Thursday 28 April 2016

Thursday 28th Of April 2016

SCENARIO




Imagine that today, a relative, a friend or a work colleague asks you: "what is today's date?"

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




Hoy es:



The question is an invitation for you to say today's date.



A quick look at your diary confirms that today is: Thursday the 28th of April 2016. You could give today's date in Spanish by saying:




Hoy es jueves veintiocho de abril de dos mil dieciséis




Notes:
  1. Today is = Hoy es
  2. Thursday = jueves
  3. The 28th = veintiocho
  4. Of April = de abril
  5. 2016 = de dos mil dieciséis
  6. In Spanish, we just say "28", instead of "the 28th"
  7. In Spanish we literally say: "of 2016"
  8. In Spanish we don't capitalise day of the week names, for example: jueves
  9. In Spanish we don't capitalise month names, for example: abril




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    Friday 22 April 2016

    Tell Me, Who Was Likely To Ask For Help?

    Introduction
    Verbo: Pedir
    Tipo: irregular
    Modo: subjunctive
    Tiempo: pretérito imperfecto (imperfect tense)

    This post is about verb conjugation -the imperfect tense, subjunctive mood of irregular verb pedir.


    SCENARIO
    Imagine you are talking to a relative, a friend or a colleague. You are in the middle of a general conversation. Appearing to have understood that someone you both know was likely to have a problem and ask for help, the other person says to you: "tell me, who was likely to ask for help?"

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

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


    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:
    • Era probable que yo pidiera* ayuda (it was likely I asked for help)
    • Era probable que tú pidieras* ayuda, ¿no? (it was likely you -familiar asked for help, wasn't it?)
    • Era probable que usted pidiera* ayuda, ¿no? (it was likely you -formal asked for help, wasn't it?)
    • Era probable que Pedro pidiera* ayuda (it was likely Pedro asked for help)
    • Era probable que María pidiera* ayuda (it was likely Maria asked for help)
    • Era probable que Pedro y yo pidiéramos* ayuda (it was likely Pedro and I asked for help)
    • Era probable que vosotros pidierais* ayuda, ¿no? (it was likely you people -familiar/ plural asked for help, wasn't it?)
    • Era probable que ustedes pidieran* ayuda, ¿no? (it was likely you people -formal/ plural asked for help, wasn't it?)
    • Era probable que Pedro y María pidieran* ayuda (it was likely Pedro and María asked for help)

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

    *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: pedir
    The Spanish verb pedir 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 -er
    • The imperfect tense conjugation/ subjunctive mood is shown below

    Subjunctive Mood/ Imperfect Tense - Conjugation
      Verb: pedir
    Subject
    PEDIR
    (TO ASK FOR)
    I
    Yo
    PIDIERA o PIDIESE
    You
    PIDIERAS o PIDIESES
    You Usted*
    PIDIERA o PIDIESE
    He Él
    She
    Ella
    We
    Nosotros
    PIDIÉRAMOS o PIDIÉSEMOS
    You
    Vosotros**
    PIDIERAIS o PIDIESEIS
    You
    Ustedes***
    PIDIERAN o PIDIESEN
    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 imperfect tense of the irregular verb pedir with some examples of your own.

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    © Copyright 2016 Love-Spanish.com by Jose M González. All Rights Reserved.

    Tuesday 12 April 2016

    Tell Me, Who Is Likely To Ask For Help?

    Introduction
    Verbo: Pedir
    Tipo: irregular
    Modo: subjuntivo
    Tiempo: presente (presesnt tense)

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


    SCENARIO

    Imagine you are talking to a relative, a friend or a colleague. You are in the middle of a general conversation. Appearing to have understood that someone you both know is likely to come across a problem and will ask for help, the other person says to you: "tell me, who is likely to ask for help?"

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

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


    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 pida* ayuda (it is likely I will ask for help)
    • Es probable que tú pidas* ayuda, ¿no? (it is likely you -familiar will ask for help, isn't it?)
    • Es probable que usted pida* ayuda, ¿no? (it is likely you -formal will ask for help, isn't it?)
    • Es probable que Pedro pida* ayuda (it is likely Pedro will ask for help)
    • Es probable que María pida* ayuda (it is likely Maria will ask for help)
    • Es probable que Pedro y yo pidamos* ayuda (it is likely Pedro and I will ask for help)
    • Es probable que vosotros pidáis* ayuda, ¿no? (it is likely you people -familiar/ plural will ask for help, isn't it?)
    • Es probable que ustedes pidan* ayuda, ¿no? (it is likely you people -formal/ plural will ask for help, isn't it?)
    • Es probable que Pedro y María pidan* ayuda (it is likely Pedro and María will ask for help)

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

    *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: pedir
    The Spanish verb pedir 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 -er
    • The present tense conjugation/ subjunctive mood is shown below

    Subjunctive Mood/ Present Tense - Conjugation
      Verb: pedir
    Subject
    PEDIR
    (TO ASK FOR)
    I
    Yo
    PIDA
    You
    PIDAS
    You Usted*
    PIDA
    He Él
    She
    Ella
    We
    Nosotros
    PIDAMOS
    You
    Vosotros**
    PIDÁIS
    You
    Ustedes***
    PIDAN
    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 pedir with some examples of your own.

    Spanish lessons online
    Skype/ Google+ Hangout/ Facetime
    Great lessons
    © Copyright 2016 Love-Spanish.com by Jose M González. All Rights Reserved.