CaboSpanish!: grammar

Showing posts with label grammar. Show all posts

Showing posts with label grammar. Show all posts

The Yo pronoun. Do we need it?

Is it better to say yo camino or simply camino?

Actually both are correct, technically speaking. However one of them would sound redundant -in most cases- whereas the other one is how you´ll hear native speakers say it. Can you guess which is which?

Your guess is correct!

We usually drop the YO pronoun (as well as the TU and NOSOTROS pronouns) because they are what is called understood subject pronouns. What is this grammar mumbo-jumbo? Ha!

This means that we do not need to use them because doing so is reduntant.

Why? If we look at the verb in our example at the beginning, caminar... yo camino, the ending -o of the conjugation is quite self-explanatory as to who the subject is, the same in the case of TU.. caminas or NOSOTROS caminamos.

This wouldn´t be the case for EL, ELLA, UDS, ELLOS, ELLAS, where the form of the verb (conjugation) isn´t clear enough by itself to explain who the subject is, so it needs to be accompanied by either one of these pronouns or a name.

Unclear: Habla todos los dias.
Clear: Ella habla todos los días.

Now, there is a time when we DO need to use pronouns YO, TU & NOSOTROS, and that is when we specifically want to emphazise and distinguish the person performing an action.

YO compro los boletos, y TU las palomitas, ¿va?
I´ll buy the tickets and YOU buy the popcorn, deal?

Don´t Fear the Past

When we are going thru the process of learning, at times we feel desperate when trying to fit all our ideas into the few or little words and phrases we already know. It can get frustrating, you bet.

However, it´s a good idea to never lose your calm and focus on using shortcuts instead, that will help you get your point across more effectively at an unexpected situation.
In the Spanish language, we can surely get a hold of some of them - mostly at the basic levels.

Today´s shortcut will be useful to let people know that what you are saying refers to events in the past without using the preterite tense (if you haven´t gotten that far in your course).

* Notice that this shortcut IS NOT correct Spanish structure at all, although it will get us across a sticky situation if we are Beginner Learners.

In order to pull this trick, we are going to use time expressions from the preterite, placing them in use with verbs in the present - of which you probably know at least a few! -

Here are time expressions of the preterite:

Ayer...
Yesterday

Antier...
The day before yesterday

Hace una semana...
Hace dos meses...
Hace unos años...
A week ago, Two months ago, Some years ago

La semana pasada...
El año pasado...
El mes pasado...
Last week, Last year, Last month

Now let´s do it!

I will present the actual Spanish way of saying it and then the version You Can Say

¿Listos?

Actual Spanish: Ayer fuimos a la playa con unos amigos.
We went to the beach with some friends yesterday.
You Can Say: Ayer vamos a la playa con unos amigos. We go to the beach with some friends yesterday.

Actual Spanish: La semana pasada llegaron el gerente y su esposa.
The manager and his wife arrived last week.
You Can Say: La semana pasada llegan el gerente y su esposa.

Actual Spanish: El barco salió hace tres horas.
The ship left three hours ago.
You Can Say: El barco sale hace tres horas.

Well, there you go!
Just remember, this is just a trick for beginners!

Do you Know LoLa?

Her name was Lola... sang Barry Manilow in his seventies hit Copacabana, perhaps thinking in how helpful this common name in Spanish would be forty years later for this post. And it´s because it might help you remember Direct Object Pronouns LO & LA - Ring any bells? - at least by name.

To know a little more than that about them, let´s have some clear definitions first:

1. Direct Object: In a sentence, the thing (or person) that directly receives the action of a verb.

Juan come tacos.
John eats tacos.

Rosalba compra fruta en el mercado.
Rosalba buys fruit at the market.

Lucía lleva a su hijo a la escuela.
Lucia takes her son to school.

In order to know what the Direct Object is in these sentences ask questions What? or Whom? to the verb.

What does Juan eat? tacos
What does Rosalba buy? fruit
Who(m) does Lucia take to school? her son

2. Pronoun: A word that is used instead of a noun (thing or person), in this case, LO & LA (and their plural forms LOS & LAS).

So, if we don´t want to use the noun - tacos, fruit or her son in the examples used -such as in a conversation where it would be redundant repeating the noun over and over, we instead choose to use these Direct Object Pronouns.

Let´s use the same sentences as before, taking out the noun and placing a DO Pronoun:

John eats them. (the tacos)
Juan los come.

Rosalba buys it (fruit) at the market.
Rosalba la compra en el mercado.

Lucía takes him (her son)to school.
Lucía lo lleva a la escuela.

Wether to use LO, LA, LOS, LAS depends on the noun (person or thing) being masculine or feminine / singular or plural.

Take a Look:

Luis tiene su coche en el taller. Luis has his car at the carshop.
Luis lo tiene en el taller. Luis has it at the carshop.

Mi mamá manda correos electrónicos a toda la familia. My mother sends e-mails to all the family.
Mi mamá los manda a toda la familia. My mother sends them to all the family.

Ella pone las llaves en la mesa. She puts the keys on the table.
Ella las pone en la mesa. She puts them on the table.

Mis hermanos manejan bien la empresa. My brothers manage the company well.
Mis hermanos la manejan bien. My brothers manage it well.

Keep posted for more on DO Pronouns!

Mi Casa es Su Casa

Have you ever realized how much you can learn from looking at your surroundings? Look at the picture for instance. It´s an example of a very popular sign in a lot of American homes in Mexico. But have you stopped and analyze its powerful structure?

No? Hmm.. Well let´s see:

Mi Casa es Su Casa.

Mi and Su are possessive adjectives such as Tu and Nuestro, and go before a noun to express ownership of such noun.

So basically what it says in the sign is "My house is Your house."

Look at these examples:

Mi chamarra es azul.
My jacket is blue.

Tu perro se llama Spikey.
Your dog´s name is Spikey.

Nuestro equipo de soccer es el mejor.
Our soccer team is the best.

Mi abuela es de Florida.
My grandmother is from Florida.

¿Te acuerdas de nuestro viaje a México?
Do you remember our trip to Mexico?

No conozco a tu mamá.
I don´t know your mother.

Just watch out for these ones, as they can be misleading!

Su vestido es rosa.
Her dress is pink.

Su hijo está en Estados Unidos.
His/Her/Their son is in the United States.

El y su hermano son socios en este negocio.
He and his brother are partners in this business.

Su casa está en Cuernavaca.
His/Her/Their house is in Cuernavaca.

Now what happens here with the poss.adj. SU is that it can refer to either one of these: EL, ELLA or ELLOS/AS. So how can we tell which one is which?

First, out of context. Our first example here reads: Su vestido es rosa. Vestido being a women´s garment and also a singular noun, we can infer it´s a SHE we are talking about.

Second, by establishing who the subject is (who we are talking about)in a previos sentence:

Luis tiene una familia muy grande. Su papá vive en Alemania...
Luis has a pretty big family. His father lives in Germany...

So using SU here clearly states that it´s HIS father (Luis´ father) who lives in Germany.

See Full Chart of Possessive Adjectives

What aRe They Doing?

When encountering such a scene, you can´t help asking yourself,

¿Que están haciendo estas personas?

-What are these people doing?-

In the picture there are some verbs that might help you answer that pregunta.

Look closely!

Estas personas están disfrutando de un picnic en la calle.

These people are enjoying of a street picnic.

Un hombre está comiendo.

La mujer y el hombre con traje gris están hablando.

Unos hombres están viendo la escena.

Una pareja de ancianos está caminando atrás de las personas.

Other verbs in the gerund -to describe ongoing activities in the present- can be:

Haciendo (Making/Doing)
Lavando (Washing)
Estudiando (Studying)
Leyendo (Reading)
Escribiendo (Writing)
Tomando (Drinking)

So how is the gerund formed out of a verb? EASY!

Take(-AR)verbs and drop the ending, adding instead (-ANDO): Tomar-Tomando

Take (-ER) & (-IR) verbs, drop the ending and add (-IENDO): Vivir-Viviendo/Comer-Comiendo.

There!

Ojalá...What?

Ojalá is a Spanish word that derived from the Arabic after the presence of the Muslims in Spain. Originally it meant “Oh Allah!” and may have been used in prayers.

Nowadays, it is used with less religious meaning. It can mean I hope… or If only… Ojalá is always followed by a subjunctive phrase with or without the relative pronoun QUE to express the desire for something to happen in the future.

Ojalá que llueva mañana. If only it rained tomorrow.

Ojalá venga tu tía la semana próxima. I hope your aunt comes next week.

Ojalá te sientas mejor. I hope you feel better.

Ojalá que gane el otro candidato. If only the other candidate won.

Ojalá no cueste muy caro, no tengo mucho dinero. I hope it´s not too expensive, I don´t have much money.

Try saying these prhases in Spanish:

I hope they clean up after the event.
If only the bank didn´t close at 5.
I hope I can find a new job.
I hope the situation gets better.
If only the flight didn´t arrive late.

How to Conjugate Common Verbs in present subjunctive here.
Watch a video showing examples of Ojalá.

Me too!

¡Yo también! is the way Spanish speakers express agreement, along with its negative twin tampoco.

Chances are you have heard them both more than quite a few times. But allow me to show you how they work.

También is a positive adverb which basically means Too or Also and is perfect to express agreement with affirmative comments and statements.

A: "Me gusta el Español" - I like Spanish.
B: "A mi también" - Me too.

A: "Te ves bien." - You look good.
B: "Tu también." - So do you or You too.

A: "Mi familia vive en Canadá." - My family lives in Canada.
B: "La mía también ." - So does mine.

A: "La casa de los Tyler está en Phoenix." - The Tyler´s home is in Phoenix.
B: "Nuestra casa también." - Our house is there too.

A: "Fuimos a Mexico el año pasado." - We went to Mexico last year.
B: "La señora Gaby también." - Mrs. Gaby did too.

"El también quiere comprar un coche nuevo." - He also wants to buy a new car.

Tampoco is a negative adverb best used to agree to a negative comment or statement meaning in English neither or either.

A: "No he hecho mi tarea." - I haven´t done my homework.
B: "Yo tampoco." - Neither did I.

A: "No se." - I don´t know.
B: "Yo tampoco." - Me neither.

A: "No me gustó la comida." - I didn´t like the food.
B: "A mi tampoco." - Neither did I.

A: "No puedo hablar español muy bien." - I can´t speak Spanish very well.
B: "Yo tampoco." - Me neither.

A: "La Paz no está muy lejos." - La Paz is not too far.
B: "Tampoco Todos Santos." - Neither is Todos Santos.

A: "No tengo cambio." - I don´t have change.
B: "Yo tampoco." - Neither do I.

Para & Por Unveiled

I know, I know! These two little bratz are always a nuisance and it´s like going thru hell and back trying to figure out which is the right one. When you think you´ve got them, the wrong one always comes around to mock you. Well not anymore.

This post is divided in two parts for easier access and comprehension. First we will take a look at Para and in the second part we will go over Por.

One important thing to bear in mind is that Por & Para not only stand for the equivalent in English "for", so look closely at the examples provided.

Para...

PURPOSE (for - to)

Necesita una mesa para estudiar.
He needs the table to study.

Es un buen libro para leer.
It is a good book to read.

Quiero el dinero para ir al cine.
I want the money to go to the movies.

Fui a la tienda para comprar pan.
I went to the store to buy bread.

DESTINATION -in space- (for - over)

Salimos para Europa.
We left for Europe.

Ven para acá.
Come over here.

DESTINATION -in time, deadline- (by)

La composición es para el lunes.
The composition is due on Monday.

INTENDED RECIPIENT (for)

Hice la comida para ti.
I cooked the meal for you.

Escribí el resumen para la profesora de español.
I wrote the summary for the Spanish professor.

EMPLOYMENT (for)

Juan trabaja para su hermano.
Juan works for his brother.

Daniel trabaja para Nieto y Cia.
Daniel works for Nieto & Co.

Para & Por Unveiled (Cont.)

Well, how was the lesson on Para? Then it´s time to move on to Por. Remember that thinking that either one, Por or Para, is translated in English solely into "For" is THE mistake that makes us go crazy about them.

Por...

REASON (why?)

¿Por qué los quieres?
Why do you want them?

AGENT (by)

Los exámenes son corregidos por los profesores.
The tests are corrected by professors.
El presidente es elegido por los votantes.
The President is chosen by voters.

RATE (by - per)

Pagan por hora.
They pay by the hour.
El límite es sesenta y cinco millas por hora.
The speed limit is sixty miles an hour.

EXCHANGE (for)

Mi hermano pagó cinco mil dólares por el caballo.
My brother paid five thousand dolars for the horse.

GENENERAL LOCATION (around)

La clase es por aquí.
The class is around here.
Ellos trabajan por aquí.
They work around here.

ROUTE OR PASSAGE -in space- (by way of - through -along)

Yo siempre voy a Los Cabos por Tijuana.
I always go to Los Cabos by way of (through, via) Tijuana.
Caminamos por la playa toda la tarde.
We walked along the beach the whole afternoon.

APPROXIMATE TIME -passage of time- (for - in)

Patricio trabajó aquí por varios meses.
Patricio worked here for several months.
Nos visita por las tardes.
She visits us in the afternoons.

CHOICE -in favor of- (For)

El pueblo votó por el candidato demócrata.
The people voted for the Democrat candidate.

CAUSE (because of)

Hago esto por mi hermano, no por mí.
I do this because of my brother, not me.

MOTIVE (for -for the sake of )

Diviértanse por mí.
Enjoy for me.
Háganlo por sus padres.
Do it for your parents.
Do it for your parents sake.

SUBSTITUTION (for -in place of)

Ayer Andrés trabajó por su hermano.
Andrés worked for (in place of) his brother yesterday.

Describing People

To describe how people look or are - their appearance and personalities- we use special verbs Ser, Tener, Parecer & Usar, along with descriptive adjectives.

Remember:

Ser = To Be
Tener = To Have
Parecer = To Seem
Usar = To Wear

Use the Navigation Keys at the bottom-left corner to go trhu the slides.

36 tips to Feel Better!

Happiness and well-being sometimes seem to be impossible destinations... However, there are simple things that we can incorporate to our daily habits in order to make our lives a lot easier!

Take a look at these consejos (advice):

por Jane Bluestein, Ph.D.

Pruebe una nueva receta (o restaurante).
Escriba una carta a alguien especial.
Arregle algo que está roto.
Cuéntele un chiste a alguien.
Limpie un cajón.
De un paseo de 20 minutos todos los días. Admire los colores, formas, texturas y sonidos a su alrededor.
Llame a alguien que le importa en su vida.
Ayude a alguien que no esté en las mismas condiciones que usted.
Mírese a si mismo en el espejo y diga “Te quiero” diez veces.
Haga una lista de diez cosas que usted hace bien.

To view full list click here.
If you look closely at these statements, you´ll notice that all verbs contained in them are in the imperative (Usted) form.

The imperative is used to give commands, which in the case of the sentences above, is expressed in the form of advice.

To check the imperative form of other verbs, use the Verb Conjugator at the bottom of this page.

Conditional Sentences

If...

This word -which in English is used to express situations that will, might, could or would happen if a certain condition is met- is simply translated to Spanish into the word "Si..."

There are three different kinds of "Si..." conditionals:

1. Likely situations (present + present, future, or imperative)

2. Unlikely situations (imperfect subjunctive + conditional)

3. Impossible situations (pluperfect subjunctive + pluperfect subjunctive or conditional perfect)

The first verb tense listed is the one that follows Si (if), while the second tense is the "result clause" - the event that is dependent on the first. In English, the "result clause" is often preceded by then.

1) Likely Situations
Present + Present
Used for things that happen (regularly) when a condition is met.

Si llueve, no trabajamos. - If it rains, we don't work.

Miro la televisión si no quiero leer. - I watch TV if I don't want to read.

Present + Future
Used for events that will occur (in the future) if the condition is met (in the present).

Si tengo tiempo, yo lo haré. - If I have time, I will do it.

Si estudias, serás inteligente. - If you study, you will be smart.

Present + Imperative
Used to give an order (in the imperative) dependent on the condition being met (in the present).

Llama mañana si puedes. - Call tomorrow if you can.
(If you can't, then don't worry about it.)

Si Ud. tiene dinero, pague la cuenta. - If you have money, pay the bill.
(If you don't have money, someone else will do it.)

2) Unlikely Situations
In these cases, the situation described is not currently true. But if the situation changed, the result clause would be able to occur.
The condition clause (which starts with si) requires the imperfect subjunctive, while the result clause takes the conditional. The order of the clauses is unimportant.

For example...

Si tuviera dinero, iría contigo. - If I had money, I would go with you.
(I don't have any money so I can't go, but if I did [currently contrary], I would be able to.)

Podrías ver tu hermano si fueras con nosotros. - You could see your brother if you went with us.

(You say you don't want to go with us, so you won't see your brother, but if you did go with us [currently contrary], you would see him.)

3) Impossible Situations
The least common type of "Si..." clause: impossible situations. Used when referring to something that would have happened if some condition had been met. Since the condition was not met, the result clause is impossible.
The condition clause (which starts with si) requires the pluperfect subjunctive, while the result clause takes either the pluperfect subjunctive or the conditional perfect. The order of the clauses is unimportant.

For example...

Si hubiera sabido, hubiera ido contigo. - If I had known, I would have gone with you.
(I hadn't known, so I didn't go with you, but if I had [impossible], I would have.)

¿Hubieras (or habrías) comprado el libro si te hubiera dicho? - Would you have bought the book if I had told you?
(I hadn't told you, so you didn't by the book, but if I had [impossible], would you have?)

Prepositions of Place

In order to describe the location of people and things, we use the verb Estar together with prepositions of place, usually answering the questions ¿Dónde está? ¿Dónde están? (Where is/are?)

So in these pictures...

¿Dónde está el cojín?

El cojín está en frente de la silla.

El cojín esta en / sobre la silla.

El cojín está atrás de la silla.

El cojín está junto a la silla.

El cojín está abajo de la silla.

El cojín está entre la silla y las escaleras.

¡Ojalá que Llueva Café!

Juan Luis Guerra is a very popular Latin singer from the Dominican Republic. He has had many great hits during his career, and is the author of the song in the video we are going to watch.

The title literally means: Let´s hope it rains coffee, and contains the word Ojalá which is explained in the post Ojala...What? as well as its use together with the subjunctive tense.

The lyrics of the song are included ath the end of the post so you can read them as you hear the song.

Can you tell which verbs are in subjunctive?

Ojalá que llueva café en el campo
que caiga un aguacero de yuca y té
del cielo una jarina de queso blanco
y al sur una montaña de berro y miel
oh, oh, oh-oh-oh, ojalá que llueva café

Ojalá que llueva café en el campo
peinar un alto cerro (d)e trigo y mapuey
bajar por la colina de arroz graneado
y continuar el arado con tu querer
oh, oh, oh-oh-oh...

Ojalá el otoño en vez de hojas secas
vista mi cosecha de pitisalé
sembrar una llanura de batata y fresas
ojalá que llueva café.

Pa(ra) que en el conuco
no se sufra tanto, ay ombe
Ojalá que llueva café en el campo
Pa que en Villa Vasquez oigan este canto
ojalá que llueva café en el campo
ojalá que llueva
ojalá que llueva, ay ombe
ojalá que llueva café en el campo
ojalá que llueva café...

Ojalá que llueva café en el campo
sembrar un alto cerro de trigo y mapuey.
Bajar por la colina de arroz graneado
y continuar el arado con tu querer.
oh, oh, oh-oh-oh...

Ojalá el otoño en vez de hojas secas
vista mi cosecha de pitisalé
sembrar una llanura de batata y fresas
ojalá que llueva café

Pa que en el conuco no se sufra tanto, oye
ojalá que llueva café en el campo
pa que en Los Montones oigan este canto
ojalá que llueva café en el campo
ojalá que llueva, ojalá que llueva, ay ombe
ojalá que llueva café en el campo
ojalá que llueva café

Pa que todos los niños canten en el campo
Ojalá que llueva café en el campo
pa que en La Romana oigan este canto
ojalá que llueva café en el campo
ay, ojalá que llueva,
ojalá que llueva, ay ombe
ojalá que llueva café en el campo
ojalá que llueva café.

Ser & Estar...a Headache?

I found this goofy video by a group of kids learning Spanish. It´s quite whacky but shows in a fun way some basic examples of the verb "to be" in Spanish, which as you know translates into two verbs, Ser (to be used for permanent conditions of being) and Estar (more handy when speaking of temporary conditions of being as well as for location).

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