PARTS OF THE BODY
When you were a young child, it's possible that among the first words taught to you (as opposed to the words you picked up naturally) were the names of the parts of your body. Those words aren't likely the first words you'll need to learn in Spanish, but they're often indispensable. Names of body parts are used much the same in Spanish as in English — but with one significant difference. In Spanish, names of parts of the body are frequently preceded by the definite article (el, la, los or las, meaning "the") instead of possessive pronouns (such as mi for "my" and tu for "your"). In most cases, the possessive pronoun is used only where the context doesn't make clear whose body is being referred to. Examples: ¡Abre los ojos! (Open your eyes!) ¡Cierre la boca! (Shut your mouth!) Él bajó la cabeza para orar. (He bowed his head to pray.) The possessive pronoun is used when needed to avoid ambiguity. Examples: Me gustan tus ojos. (I like your eyes.) Acerqué mi mano a su cabeza. (I moved my hand close to his head.) Although English often omits the definite article when referring to body parts, they are usually retained in Spanish (when a possessive pronoun isn't used). Examples: Tengo el pelo negro. (I have black hair.) Prefiero los ojos verdes. (I prefer green eyes.) Here are the Spanish words for common body parts: arm — el brazo back — la espalda backbone — la columna vertebral brain — el cerebro, el seso breast, chest — el pecho buttocks — las nalgas calf — la pantorrilla ear — el oído, la oreja elbow — el codo eye — el ojo finger — el dedo1 foot — el pie hair — el pelo hand — la mano2 head — la cabeza heart — el corazón hip — la cadera intestine — el intestino knee — la rodilla leg — la pierna liver — el hígado mouth — la boca muscle — el músculo neck — el cuello3 nose — la nariz3 penis — el pene shoulder — el hombro skin — la piel stomach (abdomen) — el vientre stomach (internal organ) — el estómago thigh — el muslo throat — la garganta toe — el dedo1 tongue — la lengua tooth — el diente, la muela vagina — la vagina Notes: 1. El dedo can refer to either a finger or a toe. If necessary to distinguish, you can use el dedo de la mano or el dedo del pie, respectively. 2. Mano is one of the very few Spanish nouns ending in -o that is feminine. (courtesy: spanish.about.com)WHAT ARE REFLEXIVE VERBS?A verb is reflexive when the subject and the object are the same. I wash myself. subject: I verb: wash object: myself Since the subject and object are the same, the verb is reflexive. I wash the car. subject: I verb: wash object: car Since the subject and object are different, the verb is not reflexive. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here's another example of how a verb can be either reflexive or non-reflexive. I scratch myself. subject: I verb: scratch object: myself Since the subject and object are the same, the verb is reflexive. I scratch the dog. subject: I verb: scratch object: dog Since the subject and object are different, the verb is not reflexive. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When a verb is reflexive, the infinitive ends in "se." lavar to wash (non-reflexive) lavarse to wash oneself (reflexive) rascar to scratch (non-reflexive) rascarse to scratch oneself (reflexive) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There is one reflexive verb you have been using since you began studying Spanish. llamarse - to call oneself ¿Cómo se llama usted? What do you call yourself? Me llamo Juan. I call myself Juan. Note: A more "natural" translation would be "What is your name?" and "My name is Juan." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When you learned to conjugate regular verbs, you needed to learn a set of pronouns called "subject pronouns." lavar yo lavo tú lavas él, ella, usted lava nosotros/as lavamos vosotros/as laváis ellos, ellas, ustedes lavan --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To learn to conjugate reflexive verbs, you need to learn a different set of pronouns called "reflexive pronouns." These pronouns are positioned before the verb, while the ending "se" is dropped and the verb is conjugated normally. lavarse yo me lavo I wash (myself) tú te lavas you wash (yourself) (informal) él se lava he washes (himself) ella se lava she washes (herself) usted se lava you wash (yourself) (formal) nosotros nos lavamos we wash (ourselves) nosotras nos lavamos we wash (ourselves) (feminine) vosotros os laváis you-all wash (yourselves) (informal) vosotras os laváis you-all wash (yourselves) (informal, feminine) ustedes se lavan you-all wash (yourselves)(formal) ellos se lavan they wash (themselves) ellas se lavan they wash (themselves) (feminine) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The reflexive pronouns are not subject pronouns; rather they are object pronouns. me (myself) te (yourself) se (himself, herself, yourself) nos (ourselves) os (yourselves) se (themselves, yourselves) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The purpose of the reflexive object pronouns is to show that the action of the verb remains with the subject. Juan se lava la cara. Juan washes his face. (reflexive) Juan lava su carro. (non-reflexive) Juan washes his car. Note: When referring to body parts, use the definite article, thus "la cara" not "su cara." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note that nearly all verbs can be made reflexive. All it means when a verb is reflexive is that the action remains with the subject. wash the dog (non-reflexive) wash your face (reflexive) raise the book (non-reflexive) raise your arm (reflexive) put the baby to bed (non-reflexive) go to bed (reflexive) wake up your son (non-reflexive) wake up yourself (reflexive) ...and so on lavarse to wash oneself yo me lavo tú te lavas él se lava ella se lava usted se lava nosotros nos lavamos nosotras nos lavamos vosotros os laváis vosotras os laváis ustedes se lavan ellos se lavan ellas se lavan In the previous lesson, you learned that a verb is reflexive when the subject and the object are the same. I wash myself. subject: I verb: wash object: myself Since the subject and object are the same, the verb is reflexive. I wash the car. subject: I verb: wash object: car Since the subject and object are different, the verb is not reflexive. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You also learned that when a verb is reflexive, the infinitive ends in "se." lavar to wash (non-reflexive) lavarse to wash oneself (reflexive) rascar to scratch (non-reflexive) rascarse to scratch oneself (reflexive) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You should have memorized a set of pronouns called "reflexive pronouns." me (myself) te (yourself) se (himself, herself, yourself) nos (ourselves) os (yourselves) se (themselves, yourselves) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You learned to conjugate reflexive verbs like this: lavarse yo me lavo I wash (myself) tú te lavas you wash (yourself) (informal) él/ella se lava he/she washes (him/herself) usted se lava you wash (yourself) (formal) nosotros/as nos lavamos we wash (ourselves) vosotros/as os laváis you-all wash (yourselves) (informal) ustedes se lavan you-all wash (yourselves) (formal) ellos/as se lavan they wash (themselves) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When you're dealing with two types of verbs together, say a CONJUGATED verb and an INFINITIVE form of the verb, the REFLEXIVE PRONOUN can be placed directly before the conjugated verb or attached to the end of the infinitive. I want to see myself. Me quiero ver. Quiero verme. John needs to wash his hair. Juan se necesita lavar el pelo. Juan necesita lavarse el pelo. Maria can wash her face now. Ahora María se puede lavar la cara. Ahora María puede lavarse la cara. I have just gone to bed. Acabo de acostarme. Me acabo de acostar. We prefer to wash with scented soap. Preferimos lavarnos con jabón perfumado. Nos preferimos lavar con jabón perfumado. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Whenever a verb directly follows a preposition, it remains in the infinitive form. For reflexive verbs, the ending -se changes to agree with the subject. Observe the differences in the following sentences, all of which are about counting burros before falling asleep. Antes de dormirme, yo cuento burros. Antes de dormirte, tú cuentas burros. Antes de dormirse, la chica cuenta burros. Antes de dormirnos, nosotros contamos burros. Antes de dormiros, vosotros contáis burros. Antes de dormirse, los chicos cuentan burros. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In English, many verbs can be used transitively (with a direct object) or intransitively (without a direct object). The sun dried the clothes. (transitive) The clothes dried in the sun. (intransitive) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In Spanish, these intransitive constructions frequently employ the reflexive form. The sun dried the clothes. (transitive) El sol secó la ropa. The clothes dried in the sun. (intransitive) La ropa se secó al sol. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sometimes, the reflexive construction is used merely to emphasize who is performing the action of the sentence. The cake? Maria ate it. ¿La torta? María se la comió. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For some verbs, the meaning changes when they are used reflexively. aburrir - to bore aburrirse - to be bored acordar - to agree acordarse de - to remember acostar - to put to bed acostarse - to go to bed casar - to perform a marriage ceremony casarse con - to become married to someone despedir - to fire despedirse de - to say goodbye dormir - to sleep dormirse - to fall asleep ir - to go irse - to go away, to leave morir - to die (abruptly, as of an accident, war, etc.) morirse - to die (as from natural causes; also "to die" figuratively) negar - to deny negarse a - to refuse parecer - to seem parecerse a - to resemble poner - to put ponerse - to put on probar - to try, to taste probarse - to try on quitar - to take away quitarse - to take off --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A few verbs are always used reflexively. arrepentirse (e:ie) - to repent atreverse a - to dare darse cuenta de - to realize jactarse de - to boast quejarse de - to complain about suicidarse - to commit suicide (couresty: www.studyspanish.com)WHAT'S THE SO-CALLED "PERSONAL A"?In English, there's no difference in the way the following two sentences are structured: I saw the tree. I saw Teresa. But in the Spanish equivalent, there's an obvious difference: Vi el árbol. Vi a Teresa. The difference is only a one-letter word — a — but it's an essential one that's important to learn. Known as the personal a, the short preposition is used to precede direct objects when those objects are people. Although a is usually translated as "to," the personal a normally isn't translated into English. The basic rule is a simple one: the a precedes the mention of a specific person or persons used as a direct object, and (except in some rare cases where it's used for clarification) it is not used in other cases. Levantó la taza, he lifted the cup. Levantó a la muchacha , he lifted the girl. Oigo la orquesta, I hear the orchestra. Oigo a los músicos, I hear the musicians. Recuerdo el libro, I remember the book. Recuerdo a mi abuela, I remember my grandmother. The a is not used if the object doesn't refer to anyone specific. Conozco a dos carpinteros, I know two carpenters. But, necesito dos carpinteros, I need two carpenters. Although the basic rule is quite simple, there are a few exceptions (aren't there always?), and even an exception to an exception. The exceptions With certain pronouns: This is really more of a clarification rather than an exception. When used as direct objects, the pronouns alguien (somebody), nadie (nobody) and quién (whom) require the personal a. So do alguno (some) and ninguno (none) when referring to people. No veo a nadie, I don't see anyone. Quiero golpear la pared, I want to hit the wall. Quiero golpear a alguien, I want to hit somebody.¿A quién pertenece esta silla? Whose chair is this? ¿Taxis? No vi ningunos. Taxis? I didn't see any. ¿Taxistas? No vi a ningunos. Taxi drivers? I didn't see any. Pets: Many pet owners think of their animals as people, and so does Spanish grammar, so the personal a is used. But the a isn't used with ordinary animals. Veo a mi perro, Ruff, I see my dog, Ruff. Veo tres elefantes, I see three elephants. Personification: A country or object can be personified — treated as if it were a person. Use of the personal a often implies some sort of a personal relationship, such as an emotional attachment, with the noun personified. Yo extraño mucho a los Estados Unidos, I very much miss the United States. Abracé a la muñeca a causa de era mi amiga, I hugged the doll, for she was my friend. With tener: Generally, the a is not used after tener. Tengo tres hijos y una hija, I have three sons and a daughter. No tengo jardinero, I don't have a gardener. Exceptions to an exception After tener: The personal a is used after tener when it is used in the sense to hold someone or to have someone somewhere. Tengo a mi hijo en los brazos, I have my son in my arms. Tengo a mi hija en el pesebre, I have my daughter in the crib. The personal a can also be used after tener when its usage suggests a particularly close or emotional relationship. Cuando estoy triste y necesito hablar, tengo a mis amigos, when I am sad and need to talk, I have my friends. But tengo amigos, I have friends. A final note Keep in mind, of course, that a is a very common preposition with a variety of translations. The rules are above pertain to its use preceding a direct object, not in numerous other cases where a preposition is called for. (courtesy: spanish.about.com)MONTHS, SEASONS, AND WEATHER EXPRESSIONSRemember, an idiom is an expression that cannot be immediately understood by analyzing its literal meaning. A few examples of idioms in English are: to "drive someone crazy" to "lose it" to be "raining cats and dogs" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spanish also has many idiomatic expressions. Although their literal translations sound odd to English speakers, they sound perfectly natural to native speakers. Here is one example: Idiom: Hace mucho frío Literally: It makes much cold True Meaning: It is very cold --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In Spanish, there are a number of idiomatic expressions that employ the verb hacer (literal meaning: to do or to make), and are used to describe the weather. ¿Qué tiempo hace? What's the weather like? Hace frío. It's cold. Hace calor. It's hot. Hace viento. It's windy. Hace sol. It's sunny. Hace buen tiempo. The weather is good. Hace mal tiempo. The weather is bad. Hace fresco. It's brisk. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Like the idioms that use tener, these idioms also contain a noun. el frío el calor el viento el sol el tiempo --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Because the idioms use nouns, they are modified by adjectives, not adverbs. Hace frío. Hace mucho frío. (not muy) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There are also weather expressions that use the verb hay: Hay niebla. It's foggy. Hay neblina. It's misty. Hay sol. The sun is shining. Hay luna. The moon is out. Hay relámpagos. It's lightning. Hay humedad. It's humid. Hay nubes. It's cloudy. Hay lluvias torrenciales. It's pouring. Hay un vendaval. There's a windstorm. Hay granizo. It's hailing. Hay lloviznas. It's sprinkling. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other weather expressions use the verb estar along with an adjective: Está oscuro. It's dark. Está nublado. It's cloudy. Está lloviendo. It's raining. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other weather expressions simply use a single verb: Llueve. It is raining. or It rains. From the verb llover (to rain) Nieva. It is snowing. or It snows. From the verb nevar (to snow) Truena. It is thundering. or It thunders. From the verb tronar (to thunder) Llovizna. It is drizzling. or It drizzles. From the verb lloviznar (to drizzle) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here are some common ways to ask about the weather: ¿Qué tiempo hace? ¿Qué clima hace? ¿Cómo está el clima en ...? ¿Cómo está el tiempo? ¿Cómo está el clima hoy? A quick review and some extra words:El tiempo (The weather) lluvioso rainy nublado cloudy nevado snowy soleado sunny el termómetro thermometer el pronóstico forecast la temperatura temperature hace calor it's hot caluroso warm fresco cool hace frío it's cold helado freezing con neblina foggy con viento windyHere are the months in Spanish. Note that, like the days of the week, they are not capitalized. enero January julio July febrero February agosto August marzo March septiembre September abril April octubre October mayo May noviembre November junio June diciembre December --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To express "in a certain month," use the preposition en. Vamos a México en enero. We are going to Mexico in January. Las clases empiezan en el mes de septiembre. Classes begin in September. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here are the four seasons. Las estaciones del año la primavera spring el verano summer el otoño autumn el invierno winter --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note that the articles are normally used with the seasons. En América del Norte, la primavera empieza en marzo. In North America, spring begins in March. En América del Sur, la primavera empieza en septiembre. In South America, spring begins in September. Note: The seasons are reversed south of the equator. When it is winter in New York, NY, it is summer in Santiago, Chile. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here are some ways to inquire as to the date. ¿Cuál es la fecha de hoy? ¿A cuántos estamos hoy? ¿Qué día es hoy? ¿A cuántos estamos? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you are talking about the first day of the month, use the expression "el primer día" or simply "el primero." ¿Qué día es hoy? Hoy es lunes, el primer día de mayo. Hoy es lunes, el primero de mayo. Today is Monday, May 1. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For all other days of the month, use the cardinal numbers. ¿Cuál es la fecha de hoy? (Tuesday, March 25) Hoy es martes, el veinticinco de marzo. ¿A cuántos estamos hoy? (Sunday, June 3) Estamos al domingo, el tres de junio. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Spanish way is to write the day + month + year. This is different from the American way (month + day + year). el 29 de febrero de 1996 February 29, 1996 29.2.96 2/29/96 (courtesy: www.studyspanish.com)SABER versus CONOCER: What's the DIFFERENCE?In Spanish, there are two verbs that express the idea "to know." These two verbs are saber and conocer. The verb you choose depends upon the context in which it is used. These verbs are not interchangeable. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To express knowledge or ignorance of a fact or information about something, use saber. Juan sabe donde está María. Juan knows where Maria is. Yo no sé tu número de teléfono. I don't know your telephone number. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To say that one is or is not acquainted with a person, a place, or an object, use conocer. Juan no conoce a María. Juan doesn't know (is not acquainted with) Maria. Alberto y Alfredo conocen Madrid. Alberto and Alfredo know (are acquainted with) Madrid. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To express knowledge or ignorance of a subject or learning discipline, use saber or conocer. Juan no sabe nada de inglés. Juan doesn't know any English. Él sabe matemáticas. He knows mathematics. Juan conoce la literatura española. Juan is familiar with Spanish literature. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To express knowledge or ignorance of a skill, or how to do something, use saber + infinitive. María sabe conducir. Maria knows how to drive. No sé nadar muy bien. I don't know how to swim very well. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To say that you know something by heart, use saber. María sabe los verbos irregulares. Maria knows the irregular verbs (by heart). Ella no sabe la letra de esa canción. She doesn't know the words to that song. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The situation with regards to the correct use of saber and conocer can be summarized as follows: saber to know a fact, to know something thoroughly, to know how to do something conocer to be acquainted with a person, place, or thing (courtesy: www.studyspanish.com)WHAT DO I DO WITH DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS?If you've already learned the demonstrative adjectives of Spanish, you'll find it quite easy to learn the demonstrative pronouns. They serve basically the same purpose, acting as the equivalent of "this," "that," "these" or "those" in English. The main difference is that they (like other pronouns) stand for nouns rather than modify them.Below are the demonstrative pronouns of Spanish.
| singular masculine | plural masculine | singular feminine | plural feminine | singular neuter |
| este (this) | estos (these) | esta (this) | estas (these) | esto (this) |
| ese (that) | esos (those) | esa (that) | esas (those) | eso (that) |
| aquel (that) | aquellos (those) | aquella (that) | aquellas (those) | aquello (that) |
Use of the pronouns should seem straightforward, as they are used basically the same in both English and Spanish. The key difference is Spanish requires use of the masculine pronoun when it substitutes for a masculine noun, and use of the feminine pronoun when it substitutes for a feminine noun. Also, while English does use its demonstrative pronouns standing alone, it also often uses forms such as "this one" and "those ones." The "one" or "ones" shouldn't be translated separately into Spanish.
The difference between the ése series of pronouns and aquél series is the same as the difference between the ese series of demonstrative adjectives and the aquel series. Although ése and aquél can both be translated as "that," aquél is used to refer to something farther away in distance or time.
Examples: Quiero esta flor. No quiero ésa. (I want this flower. I don't want that one.) Me probé muchas camisas. Voy a comprar ésta. (I tried on many shirts. I'm going to buy this one.) Me probé muchos sombreros. Voy a comprar éste. (I tried on many hats. I'm going to buy this one.) Me gustan esas casas. No me gustan aquéllas. (I like those houses. I don't like those over there.)Neuter pronouns: The neuter pronouns are never used to substitute for a specific noun. They are used to refer to an unknown object or to an idea or concept that isn't specifically named. (If you would have occasion to use a neuter plural, use the plural masculine form.) The use of eso is extremely common to refer to a situation that has just been stated.
Examples: ¿Qué es esto? (What is this [unknown object]?) Ésto es bueno. (This [referring to a situation rather than a specific object] is good.) El padre de María murió. Por eso, está triste. (Mary's father died. Because of that, she's sad.) Tengo que salir as las ocho. No olvida eso. (I have to leave at eight. Don't forget that.)