SPN 101 Week 3 Actividades Spring 2013

SPN 101: Spring 2013 W3 Weekly Activities Week/Semana 3
See syllabus for content. See blog for weekly activities.

Week/Semana 3 Semana 28 Enero/January-01 Febrero

Notes for your COUNTRY report: Please include these six areas in your COUNTRY Power Point Report: Demographics (Capital City, Area, Inhabitants, Official Languages), Politics (Government); US politics), Economy, Education, History, and Society/Culture.
Highlight two important facts of the country (in particular that got your academic/personal interest). Please bring a one-page summary with your PP presentation. The second page needs to have at least three references from which you obtained your information. See syllabus for guidelines for library report.

Before doing the actividades, please listen to Podcast 3.  Click here: Podcast 3

Podcast 3: VERBO “SER” (Script)

SER Indicates a fixed nature of TO BE in Spanish. Irregular verb conjugations in the PRESENT TENSE are as follows: Yo soy (I am), Tú eres (You –informal- are), Usted es (You-formal-are), él es (he is), ella es (she is); Nosotros/Nosotras somos (We –masc. fem.-are), Vosotros/Vosotras sois (You –masc. fem plural in Spain- are), Ustedes son (You –plural in the Americas-are), Ellos/ellas son (they –masc. fem.- are).

USES

1. SER is used to mention specific and non-specific objects, describe identifications, relationships, professions, occupations, nationalities/places of origin.

¿Qué es esto? (What is this) (general question)

Es una manzana. It is an apple. Esta es una manzana. This is an apple.

Yo soy Carlos. I am Carlos.
Ellos son mis padres. They are my parents.
Luis es mecánico. I am a mechanic.
Martha es puertorriqueña. Martha is Puerto Rican.

2. SER is used to describe personality and physical characteristics.
¿Cómo eres tú? (en tu personalidad). What are you like? (in your personality)
Soy alegre, positivo y amable. I am cheerful, positive, and kind.
¿Cómo es su papá? (en su físico) What is your father like? (in his physical appearance)
Nuestro papá es alto, moreno y guapo. Our father is tall, dark, and handsome.

3. SER is used to describe possession, date, time, events (where they take place, or occur)
Este libro es de Natalia. This book is Natalia’s. It is not Rubi’s.
¿Qué día es hoy? Hoy es domingo. What day is today? Today is Sunday.
¿Qué hora es? Son las 2. What time is it? It’s 2.
¿Dónde es la fiesta? La fiesta es en la casa de Delia. Where is the party? The party is at Delia’s house.

FIN. END.  

ACTIVIDAD 1. Read Gramática Section (BOOK) U11: p. 116-118; U13: 135-137

ACTIVIDAD 2. Read these grammar notes and make your own notes.
SER Indicates a fixed nature of TO BE in Spanish. Irregular verb conjugations in the PRESENT TENSE: Yo soy (I am), Tú eres (You –informal- are), Usted (You-formal-are) es, él es (he is), ella es (she is); Nosotros/Nosotras somos (We –masc. fem.-are), Vosotros/Vosotras sois (You –masc. fem plural in Spain- are), Ustedes (You –plural in the Americas-are), ellos/ellas son (they –masc. fem.- are).

USES
A. SER is used to mention specific and non-specific objects, describe identifications, relationships, professions, occupations, nationalities/places of origin.
Esto es un libro. This is a book. Esta es la puerta. This is the door. Estas son unas carpetas. These are some desks. Estos son unos animales. These are some animals.
¿Qué es esto? (What is this ) ¿Qué son estos?. What are these? Es una manzana. It is an apple. Esta es una manzana. This is an apple. Estos son unos lapiceros. These are some pens. Son unos lapiceros. They are some pens.
Yo soy Carlos. I am Carlos.

Alex es mi hijo. Alex is my son.
Nora es mi hija. Nora is my daughter.
Ellos son mis padres. They are my parents.
¿En qué trabaja Luis? Luis es mecánico. What do you work in? I am a mechanic.
Martha es puertorriqueña. Martha is Puerto Rican.
Nosotros somos de Estados Unidos. We are from the US.

B. SER is used to describe personality and physical characteristics.
¿Cómo eres tú? (en tu personalidad). What are you like? (in your personality)
Soy alegre, positivo y amable. I am cheerful, positive, and kind.
Mi mamá es muy comunicativa y honesta. My mom is very communicative and honest.
¿Cómo es tu papá? (en su físico) What is your father like? (in his physical appearance)
Nuestro papá es alto, moreno y guapo. Our father is tall, dark, and handsome.
Sus ojos son negros. His eyes are black.

C. SER is used to describe possession, date, time, events (where they take place, or occur)
Este libro es de Natalia. Este libro es de Natalia.
¿Qué día es hoy? Hoy es domingo. What day is today? Today is Sunday.
¿Qué hora es? Son las 2. What time is it? It’s 2.
¿Dónde es la fiesta? La fiesta es en la casa de Delia. Where is the party? The party is at Delia’s house.
¿Cuándo es la reunión? La reunión es mañana. When is the meeting? The meeting is tomorrow.
¿A qué hora es la clase? La clase es a las 9. What time is the class? The class is at 9.

ACTIVIDAD 3. Provide the conjugation of SER in the sentences.
1. Yo ___________ peruano, de Lima, Perú.
2. Esta (this) ___________________ la cocina.
3. Ellos _______________ mis amigos.
4. ________________ una silla.
5. Nosotras _________________ de Lewisport, Kentucky.
6. ¿De dónde ___________ ustedes?
7. Juana ______________ de Guatemala.
8. Estos (these) __________________ las mesas.
9. Este (this)______________ un león.
10. ¿De dónde ________________ tú?

ACTIVIDAD 4. Write 10 sentences in Spanish (with their English translation) using SER as in the previous actividades.

Before doing the actividades, please listen to Podacast 4. Click here: Podcast 4

Podcast 4: Descriptive adjectives (Script)
Descriptive Adjectives (DAs) are words that describe people, places, and things. In Spanish, these adjectives are used with the verb SER to point out characteristics as nationality, size, color, shape, personality, and appearance.
1. Descriptive adjectives agree with gender and/or number with the nouns or pronouns they describe.
Olga es simpática (Olga is nice). Iván es simpático (Iván is nice). Ellos son simpáticos (They are nice).
2. Adjectives that end in –O have four different forms: (a) the feminine singular is formed by changing the –O to –A. The plural is formed by adding –S to the singular form.
El chico alto (the tall boy); Los chicos altos (the tall boys). La chica alta (the tall girl) Las chicas altas (the tall girls).
3. Adjectives that end in –e or a consonant have the same masculine and feminine forms.
El estudiante inteligente (The intelligent male student); Los estudiantes inteligentes (The intelligent male students)
La estudiante inteligente The intelligent female student); Las estudiantes inteligentes (The intelligent female students)
4. Adjectives that end in –or are variable in both gender and number
El empleado (employee) trabajador (the hardworking male employee); los empleados trabajadores (the hardworking male employees)
La empleada trabajadora (the hardworking female employee); las empleadas trabajadoras (the hardworking female employees)
5. Adjectives that refer to nouns of different genders use the masculine plural form.
Julio es alto (Julio es tall). Selena es alta (Selena is tall). Julio y Selena son altos (Julio y Selena son altos).

Position of adjectives
Descriptive adjectives and adjectives of nationality generally follow the nouns they modify.
El hombre bajo es hondureño. The short man is from Honduras. La mujer salvadoreña es simpática. The Salvadorean woman is likeable.
ADJETIVOS DESCRIPTIVOS COMUNES
Aburrido Boring Difícil Hard; difficult Moreno/a Brunette, negro; Alegre Cheerful Fácil Easy Ocioso Lazy, Alto/a Tall Feliz Happy Pelirrojo Red-haired; Amable Kind Gordo Fat Pequeño Small; Antipático/a Unpleasant Grande Big, large Rubio/a Blond(e); Bajo Short (in height) Guapo/a Handsome Serio Serious, Bonito Pretty Importante Important Simpático Nice, likeable; Bueno/a Good Inteligente Inteligente Tonto Silly, foolish; Delgado/a Thin/Slender Interesante Interesting Trabajador/a Hardworking, Divertido Fun Joven Young Triste Sad
SOME ADJECTIVES OF NATIONALITY
Alemania alemán, Argentina argentino, Bolivia boliviano, Brasil brasileño, Chile chileno, China chino, Canadá canadiense, Colombia colombiano, Costa Rica costarricense, Cuba cubano, Ecuador ecuatoriano, El Salvador salvadoreño, Estados Unidos estadounidense, España español, Francia francés Guatemala guatemalteco, Haití haitiano, Honduras hondureño, Italia italiano, India hindú, Inglaterra inglés, Japón japonés, Nicaragua nicaragüense, Panamá panameño, Paraguay paraguayo, Perú peruano, Puerto Rico puertorriqueño, Republica Dominicana dominicano, Rusia ruso, Venezuela venezolano

FIN. END.

ACTIVIDAD 1. Read these grammar notes and make your own notes.
Descriptive Adjectives (DAs) are words that describe people, places, and things. In Spanish, these adjectives are used with the verb SER to point out characteristics as nationality, size, color, shape, personality, and appearance.
1. In English, the forms of DAs do not change to reflect the gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) of the noun or pronoun they describe.
Olga is nice. Ivan is nice They are nice.
In Spanish, the forms of descriptive adjectives agree with gender and/or number with the nouns or pronouns they describe.
Olga es simpática (Olga is nice). Iván es simpático (Iván is nice). Ellos son simpáticos (They are nice).

2. Adjectives that end in –O have four different forms: (a) the feminine singular is formed by changing the –O to –A. The plural is formed by adding –S to the singular form.
El chico alto (the tall boy); Los chicos altos (the tall boys). La chica alta (the tall girl) Las chicas altas (the tall girls).

3. Adjectives that end in –e or a consonant have the same masculine and feminine forms.
El estudiante inteligente (The intelligent male student); Los estudiantes inteligentes (The intelligent male students)
La estudiante inteligente The intelligent female student); Las estudiantes inteligentes (The intelligent female students)
El director agradable (The easygoing male director); Los directores agradables (The easygoing male directors), La directora agradable (the easygoing female director); Las directoras agradables (the easygoing female directors)

4. Adjectives that end in –or are variable in both gender and number
El empleado (employee) trabajador (the hardworking male employee); los empleados trabajadores (the hardworking male employees)
La empleada trabajadora (the hardworking female employee); las empleadas trabajadoras (the hardworking female employees)

5. Adjectives that refer to nouns of different genders use the masculine plural form.
Julio es alto (Julio es tall). Selena es alta (Selena is tall). Julio y Selena son altos (Julio y Selena son altos).

Position of adjectives
1. Descriptive adjectives and adjectives of nationality generally follow the nouns they modify.
El hombre bajo es hondureño (The short man is from Honduras). La mujer salvadoreña es simpática (The Salvadorean woman is nice, likeable).

2. Unlike descriptive adjectives, adjectives of quantity are placed before the modified noun.
Hay muchos libros en la biblioteca (There are many books in the library). Hay dos turistas peruanas (There are two Peruvian tourists).

3. Bueno/a and malo/a can be placed before and after a noun. When placed before a masculine singular noun, the forms are shortened: bueno → buen; malo → mal.
Víctor es un buen amigo = Víctor es un amigo bueno (Victor is a good friend)
Hoy es un mal día = Hoy es un día malo (Today is a bad day)

4. When grande appears before a singular noun, it is shortened to gran, and the meaning of the word changes: gran = great and grande = big, large.
Doña Gladys es una gran mujer (Mrs. Gladys is a great woman) ≠ Doña Gladys es una mujer grande (Mrs. Gladys is a big woman)

ADJETIVOS DESCRIPTIVOS COMUNES
Aburrido Boring Difícil Hard; difficult Moreno/a Brunette, negro; Alegre Cheerful Fácil Easy Ocioso Lazy, Alto/a Tall Feliz Happy Pelirrojo Red-haired; Amable Kind Gordo Fat Pequeño Small; Antipático/a Unpleasant Grande Big, large Rubio/a Blond(e); Bajo Short (in height) Guapo/a Handsome Serio Serious, Bonito Pretty Importante Important Simpático Nice, likeable; Bueno/a Good Inteligente Inteligente Tonto Silly, foolish; Delgado/a Thin/Slender Interesante Interesting Trabajador/a Hardworking, Divertido Fun Joven Young Triste Sad

SOME ADJECTIVES OF NATIONALITY
Alemania alemán, Argentina argentino, Bolivia boliviano, Brasil brasileño, Chile chileno, China chino, Canadá canadiense, Colombia colombiano, Costa Rica costarricense, Cuba cubano, Ecuador ecuatoriano, El Salvador salvadoreño, Estados Unidos estadounidense, España español, Francia francés Guatemala guatemalteco, Haití haitiano, Honduras hondureño, Italia italiano, India hindú, Inglaterra inglés, Japón japonés, Nicaragua nicaragüense, Panamá panameño, Paraguay paraguayo, Perú peruano, Puerto Rico puertorriqueño, Republica Dominicana dominicano, Rusia ruso, Venezuela venezolano

ACTIVIDAD 2. Complete the blank with the descriptive adjective in parenthesis in Spanish.
1. La clase es ____________________. (interesting)
2. Mi mamá es muy (very) ______________________. (fun)
3. Nora es una persona _____________________. (likeable, nice)
4. Las clases de química son ____________________. (difficult)
5. El profesor Torres y la profesora Escudero son _____________________. (cheerful)
6. Los elefantes son ______________________. (big)
7. Juan es alto y _______________________ (slim/slender)
8. Juana es de Guatemala. Ella es __________________________ (Guatemalan-feminine).
9. ¿Eres (tú) ___________________? (Mexican –male)
10. Nosotros somos ______________________ .(Peruvian)
11. Ellas son _______________________. (Brazilian)
12. Yo soy ________________________ . (Salvadorean-female)

ACTIVIDAD 3. A family member/A friend description
A. Write a small description of a member of your familia or un amigo o una amiga physically and in terms of their personalities. Imagine you are describing a picture to your partner.
Vocabulario: amigo (male friend), amiga (female friend), hermana (sister), hermano (brother), padre (father), madre (mother), papá (padre-informal); mamá (madre-informal)
Modelo:
Mi hermana se llama Nora. Nora es rubia. Ella es muy inteligente. Mi otra hermana es Lilian. Ella es morena. Ella es muy divertida. Los amigos de Nora son mexicanos y norteamericanos.
 (My sister calls herself Nora. She is blonde. She is very intelligent. My other sister is Lilian. She is brunette. She is very fun. Nora’s friends are Mexicans and North Americans).

B. Be ready to read this to your partner y a la clase.

ACTIVIDAD 4. Write SIX/SEIS sentences in Spanish (with their English translation) using seis different descriptive adjectives. Write FOUR sentences in Spanish (with their English translation) using six/seis different nationalities as in the previous actividades.