Basic Course IIISpanish words

*What time is it?* If you want to know what time it is, say "¿Qué hora es?" Remember, you always have to use the verb *SER*. Secondly, remember that only when talking about one o’clock, you’ll need to use the third person singular form of ser (es). For all the other eleven hours, you can safely go with the plural form (son). If it’s half past the hour in Spanish, use the phrase "y media"; If it’s a quarter past the hour, use the phrase "y cuarto"; If it’s a quarter until the hour, use the phrase "menos cuarto". However, if you want to be a bit more specific, you can use the simplest formula: *es/son + las + hour + number of minutes*. For example, if you want to say that it’s *2:16*, you’ll say "son las dos y dieciséis". Difference between "de la mañana/tarde/noche" x "por la mañana/tarde/noche" "DE" - you know the exact time "Voy a Zumba todos los días a las seis de la tarde." (I go to Zumba every day at six in the afternoon.) "POR" - you don't know the exact time "Prefieres ducharte por la mañana antes de ir a trabajar." (You prefer taking a shower in the morning before going to work.)

*Irregular comparatives* Adjective: "bueno" (good) Comparative: "mejor" (better) Superlative: "el/la mejor" (best) Adjective: "malo" (bad) Comparative: "peor" (worse) Superlative: "el/la peor" (the worst) Adjective: "grande" (big) Comparative: "mayor" (older; greater) Superlative: "el/la mayor" (the oldest; the greatest) Adjective: "pequeño" (small) Comparative: "menor" (younger; less) Superlative: "el/la menor" (youngest; least) Note that when referring to size, "grande" and "pequeño" follow the normal rules for comparative and superlative forms. "Esta casa es grande." (This house is big.) "Esa casa es más grande." (That house is bigger.) The words "joven" and "viejo" are used for non-comparative descriptions of age.

*Parts of the house* We've already learned how to name different type of buildings or how to say dining room "el comedor". So now let's take a look at the parts of the house. House is translated as "la casa". If it´s a flat: "el piso" or "el apartamento". "El piso" means also a floor. (e.g. "tercer piso" = third floor)

*¿Muy o mucho?* Muy is an adverb and means *very* in English. An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, another adverb, an adjective, or a phrase or sentence. But *NOT* a noun. For example: *"Ella es una chica muy amigable."* She is a very friendly girl. However, we never use the word muy by itself. *"Tienes hambre?"* Are you hungry? *"Sí, mucho."* (You can’t say Sí, muy). Mucho means *a lot/a lot of/ much/many* in English. Can be used as an adjective or as an adverb. It has 4 forms: *mucho, mucha, muchos, muchas* When mucho is used as an adjective, it must agree both in gender (masc/fem) and number (singular/plural) with the noun. *"Hay mucha comida en la nevera"*. There is a lot of food in the fridge. When mucho is used as an adverb, it doesn't change. *"Necesito estudiar mucho."* I need to study a lot.

*Conjunctions* "Las conjunciones" are words or groups of words that serve to join sentences and give them an appropriate meaning. Be careful at these changes. "y" changes to "e" when the word after starts with I/Y. - "Ana es una chica guapa e inteligente." (NOT y inteligente). "o" changes to "u" wheb the word after starts with O - "No sé si quiero ver a Ana u Olga." (NOT o Olga).

*Verbs SER or ESTAR + adjective* A tricky situation could happen when you realize that different types of adjectives have different meanings depending if you use them with "ser" or "estar". e.g.: "Raquel es una interesada." (Raquel is a self-interested person.) "Raquel está interesada en comprar esa casa." (Raquel is interested in buying that house.)

*Future tense* To form the future tense in Spanish "futuro simple", take the infinitive form of the verb and add these endings to it: -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis and -án. e.g.: "Comer" "yo comeré" "tú comerás" "él/ella/usted comerá" "nosotros comeremos" "vosotros comeréis" "ellos/ellas/ustedes comerán" 1. The simple future is often used to talk about things that may be or are probably true. "Serán las cinco de la tarde." It must be five o'clock in the afternoon. 2. The simple future is often used to make predictions about the future. "Ella tendrá tres hijos." She will have three children. The simple future can also be used in conditional sentences with si (if) to talk about what someone will do. In sentences like this, the verb immediately after si is in the present tense, while the verb in the other part of the sentence is in the simple future. "Si hoy no llueve, saldré con mis amigos." (If it doesn't rain today, I will hang out with my friends.) When you see one of these words, you have to use the future, these words we call "los marcadores temporales". Each tense has its marcadores. e.g.: "mañana" "mañana por la mañana/ por la mañana/por la tarde/ por la noche" "la semana que viene" "el mes/año que viene" "dentro de un/dos meses"

*Important objects in the house I.* All these objects we can call furniture, in Spanish is "los muebles". Types of materials: "de madera" = of wood "de plástico" = of plastic "de cristal" = of glass

*Futuro simple - Irregular verbs* Now we will take a look at some irregular verbs in simple future: "Tener" = tendr... "tendré" "Venir" = vendr... "vendré" "Decir" = dir... "diré" "Saber" = sabr... "sabré" "Haber" = habr... "habré" "Hacer" = har... "haré" "Valer" = valdr... "valdré" "Poder" = pondr... "pondré"

*Verbs that change meaning with pronouns* In Spanish, some verbs are pronominal, that is, they always have a pronoun in all their verb forms. Normally this pronoun indicates the person or persons on whom the action falls, but in several of these verbs this pronoun causes a change of meaning. e.g.: "acordar" x "acordarse" "aprovechar" x "aprovecharse"

*Verb SOLER* The verb "soler" is used a lot in Spanish to talk about actions that happen habitually or frequently, both in the present and in the past. It means the same as tener la costumbre de hacer algo or acostumbrar a hacer algo, but it is used much more than these two verbs.

"Pretérito perfecto compuesto" We use this verb tense when 1. when we talk about a period of time that has not yet ended at the time of speaking 2. when the result of the action is still felt: 3. when the action is related in some way to the present or the future: This past tense is called *compound* because it consists of two parts. the auxiliary verb "haber" + the *past participle.* The result is a verb form like this "He hablado con el profesor." = I have spoken to the teacher. This tense is similar to the English past perfect tense. First, let's look at the verb forms "haber". I "he" you "has" he "ha" we "hemos" you "habéis" they "han" How is the past participle formed? (Participle) verbs ending in -ar ⇒ -ado: hablar ⇒ hablando verbs ending in -er/-ir ⇒ ido: vivir ⇒ viviendo "Marcadores temporales": "hoy", "esta mañana", "este mes", "este año", "alguna vez", , "nunca", "todavía", "aún", "últimamente", "por ahora".

*Irregular verbs in the past participle* There are some irregular past participles in Spanish. Here is a list of the most important exceptions: Decir = to say = "dicho" Escribir = to write ="escrito" Hacer = to do = "hecho" Poner = to put ="puesto" Morir = to die ="muerto" Romper = to break ="roto" Ver= to see ="visto" Abrir = to open = "abierto" Volver = to return = "vuelto" Freír = to fry = "frito"

*Human body I.* In the previous course we briefly covered how to say when something hurts, we always use the verb "doler". (e.g. "Me duelen las manos.") Vocabulary to know: "el cuerpo humano" (the human body) "los órganos" (the organs) - "el corazón" (the heart) - "los pulmones" (the lungs) - "el cerebro" (the brain) - "el estómago" (the stomach)

*Saber vs Conocer* In Spanish, there are two verbs that express the idea to know. These two verbs are "saber" and "conocer". The verb you choose depends upon the context in which it is used. These verbs are not interchangeable. To express knowledge or ignorance of a fact or information about something, use "saber". To say that one is or is not acquainted with a person, a place, or an object, use "conocer". *Pedir vs Preguntar* The same sort of situation exists with respect to the two Spanish verbs "pedir" and "preguntar". They both mean to ask but they are not interchangeable. We use "pedir" to ask for, or request an object, service or favor. And "preguntar" to ask a question, or request information

*At school* Be careful at those verbs: "Estudiar" - to study "Estudio cada día." "Aprender" - to learn "Aprendes muy rápido." "Enseñar" or "Dar clases" - to teach "Enseña la literatura." or "Da clases de literatura."

*Activities* "¿Qué haces en tu tiempo libre?" (What do you do in your free time?) If you want to express the word activities you can say "las actividades".

*Clothing II.* We can divide clothing into different categories: "ropa invernal" or "ropa de invierno" (winter clothes) "ropa de verano" (summer clothes) "ropa interior" (underwear) Be careful! "el traje" means suit, but can also mean a uniform (e.g. military uniform)