Spanish Language Grammar: Ser/Estar
The verb SER and ESTAR mean ‘to be’ in English. In using these two verbs in Spanish, you are being asked to separate into categories various ways of being. The simplest dichotomy to be made is to mention that SER is used in enduring, fixed situations, while ESTAR is used in short-term, temporary situations. These are the conjugations:
Yo SOY (I am), tú ERES (You are), usted, él, ella ES (You singular, he, she IS); nosotros SOMOS (we ARE), vosotros SOIS (you plural Spain You are) ustedes/ellos SON (You plural/they ARE)
YO ESTOY (I am), tú ESTáS (You are), usted, él, ella ESTá (You singular, he, she IS); nosotros ESTAMOS (we ARE), vosotros ESTáIS (you plural Spain You are), ustedes/ellos ESTáN (you plural, they ARE).
Situations in which SER is used
Origin: Larry es de Lewisport, KY; Relationships: Ellos son mis padres, Ella es mi amiga; Physical Attributes: Carlos es alto; Personality characteristics: Miranda es simpática; Posession: Esta es mi casa; Profession: Mi papá es empleado en Walmart; Identification: Este es mi libro; Date and Time: Mañana es sábado; ¿Qué hora es? Son las….Es la..; Nationality: Fernando es japonés, Esperanza y Elena son salvadoreñas; Natural color: Mi amor es rojo.
Ejercicio 1. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1. Where are you from? 2. Who is she? 3. How is Valentina (physically, físicamente)? 4. How is your mother in her personality (personalidad)? 5. Whose book is this?
Situations in which ESTAR is used
Location: Estamos en la biblioteca (library); Mood: Estoy triste; Ella está de buen/mal humor (good/bad humor); Physical condition: Ella está enferma (sick); Result of action: Estoy sentado (I am seated), Ahora estoy parado (Now I am standing); Unnatural color or condition: El cielo está gris (gray); La nieve está amarilla (The snow is yellow); Going from the general to the particular: Este café está buenísimo (This coffee is very good).
Ejercicio 2. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1. Where are you? 2. Jorge is sleepy (con sueño); 3. The sky is white; 4. Maria is standing next to the door. 5. They are in the cafeteria.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
SPN 101: Práctica 3: La familia
Práctica 3: La familia Español 101
Nombre: ________________________ Fecha: _________________
A. Descriptive Adjectives. Complete the sentences/questions with the descriptive adjective in parenthesis. (15 p)
1. Mis hermanas son delgadas, bajas, y muy __________________ (bonito)
2. ¿Son tú y Miguel ______________ amigos? (bueno)
3. Mi tía colombiana es una profesora __________________. (famoso)
B. Possessive Adjectives. Translate the sentences that have possessive adjectives/prepositional phrases into Spanish. (15 p)
1. Is this your (familiar) grandmother? ______________________________________________
2. Who are Julio’s roommates? _______________________________________________
3. We buy a new photo album. It’s our album. _______________________________________________
C. Present Tense of –er and –ir verbs. Complete with the correct forms of the verbs in parentheses. (30 p)
1. ¿Dónde ____________ tus padres? (vivir).
2. ¿Qué comen? Yo ___________ una ensalada y Lilian un sándwich. (comer)
3. Ustedes ________________ respetar a sus abuelos (deber)
4. ¿____________ (usted) a bailar cumbia con mi familia? (aprender)
5. Mi sobrino siempre _______________ cartas para mi hermana. (escribir)
6. Yo _______________ a clases todos los días. (asistir)
D. Questions:¿Y tú? Use complete sentences to answer these questions. (35 p)
1. ¿Tiene usted miedo de tomar exámenes? _________________________________________________________
2. ¿Cuántos años tiene su mamá?
_________________________________________________________
3. ¿Tienes tú que estudiar esta noche?
________________________________________________________
4. ¿En vacaciones, va a su casa en auto o en avión?
________________________________________________________
E. Cultura. Indicate if the statement is CIERTO (C) or FALSO (F) according to the Cultura Reading for Lección 3. (5p)
In the Spanish-speaking world, generally legally married women retain two maiden surnames. ____________
Nombre: ________________________ Fecha: _________________
A. Descriptive Adjectives. Complete the sentences/questions with the descriptive adjective in parenthesis. (15 p)
1. Mis hermanas son delgadas, bajas, y muy __________________ (bonito)
2. ¿Son tú y Miguel ______________ amigos? (bueno)
3. Mi tía colombiana es una profesora __________________. (famoso)
B. Possessive Adjectives. Translate the sentences that have possessive adjectives/prepositional phrases into Spanish. (15 p)
1. Is this your (familiar) grandmother? ______________________________________________
2. Who are Julio’s roommates? _______________________________________________
3. We buy a new photo album. It’s our album. _______________________________________________
C. Present Tense of –er and –ir verbs. Complete with the correct forms of the verbs in parentheses. (30 p)
1. ¿Dónde ____________ tus padres? (vivir).
2. ¿Qué comen? Yo ___________ una ensalada y Lilian un sándwich. (comer)
3. Ustedes ________________ respetar a sus abuelos (deber)
4. ¿____________ (usted) a bailar cumbia con mi familia? (aprender)
5. Mi sobrino siempre _______________ cartas para mi hermana. (escribir)
6. Yo _______________ a clases todos los días. (asistir)
D. Questions:¿Y tú? Use complete sentences to answer these questions. (35 p)
1. ¿Tiene usted miedo de tomar exámenes? _________________________________________________________
2. ¿Cuántos años tiene su mamá?
_________________________________________________________
3. ¿Tienes tú que estudiar esta noche?
________________________________________________________
4. ¿En vacaciones, va a su casa en auto o en avión?
________________________________________________________
E. Cultura. Indicate if the statement is CIERTO (C) or FALSO (F) according to the Cultura Reading for Lección 3. (5p)
In the Spanish-speaking world, generally legally married women retain two maiden surnames. ____________
Monday, February 21, 2011
SPN 102: Imperfect Tense
Spanish Language Grammar: Verb Tenses
Imperfect Tense (Indicative Mood)
Indicative Mood: Expresses facts, and actual situations: Ejemplo: Trabajaba todos los días.
Nearly all verbs in the imperfect are regular. Only three verbs: ser, ir, and ver-are irregular. Observe the endings for the –ar, -er, and –ir verbs.
ar (hablar) er (comer) ir (vivir)
(I used to speak, etc) (I used to eat, etc) (I used to live, etc)
Yo hablaba comía vivía
Tú hablabas comías vivías
El,Ella, Ud. hablaba comía vivía
Nosotros hablábamos comíamos vivíamos
Vosotros hablabais comíais vivíais
Ellos/as,Uds. hablaban comían vivían
Irregular Verbs in the Imperfect
ser ir ver
(I used to be, etc) (I used to go, etc) (I used to see, etc)
Yo era iba veía
Tú eras ibas veías
El,Ella, Ud. era iba veía
Nosotros éramos íbamos veíamos
Vosotros erais ibais veíais
Ellos/as,Uds. eran iban veían
When to use the imperfect?
A. Habitual or continous actions in the past: When the action is similar to “I used to…”, i.e. there is no indication of when or how many times the action occurred or for how long.
Ejercicio 1. Translate into Spanish.
1. I used to study music. 2. Where did you all use to work? 3. You (sing, formal) used to read lots of books. 4. My mother used to cook pasta. 5. My siblings used to play hide and seek.
B. Basic simple description: Whereas the preterite emphasizes physical action, the imperfect frequently focuses on background description. The reference is what things were like, rather than what happened. Note the verbs ser which is used for description, origin, time and estar, used to denote location, short-term conditions, and the result of an action, are used frequently used in these situations. Consider:
Aldo compró un carro (Aldo bought a car). Preterite (specific action)
El carro era azul (The car was blue). Imperfect (description)
Sandra se casó (Sandra got married). Preterite (specific action)
Sandra estaba casada (Sandra was married). Imperfect (description)
Ejercicio 2. Translate into Spanish.
1. My grandfather was a fisherman (granjero). 2. Veronica was pregnant (embarazada). 3. Where was the money? 4. My pen didn’t write. 5. I was embarrased (avergonzado).
C. “-Ing” in the past. References to actions in progress in the past (“I was working”) generally omit mention of a specfic lenght of time, and thus are in the imperfect. We often use this format to describe two actions going on at the same time. I was writing while Greg was painting (Yo estaba escribiendo mientras Greg estaba pintando/Yo escribía y Greg pintaba).
Ejercicio 3. Translate into Spanish.
1. We were living in the country (campo). 2. They were listening to the radio while they were studying. 3. Why were you watching TV while I was studying? 4. The children were playing in the garden. 5. What were you doing last night?
D. “Would” and “could” in the past: In the imperfect, “would” is equivalent to “used to”, while “could” is equivalent to “was, were able to” when translated into Spanish. Consider:
Cuando yo era joven, jugaba al béisbol cada fin de semana.
When I was young, I would play baseball every weekend.
Cuando nosotros vivíamos en Lima, podíamos nadar más a menudo.
When we lived in Florida, we could swim more often.
Ejercicio 4. Translate into Spanish.
1. As a child, my father would help my grandmother in the house. 2. Last year they couldn’t speak Spanish. 3. When Vicky worked (used to work) at the bank, she would drink lots of coffee every morning. 4. They couldn’t read because they didn’t know how. 5. Where would you go when you were a kid?
E. Key words and phrases: Some words are used to describe frequency of a past action, imply repetitive, uncounted occurrences of that action. When one of these words or phrases appears in a sentence describing an ongoing past action, use the imperfect.
A menudo (often); a veces (sometimes); cada día; con frecuencia, cuando (whenver), de vez en cuando, frecuentemente, muchas veces, nunca, por un rato, siempre, todo el día, todo el tiempo
Ejercicio 5. Translate into Spanish.
1. I always studied before a test. 2. He frequently called me after 10pm. 3. They always cheated (engañar) whenever we played cards. 4. She never bought anything without a coupon (cupón). 5. My aunt was never happy.
F. Clock time and age in the past. When referring to time of the day or one’s age in the past always use the imperfect. There are only two verbs involved here: ser (for clock time) and tener (for age). Note that these references are made to actions generally in the preterite. Observe:
Eran las diez cuando llegué a clase. It was 10 when I arrived to class.
Mi mamá tenía 15 años cuando conoció a mi papá. My mom was 15 when she met my dad.
Ejercicio 6. Translate into Spanish.
1. It was midnight when my sister calle me. 2. What time was when you finished the book? 3. She had a baby when she was forty. 4. Where did you live when you were 14? 5. I learned how to ride a bike when I was 8 years old.
G. Había-the past of hay: Just as hay in the present tense is both singular and plural (there is, there are), its imperfect form, había (from the verb haber), means both there was and there was. Había is used to express existence, not action.
Ejercicio 7. Translate into Spanish.
1.There were twenty people at the party. 2. In the summer there were lots of children in the park. 3. There weren’t any women in the game. 4. There was garbage (basura) on the streets. 5. There wasn’t any gasoline in the tank (Any does not translate).
H. “Going to do” something in the past: The expression of intent, ir+a+infinitive (I am going to take a trip) is a mental expression: there is no physical action taking place. Such sentences in the past, therefore, will be in the imperfect.
Yo iba a comprar un carro. I was going to buy a car.
El iba a cantar. He was going to sing.
Ejercicio 8. Translate into Spanish.
1. We were going to eat. 2. When was Elena going to bring us the report? 3. How were you going to do this? 4. Were you going to call me? 5. I was going to study last night.
Imperfect Tense (Indicative Mood)
Indicative Mood: Expresses facts, and actual situations: Ejemplo: Trabajaba todos los días.
Nearly all verbs in the imperfect are regular. Only three verbs: ser, ir, and ver-are irregular. Observe the endings for the –ar, -er, and –ir verbs.
ar (hablar) er (comer) ir (vivir)
(I used to speak, etc) (I used to eat, etc) (I used to live, etc)
Yo hablaba comía vivía
Tú hablabas comías vivías
El,Ella, Ud. hablaba comía vivía
Nosotros hablábamos comíamos vivíamos
Vosotros hablabais comíais vivíais
Ellos/as,Uds. hablaban comían vivían
Irregular Verbs in the Imperfect
ser ir ver
(I used to be, etc) (I used to go, etc) (I used to see, etc)
Yo era iba veía
Tú eras ibas veías
El,Ella, Ud. era iba veía
Nosotros éramos íbamos veíamos
Vosotros erais ibais veíais
Ellos/as,Uds. eran iban veían
When to use the imperfect?
A. Habitual or continous actions in the past: When the action is similar to “I used to…”, i.e. there is no indication of when or how many times the action occurred or for how long.
Ejercicio 1. Translate into Spanish.
1. I used to study music. 2. Where did you all use to work? 3. You (sing, formal) used to read lots of books. 4. My mother used to cook pasta. 5. My siblings used to play hide and seek.
B. Basic simple description: Whereas the preterite emphasizes physical action, the imperfect frequently focuses on background description. The reference is what things were like, rather than what happened. Note the verbs ser which is used for description, origin, time and estar, used to denote location, short-term conditions, and the result of an action, are used frequently used in these situations. Consider:
Aldo compró un carro (Aldo bought a car). Preterite (specific action)
El carro era azul (The car was blue). Imperfect (description)
Sandra se casó (Sandra got married). Preterite (specific action)
Sandra estaba casada (Sandra was married). Imperfect (description)
Ejercicio 2. Translate into Spanish.
1. My grandfather was a fisherman (granjero). 2. Veronica was pregnant (embarazada). 3. Where was the money? 4. My pen didn’t write. 5. I was embarrased (avergonzado).
C. “-Ing” in the past. References to actions in progress in the past (“I was working”) generally omit mention of a specfic lenght of time, and thus are in the imperfect. We often use this format to describe two actions going on at the same time. I was writing while Greg was painting (Yo estaba escribiendo mientras Greg estaba pintando/Yo escribía y Greg pintaba).
Ejercicio 3. Translate into Spanish.
1. We were living in the country (campo). 2. They were listening to the radio while they were studying. 3. Why were you watching TV while I was studying? 4. The children were playing in the garden. 5. What were you doing last night?
D. “Would” and “could” in the past: In the imperfect, “would” is equivalent to “used to”, while “could” is equivalent to “was, were able to” when translated into Spanish. Consider:
Cuando yo era joven, jugaba al béisbol cada fin de semana.
When I was young, I would play baseball every weekend.
Cuando nosotros vivíamos en Lima, podíamos nadar más a menudo.
When we lived in Florida, we could swim more often.
Ejercicio 4. Translate into Spanish.
1. As a child, my father would help my grandmother in the house. 2. Last year they couldn’t speak Spanish. 3. When Vicky worked (used to work) at the bank, she would drink lots of coffee every morning. 4. They couldn’t read because they didn’t know how. 5. Where would you go when you were a kid?
E. Key words and phrases: Some words are used to describe frequency of a past action, imply repetitive, uncounted occurrences of that action. When one of these words or phrases appears in a sentence describing an ongoing past action, use the imperfect.
A menudo (often); a veces (sometimes); cada día; con frecuencia, cuando (whenver), de vez en cuando, frecuentemente, muchas veces, nunca, por un rato, siempre, todo el día, todo el tiempo
Ejercicio 5. Translate into Spanish.
1. I always studied before a test. 2. He frequently called me after 10pm. 3. They always cheated (engañar) whenever we played cards. 4. She never bought anything without a coupon (cupón). 5. My aunt was never happy.
F. Clock time and age in the past. When referring to time of the day or one’s age in the past always use the imperfect. There are only two verbs involved here: ser (for clock time) and tener (for age). Note that these references are made to actions generally in the preterite. Observe:
Eran las diez cuando llegué a clase. It was 10 when I arrived to class.
Mi mamá tenía 15 años cuando conoció a mi papá. My mom was 15 when she met my dad.
Ejercicio 6. Translate into Spanish.
1. It was midnight when my sister calle me. 2. What time was when you finished the book? 3. She had a baby when she was forty. 4. Where did you live when you were 14? 5. I learned how to ride a bike when I was 8 years old.
G. Había-the past of hay: Just as hay in the present tense is both singular and plural (there is, there are), its imperfect form, había (from the verb haber), means both there was and there was. Había is used to express existence, not action.
Ejercicio 7. Translate into Spanish.
1.There were twenty people at the party. 2. In the summer there were lots of children in the park. 3. There weren’t any women in the game. 4. There was garbage (basura) on the streets. 5. There wasn’t any gasoline in the tank (Any does not translate).
H. “Going to do” something in the past: The expression of intent, ir+a+infinitive (I am going to take a trip) is a mental expression: there is no physical action taking place. Such sentences in the past, therefore, will be in the imperfect.
Yo iba a comprar un carro. I was going to buy a car.
El iba a cantar. He was going to sing.
Ejercicio 8. Translate into Spanish.
1. We were going to eat. 2. When was Elena going to bring us the report? 3. How were you going to do this? 4. Were you going to call me? 5. I was going to study last night.
SPN 102: Preterite Tense
Spanish Language Grammar: Verb Tenses
Preterite Tense (Indicative Mood)
Indicative Mood: Expresses facts, and actual situations: Ejemplo: Trabajé en Walmart dos años.
The preterite tense is used to indicate activities finished in the past. To form regular verbs in the preterite add the following endings for –ar, -er, and –ir verbs. Note that the nosotros form is identical in the preterite and present tenses for –ar verbs.
ar (hablar) er (comer) ir (vivir)
(I spoke, etc) (I ate, etc) (I lived, etc)
Yo hablé comí viví
Tú hablaste comiste vivíste
El,Ella, Ud. habló comió vivió
Nosotros hablamos comimos vivimos
Vosotros hablasteis comisteis vivisteis
Ellos/as,Uds. hablaron comieron vivieron
Note: Most stem-changing verbs change only in the present tense (not in the preterite), e.g. Yo cuento (I count); yo conté (I counted).
Before working with the preterite, it is important to be familiar with the more common preterite “markers”, or words or phrases that indicate specific time frames.
Ayer (yesterday); anoche (last night), esta mañana (this morning), esta tarde (this afternoon), la semana pasada (last week), el mes pasado (año) pasado, hace________ (_______ ago), ayer por la mañana (yesterday morning).
When to use the different endings for the preterite?
A. To indicate activities finished in the past with regular verbs.
Ejercicio 1. Translate into Spanish.
1.I ate a salad last night. 2. My brother sold his house last month. 3. Did you study this morning? 4. Did she write her paper (trabajo)? 5. They drank three bottles of beer.
B. Ortographic changes in regular verbs: There are three standard ortographic (spelling) changes in Spanish which affect verbs in the preterite as well as in other tenses. In the preterite, these changes occur only in the first person singular yo form. They are as follows:
1 verbs ending in –gar: insert a u before the e: yo llegué (I arrived)
2 verbs ending in –car: the c changes to qu before the letter e: yo practiqué (I practiced)
3 verbs ending in –zar: the z changes to c before the letter e: yo empecé (I began)
Some frequently used verbs in these categories, with the preterite yo form:
llegar (to arrive), yo llegué; jugar (to play), yo jugué; pagar (to pay), yo pagué
buscar (to look for), yo busqué, clarificar (to clasiffy), yo clasifiqué, tocar (to play an instrument), yo toqué, sacar (to take out, to take pictures), yo saqué
autorizar (to authorize), yo autoricé, comenzar (to commence), yo comencé, organizar (to organize), yo organicé
Ejercicio 2. Translate into Spanish.
1 I arrived late to class this morning. 2. I began to dance on the table. 3. I played tennis yesterday. 4. I played the piano last night. 5. I took many pictures in the party.
C. Irregular Verbs in the Preterite
The following verbs all take these set of endings: -e, -iste, -o; -imos, -isteis, -ieron
1 andar to walk anduv- anduve, anduviste, anduvo…
2 estar to be estuv- estuve, estuviste, estuvo…
3 tener to have tuv- tuve, tuviste, tuvo…
4 caber to fit cup- cupe, cupiste, cupo…
5 haber auxiliary to have hub- hube, hubiste, hubo…
6 poder to be able to pud- pude, pudiste, pudo…
7 poner to put pus- puse, pusiste, puso…
8 saber to know sup- supe, supiste, supo…
9 hacer to make, do hic- hice, hiciste, hizo…
10 querer to want quis- quise, quisiste, quiso
11 venir to come vin- vine, viniste, vino…
Ejercicio 3. Translate into Spanish.
1 When did you know (find out) about the answer? 2 What did you do last night? 3 Last night I couldn’t sleep. 4 He came to my party. 5. They had an accident last week.
D. Ser and Ir. The preterite conjugations of ser and ir are identical. Ir is more used than ser in the preterite.
Ser (I was, you were, etc.): fui, fuiste, fue; fuimos, fuisteis, fueron
Ir (I went, you went, etc.): fui, fuiste, fue; fuimos, fuisteis, fueron
Ejercicio 4. Translate into Spanish.
1 How was the party? 2. It was a success (éxito) 3. We didn’t go to the wedding. 4. Did you go to school today? 5. They went separately (por separado).
E. Decir and Traer. Decir (to say, tell) and traer (to bring) are conjugated as follows:
Decir (I said/told, you said/told, etc.): dije, dijiste, dijo; dijimos, dijisteis, dijeron
Traer (I brought, you brought, etc): traje, trajiste, trajo; trajimos, trajisteis, trajeron
Verbs related to, and cojugated in the same manner as traer: atraer (to attract): atraje, etc; distraer (to distract): distraje, etc; retraer (to bring back, to dissuade): retraje, etc.
Ejercicio 5. Translate into Spanish.
1 I told the children my name. 2. His voice attracted me. 3. The TV distracted me. What did you tell her? 5. What did you bring us?
F. Dar and Ver. The verbs dar and ver are very similar in their preterite conjugations and thus easy to learn together. While dar is clearly irregular, ver is irregular only in that the accent marks on the first and third person singular are omitted. Their conjugations are as follows.
Dar (I gave, you gave, etc.): di, diste, dio; dimos, disteis, dieron
Ver (I saw, you saw, etc.): vi, viste, vio; vimos, visteis, vieron
Ejercicio 6. Translate into Spanish.
1 I gave Alberto a package yesterday. 2. She gave me a book. 3. When she saw him, she gave him a kiss. 4. I didn’t see the present my brother gave to my grandmother. 5. I saw Alberto last week.
G. –Ir stem-changing verbs: Most stem-changing verbs change only in the present. However, -ir stem-changing verbs make minor modifications in the preterite. There three kinds of these verbs thatmake changes only in the third person singular and plural.
In o→ue verbs in the present, the o changes to u in the preterite (verbs: dormir, morir)
Dormir (to sleep): dormí, dormiste, durmió; dormimos, dormisteis, durmieron
In e→ie verbs in the present, the e changes to i in the preteritte (verbs: mentir, advertir, sentir(se), preferir)
Mentir (to lie): mentí, mentiste, mintió; mentimos, mentisteis, mintieron
In e→i verbs in the present, the e changes to i in the preterite (verbs: medir, pedir, repetir, seguir, servir)
Pedir (to request, to ask for): pedi, pediste, pidió; pedimos, pedisteis, pidieron
Ejercicio 7. Translate into Spanish.
1 She slept for ten hours. 2. He requested more coffee. 3. Our lawyers warned us of the danger (peligro). 4. Did they repeat the instructions? 5. The cockroaches died.
H. Verbs that change i→y in the preterite: In those –er and –ir verbs in which a vowel immediately precedes the infinitive ending, the third person singular and plural change from i to y. In all other forms there is a written accent over the letter i. (verbs: caer (to fall), caerse (fall down), creer, leer, oír, poseer, proveer)
Creer (to believe): creí, creíste, creyó; creímos, creísteis, creyeron
Exceptions: (a) traer: see above; (b) verbs ending in –guir (e.g. seguir) the u is not pronounced: seguí, seguiste, siguió; seguimos, seguisteis, siguieron.
(c) Verbs ending in –uir (e.g. destruir) make the change from i→y; however, the written accent over the i appears only in the first person singular form. (verbs: construir (to build, construct), contribuir (to contribute), fluir (to flow, run), huir, incluir (to include), influir (to influence)).
Destruir (to destroy): destruí, destruiste, destruyó; destruimos, destruisteis, destruyeron
Ejercicio 8. Translate into Spanish.
1 The teacher didn’t hear me. 2. They read the article twice. 3. He ran away on Tuesday. 4. My parents did not believe the story. 5. MLK influenced a generation.
J. Verbs ending in –ucir: All verbs ending in –ucir have the same conjugations as producir. (verbs: conducir (to drive, lead), deducir, inducir (to induce, lead), introducir, producir, reducir, traducir)
Producir (to produce): produje, produjiste, produjo; produjimos, produjisteis, produjeron
Ejercicio 9. Translate into Spanish.
1.I produced as good paper. 2. You translated the text very well. 3. Did you drive in the snow? 4. She led a nice discussion. 5. I deduced the message of the story.
K. Verbs that change meaning in the preterite:
Conocer: Present: to know a person, place Preterite: to meet: Conocí a Jaime hace diez años.
Poder: Present: to be able (to do something) Preterite: to manage (to do sthg): Ella pudo hablar con el.
No poder: not to be able (to do something) to fail (to do sthg): No pudimos encontrarla.
Querer: to want to try: Quise amar pero no funcionó.
No querer: not to want to refuse: Nosotros no quisimos comer.
Saber: to know (a fact, information) to find out (learn): ¿Cuándo supiste la respuesta?
Sentir: to feel to regret, to be sorry: Sentí la muerte de su hijo.
Tener: to have to have (at a certain time). Sandra tuvo una bebé anoche.
Ejercicio 10. Translate into Spanish.
1. He failed to see my persective. 2. Why did you refuse to talk with her? 3. I managed to pay my bills on time. 4. I tried going but..5. I was sorry about your loss (pérdida)
Preterite Tense (Indicative Mood)
Indicative Mood: Expresses facts, and actual situations: Ejemplo: Trabajé en Walmart dos años.
The preterite tense is used to indicate activities finished in the past. To form regular verbs in the preterite add the following endings for –ar, -er, and –ir verbs. Note that the nosotros form is identical in the preterite and present tenses for –ar verbs.
ar (hablar) er (comer) ir (vivir)
(I spoke, etc) (I ate, etc) (I lived, etc)
Yo hablé comí viví
Tú hablaste comiste vivíste
El,Ella, Ud. habló comió vivió
Nosotros hablamos comimos vivimos
Vosotros hablasteis comisteis vivisteis
Ellos/as,Uds. hablaron comieron vivieron
Note: Most stem-changing verbs change only in the present tense (not in the preterite), e.g. Yo cuento (I count); yo conté (I counted).
Before working with the preterite, it is important to be familiar with the more common preterite “markers”, or words or phrases that indicate specific time frames.
Ayer (yesterday); anoche (last night), esta mañana (this morning), esta tarde (this afternoon), la semana pasada (last week), el mes pasado (año) pasado, hace________ (_______ ago), ayer por la mañana (yesterday morning).
When to use the different endings for the preterite?
A. To indicate activities finished in the past with regular verbs.
Ejercicio 1. Translate into Spanish.
1.I ate a salad last night. 2. My brother sold his house last month. 3. Did you study this morning? 4. Did she write her paper (trabajo)? 5. They drank three bottles of beer.
B. Ortographic changes in regular verbs: There are three standard ortographic (spelling) changes in Spanish which affect verbs in the preterite as well as in other tenses. In the preterite, these changes occur only in the first person singular yo form. They are as follows:
1 verbs ending in –gar: insert a u before the e: yo llegué (I arrived)
2 verbs ending in –car: the c changes to qu before the letter e: yo practiqué (I practiced)
3 verbs ending in –zar: the z changes to c before the letter e: yo empecé (I began)
Some frequently used verbs in these categories, with the preterite yo form:
llegar (to arrive), yo llegué; jugar (to play), yo jugué; pagar (to pay), yo pagué
buscar (to look for), yo busqué, clarificar (to clasiffy), yo clasifiqué, tocar (to play an instrument), yo toqué, sacar (to take out, to take pictures), yo saqué
autorizar (to authorize), yo autoricé, comenzar (to commence), yo comencé, organizar (to organize), yo organicé
Ejercicio 2. Translate into Spanish.
1 I arrived late to class this morning. 2. I began to dance on the table. 3. I played tennis yesterday. 4. I played the piano last night. 5. I took many pictures in the party.
C. Irregular Verbs in the Preterite
The following verbs all take these set of endings: -e, -iste, -o; -imos, -isteis, -ieron
1 andar to walk anduv- anduve, anduviste, anduvo…
2 estar to be estuv- estuve, estuviste, estuvo…
3 tener to have tuv- tuve, tuviste, tuvo…
4 caber to fit cup- cupe, cupiste, cupo…
5 haber auxiliary to have hub- hube, hubiste, hubo…
6 poder to be able to pud- pude, pudiste, pudo…
7 poner to put pus- puse, pusiste, puso…
8 saber to know sup- supe, supiste, supo…
9 hacer to make, do hic- hice, hiciste, hizo…
10 querer to want quis- quise, quisiste, quiso
11 venir to come vin- vine, viniste, vino…
Ejercicio 3. Translate into Spanish.
1 When did you know (find out) about the answer? 2 What did you do last night? 3 Last night I couldn’t sleep. 4 He came to my party. 5. They had an accident last week.
D. Ser and Ir. The preterite conjugations of ser and ir are identical. Ir is more used than ser in the preterite.
Ser (I was, you were, etc.): fui, fuiste, fue; fuimos, fuisteis, fueron
Ir (I went, you went, etc.): fui, fuiste, fue; fuimos, fuisteis, fueron
Ejercicio 4. Translate into Spanish.
1 How was the party? 2. It was a success (éxito) 3. We didn’t go to the wedding. 4. Did you go to school today? 5. They went separately (por separado).
E. Decir and Traer. Decir (to say, tell) and traer (to bring) are conjugated as follows:
Decir (I said/told, you said/told, etc.): dije, dijiste, dijo; dijimos, dijisteis, dijeron
Traer (I brought, you brought, etc): traje, trajiste, trajo; trajimos, trajisteis, trajeron
Verbs related to, and cojugated in the same manner as traer: atraer (to attract): atraje, etc; distraer (to distract): distraje, etc; retraer (to bring back, to dissuade): retraje, etc.
Ejercicio 5. Translate into Spanish.
1 I told the children my name. 2. His voice attracted me. 3. The TV distracted me. What did you tell her? 5. What did you bring us?
F. Dar and Ver. The verbs dar and ver are very similar in their preterite conjugations and thus easy to learn together. While dar is clearly irregular, ver is irregular only in that the accent marks on the first and third person singular are omitted. Their conjugations are as follows.
Dar (I gave, you gave, etc.): di, diste, dio; dimos, disteis, dieron
Ver (I saw, you saw, etc.): vi, viste, vio; vimos, visteis, vieron
Ejercicio 6. Translate into Spanish.
1 I gave Alberto a package yesterday. 2. She gave me a book. 3. When she saw him, she gave him a kiss. 4. I didn’t see the present my brother gave to my grandmother. 5. I saw Alberto last week.
G. –Ir stem-changing verbs: Most stem-changing verbs change only in the present. However, -ir stem-changing verbs make minor modifications in the preterite. There three kinds of these verbs thatmake changes only in the third person singular and plural.
In o→ue verbs in the present, the o changes to u in the preterite (verbs: dormir, morir)
Dormir (to sleep): dormí, dormiste, durmió; dormimos, dormisteis, durmieron
In e→ie verbs in the present, the e changes to i in the preteritte (verbs: mentir, advertir, sentir(se), preferir)
Mentir (to lie): mentí, mentiste, mintió; mentimos, mentisteis, mintieron
In e→i verbs in the present, the e changes to i in the preterite (verbs: medir, pedir, repetir, seguir, servir)
Pedir (to request, to ask for): pedi, pediste, pidió; pedimos, pedisteis, pidieron
Ejercicio 7. Translate into Spanish.
1 She slept for ten hours. 2. He requested more coffee. 3. Our lawyers warned us of the danger (peligro). 4. Did they repeat the instructions? 5. The cockroaches died.
H. Verbs that change i→y in the preterite: In those –er and –ir verbs in which a vowel immediately precedes the infinitive ending, the third person singular and plural change from i to y. In all other forms there is a written accent over the letter i. (verbs: caer (to fall), caerse (fall down), creer, leer, oír, poseer, proveer)
Creer (to believe): creí, creíste, creyó; creímos, creísteis, creyeron
Exceptions: (a) traer: see above; (b) verbs ending in –guir (e.g. seguir) the u is not pronounced: seguí, seguiste, siguió; seguimos, seguisteis, siguieron.
(c) Verbs ending in –uir (e.g. destruir) make the change from i→y; however, the written accent over the i appears only in the first person singular form. (verbs: construir (to build, construct), contribuir (to contribute), fluir (to flow, run), huir, incluir (to include), influir (to influence)).
Destruir (to destroy): destruí, destruiste, destruyó; destruimos, destruisteis, destruyeron
Ejercicio 8. Translate into Spanish.
1 The teacher didn’t hear me. 2. They read the article twice. 3. He ran away on Tuesday. 4. My parents did not believe the story. 5. MLK influenced a generation.
J. Verbs ending in –ucir: All verbs ending in –ucir have the same conjugations as producir. (verbs: conducir (to drive, lead), deducir, inducir (to induce, lead), introducir, producir, reducir, traducir)
Producir (to produce): produje, produjiste, produjo; produjimos, produjisteis, produjeron
Ejercicio 9. Translate into Spanish.
1.I produced as good paper. 2. You translated the text very well. 3. Did you drive in the snow? 4. She led a nice discussion. 5. I deduced the message of the story.
K. Verbs that change meaning in the preterite:
Conocer: Present: to know a person, place Preterite: to meet: Conocí a Jaime hace diez años.
Poder: Present: to be able (to do something) Preterite: to manage (to do sthg): Ella pudo hablar con el.
No poder: not to be able (to do something) to fail (to do sthg): No pudimos encontrarla.
Querer: to want to try: Quise amar pero no funcionó.
No querer: not to want to refuse: Nosotros no quisimos comer.
Saber: to know (a fact, information) to find out (learn): ¿Cuándo supiste la respuesta?
Sentir: to feel to regret, to be sorry: Sentí la muerte de su hijo.
Tener: to have to have (at a certain time). Sandra tuvo una bebé anoche.
Ejercicio 10. Translate into Spanish.
1. He failed to see my persective. 2. Why did you refuse to talk with her? 3. I managed to pay my bills on time. 4. I tried going but..5. I was sorry about your loss (pérdida)
SPN 202: Práctica 3: La cultura popular y los medios de comunicación
SPN 202 Práctica 3: La cultura popular y los medios de comunicación
Nombre: __________________ Fecha: ___________
A. Lectura. Complete the spaces with these words: que-actores-lo que-preocupan-apestara (would stink)
El peruano es racista consigo mismo
(1)¿Qué tienen novelas (soup operas) como "Al fondo hay sitio" o la fenecida (y exitosa) "¡Qué buena raza!"? Simple: El peruano es racista. Romances entre clases sociales, igual, lo prohibido (the forbidden), lo vedado (the censored), ____________ no se puede tolerar, que rompe moldes y es fuera de lo común. Resultado: Rating.
Novelas como "Al fondo hay sitio" ponen de manifiesto que el peruano no solo es racista, sino tambien, clasista.
(2) El ir y venir socioeconómico, la clase heredada. Esa clase media-alta ______________ muchos se empeñan (to work hard) en conservar, aferrados (strongly attached) al estilo de vida de padres y abuelos.
(3) Los jóvenes que han nacido en cuna de oro (golden crib) ya no se ____________ de una carrera, de trabajar, no valoran el dinero. Total. Todo les cae del cielo. "Mamá quiero esto" "Papá quiero aquello". ¿Alguno de ellos alguna vez limpiará pisos? ¿barrerá? ¿será recepcionista o mesera?
(4) La mirada de deprecio (cde todos los Maldini cuando los Gonzales llegan con su aire a pueblo a la exclusiva residencial, lo dice todo. Las narices levantadas (lifted noses) como si algo les ______________, los gestos (gestures) de las manos, las miradas, el ceño fruncido (frown).
(5) Pasarán generaciones tras generaciones y como nada hacemos por cambiar ese clasismo-racismo unos contra otros, nada vamos a lograr…Cambiarán los ___________, los guiones, pasará el tiempo. Pero desde el fondo. Al fondo...siempre es lo mismo.
B. The present perfect subjunctive. Complete the translations into Spanish. See the example.
Modelo: It’s surprising that she has learned about the decision. (Es sorprendente que ella se haya enterado de la decisión)
1. We doubt that the President of the Institute has been in agreement with the censorship. Dudamos que el Presidente del Instituto ____________________________ de acuerdo con la censura.
2. I am not sure that he has been pressured. No estoy seguro que ______________________ presionado.
3. I hope that the public has felt the same anger I felt. Espero que el público _____________________ el mismo enojo que yo sentí.
4. I doubt that the movie has not been analyzed critically. Dudo que la película se ____________________ críticamente.
5. That we have been treated like children in the past does not mean this will happen in the future. Que nosotros ______________________________ como niños en el pasado no significa que esto pasará en el futuro.
C. Relative pronouns. Include these relative pronouns: que, quien, con quien, lo que, and cuya. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
They believe that this sauce (salsa) is very hot (picante). _______________________________
The neighbor (vecina), who is from Malaysia, is a very good dancer. ______________________
He is the man I live with. (He is the man with whom I live). ________________________
What you need is to focus more!!! _______________________________________
The director, whose movie was censored, won the prize. _________________________________
D. Creación. Write a small paragraph (min, 6 sentences) in which you express your opinion about a controversial topic in the mass media (e.g. comprehensive immigration reform, etc.)
Nombre: __________________ Fecha: ___________
A. Lectura. Complete the spaces with these words: que-actores-lo que-preocupan-apestara (would stink)
El peruano es racista consigo mismo
(1)¿Qué tienen novelas (soup operas) como "Al fondo hay sitio" o la fenecida (y exitosa) "¡Qué buena raza!"? Simple: El peruano es racista. Romances entre clases sociales, igual, lo prohibido (the forbidden), lo vedado (the censored), ____________ no se puede tolerar, que rompe moldes y es fuera de lo común. Resultado: Rating.
Novelas como "Al fondo hay sitio" ponen de manifiesto que el peruano no solo es racista, sino tambien, clasista.
(2) El ir y venir socioeconómico, la clase heredada. Esa clase media-alta ______________ muchos se empeñan (to work hard) en conservar, aferrados (strongly attached) al estilo de vida de padres y abuelos.
(3) Los jóvenes que han nacido en cuna de oro (golden crib) ya no se ____________ de una carrera, de trabajar, no valoran el dinero. Total. Todo les cae del cielo. "Mamá quiero esto" "Papá quiero aquello". ¿Alguno de ellos alguna vez limpiará pisos? ¿barrerá? ¿será recepcionista o mesera?
(4) La mirada de deprecio (cde todos los Maldini cuando los Gonzales llegan con su aire a pueblo a la exclusiva residencial, lo dice todo. Las narices levantadas (lifted noses) como si algo les ______________, los gestos (gestures) de las manos, las miradas, el ceño fruncido (frown).
(5) Pasarán generaciones tras generaciones y como nada hacemos por cambiar ese clasismo-racismo unos contra otros, nada vamos a lograr…Cambiarán los ___________, los guiones, pasará el tiempo. Pero desde el fondo. Al fondo...siempre es lo mismo.
B. The present perfect subjunctive. Complete the translations into Spanish. See the example.
Modelo: It’s surprising that she has learned about the decision. (Es sorprendente que ella se haya enterado de la decisión)
1. We doubt that the President of the Institute has been in agreement with the censorship. Dudamos que el Presidente del Instituto ____________________________ de acuerdo con la censura.
2. I am not sure that he has been pressured. No estoy seguro que ______________________ presionado.
3. I hope that the public has felt the same anger I felt. Espero que el público _____________________ el mismo enojo que yo sentí.
4. I doubt that the movie has not been analyzed critically. Dudo que la película se ____________________ críticamente.
5. That we have been treated like children in the past does not mean this will happen in the future. Que nosotros ______________________________ como niños en el pasado no significa que esto pasará en el futuro.
C. Relative pronouns. Include these relative pronouns: que, quien, con quien, lo que, and cuya. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
They believe that this sauce (salsa) is very hot (picante). _______________________________
The neighbor (vecina), who is from Malaysia, is a very good dancer. ______________________
He is the man I live with. (He is the man with whom I live). ________________________
What you need is to focus more!!! _______________________________________
The director, whose movie was censored, won the prize. _________________________________
D. Creación. Write a small paragraph (min, 6 sentences) in which you express your opinion about a controversial topic in the mass media (e.g. comprehensive immigration reform, etc.)
SPN 202: The present perfect subjunctive Ejercicios
Spanish Language Grammar: The present perfect subjunctive (PPS)
The present perfect subjunctive mood is in the time of the present perfect (Maria has eaten), but also is in a sentence that requires the use of the subjunctive (I hope that Maria has eaten). Keeping in mind that the general time of the present perfect, i.e. completed action, often in the recent past, as well as the situations in which one uses the subjunctive, you will notice when to use the PPS.
Sabemos que Maria ha hecho su trabajo. We know that Maria has done her work (present perfect indicative)
Dudamos que Maria haya hecho su trabajo. We doubt that Maria has done her work. (present perfect subjunctive).
Formation of the Present Perfect Subjunctive
haya + past participle hayamos + past participle
hayas+ past participle hayáis + past participle
haya+ past participle hayan + past participle
Uses of the PPS
A. Main in clause in present in the present (or present perfect): requires the use of the subjunctive and refers to an action that may have taken place, that subordinate clause will be in the PPS. Ejemplos:
Es posible que el professor no haya abierto su email. It’s possible that the professor has not opened his emai.
Espero que hayas llamado a tu mamá. I hope that you have called your mother.
Es improbable que nos hayamos conocido antes. It’s unlikely that we’ve met before.
Ejercicio 1. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1. We can’t go until everyone has finished. 2. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen Macchu Picchu. 3. I’m looking for a student who has been to a Spanish-speaking country. 4. Do you know anyone who has read all of Shakespeare’s plays? 5. I don’t believe he has thought too much about it.
B. Main clause in the future: subordinate in the present perfect subjunctive: When the main clause in the future refers to an action iun the subordinate clause that may have or will have taken place (uncompleted action), that subordinate clause wil be in the PPS. Ejemplos:
Hablaremos después que haya ido a mi reunión. We will talk when I have gone to my meeting.
¿Se quedará hasta que ellos hayan regresado? Will you stay until they have returned?
Ejercicio 2. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1.What will you do after you have conquered all your fears? 2. The party will begin when his parents have arrived. 3. He will not to bed until he has brushed his teeth. 4. She will not tell you anything until you have asked for an explanation. 5. As soon as I have called my mother, I will call you back.
The present perfect subjunctive mood is in the time of the present perfect (Maria has eaten), but also is in a sentence that requires the use of the subjunctive (I hope that Maria has eaten). Keeping in mind that the general time of the present perfect, i.e. completed action, often in the recent past, as well as the situations in which one uses the subjunctive, you will notice when to use the PPS.
Sabemos que Maria ha hecho su trabajo. We know that Maria has done her work (present perfect indicative)
Dudamos que Maria haya hecho su trabajo. We doubt that Maria has done her work. (present perfect subjunctive).
Formation of the Present Perfect Subjunctive
haya + past participle hayamos + past participle
hayas+ past participle hayáis + past participle
haya+ past participle hayan + past participle
Uses of the PPS
A. Main in clause in present in the present (or present perfect): requires the use of the subjunctive and refers to an action that may have taken place, that subordinate clause will be in the PPS. Ejemplos:
Es posible que el professor no haya abierto su email. It’s possible that the professor has not opened his emai.
Espero que hayas llamado a tu mamá. I hope that you have called your mother.
Es improbable que nos hayamos conocido antes. It’s unlikely that we’ve met before.
Ejercicio 1. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1. We can’t go until everyone has finished. 2. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen Macchu Picchu. 3. I’m looking for a student who has been to a Spanish-speaking country. 4. Do you know anyone who has read all of Shakespeare’s plays? 5. I don’t believe he has thought too much about it.
B. Main clause in the future: subordinate in the present perfect subjunctive: When the main clause in the future refers to an action iun the subordinate clause that may have or will have taken place (uncompleted action), that subordinate clause wil be in the PPS. Ejemplos:
Hablaremos después que haya ido a mi reunión. We will talk when I have gone to my meeting.
¿Se quedará hasta que ellos hayan regresado? Will you stay until they have returned?
Ejercicio 2. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1.What will you do after you have conquered all your fears? 2. The party will begin when his parents have arrived. 3. He will not to bed until he has brushed his teeth. 4. She will not tell you anything until you have asked for an explanation. 5. As soon as I have called my mother, I will call you back.
SPN 202: Relative Pronouns Ejercicios
Spanish Language Grammar: Relative Pronouns
Relative pronouns refer to something that either previously stated or understood, and thus are related to that referent.
Relative pronouns: que (that, who; which); el cual, la cual (the one who; the one which); los cuales, las cuales (those who, those which); el que, la que (the one who, the one which); los que, las que (those who, those which), lo que (that which, what, whatever); preposición + quien(es) (preposition + whom); cuya, cuya, cuyos, cuyas (whose).
Restrictive vs. Nonrestrictive Clauses
Restrictive clause: It contains information that is essential to the meaning of the sentence. If this clause were removed, the sentence either would change meaning or become meaningless. Example: A professor who is clear is efficient.
Non-restrictive clause: It contains information that is usually helpful to the overall meaning of the sentence; however, it is not essential. If this clause were removed, the sentence would stand on its own. Example: My Spanish class that meets in this building is very interesting.
A. The Use of que in Clauses
The relative pronouns that separate clauses and mean “that”, “who”, and “which” in English all translate as que in Spanish. Examples: Los estudiantes que trabajan (the students who work); el río, que está contaminado, (the river that is contaminated). The relative pronoun que sets up both restrictive and nonrestrictive clasues.
Note that in English the relative pronoun is sometimes omitted. For example: I have the answers you need=I have the answers that you need. In Spanish, however, the relative pronoun cannot be omitted: you must include que.
Ejercicio 1. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1. I have the book you want. 2. She only watches films that are independent. 3. We believe that this sauce (salsa) is very hot (picante). 4. The medicine that I take very morning tastes like (saber a) past beer. 5. The people who vote have a lot of power (poder).
B. The Use of el cual or el que in Clauses
When the relative pronouns that, which, who, or whom introduce a nonrestrictive clause (information not essential to the overall meaning of the sentence), we can use el cual (la cual, los cuales, las cuales) or el que (la que, los que, las que) instead of the simple que.
El cual and el que are interchangeable. They are used primarily in writing of in formal speech (while que is used more in conversation). Examples: Este sitio en la red, el cual tiene acesso libre, es muy util para escuchar música (This website which have free access is very useful to listen to music. Estos libros, los cuales son de Perú, tienen mucha informacion cultural. (These books, which come from Peru, have lots of cultural information).
Ejercicio 2. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1. His partner, who is very nice, speaks three languages. 2. These paintings (pinturas), which have bright colors, are from Mexico. 3. The neighbor (vecino), who is from India, is very friendly. 4. The White House, which is very poular for tourists, is the home (hogar) of the President of the USA and his family. 5. These medicines, which cost 100 dollars, are for my grandmother’s illness (enfermedad).
C. The Use of a Preposition + quien or que
When the relative pronoun is the object of a preposition, we will use the appropriate preposition + quien, when the referent is a person, or the preposition + que, when the referent is inanimate. A clause formed by the preposition + quien or que is a restrictive clause (its information is essential to the meaning of the sentence).
Examples: Iris es la profesora con quien trabajo (Iris is the professor who I work with/Iris is the professor with whom I work). Este el lugar en que pienso (This is the place I am thinking about/This is the place about which I’m thinking). Toledo is el candidato por quien voy a votar (Toledo is the candidate I’m going to vote for/Toledo is the candidate for whom I am going to vote). Veronica is the person I love (Veronica es la persona a quien amo/Veronica is the woman whom I love)
Ejercicio 3. Translate these sentences into Spanish. (The Spanish syntax is given in parentheses)
1. She is the person I live with. (She is the woman with whom I live). 2. He is the man I am thinking about (pensar en). (He is the man about whom I am thinking). 3. These are the people they work for (These are the people for whom they work). 4. He is the person I see (He is the person whom I see). 5. This is the team I love.
D. The Use of “lo que”
Lo que, which means “that which,”, “what”, or “whatever,” is a neuter relative pronoun that allows us to rfer to a great abstraction, as in “You can have whatever you want”, or to summarize the entirety of something that is said or done, as in “What you are doing is a sin”. Note that when lo que is used to mean “whatever,” it often stands for something that is unknown or unfamiliar and is followed by a verb in the subjunctive: Haz lo que puedas (Do whatever you can).
Examples: Lo que dices es importante (What you are saying is importante). ¿Tiene lo que necesito? (Do you have what I need). Lo que quieres no existe (What you want does not exist).
Ejercicio 4. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1. She never remembers what I want. 2. What you need is a hug! 3. Whatever he says is always a lie. 4. Do you see what I see? 5. They don’t understand what they read.
E. The Use of cuyo, cuya, cuyos, cuyas
The relative pronoun cuyo (which means “whose” separates the owner and that which is owned: “Gladys, whose book was just published, is a spiritual woman”. In this sentence, Gladys is the owner, and the book is the object owned. The word “whose” begins the clause, and the form of cuyo must agree with the noun immediately following it. The relative pronouns cuyo, cuya, cuyos, and cuyas nearly always introduce or set up a non-restrictive clause.
Examples: Gladys, cuyo libro fue recientemente publicado, es una mujer espiritual. Verónica, cuyos obras estan aqui, hijos estan ahi, es una mujer famosa en el arte peruano (Veronica, whose art works are here, is a famous woman in Peruvian art).
Ejercicio 5. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1. They are the children whose father is the senator. 2. The student, whose teacher is from El Salvador, wants to go to Central America this summer. 3. The journalist, whose articles were censored, is the wisest man in town. 4. Loreto whose capital city is Iquitos is located in the Peruvian jungle. 5. The actress, whose role was very inspiring, won the prize.
Relative pronouns refer to something that either previously stated or understood, and thus are related to that referent.
Relative pronouns: que (that, who; which); el cual, la cual (the one who; the one which); los cuales, las cuales (those who, those which); el que, la que (the one who, the one which); los que, las que (those who, those which), lo que (that which, what, whatever); preposición + quien(es) (preposition + whom); cuya, cuya, cuyos, cuyas (whose).
Restrictive vs. Nonrestrictive Clauses
Restrictive clause: It contains information that is essential to the meaning of the sentence. If this clause were removed, the sentence either would change meaning or become meaningless. Example: A professor who is clear is efficient.
Non-restrictive clause: It contains information that is usually helpful to the overall meaning of the sentence; however, it is not essential. If this clause were removed, the sentence would stand on its own. Example: My Spanish class that meets in this building is very interesting.
A. The Use of que in Clauses
The relative pronouns that separate clauses and mean “that”, “who”, and “which” in English all translate as que in Spanish. Examples: Los estudiantes que trabajan (the students who work); el río, que está contaminado, (the river that is contaminated). The relative pronoun que sets up both restrictive and nonrestrictive clasues.
Note that in English the relative pronoun is sometimes omitted. For example: I have the answers you need=I have the answers that you need. In Spanish, however, the relative pronoun cannot be omitted: you must include que.
Ejercicio 1. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1. I have the book you want. 2. She only watches films that are independent. 3. We believe that this sauce (salsa) is very hot (picante). 4. The medicine that I take very morning tastes like (saber a) past beer. 5. The people who vote have a lot of power (poder).
B. The Use of el cual or el que in Clauses
When the relative pronouns that, which, who, or whom introduce a nonrestrictive clause (information not essential to the overall meaning of the sentence), we can use el cual (la cual, los cuales, las cuales) or el que (la que, los que, las que) instead of the simple que.
El cual and el que are interchangeable. They are used primarily in writing of in formal speech (while que is used more in conversation). Examples: Este sitio en la red, el cual tiene acesso libre, es muy util para escuchar música (This website which have free access is very useful to listen to music. Estos libros, los cuales son de Perú, tienen mucha informacion cultural. (These books, which come from Peru, have lots of cultural information).
Ejercicio 2. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1. His partner, who is very nice, speaks three languages. 2. These paintings (pinturas), which have bright colors, are from Mexico. 3. The neighbor (vecino), who is from India, is very friendly. 4. The White House, which is very poular for tourists, is the home (hogar) of the President of the USA and his family. 5. These medicines, which cost 100 dollars, are for my grandmother’s illness (enfermedad).
C. The Use of a Preposition + quien or que
When the relative pronoun is the object of a preposition, we will use the appropriate preposition + quien, when the referent is a person, or the preposition + que, when the referent is inanimate. A clause formed by the preposition + quien or que is a restrictive clause (its information is essential to the meaning of the sentence).
Examples: Iris es la profesora con quien trabajo (Iris is the professor who I work with/Iris is the professor with whom I work). Este el lugar en que pienso (This is the place I am thinking about/This is the place about which I’m thinking). Toledo is el candidato por quien voy a votar (Toledo is the candidate I’m going to vote for/Toledo is the candidate for whom I am going to vote). Veronica is the person I love (Veronica es la persona a quien amo/Veronica is the woman whom I love)
Ejercicio 3. Translate these sentences into Spanish. (The Spanish syntax is given in parentheses)
1. She is the person I live with. (She is the woman with whom I live). 2. He is the man I am thinking about (pensar en). (He is the man about whom I am thinking). 3. These are the people they work for (These are the people for whom they work). 4. He is the person I see (He is the person whom I see). 5. This is the team I love.
D. The Use of “lo que”
Lo que, which means “that which,”, “what”, or “whatever,” is a neuter relative pronoun that allows us to rfer to a great abstraction, as in “You can have whatever you want”, or to summarize the entirety of something that is said or done, as in “What you are doing is a sin”. Note that when lo que is used to mean “whatever,” it often stands for something that is unknown or unfamiliar and is followed by a verb in the subjunctive: Haz lo que puedas (Do whatever you can).
Examples: Lo que dices es importante (What you are saying is importante). ¿Tiene lo que necesito? (Do you have what I need). Lo que quieres no existe (What you want does not exist).
Ejercicio 4. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1. She never remembers what I want. 2. What you need is a hug! 3. Whatever he says is always a lie. 4. Do you see what I see? 5. They don’t understand what they read.
E. The Use of cuyo, cuya, cuyos, cuyas
The relative pronoun cuyo (which means “whose” separates the owner and that which is owned: “Gladys, whose book was just published, is a spiritual woman”. In this sentence, Gladys is the owner, and the book is the object owned. The word “whose” begins the clause, and the form of cuyo must agree with the noun immediately following it. The relative pronouns cuyo, cuya, cuyos, and cuyas nearly always introduce or set up a non-restrictive clause.
Examples: Gladys, cuyo libro fue recientemente publicado, es una mujer espiritual. Verónica, cuyos obras estan aqui, hijos estan ahi, es una mujer famosa en el arte peruano (Veronica, whose art works are here, is a famous woman in Peruvian art).
Ejercicio 5. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1. They are the children whose father is the senator. 2. The student, whose teacher is from El Salvador, wants to go to Central America this summer. 3. The journalist, whose articles were censored, is the wisest man in town. 4. Loreto whose capital city is Iquitos is located in the Peruvian jungle. 5. The actress, whose role was very inspiring, won the prize.
SPN 102:: Uses of SE
Spanish Language Grammar: SE and the Passive Voice
Function: Indicates that an action is performed by some unspecified subject/agent/actor.
Spanish position: Immediately preceding the conjugated verb in the third person only, singular and pluaral.
English equivalents: it, you, we, they, one, anybody, a person, etc.
We use the passive voice to describe an action that is carried but has no specific, identified agent. For example:
“The doors are closed at 5pm” there is no identified subject or agent. Look at these examples:
Active Voice: Nora closes the store at 9pm. Passive Voice: The store is closed at 9pm.
Active Voice: The President delivered a speech. Passive Voice: A speech was delivered.
There are basically two ways to express the passive voice in Spanish:
(1) by using a form of ser and a participle and (2) by using se and a conjugated form of the verb.
Barack es respetado. Se respeta a Barack. (Barack is respected)
Las ideas fueron destruidas. Se destruyeron las ideas. (Ideas were destroyed)
A. Formation of the passive Voice with SE
To use SE as a substitute for the passive voice in Spanish, place SE before the conjugated verb in the third person. If the noun is singular, conjugate the verb in the third person-singular; if the noun is plural or if there is a series of nouns, conjugate the verb in the third-person plural. Examples: Se habla español en Perú=Spanish is spoken in Peru. Se hablan inglés y francés en Montreal=English and French are spoken in Montreal.
Ejercicio 1. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1. Shoes are sold here. 2. Movies are made in Hollywood. 3. Coffee and sugar are cultivated in El Salvador. 4. Piñatas are made in Mexico. 5. Cameras are not permitted in the theater.
B. Using SE to Avoid the Passive
One way to avoid the passive is to use an impersonal subject. For example in “They dance huayno in Peru,”, we don’t know specifically who they are. The subject refers to many people in general, but no one in particular. In English, another common impersonal subject is you as in “You shouldn’t call after 10pm”. Examples:
No se debe mentir = One shouldn’t lie/You shouldn’t lie. ¿Qué se puede hacer? = What’s a person to do? What can you do? Jamas se explicó el suicidio = They never explained the suicide. No one ever explained the murder.
En este club se baila salsa y merengue = In this club, they/people dance salsa and merengue.
Note: Often when the plural is used to express the same idea, the reflexive SE is dropped.
Se me conoce aquí → Me conocen aquí = They know me here. Aquí se produce el major café → Aquí producen el mejor café. Se dice que no se puede fumar en ninguna parte → Dicen que no se puede fumar en ninguna parte = They say/it is said that you cannot smoke anywhere.
Note: When working with a reflexive verb, the reflection is understood through the use of SE. Using SE for unplanned events, it means that the action can be described in the passive voice as in the second example.
Se debe cepillar los dientes cada dia = One should brush his teeth everyday. Se me perdieron las llaves = The keys were lost (by me)/I lost the keys.
Ejercicio 2. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1.You should pay your taxes (impuestos) every April. 2. You can’t be in two places at the same time (al mismo tiempo). 3. It is said that you should do your homework before coming to class. 4. You can take pictures in this area. 5. In order to dance salsa, you need a little bit of grace (una poca de gracia).
C. The Passive Voice with Inanimate Objects
We often speak of actions that take place in which there is no-or at least-no human element involved in the action, for example: “My heater breaks down on me every winter”, or, “The banks opens at 9am”. In these situations, we use the passive voice. The object can either precede or follow the verb. Examples:
Se abre el banco a las nueve. El banco se abre a las diez (The banks opens at 9am). Se estropea (breaks down) mi calefacción cada invierno. Mi calefacción se estropea cada invierno (My heater breaks down on me every winter).
Ejercicio 3. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1.The mall closes at 9pm. 2. What time does the restaurant open? 3. After the holidays, millions of toys break (romperse). 4. The museums close at 6pm sharp (en punto). 5. The sun sets (ponerse) at 5.30pm.
Function: Indicates that an action is performed by some unspecified subject/agent/actor.
Spanish position: Immediately preceding the conjugated verb in the third person only, singular and pluaral.
English equivalents: it, you, we, they, one, anybody, a person, etc.
We use the passive voice to describe an action that is carried but has no specific, identified agent. For example:
“The doors are closed at 5pm” there is no identified subject or agent. Look at these examples:
Active Voice: Nora closes the store at 9pm. Passive Voice: The store is closed at 9pm.
Active Voice: The President delivered a speech. Passive Voice: A speech was delivered.
There are basically two ways to express the passive voice in Spanish:
(1) by using a form of ser and a participle and (2) by using se and a conjugated form of the verb.
Barack es respetado. Se respeta a Barack. (Barack is respected)
Las ideas fueron destruidas. Se destruyeron las ideas. (Ideas were destroyed)
A. Formation of the passive Voice with SE
To use SE as a substitute for the passive voice in Spanish, place SE before the conjugated verb in the third person. If the noun is singular, conjugate the verb in the third person-singular; if the noun is plural or if there is a series of nouns, conjugate the verb in the third-person plural. Examples: Se habla español en Perú=Spanish is spoken in Peru. Se hablan inglés y francés en Montreal=English and French are spoken in Montreal.
Ejercicio 1. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1. Shoes are sold here. 2. Movies are made in Hollywood. 3. Coffee and sugar are cultivated in El Salvador. 4. Piñatas are made in Mexico. 5. Cameras are not permitted in the theater.
B. Using SE to Avoid the Passive
One way to avoid the passive is to use an impersonal subject. For example in “They dance huayno in Peru,”, we don’t know specifically who they are. The subject refers to many people in general, but no one in particular. In English, another common impersonal subject is you as in “You shouldn’t call after 10pm”. Examples:
No se debe mentir = One shouldn’t lie/You shouldn’t lie. ¿Qué se puede hacer? = What’s a person to do? What can you do? Jamas se explicó el suicidio = They never explained the suicide. No one ever explained the murder.
En este club se baila salsa y merengue = In this club, they/people dance salsa and merengue.
Note: Often when the plural is used to express the same idea, the reflexive SE is dropped.
Se me conoce aquí → Me conocen aquí = They know me here. Aquí se produce el major café → Aquí producen el mejor café. Se dice que no se puede fumar en ninguna parte → Dicen que no se puede fumar en ninguna parte = They say/it is said that you cannot smoke anywhere.
Note: When working with a reflexive verb, the reflection is understood through the use of SE. Using SE for unplanned events, it means that the action can be described in the passive voice as in the second example.
Se debe cepillar los dientes cada dia = One should brush his teeth everyday. Se me perdieron las llaves = The keys were lost (by me)/I lost the keys.
Ejercicio 2. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1.You should pay your taxes (impuestos) every April. 2. You can’t be in two places at the same time (al mismo tiempo). 3. It is said that you should do your homework before coming to class. 4. You can take pictures in this area. 5. In order to dance salsa, you need a little bit of grace (una poca de gracia).
C. The Passive Voice with Inanimate Objects
We often speak of actions that take place in which there is no-or at least-no human element involved in the action, for example: “My heater breaks down on me every winter”, or, “The banks opens at 9am”. In these situations, we use the passive voice. The object can either precede or follow the verb. Examples:
Se abre el banco a las nueve. El banco se abre a las diez (The banks opens at 9am). Se estropea (breaks down) mi calefacción cada invierno. Mi calefacción se estropea cada invierno (My heater breaks down on me every winter).
Ejercicio 3. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1.The mall closes at 9pm. 2. What time does the restaurant open? 3. After the holidays, millions of toys break (romperse). 4. The museums close at 6pm sharp (en punto). 5. The sun sets (ponerse) at 5.30pm.
SPN 101: Verb TENER
Spanish Language Grammar: Tener
The verb tener (to have) is not only vital in Spanish as it is very used, but also because it indicates: (1) it shows possession; (2) it is used to show age; (3) it is used in several idiomatic expressions; and (4) it can show obligation. Note: Tener is an irregular verb. The conjugations are:
Yo tengo, tú tienes, ud, él, ella tiene; nosotros/as tenemos, vosotros/as tenéis, ustedes/ellos/as tienen
(These conjugations are similar to the one with the verb venir (to come): Yo vengo, tú vienes, usted viene; nosotros venimos, vosotros venís, ustedes vienen)
(1) Possesion: The simplest and most common meaning of tener is to show posession.
Ejercicio 1. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1. I have ten dollars. She doesn’t have money. 3. Who has the book? 4. Do you have my keys (llave)? 5. We have a new house.
(2) Age: In English, to be is used to show age. I am thirty-eight years old. In Spanish, however one has years: Tengo treintiocho años. When asking the age of someone (or something) you will literally ask how many years (or months, days, etc.) he, she, it had: ¿Cuántos años tiene usted?/ ¿Cuántos años tiene Greg?/ ¿Cuántos años tiene su mamá?
Ejercicio 2. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1. I am______________ (state how old you are). 2. You are nineteen years old. 3. How old is your house? 4. I am not 15 years old. 5. How old is your car?
(3) Idiomatic expressions. There are several expressions in Spanish that use tener where in English these use to be. For example instead of being cold (an adjective), one has coldness (a noun).
Common expressions
Tener (mucho) calor = to be (very hot); tener (mucho) frío = to be (very) cold; tener (muchas) ganas de = to feel (very much) like; tener (mucha) hambre = to be very hungry; tener (mucho) miedo = to be (very) afraid; tener (mucha) prisa = to be in a (big) hurry; tener (mucha) sed = to be (very) thirsty; tener (mucha) suerte = to be (very) lucky; tener (mucho) sueño = to be (very) sleepy; tener (mucha) razón = to be (very) right; no tener razón = to be wrong.
Ejercicio 3. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1. I am very lucky. 2. Are you sleepy? 3. They are not cold. 4. Do you feel like dancing? 5. She is very hungry.
(4) Obligation. In order to show obligation, we will use the following formula:
tener (conjugated) + que + infinitive
Ex: Tengo que practicar basketball con mi equipo (I have to practice basketball with my team). Tienen que estudiar para el examen (You have to study for the exam). ¿Tiene usted que hablar con el profesor? (Do you have to speak with the professor).
Ejercicio 4. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1.I have to read this article (artículo). 2. You (plural) have to watch this video. 3. We have to decide now. 4. You (sing, formal) have to say ‘gracias’. 5. They don’t have to eat.
The verb tener (to have) is not only vital in Spanish as it is very used, but also because it indicates: (1) it shows possession; (2) it is used to show age; (3) it is used in several idiomatic expressions; and (4) it can show obligation. Note: Tener is an irregular verb. The conjugations are:
Yo tengo, tú tienes, ud, él, ella tiene; nosotros/as tenemos, vosotros/as tenéis, ustedes/ellos/as tienen
(These conjugations are similar to the one with the verb venir (to come): Yo vengo, tú vienes, usted viene; nosotros venimos, vosotros venís, ustedes vienen)
(1) Possesion: The simplest and most common meaning of tener is to show posession.
Ejercicio 1. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1. I have ten dollars. She doesn’t have money. 3. Who has the book? 4. Do you have my keys (llave)? 5. We have a new house.
(2) Age: In English, to be is used to show age. I am thirty-eight years old. In Spanish, however one has years: Tengo treintiocho años. When asking the age of someone (or something) you will literally ask how many years (or months, days, etc.) he, she, it had: ¿Cuántos años tiene usted?/ ¿Cuántos años tiene Greg?/ ¿Cuántos años tiene su mamá?
Ejercicio 2. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1. I am______________ (state how old you are). 2. You are nineteen years old. 3. How old is your house? 4. I am not 15 years old. 5. How old is your car?
(3) Idiomatic expressions. There are several expressions in Spanish that use tener where in English these use to be. For example instead of being cold (an adjective), one has coldness (a noun).
Common expressions
Tener (mucho) calor = to be (very hot); tener (mucho) frío = to be (very) cold; tener (muchas) ganas de = to feel (very much) like; tener (mucha) hambre = to be very hungry; tener (mucho) miedo = to be (very) afraid; tener (mucha) prisa = to be in a (big) hurry; tener (mucha) sed = to be (very) thirsty; tener (mucha) suerte = to be (very) lucky; tener (mucho) sueño = to be (very) sleepy; tener (mucha) razón = to be (very) right; no tener razón = to be wrong.
Ejercicio 3. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1. I am very lucky. 2. Are you sleepy? 3. They are not cold. 4. Do you feel like dancing? 5. She is very hungry.
(4) Obligation. In order to show obligation, we will use the following formula:
tener (conjugated) + que + infinitive
Ex: Tengo que practicar basketball con mi equipo (I have to practice basketball with my team). Tienen que estudiar para el examen (You have to study for the exam). ¿Tiene usted que hablar con el profesor? (Do you have to speak with the professor).
Ejercicio 4. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1.I have to read this article (artículo). 2. You (plural) have to watch this video. 3. We have to decide now. 4. You (sing, formal) have to say ‘gracias’. 5. They don’t have to eat.
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