubic metres/ meters of water)
  • Metro lineal (linear metre/ meter)
    • Precio por metro lineal (linear metre/ meter price)


Notes


*Commonly used unit of price/ value of property






Love-Spanish.com loves the word "metro" in the YouTube clip: Café Tacuba - El Metro

For more on the word "metro", visit: Wordreference.com/es/en/ Metro

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

Spanish lessons online
Skype/ Google+ Hangout/ Facetime
Great lessons

© Copyright 2015 Love-Spanish.com by Jose M González. All Rights Reserved.

Friday 17 July 2015

Tell Me, Who Felt Cold?

Introduction


This post is about verb conjugation -the preterite tense, indicative mood of irregular verb sentir.





SCENARIO


Imagine you are talking to a relative, friend or colleague about a trip to the beach which was cancelled. When you appear to say that the cancellation was due to the weather turning cooler, the other person says: "tell me, who felt cold?".

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and say:
Dime, ¿quién sintió frío?

On the other hand, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:
Dígame, ¿quién sintió frío?


OUR TIP

Making a sentence which answers that question should be straightforward, but remember:


  • Make sure that you conjugate your verb correctly
  • Choose between formal or familiar options to suit the occasion -see examples below.

Typical answers could be:
  • Yo sentí* frío (I felt cold);
  • sentiste* frío, ¿no? (you -familiar felt cold, didn't you?);
  • Usted sintió* frío, ¿no? (you -formal felt cold, didn't you?);
  • Pedro sintió* frío (Pedro felt cold);
  • María sintió* frío (Maria felt cold);
  • Mis amigos y yo sentimos* frío (my friends and I felt cold);
  • Vosotros sentisteis* frío, ¿no? (you people -familiar/ plural felt cold, didn't you?);
  • Ustedes sintieron* frío, ¿no? (you people -formal/ plural felt cold, didn't you?);
  • Pedro y María sintieron* frío (Pedro and María felt cold);

Now you should practise replying to someone who says to you:
Dime, ¿quién sintió frío?

*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.

Irregular Verbs
Verb: sentir
The Spanish verb sentir is irregular* in some tenses, as shown in the table below:

Tense
Mood
Regular
Irregular
Present
Indicative

Imperfect
Indicative

Preterite
Indicative

Future
Indicative

Conditional
Indicative

Perfect
Indicative

Pluperfect
Indicative

Future Perfect
Indicative

Conditional Perfect
Indicative

Present
Subjunctive

Imperfect
Subjunctive

Perfect
Subjunctive

Pluperfect
Subjunctive


* NB:
  • Conjugate tenses in the regular column the same as other regular verbs ending in -ir
  • The preterite tense conjugation/ indicative mood is shown below

Indicative Mood/ Preterite Tense - Conjugation
    Verb: sentir
Subject
SENTIR
(TO FEEL)
I
Yo
SENTÍ
You
SENTISTE
You Usted*

SINTIÓ
He Él
She
Ella
We
Nosotros
SENTIMOS
You
Vosotros**
SENTISTEIS
You
Ustedes***
SINTIERON
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 to 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 preterite tense of the irregular verb sentir with some examples of your own.

Spanish lessons online
Skype/ Google+ Hangout/ Facetime
Great lessons
© Copyright 2015 Love-Spanish.com by Jose M González. All Rights Reserved.