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Asking and Answering Questions in Spanish, Part 2-c: Other Common Question Types

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 08:53:14 +0100

n this third (of three) videos that make up part 2 of my 13-part series on asking and answering questions in Spanish, I look a few very high frequency question types, including questions about likes and dislikes, descriptions, possession, plans and obligations, etc. Great preparation for oral proficiency exams

Spanish Names - A Few Tips to Understand What They Are All About

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:00:34 +0100

Have you ever been to Spain and had the surrealist experience of dealing with paperwork?

Have you had the problem of having to write one first name (when you may have two) and two surnames (when you may have only one)?

This is especially interesting for translators when they need to translate personal information forms from English to Spanish or from Spanish to English, because the English form will contain the words "First names" (in the plural) and "Surname" (in the singular) whereas the Spanish form will contain "Nombre" (in the singular) and "Apellidos" (in the plural).

Right, here is why.

Spanish people have a first name and two surnames. Their first surname is their father's first surname and the second is their mother's first surname. The father's surname is considered to be the most important except when this is very usual and then the mother's is preferred (e.g. Federico García Lorca is better known as Lorca).

Under the current Spanish legislation it is possible to use the mother's surname as the first one followed by the father's surname, although this is not the tradition.

Spanish first names might be compound or not. Female names are traditionally compounds including the name "María" (María José, María Luisa, María del Carmen, María Dolores, etc). Male names can also be compound like Jose María, (not to be confused with María José which is a female name), José Antonio, Juan Carlos, etc.

And talking about female and male names it is important to notice that Spanish women do not lose their surnames when they get married as happens with British women who adopt their husbands' surnames. So, a woman called, for example, Carmen Martínez López, will retain those two surnames all her life, regardless of how many times she marries. So there you go... Esposa does not change name but does become your hand cuff! (The word "esposa" has two meanings in Spanish: wife and hand cuff)

It is very common to use abbreviations in Spanish names. The following are just some examples: Ascensión (Chon, Choni), José (Pepe, which comes from "Padre Putativo" (P.P.) something like supply father, since it refers to Saint Joseph), Francisco (Paco), Concepción (Conchi, Concha), Inmaculada (Inma), Manuel (Manolo, Nolo, Lolo), Isabel (Isa), Asunción (Asun), Antonio (Toni), Pilar (Pili) or Dolores (Lola).

In more modern times some Spanish parents have taken the (intelligent?) decision of giving their offspring foreign names but with a Spanish spelling! Like, for example: Elizabet, Jonatan, Yesica, Jenifer; or even names of famous people, including surnames!: Kevin Cosner, Elvis Presley or Jotaerre (JR from the popular TV series "Dallas").

Another common phenomenon is that many Spanish surnames use the ending -EZ which is added to first names. That way, from one common root, we find both first names and surnames. For example: Jiménez from Jimeno, Martínez from Martín, López from Lope (as in Lope de Vega), González from Gonzalo, Sánchez from Sancho (as in Sancho Panza), Ramirez from Ramiro, etc.

This might be a similarity with the particle Mac in Scottish names and O' in Irish ones.

Finally, let's not forget an interesting (but also sad) Spanish surname which is "Expósito". The origin of this name goes back to many years ago when in times of poverty, some parents abandoned their children in the street because they could not look after them. "Expósito" means "exposed" in the street for those who wanted to claim them.

María José García is managing director of http://www.spanishtranslationservice.net/ and is passionate about all matters relating to Spain including the Spanish language and culture and of course the process of translating from Spanish to English or from English to Spanish.

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Spanish Past Tense - The Difference Between Imperfect and Preterite

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 08:03:16 +0100

In Spanish, the two simple past tenses that are predominantly used, are called the Imperfect and the Preterite and it is perfectly understandable for students, who are learning about past tenses for the first time, to be unsure as to which of these two tenses to use and when.

It goes without saying that both tenses are used to describe past actions or states but each is used differently and the following rules will hopefully clear up any confusion.

When to Use the Preterite

The preterite tense is used to express an action that was completed at some time in the past, listed here are some specific uses and examples:

When referring to a series of actions in the past:
Me desayuné, limpié la casa y me fui a la estación - I had breakfast, cleaned the house, and went to the station.

When referring to the beginning or the end of a past event:
La fiesta empezó a las diez - The party began at 10:00

When referring to things that are seen as being complete:
Dejó el trabajo hace un año - You left the job a year ago

When to Use the Imperfect

The imperfect tense expresses an action or state that was ongoing during the past and if it is uncertain whether it has been completed. Specific uses and examples are listed below:

To explain an action that a person did in the past habitually:
Cuando estábamos en el colegio, jugábamos al fútbol todos los jueves. - When we were at school, we used to play football every Thursday

To refer to an action without making reference to an end or a beginning:
Mi mujer tenía dolores de cabeza frecuentes - My wife had frequent headaches

When referring to actions that were taking place simultaneously in the past:
Mi hijo miraba televisión y mi hija cantaba - My son was watching television and my daughter was singing

When describing physical, emotional or mental states or conditions:

Estaba tan feliz que quería llorar - I was so happy that I wanted to cry

When referring to a past time:
Eran las ocho y media de la tarde - It was 8:30 p.m.
Era la una de la mañana - It was 1:00 a.m.

When describing an action or state that happened at some point in the past and that lasted for a certain amount of time and that happened prior to another past action.
Hacía todo el día que esperando cuando mi mujer llegó - I had been waiting all day when my when arrived

Hopefully, these guidelines regarding the use of these Spanish past tenses will provide the clarity you need to move forward and to use them more confidently.

For more information about this and many other subjects related to Spanish grammar and verb conjugation click Spanish Past Tense. If you would rather read about a Spanish verb conjugator that will help you to master Spanish verb conjugation quicker and better than any other method check out my Verbarrator Review.

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How To Speak Spanish - 10 Brilliant, Essential Phrases

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 06:24:17 +0100

Among the many qualities greatly valued in individuals all over the Spanish speaking world is to be educado. This doesn't allude to someone who has a high-quality level of education rather somebody who is courteous and respectful, one who treats folks civilly and with due respect. Educado is paramount to many Spanish and Hispanic persons, and in this article, you'll discover how to speak spanish with a touch of class with ten awesome Spanish idioms you can sprinkle into your spoken Spanish to help you make a endearing impact when chatting in Spanish with the locals.

The very first educado phrase concerns the word gusto - pleasure. On those occassions when you meet someone for the first time, I'm sure you already know the saying "mucho gusto" - good to meet you - but you can additionally use gusto when you meet friends and acquaintances, with this especially streetwise Spanish saying:

¡Qué gusto verte! - Nice to see you

Por ejemplo:

¡Hola Peter, ¿cómo estamos hoy? - Hello Peter, how are we today?

¡Qué gusto verte Sylvia! Todo va bien gracias. - Good to see you Sylvia. Everything is well thanks.

One thing I've noticed here in the cultivated city of Barcelona is that colleagues typically say "¿cómo estamos hoy?" or "¿Qué tal?" and rarely the more informal "¿cómo estás?", especially so between the sexes.

Speaking of ¿cómo estás?, frequently when we meet someone, in addition to asking them how they are we will in addition inquire how their family are faring too. Generally people studying spanish will say a phrase along the lines of:

¿Cómo está su/tu familia? or ¿cómo está su/tu hermano/a? - How's the family or how is your brother/sister?

Such phrases are suitable certainly but here's another canny Spanish phrase that is a more desirable substitute, it's just dripping with educado:

¿Qué sabes de...? For example:

¿Qué sabe usted de su familia? - How's your family?

¿Qué sabes de tu hermano/a? - How is your brother/sister?

Moreover we are able to develop on this to produce a favorable impression. Once the speaker has finished speaking, in English we say sayings like: Pass on to them my best or send them my best wishes. Wish to say this in Spanish? It's so easy check this:

Dale/s saludos de mi parte - Give him/her/them my best wishes

It really is such a smart saying to sprinkle to your Spanish toolkit.

Bueno, it may be that your friend or acquaintance has some great news to reveal to you Here's how you can reply to good news with the crucial characteristic of educado:

He conseguido un trabajo nuevo - I've secured a new job

¡Felicitaciones! ¡Cuánto me alegro! - Congratulations! I am really glad!

Another educado Spanish expression I really like is about responding to invitations, principally when you are not able to accept the invite because you have preceding arrangements. It's crucial not to cause offense, and although one is able say:

No puedo asistir, tengo otros compromisos - I can't attend, I have prior engagements

I much prefer this cool Spanish saying which will be received well by Spanish and Hispanic people throughout the Spanish-speaking world:

Lo siento, no puedo, he quedado - Regrettably I'm not able I'm occupied.

This is also another functional idiom if you would like to preserve your privacy, and I have no doubt this will earn you an awful lot of esteem when you're speaking Spanish.

However if you would like to accept, how about this little diamond to not just accept but moreover to show your enthusiasm:

¡Sí, sería genial! - Yes, that would be cool!

I think that is a better alternative than ¡qué bien! or ¡qué bueno!, yes?

To finish, here's one more classy Spanish expression that's bound to come in really handy. You know the way occasionally you're ambling along lost in your own thoughts and you by mistake bump into somebody? You could potentially say disculpe or perdona, both all right but much better is this:

Disculpe, sin querer - Pardon me, it was unintended

Introduce these Spanish phrases into your regular Spanish and you'll demonstrate you possess the infulential value of educado and you'll create a favorable impression when chatting in Spanish with Spanish and Hispanic people undoubtedly!

Numbers in spanish

Sun, 04 Sep 2011 08:50:43 +0100

Numbers in spanish allow you to talk about date, prices and what time it is. You can do much more bestides with spanish numbers

Basic Spanish Greetings

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 20:16:43 +0100

Basic Spanish Greetings

Subject Pronouns in Spanish

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 20:04:33 +0100

Spanish subject pronouns, are some of the first spanish words you will need to learn. Spanish subject pronouns, are words like he, she, they etc.

History of the Spanish Language

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 22:23:56 +0100

The Spanish language is the product of more than a thousand years of development, over which period the diverse languages of the inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula were modified by the influence of Roman and Arab invasions. At the close of the fifteenth century, with the union of the monarchies of Castilla and Aragon, which extended their dominion over the largest part of the peninsula, the language of Castilla - el castellano - became imposed over the other idioms and dialects and crossed the Atlantic on the ships of discoverers, conquistadors and missionaries.

The language was brought to the Americas, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marianas, Palau and the Philippines, by the Spanish colonization since the 16th century.

The Vulgar Latin spoken by Roman armies and settlers in ancient Spain formed the basis of the many Spanish dialects that developed in the various regions of the country during the Middle Ages. The dialect of Castile, or Castilian Spanish, gradually became the accepted standard as Castile gained political dominance in the 13th century.

While the majority of Spanish words derive from Latin, many are taken from other sources; for example, pre-Latin languages such as Greek, Basque, and Celtic. The invasion of the Visigoths early in the 5th century AD introduced a few Germanic words. The Muslim conquest three centuries later brought in a large number of Arabic words, many of which are easily detected by the prefixed Arabic article al. Under the influence, beginning in the 11th century, of French ecclesiastics and pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela in north-western Spain, the Spanish vocabulary was appreciably augmented by words and phrases from French. During the 15th and 16th centuries an infusion of elements from the Italian occurred because of Aragonese domination in Italy and the great vogue of Italian poetry in Spain. Relations between Spain and its colonies and possessions have led to the introduction of terms from Native American languages and other sources, and scholarly activities have constantly increased the stock of borrowed words.

In the Americas its usage was continued by the descendants of the Spaniards, whether by the large population of Spanish Creoles or by what had then become the mixed Spanish-Amerindian (Mestizo) majority. After the wars of independence fought by these colonies in the 19th century, the new ruling elites extended their Spanish to the whole population to strengthen national unity.

In the Philippines, this process did not occur for several reasons. It was isolated as the only Spanish colony in Asia, far removed from all of Spain's colonies in the Americas. Rather than being a direct colony of Spain, the Philippines was in fact a colony of another Spanish colony, New Spain, and was administered from Mexico City. In comparison to its counterparts in Spanish America, the Philippine population was, and still is, almost exclusively native, while Spaniards (of which a great many were actually Mexican Creoles) accounted for even fewer than the mestizos. Following the Spanish-American War the small number of Spaniards present in the country eventually returned to New Spain (Mexico) and Spain. Ultimately, at the culmination of the Philippine-American War many of the already minuscule mestizo population was decimated as casualties of war. English was then declared an official language. Spanish finally ceased to be an official language of the Philippines in 1973.

In 1713, the Real Academia Española was founded. It established authoritative criteria for the sanctioning of neologisms and the incorporation of international words. Spanish grammar was formalized during this period and there was a great flourish in Hispanic literature, helped by the expressive freedom allowed both writers and speakers by Spanish's relatively free word order, creating a variety of diverse literary styles.

The twentieth century has seen further alterations in how Spanish is used by its speakers. The eruption of neologisms, fuelled by technological and scientific advances, remains unabated. They range from the classic: termómetro, átomo and psicoanálisis to the most modern and barely hispanicized: filmar, radar, casete, PC and módem.
Article source http://www.spanish-language-school.info/spanish/history.asp

Why Is Mastering Spanish Verb Conjugation So Important?

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 22:32:27 +0100

Learning Spanish is an enjoyable experience however it can take a good deal of time to achieve a good working knowledge of the language. One area of learning Spanish that often causes more problems than most and is, in part, responsible for many individuals taking the decision to quit learning the language is Spanish verb conjugation.

Verbs are a vital part of every language and being able to use them correctly makes the difference between being understood and confusing whoever you are speaking to. Spanish verbs are conjugated in such a way that they can express who is performing an action and when they are performing it in a single conjugated verb.

There are three reasons why Spanish verb conjugation is so difficult and they are:

1. There are three different groups of verbs, those that end in -ar, -er and -ir. Although, -er and -ir verbs share a lot of similarities in how they are conjugated, -ar verbs are completely different.

2. There are many different tenses, at least twelve that you will use regularly, all having their own specific formation and all of which you will need to learn.

3. Finally, just when you think it cannot get any more difficult there are irregular verbs. In Spanish, there are a large number of Spanish verbs, some books and courses state that you will only need to learn about twenty or so, but believe me when I tell you that you will need to learn many more than that during your studies.

Irregular verbs, or rather, the learning of the conjugation of irregular verbs, is the most difficult part of learning Spanish. Not only are there many highly irregular verbs that have totally unique patterns of conjugation but many of them are also used in regularly used idioms and expressions that to an English speaker make absolutely no sense at all!

So...having explained why learning Spanish verb conjugation is so difficult and why having a good working knowledge of them is so important, you may be wondering if there is an easy way to learn them?

There is only one way to learn the conjugation patterns of Spanish verbs and that is to memorize each of them which will require a lot of hard work. Ever since languages first started being studied the only way to perform this mammoth task was to continually recite each verb conjugation until they were etched into the memory, which was a long and laborious task.

As it was impossible to make this task any smaller or make the conjugations any less complicated to learn the only way to learn them more efficiently was to look at new ways of memorizing them and this is where verb training software has made a huge difference.

There are now software programs that will speed up the process of learning Spanish verb conjugation and that make the task of doing so far less arduous and much more enjoyable and if your goal is to learn Spanish as quickly and with as few hiccups as possible then verb training software is an absolute necessity.

For a detailed report on the most popular verb training software currently available check out this Verbarrator review. You can also click on Spanish verb conjugation for extra help with the conjugation of Spanish verbs.

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Spanish Rioja Wines - Say 'Ola!' To The Best Wines of Spain!

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 18:22:48 +0100

In today's very competitive wine industry, the wines from the various Spanish wine regions are not only good value, but they are also of exceptional quality. Whether you prefer the crispness and refreshing acidity and minerals that make up the character of the white and rosé wines or the fruitiness and intense taste of the red wines, there are many fantastic wines from Spain that will cater to all tastes. However, there are many different wine-producing regions of Spain. The most famous region is the Rioja region, which gained fame many years before many of the more modern day regions. If you look in any good wine shop, you'll probably find a few very good Rioja wines that will compliment many Spanish dishes.

The Rioja wine region is in the north-eastern part of Spain. It is divided into three main sub-zones, which are: Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja and Rioja Alavesa.

So what makes Rioja wines so popular among the Spanish red wine enthusiasts? Some might point to the large and successful international marketing campaigns, while others might say it is the nice fruity aromas. No matter what the reason, the overall quality of the wine is the main factor that sets them apart from red wines produced in other regions in other countries.

The Rioja region is far more renown for the red wines that are produced there than all the other types of produced. Approximately 75% of the wine produced in the region is a red variety, with the rest being whites and rosés. The main trend today is producing a single vineyard Rioja wine from the main grape in Spain, which is the Tempranillo grape variety.

When translated into English, 'Tempranillo' means 'the little early one', which is due to the fact that this variety tends to ripen fairly early. Because of this early ripening, particularly in the warmer regions, the grapes tend to have a higher sugar content. This leads to a higher alcohol content during the fermentation phase. However, this alone does not make for a great wine! A great wine only begins in the vineyard. It is the superior wine knowledge of the winemaker and the right cellar manipulation that transforms it. Only when these are applied does the true character of the Rioja wine become apparent, but getting the grape is the first step. There are, however, other varieties of grapes used in the region, such as the Mazuelo, Graciano and the Garnacha (called the Grenache in France)

The dominant taste of Rioja wines tends to resemble a strawberry flavour, with a quality similar to that of a jam, with a hint of vanilla as well. Although it may seem to be a sweet wine due to the high alcohol mixing with the fruity palates, is id not considered to be a sweet wine. Depending on the amount of time the wine spends in oak barrels, the varieties of Rioja can be either Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva. The Crianza is the cheapest variety (ie US $5 - $10) and is generally considered to be a table variety. It is aged for a year in the barrel and then for two more years in the bottle. The Reserva is the mid-quality variety, although it is aged for a similar length of time as the Crianza variety. This variety tends to be in the US $ 10- $15 range. The Grande Reserva is the highest quality of the Rioja wines. It is aged for two years in the barrel and then for another three years in the bottle. The price tends to be a minimum of $20 a bottle, but is not always offered each year. Therefore, if you can find some of this, it is always best to keep a few bottles on hand for that special occasion!

As with most wines that are aged, the character will change. With the Rioja wines that are aged, the flavour and aromas would start to take on a more meaty and savoury character that will combine with the original fruity flavours to produce an outstanding wine.

Today, Spanish wines are enjoyed throughout the world. They are of exceptional quality and have generated a large fan base among red wine drinkers. For these red wines, the wines produced in the Rioja wine region are extremely popular and will make a fine and worthy addition to any wine collection.

Need more information about Spanish wines? Why not visit the increasingly popular website, TheWineSpot.org for all the information you'll need, not only for Spanish wines, but also for wines and wine accessories from all over the world!

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