Stress and written Accent Marks- Pronunciación

In Spanish, stress can be predicted based on the written form of the word. As usual, there are also rules that help a bit-- I remember as a child thinking how I was supposed to remember all those rules to speak correctly! Do not worry these rules a lot simpler than the ones I had to learn.

 La acentuación (stress) of words such as hablar, papá, mamá and sobrino is the bold and italicized vowel.

Below are a few of the rules that will help you figure out where to place the stress in a Spanish word. 

          1. If a word ends in a vowel, the letters n or s, stress normally falls on the next to the last syllable. 

                hablo   casa   joven  hablamos  prima

          

          2. If a word ends in any other consonant, stress normally falls on the last syllable.

                usted   español   trabajar    hablar   doctor      

           

          3. Un acento ortográfico ( a written stress mark) will be on the stress vowel for the words that are exceptions the last two rules.

                

                papá   mamá    nación   dólar  televisión   francés

          

          4. One syllable words have accents to distinguish from other words that sound like them such as:

                tú (you)    tu (your)

                él (he)      el (the)

                sí (yes)    si (if)

            5. Interrogative and exclamatory words have a written accent on the stressed vowel like in ¿quién? (who?); ¿dónde? (Where?); ¡cómo no! (of course!).

NOTE: Accent marks are added or deleted to preserve the original stress when words are made into plural. We delete the accent when make into plural nación---> naciones; francés---> franceses. On the other hand, we add an accent that are made into plural like joven ---> jóvenes.

Verb To be (Ser)

No matter how much you try, we come back to the verb to be (Ser). In past posts, I have used the verb Serto tell the time and in the singular form only. This post will discuss a more detailed aspects of the verb To be (Ser).

WHAT CAN YOU EXPRESS WITH THE VERB TO BE (Ser)?

1.  who someone or something is,
2. what something is made of.
3. whom something is for.

SER (To Be)
yo               soy                    I am	nosotros/as         somos    we are
tú                eres                  you are	vosotros/as         sois          you are
él                 es                     he is	Ellos                     son            they are
Ella              es                    she is	Ellas                     son            they are
usted           es                   you are	Ustedes               son           they are

Uses of ser

1. Ser is used to identify people and things. Here are some examples of what it is meant:

   Yo soy estudiante. (I'm a student).

    Carlos y yo somos amigos. (Carlos y yo are friends). Here note that when you have a noun + yo

                         use the nosotros/nosotras form of the verb. As a result, I can say instead of Carlos y yo:

     Nosotros somos amigos.

     If, we were to use another sentence like: Ella y yo somos amigas. Then the same will be true for the use of the verb form of nosotros to say the same thing (pronoun + yo= nosotras/nosotros). Nosotras somos amigas.

    

    

  El Doctor Ramirez es profesor. (Dr. Ramirez is a profesor). Notice that in here we do not use el in front of undescribed noun of profession.

Esto es un libro. (This is a book).

2. Ser is used to express nationality; ser + de is used to express national origin. Let's see some examples of nationality:

Pedro es peruano. (Pedro is Peruvian).

Carolina es Venezolana.(Carolina is Venezuelan).

Iari es brasileña. (Iari is Brazilian).

 Now, let's see some examples of how we use ser+de (from) to express national origin:

John y Mary son de los Estados Unidos.  (John and Mary are fron the United States).

El mesonero es de Cuarnavaca.  (The Waiter is from Cuarnavaca).

3. Ser + de  is also used to tell of what material something is made.

La mesa es de madera. ( The table is wood). Literally: The table is made of wood.

El carro es de metal.      (The car is metal). Literally: The car is made of metal.

4. Ser + para is used to tell for who something is intended.

    La comida es para Andrés. ( The food is for Andrés)

    El regalo es para Sonia. (The gift is for Sonia.)

5. Ser is used to tell the time.

Es la una de la mañana. (It's one o'clock in the morning.)

Es la una de la tarde. (It's one o'clock in the afternoon.)

Son las tres de la tarde. (It's three o'clock in the afternoon.)

6. To express generalizations, we use es (third-person singular of ser). Note: the infinitive ( it's underlined) after the impersonal expressions.

   

    Es necesario trabajar todos los días para vivir en los Estados Unidos.

    ( It's necessary to work everyday to live in the United States.)

    Es importante estudiar. (It's important to study).

Now, practice using the verb Ser in writing so when the audio/visual addition comes you are ready and familiar with the material.

Some of the things you can do is identify people and what they do for a living. An example of this would be:

¿Quién es estudiante? Who is student?

Maria_____ estudiante.

Yo_______ estudiante.

Juan y Elena_____ estudiante.

Vosotros_______ estudiantes.

Ustedes _______ estudiantes.

¿De dónde son? Where are you from?

EX: Dietrich ________Alemania.

Regis Durette ________ 

Maria Aguirre_________

Juan Soto____________

Maria Guadalupe Sánchez__________

Giusepe Lazzarino___________

Robin Windsor______________

México, Venezuela, Colombia, Chile, España, Francia (France), Italia (Italy), Alemania (Germany) , Inglaterra (England)

¿De qué son estos objetos? (What are these objects made of?)

¿de metal? (of metal?)

¿de madera? (of wood?)

¿de papel? (of paper?)

¿de plástico? (of plastic)

1. la mesa (table)

2. el dinero (money)

3.el carro/ coche (car)

4.el libro (car)

5.el bolígrafo (Pen)

¿Para quién son estas cosas? (For whom are this things?)

Ex:    Los zapatos/ mi hija.(my daughter)   

         Los zapatos son para mi hija.

1. La fiesta/Carlos

2.El regalo/Juan

3.El carro/mi hermano

4.El libro/mi primo

¿Qué hora es?

11:00 A.M.

1:45 P.M.

7:30 P.M.

3:10 A.M.

1:00 P.M.

Remember that  you do not have to overuse yo in order to make yourself understood. Let's say I wnat to say something about me:

Yo soy Elena. Soy de ______. 

Now, I would like to find about you by asking: 

¿ Quién eres tu?( informal) (Who are you?

¿ Quién es usted? (formal)

Spanish Lesson - Telling Time (Questions and Answers Part I)

The Clock:

It has become apparent to me that no matter where you are located, there are many questions regarding the Spanish Language. My intent in this post is to answer some of those that have been asked in my classes and by those individuals who want to learn for the fun of it. As you know, languages are constantly in motion and ever changing; however, in Spanish the changes become acceptable among those in academia and take time to become part of the popular culture. Other times, it is the usage of the people that forces the hand of those in academia to accept changes by popular vote. This is evident in the words now incorporated in dictionaries. Do not worry, in Spanish we have La Real Academia Española to keep us from going astray. As a result, there is the Spanish used in schools and universities and the one that is consider popular. Within those sectors of the population, you can find the Spanish spoken in Latin American Countries and that in the regions of Spain. Clear as mud? So, let's begin with few Q&A and evolve into something useful for all of us.

1.What is the most appropriate way to ask for the time in countries where Spanish is spoken?

The correct way to ask for the time is in the singular form:  ¿Qué hora es? (here, the word hora is used to mean ‘moment of the day’). The response to this question is: Es la una  for 1 a.m or 1p.m  and plural for the rest such as "Son las diez y media"or " Son las dos menos cuarto."
In plural, ¿Qué horas son? is acceptable,although less recommended, and it is use more frequently by those who are less educated and are from the Americas ¿Qué horas son, compa?  would ask a young man in the streets. "Van a dar las cinco"- would answer the shop keeper . 
If I receive a call after midnight, I'll be using the plural form to ask: ¿qué horas son estas?: «¿Cómo que qué horas son estas de llamar?

Other ways ask for the time:
 1.You can also use the verb "decir" instead of "dar".You can ask:
          "¿Me puede decir la hora?" (formal)
          "¿Me puedes decir la hora?" (informal)

2. If you would rather use dar,
          ¿Me da la hora, por favor? (formal)
          ¿Me das la hora? (informal)
   
I'll suggest using the verb "poder":
         "¿Me puedes dar la hora, por favor" (informal)
         "¿Me puede dar la hora, por favor?" (formal)

2. How do I ask, A QUÉ HORA ES, QUÉ HORA SON or QUÉ HORA ES?
As I said above, the correct way of asking for the time is  ¿Qué hora es? (what time is it?)
hora in this question is used to ask about a moment in the day. It is a female noun ( la hora) so if it happens to be 1 am or 1 pm. the answer to the question would be: Es la una de la mañana (It is one in the morning) or es la una de la tarde (It is one in the afternoon.)
Remember: Es la una de la ........here la and una are used because hora is a feminine word (la hora). Un,uno,una= one
una hora 
 ¿A QUÉ HORA ES ? (At what time?) is used to find out the specific time something is taking place such as a movie. ¿A QUÉ HORA ES la película ?¿A QUÉ HORA ES el vuelo?¿A QUÉ HORA ES el juego de fútbol?

 3. If I were asked ¿Qué hora es ahora? ¿Qué hora era hace quince minutos? ¿Qué hora era hace treinta minutos? How do I answer those questions.

     a. ¿Qué hora es ahora? 
 It would be answered the same way as has been stated before. If the time is 1:00 am or 1:00 pm, then it would be es la una de la mañana or es la una de la tarde. Es la una en punto, la una y cuarto, la una menos diez, etc.
If the time is 2:00 am or 2 pm, then the answer would be son las dos en punto de la mañana or las dos en punto de la tarde. 
 ¿Qué hora es ahora?
 Ahora es la una y cuarto de la tarde or son las dos y media.

        b. ¿Qué hora era hace quince minutos? 
          This will depend on the time provided so if you have 3:15 pm, then the answer should be: Eran las tres de la tarde or, Eran las tres en punto de la tarde.
If the time given was 1:15 am then the answer would be: Era la una de la mañana or, Era la una en punto de la mañana.

         C.¿Qué hora era hace treinta minutos?
                If the time provided was 1:30 pm, the answer would be: Era la una de la tarde or Era la una en punto de la tarde.
                  If the time provided was 3:15  then the answer to the question would be: Eran las tres menos cuarto.  

More later with more questions and answers...
Feel free to ask, request subject or material to add to the post or provide feedback .
Hasta Luego! See you soon! 

Expressions of Affection in the Family - Expresiones de Cariño en la Familia

In many Spanish speaking families, one can hear the many loving names that they give each other like papi or mami. what is different is the reversal use of the words mami and papi used by the parents when talking to their children. In the meantime, there are spouses who are heard calling each other mi hijo and mi hija. In other instances, one can hear close friends calling each other mi hijo and mi hija. Well, that is the way we are!!

Los padres a los hijos	Los hijos a los padres
Mi hijo	Papi, papá,papito
Mi hija	Mami,mamá,mamita
Nene, nena, nené
Cielo/cielito
cariño
Corazón
Amor/amorcito

 It is very common to hear the diminutive form of a noun used in our households. One simple example is the use of mamita instead of mami or mamá; abuelito instead of abuelo and so on.
In the case of names, you can hear moms lovingly calling their children Juanito (Juan),Elenita (Elena) and Carmencita(Carmen).

NOTE: the diminutive is used when we want to refer to something that is small in size, but as you can see we also use it to refer to each other with cariño (affection)

Masculine+ ito	Feminine+ita
Juan        Juancito	Elena     Elenita
Luis         Luisito	Mamá    mamita
Carlos     Carlitos	Carmen    Carmencita

Let's Describe People

In this port, we will learn about how to describe someone or something by using the adjectives below. Before we begin, you will notice that the Spanish section is divided in two columns: The first one for the masculine words and the second one for the feminine words.

An example would be to use the adjective alto and alta to describe a family member.

Elena es la hermana de Carlos. Ella es alta.

Elena- female

la hermana- feminine word to match Elena

alta- describes Elena's height

I'll be adding sound  and /or video files in the near future. In the meantime, learn how to spell the words and their meaning.

NOTE: The sound files are stored at a file hosting site with some restrictions. Please be patient while I look for other alternatives.

Spanish (Masculine singular plural)	Spanish (Feminine singular plural)	English
alto	alta	tall
bajo	baja	Short (in height)
grande	grande	Large, big
pequeño	pequeña	small
guapo	guapa	Handsome, good-looking
bonito	bonita	Pretty
feo	fea	ugly
corto	corta	Short (in length)
largo	larga	long
joven	joven	Young
viejo	vieja	Old
nuevo	nueva	New
bueno	buena	Good
malo	mala	Bad
listo	lista	Smart, clever
tonto	tonta	Silly,foolish
casado	casada	Married
soltero	soltera	single
simpático	simpática	Nice, likable
antipático	antipática	Unpleasant
trabajador	trabajadora	Hard-working
perezoso	perezosa	Lazy
rico	rica	Rich
pobre	pobre	Poor
delgado	delgada	Thin,slender
gordo	gorda	Fat
rubio	rubia	Blond
moreno	morena	brunette

Remember:

 bajo refers to height
corto refers to height
joven is used with people
nuevo is used with things
guapo/guapa refers to male/female
bonito refers only to things and bonita to female