tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67656956227971534232024-03-17T19:58:33.005-07:00Preguntolandia: Spanish for Non-Spanish SpeakersThis is a blog that tries to answer questions about the Spanish language/grammar. It tries to help English speakers who are learning Spanish.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636222510504653132noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765695622797153423.post-7422286618002807452016-06-19T16:33:00.002-07:002016-06-19T16:35:54.387-07:00Why do I need "el" when making a list?<div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
After a looooong time, here is a new post!</div>
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One of my students asked why the following question was marked wrong by the textbook's online component,</div>
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<b style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Los tres idiomas que se hablan en Bolivia son _______, ________ y ________.</b></div>
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<b style="background-color: #fff2cc;">His answer was,</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Los tres idiomas que se hablan en Bolivia son español, aimará y quechua.</span></span></div>
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The names of the languages are correct, but the grammar, according to the online workbook, i wrong. Why?</div>
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<b>This is my answer.</b></div>
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Here the definite article is needed because this an identification of nouns; in this case languages.</div>
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It is the equivalent of this in English,</div>
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<b>The thee languages spoken in Bolivia are the Spanish language, the aimará language, and the quechua language.</b></div>
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The key is "Los" at the beginning of the sentence. This means that those are <b>THE three </b>languages and there are no more than three. If instead of "Los tres idiomas" we had "Tres idiomas...." then we would be able to just name the languages without the article. It would also imply that there are more languages that Bolivians speak. So, consider this:</div>
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<b>Los tres idiomas que se hablan en Bolivia son el español, el aimará y el quechua.</b></div>
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<b>Tres idiomas que se hablan en Bolivia son español, aimará y quechua.</b></div>
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The two sentences mean basically the same when you translate them into English. However, from a grammatical point of view, they are different. The first one means that only three language are spoken in Bolivia, while the second one means that three of the languages are Spanish, Aimará, and Quechua, and there are more than three. The reason why el, la, los, las (the) are definite articles is that they make the nouns more important and not part of a simple list, but the list of something.</div>
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I hope this helps. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636222510504653132noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765695622797153423.post-23057886301471415502014-07-27T13:38:00.000-07:002014-07-27T14:40:25.986-07:00I tend to confuse FUI and FUE. Any suggestions?<h2>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Part I: writing fui and fue </span></b></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have not written any entries on this blog for a while. A long while--sorry. This doesn't mean that I have not received questions from students, former students, and friends. One of the most common questions is the title of this post. Fui and Fue are very similar and confusing for English speakers. Let me know if the following explanation helps you remember how to write these words.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grammar </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fui and fue, or fue and fui, are different and similar. They’re both forms of the verbs "ser" (to be) and "ir" (to go) in the simple past tense. This is the complete conjugation: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">singular: yo fui, tú fuiste, usted fue, él fue, ella fue</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">plural: nosotros fuimos, vosotros fuisteis, ustedes fueron, ellos fueron, ellas fueron </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the problems is that “i” and “e” may have the same sound in English, but the sound is different in Spanish. Remember, </span><br />
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<b><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> fui = sounds like foo-ee</span></b><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">…with emphasis on “ee;” in fact, in the past, the word “fui” had a written accent over the “i:” fuí. </span><br />
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<b><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">fue = sounds like foo-eh
…with emphasis on “eh.” </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Think that the “i” on “fui” is the same as “I” (yo) and the “e” on “fue” is the “e” of “él” and “ella.”
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yo fui<br />I was / I went <br /><br /> usted fue, él fue, ella fue<br />you (formal) were/went, he were/went, she were/went</span></blockquote>
<b><span style="background-color: yellow; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: yellow;"> Perhaps the best way to remember the difference between fui and fue is that "I" (yo" goes with "i" (fui), and other people go with "e" (fue), or that all the singular, Spanish pronouns that have an "e" somewhere, goo "fue."</span><span style="background-color: white;"> This is not a rule, but it may help you to write "fue" and "fui" correctly.</span></span></b><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636222510504653132noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765695622797153423.post-79155395799417113702012-05-31T18:13:00.000-07:002012-05-31T18:13:06.942-07:00Is "Hasta la vista" a common phrase in Spanish?<h3 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The short answer: yes, and no.</span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Hasta la vista” means “see you later,” “good-bye.” It literally translates as “until the view,” in other words, “until the next time I see you.” This phrase is common in textbooks, similar to the phrase “así, así.” Frankly, I have never said “hasta la vista” without mocking Arnold Schwarzenegger. I do not remember saying “hasta la vista” to any of my friends or family members. I am from Mexico. Perhaps in other places people use it often. Again, I never use it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The long answer: yes and no.</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />Wikipedia in English has entry for “Hasta la vista, baby” (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasta_la_vista,_baby">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasta_la_vista,_baby</a>), and it explains how this is a worldwide catchphrase. When you read the same entry in Spanish, there is a note about the differences between the Latin American and Spanish (Iberian) versions. According to this article, the subtitles of the Latin American version of the Terminator 2 (http://youtu.be/D_7vVOnpyJY )movie reads “Hasta la vista, baby,” while the subtitles for moviegoers in Spain say “Sayonara, baby.” (<a href="http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasta_la_vista,_baby">http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasta_la_vista,_baby</a>)<br /><br />If you don’t want to sound like Arnold in Terminator 2, then you may use any of the following phrases:<br /><br /><i><b>Hasta luego<br />Hasta pronto<br />Hasta mañana<br />Nos vemos<br />Adiós</b></i><br /><br />There are more ways to say “bye” in Spanish, by the way. But five is a good list for any student taking elementary and intermediate classes.<br /><br />Now, the real problem with Arnold’s Terminator 2 is not “Hasta la vista, baby,” but rather “no problemo,” which should be “no hay problema” instead. But that’s an issue for another entry.<br /><br />Hasta luego. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636222510504653132noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765695622797153423.post-26220005451336772642012-05-29T14:34:00.000-07:002012-05-29T14:34:21.836-07:00Is it ‘las clases de español’ or ‘las clases de españoles’?<h3>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The easy answer</b></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">The answer to this question depends on what you want to say in English. If you mean to say, “the classes of Spaniards” as in the types of Spaniards, then “las clases de españoles” is the best translation.<br /><br />However, if you want to say “Spanish classes,” as in the classes you’re taking at school, then “las clases de español” is the correct translation.<br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The short explanation</b></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">One of the problems here is that whenever we have a preposition, the gender and number agreement is not necessary anymore. In this case, “de” is a preposition. Here are a few other examples:<br /><br /><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;">El traje de baño</span> = bathing suit<br />Los trajes de baño = bathing suits<br /><br /><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;">La hora de oficina</span> = office hour<br />Las horas de oficina = office hours<br /><br /><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;">El libro de ejercicios</span> = workbook<br />Los libros de ejercicios = workbooks<br /><br /><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;">El día de la bandera</span> = flag day<br />Los días de la bandera = flag days<br /><br /><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;">La noche de brujas</span> = Halloween<br />Las noches de brujas = Halloweens (every Halloween)<br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The long explanation</b></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yes, prepositions break the harmony, somehow. In this case, the preposition “de” is linking two nouns. Imagine that when you say, “la clase de español” you are saying, “the class of Spanish.” The “de” may also mean a type or kind of, made of, even intended for. Now, let us see the same examples:<br /><br />El traje de baño = bathing suit<br />The suit of/intended for bathing<br /><br />Las horas de oficina = office hours<br />The hours of office<br /><br />El libro de ejercicios = workbook<br />The (type of) book for execises <br />Los días de la bandera = flag days<br />The days for the flag<br /><br />La noche de brujas = Halloween<br />The night for/of the witches</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /><br />I hope it helps.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636222510504653132noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765695622797153423.post-59649119643721250782012-05-20T20:26:00.001-07:002012-05-21T16:55:24.895-07:00Hacer + tiempo, Or some time ago<h3>
<span style="background-color: yellow; font-size: large;">Hace casi un año que no escribo en este blog</span><span style="font-size: large;">.</span></h3>
<span style="font-size: large;">It has been almost a year that I don't write on this blog. (Or, I wrote on this blog almost a year ago)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are more ways to translate the sentence above, but the idea is the same: something happened X-time ago. The idiomatic expression in Spanish is expressed with the verb "hacer." Imagine that Father Time "makes" the time pass and that's why we say "hace." Of course it's not the original idea for this use of hacer, but that may help you to remember. My first translation of "Hace casi un año..." is "It has been almost a year" because it is closer to the idea of "hace." Yes, in English we use the compound present tense to express what in Spanish is the simple present tense, but don't get lost thinking about that too much. "Hacer + an expression of time" can be used in the present, past, and future.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Something to remember: </b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Hacer</b> is conjugated in the third person, singular, just like "ella" and "él": <b>hace</b> (presente), <b>hacía</b> (imperfecto or copretérito), <b>hizo</b> (pretéterito), <b>hará</b> (futuro). </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Some expressions of time that you may use: un año, un mes, un día, un siglo (century), una hora, un minuto; unos años, dos años, unos días, dos días, unos siglos, dos siglos, unas horas, dos horas, unos minutos, dos minutos, una semana, unas semanas, dos semanas, tres semanas, tres años, etc.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">"Hacer" may be in one verbal tense, but the rest of the sentence may be in a different tense. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">When we use this expression, the emphasis is on the time that has
happened, therefore it frequently goes at the beginning of the phrase. In this case, we need "que" to connect the idea of time to a complete sentence--this means, that the sentence has subject, verb, and complement. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">When the expression of time is used at the end of the phrase, then we don't need "que."</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">"Since X-time ago" or "For X-time" translate as "desde hacer + an expression of time."</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">To ask a question, we use "¿Cuánto tiempo hace...?" or "¿Cuánto hace que...?" in the present tense.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: large;">
Here are a few ways to use "hacer + tiempo" </span></h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Hacer in the Present Tense:</i></b> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; color: black; font-size: large;">Hace dos años que fui a Costa Rica.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> (I went to Costa Rica two years ago.)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">Fui a Costa Rica hace dos años.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">¿Cuántos años hace que estudias español?<span style="background-color: white;"> (For how long have you been studying Spanish?</span></span> <br />
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<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">¿Cuánto hace que vives en Richmond? <span style="background-color: white;">(How long has it been since you live in Richmond? or For how long have you lived in Richmond?)</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">Vivo en Richmond desde hace tres años.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> ( I have lived in Richmond for three years, or I have lived in Richmond since three years ago.)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">Desde hace tres años vivo en Richmond.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Hacer in the Preterite Tense:</i></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-size: large;">Ayer hizo un año que nació mi sobrino.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> (My nephew was born a year ago yesterday.)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-size: large;">¿Cuánto tiempo hizo la semana pasada que se construyó esta casa?<span style="background-color: white;"> (How long has it been since this house was built? or How long ago was this house built?)</span> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-size: large;">La semana pasada hizo un siglo que se construyó esta casa.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> (This week was built a century ago last week.)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Hacer in the Imperfect (copretérito or imperfect preterite) Tense:</i></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-size: large;">Ese día hacía dos años que ellos se habían casado. </span><span style="font-size: large;">(That day, it had been two years since they got married.)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-size: large;">Hicimos una fiesta anoche porque hacía un mes que compramos la casa.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> (We had a party last night because we bought our house a month ago, or We had a party last night to celebrate that we bought our house a month ago.)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-size: large;">¿Cuánto tiempo hacía que había venido tu abuela?</span><span style="font-size: large;"> (How long had it been since your grandmother came?)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-size: large;">Hacía tres semanas que había venido mi abuela. </span><span style="font-size: large;"> (It was three weeks ago yesterday that my grandmother came, or my My grandmother came three weeks ago yesterday.)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Hacer in the Future Tense:</i></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #d9ead3; font-size: large;">Mañana hará cinco años que visité Barcelona.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> (Tomorrow will be five days that visited Barcelona.)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #d9ead3; font-size: large;">El próximo año hará cuatro siglos que se fundó esta ciudad.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> (Next year, it will be four centuries that this city was founded.)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #d9ead3; font-size: large;">¿Cuánto tiempo hará mañana que vino el huracán?</span><span style="font-size: large;"> (How long will it be tomorrow that the hurricane came?)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">
An advanced Spanish note</span></h3>
<span style="font-size: large;">What is the difference between the following two sentences?</span><br />
<div style="background-color: #fff2cc;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Hace un año que no escribía en este blog.</b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: #fff2cc;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Hacía un año que no escribía en este blog.</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Both mean the same: It has been a year since I wrote on this blog, or I didn't write on this blog for a year. But the emphasis is different and the use of one or the other depends on the speaker's preferences. The first sentence sounds more like a completed comment, while if I hear the second one I expect a longer story.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you look at the posts history of this blog, the phrase from the beginning is true: Hace un año que no escribía en este blog.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">These are just a few examples. I hope it helps.</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636222510504653132noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765695622797153423.post-91835722673163750642011-06-06T18:36:00.000-07:002011-06-07T09:32:42.821-07:00¡Qué! vs ¡Que!<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Why do I need to write an accent on “¡qué!”? And why sometimes I don't need it?</span></i></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The word “que” is a high frequent used term in Spanish. “Que” is a relative pronoun, an interjection, a conjunction, and an adverb. The ones we have here are both part of interjections, however both have different meanings. Let's see why.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">¡Qué! Is usually an interjection that can be used in expressions that may be close to statements. Note that I have included literal translations when possible, just to help you understand the sentences better. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Examples,</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 0);">¡Qué bonito!</span> = <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(0, 220, 255);">How pretty! [literally] - It's pretty!</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 0);">¡Qué colores tan vivos!</span> = <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(0, 204, 204);">How vivid are the colors! [kind of literally] - The colors are so vivid!</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 0);">¡Qué viva la música! </span>= <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(0, 204, 204);">How vivid is the music! [literally] - The music is so vivid! Or The music is so alive!</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">By the way, remember that “que” may mean “how” instead of “what.”</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">There is an idiomatic expression, “ser vivo,” that means to be smart and at the same time to take advantage of someone else. On the phrase,</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">¡Qué vivo eres, Antonio!</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">the meaning depends a lot on the intonation of the speaker and the context where it is used. For example, it can mean, “You are so smart, Antonio!” But, most of the time, this type of phrase translates as “You're so slick, Antonio!”</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Sometimes, ¡Qué! is more of a question, but a question we ask when we are surprised, happy, or mad. Here are a few examples:</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 0);">¡Qué tal, Armida!</span> = <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(0, 204, 204);">How are you, Armida?! Or What's up, Armida?!</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 0);">¡Qué onda, Esteban! </span>= <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(0, 204, 204);">What's up, Esteban?!</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 0);">¡Qué cuentas, amigo! </span>= <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(0, 204, 204);">What do you tell, my friend? [literally] or What's new, my friend?!</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 0);">¡Qué le hiciste a mi coche, Ema! </span><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">= </span><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(0, 204, 204);">What did you do to my car, Ema?</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The ¡que! [without accent] is actually an incomplete phrase. Quite often, Spanish speakers do not mention the independent clause [first part of the phrase], but they will say “que” and the dependent clause. For example,</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 0);">--¿Qué dices, mi amor?</span> = <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(0, 204, 204);">What do you say, my love? [literal] or What are you saying, my love?</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 0);">--¡Que te amo!</span> = <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(0, 204, 204);">(I'm saying) That I love you!</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 0);">--¡(Quiero) Que me dejes en paz! </span>= <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(0, 204, 204);">I want you to leave me alone!</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 0);">--¡(Espero/Te deseo) Que te diviertas! </span>= <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(0, 204, 204);">(I hope/I wish you) Have fun!</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 0);">--¡(Espero/Te deseo) Que tengas un buen fin de semana!</span> = <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(0, 204, 204);">(I hope/I wish you) Have a great weekend!</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The last three phrases on the previous batch have subjunctive, but most of the time we imply the subjunctive, similar to English when we say, “Have a nice day!” The difference is that in Spanish we need the “que.” By the way, this “que” is a conjunction—like “and” in English or “y” in Spanish—because it is linking two sentences.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">After Spain won a soccer match against England, I wrote on Facebook the following phrase,</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">“¡Qué viva España!”</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Everybody was so happy that none of my friends cared about the accent over the “e.” Or maybe, nobody really cared about it. Or perhaps they thought that whatever I—the Spanish teacher—writes must be correct. What my Facebook friends understood was,</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 0);">Long live Spain!</span> <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(0, 204, 204);">[¡Que viva España!]</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">But what I wrote, <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(0, 204, 204);">¡Qué viva España!</span>, was a little bit different,</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">How smart/slick is Spain!</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">How vivid is Spain!</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">How alive is Spain!</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">In any case, all of these three phrases were valid in the context.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">If this helps, write a comment, please. Que tengas un buen día.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636222510504653132noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765695622797153423.post-38169191304162246832011-03-02T22:08:00.000-08:002011-03-02T22:08:52.507-08:00"Voy a ir al gimnasio" vs. "voy al gimnasio"<style type="text/css">
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Ir + a + infinitivo (infinitive) and Ir + a + lugar (place)</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">What is the difference between “voy a ir al gimnasio” and “voy al gimnasio”?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Voy a ir al gimnasio. = I am going to go to the gym.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The idea here is that I will go to the gym in the near future. Remember that “infinitive” is a verb that is not conjugated—like cantar (to sing), beber (to drink), escribir (to write).</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In contrast,</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Voy al gimnasio. = I go to the gym.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In the second sentence, the idea is that I USUALLY go to the gym, or that I always go to the gym. This is a general statement about going to the gym, which can be followed by “ahora” (now), “siempre” (always), or any other information about time, how you get there, if you go with somebody else, etc.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The first sentence, “Voy a ir al gimansio,” follows the structure <b><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 0);">ir + a + infinitivo </span></b>(infinitive). With this structure we may talk about what we're going to do in the near future. It's a way of talking about the future, but using present tense. For some reason, in everyday life this periphrastic future is used more frequently than the formal future tense.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636222510504653132noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765695622797153423.post-61580295405564028942010-12-22T14:18:00.000-08:002010-12-22T14:18:58.404-08:00How do you write “Merry Christmas” in Spanish? “Feliz navidad” or “Feliz Navidad”?<style type="text/css">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFe6aqTiXiB3hxHSQuYuL1eqi1_lbn5-Lj9NvLRko7hEC1N1BWUdA1RkBHNlseh_us9IozsBGM0ImS7wG32WWBSPtPnW5Nk_9rSV0ZdiM1z3hN2l_Yxjgoa29u9p_afwhyphenhyphenIp572wyOgQ/s1600/IMG_6314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFe6aqTiXiB3hxHSQuYuL1eqi1_lbn5-Lj9NvLRko7hEC1N1BWUdA1RkBHNlseh_us9IozsBGM0ImS7wG32WWBSPtPnW5Nk_9rSV0ZdiM1z3hN2l_Yxjgoa29u9p_afwhyphenhyphenIp572wyOgQ/s320/IMG_6314.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">How do you write “Merry Christmas” in Spanish? “Feliz navidad” or “Feliz Navidad”?</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you need to write it on Facebook, a greeting card, or an email, you may write:</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Feliz navidad</b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">However, you may also write it with capital N, but the meaning changes a little bit. According to the Spanish Royal Academy, “Navidad” with capital E means the season between the night of December 24<sup>th</sup> and and January 6<sup>th </sup>. Therefore, if you write,</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />
</b></span> </div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Feliz Navidad</b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">You are wishing happy Christmas/New Year season, including the Epiphany.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">You can also make it plural, las “Navidades,” which in some regions is more common than in others. But you can also say,</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Felices pascuas</b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">Which has the same meaning as “Feliz Navidad.” The word “pascua” (pass – quah) can also be capitalized. It means “easter” and “passover,” although you may say “pascua judía” or “Jewish Easter” to be more precise. “Pascua” also means the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and any other solemn celebration in the Catholic Church. Thus, “felices pascuas” is an expression for Easter, Passover, and Christmas, and the Epiphany. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Nochebuena</b> is the night before Christmas, and the name of the red plant (or flower?) known as “poinsettia” in the United States. The “Epiphany” or “Epifanía” is also known as The Three Kings Day (los Santos Reyes Magos).</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">Should you write Christmas or christmas, Pascua or pascua? It all depends on you. My suggestion is that if you are not a Christian, you do not need to capitalize these words, but if you are a Christian, then capitalize them, please. Now, if you are a Christian AND a bad speller, then you're saved, since both spellings are accepted.</span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><style type="text/css">
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</style> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">In any case, the most common phrases that mean “Merry Christmas” are:</span></div><br />
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>¡Feliz Navidad! ¡Felices Pascuas!</b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you need to add “Happy New Year,” you may say, “¡Feliz año nuevo! Or, you guessed it, ¡Feliz Año Nuevo!</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thanks for reading. I hope this helped.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636222510504653132noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765695622797153423.post-62423554387268408712010-11-05T22:00:00.000-07:002010-11-05T22:01:35.962-07:00What are the uses of “por”?<style type="text/css">
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div style="background-color: #d9ead3; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>“Por”</b> is a <a href="http://www.arts.uottawa.ca/writcent/hypergrammar/preposit.html">preposition</a>. There are several prepositions in English that mean “por” in Spanish. The Spanish Academy has a long list of the meanings of <a href="http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltConsulta?TIPO_BUS=3&LEMA=por">por</a>. Although this list is intended for native speakers, most examples are very easy to understand.</span></div><div style="background-color: #d9ead3; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #d9ead3; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"> One of the most common problems for non-native speakers of Spanish is to use por and para correctly. The main problem is that both prepositions have more than ten meanings each! One more problem is that “por” sounds a lot like “for.” I will attempt to give you a hint of when to use “por.” On a later post, I will attempt to do the same with “para.”</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Por comes from “pro” and “per” in Latin. Therefore, most of the time “per” in English will mean “por” in Spanish. It also means exchange, because, about to do something, percentage, duration of time or lapse of time, going by or around a place when the name of the place comes after “por,” ways or means of communication, passive voice (made by X), counting by, and why. There are also several idiomatic expressions with por. Here are a few of them:</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">por ejemplo (for example) </span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">por favor (please)</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">por Dios (by God)</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">por lo menos (at least)</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">por lo general (in general)</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">por nada (for nothing, or it's nothing)</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">gracias por todo (thanks for everything)</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">por lo visto (evidently)</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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</span> </div><div style="background-color: #cfe2f3; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Whenever I explain por and para in the classroom, I tell the students that I'm a cavewoman for that class. I draw childish symbols and figures on the board. I also make some of those drawings with my hand when I'm speaking. I walk around the classroom to give a better idea of por (walking by, going around).</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #cfe2f3; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here are my POR drawings:</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiXOxWkAWDzqy2XkGDBNXJNilGLacvlh7_GLbYIuVygA5AjLwTEF7gm1ErwbWLtYnI8x5CMTHIS9gciIuKZ99b9UH-bySyEYNzdgkhNuqBkviyl58UsZeNOyX7TeGXdIk0K7Y5xJscBsM/s1600/por.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiXOxWkAWDzqy2XkGDBNXJNilGLacvlh7_GLbYIuVygA5AjLwTEF7gm1ErwbWLtYnI8x5CMTHIS9gciIuKZ99b9UH-bySyEYNzdgkhNuqBkviyl58UsZeNOyX7TeGXdIk0K7Y5xJscBsM/s1600/por.png" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Ejemplos:</span></b></div><div style="background-color: #f4cccc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Por</span></div><div style="background-color: #f4cccc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Reason, why something happens. </span></div><div style="background-color: #f4cccc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Lo hago por amor. = I do it because of love. </span></div><div style="background-color: #f4cccc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Fuimos a Toledo por la fiesta de Andrea. - We went to Toledo because of Andrea's party.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #fce5cd; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>About to do something.</b> </span></div><div style="background-color: #fce5cd; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Estoy por comprar una casa en Santiago. = I'm about to buy a house in Santiago.</span></div><div style="background-color: #fce5cd; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Estamos por salir. = We're about to leave.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b> </div><div style="background-color: #fff2cc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Math (times) and exchange/substitution.</b> </span></div><div style="background-color: #fff2cc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">2 x 3 = 6 – Dos por seis es igual a seis. Two times three is six.</span></div><div style="background-color: #fff2cc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mi madre trabajó por mi tía ayer. - My mother worked instead of my aunt yesterday.</span></div><div style="background-color: #fff2cc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">20% = veinte por ciento – twenty per cent.</span></div><div style="background-color: #fff2cc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">El dólar está a 10 pesos por un dólar. The dollar is 10 pesos for one dollar.</span></div><div style="background-color: #fff2cc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ellos pagaron mucho dinero por la casa. They paid a lot of money for the house. (exchange of money)</span></div><div style="background-color: #fff2cc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Se fueron de la fiesta uno por uno. - They left the party one by one.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b> </div><div style="background-color: #d9ead3; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Time (duration of time).</span></b></div><div style="background-color: #d9ead3; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Me baño por cinco minutos. - I bathe for five minutes.</span></div><div style="background-color: #d9ead3; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Dormí por 10 horas el sábado pasado. - I slept for 10 hours last Saturday.</span></div><div style="background-color: #d9ead3; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Fuimos de vacaciones por una semana. - We went on vacation for a week.</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Ways or means of communication and transportation.</span></b></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ellos hablan por teléfono y por correo electrónico. - They talk by phone and by email.</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Enviamos la carta por correo certificado. - We sent the letter by certified mail.</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Carlos salió por tren a Nueva York. - Carlos left by train to New York.</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Tú vas por carro a las montañas. You go by car to the mountains.</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">To go arround a place or to pass by a place</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ustedes pasaron por mi casa anoche. - You all passed by (or around) my house last night.</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Vamos por la carretera I-95 de Richmond a Atlanta. - We go by I-95 from Richmond to Atlanta. (We use, we go by the highway)</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Dimos la vuelta por la manzana de tu casa. – We went around the block where your house is.</span></div><div style="background-color: #cfe2f3; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b> </div><div style="background-color: #cfe2f3; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Passive voice / the author/director of something.</span></b></div><div style="background-color: #cfe2f3; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">El libro fue escrito por Augusto Monterroso. - The book was written by Augusto Monterroso.</span></div><div style="background-color: #cfe2f3; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">El dibujo fue hecho por Lulú. - The drawing was made by Lulú.</span></div><div style="background-color: #cfe2f3; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Dirigida por Robert Rodríguez. - Directed by Robert Rodríguez.</span></div><div style="background-color: #cfe2f3; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Patrocinado por la letra X. - Sponsored by the letter X.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">No por</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">In some cases, we don't need “por” even if the phrase in English sounds like we need it in Spanish. Usually is a verb in English that needs the preposition “for.”</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">To pay for – pagar - They pay for the tacos. - Ellos pagan los tacos.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">To look for – buscar – I'm looking for a book. - Estoy buscando un libro.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">To search for – buscar – They looked for the dog on the street. Ellos buscaron al perro en la calle.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">To wait for – esperar – My aunt was waiting for my mother. - Mi tía estaba esperando a mi madre.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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</span> </div><div style="background-color: #d9d2e9; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">However, sometimes we use por with pagar. Consider this example:</span></div><div style="background-color: #d9d2e9; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #d9d2e9; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">¿Cuánto dinero pagaste por ese juguete? - How much money did you pay for that toy?</span></div><div style="background-color: #d9d2e9; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here we need “por” because there is a more specific exchange, <i>money for a toy.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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</span> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">And “to thank for” needs <b>por</b>:</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Gracias por el libro. - Thanks for the book.</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Por nada. - You're welcome.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #f9cb9c; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Basically, por means: reason, exchange, substitution, percentage, per, multiplication, done by X person, going around, going by, communicating by, time duration, and about to do X.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">I hope this helps. If it does, please write a comment.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636222510504653132noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765695622797153423.post-63635436335464978442010-10-22T21:48:00.000-07:002010-11-02T10:54:19.366-07:00What Are “Subjunctive in Adjective Clauses?”<style type="text/css">
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Necesito <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 0);">un amigo</span> que sea <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 0);">famoso</span>. <i>(I need a friend who is famous.)</i></span></div><div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Does this friend exist? Maybe, but for now he is in my mind. I have an idea of what I need or I'm looking for. However, THAT IS AN IDEA. This is why we need the subjunctive to describe the friend I'm looking for.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">¿Conoces a <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 0);">alguien</span> que tenga dos perros? (Do you know anybody who has two dogs?)</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">In this question, the person asking has no clue if you know a person who has two dogs. Ok, there is no adjectve here, but the description works like an adjective.</span></div><div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">The “subjunctive in adjective clauses” simply means that the clause with subjunctive contains an adjective (description) of a noun (person, thing, place, etc.) that may or may not exist. The phrase in this case is formed with two sentences, </span> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 0);">sentence 1: indicative (noun) </span>+ que + <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(0, 255, 255);">sentence 2: subjunctive (adjective that modifies the noun from sentence 1)</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Let's see more examples.</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">El libro trata de la vida en América Central. (The book is about the life in Central America.) </span> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">There is no subjunctive here, because we are talking about “THE BOOK,” which means that the book is known to either the speaker or the listener of this sentence.</span></div><div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">But now,</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Busco <span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-size: auto auto; background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat;">el libro</span> que se trata de la vida en América Central. (I'm looking for <span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-size: auto auto; background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat;">the book</span> that is about life in Central America) </span> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">There is certainty here. This is why there is no need for subjunctive. The next sentence is similar to the previous one, but it has subjunctive,</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Busco </span><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(234, 209, 220);">un libro</span><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"> que se trate de la vida en América Central. (I'm looking for </span><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(234, 209, 220);">a book</span> that is about the life in Central America)</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Usually the key is the indefinite article (un, una, unos, unas), and indefinite words like something, somebody or someone (alguien, algún, alguna, alguno, algunos, algunas, algo).</span></div><div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Some of the verbs we use often with these structures are: buscar (to look for), necesitar (to need), conocer (to know), querer (to want, to love).</span></div><div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Remember that you need to have two sentences (two conjugated verbs).</span></div><div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Consider this example:</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Necesito un trabajo bueno. (I need a good job.) </span> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">There is no subjunctive. There is only one verb. </span> </div><div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">The next example contains subjunctive:</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Necesito <span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-size: auto auto; background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat;">un trabajo</span> que sea <span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-size: auto auto; background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat;">bueno.</span></span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">(I need a job that is good.)</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Again, it has subjunctive because there is uncertainty.</span></div><div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Here are a few more examples:</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Necesito el apartamento que está en el centro de la ciudad. (I need the apartment that is in downtown.) </span> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Necesito un apartamento que esté en el centro de la ciudad. (I need an apartment that is in downtown.) </span> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Ella busca al chico que es guapo e inteligente. (She is looking for a boy who is handsome and intelligent.)</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Ella busca a un chico que sea guapo e inteligente. (She is looking for a boy who is handsome and intelligent.)</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Conozco a la chica que se llama Lupita. (I know the girl whose name is Lupita.)</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Conozco a una chica que se llama Lupita. (I know a girl whose name is Lupita.)</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">No conozco a una chica que se llame Lupita. ( I don't know any girls whose...)</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">El libro es caro. (The book is expensive.) There is no subjunctive here.</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Necesito el libro que es caro. (I need the book that is expensive.)</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Necesito un libro que sea caro. (I need a book that is expensive.)</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">¿Conocieron ustedes <span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-size: auto auto; background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat;">al chico</span> que se llama Pancho? (Did you meet <span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-size: auto auto; background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat;">the boy</span> whose name is Pancho?)</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">¿Conocieron ustedes a un chico que se llama Pancho? (Did you meet a boy or any boys whose...?)</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">I hope this helps.</span> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636222510504653132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765695622797153423.post-84225376286661442612010-10-08T16:17:00.000-07:002010-10-08T19:09:08.489-07:00Lo vs. Le<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><style type="text/css">
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">A former student suggested this topic. I had draw some cartoons to explain to my current students the object pronouns, so I am recycling those drawings, not because they're good drawing, but because they may help to explain the differences between “lo” and “le.”</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Perhaps “lo” and “le” are confusing because of the following:</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><ol style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Both are singular,</span></div></li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">In Spain, “le” is used instead of “lo” in some cases, and</span></div></li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">In English, both mean “it” and “him.”</span></div></li>
</ol><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">But what is an object pronoun?</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Basically, we use a proun instead of the noun. When we don't want to repeat a name (noun), we say, you, it, we, us, etc. Object pronouns are related to nouns (people, institutions, places, ideas, animals) who are part of a sentece, but they are NOT the subject (the noun doing the action) of the sentence. For example,</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>He reads a book.</b></span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">He = subject</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">reads = verb</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">a book = noun that is not the subject = object</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Juliet kissed Romeo.</b></span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Juliet = subject</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">kissed = verb</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Romeo = noun that is not the subject = object</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">These are the pronouns and the rules (formulas) to use them:</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">1 verbo = </span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>s + po + v</b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"> ejemplo: <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(0, 255, 0);">Yo</span> <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 0);">lo</span> <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(0, 255, 255);">leo</span>.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">2 verbos=</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>s + po + v1 + v2</b></span></div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"> ejemplo: <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(0, 255, 0);">Yo</span> <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 0);">lo</span> <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(0, 255, 255);">voy</span> a <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(153, 153, 204);">leer</span>.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>s + v1 + v2po</b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"> ejemplo: <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(0, 255, 0);">Yo</span> <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(0, 255, 255);">voy</span> a <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(153, 153, 204);">leer</span><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 0);">lo</span>.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">imperativo:</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">(+) imperativo (one word) </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Lee el libro. </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Lée<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 0);">lo</span> </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"> (-) no pronoun imperativo (three words or more)</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">No leas el libro.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">No <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 0);">lo</span> leas</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Objeto </b> <i><b>POD POI</b></i></span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">A m<span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-size: auto auto; background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat;">í</span> me me</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">A ti te te</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">A <span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-size: auto auto; background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat;">é</span>l/ella/usted <span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-size: auto auto; background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat;">lo/la le</span></span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">A nosotros/as nos nos</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">A vosotros/as os os</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">A ustedes/ellos/as <span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-size: auto auto; background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat;">los/las les</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">A direct object is involved in the action, while the indirect object receives the benefit of the action. These are my drawings to explain the direct object.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj511lXgOl1fA2yQj4-bJ_Bv529K2YrwV_DZfF33RKovot4Eyo3Ku7Q4_gIeIhnwX6ZzUc9LPhG_Uq-Hf8YtxRYvxokqsxBGa45BYpQLHI3wg_A3gAzH2SiZVrsuBg7mUnCTe0cVZl-bqI/s1600/od2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj511lXgOl1fA2yQj4-bJ_Bv529K2YrwV_DZfF33RKovot4Eyo3Ku7Q4_gIeIhnwX6ZzUc9LPhG_Uq-Hf8YtxRYvxokqsxBGa45BYpQLHI3wg_A3gAzH2SiZVrsuBg7mUnCTe0cVZl-bqI/s400/od2.png" width="281" /></a></div><div style="background-color: #fff2cc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #fff2cc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Here, the person is the subject who is reading (verb) a book (direct object).</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgywdDI8dxeCrkEDnjsz6jhvBxaYV74KTAKAkOJNUBkSNUv5mXEMJDnsIKOLYD2NHdIsnXz35yXpEXiNUx9ZW1C6FfvQ2V_H-Ib66ekMmjnNdE2K9VknIloKKp_wOt4FH7SyvcoVy61m4Y/s1600/od.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgywdDI8dxeCrkEDnjsz6jhvBxaYV74KTAKAkOJNUBkSNUv5mXEMJDnsIKOLYD2NHdIsnXz35yXpEXiNUx9ZW1C6FfvQ2V_H-Ib66ekMmjnNdE2K9VknIloKKp_wOt4FH7SyvcoVy61m4Y/s400/od.png" width="330" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #fff2cc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now, one person (subject) loves (verb) another person (direct object)</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">There is not a problem when using these verbs with noun that are not people. The problem arises when we talk about other people, family pets, or institutions. Most verbs related to feelings—such as amar (to love), odiar (to hate), and extrañar (to miss)–need a direct object. Think about in this way, “I love you, you are the object of my love.” Other verbs that use a direct object are pintar (to paint), dibujar (to draw), tocar (to touch), etc.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Ejemplos:</span></i></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Julieta ama a Romeo. → Julieta lo ama.</span></b></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">No me toques. → Don't touch me.</span></b></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Picasso no pintó a Dalí. → Picasso no lo pintó.</span></b></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Mi madre extraña a mi padre. → Mi madre lo extraña.</span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #fff2cc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #fff2cc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Notice that in order to include a person who is not the subject, we need to connect him/her with the preposition “a.” This is just to distinguish that this other person is not the subject.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">There are a lot of communication and transportation verbs. When we use these verbs, something goes from one (or more) subject to another. For example, hablar (to talk), enviar (to send), dar (to give), pedir (to ask/request for something), escribir (to write), llamar por teléfono (call on the phone), etc.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">These verbs are called, “transitivos” or transitive in English. Think about “transit,” which is moving from point A to point B. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the drawing below, a person (subject) gives (verb) his heart (direct object) to another person (indirect object).</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iUMeyrsp1wy9vFFu0ZRxSLOejMWtZEo-tNgrKwGPfbXyHnaTsoqJuNfVj0iNZkhZBsqLZSkAa-qcWce0Vzwyi1b4FCBo6wUkCdgM-R9LvGo79tkURaq_TgM64lvJeQB0mgt0odVTVkM/s1600/oi.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iUMeyrsp1wy9vFFu0ZRxSLOejMWtZEo-tNgrKwGPfbXyHnaTsoqJuNfVj0iNZkhZBsqLZSkAa-qcWce0Vzwyi1b4FCBo6wUkCdgM-R9LvGo79tkURaq_TgM64lvJeQB0mgt0odVTVkM/s400/oi.png" width="330" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Now consider:</span></b></div><div style="background-color: #fff2cc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #fff2cc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mi tía llama por teléfono a su amiga. (My aunt calls her friend on the phone)</span></div><div style="background-color: #fff2cc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">a su amiga = indirect object</span></div><div style="background-color: #fff2cc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #fff2cc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mi tía le llama por teléfono a su amiga. </span></div><div style="background-color: #fff2cc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #fff2cc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Le = indirect object pronoun</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Notice that the direct object and the direct object pronoun are usually not used in the same sentence, but the indirect object and the indirect object are used in the same sentence, especially when the indirect object is singular and the second person formal (usted), or anybody from the third person (él, ella, uno).</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Otros ejemplos:</span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mi hermano le envía un mensaje electrónico a su novia. (My brother sends an email to his girlfriend)</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ellos me hablaron por teléfono. (They called me on the phone)</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Yo les hablé por teléfono. (I called them on the phone, or by phone)</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mi madre me compó una camiseta. (My mom bought me a t-shirt)</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Yo le compré un vestido a mi madre. ( I bought my mother a dress)</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Nosotros le pedimos juguetes a Santa todos los años. (We ask Santa for toys every year)</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ana le regala un libro a Juan. (Ana gives a book to Juan as a present)</span></div><div style="background-color: #ead1dc; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ellos le dicen la verdad a la policía. (They tell the truth to the police)</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">If it helps, drop me a nice comment.</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Links: </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">direct and indirect object in English =<a href="http://www.easyenglish.com/lesson.asp?him.txt"> http://www.easyenglish.com/lesson.asp?him.txt</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">direct object in English = <a href="http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/directobject.htm">http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/directobject.htm</a></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636222510504653132noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765695622797153423.post-2605797140032719522010-09-25T21:39:00.000-07:002010-09-25T21:43:02.013-07:00Conocer vs Saber<style type="text/css">
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<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">After a few months on vacation, here is Preguntolandia again.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Conocer vs Saber</b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">Conocer and saber mean <i>to know</i> in English. In Spanish, conocer gives the idea of “being familiar with something or somebody,” while “saber” refers more to knowing facts, data, specific knowledge that you need to study, practice, or memorize.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Conocer + a + persona, conocer + lugar or other noun</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><br />
</i> </div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Why is “conocer” and not “saber” used to imply that I know a person or a place? </i></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">First, it is impossible to know everything about a person. I don't know everything about myself; my doctor may know a lot about me, and I don't have a clue. In the same way, it's almost impossible to know 100% of the information related to a place. There is history, environment, etc., that I may not have a clue about. Second, conocer comes from <span style="color: black;">“</span><i style="color: black;">cognoscĕre”</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> in Latin, which has to do more with perception, seeing, cognition, being informed about something. Even if you see the way a math problem is solved, you still have to memorize information. We know a person or a place because we see them, listen to them, smell them, etc. You get the point.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Why does conocer need the preposition “a” when we want to express that we know a person? The answer is in the question. If I can remember that in English I say, “I know a person,” the it's easier to remember that in Spanish the rule is “conocer + a + persona.” The reason is simple. If we say, </span> </div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Karina knows Patricia and Héctor.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Karina is the subject (sujeto) of the sentence, the person who does something, in this case “to know.” Since what she knows is people, then we say,</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Karina conoce</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Now, Patricia and Héctor are not the subjects of the sentence. Sure they may know Karina as well, but the focus of the sentence is Karina, not them. <span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"> Patricia and Héctor are what or who </span></span><i style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><b>is known by</b></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"> Karina</span> [ notice the passive voice here]. </span> </div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Karina conoce a Patricia y a Héctor.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Note that the second <i>a</i>, “y </span><i>a</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> Héctor,” is for more emphasis. In spoken everyday Spanish, if you forget it, it's alright. Nobody will laugh at you. </span> </div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">We need to connect Patricia and Héctor to the sentence with the preposition a, otherwise the sentence will sound fragmented. How? Well it will sound kind of like this,</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Karina knows. Patricia and Héctor. </span> </div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">It makes no sense!</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Think also, that conocer is more like “knowing about” or “having information about.” You cannot say in English,</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">She has information them.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">For places we don't need the preposition “a.” We only for people or institutions, since the latter function and are treated like people. Remember that domestic animals are also treated like people, specially when the cat or dog has a name. Example:</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Mi gato se llama Van Helsing. Mis amigos conocen </span><i>a</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> Van Helsing.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Saber + a = to taste like</span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Don't ever use saber + a + person, unless you're talking in metaphorical way. “Saber” also means </span><i>to taste like</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> or </span><i>to have the flavor of.</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> If you want to say, “My mother knows President Obama [or the president of your choice],” you need to say,</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Mi madre conoce al presidente Obama. [remember that a + el = al]</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Be careful, never say or write,</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Mi madre sabe al presidente Obama.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Because the translation for this sentence is,</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">My mother tastes like president Obama.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small; font-style: normal;">Other examples with conocer:</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Mi hermana conoce a Luis Carlos. [ My sister knows Luis Carlos.]</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Tu amigo no conoce a Ester. [Your friend doesn't know Ester.]</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Ellos conocen Madrid. [They know Madrid.]</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Elisa y yo conocemos la tienda de Lola. [Elisa and I know Lola's store.]</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Tú no conoces el disco nuevo de Luis Miguel. [You don't know Luis Miguel's new CD.]</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Mi abuela conoció a mi perrito ayer. [My grandmother met my little dog yesterday.]</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Conocer + a + person in the preterite tense [pretérito]</span> means to meet somebody for the first time. In the last example, my grandmother met my dog, means that she saw the dog for the first time in her life.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Saber </span></span> </div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Saber comes from the latin “</span><i>sapĕre,</i><span style="font-style: normal;">” and it refers more to being an expert on something, to have the facts, to acquire the knowledge of X. “Sapere” is from the same family of words of “sapiens” as in the term “homo sapiens.”</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Here are a few examples of saber:</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Ellas saben mi número de teléfono. [They know my phone number.]</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Gerardo no sabe mi correo electrónico. [Gerardo doesn't know my email.]</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Mi abuelo sabe hablar alemán. [My grandfather knows how to speak German.]</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Mi profesor sabe latín. [My professor knows Latin.]</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Mi padre sabe mucho de agricultura. [My father knows a lot about agriculture.]</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Tú sabes muchas canciones de amor. [You know a lot of love songs.]</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">¿Sabes la canción “Qué viva España”? [Do you know the song “Qué viva España”?</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Saber + verb</span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">In order to say “to know how to do something” we need to use saber + an infinitive verb. A few examples:</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Usted sabe cantar muy bien. [You know how to sing very well.]</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Mi tío sabe tocar el piano. [ My uncle knows how to play the piano.]</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Ofelia no sabía cocinar chorizo. [ Ofelia didn't know how to cook chorizo.]</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Saber que + oración completa</span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Other common phrases that use saber are phrases with “Saber que.” Phrases like, “Do you know what...?” or “</span><i>Did you know that...?” </i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">need “que” because these are actually two sentences. Example:</span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Did you know that Salvador Dalí made a movie with Luis Buñuel?</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">¿Sabías que Salvador Dalí hizo una película con Luis Buñuel?</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">“<span style="font-style: normal;">Did you know” is the question, and “you” is the subject of the question. “Salvador Dalí made a movie with Luis Buñuel” is the second sentence, in which Salvador Dalí is the subject. The two sentences are linked in English with the relative pronoun “that,” which in this case means “que” in Spanish.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">¿Sabes qué? Te amo.</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Do you know what? I love you.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-style: normal;">¿Saber or conocer?</span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Sometimes the use of saber and conocer depend on the context. For example, I am familiar with the song “Alejandro” by Lady Gaga. I heard it on the radio, TV and the Internet a couple of times. I know the title. I recognize the song, but I don't know the lyrics. So, I can say the following,</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Yo conozco a Lady Gaga. No la conozco en persona pero conozco sus canciones. </span> </div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">[I know Lady Gaga. I don't know her in person, but I know her songs]</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Conozco la canción “Alejandro” de Lady Gaga.</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">[I know the song “Alejandro” by LG, I'm familiar with it.]</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Sé el título de la canción. </span> </div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">[ I know the title of the song, I had to memorize it.]</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">No sé la canción “Alejandro”. </span> </div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">[I don't know the song.]</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Solamente sé el coro: “Alejandro, Alejandro”.</span></div><div style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">[I only know the chorus, “Alejandro, Alejandro.”]</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">I hope it helps. If it does, great!</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636222510504653132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765695622797153423.post-56777689927270840392010-06-05T23:00:00.001-07:002010-10-31T15:40:26.061-07:00Verbos irregulares<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Verbos irregulares que cambian de raíz</b></span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #cfe2f3; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Irregular stem changing verbs.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">There is not that much to say about these verbs, but that you really have to memorize them. The best way is to write and write and write sentences.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I'll talk about flash cards later.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Here is a link to work on these verbs. <br />
I created the quizzes, so if you have any comments, I'll be happy to<br />
read them. Good luck.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://elenes.com/clases/practice/span101/index.html">http://elenes.com/clases/practice/span101/index.html</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Lulú</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636222510504653132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765695622797153423.post-44730894653695024132010-06-01T19:39:00.000-07:002010-06-01T19:39:59.864-07:00Imperfecto vs. PretéritoThe imperfect = el imperfecto. The –aba and –ía tense. [a.k.a. pretérito imperfecto, copretérito]<br />
Verbos –ar = --aba <br />
Yo caminaba, tú caminabas, él/ella/usted caminaba, nosotros caminábamos, vosotros caminabais, ustedes/ellos caminaban. I walked (an unknown number of times) used to walk or I was walking, etc.<br />
<br />
Verbos –er/ --ir = --ía Yo comía, tú comías, él/ella/usted comía, nosotros comíamos, vosotros comíais, ustedes/ellos/ellas comían. I ate (un unknown number of times), I used to eat or I was eating, etc.<br />
<br />
This is a verbal tense that we use to <b>describe</b> the context, habitual situations, age, time, the weather, health conditions, most of the idiomatic expressions with tener (tener frío, tener calor, etc.), human relationships, actions that happened so many times that we have forgotten how many times they occurred... in one phrase: how things used to be in the past or at a certain period in the past. USUALLY, NOTHING (NO ACTION) HAPPENS IN THE STORY IF WE USE THE IMPERFECT, that’s why I emphasized describe at the beginning of this paragraph.<br />
<br />
Example: <br />
<i>When I was 5 years-old, I lived in California. </i><br />
<b>Cuando tenía 5 años, yo vivía en California.</b><br />
<br />
<i>Yesterday it was raining cats and dogs when I got home.</i><br />
<b>Ayer llovía a cántaros cuando llegué a casa.</b><br />
<br />
Open a novel in English on the first page and read the first lines. Usually, the first lines tell you about the context, the place, the time, the people, etc. This is IMPERFECTO.<br />
<br />
Think of IMPERFECTO as something that happens, but we don’t know when it starts and when it ends, or how many times it happened.<br />
<br />
But the difficult part between imperfecto and pretérito is when we use both at the same time.<br />
<br />
[Link: youtube video, about the 6:20 mins.: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZRflz-93JA">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZRflz-93JA</a> ]<br />
<br />
Dave Chappelle has a very good routine about the difference between men and women. He says that a man tells a story kind of like this: “I went to the store, I bought a loaf of bread, came back home, made a sandwich and ate it.” But a woman tells the same story with a lot more of information: “I wanted to go to the store, but I had a headache, took an aspirin and then I went to the store. It was raining. It was cold. I got to the store. The guy was so handsome. Then I talked to him and he was mad about something... etc.” [These are not exactly Chappelle’s words, but they’re pretty close]<br />
<br />
As you can see, according to Chappelle, men tell a story with action verbs only, while women add background and context. Men use the perfect preterite and women use perfect and imperfect. It is not 100% true, but it is a good way to explain the difference between preterite and imperfect.<br />
<br />
Ask yourself how many times something happened or when exactly it happened. If you know it or can tell, then it is preterite. If not, it is imperfect. If something usually happens only once, it is preterite.<br />
<br />
<i>Elvis died.</i><br />
How many times did he die? Once! Then it is preterite. <br />
<b>Elvis murió.</b><br />
<br />
<i>Elvis used to live in Graceland. </i><br />
<br />
How many times or for how long? According to the information given in the sentence, we don’t know. Then it is imperfect:<br />
<br />
<b>Elvis vivía en Graceland.</b><br />
<br />
So, what is the difference between:<br />
<b>Elvis vivió en Graceland en 1970</b><br />
and<br />
<b>Elvis vivía en Graceland en 1970</b>?<br />
<br />
The second one is either the context for a story, context information, or some trivial information. Maybe he lived there at some point in 1970.<br />
The first one is a fact (preterite), maybe only sentence o comment. It's more emphatic. Maybe he lived there the entire year.<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>You can use either one without any problem.</b> Unless you are telling a story in which the context dictates that this information is part of the description of how and where Elvis used to live, then you will have to choose. If you are making a list of facts that happened to Elvis, you can use the sentence in the preterite:<br />
<br />
<b>Elvis vivió en Tupelo en 1950, en Nashville en 1960, en la calle X de Memphis en 1965 y en Graceland en 1970. </b><br />
<br />
(This is made up information, by the way)<br />
<br />
The sentence in the imperfect can help you with a story like this,<br />
<br />
<b>Elvis vivía en Graceland en 1970 cuando compró dos aviones y tres televisiones. </b><br />
(Again, made up information)<br />
<br />
There are two more uses of imperfecto: parallel actions and paraphrases.<br />
<br />
<b>Parallel actions:</b> The imperfect is the least important action and the important one is preterite. <br />
<br />
<b>Yo veía la televisión cuando mi hermana me llamó por teléfono.</b><br />
<i>I was watching TV when my sister called me on the phone.</i><br />
<b>Tenía dolor de cabeza por eso tomé Tylenol.</b><br />
<i>I had a headache that's why I took Tylenol.</i><br />
<b>Cuado estaba cocinando me corté el dedo.</b><br />
<i>When I was cooking I cut my finger. </i><br />
<br />
It is possible to write the same sentences but with the preterite first:<br />
<b>Cuando mi hermana llamó por teléfono yo veía la televisión.</b><br />
<b>Tomé Tylenol porque me dolía la cabeza.</b><br />
<b>Me corté el dedo cuando estaba cocinando.</b><br />
<br />
<b>Paraphrases:</b> when we re-tell a story, some verbs--that were in the present at the time the story happened—become imperfect.<br />
<br />
<i>Carolina said, “I want a burger.”</i> (preterite + present)<br />
<br />
If we re-tell the story, it goes like this: <br />
<br />
<i>Carolina said that she wanted a burger. </i>(preterite + preterite)<i><br />
</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Carolina dijo: --Quiero una hamburguesa.</b> (preterite + present)<br />
<b>Carolina dijo que quería una hamburguesa. </b>(preterite + imperfect)<br />
<br />
I hope this helps.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636222510504653132noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765695622797153423.post-40993648078410066012010-05-19T18:31:00.001-07:002010-05-20T08:27:27.285-07:00HUBO VS. HABIA<meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="CONTENT-TYPE"></meta> <title></title> <meta content="OpenOffice.org 3.2 (Unix)" name="GENERATOR"></meta> <style type="text/css">
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Hubo / Había = verbo “haber” [there was/were]</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This question came from a former student, via Twitter. (You may follow me at http://www.twitter.com/luluee. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">First, when translated into English, these two forms of the verb <i><b>haber</b></i> mean <i><b>“there was.”</b></i> The key is that “hubo” is the third person singular of haber in the preterite tense, while “había” is the third person singular of the same verb but in the imperfect. This is grammatically speaking. In actuality, “haber” by itself is an impersonal verb. It is also the auxiliary verb of compound tenses, example: “Yo había terminado la tarea antes de las 5:00 p.m” = I had finished my homework before 5:00 pm. In modern Latin American Spanish, “hube terminado” is rarely used, but if you need to use it, think of it as “once I had finished doing something.”</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Now, let's see: the difference between the preterite (hubo) and the imperfect (hubo).</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Both verbal tenses refer to the past, but the imperfect offers the context and the preterite provides the action. The imperfect—or imperfecto, which is also known as “copretérito” <i>meaning next to the preterite—</i>will only give us information about how people, places, animals, objects, etc. were or used to be in the past, for a period of time. When I say,</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Había un accidente en la carretera 64. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">[“There was an accident on highway 64.” / Think about it in this way, “An accident occurred at some time on 64” or “An accident was occurring/happening on 64.”]</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The accident is not the most important part of my speech. It is only a reference to something else that I consider much important than the accident. In other words, this is the background information. In fact, we have no idea for how long that accident was there. It just happens that when I was on 64, I saw that there was an accident. However, when I change to the preterite, the meaning changes:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Hubo un accidente en la carretera 64. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">[“There was an accident on highway 64.” / Think of it as “An accident happened on 64,” in other words, the accident begun and finished already.]</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Here the focus IS the accident. After this sentence, I will probably provide more specific information, such as the time, the place, etc., but the information will not be as important as the accident.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">How do I know when to use either one? It is a matter of context and taste.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Hubo</b> is simply more dramatic and more important than <b>había</b>. But don't ditch the latter just yet, because it serves a very important purpose: we can start a story with it. Examples:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><ul><li> Había una vez una princesa que vivía en un palacio. [Once upon a time there was a princess who lived in a palace.]<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></div></li>
<li>Cuando mi abuela tenía 20 años no había computadoras personales. [When my grandmother was 20-years-old there were no personal computers.]<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></div></li>
<li>El semestre pasado no había muchos estudiantes en la clase de honores. [Last semester there were not that many students in the honors class.]<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></div></li>
<li>Cuando llegamos al pueblo había una fiesta muy animada. [When we arrived to the town there was a very animated party.]<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></div></li>
</ul><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The first three phrases use the imperfect only, therefore they are pure context. The last one mixes preterite and imperfect, which is a very common situation. In this sentence, “when we arrived to the town” is more important; we have no idea when the party begun or finished. Probably “we arrived” in the middle of it. If we flip the sentence, the meaning is the same, but the emphasis changes,</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Había una fiesta muy animada cuando llegamos al pueblo [There was a very animated party when we arrived to the town.]</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But it all depends on what the speaker believes the most important part is.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">A few more examples with “hubo.”</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Ayer hubo una elección. [There was an election yesterday.]</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Hubo dos huracanes el año pasado. [There were two hurricanes last year.]</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Hace dos años hubo una conferencia sobre Cervantes en nuestra universidad. [There was a lecture on Cervantes in our university two years ago.]</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I hope this helps. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636222510504653132noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765695622797153423.post-91011312998308907732009-05-12T20:08:00.000-07:002009-05-12T20:12:10.042-07:00¿Cómo es? vs. ¿Cómo está?One of the first questions that I get in my Spanish 101 class is,<br /> “What is the difference between '¿cómo es? and ¿cómo está?' because both sound the same to me."<br /><br />The confusion between these two questions comes from the fact that<span style="font-weight: bold;"> “to be” means both ser and estar</span> in Spanish--there other verbs that may also mean "to be," but ser and estar are the most common. Cómo has its problems too. According to the dictionary and the glossaries of any text book, “¿cómo?” means “how?” but sometimes its best translation is “what?” The translations are as follows:<br /><br />¿Cómo es? What is it like? / What is she or he like? / What are you(uested = formal)?<br /><br />¿Cómo está? How is it (animal) doing? / How are you (usted = formal) doing? / How is she or he doing? / /she right now? How is he/she/etc. Doing?]<br /><br />¿Cómo + ser? =<br />¿Cómo soy yo / eres tú / sos vos (Argentina and Uruguay) / es usted / es ella / es él / somos nosotros or nosotras / sois vosotras or vosotros / son ustedes / son ellos or ellas?<br /><br />The answer must be a description of inherent characteristics, in other words, description of physical characteristics, the way the person or animal behaves, etc. You may refer to generalizations about the subject, or something that will not change easily. Here are a few answers that fit this question. <br /><br />Soy inteligente. [Note that a complete sentence should include the subject, “Yo soy inteligente”.]<br />Ella es bonita y elegante.<br />Él es guapo y bien vestido. (very well dressed)<br />Usted es millonaria, trabajadora y cómica.<br />Nosotras somos religiosas, rebeldes, románticas.<br />Vosotros sois tranquilos y dormilones (sleep a lot).<br />Ustedes son famosas y ridículas.<br />Ellos son locos e interesantes. [Note: “e” is used instead of “y” because we cannot repeat the “i” (y) sound]<br /><br />¿Cómo está? Needs an answer about well-being and emotional state, even first impressions about the subject--for example: está horrible, está muy bonito, está muy gorda. Here are a few examples:<br /><br />Estoy feliz.<br />Está muy bien.<br />Mi madre está alegre.<br />Mi gato está dormido.<br />Mi hermano y yo estamos muy cansados.<br />¿Estáis listas?<br />Ellas están nerviosas.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636222510504653132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765695622797153423.post-36860319953941888542009-05-01T22:17:00.000-07:002009-05-01T23:12:22.640-07:00Is it "el internet" or "la internet"? Internet with or without capital "i"?I recently had a long Facebook wall-to-wall dialogue about this issue. A friend wrote on their status that it is “la internet,” not “el internet.” My argument was that the gender of “internet” (or Internet) depends on the region you live.<br /><br />This is one of those words similar to computer--el ordenador in Spain, la computadora in Mexico, and el computador in Colombia. According to the Real Academia Española de la Lengua (<a href="http://www.rae.es/">www.rae.es</a>), “internet” is an ambiguous noun, which means that it can be either feminine or masculine. It can also be written with capital "I" because it is a place or space, just like a country or a city.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why the confusion?</span><br />There not that many words in Spanish that end with "t." Cassette passed into Spanish as "casete" but a very common pronunciation is "caset." Casete is also a noun that can be either feminine or masculine, but in most countries is masculine. By association, “internet” is masculine. Or feminine if “casete” is feminine for you. By the way, “la casete” refers to the cassette player more than the cassette itself.<br /><br />Speakers who grew up using "la red" (the net) because it is the translation of the English "net," then "internet" logically became "la internet."<br />Also, "internet" sounds a lot like "carné" (“carnet”) and "bidé" (bidet) which are originally French words and function as masculine nouns in Spanish. This may be another reason why "internet" is masculine for so many native speakers.<br /><br />New words, specially the ones related to technology, have traveled very fast from English to other languages in the last two decades. Each region adopts the version or translation that it feels more comfortable with. Do not feel bad if somebody tells you, “se dice el internet” instead of la internet and vice versa. You can always point to the RAE. Of course, the RAE doesn't dictate exactly how a region should use a new word, on the contrary, the RAE can include in its official dictionary all the different ways a word is used.<br /><br />Go ahead, have fun in la or el internet, or Internet.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636222510504653132noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765695622797153423.post-3004701865617339162009-04-23T22:35:00.000-07:002009-04-23T23:09:33.496-07:00Why does buscar need "qu" in the preterite tense?<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Buscar (to look for)</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Comunicar (to communicate)</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Explicar (to explain)</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Pescar (to fish)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 204); font-family: trebuchet ms;">RULE:</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204); font-family: trebuchet ms;"> In the preterite tense, the spelling of first person singular (yo) of verbs that end with --car change from "--cé" to "--qué."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Thus, we have: yo busqué, comuniqué, expliqué y pesqué.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">In general, the sound /ke/ is spelled "que." Remember the following:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">c + a = /ka/</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">c + e = /se/ qu + e = /ke/</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">c + i = /si/ qu + i = /ki/</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">c + o = /ko/</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">c + u = /ku/</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Therefore, this change is due to the general spelling in Spanish. If you want to remember this rule, use the following trick: </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> Cecilia.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636222510504653132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765695622797153423.post-56776162582510535432009-04-22T20:14:00.000-07:002009-04-23T22:23:39.446-07:00Preguntolandia: hola<span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);font-family:lucida grande;" >I teach Spanish at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, Virginia in the United States. I have studied Spanish for about 7 years and a half in Mexico and in the US.<br /><br />Sometimes my students ask me questions that are a little difficult to explain in one or two sentences. I imagine that a lot of students of Spanish have the same questions, that's why I decided to publish some of the answers I usually give to my students. These answers may not follow the traditional grammar explanations, but rather try to explain an easy or crazy way to learn a concept.<br /><br />Lulú De Panbehchi<br />www.elenes.com</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What is the impersonal "SE"?<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Impersonal “SE” = se impersonal. Se vende casa. Se venden casas. Se habla español. (think signs and ads)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">When you read the phrases “newspapers sold here,” “help needed,” “Spanish spoken here,” and “house for sale,” can you tell who or what the subject is? There is no specific subject in these phrases, but rather an impersonal one. This is actually a passive structure. Here are a few more sentences:</span><br /><ol><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Banks open at 10:00 a.m.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">They eat paella in Spain.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">They drink sake in Japan, tequila in Mexico, and vodka in Russia.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Football is played in the US and Canada.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Soccer is played in Latin America.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Who opens the banks?, the buildings themselves? Who eats paella? Who drinks sake, tequila, or vodka? Who plays</span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">football or soccer? </span></li></ol><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />The subject again is an impersonal one. Whatever is open, eaten, drunk, played, sold, etc. is a subject that opens, eats, drinks, plays, sells, etc. by itself or themselves. We use the SE IMPERSONAL, which is a type of REFLEXIVO with these phrases. One of the most used structure is:</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">verb + whatever is open, eaten, drunk, etc. In most cases, we don’t need to use articles or demonstrative pronouns (el, la, un, una, esta, este, etc.).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Here are the translations for all the phrases I mentioned in this part.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1. Newspapers sold here. = Se venden periódicos aquí.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">2. Help needed. = Se necesita ayuda.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">3. Spanish is spoken here. = Se habla español aquí.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">4. House for sale. = Se vende casa.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">5. Banks open at 10:00 a.m. = Se abren los bancos a las 10:00 a.m. or Los bancos se abren a las 10:00 a.m.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">6. They eat paella in Spain. = Se come paella en España.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">7. They drink sake in Japan, tequila in Mexico, and vodka in Russia. = Se bebe sake en Japón, tequila en</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> México y vodka en Rusia.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">8. Football is played in the US and Canada. = Se juega fútbol en los Estados Unidos y Canadá.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">9. Soccer is played in Latin America. = Se juega fútbol [or futbol] en América Latina. / El fútbol se juega en A. L.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Two more: We sell stamps. /or / Stamps sold here . = Se venden estampillas.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Programmers wanted. = Se solicitan programadores.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Why is the verb in the plural form in the first question listed above?</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The English phrase needs a participle—sold—but the Spanish structure needs the reflexive, which in this case is as passive as the participle. Since the verb needs to be conjugated, it takes form of the objects involved: </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Los periódicos se venden </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Se venden los periódicos</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">A trick to understand this structure better:</span> imagine that since there is nobody in particular to sell the newspapers, the newspapers sell themselves. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">If you add where the newspapers are sold, that information does not change the verb because usually we add a preposition or an adverb.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Se venden periódicos en la farmacia.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Los periódicos se venden aquí.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Of course, in English, “WE” is used sometimes as an impersonal subject. In Spanish too, but that's another story.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Some signs use “SE” instead of commands:</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">No smoking. /or/ Smoking prohibited here. = No se fuma. / Se prohibe fumar</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Can you guess what the following phrases mean in English?</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1. Se prohibe dar de comer a los animales.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">2. Se venden gatos.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">3. Se hablan dos lenguas en Canadá.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">4. Los juguetes se hacen en China.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">5. El juramento a la bandera se dice en las escuelas públicas todos los días.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">6. “Juguete” se dice “toy” en inglés.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">7. La letra “h” no se pronuncia en español.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">8. Se prohibe tirar basura aquí.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">9. En Texas, el chile se hace sin frijoles (beans).</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">10. Un sándwich de jamón se prepara con pan, jamón y mayonesa.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">11. ¿Cómo se dice “juramento a la bandera” en inglés?</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">12. En la universidad se usan mucho los hornos de microondas.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">13. En Starbucks se vende café.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">14. En 7-11 se venden café, cigarrillos, revistas y dulces.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">15.En la librería se venden libros. /or/ Se venden libros en la librería.<br /><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636222510504653132noreply@blogger.com2