Make sure to complement this video with the note right below, learn to classify Spanish words!
Wednesday, 9 November 2011
Stress and Accents in Spanish Words
Make sure to complement this video with the note right below, learn to classify Spanish words!
Sunday, 6 November 2011
Accentuation and Stress in Spanish words
So I got a few requests to provide some direction on how to determine where the accent or stress go in Spanish words.
What I have here is a list of 'general rules' to help with accents.
First some basic concepts:
1. Most Spanish words have an accent in one way or another. Even if a word does not have a marked accent (the accent mark is called 'TILDE') or a tilde there is still a syllable that will stand out the most.
2. The idea of sounding syllables stronger than others is referred as 'Acento prosodico' (compare to acento ortografico, item 6 below, which includes the tilde). Every Spanish words have an 'acento prosodico' and if you are a native speaker you can, from experience, know where the accent lies in a word without a tilde.
3. Syllables that are stressed are referred as 'TONICAS' and those that are unstressed are referred as 'ATONICAS'.
4. These words for the most part do not have an accent: Articles (La, Los, El and Las) prepositions (a, de, en, por), adverbs (tan and aun), pronouns (yo, tu, ellas, se, les), other words such as que, quien, como, cuando and verbs in its infinitive state.
5. Tildes are not added to consonants!
6. There are rules that specify where the accent lies, this accent is referred as 'acento ortografico'. I have listed some of these rules below.
Acentos
In Spanish, words are divided according to where the phonetic accent lies on, for instance, AGUDAS is a group of words in Spanish for which the stress lies in the last syllable of the word (right to left), in LLANAS (OR GRAVES) the accent lies on the penultimate syllable, ESDRUJULA on the syllable before the penultimate and so forth.
Phonetic accents guide words into one of these groups and from there we can determine if a tilde is needed according to some confusing rules.
Let's see if we can make sense of these rules!
Let's see if we can make sense of these rules!
AGUDAS: These are words that carry the stress on the last syllable (right to left) and end in 's', 'n' or a vowel. Some examples include reloj, balcón, razón and vas (notice how even though the stress relies on the last syllable, still reloj and vas do not have a tilde)
Notes:
-The 'on' ending is common and it almost always carries a tilde
-Words with a single syllable do not carry a tilde (monosyllable)
-Words that end in a diphthong o in 'n' or 's' proceeded with a consonant (this applies mostly for foreign words that are used in Spanish, i.e. robots) do not have a tilde
Some examples:
tos
pan
ya
pie
altitud
afinidad
ballets
LLANAS: These are words that carry the stress on the second syllable (right to left) and have a tilde if they DO NOT end in 's', 'n' or a vowel.
Some words include:
Bolívar
cárcel
imbécil
débil
cárde
hábil
As a result, if they end in 's', 'n' or a vowel there is no tilde (but the second to last syllable is still stressed!):
crema
examen
salas
casas
lana
ESDRúJULA: A word that has the accent on the third syllable (right to left); these words always carry a tilde.
Some words include:
esdrújula
América
análisis
Bélgica
bioquímica
SOBREESDRúJULAS: A word that has the stress on the fourth syllable (right to left); these words always carry a tilde.
Some words include:
véndemelo
corrígemelo
recomiéndasela
SUMMARY:
As you can see, most if not the entire set of words in the Spanish language have a stress in them. Some have a TILDE and others do not. THE BEST way to learn about stresses and marks is TO STUDY THE SPANISH VOCABULARY ACCORDING TO THEIR CLASSIFICATION, (i.e. agudas, llanas, esdrujulas y sobreesdrujulas), this will help A LOT in determining the stress in a word.
As always, send me your comments or questions,
Luis
Sunday, 23 October 2011
Los Numeros DESPUES DE CIEN!
So you want to be able to learn and remember the numbers in Spanish that are greater than a hundred. You have studied them all but some how after a while you just forget.
What I am about to write is a bit of a strategy I use with my students to help remember the numbers that are greater than 100. Let's hope it helps you.
Some key ideas
1. In English we say 'one hundred and one' but in Spanish we don't add AND just 'one hundred one', so learn to not say this.
i.e. one hundred and one = CIENTO UNO
Reminder: One hundred in Spanish has two translations: CIEN and CIENTO, CIEN is for 'one hundred only' but CIENTO is for every thing else.
2. In Spanish we account for plural, in other words, if it is more than 'one hundred' then it is plural and we would be saying some thing like 'hundredS' or CIENTOS.
i.e. two hundred and one DOS CIENTOS UNO
3. Like English, in Spanish we say 'two hundred and five' or 'DOS CIENTOS CINCO in the same way (except for the AND and plural part).
4. The last key idea is to break numbers apart and put everything together.
238: 200 + 38 = DOS CIENTOS + TREINTA Y OCHO
864: 800 + 64 = OCHO CIENTOS + SESENTA Y CUATRO
2359: 2000 + 300 + 59 = DOS MIL TRES CIENTOS CINCUENTA Y NUEVE
13475: 13K + 400 + 75 = TRECE MIL + CUATRO + CIENTOS + SETENTA Y CINCO
215848: 215K + 800 + 48: DOS CIENTOS QUINCE MIL + OCHO + CIENTOS + CUARENTA Y OCHO
3659347: 3Mil + 659K + 300 + 47
(TRES MILLONES) + (SEIS + CIENTOS + CINCUENTA Y NUEVE MIL) + TRES + CIENTOS + CUARENTA Y SIETE
Do a lot more!
What I am about to write is a bit of a strategy I use with my students to help remember the numbers that are greater than 100. Let's hope it helps you.
Some key ideas
1. In English we say 'one hundred and one' but in Spanish we don't add AND just 'one hundred one', so learn to not say this.
i.e. one hundred and one = CIENTO UNO
Reminder: One hundred in Spanish has two translations: CIEN and CIENTO, CIEN is for 'one hundred only' but CIENTO is for every thing else.
2. In Spanish we account for plural, in other words, if it is more than 'one hundred' then it is plural and we would be saying some thing like 'hundredS' or CIENTOS.
i.e. two hundred and one DOS CIENTOS UNO
3. Like English, in Spanish we say 'two hundred and five' or 'DOS CIENTOS CINCO in the same way (except for the AND and plural part).
4. The last key idea is to break numbers apart and put everything together.
238: 200 + 38 = DOS CIENTOS + TREINTA Y OCHO
864: 800 + 64 = OCHO CIENTOS + SESENTA Y CUATRO
2359: 2000 + 300 + 59 = DOS MIL TRES CIENTOS CINCUENTA Y NUEVE
13475: 13K + 400 + 75 = TRECE MIL + CUATRO + CIENTOS + SETENTA Y CINCO
215848: 215K + 800 + 48: DOS CIENTOS QUINCE MIL + OCHO + CIENTOS + CUARENTA Y OCHO
3659347: 3Mil + 659K + 300 + 47
(TRES MILLONES) + (SEIS + CIENTOS + CINCUENTA Y NUEVE MIL) + TRES + CIENTOS + CUARENTA Y SIETE
Do a lot more!
Friday, 14 October 2011
EL GANE una expresion
So I got a question about the sentence I posted in twitter: 'SIEMPRE NOS HACEN EL GANE'. Lets take a peek a bit.
As I mentioned in twitter, 'GANE' acts as a noun. 'El GANE' then means 'the grab', 'the abusive and advantageous behavior some times someone take over others', 'to have the eyes open and be opportunistic and act at the right time'. This is used widely and in many different situations.
For instance,
Let's say you want to buy something but don't have the money, you go to the ATM only to find that the item is sold, then you say 'somebody already got to it before i did' or 'somebody grabbed it already' 'somebody win me over for it' this is an expression that in Spanish we can say,
somebody me hizo el gane = somebody did me a win/beat me to it
Another example, something meaner, lets say that people send money to this old lady but the caretaker receives the money and steals some, for this we can say:
the caretaker grabs a bit of the money, or the caretaker takes advantage and bids away a bit of the money, or that the caretaker pulls away some of the money, this in spanish we can say: the caretaker le hace el gane with a bit of the money
In the sentence I wrote in twitter: SIEMPRE NOS HACEN EL GANE I was saying that 'they always beat us/take us for a ride
siempre = always
nos hacen = they do to us (hacen implies they do and nos to us)
el gane = the grab the win beat us to it, take advantage
EL GANE its an expression, practice it with with a Spanish speaker
As I mentioned in twitter, 'GANE' acts as a noun. 'El GANE' then means 'the grab', 'the abusive and advantageous behavior some times someone take over others', 'to have the eyes open and be opportunistic and act at the right time'. This is used widely and in many different situations.
For instance,
Let's say you want to buy something but don't have the money, you go to the ATM only to find that the item is sold, then you say 'somebody already got to it before i did' or 'somebody grabbed it already' 'somebody win me over for it' this is an expression that in Spanish we can say,
somebody me hizo el gane = somebody did me a win/beat me to it
Another example, something meaner, lets say that people send money to this old lady but the caretaker receives the money and steals some, for this we can say:
the caretaker grabs a bit of the money, or the caretaker takes advantage and bids away a bit of the money, or that the caretaker pulls away some of the money, this in spanish we can say: the caretaker le hace el gane with a bit of the money
In the sentence I wrote in twitter: SIEMPRE NOS HACEN EL GANE I was saying that 'they always beat us/take us for a ride
siempre = always
nos hacen = they do to us (hacen implies they do and nos to us)
el gane = the grab the win beat us to it, take advantage
EL GANE its an expression, practice it with with a Spanish speaker
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
The Weather
So here is a summary of common was to express the weather. Note that many of these will not make any sense! so you will have not memorize them. I will explain why in a bit.
The weather = El Clima or el Tiempo.
TIP: In Spanish we use 'HACE' to mean 'IT IS' whenever we want to say that 'it is cold'. This is confusing for a lot of students as they tend to translate 'IT IS' as 'es' which is by the way correct BUT not for this certain situation. So, here is my advise: just learn it this way: HACE=IT IS when it comes to the weather.
More Vocabulary:
Hace calor = it is hot*
Hace frio = it is cold
These are the two most commonly used, but you can also say
Hace mucha humedad = it is humid, lots of it
Along with 'HACE' there is another word that is used a bit to express the weather: 'ESTA'. Esta means 'IT IS' and it is the third person conjugation of 'ESTAR'. We use ESTA in the following cases:
Esta frio = It is cold
Esta caliente = it is hot*
So when do I use 'esta frio' o 'hace frio'? NO DIFFERENCE! you can use either one. You just have to learn them well and not mix them, ie ESTA CALOR, bad!
Also, 'ESTA' is used to express the progressive or gerund as in 'IT IS RAINING' which means 'ESTA LLOVIENDO'. Remember that the 'ING' ending in English is expressed in Spanish by 'ANDO' and 'IENDO', ANDO for -AR ending verbs and -IENDO for -ER and -IR ending verbs. Because LLOVER end in ER then it becomes LLOVIENDO.
ESTA LLOVIENDO it is raining
ESTA NEVANDO it is snowing
*In Spanish we differentiate within the word 'HOT'.
HOT = CALOR: inside your car after the car has been exposed to the sun, it is 'heat like hot'
HOT = CALIENTE: this is when the heat, the sun or something is burning you up
For instance, if it is 50 degrees outside and you put on a few sweaters and a jacket you will feel the heat inside, CALOR, you will start sweating, but if youleaving that you sking is getting warm and hot and the temperature raises, now it is CALIENTE
I hope this helps, don't hesitate to connect
The weather = El Clima or el Tiempo.
TIP: In Spanish we use 'HACE' to mean 'IT IS' whenever we want to say that 'it is cold'. This is confusing for a lot of students as they tend to translate 'IT IS' as 'es' which is by the way correct BUT not for this certain situation. So, here is my advise: just learn it this way: HACE=IT IS when it comes to the weather.
More Vocabulary:
Hace calor = it is hot*
Hace frio = it is cold
These are the two most commonly used, but you can also say
Hace mucha humedad = it is humid, lots of it
Along with 'HACE' there is another word that is used a bit to express the weather: 'ESTA'. Esta means 'IT IS' and it is the third person conjugation of 'ESTAR'. We use ESTA in the following cases:
Esta frio = It is cold
Esta caliente = it is hot*
So when do I use 'esta frio' o 'hace frio'? NO DIFFERENCE! you can use either one. You just have to learn them well and not mix them, ie ESTA CALOR, bad!
Also, 'ESTA' is used to express the progressive or gerund as in 'IT IS RAINING' which means 'ESTA LLOVIENDO'. Remember that the 'ING' ending in English is expressed in Spanish by 'ANDO' and 'IENDO', ANDO for -AR ending verbs and -IENDO for -ER and -IR ending verbs. Because LLOVER end in ER then it becomes LLOVIENDO.
ESTA LLOVIENDO it is raining
ESTA NEVANDO it is snowing
*In Spanish we differentiate within the word 'HOT'.
HOT = CALOR: inside your car after the car has been exposed to the sun, it is 'heat like hot'
HOT = CALIENTE: this is when the heat, the sun or something is burning you up
For instance, if it is 50 degrees outside and you put on a few sweaters and a jacket you will feel the heat inside, CALOR, you will start sweating, but if youleaving that you sking is getting warm and hot and the temperature raises, now it is CALIENTE
I hope this helps, don't hesitate to connect
Sunday, 9 October 2011
So feeling bad about when to add ACCENTS to SPANISH words? DON'T!
Many students of mine have asked me when to add accents to Spanish words. I tell them the same thing I want to tell every one reading this note: you have to memorize those words.
The thing is that rules on accents are derived from people speaking the language (for centuries) and not the other way around. For instance, as a consequence of us native speakers pronouncing a bit stronger the 'o' in CAJON Spanish language leaders (i.e www.rae.es) have created a rule stating that a word such as 'CAJON' must have an accent on 'o'. In other words, there is no way for non native Spanish speakers to know when a certain vowel has an accent unless they have studied it and practiced it.
That being said, there are some ways to figure out when a word has an accent but you have to know how to classify a Spanish word (there are several types: agudas, llanas, esdrujulas y sobresdrujulas) and a bit of experience with the language. I should be posting a note in relation to that here soon....
The thing is that rules on accents are derived from people speaking the language (for centuries) and not the other way around. For instance, as a consequence of us native speakers pronouncing a bit stronger the 'o' in CAJON Spanish language leaders (i.e www.rae.es) have created a rule stating that a word such as 'CAJON' must have an accent on 'o'. In other words, there is no way for non native Spanish speakers to know when a certain vowel has an accent unless they have studied it and practiced it.
That being said, there are some ways to figure out when a word has an accent but you have to know how to classify a Spanish word (there are several types: agudas, llanas, esdrujulas y sobresdrujulas) and a bit of experience with the language. I should be posting a note in relation to that here soon....
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
So how to create the Past Participle for verbs in the present perfect tense?
Anytime we have to say the following sentene in Spanish we need to convert the infinitve verb to its past participle form:
I have eaten here before
You have read my other Present perfect tense/past particple posting so you know that how to conjugate 'have' but what about 'eaten'?
Well, it boils down to this: Regular vs irregular verbs
Regular verbs follow the next rules:
1. remove the verb ending (ar, er or ir) and replace it with -ado or -ido: -ar ending verbs use ado and -er or -ir ending verbs use -ido
2. Example: Cantar converts to cantado, comer to comido and recibir to recibido
So if you want so say 'I have eaten here before' it would translate to 'yo he comido aqui antes'
Irregular verbs:
sorry, most irregular verbs have no specific conjugational process, you just have to learn them, for instance
hacer hecho
abrir abierto
escribir escrito
I hope this helps
I have eaten here before
You have read my other Present perfect tense/past particple posting so you know that how to conjugate 'have' but what about 'eaten'?
Well, it boils down to this: Regular vs irregular verbs
Regular verbs follow the next rules:
1. remove the verb ending (ar, er or ir) and replace it with -ado or -ido: -ar ending verbs use ado and -er or -ir ending verbs use -ido
2. Example: Cantar converts to cantado, comer to comido and recibir to recibido
So if you want so say 'I have eaten here before' it would translate to 'yo he comido aqui antes'
Irregular verbs:
sorry, most irregular verbs have no specific conjugational process, you just have to learn them, for instance
hacer hecho
abrir abierto
escribir escrito
I hope this helps
Sunday, 11 September 2011
Author Luis B Yanez
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6.
Crossword Spanish Verb Conjugation: Practice English to Spanish verb conjugation using crosswords (Volume 1)
by Luis B Yanez
(Mar 16, 2011)
by Luis B Yanez
(Mar 16, 2011)
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Sunday, 19 June 2011
Sunday, 10 April 2011
Spanish Prepositions List
Here is a list of commonly used Spanish prepositions.
| a ante bajo con contra de desde en entre hacia hasta para por sin tras | to; at before under with against from; of from in; on between towards until for for without after |
Demonstrative Pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns are used to show the location of the noun(s) they replace. They are the equivalent to "this one", "these", "that one", & "those". In Spanish they must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify.
There are 3 categories of demonstrative pronouns in Spanish that relate to the distance of the noun being spoken about from the speaker.
Group 1. Noun is near the speaker
Group 2. Noun is near the person being spoken to
Group 3. Noun is far from both the speaker and the person being spoken to
There are 3 categories of demonstrative pronouns in Spanish that relate to the distance of the noun being spoken about from the speaker.
Group 1. Noun is near the speaker
Group 2. Noun is near the person being spoken to
Group 3. Noun is far from both the speaker and the person being spoken to
Group #1 (Noun is near speaker)
| masculine singular | feminine singular | masculine plural | feminine plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| éste | ésta | éstos | éstas |
| éste (libro) éstos (libros) | this one (book) these (books) |
Group #2 (Noun is near person being spoken to)
| masculine singular | feminine singular | masculine plural | feminine plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ése | ésa | ésos | ésas |
| ése (libro) ésos (libros) | this one (book) these (books) |
Group #3 (Noun is far from speaker and person being spoken to)
| masculine singular | feminine singular | masculine plural | feminine plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| aquél | aquélla | aquéllos | aquéllas |
| aquél (edificio) aquéllos (edificios) | this one (book) these (books) |
Indirect Object Pronouns
I. Here are the forms for the indirect object pronoun in Spanish. Notice how the forms for the first and second persons are the exact same as the forms for the direct object pronouns. Remember that indirect object pronouns answer the questions "To whom?", "For whom?", "To what?", and "For what?".
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| first person | me | nos |
| second person | te | os |
| third person | le | les |
II. Indirect object pronouns in Spanish are placed before the conjugated verb, and also before the direct object pronoun (if the sentence has both a direct object and indirect object pronoun).
| Antonio me da un regalo. Antonio nos (I.O.) las (D.O.) compra. | Antonio is giving me a gift. Antonio buys them for us. |
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