Learning Spanish: How to Understand and Speak a New Language PDF

Topic Subtopic Literature & Language Language Learning Learning Spanish How to Understand and Speak a New Language Course Workbook Professor Bill Worden The University of Alabama  PUBLISHED BY: THE GREAT COURSES...

Topic Subtopic Literature & Language Language Learning Learning Spanish How to Understand and Speak a New Language Course Workbook Professor Bill Worden The University of Alabama  PUBLISHED BY: THE GREAT COURSES Corporate Headquarters 4840 Westfields Boulevard, Suite 500 Chantilly, Virginia 20151-2299 Phone: 1-800-832-2412 Fax: 703-378-3819 www.thegreatcourses.com Copyright © The Teaching Company, 2015 Printed in the United States of America This book is in copyright. All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of The Teaching Company.  Bill Worden, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Spanish Director of Spanish Programs The University of Alabama D r. Bill Worden is an Associate Professor of Spanish and the Director of Spanish Programs in the Department of Modern Languages and Classics at The University of Alabama. Dr. Worden received his A.B. in Mathematics from Dartmouth College in 1985 and subsequently taught high school Spanish for five years in Illinois and Massachusetts. After studying in both Vermont and Madrid, he received his M.A. in Spanish from Middlebury College in 1996. As a doctoral student at Brown University, Dr. Worden was awarded the David and Ruth Kossoff Prize for Leadership in Language Teaching by the Department of Hispanic Studies and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching by the Graduate School. He also was chosen by fellow graduate students to give the address at the Graduate School commencement ceremony. In 2002, Dr. Worden received his Ph.D. in Hispanic Studies from Brown. Since 2002, Dr. Worden has taught a wide variety of courses at The University of Alabama, ranging from Introductory Spanish and Advanced Grammar and Composition to undergraduate and graduate courses in 16th- and 17th-century Spanish literature. He has directed doctoral dissertations on colonial Latin American literature, early modern Spanish literature, and 20th-century Latin American literature. Dr. Worden’s main area of research is the work of Miguel de Cervantes, especially his novel Don Quixote. Dr. Worden has published in the fields of early modern Spanish literature, colonial Cuban theater, and 19th-century Spanish literature. He also has published on pedagogical topics, including how to teach Spanish at the middle school and high school levels and how to help undergraduate students make connections to Don Quixote. In addition, Dr. Worden is an award-winning speaker who has lectured on such subjects as the prose of Cervantes, early modern Spanish poetry, and approaches for helping beginning language students become comfortable speaking Spanish. For a number of years, Dr. Worden served The University of Alabama’s Department of Modern Languages and Classics as the Director of the Spanish Language Program and was responsible for supervising all graduate teaching assistants and instructors of introductory- and intermediate-level Spanish courses. In 2013, the Alabama Association of Foreign Language Teachers selected Dr. Worden as the winner of the annual Outstanding Foreign Language Teacher Award for Postsecondary. Dr. Laura Rojas-Arce, author of the workbook and coauthor of the speaking activities, grew up in Costa Rica, where she studied psychology as an undergraduate student at the Universidad Hispanoamericana in Heredia. She completed her doctoral studies with a focus on contemporary Central American literature and received her Ph.D. from The University of Alabama in 2013. Dr. Rojas-Arce is an Instructor of Spanish at The University of Alabama, where she teaches courses ranging from Introductory Spanish and Advanced Grammar and Composition to courses on Latin American literature. i  Table of Contents Professor Biography  i Scope 1 Workbook Introduction 2 Workbook Families 3 Lesson Guides LESSON 1 Introduction to the Spanish Language 4 LESSON 2 Definite Articles and Nouns 10 LESSON 3 Subject Pronouns and the Verb Ser 15 LESSON 4 Regular -ar Verbs in the Present 21 LESSON 5 Indefinite Articles and Numbers to 100 27 LESSON 6 The Verb Estar and Numbers over 100 33 LESSON 7 Regular -er and -ir Verbs in the Present 39 LESSON 8 The Verb Ir in the Present 46 LESSON 9 Expressing Time in Spanish 52 LESSON 10 Expressions Using the Verb Tener 59 LESSON 11 Verbs like Hacer and Interrogative Words 66 LESSON 12 The Verbs Saber and Conocer 72 LESSON 13 Stem-Changing Verbs 78 ii  Table of Contents LESSON 14 Ver, Dar, and Other Irregular Verbs 83 LESSON 15 The Present Progressive 89 LESSON 16 Direct Object Pronouns and Adverbs 95 LESSON 17 Affirmatives, Negatives, and Demonstratives 101 LESSON 18 More Affirmative and Negative Expressions  106 LESSON 19 Indirect Object Pronouns 111 LESSON 20 Double Object Pronouns 116 LESSON 21 Reflexive Verbs 122 LESSON 22 Talking about the Past: Acabar and Hace 128 LESSON 23 Talking about the Past: ¿Desde Cuándo…? 133 LESSON 24 Formal Commands and Unequal Comparisons 138 LESSON 25 Informal Commands 142 LESSON 26 Superlatives and Equal Comparisons 149 LESSON 27 Regular -ar Verbs in the Preterite 153 LESSON 28 Regular -er and -ir Verbs in the Preterite 157 LESSON 29 Irregular Verbs in the Preterite 162 LESSON 30 Next Steps in Improving Your Spanish 166 iii  Learning Spanish: How to Understand and Speak a New Language Supplemental Material Grammar Reference 172 Los glosarios / The Glossaries  178 Glosario por tema / Glossary by Topic 180 Glosario de cognados / Glossary of Cognates 196 Glosario español-inglés / Spanish-English Glossary 202 Glosario inglés-español / English-Spanish Glossary 219 Resources for Further Study 236 Photographic Credits 238 iv  Scope T his course introduces learners to the Spanish language and the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world. Because the course is designed for learners with no previous experience with the language, the lessons begin with the building blocks of Spanish: the alphabet, the proper pronunciation of consonant and vowel sounds, and greetings and responses to greetings. As you move forward in the course, you will be introduced to a variety of fundamental grammar topics, ever-increasing vocabulary lists, and cultural information that will teach you about the countries in the world where Spanish is spoken and help you understand how to use the grammar and vocabulary you will learn about in their proper cultural context. The purpose of this course is not simply to teach you about Spanish, but rather to develop your language skills so that you can communicate successfully in the language. For that reason, the course includes a variety of components designed to allow you to practice and improve your abilities in reading, writing, speaking, and understanding spoken Spanish. This course exposes learners to a variety of cultural aspects in the Spanish-speaking world, both in the video lessons and in the Cultural Readings that are found in the workbook. In terms of the grammar and vocabulary presented in the 30 lessons, this course covers the equivalent of what is taught in a first-semester Spanish course in college. You will find extensive grammar and vocabulary information in the various sections of the workbook. In addition, you might wish to consult any standard introductory Spanish textbook for reference. Throughout the course, you will learn more than a thousand of the most commonly used words in Spanish and become acquainted with a number of important cultural aspects of the Spanish-speaking world. In terms of grammar, you will learn how to form the present tense of all verbs, as well as the present progressive construction, which is used to talk about something happening right now. You will be able to talk about future events in two different ways and to use several expressions that talk about past events. Moreover, you will learn how to conjugate and use one past tense—the preterite tense—for all verbs. Your ability to express yourself with verbs will be accompanied by a growing competence in using, for example, nouns, adjectives, and adverbs—all the necessary linguistic tools that will allow you to communicate successfully in Spanish. This course offers the requisite linguistic and cultural knowledge that will allow you to make the necessary first steps toward achieving communicative competence in Spanish. 1  Workbook Introduction W elcome to the workbook for Learning Spanish: How to Understand and Speak a New Language. The exercises included here are designed to help develop your reading and writing skills in Spanish while you practice the vocabulary and grammar presented in the lessons. This introduction briefly explains how this workbook fits in with the other components that accompany this course so that you’ll know how best to make use of all of them to help develop your Spanish skills. When you finish watching one of the 30 lessons, you should next listen to the audio glossary, which will give you the pronunciation and definition of all the new vocabulary words. Then, it will be time to practice what you’ve learned. The speaking activities that follow the audio glossary are designed to help you improve your listening and speaking skills, and the exercises in this workbook will allow you to practice your reading and writing skills. You can decide if you want to do the speaking activities before or after you do the workbook exercises, but you should do both of these only after watching the lesson and listening to the audio glossary. In addition to the exercises accompanying each lesson, you will find the Grammar Reference, Glossary by Topic, Glossary of Cognates, Spanish-English Glossary, English- Spanish Glossary, and Resources for Further Study at the end of the workbook. Each section of this workbook begins with New Vocabulary, a listing of new words in the same order as they are presented in the audio glossary. Next, the General Review section summarizes the material covered in the lesson, allowing you to review grammatical, cultural, or vocabulary-related content. Then, you will find the Activities, which offer practice with the new grammar and vocabulary. At the end of every workbook section, you will find the Correct Answers, which will allow you to check your work. In addition to the Activities included after every lesson, this workbook also contains six Cultural Readings about different aspects of Latin American culture. The Activities in this workbook are contextualized in a series of short stories dealing with several families and their friends and neighbors. These families live in Villa Celeste [Celestial Town], a neighborhood somewhere in Latin America. The principal characters in the stories are the Cortés Ruiz family, the Quirós García family, and the González Fallas family. The Cortés Ruiz family has three sons, and the Quirós García family has two daughters and a son. Those two families also have two very young granddaughters. The González Fallas family, who just recently moved to the neighborhood, has a son and a daughter. You will find the family trees for these families following this introduction. Most of the words used in the Activities will be ones you will have already been introduced to in the course. When this is not the case, the workbook will give the English for the Spanish word. The six Cultural Readings do indeed include vocabulary and grammar you will have already seen in the course. But they also purposely include some material a bit beyond your current level of comprehension. This will force you to make some educated guesses while reading—a very useful skill for a language learner. You won’t need to recognize every word or expression in a reading to gain a good understanding of it. The English translation for the Cultural Readings can be found after the Correct Answers, so you will be able to see how well your understood what you read. And now, it’s time to get to work. Or, as we would say in Spanish: ¡A trabajar! [Let’s work!]. 2  Workbook Families Luis Cortés Navarro Cecilia Ruiz Ramírez Esteban Quirós Sánchez Luisa García Vega Alberto Diego Javier Erica Felipe Elena Diana Mariana Carlos González Pérez Alejandra Fallas Ureña Pablo Marisol 3  Lesson Introduction to the Spanish Language 1 I. Vocabulario nuevo / New Vocabulary hola – hello ¿Cómo está usted? – How are you? [formal, singular] ¿Qué tal? – How’s it going? ¿Cómo están ustedes? – How are you? [formal, plural] ¿Cómo estás? – How are you? [informal, singular] Bien, gracias. ¿Y tú? – Fine, thanks. And you? Bien, gracias. ¿Y ustedes? – Fine, thanks. And you? [informal, singular] [formal, plural] Bien, gracias. ¿Y usted? – Fine, thanks. And you? [formal, singular] bien – well regular – so-so Estoy bien. – I’m well. más o menos – so-so mal – not well no muy bien – not very well Estoy mal. – I’m not well. buenos días – good morning buenas tardes – good afternoon buen día – good morning buenas noches – good evening, good night Me llamo…. – My name is…. ¿Cómo te llamas? – What’s your name? [informal, singular] Soy…. – I am…. ¿Cómo se llama usted? – What’s your name? [formal, singular] Mi nombre es…. – My name is…. mucho gusto – nice to meet you encantado – pleased to meet you [speaker Es un placer. – It’s a pleasure. masculine] encantada – pleased to meet you [speaker igualmente – likewise feminine] gracias – thank you muy bien, gracias – very well, thank you muy – very bastante bien – just fine bienvenidos – welcome [plural] Le presento a…. – Let me introduce you to…. [formal, singular] Te presento a…. – Let me introduce you to…. Les presento a…. – Let me introduce you to…. [plural] [informal, singular] adiós – good-bye hasta mañana – see you tomorrow chao – bye hasta pronto – see you soon hasta luego – see you later nos vemos – see you 4  Lesson 1—Introduction to the Spanish Language el curso – course la lengua – language los Estados Unidos – United States el español – Spanish language el aspecto – aspect el castellano – Spanish language la cultura – culture introductorio – introductory solo – alone, only importante – important II. Repaso general / General Review A. Approach to Learning a New Language Successful language learners have a positive reaction when faced with the unfamiliar. So, rather than allowing yourself to feel frustrated, confused, or annoyed when listening to Spanish, try to maintain a positive outlook and work to understand anything you can. It can help to think of communicating in Spanish as a puzzle to be solved or an interesting challenge to be met. When you hear spoken Spanish, focus on what’s being said, don’t be distracted by negative thoughts, and listen for cognates, which are words that are the same or almost the same in two languages. Spanish and English share many cognates, including curso / course; introductorio / introductory; profesor / professor; importante / important; aspecto / aspect; cultura / culture; and mucho / much. B. The Spanish Language The Spanish language, known as either español or castellano, developed in the Iberian Peninsula in the region of Castile, or Castilla in Spanish. According to the United Nations, Spanish is the third most-spoken language in the world, after Mandarin Chinese and English. Roughly half a billion people speak Spanish, which is spoken on four continents, is an official language of 20 countries, and is one of the official languages (along with English) of the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. Spanish is also spoken more and more each year in the mainland United States. According to the latest census data, almost 40 million people in the United States speak Spanish at home, which makes up more than 12 percent of the country’s population. A 2015 report by the Instituto Cervantes, a governmental organization in Spain that focuses on the Spanish language, concluded that there are more Spanish speakers in the United States than there are in Spain. C. Varieties of Spoken Spanish The three main differences that distinguish how Spanish is spoken in one place versus another are vocabulary, accent, and grammar. Differences in vocabulary result in different words being used in different places to refer to the same thing. To say “the computer,” for example, in Latin America you’d say la computadora, while in Spain it’s much more common to say el ordenador. In terms of accent, there are differences between countries and even between regions within the same country. Perhaps the most notable difference in accent among Spanish speakers relates to the way to pronounce the letter z and the letter c followed by e or i. In Latin America, the letter z and the letter combinations ce and ci are pronounced with an s sound, while in northern and central Spain this is pronounced with a th sound. The Spanish word for “shoe” is zapato, which in Madrid is pronounced as “thapato” and in Latin America is pronounced “sapato.” There are not many grammatical differences among regions, but there are a few, and one deals with the plural form of “you.” In both Spain and Latin America, the word ustedes is the formal, plural way to say “you.” In Spain, there’s also an informal, plural way to say “you,” which is vosotros in the masculine or vosotras in the feminine. But vosotros and vosotras are not used in Latin America; instead, ustedes is used for the plural “you” in all cases. Despite these differences in vocabulary, accent, and grammar, hundreds of millions of Spanish speakers communicate successfully across all the countries where the language is spoken. Speakers of Spanish—even from different regions—understand each other extremely well. 5  Learning Spanish: How to Understand and Speak a New Language D. Pronunciation of Vowels Pronouncing words in Spanish is simpler than it is in English because when you look at a letter in Spanish, with very rare exceptions you know exactly how to pronounce the sound of that letter. One challenging aspect of Spanish pronunciation is that there are sounds in the language that don’t exist in English, and these can be difficult to pronounce at first. Each of the five vowels—a, e, i, o, u—makes just one sound in Spanish, a short sound that stays the same from beginning to end. A, found in the common Spanish word casa, is the easiest vowel sound to make. For the other four vowel sounds, focus on keeping the vowel sound short and uniform. E makes the sound pronounced in the English word “take.” It’s not “eyyyy.” You don’t close it off at the end as you often do in English. I makes the sound pronounced in the word “fee.” It’s not “iyyyy.” O makes the sound pronounced in “toll.” It’s not “owwww.” U makes the sound pronounced in “rule.” It’s not “uwwww.” The video lessons, audio glossaries, and speaking activities model proper pronunciation in Spanish. E. Greetings Among the very common greetings in Spanish are hola [hello]; ¿Qué tal? [How’s it going?]; and ¿Cómo estás? and ¿Cómo está usted? [How are you?]. ¿Cómo estás? is the informal way to say “How are you?” to someone. ¿Cómo está usted? also asks “How are you?” but is used with someone you address formally. Three ways to introduce yourself are Me llamo Bill [I call myself Bill, or My name is Bill]; Soy Bill [I am Bill]; and Mi nombre es Bill [My name is Bill]. Common expressions used when you meet someone for the first time are mucho gusto [nice to meet you]; encantado [pleased to meet you, masculine form]; encantada [pleased to meet you, feminine form]; Es un placer [It’s a pleasure]; and igualmente [likewise]. Greetings dependent on the time of day include buenos días or buen día [good morning]; buenas tardes [good afternoon]; and buenas noches [good evening, or good night]. Ways to say “goodbye” include adiós [goodbye]; chao [bye]; hasta luego [see you later]; hasta mañana [see you tomorrow]; hasta pronto [see you soon]; and nos vemos [see you]. F. How Best to Approach This Course If your goal is to work toward proficiency in Spanish, you should watch the video lessons and engage with the other course materials as well. In order to make significant progress with your language skills, you’ll need to practice what’s presented in the video lessons. When you finish a lesson, you should next listen to the audio glossary, which will give you the pronunciation and definition of all new vocabulary words. Then, it will be time to practice what you’ve learned. The speaking activities for each lesson are designed to help you improve your listening and speaking skills. And the workbook exercises will allow you to practice your reading and writing. You can decide if you want to do the speaking activities before or after you do the workbook exercises, but you should do both of these only after watching the video lesson and listening to the audio glossary. If you are able to involve someone else with your studies, you are encouraged to do so. Languages are meant for social interaction, so take the course with a friend or seek out opportunities to speak Spanish with someone who already knows the language. The more contact you have with Spanish, both within the course and beyond it, the better your progress will be. 6  Lesson 1—Introduction to the Spanish Language G. Global Importance of the Spanish Language Although it might seem that Spanish has gained importance in the United States only recently, in 1787 Thomas Jefferson wrote the following about the Spanish language in a letter to his nephew: “Bestow great attention on this, and endeavor to acquire an accurate knowledge of it. Our future connections with Spain and Spanish America, will render that language a valuable acquisition.” What was true in Jefferson’s time remains true today. Spanish is a world language, and its importance now extends beyond its use in other countries to the mainland of the United States. Acquiring Spanish is a way of broadening your horizons and becoming more connected to the diverse traditions that are being lived out across oceans and right next door. A sincere desire to learn accompanied by diligent practice makes acquiring Spanish an achievable goal for people of all ages. And the benefits of being able to communicate in Spanish are significant. After all, half a billion people are waiting to talk with you. ¡Buenos días! ¡Buenas tardes! ¡Buenas noches! III. Actividades / Activities Carlos González y Alejandra Fallas se acaban de mudar con su familia al vecindario Villa Celeste y están saludando y conociendo a sus vecinos. / Carlos González and Alejandra Fallas have just moved with their family to the neighborhood Villa Celeste and are greeting and getting to know their neighbors. a. Completa las siguientes frases con la expresión apropiada. / Complete the following sentences with the appropriate expression. 1. Esteban: Hola, ¿___________________ están? 2. Carlos: ¡____________________, gracias! 3. Esteban: ¿Cómo ________________? 4. Carlos: __________________ Carlos. ¿Y usted? 5. Esteban: __________________ Esteban, y ella es mi esposa [and she is my wife], Luisa. 6. Carlos: ¡_________________ gusto! Ella es mi esposa, Alejandra. 7. Alejandra: ¡____________________! 8. Luisa: ¡____________________! 7  Learning Spanish: How to Understand and Speak a New Language b. Escribe una expresión similar a la expresión original. / Write an expression similar to the original expression. 1. Encantado. _____________________________ 4. Más o menos. _____________________________________ 2. ¿Qué tal? ______________________________ 5. Mi nombre es.... ___________________________________ 3. Muy bien, gracias. _______________________ 6. Nos vemos. _______________________________________ c. Escoge una respuesta apropiada en cada situación. / Choose an appropriate answer in each situation. 1. Hola. ¿Cómo está? a) Igualmente.     b) Bien, gracias. ¿Y usted?     c) Hasta luego. 2. Le presento a Luisa. a) Más o menos.     b) Bien, gracias.     c) Mucho gusto. 3. Buenas tardes. ¿Qué tal? a) Igualmente.     b) Muy bien. ¿Y usted?     c) Nos vemos. 4. Hasta mañana. a) Regular.     b) Encantado.     c) Hasta pronto. 5. ¿Cómo te llamas? a) Igualmente.     b) Buenos días.     c) Me llamo Carlos. 6. ¡Buenas noches! ¿Cómo estás? a) Bien, gracias. ¿Y tú?     b) ¿Y usted?     c) Encantada. d. Agrega la expresión apropiada. / Add the appropriate expression. 1. ¡Buenas a. está usted? 2. ¿Cómo te b. tal? 3. ¿Qué c. gusto! 4. ¡Mucho d. Carlos 5. Les e. presento a mi amigo. 6. ¡Hasta f. llamas? 7. ¿Cómo g. pronto! 8. Mi nombre es h. tardes! 8  Lesson 1—Introduction to the Spanish Language IV. Respuestas correctas / Correct Answers a. 1. ¿Cómo están? 2. ¡Bien, gracias! / ¡Muy bien, gracias! 3. ¿Cómo se llama usted? 4. Me llamo Carlos / Soy Carlos / Mi nombre es Carlos. 5. Soy Esteban / Mi nombre es Esteban / Me llamo Esteban. 6. ¡Mucho gusto! 7. ¡Mucho gusto! / ¡Encantada! / ¡Es un placer! 8. ¡Igualmente! b. 1. Mucho gusto. / Igualmente. / Es un placer. 4. Regular 2. ¿Cómo está usted? / ¿Cómo estás? 5. Soy…. / Me llamo 3. Bien, gracias.. 6. Hasta luego. / Hasta pronto. / Adiós. / Chao. c. 1. b) Bien, gracias. ¿Y usted? 2. c) Mucho gusto. 3. b) Muy bien. ¿Y usted? 4. c) Hasta pronto. 5. c) Me llamo Carlos. 6. a) Bien, gracias. ¿Y tú? d. 1. h) ¡Buenas tardes! 2. f) ¿Cómo te llamas? 3. b) ¿Qué tal? 4. c) ¡Mucho gusto! 5. e) Les presento a mi amigo. 6. g) ¡Hasta pronto! 7. a) ¿Cómo está usted? 8. d) Mi nombre es Carlos. 9  Lesson Definite Articles and Nouns 2 I. Vocabulario nuevo / New Vocabulary el – the [masculine, singlar] los – the [masculine, plural] la – the [feminine, singular] las – the [feminine, plural] el libro – book la mano – hand la silla – chair el mapa – map la mesa – table el problema – problem la casa – house el sistema – system la clase – class el día – day el reloj – watch, clock el cuaderno – notebook, workbook el lápiz – pencil el agua – water [feminine] la pared – wall la letra – letter la música – music el hotel – hotel el televisor – television set la familia – family el papel – paper interesante – interesting clásico – classical popular – popular central – central inteligente – intelligent la educación – education la libertad – liberty, freedom la nación – nation la posibilidad – possibility la lección – lesson la actitud – attitude la universidad – university la virtud – virtue el pianista – male pianist el señor – Mr., man la pianista – female pianist la señora – Mrs., woman el dentista – male dentist la señorita – Miss, young woman la dentista – female dentist el profesor – male professor el futbolista – male soccer player la profesora – female professor la futbolista – female soccer player el doctor – male doctor el chico – boy la doctora – female doctor la chica – girl llamar – to call en – in hay – there is, there are de – of, from 10  Lesson 2—Definite Articles and Nouns el norte – north el sur – south el oeste – west el este – east II. Repaso general / General Review A. Geography of the Spanish-Speaking World Spanish is spoken in Europe, North America, Central America, the Caribbean, South America, and Africa. The countries where Spanish is spoken as an official language within each of these regions are as follows. Europe: Spain. North America: Mexico. Central America: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama. The Caribbean: Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico. South America: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Chile, Uruguay, Argentina. Africa: Equatorial Guinea. As you learned in the first lesson, the United States has more Spanish speakers than Spain; in fact, the United States has more Spanish speakers than any other country except Mexico. Spanish is also widely spoken in Canada, Belize, and the Philippines. B. Nouns All nouns in Spanish have a gender, meaning that they are either masculine or feminine. Most nouns that end in -o are masculine, while most that end in -a are feminine. Beyond gender, nouns also have a number, meaning that they are either singular or plural. C. Definite Articles While “the” is the only definite article in English, in Spanish there are four forms of the definite article: el (masculine singular), la (feminine singular), los (masculine plural), and las (feminine plural). Examples of definite articles used with nouns include el libro [the book]; la mesa [the table]; los cuadernos [the notebooks, or the workbooks]; las señoras [the women]. When the preposition de [of] is followed by the definite article el, de + el contracts to del. So, El cuaderno del curso is “The workbook of the course,” or “The course’s workbook.” Although nouns ending in -o are usually masculine and nouns ending in ‑a are usually feminine, there are many nouns in Spanish that have an ending other than -o or -a. For that reason, you should always learn a new noun with its accompanying definite article. As you learn, for example, that “the hotel” is el hotel, you are reinforcing that hotel is a masculine noun. And you need to know the gender of a noun, for example, so that you can use the proper form of an adjective to describe the noun. Definite articles have a variety of uses in Spanish. As is the case with English, they can refer to something specific. For example, “The class is interesting” is La clase es interesante. Unlike English, definite articles are also used when talking about a noun in a general sense. To say, for example, “Freedom is important,” you would say La libertad es importante. Definite articles are also needed when speaking or writing about people with titles, such as señor, señora, señorita, profesor, profesora, doctor, and doctora. To say “Professor Ana Cano is popular,” for example, you would say La profesora Ana Cano es popular. No definite article is needed when talking directly to a person with a title, so “Hello, Professor Cano” is Hola, Profesora Cano. D. Knowing the Gender of a Noun You have learned that nouns ending in ‑a are usually feminine. Words ending in the suffixes ‑ión, ‑ad, and ‑tud are also almost always feminine. Examples of feminine nouns with these suffixes include la lección [lesson], la posiblilidad [possibility], and la virtud [virtue]. [Note: Technically, la lección, for example, means “the lesson.” But throughout the workbook and audio glossaries, although the definite article appears before the noun in Spanish (and can thereby help you remember the noun’s gender), the definite article “the” does not appear before the noun in English.] 11  Learning Spanish: How to Understand and Speak a New Language In the way that nouns ending in ‑o are usually masculine, nouns ending in ‑r and ‑l are also usually masculine. Examples of masculine nouns ending in ‑r and ‑l include el televisor [television set] and el hotel [hotel]. Words ending in ‑ista look feminine because they end in ‑a. But these words actually can be either masculine or feminine, as seen, for example, in el futbolista [male soccer player] and la futbolista [female soccer player]. Spanish words ending in ‑ma also look feminine because of the ‑a ending, but many of these words are actually masculine, including el sistema [system] and el problema [problem]. Specific words that seem to be one gender but are the other include el día [day] and el mapa [map], which are masculine, and la mano [hand], which is feminine. Feminine nouns beginning with the sound ‑a in a stressed syllable use el rather than la as their definite article. El agua [water], for example, is indeed a feminine noun, but it uses el rather than la as its definite article. [Note: If la were used as the definite article for agua, then the two a sounds when pronounced would run together and sound like laaaagua. Using el instead of la avoids this problem.] Feminine nouns beginning with the sound a in a syllable that is not stressed keep the usual definite article of la (e.g., la actitud [attitude]). E. Making Nouns Plural The three rules for making a noun plural in Spanish are as follows. 1. If a noun ends in a vowel, add ‑s: la silla [chair] à las sillas. 2. If a noun ends in a consonant other than z, add ‑es: el papel [paper] à los papeles 3. If a noun ends in a z, change the z to c and add ‑es: el lápiz [pencil] à los lápices F. The Alphabet in Spanish The Spanish alphabet has 27 letters. They include the 26 used in English plus the letter ñ (as seen in España), which comes right after the letter n in the alphabet. G. Pronunciation of Several Consonant Sounds Pronunciation is not about letters, and it’s not about spelling—it’s about sound. So, listen carefully when you hear words in Spanish and do your best to reproduce the sounds you hear. The letters f, l, m, and n are pronounced the same in Spanish as they are in English and are found in such words as la profesora [female professor], la libertad [liberty, freedom], la música [music], and la nación [nation]. The letter s is always pronounced as s and never as z. The name José, for example, is pronounced with an s sound, not a z sound. The letter h is silent in Spanish, so el hotel [hotel], for example, should be pronounced as el otel. When h follows c, it makes a ch sound, as found in la chica [girl]. The letter t in Spanish is never aspirated when pronounced, meaning that you produce no puff of air when you make the sound of t. In fact, the t in Spanish sounds like a combination of t and d. The sound that corresponds with single r in Spanish is similar to the sound made when d is pronounced in English. The sound corresponding to j in Spanish, as used in the names Juan and José, has no exact equivalent in English. Both the audio glossaries and the speaking activities offer numerous opportunities for you to listen to the pronunciation of words in Spanish and practice your own pronunciation. The best way to improve your pronunciation is to listen carefully when you hear Spanish and speak a lot of Spanish yourself. 12  Lesson 2—Definite Articles and Nouns III. Actividades / Activities a. Agrega el artículo definido apropiado a cada sustantivo. / Add the appropriate definite article to each noun. 1. ________ universidad 4. ________ lápices 7. ________ mapas 2. ________ libros 5. ________ sistema 8. ________ educación 3. ________ día 6. ________ cuadernos 9. ________ actitud b. La familia González Fallas desempaca las cajas que tienen las cosas que necesitan en su nueva casa. / The González Fallas family is unpacking the boxes that have the things they need in their new home. Ayuda a la familia González Fallas a desempacar sus cosas. Agrega el artículo definido apropiado a cada sustantivo. / Help the González Fallas family unpack their things. Add the appropriate definite article to each noun. 1. ________ televisor 6. ________ alfombra [rug] 2. ________ mesas 7. ________ cuadernos 3. ________ lámparas [lamps] 8. ________ mapas 4. ________ papeles 9. ________ libros 5. ________ computadora [computer] 10. _______ mesas c. La familia González Fallas no recuerda cuántas cosas tienen en las cajas. / The González Fallas family doesn’t remember how many things they have in the boxes. Ayúdalos haciendo el plural de las siguientes cosas que han desempacado. / Help them by making the plural of the following things they have unpacked. 1. el cuaderno ____________ 7. la cama [bed] _______________ 2. la lámpara _____________ 8. el reloj ____________________ 3. el televisor _____________ 9. la bicicleta [bicycle] __________ 4. el zapato [shoe] _________ 10. el perfume [perfume] ________ 5. el mapa _______________ 11. el papel ___________________ 6. la alfombra ____________ 12. el lápiz ___________________ 13  Learning Spanish: How to Understand and Speak a New Language d. Escoge la respuesta correcta. / Choose the correct answer. 1. ¿Cuál [What] es el plural de reloj? a) relojes b) relojs c) relojeces 2. ¿Cuál es el singular de televisores? a) televiso b) televisor c) televisore 3. ¿Cuál es el plural de hotel? a) hotel b) hoteles c) hotels 4. ¿Cuál es el singular de doctoras? a) doctor b) doctoras c) doctora 5. ¿Cuál es el artículo definido de sistema? a) la b) las c) el 6. ¿Cuál es el artículo definido de mano? a) el b) la c) los 7. ¿Cuál es el artículo definido de problemas? a) los b) las c) el 8. ¿Cuál es el artículo definido de dentistas? a) los b) las c) la 9. ¿Cuál es el artículo definido de futbolistas? a) los b) las c) la 10. ¿Cuál es el artículo definido de papel? a) la b) el c) las IV. Respuestas correctas / Correct Answers a. 1. la universidad 4. los lápices 7. los mapas 2. los libros 5. el sistema 8. la educación 3. el día 6. los cuadernos 9. la actitud b. 1. el 6. la 2. las 7. los 3. las 8. los 4. los 9. los 5. la 10. las c. 1. los cuadernos 7. las camas 2. las lámparas 8. los relojes 3. los televisores 9. las bicicletas 4. los zapatos 10. los perfumes 5. los mapas 11. los papeles 6. las alfombras 12. los lápices d. 1. a) relojes 2. b) televisor 3. b) hoteles 4. c) doctora 5 c) el 6. b) la 7. a) los 8. a) los and b) las 9. a) los and b) las 10. b) el 14  Lesson Subject Pronouns and the Verb Ser 3 I. Vocabulario nuevo / New Vocabulary yo – I él – he tú – you [singular, informal] ella – she usted – you [singular, formal] nosotros – we [masculine] ustedes – you [plural, formal] nosotras – we [feminine] ellos – they [masculine] vosotros – you [masculine plural, informal] ellas – they [feminine] vosotras – you [feminine plural, informal] ser – to be ¡Hablen! – Speak! [plural command] ¡No esperen! – Don’t wait! [plural command] alto – tall accidental – accidental simpático – nice usual – usual antipático – unfriendly normal – normal guapo – good-looking optimista – optimistic bonito – pretty pesimista – pessimistic feo – ugly activo – active joven – young responsable – responsible viejo – old largo – long embarazada – pregnant corto – short in length elegante – elegant grande – big excelente – excellent pequeño – small fantástico – fantastic avergonzado – embarrassed el accidente – accident el taxi – taxi la cuestión – question, issue el teléfono – telephone la pregunta – question el colegio – high school 15  Learning Spanish: How to Understand and Speak a New Language la persona – person el amigo – male friend el vecino – male neighbor la amiga – female friend la vecina – female neighbor el novio – boyfriend el hombre – man la novia – girlfriend la mujer – woman y – and sí – yes o – or no – no, not pero – but ahora – now II. Repaso general / General Review A. Improving Your Ability to Speak It’s important as a beginning language learner that you take every opportunity to speak Spanish. Don’t wait until you’ve learned more vocabulary and grammar. ¡Hablen español ahora! [“Speak Spanish now!”] The best way to improve your spoken Spanish is to speak more. B. Subject Pronouns The singular subject pronouns in Spanish are yo – I; tú – you [singular, informal]; usted – you [singular, formal]; él – he; and ella – she. The plural subject pronouns are nosotros – we [masculine]; nosotras – we [feminine]; vosotros – you [masculine plural, informal]; vosotras – you [feminine plural, informal]; ustedes – you [plural, formal]; ellos – they [masculine]; and ellas – they [feminine]. The informal, singular way to say “you” is tú; the formal, singular way to say “you” is usted. If you’re speaking to a family member, a friend, or someone else you’re well acquainted with, you’ll probably use tú. You’ll use usted when talking with someone you have a formal relationship with or with someone you don’t know well. If you’re not sure which pronoun to use, it’s better to use usted, because using the informal tú can be seen as rude by someone you don’t know well. The vosotros and vosotras forms, which are plural, informal ways to say “you,” are used only in Spain. In Latin America, the plural of tú is ustedes and the plural of usted is ustedes; vosotros and vosotras are never used in Latin America. The pronouns nosotros, vosotros, and ellos are used when referring to a group of all men or a mixed group of men and women. Even a group of many women and just one man would be referred to with these masculine pronouns. The pronouns nosotras, vosotras, and ellas are used only when every member of the group is female. C. The Verb ser The infinitive form, which is the verb form found in the dictionary, of all Spanish verbs ends in ‑ar, ‑er, or ‑ir. Ser, the infinitive form meaning “to be,” has the following six forms in the present tense: soy, eres, es, somos, sois, son. Conjugating a verb means giving its proper verb forms for different subjects in a given tense. Ser is conjugated with the subject pronouns in the present tense as follows. Ser with singular subject pronouns: yo soy; tú eres; usted, él, or ella es Ser with plural subject pronouns: nosotros or nosotras somos; vosotros or vosotras sois; ustedes, ellos, or ellas son Any singular subject that is not yo or tú uses the verb form es (e.g., La clase es importante). Any plural subject that is not nosotros, nosotras, vosotros, or vosotras uses the verb form son (e.g., Los amigos son optimistas). 16  Lesson 3—Subject Pronouns and the Verb Ser Ser is used 1) to identify a person or thing (Ella es Claudia); 2) to talk about one’s profession (Son doctores), origin, or nationality (Roberto es de Chile); or 3) to describe inherent characteristics of someone or something (Carla es inteligente; El hotel es elegante.). D. Cognates Spanish and English share many cognates, which are words that are the same or similar in two languages. Sometimes Spanish cognates are spelled the same as the word in English: normal, hotel, usual. Other Spanish cognates are spelled similar to, but not the same as, the word in English: activo, responsable, excelente. Your comprehension of Spanish will improve if you listen for cognates when conversing and look for them when reading. Occasionally, a Spanish word will look like an English word but mean something else. These words are called false cognates. Examples include largo (which looks like “large” but means “long”) and colegio (which looks like “college” but means “high school”). False cognates, however, are relatively rare compared to the vast number of cognates shared by English and Spanish. E. Adjectives Adjectives in Spanish must agree in number and gender with the noun being modified. So, if the subject is masculine singular, the adjective must also be masculine singular, and if the subject is feminine plural, the adjective must also be feminine plural. Adjectives ending in ‑o have four forms. For example, viejo, meaning “old,” has the following four forms: viejo (masculine singular); vieja (feminine singular); viejos (masculine plural); viejas (feminine plural). Adjectives ending in ‑e have two forms, as can be seen in responsable (masculine and feminine singular) and responsables (masculine and feminine plural). Adjectives ending in ‑ista have two forms, as can be seen in pesimista (masculine and feminine singular) and pesimistas (masculine and feminine plural). III. Actividades / Activities a. Decide si debes dirigirte a las siguientes personas de una manera formal o informal. / Decide if you should address the following people in a formal or informal way. 1. You are about to call your friend to ask him to watch the game with you._________________________________ 2. Your uncle wants to borrow your car._____________________________________________________________ 3. Your boss just sent you an email._______________________________________________________________ 4. Your neighbor is inviting you to a gathering on Saturday._____________________________________________ 5. The CEO of the company is entering the room._____________________________________________________ 6. You just met someone.________________________________________________________________________ 7. The President of the United States is coming to your town.___________________________________________ 8. You and your sister are going to celebrate her birthday.______________________________________________ 9. Someone called and it was a wrong number.______________________________________________________ 10. You meet a random person at the supermarket.___________________________________________________ 17  Learning Spanish: How to Understand and Speak a New Language b. Alejandra está hablando sobre su familia con su vecina Cecilia. / Alejandra is talking about her family with her neighbor Cecilia. Agrega la conjugación correcta del verbo ser. / Add the correct conjugation of the verb ser. 1. Carlos __________ mi esposo [my husband]. 2. Pablo ___________ mi hijo [son]. 3. Marisol _________ mi hija [daughter]. 4. Pablo y Marisol _________ mis hijos [children]. 5. Yo __________ la esposa [wife] de Carlos. 6. Yo __________ la madre [mother] de Pablo y Marisol. 7. Nosotros __________ la familia González Fallas. 8. Carlos ________ el padre [father] de Pablo y Marisol. 9. ¿De dónde ________ usted y Luis? c. La familia González Fallas continúa conociendo a los miembros de su nuevo vecindario en Villa Celeste. / The González Fallas family continues to meet the members of their new neighborhood in Villa Celeste. Completa el diálogo entre Alejandra, Luisa, Pablo y Marisol usando el verbo ser y palabras para saludarse y presentarse. / Complete the dialogue between Alejandra, Luisa, Pablo, and Marisol using the verb ser and words to greet others and introduce oneself. Alejandra: ¡Hola! Me 1) _________________ Alejandra. Luisa: Mucho 2) ________________. 3)________________Luisa. Alejandra: Le 4) ________________ a Pablo. Él 5)________________ mi hijo. Luisa: ¡Encantada! Mi nombre 6)_________________ Luisa. Pablo: 7)_______________. Ella 8)_______________ mi hermana Marisol. Marisol: ¿Qué tal? Luisa: 9) ¡______________ bien, gracias! Luisa: Le 10) __________________ mi hija Elena. Ella 11) _____________ estudiante de la universidad. Marisol: 12) ¡_______________ gusto! Elena: Igualmente. Erica y Felipe 13) _______________ mis hermanos. d. Elena está hablando con Marisol. / Elena is talking with Marisol. ¿Qué pronombres personales necesita Elena para hablar de…? / What subject pronouns does Elena need to talk about…? 18  Lesson 3—Subject Pronouns and the Verb Ser 1. Mis amigos y yo ______________. 2. Mis vecinas _______________. 3. El ex-novio [ex-boyfriend] de Elena ________________. 4. Los ex-novios de Marisol y de Elena ______________. 5. Una amiga de Elena ______________. 6. Elena y su familia ______________. 7. Los amigos de Pablo ______________. 8. Las amigas de Elena _________________. 9. Elena ______________. 10. Pablo _____________. 11. Los hermanos [siblings] de Elena (Erica y Felipe) y Elena___________________. 12. La hermana [sister] de Elena y Elena __________________. 13. Marisol __________________. 14. Marisol y su familia ________________. e. Luisa está hablando con su esposo Esteban sobre los nuevos vecinos. / Luisa is talking with her husband Esteban about the new neighbors. Completa las frases usando la forma correcta de los adjetivos y el verbo ser si es necesario. / Complete the sentences using the correct form of the adjectives and the verb ser if it’s necessary. activo(a) fantástico(a) alto(a) guapo(a) simpático(a) inteligente excelente responsable simpático (a) Luisa: Alejandra es una buena persona. 1) ___________ una mujer muy 2) ______________. Esteban: Carlos y Pablo 3) ______________ 4) ________________ también [also]. Luisa: Carlos, Alejandra, Pablo y Marisol 5) ____________ la familia González Fallas. Esteban: Pablo juega tres deportes [plays three sports]. Él 6) ______________ un chico 7) _____________. Luisa: Y Pablo está en la escuela secundaria [is in high school]. Sus notas [His grades] 8) ______________ 9) _____________. Él 10)_____________ 11) _______________. Esteban: Elena y Marisol también tienen [have] notas 12)______________. Ellas 13)___________ muy 14) ______________. 19  Learning Spanish: How to Understand and Speak a New Language IV. Respuestas correctas / Correct Answers a. 1. informal 6. formal 2. informal* 7. formal 3. formal 8. informal 4. informal 9. formal 5. formal 10. formal b. 1. es 6. soy 2. es 7. somos 3. es 8. es 4. son 9. son 5. soy c. 1. llamo 8. es 2. gusto 9. Muy 3. Me llamo / Soy / Mi nombre es 10. presento a 4. presento 11. es 5. es 12. Mucho 6. es 13. son 7. Mucho gusto. / Encantado. / Es un placer. d. 1. nosotros 8. ellas 2. ellas 9. yo 3. él 10. él 4. ellos 11. nosotros 5. ella 12. nosotras 6. nosotros 13. usted / tú 7. ellos 14. ustedes / vosotros e. 1. Es 8. son 2. simpática / fantástica** 9. fantásticas 3. son 10. es 4. simpáticos / fantásticos 11. inteligente 5. son 12. fantásticas 6. es 13. son 7. activo 14. inteligentes * As is the case with all of these examples, the way you address these people depends on the closeness of your relationship with them. It’s also possible that you might address your uncle in a formal way. ** The word fantástica already conveys the idea of something extremely good, so it would be odd to say muy fantástica because it would be redundant. Simpática is the better answer. 20  Lesson Regular -ar Verbs in the Present 4 I. Vocabulario nuevo / New Vocabulary cubano – Cuban venezolano – Venezuelan dominicano – Dominican colombiano – Colombian puertorriqueño – Puerto Rican ecuatoriano – Ecuadorian norteamericano – (North) American peruano – Peruvian mexicano – Mexican boliviano – Bolivian guatemalteco – Guatemalan chileno – Chilean salvadoreño – Salvadoran paraguayo – Paraguayan hondureño – Honduran argentino – Argentine nicaragüense – Nicaraguan uruguayo – Uruguayan costarricense – Costa Rican español – Spaniard panameño – Panamanian ecuatoguineano – Equatorial Guinean el café – coffee el trabajador – worker hablar – to speak, to talk trabajar – to work bailar – to dance llegar – to arrive tomar – to take, to drink estudiar – to study ayudar – to help cantar – to sing comprar – to buy cocinar – to cook preparar – to prepare indicar – to indicate escuchar – to hear ordenar – to order viajar – to travel dedicar – to dedicate fuerte – strong contento – happy egoísta – selfish famoso – famous trabajador – hard-working formal – formal hablador – talkative informal – informal ideal – ideal bueno – good tímido – timid malo – bad terrible – terrible mucho – a lot fenomenal – phenomenal muchos – many paciente – patient poco – little impaciente – impatient pocos – few 21  Learning Spanish: How to Understand and Speak a New Language II. Repaso general / General Review A. Conjugating Verbs in Spanish As you learned in an earlier lesson, the infinitive form of a verb is the form that appears in the dictionary and is a nonconjugated verb form. All Spanish verbs have infinitive forms ending either in ‑ar, ‑er, or ‑ir, so the three kinds of verbs in Spanish are ‑ar verbs, ‑er verbs, and ‑ir verbs. The infinitive form of the verb has two parts: the stem of the word (which is everything before the ending) and the ending itself (which is either ‑ar, ‑er, or ‑ir). For example, the stem of viajar (“to travel”) is viaj‑, and the verb’s ending is ‑ar. Once you’ve identified the stem of a verb, you conjugate the verb by adding the appropriate ending to the stem for the given subject. B. Conjugating Regular ‑ar Verbs in the Present The present tense endings for regular ‑ar verbs are ‑o, ‑as, ‑a, ‑amos, ‑áis, and ‑an. The following is an example of a regular ‑ar verb conjugated in the present tense. ayudar [to help] yo ayudo nosotros, nosotras ayudamos tú ayudas vosotros, vosotras ayudáis él, ella, usted ayuda ellos, ellas, ustedes ayudan The verb form ayudamos, for example, can mean “We help,” “We do help,” “We are helping,” or even—in certain contexts—“We are going to help.” C. When to Use Subject Pronouns before Verbs Because the ending of a verb indicates the verb’s subject, most often Spanish speakers do not include a subject pronoun before the verb. There are, however, two common cases in which subject pronouns are used. They are often used before verbs in the third-person singular and plural because there can be many possible subjects for these verb forms. Trabaja mucho, for example, could mean “You work a lot” (with the subject being usted), or it could be “He works a lot,” or “She works a lot.” To clarify, then, it’s common to include a subject with a third-person form of the verb and say, for example, Usted estudia mucho. Another time to use a subject pronoun is to emphasize the subject. If, for example, people around you are saying that they don’t sing much, and you actually do, it would be appropriate to say Yo canto mucho, emphasizing “I do sing a lot.” D. More Agreement of Adjectives with Nouns Adjectives ending in ‑dor in the masculine singular have four forms, as can be seen with the adjective meaning “talkative”: hablador, habladora, habladores, habladoras. Any adjective of nationality that ends in a consonant also has four forms, as seen in the adjective meaning “French”: francés, francesa, franceses, francesas. Except for adjectives ending in ‑o, ‑dor, and ones ending in consonants that express nationality, almost all other adjectives in Spanish have two forms (e.g., fenomenal, fenomenales; terrible, terribles). E. Placement of Adjectives Adjectives in Spanish almost always follow the noun modified (e.g., las doctoras ideales). To modify a noun with two adjectives, put the adjectives after the noun and put y (“and”) between them (e.g., el pianista famoso y egoísta). Bueno and malo can go before or after the modified noun. Before masculine nouns, both of these adjectives drop the ‑o (e.g., el buen hombre; el mal día). Adjectives of quantity precede the modified noun (e.g., muchos estudiantes; poca agua). 22  Lesson 4—Regular -ar Verbs in the Present F. Pronunciation of Consonants The double-r sound requires that you roll your r, creating a sound that does not exist in English. The sound is required when a word has the letter combination rr, when a word starts with r, and after the letters l, n, and s (e.g., carro, Raúl, alrededor, Enrique, Israel). You make the sound corresponding with rr by having your tongue vibrate up against the center of the roof of your mouth. At the start of a word or after the letters n and l, you pronounce d as you would in English. After a vowel, the sound of the d should be like the th sound of the English word “this.” When saying the name David, for example, you should pronounce the first d similar to the d sound made in English and the second d similar to the th of “this.” There are variations by country, but in many places, both y and ll are pronounced similar to the way y is pronounced in English. III. Actividades / Activities a. Cecilia Ruiz Ramírez es una secretaria ejecutiva en un banco muy importante de su ciudad. Ella está explicando lo que hace generalmente durante la semana. / Cecilia Ruiz Ramírez is an executive secretary at a major bank in her city. She is explaining what she usually does during the week. Completa las frases siguientes con la conjugación del verbo en presente. / Complete the following sentences with the present tense conjugation of the verb. Todos los días [Every day], yo 1. ________________ (tomar) café con mi esposo [my husband] Luis. Mi esposo y yo 2. ________________ (llegar) al trabajo [at work] a las 8:00 de la mañana. Mis colegas [my colleagues] 3. ________________ (llegar) a las 8:50. Nosotros 4. _______________ (tomar) café a las 10:50. En mi trabajo, (yo) 5. ______________ (escuchar) a muchas personas que [that] 6. ______________ (hablar) en las reuniones [meetings]. Yo a veces [at times] 7. ______________ (hablar) también [also], pero generalmente [generally] yo 8. _______________ (tomar) las notas [notes] importantes de las reuniones. Mi asistente [My assistant] también 9. ______________ (tomar) notas en las reuniones. Todos los días, mi asistente y yo 10.________________ (llamar) a muchas personas. También, yo 11. ______________ (viajar) a dos simposios [symposiums] cada año [each year]. En casa, mi esposo y yo 12. ______________ (preparar) la cena [dinner] juntos [together]. Alberto, mi hijo [son], no 13. _________________ (llegar) a cenar [to have dinner] con [with] nosotros porque [because] él 14. __________________ (trabajar) muy tarde [late]. Diego, mi otro [other] hijo y sus [his] amigos a veces 15. __________________ (llegar) a cenar con nosotros. Ellos 16. ______________ (cocinar) el postre [dessert]. b. De la historia anterior, escribe la forma negativa de los siguientes verbos. / From the previous story, write the negative form of the following verbs. 1. Mis colegas y yo ________________ (tomar) café a las 11:50 de la mañana. 2. Ellos _______________ (llegar) a las 7:50 de la mañana. 3. Yo _________________ (hablar) nunca [never] en las reuniones. 4. Diego, mi hijo y su profesora __________________ (llegar) a comer con nosotros. 23  Learning Spanish: How to Understand and Speak a New Language c. Responde a las preguntas de forma afirmativa. / Answer the questions affirmatively. 1. ¿Bailas mucho? ________________________________________________________________. 2. ¿Clara y Roberto bailan tango? ____________________________________________________. 3. ¿Estudias en la universidad? ______________________________________________________. 4. ¿Tú y tu [your] familia preparan la cena juntos?________________________________________. 5. ¿Tomas agua todos los días? ______________________________________________________. 6. ¿Isabel compra la comida en el supermercado [supermarket]? ____________________________. 7. ¿Andrea Bocelli a veces canta en español? ___________________________________________. 8. ¿Cocinas pizza con amigos? _______________________________________________________. 9. ¿Las chicas miran el fútbol [soccer]? _________________________________________________. 10. ¿Escuchan ustedes música en el carro [car]? _________________________________________. d. Cecilia Ruiz Ramírez está en un simposio esta semana. Ella está impresionada por la organización del simposio. / Cecilia Ruiz Ramírez is at a symposium this week. She is impressed by the organization of the symposium. Escoge el adjetivo de cantidad correcto. / Choose the correct adjective of quantity. 1. En la mesa hay ___________________ (mucho, mucha, muchos, muchas) comida [food]. 2. En la recepción [reception desk] hay _________________ (mucho, mucha, muchos, muchas) programas [programs] del simposio. 3. En el salón [meeting room] norte hay _________________ (poco, poca, pocos, pocas) café. 4. En el salón oeste hay ________________ (poco, poca, pocos, pocas) personas. 5. En el salón sur hay __________________ (mucho, mucha, muchos, muchas) personas. 6. En la recepción hay __________________ (mucho, muchas, muchos, muchas) bebidas [drinks] pero 7. __________________ (poco, poca, pocos, pocas) servilletas [napkins]. e. Luis Cortés Navarro es el dueño de una agencia de viajes. El conoce a muchas personas de distintas nacionalidades. Él está mirando un álbum de fotos y está recordando las nacionalidades de sus amigos y amigas. / Luis Cortés Navarro is the owner of a travel agency. He knows many people of different nationalities. He is looking at a photo album and is remembering his friends’ nationalities. Escoge el adjetivo correcto. / Choose the correct adjective. 24  Lesson 4—Regular -ar Verbs in the Present 1. Gerardo Martínez es muy ____________________ (simpático, simpática, simpáticos, simpáticas). Él es de la ciudad [city] de Guadalajara, México. Él es _____________________ (mexicano, mexicana, mexicanos, mexicanas). 2. Hagen Hoffmeiter y su esposa [wife] Brigitte son de Núremberg. Ellos son _________________ (activo, activa, activos, activas) y son ____________________ (alemán, alemana, alemanes, alemanas). 3. El Rey [King] Felipe VI es de Madrid y es muy ________________ (alto, alta, altos, altas). Su esposa Letizia Ortiz es de Oviedo, Asturias. Ellos son _______________________ (español, española, españoles, españolas). 4. Pierre Dubois es de Dijon y su familia es de Toulouse. Él es ___________________ (francés, francesa, franceses, francesa). Él es ___________________ (estudiante, estudiantes) de medicina [medicine]. 5. Juan Manuel Ríos es de Buenos Aires. Él y su hermano son ________________ (profesor, profesora, profesores, profesoras). Ellos son ___________________ (argentino, argentina, argentinos, argentinas). 6. La familia Flores Quispe es de Lima. Ellos son _____________________ (peruano, peruana, peruanos, peruanas). 7. Graciela Mercedes Ramírez Villalba es ________________ (dentista, dentistas). Ella trabaja en Capiatá. Ella es __________________ (paraguayo, paraguaya, paraguayos, paraguayas). IV. Respuestas correctas / Correct Answers a. 1. tomo 9. toma 2. llegamos 10. llamamos 3. llegan 11. viajo 4. tomamos 12. preparamos 5. escucho 13. llega 6. hablan 14. trabaja 7. hablo 15. llegan 8. tomo 16. cocinan b. 1. no tomamos 3. no hablo 2. no llegan 4. no llegan c. 1. Sí, bailo mucho. 7. Sí, Andrea Bocelli a veces canta en español. 2. Sí, Clara y Roberto bailan tango. 8. Sí, cocino pizza con amigos. / Sí, mis amigos y yo 3. Sí, estudio en la universidad.   cocinamos pizza. 4. Sí, preparamos la cena juntos. 9. Sí, las chicas miran el fútbol. 5. Sí, tomo agua todos los días. 10. Sí, escuchamos música en el carro. 6. Sí, Isabel compra la comida en el supermercado. 25  Learning Spanish: How to Understand and Speak a New Language d. 1. mucha 5. muchas 2. muchos 6. muchas 3. poco 7. pocas 4. pocas e. 1. simpático / mexicano 5. profesores / argentinos 2. activos / alemanes 6. peruanos 3. alto / españoles 7. dentista / paraguaya 4. francés / estudiante 26  Lesson Indefinite Articles and Numbers to 100 5 I. Vocabulario nuevo / New Vocabulary un – a, an [masculine, singlar] unos – some [masculine] una – a, an [feminine, singular] unas – some [feminine] el estudiante – male student el béisbol – baseball la estudiante – female student el examen – exam el águila – eagle [feminine] el kilómetro – kilometer el zapato – shoe el kilo – kilo el deporte – sport la cerveza – beer católico – Catholic extra – extra enseñar – to teach mirar – to look at caminar – to walk llevar – to wear, to carry buscar – to look for necesitar – to need ¿cuánto?, ¿cuánta? – how much? para – for ¿cuántos?, ¿cuántas? – how many? por favor – please cero – zero seis – six uno – one siete – seven dos – two ocho – eight tres – three nueve – nine cuatro – four diez – ten cinco – five once – eleven dieciséis – sixteen doce – twelve diecisiete – seventeen trece – thirteen dieciocho – eighteen catorce – fourteen diecinueve – nineteen quince – fifteen veinte – twenty treinta – thirty setenta – seventy cuarenta – forty ochenta – eighty cincuenta – fifty noventa – ninety sesenta – sixty cien – one hundred 27  Learning Spanish: How to Understand and Speak a New Language II. Repaso general / General Review A. Improving Your Ability to Communicate in Spanish Being proficient in Spanish really means performing it as needed. And proper performance of Spanish—when speaking or writing—happens only as the result of sufficient practice. That’s why the most effective way to improve your ability to communicate in Spanish is to practice it as much as possible, whether by engaging with the audio glossary, speaking activities, and workbook or by interacting with other Spanish speakers. Also, try to use Spanish even when you’re not studying the language by, for example, counting in Spanish in your daily life. The more contact you have with Spanish—the more you speak it, read it, write it, or hear it—the quicker and more fully you will acquire the language. B. Indefinite Articles While “a” and “an” (in the singular) and “some” (in the plural) are the indefinite articles in English, in Spanish there are four forms of the indefinite article: un (masculine singular), una (feminine singular), unos (masculine plural), unas (feminine plural). Examples of indefinite articles used with nouns include un zapato [a shoe], una cerveza [a beer], unos kilómetros [some kilometers], and unas águilas [some eagles]. In general, the indefinite article in Spanish is used much as it is in English. For example, “Carlos is taking an exam” is Carlos toma un examen. Unlike English, indefinite articles are typically not used when talking about one’s profession, religion, or nationality (e.g., “María is a doctor” is María es doctora; “Pedro is a Catholic” is Pedro es católico; “Teresa is a Spaniard” is Teresa es española). When, however, the profession, religion, or nationality is modified by an adjective, then an indefinite article is used (e.g., María es una doctora excelente; Pedro es un buen católico; Teresa es una española famosa). Feminine nouns beginning with the sound a in a stressed syllable use un rather than una as their indefinite article. Un águila [an eagle], for example, is indeed a feminine noun, but it uses un rather than una as its indefinite article. [Note: If una were used as the definite article for águila, then the two a sounds would run together when pronounced and sound like unaaaáguila; using un instead of una avoids this problem.] Feminine nouns beginning with the sound a in a syllable that is not stressed keep the usual definite article of una (e.g., una actitud [an attitude]). C. Numbers 1 to 100 Once you learn the numbers one to ten, you can use those numbers to help you learn ten to twenty and then the multiples of ten from ten to one hundred. Notice the similarities and differences in the following numbers. uno once diez dos doce veinte tres trece treinta cuatro catorce cuarenta cinco quince cincuenta seis dieciséis sesenta siete diecisiete setenta ocho dieciocho ochenta nueve diecinueve noventa diez veinte cien Usually, a number doesn’t change its form when modifying a noun. For example, siete stays the same in Hay siete chicos and Hay siete chicas. Numbers that do change are those ending in ‑un or ‑una. For example, “twenty-one men” uses the masculine form veintiún hombres, while “forty-one women” uses the feminine form cuarenta y una mujeres. D. Pronunciation The Spanish letters b and v are associated with the same sound: the sound made when a b is pronounced in English. Like the sound associated with the letter t, the sounds associated with the letters p, b, v, and k in Spanish are not aspirated, meaning that you produce no puff of air when you pronounce words with these letters in them. When you 28  Lesson 5—Indefinite Articles and Numbers to 100 say, for example, Bolivia or El taco es para Teresa, your mouth should produce no puffs of air. You can test this by putting your hand in front of your mouth when speaking; your hand should not feel any puffs of air when you pronounce the sounds associated with t, p, b, v, and k. The letters k and w are hardly used in Spanish because they only appear in words that come from other languages (e.g., el kilo, el whisky). The sound associated with the letter w in Spanish is the same as it is in English. The sounds made when pronouncing the letters c and g are as follows: The k sound is made when c appears before a, o, or u (e.g., la casa, el taco, Cuba); in Latin America, the s sound is made when c appears before e or i, while in Spain, the sound made is th, as in the English word “this.” So, Latin Americans would pronounce cero and cinco by saying these words with an s sound, while someone from Madrid would say these words with a th sound. The sound associated with z is always the same as the sound associated with ce and ci: Latin Americans would say zapato [shoe] by pronouncing an s sound, while someone from Madrid would pronounce the word with a th sound. The letter g is like c because the way it’s pronounced depends on the letter that follows it: The hard g sound is made when g is followed by a, o, or u (e.g., la galleta [cookie], Gonzalo, Gustavo); the Spanish j sound is made when the letter following g is e or i (e.g., Argentina, el gigante [giant]). The letter x in Spanish is usually associated with the same sound produced by the x in English (e.g., el taxi). With certain Mexican place names, the x is pronounced with the sound made by jota (e.g., México); at other times, the x is pronounced as an s, as in el xilófono [xylophone]. The letter ñ is associated with the sound made in the English word “onion” (e.g., España). III. Actividades / Activities a. Marisol asiste ahora a una nueva escuela secundaria: la escuela Miguel de Cervantes. Marisol habla con su madre Alejandra sobre las cosas que se encuentran en su aula de biología. / Marisol is now attending a new high school: Miguel de Cervantes High School. Marisol talks to her mother Alejandra about the things that can be found in her biology classroom. Agrega el artículo indefinido apropiado. / Add the correct indefinite article. En el aula [classroom] hay: 1. _______ lápices 9. _______ esqueleto [skeleton] 2. _______ mesa 10. _______ sillas 3. _______ exámenes 11. _______ televisor 4. _______ reloj 12. _______ mapas 5. _______ libros 13. _______ teléfono 6. _______ computadoras [computers] 14. _______ maestra [teacher] 7. _______ cuadernos 15. _______ chicos 8. _______ diccionarios [dictionaries] 16. _______ estudiantes altas 29  Learning Spanish: How to Understand and Speak a New Language b. El padre de Marisol, Carlos González, quiere aprender a hacer algo nuevo en su tiempo libre. / Marisol’s father, Carlos González, wants to learn how to do something new in his free time. Completa las frases con el artículo indefinido correcto. / Complete the sentences with the correct indefinite article. Carlos quiere aprender a hacer algo nuevo. Él mira 1. ____________ sitios web [websites] interesantes. 2. ___________ amigo le recomendó [recommended to him] tomar 3. ______________ curso en casa. Ahora él busca 4. ____________ curso de fotografía [photography] de The Great Courses. Él necesita 5. _____________ cámara [camera], 6. ____________ ideas [ideas] y 7. ____________ buena actitud. c. La familia González Fallas está conociendo a los vecinos de Villa Celeste. Ellos hablan sobre las profesiones que todos tienen. / The González Fallas family is getting to know their neighbors in Villa Celeste. They talk about the professions that everyone has. Completa las frases con el artículo indefinido correcto. Si la frase no necesita un artículo, escribe “X”. / Complete the sentences with the correct indefinite article. If the sentence does not need an article, write an “X.” Luis Cortés es 1. __________ dueño [owner] de una agencia de viajes. Su [His] esposa [wife] Cecilia es 2. _____________ secretaria ejecutiva. Cecilia es 3. _______________ secretaria excelente. Su hijo [son] Alberto es 4. _______________ dentista fantástico. Su hijo Diego es 5. _____________ estudiante. Su hijo Javier es 6. _____________ ingeniero [engineer] muy responsable. El otro [other] vecino, Esteban Quirós, no solo es 7. _____________ doctor, él es 8. ____________ doctor muy famoso en el hospital. Luisa, la esposa de Esteban, es 9. ________________ nutricionista [nutritionist]. Ella es 10. ______________ nutricionista muy trabajadora. d. Escribe los números correctos. / Write the correct numbers. 1. ¿Cuántos estados [states] hay en los Estados Unidos? ________________. 2. ¿Cuántos días hay en enero [January]? ____________________________. 3. ¿Cuántos días hay en un febrero [February] normal? __________________. 4. ¿Cuántas dedos [fingers] hay en dos manos? ________________________. 5. ¿Cuántas semanas [weeks] hay en un año [year]? ___________________. 6. En la canción [song] “The Twelve Days of Christmas” [Los doce días de la Navidad], ¿cuántas mujeres bailan? __________________. 7. ¿En cuántas naciones de América Central se habla [is spoken] español como lengua oficial? ___________________________. 30  Lesson 5—Indefinite Articles and Numbers to 100 IV. Lectura cultural / Cultural Reading Lee el texto siguiente sobre la comida latinoamericana y contesta las preguntas de forma cierto (“C”) o falso (“F”). / Read the following text about Latin American food and answer the questions as either true (“C”) or false (“F”). La comida latinoamericana es más que burritos, quesadillas y tacos. Aunque en los Estados Unidos una de las comidas más conocida es la comida mexicana, esta también está compuesta de una gran variedad de ingredientes, colores y sabores. En la comida latinoamericana hay una mezcla de cultura con influencia indígena y europea, por ejemplo, de España, Italia, e incluso de África. Es importante notar que la comida varía según la región geográfica y el país. Estas variaciones gastronómicas dependen de los productos de cada región, de la cercanía con el mar, de la geografía particular de cada zona y de las tradiciones y orígenes culturales de cada pueblo. Por ejemplo, en el norte de México los tamales se envuelven con las hojas de maíz y en el sur con las hojas del plátano. Pero en general, en todo México se utilizan distintos tipos de chiles para sazonar las comidas y por eso es común que la comida mexicana sea muy picante. Los elementos básicos en el país son las tortillas, el arroz, los frijoles, el ajo y los chiles picantes. En Centroamérica, las comidas son similares a México, pero cada país tiene sus propios platos típicos. También, en las costas se utilizan muchos mariscos que pueden prepararse en estofados, a la parrilla, crudos, o encurtidos como el ceviche. Aunque el ceviche se come en Centroamérica y América del Sur, es especialmente famoso el de Perú. El ceviche básico consiste en pescado crudo marinado en cítricos como el limón. Se le agregan condimentos como cebolla, chile, pimienta y sal. En el caso de la carne de res, los argentinos y uruguayos son los más conocidos en consumo y preparación de carnes, seguidos de los colombianos, venezolanos y brasileños. El plátano es muy común en platos de comida colombiana y centroamericana. Los patacones (plátanos verdes fritos) de Colombia son famosos e indispensables en la comida colombiana. Son tradicionales también en los platos venezolanos y puertorriqueños, pero estos últimos les llaman tostones. 1. La comida latinoamericana consiste solo en burritos, tacos y quesadillas.  2. La comida latinoamericana tiene una influencia indígena y europea.  3. Los tamales en el norte y el sur de México son diferentes.  4. Dos elementos básicos de la comida de México son los chiles picantes y los tostones.  5. Los argentinos y uruguayos son famosos por la preparación de la carne de res.  31  Learning Spanish: How to Understand and Speak a New Language V. Respuestas correctas / Correct Answers a. 1. unos 9. un 2. una 10. unas 3. unos 11. un 4. un 12. unos 5. unos 13. un 6. unas 14. una 7. unos 15. unos 8. unos 16 unas b. 1. unos 5. una 2. Un 6. unas 3. un 7. una 4. un c. 1. X 6. un 2. X 7. X 3. una 8. un 4. un 9. X 5. X 10. una d. 1. cincuenta 5. cincuenta y dos 2. treinta y uno 6. nueve 3. veintiocho 7. seis 4. diez Lectura cultural 1. F 2. C 3. C 4. F 5. C Latin American food is more than burritos, quesadillas, and tacos. Even though in the United States Mexican food is one of the most well-known kinds, Mexican food is also composed of a great variety of ingredients, colors, and flavors. In Latin American food, there is a mixture of culture with indigenous and European influence from, for example, Spain, Italy, and even Africa. It’s important to note that food varies according to geographical region and country. These gastronomic variations depend on the products of each region, proximity to the sea, the particular geography of each zone, and the traditions and cultural origins of each nation. For example, in the north of Mexico tamales are wrapped in corn husks and in the south in banana leaves. But in general, in all of Mexico, different types of chili peppers are used to season food, and for that reason it’s common for Mexican food to be spicy. The basic elements in the country are tortillas, rice, beans, garlic, and hot chilis. In Central America, the food is similar to Mexican food, but each country has its own typical dishes. Also, on the coasts many shellfish are used that can be prepared in stews, on the grill, raw, or pickled as in ceviche. Although ceviche is eaten in Central America and South America, it is especially famous in Peru. Basic ceviche consists of raw fish marinated in citrus fruit like lemon. Condiments like onion, chili peppers, pepper, and salt are added to it. The Argentines and the Uruguayans are the most known for consuming and cooking beef, followed by the Colombians, Venezuelans, and Brazilians. Bananas are very common in dishes of Colombian and Central American food. Patacones (fried green bananas) from Colombia are famous and indispensable in Colombian food. They are also traditional in Venezuelan and Puerto Rican dishes, but people there call them tostones. 32  Lesson The Verb Estar and Numbers over 100 6 I. Vocabulario nuevo / New Vocabulary caliente – hot aburrido – bored frío – cold cansado – tired nervioso – nervous enfermo – sick preocupado – worried ocupado – busy frustrado – frustrated preparado – prepared confundido – confused ordenado – organized, tidy tranquilo – calm desordenado – disorganized, messy triste – sad roto – broken alegre – happy abierto – open enojado – angry cerrado – closed feliz – happy estar – to be ¡Repitan! – Repeat! [formal command] ¡Empecemos! – Let’s get started! el parque – park la iglesia – church el hospital – hospital el aeropuerto – airport la biblioteca – library el mercado – market la tienda – store el carro – car la oficina – office el dólar – dollar antes de Cr