SPEAK SPANiSH ONE TiDBiT AT A TiME

Transcription

1 SPEAK ONE TiDBiT AT A TiME BOOK 1 Did you know that in Spanish we don t have popcorn? Find out why on page 39 These tidbits will help you understand the similarities and differences between English and Spanish making your learning easier and more enjoyable. SAMPLER

2 Introduction Welcome! First of all let me thank you for buying this book. I truly hope that it helps you start speaking Spanish very soon. If you follow my Spanish_tidbits on Instagram, you already know that I love the Spanish language. I love sharing tidbits that probably you will not hear in a class but that will help you learn and communicate in a more fun and relaxed way. If our paths have not crossed until now, here is a little bit about myself. I was born in Mexico City and grew up in a bilingual household where both my parents spoke perfect English for different reasons. My mother spoke English at home as her mom was from New York and my dad spent some years in school in the United States. Growing up in a bilingual household opened many doors for me especially when I moved to Canada, as I had one less hurdle to overcome: I had the language. It also gave me the unique opportunity to not only speak and understand the many nuances but to use both languages naturally on a daily basis. Having a grandmother from New York meant that I was one of the few Mexican kids who would take a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch to school. When my mom used English to reprimand my siblings and me, we knew we were in trouble as that was the language that came straight from her heart! Books from school were read in Spanish but novels were usually read in English and, of course, we had cable, our window to the American culture. I will not tell you here which were my favourite shows as it will date me. As I started teaching Spanish in Canada many years later, I realized that most people were taught the rules and the grammar but they were never taught the one thing that was so helpful to me as a child: to understand the similarities and differences between the languages. I truly believe that comparing a new language to the one that you are a master in, makes your language journey not only easier but definitely more enjoyable and this is where this book comes in. This is the first of three books. The main focus of all the books is to show you how both languages work together. This book will allow you to have full conversations in the present tense and it will prepare you to have conversations in the different tenses that are covered in the second book. The third book guides you through the compound tenses and more advanced conversations. Let s get started.

3 Scope Let s talk about the full scope of this book in more detail and see how it is structured. This book is divided into small sections so you never feel overwhelmed. Each section builds from the one before, so try not to skip sections unless you already know the material covered in a specific one. Remember, with this book I want you to be able to start communicating as quickly as possible. Whenever there is an important similarity or difference between English and Spanish, it will be noted on the page. I don t dwell too much on grammar as there are excellent books that focus specifically on that, and as you know this is not that kind of book. Having said that, you will find some grammar included here for two reasons in particular: 1. It will help you understand some structures better 2. I am a strong believer in using the proper terms for structures; this will help you if you want to do further research into any of the concepts referred to in the book. I wish I could be with you in person but because I can t, as you go through the pages, I still want you to feel that you are with me in the same room. I want you to feel that if you had a question you could ask it. To achieve that, this is what you will find on every page: All the explanations in purple or in red (with this typeface) are answers to questions that have come up in class throughout the years or explanations that have helped my students understand certain concepts better. What would you be able to do when you finish the book you ask? You will be able to have a conversation in the present tense, use constructions such as: I have to..., I want to..., I need to..., I can..., as well as the construction for the near/easy future. (For example: I am going to study tomorrow). Within these conversations you will be able to: 1. Introduce yourself and get to know other people. 2. Talk about what you want, like, need and are able to do. 3. Understand the uses of both of the verbs to be. 4. Use and conjugate over 100 regular verbs as well as recognize and use stem-changing ones. 5. Use with ease the irregular verbs: To do, to go, to have, and to be able to. 6. Count and use the numbers for asking prices, telling the time and (if you want to) talking about your age. 7. Talk about the weather, the seasons, the days of the week and the months of the year. 8. Learn adverbs of place and time as well as demonstrative adjectives and thousands of new words. Please note that the conjugations in this book don t cover the person vosotros used in Spain.

4 Frases útiles mientras aprendemos... (useful phrases) At the beginning of our learning we have a lot of questions and sometimes we don t know how to approach someone to get the information we need. Here are a few basic phrases, questions and sentences that will help you do just that. Be afraid no more. Go for it! Buenos días - Good morning Buenas tardes - Good afternoon Buenas noches - Good night Disculpe, cómo se llama? Excuse me, what s your name? (formal) Disculpa, cómo te llamas? Excuse me, what s your name? (informal) Yo me llamo... My name is... Puedo hacerle una pregunta? May I ask you a question? (formal) Puedo hacerte una pregunta? May I ask you a question? (informal) Cómo se dice...? How do you say...? Cómo se dice car? How do you say car? Qué significa...? What does...mean? Qué significa grande? What does grande mean? Más despacio, por favor - Slower please. No tan rápido, por favor - Not so fast please. Puede repetir por favor? - Can you repeat it please? Puede hablar más despacio por favor? - Can you speak more slowly please? Puede escribirlo por favor? - Can you write it down please? Cómo se escribe...?... How do you write it? Cómo se deletrea...?... How do you spell it? No entiendo...i don t understand No comprendo...i don t comprehend/understand Muchas gracias - Thank you very much Hasta luego - See you later Choose the ones you feel more comfortable with. 6

5 Pronombres Personales, verbo hablar I Yo *no hablo I don t speak/talk Let s practice the verb hablar a little. YOU (informal) This is MUY IMPORTANTE!!! Read the note at the bottom of the page. (informal) Tú hablas con Juan You speak to Juan Notice that in Spanish we say with Juan instead of to Juan Las matemáticas... HE, SHE, YOU (formal) Hola a todos. Él habla con los estudiantes He speaks with the students Ella habla español She speaks Spanish (formal) Usted (Ud.) habla en el podio You speak at the podium You are going to love this: In, on or at, in Spanish is en. Three prepositions in ONE. I can hear you cheering already. YOU (plural), THEY WE Ellos hablan durante la presentación They talk during the presentation Ellas hablan sobre el tema They talk about the subject Nosotros/as hablamos en la oficina We talk at the office Ustedes (Uds.) hablan en la oficina. You speak in the office. Remember: *Spanish does not use auxiliary verbs like English does, instead of don t it is only no: I don t speak English becomes I no speak English. (as shown above) 12

6 Ser - to be Yo Tú Él, Ella, Ud. Nosotros/as Ellos, Ellas, Uds. What things are made of Cuando usamos Ser y Estar We know that there are two verbs to be in Spanish: Ser and Estar. In the following pages we will go into more detail to learn when and how to use each. I will keep how to conjugate boths verbs so you can focus on their use, but the sooner you learn them, the better for you. 1 SER ESSENCE of a person or a thing. Ser soy eres es somos son We use SER if we want to describe qualities that are considered permanent. Qualities that describe the essence of a person or a thing. El niño es pequeño pero es muy fuerte y es muy valiente (brave) Soy de Toronto - I am from Toronto. Somos doctores - We are doctors. El niño es inteligente - The boy is smart. La mujer es muy bonita - The woman is very pretty. El hombre es delgado - The man is slim. Las niñas son de Montreal - The girls are from Montreal. La mesa es de madera - The table is made out of wood. They will always be from Montreal Las sillas son pequeñas - The chairs are small. 1 ESTAR Estar - to be Yo Tú Él, Ella, Ud. Nosotros/as Ellos, Ellas, Uds. Estar estoy estás está estamos están We use ESTAR for things that tend to be temporary like our mood or our health. It doesn t describe who we are. Think about it: I am tired now but later I will not be (hopefully) Temporary or changing qualities Estoy cansada - I am tired. Las mujeres están ocupadas - The women are busy. El hombre está cansado - The man is tired. Juan y yo estamos enfermos - Juan and I are sick. Las niñas están aburridas - The girls are bored. Las sillas están rotas - The chairs are broken. Las ventanas están abiertas - The windows are open. Las puertas están abiertas (open) Using them together: essence temporary Las ventanas son de vidrio y están cerradas - The windows are made out of glass and they are closed. Debbie es de México y no está cansada. Debbie is from Mexico and she is not tired. El restaurante es Italiano y está lleno. The restaurant is italian and it is full. essence temporary 50