TELLING TIMEIf you can count to 29 in Spanish, you can tell time. The basic way of telling time in Spanish is use to the singular form of ser ("to be"), which is es, for one o'clock and the plural form, son, for other times. Minutes can be stated simply by separating them from the hour using y, the word for "and." Es la una. It is 1:00. Es la una y dos. It is 1:02. Son las dos. It is 2:00. Son las tres. It is 3:00. Son las seis y cinco. It is 6:05. Son las siete y diez. It is 7:10. Son las once y diecinueve. It is 11:19. To indicate the half hour, use media. Use cuarto to indicate the quarter hours. Es la una y media. It is 1:30. Son las cuatro y media. It is 4:30. Es la una y cuarto. It is 1:15. It is customary to use menos to tell time during the second half of each hour, stating the number of minutes until the following hour. Es la una menos diez. It is 12:50. (It is ten until one.) Son las cinco menos cinco. It is 4:55. (It is five until five.) Son las diez menos veinte. It is 9:40. (It is twenty until ten.) Son las ocho menos cuarto. It is 7:45. (It is quarter until eight.) In most of the Spanish-speaking world, both 12-hour and 24-hour clocks are used, the latter being quite common in schedules and similar printed materials. To indicate time of day when using the 12-hour clock, use de la mañana before noon (mediodía), de la tarde between noon and early evening, and de la noche between then and midnight (medianoche). Es medianoche. It's midnight. Son las siete y cuarto de la mañana. It's 7:15 a.m. (It is 7:15 in the morning.) Es mediodía. It's noon. Son las cuarto menos cinco de la tarde. It's 3:55 p.m. (It is five before four in the afternoon.) Son las ocho y media de la noche. It's 8:30 p.m. (It is eight and a half at night.) Here are some other time-related expressions that can be useful: Son las tres y cuarto en punto. It's 3:15 exactly. Son las seis y media más o menos. It's about 6:30. Salimos a las nueve. We are leaving at 9:00. Era la una. Eran los dos (tres, cuatro, etc.). It was 1:00. It was 2:00 (3:00, 4:00, etc.). Buenos días. Good day, good morning. Buenas tardes. Good afternoon, good evening (until about 8 p.m.). Buenas noches. Good evening, good night (as a greeting or farewell). ¿Qué hora es? What time is it? ¿Cuándo ...? When ... ?TALKING ABOUT HOW YOU FEEL...This is just a matter of learning (BY MEMORY) the following phrases: Tener calor = to be hot Tener frío = to be cold Tener miedo = to be afraid Tener vergüenza = to be ashamed, to be embarrassed Tener sed = to be thirsty Tener hambre = to be hungry Tener sueño = to be sleepy NOTICE HOW THE IDEA IS WHAT'S TRANSLATED. It's not a word-for-word thing when you're going from one language to another...STEM-CHANGING VERBSStem-Changing Verbs: o:ue
Remember, there are three types of infinitives: -ar, -er, -ir. Infinitives are made up of two parts: the ending and the stem. In the following examples, the stem is underlined and the ending is in bold.
hablar
comer
vivir
With regular verbs, the stem stays the same, and the ending changes as they are conjugated.
hablo como vivo hablas comes vives habla come vive hablamos comemos vivimos habláis coméis vivís hablan comen viven
With some verbs, the stem also changes when you conjugate them. In the present tense, there are three groups of stem-changing verbs:
o:ue
e:ie
e:i
With the first group of stem-changing verbs, the letter o in the stem changes to ue in all forms except the nosotros and vosotros.
contar
cuento
cuentas
cuenta
contamos
contáis
cuentan
Here's another o:ue stem changing verb. Compare it to the regular verb comer. Notice that the endings are the same for regular verbs and stem-changing verbs.
mover (o:ue)
comer (regular -er verb)
muevo
como
mueves
comes
mueve
come
movemos
comemos
movéis
coméis
mueven
comen
Here's another o:ue stem-changing verb. Notice how the stem doesn't change in the nosotros and vosotros forms.
dormir (o:ue)
duermo
duermes
duerme
dormimos
dormís
duermen
Here is a list of common o:ue stem-changing verbs.
almorzar
to eat lunchmorir
to dieaprobar
to approvemostrar
to showcolgar
to hangmover
to move (an object)contar
to count, to tell
probar
to prove, test, sample, tastecostar
to costrecordar
to rememberdevolver
to return (an object)resolver
to solve
volver
to return (from someplace)rogar
to beg, praydormir
to sleepsonar
to sound, ringencontrar
to findsoñar (con)
to dream (about)envolver
to wraptostar
to toastmorder
to bitevolar
to fly
Stem-Changing Verbs: e:ie
Remember, there are three types of infinitives: -ar, -er, -ir. Infinitives are made up of two parts: the ending and the stem. In the following examples, the stem is underlined and the ending is in bold.
hablar
comer
vivir
With regular verbs, the stem stays the same, and the ending changes as they are conjugated.
hablo como vivo hablas comes vives habla come vive hablamos comemos vivimos habláis coméis vivís hablan comen viven
With some verbs, the stem also changes when you conjugate them. In the present tense, there are three groups of stem-changing verbs:
o:ue
e:ie
e:i
With the second group of stem-changing verbs, the letter e in the stem changes to ie in all forms except the nosotros and vosotros.
cerrar
cierro
cierras
cierra
cerramos
cerráis
cierran
Here's another e:ie stem changing verb. Compare it to the regular verb comer. Notice that the endings are the same for regular verbs and stem-changing verbs.
entender (e:ie)
comer (regular -er verb)
entiendo
como
entiendes
comes
entiende
come
entendemos
comemos
entendéis
coméis
entienden
comen
Here's another e:ie stem-changing verb. Notice how the stem doesn't change in the nosotros and vosotros forms.
mentir (e:ie)
miento
mientes
miente
mentimos
mentís
mienten
Here is a list of common e:ie stem-changing verbs.
acertar
to guess, get rightencender
to light, kindleadvertir
to advise, warnentender
to understandcerrar
to close, shutfregar
to scrub, wash dishescomenzar
to beginhervir
to boilconfesar
to confessmentir
to lieconsentir
to consentnegar
to denyconvertir
to convertpensar (en)
to think aboutdefender
to defendperder
to loseempezar
to beginpreferir
to preferStem-Changing Verbs: e:i
Remember, there are three types of infinitives: -ar, -er, -ir. Infinitives are made up of two parts: the ending and the stem. In the following examples, the stem is underlined and the ending is in bold.
hablar
comer
vivir
With regular verbs, the stem stays the same, and the ending changes as they are conjugated.
hablo como vivo hablas comes vives habla come vive hablamos comemos vivimos habláis coméis vivís hablan comen viven
With some verbs, the stem also changes when you conjugate them. In the present tense, there are three groups of stem-changing verbs:
o:ue
e:ie
e:i
With the third group of stem-changing verbs, the letter e in the stem changes to i in all forms except the nosotros and vosotros.
repetir
repito
repites
repite
repetimos
repetís
repiten
Here's another e:i stem changing verb. Compare it to the regular verb vivir. Notice that the endings are the same for regular verbs and stem-changing verbs.
competir (e:i)
vivir (regular -ir verb)
compito
vivo
compites
vives
compite
vive
competimos
vivimos
competís
vivís
compiten
viven
Here's another e:i stem-changing verb. Notice how the stem doesn't change in the nosotros and vosotros forms.
pedir (e:i)
pido
pides
pide
pedimos
pedís
piden
Here is a list of common e:i stem-changing verbs.
(courtesy: www.studyspanish.com)
bendecir
to blessimpedir
to impedecolegir
to deducemaldecir
to cursecompetir
to competemedir
to measureconseguir
to get, obtainpedir
to ask for, to ordercorregir
to correctperseguir
to pursue, to persecutedecir
to say, tellreír
to laughdespedir
to dismiss, firerepetir
to repeatelegir
to electseguir
to follow, continuefreír
to fryservir
to servegemir
to groan, moansonreír
to smile
CREER VS. PENSAR: WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?This isn't a really big deal, but it helps to know that PENSAR is usually used for the action of thinking, and for thinking about/of things. ex: No le molestes, está pensando (Don't bother him, he's thinking) ex: Qué piensas de eso? (What do you think about that? What's your opinion about that?) ex: En qué estás pensando? (What are you thinking about?) CREER is used more for BELIEF. ex: Bueno, qué crees? (Well, what do you think? What do you believe?) ex: Creo en Dios. (I believe in God.) ex: Mis creencias personales son muy importantes. (My personal beliefs are very important.)OTHER ARTICLES OF CLOTHINGHere are a few more articles of clothing, terms common to certain regions which you may or may not run across: JEANS (blue) jeans/jeanes (most of Hispanic America) mahones (Puerto Rico) vaqueros (Spain) PANTIES bragas (Spain) pantaletas (Mexico, Venezuela) blúmers (Cuba) calzones (Chile, Costa Rica) panties (Puerto Rico) BRA sostén (Spain, Colombia) ajustador (Cuba) corpiño (Argentina) MAN's FORMAL JACKET saco (Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico) gabán (Puerto Rico) americana (Spain) Keep in mind, when travelling, the clothing size charts on page 139 of the text. I wear a size 11 shoe here, but when I go to Spain, I have to remember to look for a size 45. A big difference!POR VS. PARA: WHAT'S THE BIG MYSTERY?
Taking the Confusion Out of Por and Para
How does one say "for" in Spanish?
Simple question, huh?
Not really. In fact, understanding the answer to that seemingly simple question is one of the more difficult problems facing many Spanish students.
The problem is that two Spanish prepositions, por and para, frequently are used for the English word "for." (Actually, there are number of other words that also can fit the bill, but we won't concern ourselves with them now because they don't seem to be the cause of so much confusion.) The differences between them sometimes are subtle.
If it's any consolation, prepositions can be as difficult for people learning English. Why do we sometimes say something is under control, and sometimes say something is in control? Why are we in the house but at home? The rules sometimes escape logic.
In Spanish, The key to understanding which preposition to use is to think of the meaning you want to convey. If I use a phrase such as "three for a dollar" in English, the "for" has a different meaning than it does in "this book is for you." In the first case, "for" indicates an exchange or a rate, while in the second case it indicates an intention or direction. Thus the Spanish translation of the two phrases are different, "tres por un dólar" and "este libro es para ti."
The following chart shows some of the major uses of these two prepositions.
Por Para Expressing movement along, through, around, by or about: Anduve por las calles de la ciudad. I walked through the streets of the city. When used in this sense, por refers to a general area, not a specific place. More examples. Denoting a time or duration when something occurs. Sometimes is synonymous with durante. Viajamos por tres semanas. We're traveling for three weeks. More examples.
Expressing the cause (not the purpose) of an action: Me caí por la nieve. I fell down because of the snow. Por estudiar mucho, acabé mis tareas. By studying much, I finished my homework. More examples.
Meaning per: Dos por ciento. Two percent. Dos persons por coche. Two persons in each car.
Meaning supporting or in favor of: Trabajamos por derechos humanos. We work for human rights. Another example.
Introducing the agent of an action after a passive verb: Fue escrito por Bob Woodward. It was written by Bob Woodward. Fue construido por my padre. It was built by my father.
Indicating means of transportation: Viajaré por avión. I will travel by plane.
Used in numerous expressions: Por ejemplo. For example. Por favor. Please. Por supuesto. Of course. More expressions.
Meaning for the purpose of or in order to: Para bailar la bamba, necesita una poca de gracia. In order to dance the bamba you need a little grace. Vive para comer. He lives to eat. More examples. With a noun or pronoun as object, meaning for the benefit of or directed to: Es para usted. It's for you. La pintura es para la casa. The paint is for the house.
Meaning to or in the direction of when referring to a specific place: Voy para Europa. I'm heading to Europe.
Meaning by or for when referring to a specific time: Necesito el regalo para mañana. I need the gift for tomorrow. Vamos a la casa de mi madre para el fin de semana. We're going to my mother's for the weekend.
For some exercises using these prepositions, see Ejercicios: Por y Para at Indiana University. For another explanation of these two prepositions see the Assunta Montes de Oca de Marshall site. (courtesy: spanish.about.com)
SER EN vs. ESTAR ENDon't let this one make you crazy. You've already learned that ESTAR is used to tell where something IS: ex: Mi padre está en su trabajo. (My father is at his work.) ex: Estoy en Wegman's, donde trabajo todos los días. (I'm at Wegman's, where I work every day.) ex: Dónde está la fiesta? (Where is the party? I can't find it... But SER used with EN takes on the meaning of TO TAKE PLACE IN: ex: Dónde es el concierto? (Where does the concert take place?) Es en el Blue Cross Arena. (It takes place in the Blue Cross Arena.) ex: Dónde es el Film Festival? (Where does the Film Festival take place?) Es en Monroe A y B, en el Campus Center. (It takes place in Monroe A and B, in the Campus Center.) It's a matter of learning the phrase SER EN... as a vocabulary item, meaning TO TAKE PLACE IN...(courtesy: spanish.about.com)