tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87678488348365858022024-03-19T05:33:10.828-07:00Helping You Learn SpanishSimplifying the textbook side of learning Spanish and offering practical advice to help you become a Spanish speaker.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767848834836585802.post-53150650923597464142016-05-15T10:51:00.005-07:002016-05-18T04:18:06.382-07:00A list of podcasts to help you learn Spanish<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: black;">I'm constantly on the look out for new learning Spanish resources to help me improve, and sometimes just to entertain myself. In fact, most Spanish learners are doing the same thing, so I thought why not share my collection of learning Spanish podcast links to help out my faithful readers.</span><br />
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This list of learning Spanish podcasts is far from complete and probably not as well organized as it could be, it's a work in progress. It's currently divided into very broad categories but should do the job for now. I've also got a few other collections of resources that will eventually be combined into this list at some point. Here are the links for those:<br />
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<a href="http://myspanishnotes.blogspot.com/p/learn-spanish-links.html" target="_blank">Great links to learn Spanish for free</a><br />
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<a href="http://helpingyoulearnspanish.blogspot.com/2014/11/great-podcasts-for-beginners.html" target="_blank">Great podcasts for beginners</a><br />
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Got some helpful links you'd like to share? Found a link that no longer works? Post a note in the comments and I'll update the list. In the mean time, enjoy! There's plenty of resources here to keep you busy and I have a lot more to add. Check back here periodically for updates or follow the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HelpingYouLearnSpanish" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3778cd;">Helping You Learn Spanish Facebook page</span></a> to be notified when this list is updated. I also post a variety of things on the Facebook page that never make it to the blog so it's good idea to follow the page anyway.<br />
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<b><span style="color: blue;">STUFF TO LISTEN TO OR WATCH IN SPANISH</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://radioambulante.org/es/" target="_blank">Radio Ambulante Latin America Storytelling Podcast</a><br />
A collection of real life interviews and stories, all in Spanish. There's a lot of very interesting material here, all of it based on true events. <br />
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<a href="http://www.lengalia.com/es/podcasts.html" target="_blank">Lengalia – Spanish language and Culture podcasts</a><br />
A collection of online podcasts to listen to about the Spanish language and culture of Spain and Latin America.<br />
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<a href="http://www.mitele.es/" target="_blank">Mitele.es Spanish TV online [Video]</a><br />
You'll find plenty of things to entertain you at this site. It's TV online so there's something for everybody.<br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><b>PODCASTS FOR LEARNERS</b></span><br />
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<a href="http://spanishobsessed.com/" target="_blank">Spanish Obsessed - Beginner, Intermediate and advanced audio podcasts</a><br />
Run by Rob and Liz, they have a great website for people of all levels and focus on neutral and Colombian Spanish.<br />
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<a href="http://www.lightspeedspanish.co.uk/" target="_blank">Lightspeed Spanish</a></div>
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Focusing on the Spanish from Spain, this site is also run by a husband and wife team and has a lot of great content for learners at all levels.</div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">LEARNING SPANISH IN SPANISH</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://spanishpodcast.org/" target="_blank">Español Podcast</a><br />
Narrated by an española named Mercedes, she has a vast collection of 30-60 minute podcasts where she teaches various grammar topics via a dialog and then goes on to explain everything you hear in the dialog in complete detail and has a transcript of the complete dialog, include her explanations. This is one of the best resources for learning Spanish on the internet.<br />
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<a href="http://www.spanish360withfabiana.com/" target="_blank">Spanish 360 Podcast con Fabiana</a><br />
Fabiana and her team teach you some of the finer points of Spanish and simplify some of the more complicated aspects of the Spanish language. This is one of my favorite sites.<br />
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<a href="http://audiria.com/" target="_blank">Audiria Spanish Language Podcast</a> <br />
There's a huge collection to materials here for beginning to advanced learners. And if you're looking for the Spanish of Spain, this is the site for you.<br />
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<a href="http://ssl4you.blogspot.mx/" target="_blank">SSL4YOU - Español Segunda Lengua para Todos</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.learner.org/series/destinos/index.html" target="_blank">Destinos - An introduction to Spanish</a><br />
This is one of the most well known and popular resources on the internet for learning Spanish. Below is the description of this course taken from Wikipedia.<br />
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Also known as simply Destinos, is a television program created by Bill Van Patten, who was, at the time, Professor of Spanish and Second Language Acquisition at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. The show, designed to introduce viewers to the basics of Spanish, had two seasons, beginning in 1992. Its 52 episodes are often used for educational purposes in schools and are still broadcast regularly on many PBS stations, as well as many local channels.<br />
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<b><span style="color: blue;">PODCAST SHOWS</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://spanishmastering.podbean.com/?source=pb&paged=1" target="_blank">Mexican Slang Podcast</a><br />
Learn Spanish with Diana and Héctor. They will explain some expressions and vocabulary words that are frequently used by Mexicans such as “¡qué padre!”, “híjole”, etc.<br />
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<a href="http://desdeelbano.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Desde el baño</a><br />
A podcast created by an Argentina named Sofía, she literally recorded her podcasts in her bathroom. She talks about the language and culture of Argentina and it's a wonderful podcast. It's all in Spanish and she speaks a little fast, but if the Spanish of Argentina interests you it's worth the challenge if your Spanish abilities aren't quite there yet.<br />
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You can also <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/podcast-desde-el-bano/id151328142?l=es&mt=2" target="_blank">find her podcasts on iTunes</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.tellittomewalking.com/spanishpodcast/" target="_blank"><span id="goog_2039880372"></span>Dimelo caminando</a><br />
This site doesn't have a ton of episodes but the content that's there is awesome. The podcasts are recorded in a mix of Spanish and English and focus primarily on Colombian Spanish. Each podcast is a combination of travel, language and culture. It's one of my favorites.<br />
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<b>ADVANCED</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.podcastsinspanish.org/pages/level1.shtml" target="_blank">Podcasts in Spanish</a><br />
Escuche, aprenda y enseñe conversaciones españolas para principiantes elementales y preintermedios españoles<br />
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<a href="http://www.edufone.com/podcasts.php" target="_blank">Edufone Learn Spanish Podcasts and Learn English Podcasts</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.medicalspanishpodcast.com/" target="_blank">Medical Spanish and Spanish Grammar Review</a><br />
You won't find many websites, much less podcasts dedicated to medical Spanish, and this one is actually run by a doctor and goes into some serious details about all things medical.<br />
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News in Slow Spanish Podcast. Online Spanish grammar, expressions, pronunciation and grammar exercises<br />
http://www.newsinslowspanish.com/home.php<br />
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<b><span style="color: blue;">IMPROVE YOUR LISTENING</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://www.laits.utexas.edu/spe/index.html" target="_blank">University of Texas Spanish Proficiency Exercises</a> <br />
A huge collection of video interviews with accompanying dialogs and grammar lessons. This a great site to help you improve your listening abilities and overall knowledge of Spanish.<br />
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<a href="http://spanishintexas.org/" target="_blank">Spanish in Texas</a> <br />
Also by the University of Texas, very similar to the site listed above.<br />
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<a href="http://langmedia.fivecolleges.edu/collection/lm_spanish.html" target="_blank">Language Media (Spanish Countries)</a><br />
Another great collection of videos of Spanish speakers from various countries with accompanying transcripts in both English and Spanish.<br />
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<a href="http://spanish.yabla.com/?a=1435" target="_blank">Yabla Spanish</a><br />
Another excellent website that has an enormous video library of interviews, TV shows, music videos and more to help you improve your listening skills. It isn't free, but at only $10/mo it's extremely affordable and well worth the money. <br />
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<a href="http://www.veintemundos.com/en/library/" target="_blank">VeinteMundos – Your Spanish Language Magazine</a> <br />
This site has a vast library of free and extremely interesting articles for you to read, all in Spanish.<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/123dialogues/playlists?shelf_id=2&view=50&sort=dd" target="_blank">Spanish-English dialogues</a><br />
A collection of short videos for beginners to more advanced students with transcripts in both English and Spanish.<br />
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<a href="http://www.lingus.tv/" target="_blank">Learn Spanish, Lingus.tv</a><br />
Lingus TV teaches you Spanish through short humorous videos. Each video has a transcript, subtitles, translation and notes on the expressions and vocabulary you hear in the video. It's a great to learn and laugh at the same time.<br />
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<a href="http://www.spanishlistening.org/" target="_blank">Spanish Listening</a><br />
This site has a wonderful collection of Spanish video interviews with people from different parts of the Spanish speaking world with complete transcripts and quizzes.<br />
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<br />Rodneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07520016346341456183noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767848834836585802.post-34522937806294402332016-02-21T10:18:00.000-08:002016-02-21T10:20:54.250-08:004 Idiomatic Expressions With the Verb TenerToday we're going take a look the verb <b>tener </b>and some of it's many uses. As a beginner, this is a verb you need to get really familiar with, and some of it's uses just might surprise you.<br />
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For those of you who aren't very familiar with the verb <b>tener</b>, here's a great video that teaches you how to conjugate it in the present tense and the basics of how to use it. I highly recommend this video for beginners and those of you who need a refresher or a little extra practice.<br />
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If you can't see the video below, here's the link: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJCk6y3fO9g">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJCk6y3fO9g</a><br />
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With the basics out of the way, now we can move on to some of the more fun and interesting uses of <b>tener</b>.<br />
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<b>1. Tener que ver</b><br />
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You can translate this as "something to do with" , "nothing to do with" or "involved with". Let's look at some examples:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWd6iP9LlQ64Z5kkpqWHtxCYYiznUsqCeXh85A_P_WDoloBPwfgkSPBi4eqJOGU0zvczADDopUMS1iLr1t-iCg403ET4JEXESfdDZTrspP1wGcWiKCW3Rbd609mfjMYGRx4nfeZydLgk/s1600/no+tiene+que+ve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWd6iP9LlQ64Z5kkpqWHtxCYYiznUsqCeXh85A_P_WDoloBPwfgkSPBi4eqJOGU0zvczADDopUMS1iLr1t-iCg403ET4JEXESfdDZTrspP1wGcWiKCW3Rbd609mfjMYGRx4nfeZydLgk/s320/no+tiene+que+ve.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<b>Y eso, ¿qué tiene ver?</b><br />
What does that have to do with it?<br />
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<b>No tiene nada que ver</b><br />
It has nothing has nothing to do with it<br />
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<b>¿De qué se trata la llamada? Tiene que ver con la venda del negocio</b><br />
What's the call about? It has to do with the sale of the business<br />
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<b>Pedro no tiene nada que ver con el robo</b><br />
Pedro is not involved with the robbery<br />
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<b>¿Tienes que ver con esto?</b><br />
Do you have anything to do with this?<br />
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<b>2. Tener que</b><br />
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This one you definitely need to have under your belt, it's very commonly used. Whenever you see <b>tener </b>followed by <b>que</b>, it no longer means "to have", but rather "to have to".<br />
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<b>Tengo que ir a la tienda</b><br />
I have to go to the store<br />
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<b>Tienes que lavarla la ropa</b><br />
You have to wash the clothes<br />
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<b>Tenemos que estudiar el español</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi745QqZgei-9kQZm6zheDktTZxhAVt5V_PmfzcBj7T5LYlQGuTn6XM1pOJTL5mhJwRkRrwNud2oXoonJV2Mm_7Xj6QomQFV6jH5omk5NfXMsn_-Pq4yja7-2khUonN6mtkAiFNjN8BQr0/s1600/tener+que+vender+mi+cuerpo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi745QqZgei-9kQZm6zheDktTZxhAVt5V_PmfzcBj7T5LYlQGuTn6XM1pOJTL5mhJwRkRrwNud2oXoonJV2Mm_7Xj6QomQFV6jH5omk5NfXMsn_-Pq4yja7-2khUonN6mtkAiFNjN8BQr0/s320/tener+que+vender+mi+cuerpo.jpg" width="320" /></a>We have to study Spanish<br />
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I'm doing this bills...<br />
And this month there's no way...<br />
I'm going to have to sell my body<br />
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<b>3. Tener ganas de</b><br />
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This is another expression you'll hear often and find very useful. It simply means to feel like doing something.<br />
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<b>Tengo ganas de ir al cine</b><br />
I feel like going to the movies<br />
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<b>¿Tienes ganas de ir a pasear por el parque?</b><br />
Do you feel like going for a walk in the park?<br />
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<b>No tengo ganas de ir al trabajo</b><br />
I don't feel like going to work<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNZmUO3D1mjvQiqlqbawSp-ev69OeEPYJTa8dz_PcTQdYdmzEjjiRPwe-PyCkm67K6Y6-OmDIBJwLRbAJ7SKJuKtAQXwa317Kw7BppXHJW1PMASf_qJ_StEMXc1HKofk5ueC9SoATb_M/s1600/no-tengo-ganas-de-hacer-nada-frase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNZmUO3D1mjvQiqlqbawSp-ev69OeEPYJTa8dz_PcTQdYdmzEjjiRPwe-PyCkm67K6Y6-OmDIBJwLRbAJ7SKJuKtAQXwa317Kw7BppXHJW1PMASf_qJ_StEMXc1HKofk5ueC9SoATb_M/s320/no-tengo-ganas-de-hacer-nada-frase.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>4. No tener pelos en la lengua </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQV4HdsD633i7E5l9lBuDsLFP4SGHEhmWCQvUySYqf3VMQRx7ZgPUjiHTdlY-_UPkOYA3OTVNRph_1-waIBplYIp40s8DgKWTktzJea0nStWOk9FXtakyIgYBjcdY98Vk4q6lKHdjjBM/s1600/sin+pelos+en+la+lengua.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQV4HdsD633i7E5l9lBuDsLFP4SGHEhmWCQvUySYqf3VMQRx7ZgPUjiHTdlY-_UPkOYA3OTVNRph_1-waIBplYIp40s8DgKWTktzJea0nStWOk9FXtakyIgYBjcdY98Vk4q6lKHdjjBM/s320/sin+pelos+en+la+lengua.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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You may also hear this one as <b>sin tener pelos en la lengua</b>. It means to speak in a very direct manner, to tell things exactly as they are. Or as we often say in English, not to mince words.<br />
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<b>A Jose me cae bien por decir las cosas como son, sin tener pelos en la lengua</b><br />
I like Jose because he says things as the way they are, without mincing words<br />
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<b>Mi esposo no tiene pelos en la lengua</b><br />
My husband tells it how it is<br />
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And that's it. Or at least that's all I'm going to talk about in this post. But before I go, I'll leave you with one more video to really help you get a grasp on the verb <b>tener</b>. It covers a lot ways to use <b>tener </b>that I didn't, and even some of the things I did.<br />
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Here's the link in case you don't see the video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD1rcv_ZTNA">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD1rcv_ZTNA</a><br />
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Ya! That's it for today. <b>Espero que te sirva.</b><br />
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Here are a few other posts you may find of interest.<br />
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<a href="http://helpingyoulearnspanish.blogspot.com/2015/03/uses-of-llevar.html" target="_blank">6 Uses of llevar</a><br />
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<a href="http://helpingyoulearnspanish.blogspot.com/2014/04/yo-te-invito.html" target="_blank">Yo te invito</a><br />
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<a href="http://helpingyoulearnspanish.blogspot.com/2014/01/what-does-hacer-mean.html" target="_blank">Hazme caso por favor</a>Rodneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11982073579438095731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767848834836585802.post-80313790759217716092015-08-14T22:43:00.001-07:002015-09-19T06:21:00.962-07:00Up close and personal with Gritty Spanish<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.grittyspanish.com/?wpam_id=18" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Gritty Spanish" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzsAMtjHhiVuKTfZqFFAszqicjpkAISPsOlbx85vm_dU6zWGRF549C0HwMPfsdNgkJ_apWJogQnWtEJR3BZBBuo4sNViNIpbRgw-Gu72lKzoTwqE4mvjsy8T_o1ONF27ojpUtGlhJYgQ/s320/Gritty-Box-Art.png" title="" width="297" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">I just recently came across <a href="http://www.grittyspanish.com/?wpam_id=18" target="_blank">Gritty Spanish </a>and it grabbed my attention as soon as I saw it. </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">There are a lot of products to help you learn Spanish, but not many like this one.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">I'm going to give you a tour of <a href="http://www.grittyspanish.com/?wpam_id=18" target="_blank">Gritty Spanish</a> and tell you why it's so different from everything else and why I think it's worth your hard-earned <b>plata </b>(cash).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">The <a href="http://www.grittyspanish.com/?wpam_id=18" target="_blank">official Gritty Spanish web site</a> has a lot of information about the product, it's actually very informative, much more so than many other product websites. With that said, it's always nice to get an opinion of someone </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">who</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;"> has </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">used the product, so I'm going to share my feedback with you.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">To start off with, <a href="http://www.grittyspanish.com/?wpam_id=18" target="_blank">Gritty Spanish</a> targets intermediate and advanced students. Its got </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">31 dialogues (MP3 format) with matching PDF's. Since we're on the topic of dialogues, let's talk about those. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Here's the complete list:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">01 Drama on the F train-Drama en el tren F</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">02 Hotdog Stand-Puesto de perro caliente</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">03 Dirty Cop- Policía corrupto</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">04 Chat with Bartender- Charla con el camarero del Bar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">05 Men Hating- Los hombres criticando a otro</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">06 Yankee Stadium Concert- El concierto en el estadio de los Yankees</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">07 Pregnant Girlfriend- Novia embarazada</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">08 The Vagrant- El Mendigo</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">09 Club Security- Securidad del Club</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">10 Racist Taxi Driver- El Taxista racista</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">11 Visiting New York- Visitando Nueva York</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">12 The Hooker- La Puta</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">13 Vietnam Hustler- Estafador de Vietnam</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">14 The Lying Superintendent-El Superintendente mentiroso</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">15 Bodega Chat- el Chatear en la Bodega</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">16 Taxi after the Club-Taxi después el Club</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">17 The Sports Fan- El fanático de los deportes</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">18 Facebook drama with Girlfriend- Drama de Facebook con una novia</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">19 Club Scene- escena del club aburrido</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">20 Psycho Boyfriend- El novio loco</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">21 An Experienced man- un hombre experimentado</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">22 Cheating Boyfriend-El novio infiel</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">23 Shopping in Harlem- Ir de compras en Harlem</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">24 Strip Club- Club de striptease</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">25 Drinking in the Street-Bebiendo en la calle</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">26 Road Rage- El rabia del camino</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">27 Boy Selling Candy- El niño vendiendo dulces</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">28 Women Gossip- Chismes de las mujeres</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">29 Ice cream truck robbery- Robo del camión de heladoo</span><br />
<a class="vglnk" href="https://www.livingsocial.com/ca/cities/57-vancouver/deals/1472054-30-to-spend-on-food-and-drink" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Link added by VigLink">30 Food & drink</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">at a local Diner- Comida y una bebida en un restaurante local</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">31 Rough night in the Bronx- Una noche difícil en el Bronx</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">I've seen a good amount of learning Spanish dialogues, and I can tell you for a fact they don't have titles like these. Just as the name <a href="http://www.grittyspanish.com/?wpam_id=18" target="_blank">Gritty Spanish</a> suggests, the dialogues are edgy and very realistic. These are conversations and situations that take place between people everyday, using the language people use everyday. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">One of things that I believe is missing in the majority of learning Spanish products is just that, the Spanish people use day in and day out.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Here's a sample dialog. Not all of the dialogues are as gritty as this one, but it's a fun one.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PDxDYxQTRAU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PDxDYxQTRAU?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br />If you want to see a few more samples you can just <a href="http://www.grittyspanish.com/?wpam_id=18" target="_blank">go directly to the Gritty Spanish website</a>.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"> Let's talk about some other aspects of <a href="http://www.grittyspanish.com/?wpam_id=18" target="_blank">Gritty Spanish</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><b>The Audio</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">The sound quality is excellent. The recordings are very high quality with great sound effects that make the dialogues feel even more realistic. It's obvious a lot work went into putting the audio together. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Each dialog has it's own sound effects that makes it feel even more natural. I got the feeling I was actually there, in the scene being set by the actors.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">As you listen to the MP3's you can also view the Spanish text and the English translation, they've been included in the file as lyrics. I discovered this by accident, but it's a nice feature. And while MP3 tags are far from the most important feature of a dialog, they are well done and make the dialogues easy to organize and search on your smartphone, tablet or iPod. I really like this because I spend a lot of time updating the MP3 tags on other podcasts/audio files.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">The length of the conversations vary between almost 4 minutes to a max of 10. I personally think is the perfect length.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">And there's a version of each conversation that's 25% slower. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">While I don't believe they speak incredibly fast in the natural speed versions, they talk at a good pace that at times might be challenging to keep up with depending on your level and exposure to Spanish. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">The normal speed files and the 25% slower files are in separate folders, which I also like. </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">The Dialogues</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">The list of the conversation titles pretty much says it all. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">In <a href="http://www.grittyspanish.com/?wpam_id=18" target="_blank">Gritty Spanish</a> you'll hear people ordering food and drinks, trying on clothes, haggling, arguing, swearing, shopping, talking about sports, gossiping and more. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">The dialogues are fun and interesting. I mean, who doesn't enjoy listening to a jealous girlfriend getting on her boyfriends case about a woman who doesn't belong on his Facebook page? Or a racist cab driver, road rage or even a friendly chat about baseball?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">The voice actors do a very good job of bringing the stories to life and you'll hear several different accents - Mexican, Dominican, Colombian, Puerto Rican and Argentinian. This is important because you don't always get to choose who you speak Spanish with and being able to understand various accents is a plus.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">There is also a PDF that talks exclusively about the voice actors and identifies the nationality of each voice actor in the scene. I think that was a very nice touch.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">In general the conversations include a fair amount of profanity, some more than others, so keep that in mind if you're sensitive to that. The profanity they use is pretty neutral and would be understood in any country. In fact, I would say the Spanish as a whole is very neutral, so you're learning Spanish that can be understood by Spanish speakers everywhere.</span><br />
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<strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">The PDF Transcripts</strong><br />
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<a href="http://www.grittyspanish.com/?wpam_id=18" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8UOni0h3V8Juy8kLLqM41uZq7FfuhaJ0LUumbARMPwebQzcxVVDeOqCDgjW7dhjlAbL0G1ddmXfVPEa4p71F8TbVVxbkJ8RpxiA710VJBKd-9sw47zjZrqKKTUPZUxTewaYA-8Hpv0w/s320/gritty-spanish-harlem-shopping.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">The PDF's have a very polished and </span><a class="vglnk" href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/9780609606759-item.html" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Link added by VigLink">professional look</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">. Each PDF has a synopsis with the English and Spanish side-by-side. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">You get a PDF that includes all the conversations in one file. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">There's also a .mobi version for your Kindle.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">You also get a separate PDF for each dialog, but there are no corresponding Kindle versions for the individual PDF files. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">The translations are accurate. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">There are no grammar explanations, but I consider this to be a conversational Spanish resource, so I personally don't see that as a big deal.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">I own a lot of learning Spanish products, so I debated for several days before buying my copy, but I have to admit I've been enjoying it. It took a lot of effort not to listen to all the dialogues on the first day. I really got in sucked by conversations and they kept me wanting more. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><b>What's wrong with Gritty Spanish?</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">So you may be wondering if there's anything negative about <a href="http://www.grittyspanish.com/?wpam_id=18" target="_blank">Gritty Spanish</a>. In my humble opinion, no. I would have made some different choices in some of the translations, but translation is not an exact science and two translators will come up with different translations with both of them being equally correct. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Spoken Spanish is very regional with each country having its preferred manner of speaking and I would say <a href="http://www.grittyspanish.com/?wpam_id=18" target="_blank">Gritty Spanish</a> qualifies as US Spanish. It's just as valid as Spanish in any other region, and it's perfectly understandable in any country, so I don't a see a problem there. By the way, if you're wondering what the difference is between US Spanish and what I'll loosely call standard Spanish (to be honest I'm beginning to doubt that that such a thing exists), you can check out this book, <a href="http://amzn.to/1DUxbMm" target="_blank">Speaking Spanish in the USA</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">All things said and done, this is a solid and very unique product that will make a great addition to your Spanish toolbox.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">That's it! Go forth and </span><a href="http://www.grittyspanish.com/?wpam_id=18" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;" target="_blank">get your copy of Gritty Spanish</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">, I'm positive you'll love it as much I do.</span>Rodneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07520016346341456183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767848834836585802.post-28409337185542523822015-08-14T10:28:00.001-07:002015-08-14T21:21:37.489-07:00¿Falta mucho?The verb <b>falter </b>is one of the many verbs you'll need to have in your Spanish toolbox, so today we'll take a look some examples to give you the basics of how to use the verb <b>faltar</b>. <br />
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<b>Faltar </b>can be used a few different ways, let's take a look.<br />
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It can mean to lack or to need something.<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">Me falta tiempo</span><br />
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Literally this would be "to me time is lacking (or missing)" , but a more natural translation would be:<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">Me falta tiempo</span><br />
I don't have time<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">Le falta sal</span><br />
It needs salt<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">¿Nos falta algo?</span><br />
Are we missing anything?<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">Nos faltan tres sillas</span><br />
We need three chairs<br />
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Before we continue, did you notice what just happened there? We went from using <b>falta </b>to <b>faltan</b>. If you're wondering why, it's actually pretty simple. <br />
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When you're talking about more than one of something, you need to use <b>faltan</b>. If you were only missing one chair it would have been:<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">Nos falta una silla</span><br />
We need a chair<br />
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OK, Let's keep going.<br />
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<b>Faltar </b>can mean to be absent or to be missing.<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">Nos faltan Juan y María</span><br />
Juan and María aren't here<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">¿Quién falta?</span><br />
Who's missing?<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">Siento que algo falta en mi vida</span><br />
I feel like something is missing in my life<br />
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You can miss work, which is <b>faltar al trabajo</b>.<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">Me quedé dormido y falté al trabajo</span><br />
I overslept and missed work<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">¿Puedo faltar mañana?</span><br />
Can I miss work tomorrow?<br />
<br />
A more natural translation would be: Can I take tomorrow off?<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Tengo una buena excusa para faltar al trabajo</span><br />
I have a good excuse to miss work<br />
<br />
You can use <b>faltar </b>to talk about missing more than just work.<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;">Falté la cita con mi doctor</span><br />
I missed my appointment with my doctor<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Ella faltó a la reunión</span><br />
She missed the meeting<br />
<br />
If you want to know how much longer something is going to take, then you definitely need the verb <b>faltar</b>.<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;">¿Falta mucho?</span><br />
Is it going to be much longer?<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b> Is it going to be much longer?</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Did you already take the picture? Can we go?</b></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">¿Cuánto falta para que comamos?</span><br />
How much longer before we eat?<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">¿Cuánto falta para que empiece la película?</span><br />
How much longer before the movie starts?<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"> ¿Cuánto falta?</span><br />
How much longer?<br />
<br />
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<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Falta una semana para la noche de brujas</span><br />
It's a week until Halloween<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Sólo faltan cuatro días para la fiesta</span><br />
It's only four days until the party<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Faltan tres días para mi cumpleaños</span><br />
It's three days until my birthday<br />
<br />
<b>Faltar</b> is a very useful, high frequency verb, meaning that you'll hear it a lot, so it's important to get a good handle on it. <br />
<br />
I'll leave you with one last thing. If you want to put those Spanish ears of yours to work, then watch this short video called <b>¿Cuánto falta?</b> and see the verb <b>faltar </b>in action.<br />
<br />
Here's the link if you can't see the video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnqnfcmW3hI">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnqnfcmW3hI</a><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OnqnfcmW3hI/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OnqnfcmW3hI?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
Now you've got everything you need to start becoming an expert on <b>faltar</b>!<br />
<br />
Don't forget to take a look at my sister blog, <a href="http://myspanishnotes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">My Spanish Notes</a> to learn how Spanish speakers really speak, no grammar, no textbooks, just real Spanish I learned from real conversations. <br />
<br />
<b>¡Ojála que les sirva!</b>Rodneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07520016346341456183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767848834836585802.post-41286415860157398952015-03-06T19:44:00.000-08:002015-11-10T10:33:47.342-08:006 Uses of llevarYour Spanish book will most likely tell you the verb <b>Llevar </b>means to take, and it does. But the verb <b>Llevar </b>has several uses that your Spanish book might have left out. Let's take a look at a few of them.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><b>1. To talk about what you're wearing</b></span><br />
<br />
<b>No llevo gorras</b><br />
I don't wear ballcaps<br />
<br />
<b>Ella decidió llevar la blusa roja</b><br />
She decided to wear the red blouse <br />
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<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><b>2. To talk about how much time has passed</b></span><br />
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<br />
<b>Llevo 3 años viviendo aquí</b><br />
I've been living here for 3 years<br />
<br />
<b>Lleva tres días sin dormir</b><br />
He hasn't slept in three days<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Llevan esperando aquí dos horas</b><br />
They've been waiting here two hours<br />
<br />
<b>Te llevo mucho tiempo esperando</b><br />
I've been waiting a long time for you <br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><b>3. To ask for (and give) a ride</b></span><br />
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<b>Llévame al aeropuerto</b><br />
Take me to the airport<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Pedro nos llevó al super</b><br />
Pedro took us to the supermarket<br />
<br />
<b>¿Me llevas al banco?</b><br />
Will you take me to the bank? <br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><b>4. Food related uses </b></span><br />
<br />
<b>Dos hamburguesas para llevar por favor</b><br />
Two hamburgers to go please<br />
<br />
<b>¿Que lleva el taco? </b><br />
What does the taco have on it<br />
<br />
<b>El pastel lleva huevos, aceite, pasas, miel y harina</b><br />
The cake has eggs, oil, raisins, honey and flour <br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: blue;"><b><span style="color: blue;"><span style="background-color: white;">5. To talk about what you're carrying around with you</span></span></b></span><br />
<br />
<b>No llevo mis llaves </b><br />
I don't have my keys<br />
<br />
<b>¿Llevas el pasaporte encima?</b><br />
Do you have your passport on you?<br />
<br />
<b>No llevo dinero encima</b><br />
I don't have any money on me<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><b>6. To talk about how people get along</b></span><br />
<br />
Technically, you need to use <b>Llevarse</b>, <b>Llevar's</b> reflexive cousin. The expression is <b>Llevarse bien con alguien</b>. Or <b>Llevarse mal con alguien</b>, if you don't get along with them.<br />
<br />
<b>Nos llevamos bien</b><br />
We get along well <br />
<br />
<b>No se lleva bien con su madre</b><br />
He doesn't get along well with
his mother<br />
<br />
<b>Me llevo mal con mi suegra</b><br />
I don't get along with my mother-in-law<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Mis hijos se llevan como el perro y el gato</b></div>
My kids fight like cats and dogs<br />
<br />
Well, that should certainly be more than information to get you started with the verb <b>Llevar</b>. But if you want more, then take a look at what <a href="http://spanish.about.com/od/usingparticularverbs/a/llevar.htm" target="_blank">about.com says about the verb Llevar.</a> <a href="https://spanish.yabla.com/lessons.php?x_campaign=1435" target="_blank">Yabla Spanish</a> also has a very useful lesson on <b>Llevar</b>, <a href="https://spanish.yabla.com/lessons.php?lesson_id=108&x_campaign=1435" target="_blank">click here</a> to read it. <br />
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<br />
That's it for now. <b>¡Hasta la próxima!</b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767848834836585802.post-6370317162389174462014-11-16T16:28:00.000-08:002014-11-16T16:28:15.869-08:00¡Tardaste mucho! The verb <b>tardar </b>is is really useful and will make a great addition to your Spanish tool box. If you want to talk about how long it takes to do something, then this is the verb you need. Let's look at some examples.<br />
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You can use it to talk about how long it will take you or someone else to do something.<br />
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<b>¿Vas a tardar mucho?</b><br />
Are you going to take a long time?<br />
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<b>Tardé una hora en escribir la carta</b><br />
I took an hour to write the letter<br />
<br />
<b>Voy y vengo, no tardo mucho</b><br />
I'm going and coming right back, I won't be long<br />
<br />
<b>No tardes</b><br />
Don't take too long<br />
<br />
You can use it to talk about how long it takes to get somewhere.<br />
<br />
<b>¿Cuánto tiempo tarda en llegar al aeropuerto?</b><br />
How long does it take to get to the airport?<br />
<br />
<b>¿Tarda mucho en llegar?</b><br />
Does it take long to get there?<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Tarda dos horas en llegar</b><br />
It takes two hours to get there<br />
<br />
<b>¿Cuánto tiempo va a tardar mi orden?</b><br />
How long is my order going to take?<br />
<br />
And you can use <b>tardar </b>to talk about how something takes in general.<br />
<br />
<b>¿Cuánto tiempo va a tardar?</b><br />
How long is it going to take?<br />
<br />
And of course you can tell someone they took too long to do something.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDoxs7DBavmOLvKGSYLWJZWMdq-h63bA30q0KU_mfCajkiUow-m1foxTCrShZFQK7amI2CXI008wbfCRcuZ811qUFfGndDrGXeJ03zrPB2-ol7MyMhtjMRaxYUSkbRJGm_jbtUgSSljw/s1600/tardaste.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDoxs7DBavmOLvKGSYLWJZWMdq-h63bA30q0KU_mfCajkiUow-m1foxTCrShZFQK7amI2CXI008wbfCRcuZ811qUFfGndDrGXeJ03zrPB2-ol7MyMhtjMRaxYUSkbRJGm_jbtUgSSljw/s1600/tardaste.jpg" height="317" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
How long did it take you to think of that answer?</div>
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<b>¡Tardaste mucho!</b><br />
You took a long time!<br />
<br />
There's also the expression <b>A más tardar</b>.<br />
<br />
<b>Te pago a más tardar en tres días</b><br />
I'll pay you in three days at the latest<br />
<br />
And there you have it. Everything you need to know start using the verb <b>tardar </b>like a native Spanish speaker.<br />
<br />
That's it for today, <b>¡Hasta la próxima!</b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767848834836585802.post-56694745296582125012014-11-13T17:21:00.000-08:002014-11-15T15:50:19.226-08:00Great podcasts for beginnersI run a Spanish conversation group and every Saturday I get asked the same question, what should I do to help me learn Spanish? <br />
<br />
To answer that question, I can't help but flash back to how I learned a significant percentage of my Spanish - through podcasts. I consider podcasts a fantastic way to learn Spanish, for a variety of reasons. My first thought was to put together a list of podcasts for the group members, but then I thought why not share it with the world? <br />
<br />
<br />
These are in no particular order, so with out further delay, let's get to it.<br />
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<a href="http://www.cactusworldwide.com/blog/2013/10/19/cactus-spanish-minis/" target="_blank">Learn Spanish with the independent (Cactus Language Learning)</a><br />
<br />
Cactus Language Learning offers lessons at the Elementary, Beginner and Beginners Plus levels. They also have podcasts for all levels, so even if you're not a beginner you should still take a look. <br />
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<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/q-and-a-spanish/id473933447?mt=2" target="_blank">Q&A Spanish</a><br />
<br />
This is a unique podcast that answers questions of all levels submitted by listeners. You can access the episodes through iTunes.<br />
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<a href="http://spanishobsessed.com/category/spanish-from-scratch/" target="_blank">Spanish from Scratch, from Spanish Obsessed</a><br />
<br />
This site is run by a wonderful couple, Rob and Liz, and they produce podcasts for all levels, but this particular series is designed for someone with little to no background in Spanish. They also offer a beginner level. Be sure to take a look at the entire site and take advantage of everything they have to offer.<br />
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Liz hails from Colombia, and they provide great insight into the culture and Spanish of Colombia.<br />
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<a href="http://www.lightspeedspanish.co.uk/" target="_blank">LightSpeed Spanish</a><br />
<br />
Another great site run by a beautiful couple named Gordon and Cynthia that offers beginner lessons and more. They tend to focus Cynthia is from Spain, so if you have a particular interest in the Spanish of Spain, you'll really enjoy this site.<br />
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<a href="http://123dialogues.com/english-spanish.html" target="_blank">123 Dialogs</a><br />
<br />
This site is packed with video lessons that allow you to see and hear what you're learning at the same time. With a 100 dialogues to watch, you'll be busy for quite a while. <br />
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<a href="http://www.spanishpod101.com/member/go.php?r=6313&i=l0" target="_blank">SpanishPod101</a><br />
<br />
This site has an amazing archive with hundreds podcasts for all levels, including Survival Spanish, Introduction, Beginner and Absolute Beginner. Every week they offer free beginner lessons, all you need to do is sign up for a free account to get your free lessons. But if you want access to the complete archives, then you'll have to buy at least a basic subscription.<br />
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<a href="http://www.notesinspanish.com/spanish-audio/" target="_blank">Notes in Spanish</a><br />
<br />
Another site that has some great lessons for beginners and zeroes in on Spanish from Spain. Also run by a couple, Ben and Maria. <br />
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<a href="http://spanish.yabla.com/?a=1435" target="_blank">Yabla Spanish</a><br />
<br />
As a beginner you have two big challenges, one is be able to use complete sentences, the other is being able to understand what people say to you. <a href="http://spanish.yabla.com/?a=1435" target="_blank">Yabla Spanish </a>can help you with the latter. Improve your listening skills through entertaining videos that leverage subtitles and an integrated dictionary. It's a pretty amazing site and with a price of only $10 a month, it's worth a look.<br />
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<a href="http://www.easy-languages.org/?cat=17" target="_blank">Easy Spanish</a><br />
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This site offers videos on various topics in Spanish, with both Spanish and English subtitles. Videos like these are very hard to find but really go a long way in helping you approve your listening abilities.<br />
<br />
That's it for now. I'll continue to update this page as I discover more useful podcast resources.<br />
<br />
Know any good podcast or video sites that are good for beginners? Post it in the comments and I'll add it to the list, or you can share it on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HelpingYouLearnSpanish" target="_blank">Helping You Learn Spanish Facebook page</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>¡Hasta la próxima!</b>Rodneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07520016346341456183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767848834836585802.post-5654599791618770562014-08-02T07:15:00.001-07:002015-09-13T07:16:35.111-07:00How I learned to conjugate verbs I run a Spanish conversation group and one of the questions I routinely get
from beginners is "What's the best way to learn to conjugate verbs?". Good question right?<br />
<br />
Verb conjugation is one of the most brutal parts of learning Spanish because there are no shortcuts, you have to put in a lot of hard work. In this post I'm going to share the resources I used with the hope that the path I followed will work for you as well, or at the very least provide a starting point for you to make your own path.<br />
<br />
Let's get to it.<br />
<br />
One of the first resources I started with was the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071639306/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0071639306&linkCode=as2&tag=helyouleaspa-20&linkId=VO5OTS7KAZQUPTJT" target="_blank">Practice Makes Perfect Spanish Verb Tenses</a> book, from the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=practice%20makes%20perfect%20series%20Spansh&linkCode=ur2&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Apractice%20makes%20perfect%20series%20Spansh&tag=helyouleaspa-20&url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&linkId=YNKA5NEXUWRG5B7U" target="_blank">Practice Makes Perfect Series</a>. It's packed full of examples and exercises to not only help you learn the conjugations, but also to help you learn to use them in context. <br />
<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071639306/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0071639306&linkCode=as2&tag=helyouleaspa-20&linkId=VO5OTS7KAZQUPTJT" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs8e2bw2QQwgoBVBGQhcYF-6phPBcNLgS8tO3l_9N6-EkWXQtkj17bK3yPSCEpY5qVe1qvTDUOWKiw3vLkSCmCD4ZWJsOj-PRtAUTc2_Wa8-wTws1-aeDB-L4qSZZZiZOyLEmrzeQ33A/s1600/Spanish+Verb+Tenses.jpg" width="144" /> </a></div>
<br />
I still remember the late night and weekend study sessions, ah the good old days. <br />
<br />
While we're on the topic of books, here's another one that everyone but me seems to own, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0764197975/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0764197975&linkCode=as2&tag=helyouleaspa-20&linkId=SD6STNZDBQFWLJ5E" target="_blank">501 Spanish Verbs</a>. I've never looked at it for more then 5 minutes and I normally only recommend resources I've successfully used and benefited from, but everyone I know that owns this book loves it, so I'd feel irresponsible if I didn't mention it here.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0764197975/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0764197975&linkCode=as2&tag=helyouleaspa-20&linkId=SD6STNZDBQFWLJ5E" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlZXsZURRgdxDNzOjIUliwbVXR3Oqj1gSI5hzNDv4DFi_b1-uLEGzCD9cFB5T7WS5TC9Sk7MRZggdQ5_nK0hyRnOtharWi2zCPnoBB_Se2zsHy4Q9VEg4w0F_HJ_x1wM8A6l0itCwrA/s1600/501+Spanish+Verbs.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<br />
Here are some great online resources that became an indispensable part of my studies.<br />
<br />
A teacher by the name of <a href="http://users.ipfw.edu/jehle/VERBLIST.HTM" target="_blank">Fred F Jehle</a> has an <a href="http://users.ipfw.edu/jehle/VERBLIST.HTM" target="_blank">amazing website</a> that has a huge collection of verb charts, great explanations and even printable worksheets for you to practice with. I really suggest you take a look. I think I still have printouts of the material he has on his site laying around the house.<br />
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<a href="http://users.ipfw.edu/jehle/VERBLIST.HTM" target="_blank">Fred F Jehle Spanish Verb Forms</a><br />
<br />
Another great web site that I used religiously for quite a while is the <a href="http://www.spaleon.com/index.php" target="_blank">Spaleon Verb Conjugation Tool</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.spaleon.com/index.php" target="_blank">Spaleon</a> is a great tool that allows you customize your practice sessions by selecting the tense and verbs that you want to practice. It's truly an amazing site. Another one you don't want to miss.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://d76c7c3hp9kp3s5slcq12mem1a.hop.clickbank.net/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBZJnbrV2AWhcjYjWKinZJZbfW5OUdxxiMIwRP9eiZ1JLzzUFprb87qMaIAd0MiTgBbiWdWYF87IX5e6I0hlYg0GRVbLVfQg3Yby0kF60Jh-D47_ll8wCCUorA8lany7i6KPFHK05yQ/s1600/verbarrator-336x280-01.gif" width="200" /></a><a href="http://www.spaleon.com/index.php" target="_blank">Spaleon</a> is a great tool for the internet, but the <a href="http://d76c7c3hp9kp3s5slcq12mem1a.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_blank">Verbarrator </a>brings that same flexibility and more to your computer. It goes far beyond teaching verb conjugations by adding vocabulary and putting everything in context with real sentences that you can hear as well as see.<br />
<br />
I could go on and on about the <a href="http://d76c7c3hp9kp3s5slcq12mem1a.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_blank">Verbarrator</a>, but I've already covered the <a href="http://d76c7c3hp9kp3s5slcq12mem1a.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_blank">Verbarrator </a>in detail and you can read <a href="http://myspanishnotes.blogspot.com/p/the-verbarrator.html" target="_blank">my review here</a>. In all honesty I wish it had been available when I first started learning Spanish. This is how everyone should be learning to conjugate verbs in the 21st century if you ask me.<br />
<br />
And lastly I come to <a href="http://5d085ay5ybslzzcf0h-ek8vm1a.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_blank">Learning Spanish Like Crazy</a>. It's one of the many courses designed to teach you Spanish, but the one thing it does an excellent job of is teaching you verb conjugations. Not through boring exercises, written drills and old-fashioned memorization, but through spoken Spanish using the listen and repeat approach to learning.<br />
<br />
Every dialog that introduces a new verb walks you through every single conjugation of the verb (except vosotros) while adding in a ton of vocabulary as well. This is how I really learned verb conjugations, through listen and repeat. There's also <a href="http://67441etg1bgosnbh3fu6j4sz0z.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_blank">level 2</a> and <a href="http://58bb09v3w9hhzq1dqkphozzwff.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_blank">level 3</a> which combined walk you through all of the Spanish verb tenses.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://5d085ay5ybslzzcf0h-ek8vm1a.hop.clickbank.net/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSDDApxHGhQmm-PMEA_JRsWBf-St8sxaLXxQsRwvCIKZqAGNsQLuLpqerKh0icRkqr31410qMLlHeFTqGZnBExZkwNlUsYUsLGrkzZLiWsVVvnpiRwpXSjQKU585gro51xihjWnC0Bzg/s1600/lslc1.jpg" width="142" /></a></div>
<br />
When all is said and done, I used a number of different resources, but I've yet to mention the resource that helped me the most. And best of all, it's free. And if you ask me, it's the most effective tool out there. What is this magical resource you ask?<br />
<br />
Conversation<br />
<br />
Yep, hit the streets and start flapping those gums. No other method is as fun or effective as talking to a real person. Using everything you've studied in real life conversations is what puts it all together, burning it into your memory and making you a Spanish speaker. If you don't actually use what you learn there's nothing out there that can help you. <br />
<br />
That's it for today. <b>¡Ojala que les sirva!</b>Rodneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07520016346341456183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767848834836585802.post-70505283766721339482014-07-19T21:06:00.000-07:002014-07-19T21:10:05.968-07:00¿Qué te pasa? Today we're going to take a look at the verb <b>pasar</b>, and you can use it to say a lot more than <b>¿Qué pasa?</b>.<br />
<br />
I don't think there are to many people who don't know what <b>¿Qué pasa?</b> means. It's not the most exciting phrase you can use the verb <b>pasar</b> for, but it is a good place to start.<br />
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<b>¿Qué pasa?</b><br />
What's happening?<br />
<br />
This works as a greeting and as a way to find out what's going on.<br />
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In fact, you can use <b>pasar </b>to talk about things that happen in general.<br />
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<br />
<br />
<b>Mierda, eso siempre me pasa</b><br />
Shit, That always happens to me<br />
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<b>Por suerte, eso nunca me pasó</b><br />
Luckily that never happened to me<br />
<br />
You can also use <b>pasar </b>to talk about passing or stopping by.<br />
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<b>Voy a pasar por tu casa </b><br />
I'm going to stop by your house<br />
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<b>Pasa por mi oficina por favor</b><br />
Stop by my office please<br />
<br />
<b>El bus pasa por mi casa</b><br />
The bus passes by my house<br />
<br />
Need a ride? <br />
<br />
<b>Mi vuelo llega a las 6. ¿Puedes pasar por mi?</b><br />
My flight arrives at 6. Can you pick me up?<br />
<br />
You can also use pasar to ask someone what's wrong. <br />
<br />
<b>¿Qué te pasa?</b><br />
What's wrong?<br />
<br />
And if you use the right tone of voice it can also mean:<br />
<br />
<b>¿Qué te pasa?</b><br />
What's wrong with you?<br />
<br />
<br />
The verb <b>pasar</b> can even come in handy when you're on the phone.<br />
<br />
<b>Pásame a tu hermana</b><br />
Pass me over to your sister<br />
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And you can pass more than telephones.<br />
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<br />
Don't judge me. And pass the salt. <br />
<br />
By the way, <b>pásame</b> should have an accent.<br />
<br />
You'll need the verb <b>pasar</b>, or <b>pasarlo bien</b>, if you want to talk about having a good time.<br />
<br />
<b>¿Lo pásate bien?</b><br />
Did you have a good time?<br />
<br />
<b>Que te lo pases bien</b><br />
Have a good time<br />
<br />
Want to invite your guests in?<br />
<br />
<b>Pase</b><br />
Come in<br />
<br />
I quite often use <b>pasar </b>to find out if a bar or restaurant is showing an event.<br />
<br />
<b>¿Va a pasar la pelea?</b><br />
Are you going to show the fight?<br />
<br />
<br />
This is a common way to ask someone to send you a link to a web page.<br />
<br />
<b>Pásame el link</b><br />
pass (give) me the link<br />
<br />
When someone goes just a tad to far with their words or actions, you can say:<br />
<br />
<b>Con este chiste te pasaste</b><br />
You went to far with that joke<br />
<br />
Or simply,<br />
<br />
<b>Te pasaste</b><br />
You went too far<br />
<br />
Well, that's it for now. This should be more than enough to get you off to a good start with the verb pasar.<br />
<br />
Here are some related posts I've written involving the verb <b>pasar</b>.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://myspanishnotes.blogspot.com/2009/03/pasar-vs-pasar-por-vs-pasarlo-bien.html" target="_blank">Pasa vs Pasar Por vs Pasarlo bien</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://myspanishnotes.blogspot.com/2014/04/como-pasar-corriente.html" target="_blank">¿Me puede pasar corriente?</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://myspanishnotes.blogspot.com/2013/01/pasar-por.html" target="_blank">¿Puedes pasar por mi?</a><br />
<br />
Lastly, here are a couple more things you don't want to miss out on.<br />
<br />
You can have all of these handy phrases (and more) at your fingertips no matter where you go if you have an Android phone and the <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hyls.myphrasebook" target="_blank">My Spanish Phrasebook app</a>. <br />
<br />
Don't forget to follow my other blogs, <a href="http://myspanishnotes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">My Spanish Notes</a> and <a href="http://pelangoche.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">¡Que Boquita! No Seas Pelangoche</a>.<br />
<br />
And of course, you can join me and lots of other Spanish learners on Facebook in my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/estudiantesdelespanol/" target="_blank">Estudiantes de Español</a> group.<br />
<br />
That's it for today, ¡<b>espero que les sirva!</b>Rodneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11982073579438095731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767848834836585802.post-20830574554730334592014-06-06T22:21:00.001-07:002015-03-01T07:43:18.854-08:00Spanish phrases every beginner should know Here is a short list of phrases that every beginning Spanish learner should know. Let's get to it.<br />
<br />
One of the biggest challenges you'll face as a beginner is understanding what's being said to you, because everything sounds like one huge run-on sentence. You might actually understand what's being said to you if they just didn't talk so fast. Well, here are a few phrases to help you with that.<br />
<br />
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<b>¿Puede hablar más despacio por favor?</b><br />
Can you speak more slowly please?<br />
<br />
While that phrase is pretty useful, it is a bit of a mouthful. You can shorten it to:<br />
<br />
<b>Hable más despacio por favor</b><br />
Speak slower please<br />
<br />
You can actually whittle that down even more.<br />
<br />
<b>Más despacio por favor</b><br />
More slowly please<br />
<br />
Now that we've asked our Spanish speaking friend to slow down, you may need to ask them to repeat what they said.<br />
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<b>¿Me lo puede repetir, por favor?</b><br />
Can you say that again please?<br />
<br />
<b>Repita por favor</b><br />
Repeat that please?<br />
<br />
<b>¿Cómo dijo?</b><br />
What did you say?<br />
<br />
Sadly, sometimes you just can't figure out what's being said.<br />
<br />
<b>No entiendo</b><br />
I don't understand<br />
<br />
You may want to follow that one up with:<br />
<br />
<b>¿Hay alguien aquí que hable inglés?</b><br />
Is there anyone here who speaks English?<br />
<br />
Of course, you could start the whole conversation off with:<br />
<br />
<b>¿Habla inglés?</b><br />
Do you speak English?<br />
<br />
Who knows, you may get lucky.<br />
<br />
Here are a couple of other phrases that might come in handy.<br />
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<b>No hablo español muy bien</b><br />
I don't speak Spanish very well<br />
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<b>Todavía estoy aprendiendo español</b><br />
I'm learning Spanish<br />
<br />
<b>¿Puede apuntarlo?</b><br />
Can you write it down?<br />
<br />
You can also combine these phrases. Here are some examples.<br />
<br />
<b>No entiendo,</b> <b>¿puede hablar más despacio por favor?</b><br />
I don't understand, can you speak more slowly please?<br />
<br />
<b>No hablo español muy bien, ¿puede hablar más despacio?</b><br />
I don't speak Spanish very well, could you speak slower?<br />
<br />
<b>No entiendo, ¿habla inglés?</b><br />
I don't understand, do you speak English?<br />
<br />
That's it for today. I think you'll find these phrases useful. And if you're concerned that you won't be able to remember them, then check out <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hyls.myphrasebook" target="_blank">My Spanish Phrasebook</a> (for Android phones) which has all those phrases and more that you can carry with you where ever you go.<br />
<br />
<b>¡Hasta la próxima!</b><br />
<br />Rodneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07520016346341456183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767848834836585802.post-44176002797018961742014-05-04T10:08:00.000-07:002014-05-04T10:24:17.651-07:00Casi me caigo de culoLet's start with a translation:<br />
<br />
<b>Casi me caigo de culo</b><br />
I almost fall on my ass<br />
<br />
Hmm. "I almost fall...". That doesn't sound quite right does it? At least not in English it doesn't. The correct English translation would be:<br />
<br />
I almost fell on my ass<br />
<br />
So what's going on here? There's a simple explanation for this.<br />
<br />
While in English we use the past tense to talk about what we almost did, in Spanish you have to use the present tense. Don't ask me why, that's just the way it works. <br />
<br />
Let's look at some more examples.<br />
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<b>Casi me quedo dormido en clase</b><br />
I almost fell asleep in class<br />
<br />
<b>Casi me olvido de tu cumpleaños</b><br />
I almost forgot about your birthday<br />
<br />
<b>Casi rompo la dieta</b><br />
I almost broke my diet<br />
<br />
<b>Casi me muero de la risa</b><br />
I almost died laughing<br />
<br />
Pan comida, ¿verdad?<br />
<br />
This bit of Spanish is really straight-forward and easy to integrate into your Spanish toolbox, even if you're a beginner. The thing I found surprising is I had been learning Spanish for years without knowing or even thinking about how to say something almost happened until I was listening to my copy of <a href="http://58bb09v3w9hhzq1dqkphozzwff.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_blank">Learning Spanish Like Crazy Level 3</a>. It's good stuff, <a href="http://58bb09v3w9hhzq1dqkphozzwff.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_blank">check it out</a>. One of these days I'll get around to doing a review of it. <br />
<br />
Here are some other posts you may find useful:<br />
<br />
1. <a href="http://myspanishnotes.blogspot.com/2008/07/me-olvide-olvidar-vs-olvidarse.html" target="_blank">How to say you forgot something in Spanish</a><br />
2. <a href="http://helpingyoulearnspanish.blogspot.com/2013/10/expressing-accidental-actions-in-spanish.html" target="_blank">Expressing accidental actions in Spanish</a><br />
3. <a href="http://helpingyoulearnspanish.blogspot.com/2013/06/how-to-say-could-have-in-spanish.html" target="_blank">How to say could have in Spanish</a><br />
<br />
I hope you all learned something from this post. Don't forget to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HelpingYouLearnSpanish" target="_blank">follow this blog on Facebook</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>¡Hasta la próxima!</b>Rodneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11982073579438095731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767848834836585802.post-1980690960896720062014-04-20T11:46:00.000-07:002015-10-04T08:00:41.930-07:00Pa'l FeisThe topic of contractions in Spanish doesn't seem to come up often, and there's a very good reason for that. There are only two.<br />
<br />
Yep, you read that correctly. There are only two official contractions in the Spanish language. Let's take a look at them.<br />
<br />
We'll start with the contraction <b>al</b>.<br />
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<b>Voy al parque</b><br />
I'm going to the park<br />
<br />
So what is <b>al</b>? <b>Al</b> is....<br />
<br />
<b>Voy a el parque</b><br />
<br />
A + el = <b>al</b><br />
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Simple isn't it?<br />
<br />
But let's back up for a second.<br />
<br />
Unlike English, in Spanish you cannot pick and choose when to use (or not use) contractions. In Spanish you are required to use contractions. So that means <b>Voy a el parque</b> is incorrect. If you say it that way you'll be understood, but it will sound really, really weird.<br />
<br />
OK, one down, one to go.<br />
<br />
<b>Soy del sur</b><br />
I'm from the South<br />
<br />
What is <b>del</b>?<br />
<br />
<b>Soy de el sur</b><br />
<br />
De + el = <b>del</b><br />
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And just like with <b>al</b>, you have to use the contraction.<br />
<br />
One thing I need to point out is not to confuse <b>el </b>with <b>él</b>.<br />
<br />
el = the and él = him or his<br />
<br />
So if we have the sentence:<br />
<br />
<b>Es de él</b><br />
It's his<br />
<br />
We don't use the contraction <b>del</b>.<br />
<br />
And that's all there is to it.<br />
<br />
Sort of.<br />
<br />
Remember when I said there were only two official contractions in the Spanish language? The operative word is "official".<br />
<br />
There are actual other unofficial/colloquial contractions you'll hear in Spanish, like this one:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLwM2pUe4t6qJKpeSDck3utXSbnCQR0ZS_OmbzoJoKcdTWgxoBnO2YBiJtt-ZS5emno7qqSHffamV3ivg47T69CXLx9SZChh_kh2zfs-Ae9fIl6rpC0TiuNngALalDwRK1-Gm-4d1E6Y/s1600/pal+facebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLwM2pUe4t6qJKpeSDck3utXSbnCQR0ZS_OmbzoJoKcdTWgxoBnO2YBiJtt-ZS5emno7qqSHffamV3ivg47T69CXLx9SZChh_kh2zfs-Ae9fIl6rpC0TiuNngALalDwRK1-Gm-4d1E6Y/s1600/pal+facebook.jpg" width="249" /></a></div>
<br />
What is <b>Pa'l</b>? It's a contraction of "<b>para el</b>". You may also see it written as simple as <b>pal </b>or <b>pal'</b>.<br />
<br />
<b>Casi Muero, Pa'l Facebook</b><br />
I almost died, this (photo) is for Facebook<br />
<br />
If you don't understand the joke and you have 3 minutes to spare, this video says it all. Heck, you should watch it no matter what, it's just plain funny. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/GNuzdKfpK60?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
By the way, you may have noticed the title of this post uses the word <b>feis</b>. That's a colloquial way to refer to Facebook, pronounced "face", which is used heavily by Mexicans and possible others. You'll also see it referred to as "<b>el face</b>".<br />
<br />
And speaking of Facebook, if you need to brush up on your Spanish vocabulary for Facebook, then read my post <a href="http://myspanishnotes.blogspot.com/2011/10/si-tuere-dominicano-dale-like.html" target="_blank">Si tu ere dominicano dale like</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
Let's take a look at some more unofficial contractions.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Para + allá: Pa'lla</b><br />
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<b>Voy pa'lla ahora mismo </b><br />
<br />
I'm headed over there right now<br />
<br />
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<b>Para + arriba: Pa' rriba</b><br />
<br />
<b>Voy pa' rriba</b> <br />
I'm going upstairs<br />
<br />
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<b>Para + qué: Pa' qué</b><br />
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<b>Préstame el coche. ¿Pa' qué?</b><br />
Loan me the car. For what?<br />
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<b>Pa' qué tu sepas, voy al super</b><br />
Just so you know, I'm going to the supermaket<br />
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These colloquial contractions are extremely common, so it's a good idea to become familiar with them.<br />
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And don't forget to follow me on Facebook! <br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/HelpingYouLearnSpanish">https://www.facebook.com/HelpingYouLearnSpanish</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/MySpanishNotes">https://www.facebook.com/MySpanishNotes</a><br />
<br />
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That's it for today, <b>espero que les sirva</b>. <br />
<br />Rodneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11982073579438095731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767848834836585802.post-75991878019129473692014-04-18T06:45:00.000-07:002014-04-18T06:52:49.788-07:00Yo te invitoThe verb <b>invitar </b>means to invite, and it's usage is pretty straight-forward.<br />
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<b>Quiero invitarte a mi casa</b><br />
I want to invite you to my house<br />
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<b>¿Hiciste una fiesta y no me invitaste?</b><br />
You threw a party and didn't invite me?<br />
<br />
<b>Te invito a festejar mi cumple</b><br />
I invite you to celebrate my birthday<br />
<br />
While we're on the subject of birthdays, some of you may be confused about the word <b>cumple</b>. I won't address that in this post, but you can read my post <a href="http://myspanishnotes.blogspot.com/2013/04/birthdays-in-spanish.html" target="_blank">Estoy de cumple</a>, and everything will be explained. By the way, that post is on my companion blog, <a href="http://myspanishnotes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">My Spanish Notes</a>.<br />
<br />
Getting back to the subject at hand, let's take a look at one more example.<br />
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<b>Te invito a cenar</b><br />
I'm inviting you to dinner<br />
<br />
This is where things start to get a little tricky. You see, <b>invitar</b> also implies that when you invite someone somewhere, you're paying.<br />
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Let's try translating that sentence again.<br />
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<b>Te invito a cenar</b><br />
Let's have dinner, I'm buying<br />
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Here are some more examples:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM7o2HXVf7wZEx8KD6aFefucwPhZtZiJovu7e0Eq_jXGvH4VXDVlej71mRYExOtIS4T1RaiX88QdnPy1rWFdBsHTH2KrSy6oA4Swk_Yd6MUNm8nf6v3NQGHXxY2U36Fz2abRndFbBaK4U/s1600/un+cafecito.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM7o2HXVf7wZEx8KD6aFefucwPhZtZiJovu7e0Eq_jXGvH4VXDVlej71mRYExOtIS4T1RaiX88QdnPy1rWFdBsHTH2KrSy6oA4Swk_Yd6MUNm8nf6v3NQGHXxY2U36Fz2abRndFbBaK4U/s1600/un+cafecito.jpg" height="320" width="276" /></a></div>
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<b>Te invito a un cafecito</b><br />
Let me buy you a coffee<br />
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<b>Vamos por una cerveza, yo te invito</b><br />
Let's go for a beer, I'm buying<br />
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You can invite people to more than just beer and coffee. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIYG7bmu34gL1j7i8yt7gQ_X1E1QYEdxdrA5-FHuVYzSXktcZYMbuuLbT0Relbhc8URxWsBvq4W5vcqV5OwrvBQZt78y-evrWNGrbPCtwu8VmR3x_mA5aXaLng6OBZkf4N-ddOXbYJAbM/s1600/orden+de+besos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIYG7bmu34gL1j7i8yt7gQ_X1E1QYEdxdrA5-FHuVYzSXktcZYMbuuLbT0Relbhc8URxWsBvq4W5vcqV5OwrvBQZt78y-evrWNGrbPCtwu8VmR3x_mA5aXaLng6OBZkf4N-ddOXbYJAbM/s1600/orden+de+besos.jpg" height="168" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now let's look a couple of ways we can invite people out and not have to foot the bill.<br />
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One way is to avoid the word <b>invitar </b>altogether.<br />
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<b>¿Voy por una cerveza, quieres acompañarme?</b><br />
I'm going to get a beer, do you want to go with me?<br />
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Another way is to tell your friend they're paying.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVsf8_gHOXqZcNGBJVHHVlCfPOS6eS6cLAWfFKwKFVjGfcpodnb6LW1fKy_B-OeRtxG2beY7aJFR4llw0t0DrfFvhrWB8yLUlfcpqq3zrNSEbAT4-6jKK7Ch81sqHn8RzwF5IA08xFcRc/s1600/tu+lo+pagas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVsf8_gHOXqZcNGBJVHHVlCfPOS6eS6cLAWfFKwKFVjGfcpodnb6LW1fKy_B-OeRtxG2beY7aJFR4llw0t0DrfFvhrWB8yLUlfcpqq3zrNSEbAT4-6jKK7Ch81sqHn8RzwF5IA08xFcRc/s1600/tu+lo+pagas.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm inviting you out for some beers, but you're paying.<br />
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That's pretty much it for today, but I'll leave you with one last piece of advice that's very well known in the Spanish speaking world.<br />
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<b>El que invita, paga</b><br />
Whoever invites, pays<br />
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Don't forget to follow me on Facebook:<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/HelpingYouLearnSpanish">https://www.facebook.com/HelpingYouLearnSpanish</a><br />
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<b>¡Hasta la próxima!</b><br />
<br />
<br />Rodneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11982073579438095731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767848834836585802.post-48882162421198319232014-02-05T18:19:00.001-08:002014-02-05T18:19:59.078-08:00Informal Spanish Greetings<br />
If you're completely new to Spanish, then you should learn the basic greetings, and here's a great lesson to help you with that: <a href="http://www.spanishpod101.com/member/go.php?r=6313&l=uggc%3A%2F%2Fjjj.fcnavfucbq101.pbz%2F2014%2F02%2F03%2Ffheiviny-cuenfrf-f2-5-onfvp-zrkvpna-fcnavfu-terrgvatf%2F" target="_blank">Basic Spanish Greetings</a><br />
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While knowing the basic greetings is really important, they aren't very exciting. In this post I'm going to talk about some very colloquial greetings that your Spanish book or teacher may not have mentioned. Let's get started.<br />
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I'm sure you know about <b>buenos días</b>, <b>buenas tardes</b> and <b>buenas noches</b> - Good morning, good afternoon/evening and good night respectively, but there's also <b>buenas</b>.<br />
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<b>Buenas </b>is an informal greeting that you can use anytime of time of day. Just smile and say <b>buenas</b>. You can even follow it up with a <b>¿Cómo estás?</b>. This an extremely common greeting that you'll hear quite often.<br />
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Another one of the most common greetings you'll hear is <b>¿Qué tal?</b>. It's a basic Spanish greeting used all over the Spanish speaking world. So what does <b>Qué tal</b> mean? Simple.<br />
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<b>¿Qué tal?</b> is the equivalent of "What's up?". You can use it any time of day although it's informal.<br />
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<b>¿Qué onda?</b> is the Mexican version of "What's up?". Notice I said it was Mexican. That doesn't mean other Spanish speakers won't understand what you're saying, but rather that it's primarily a greeting Mexicans use. While nothing is impossible, it's not likely you'll hear a Spaniard or an Argentine using it. <br />
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You'll also hear phrases like <b>¿Qué hubo?</b> which is also a very slangy version of "What's up?".<br />
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Just like in English where we sometimes skip the hello and go straight to "how are you?", you can do the same thing in Spanish.<br />
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As you probably know, <b>¿Cómo estás?</b> means "How are you?", but there's one more way to skin to that cat. <br />
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<b>¿Cómo andas?</b> is a great alternative to <b>¿Cómo estás?</b>. Think of it as a somewhat slangy "How's it going?" In fact, <b>andar </b>is a great verb with quite a few uses, and this is just one of them.<br />
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<b>¿Cómo te va?</b> is a more literal translation of "How it's going?". <br />
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<b>¿Qué hay?</b> is a shortened version <b>¿Qué hay de nuevo?</b>, both of which mean "What's new?".<br />
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Well, that's it for now. Adding these phrases to your Spanish toolbox will impress your friends and make speaking Spanish a little more fun. Take a look at the additional posts below to learn even more about informal Spanish greetings:<br />
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1. <a href="http://myspanishnotes.blogspot.com/2010/12/quiubo-parcero.html" target="_blank">¿Quiubo parcero?</a><br />
2. <a href="http://myspanishnotes.blogspot.com/2009/08/andar.html" target="_blank">¿Cómo andas? Using Andar</a><br />
3. <a href="http://myspanishnotes.blogspot.com/2010/02/que-onda-guey.html" target="_blank">¿Qué onda wey?</a><br />
4. <a href="http://myspanishnotes.blogspot.com/2010/01/como-amaneciste.html" target="_blank">¿Cómo amaneciste?</a><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>¡Hasta luego!</b><br />
<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767848834836585802.post-4143058562351012532014-02-05T15:21:00.002-08:002015-09-03T04:51:07.507-07:00Improving your listening skills<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A critical part of being able to speak Spanish is being able to understand it when you hear it. Easier said then done right? Sure it's hard, but there are things you can do to improve those wanna-be Spanish ears of yours.<br />
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Let's look at some of the ways you can improve your listening skills.<br />
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<b>Movies, Television and video</b><br />
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Turn on the subtitles when you're watching a movie. You obviously have two options, and both have their merit. <br />
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Using English subtitles is a great way to ease into Spanish movies and television because you get to hear the Spanish and be able to really follow the story line with the help of the English subtitles. This won't necessarily help you distinguish the words, but it's always good to listen to as much Spanish as possible.<br />
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Watching a movie in Spanish with Spanish subtitles is something that may not have occurred to you, but the benefits of doing so are tremendous. This allows you see to the words as they are being spoken, so your eyes will work in conjunction with your ears to help you distinguish the words. Do this repeatedly over time and you'll start to see huge improvements in your listening ability. And you'll also start to notice that the subtitles don't always match what you hear. But that's a completely different conversation.<br />
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Aside from movies and television, there a some great websites that offer videos with subtitles and/or transcripts. One of my favorite sites is <a href="http://www.laits.utexas.edu/spe/siteindex.php" target="_blank">Spanish at the University of Texas</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.laits.utexas.edu/spe/siteindex.php" target="_blank">Spanish at the University of Texas</a></div>
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I consider this one of the best sites out there. It's packed with videos of Spanish speakers of all nationalities giving natural, unscripted answers on a variety of topics. The dialogues of the videos are available in both English and Spanish.<br />
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The videos cover a variety of topics for all levels of Spanish speakers. The site is free, and you're really missing out if you don't take advantage of it.<br />
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There's also <a href="http://spanish.yabla.com/?a=1435" target="_blank">Yabla Spanish</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://spanish.yabla.com/?a=1435" target="_blank">Yabla Spanish</a> isn't free, but at only $10 a month it's a steal. <a href="http://spanish.yabla.com/?a=1435" target="_blank">Yabla Spanish</a> has almost a 1,000 videos and it's library is steadily increasing. Not only do the videos have the English and Spanish transcripts, but there are vocabulary and grammar lessons to go with the videos as well. There are videos for all levels of Spanish learners in categories such as comedy, interviews, food, travel, telenovelas, music videos and more.</div>
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These are just two of many sites available on the internet. If you have a site you want to share post it in the comments!<br />
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<b>Listening to Music</b><br />
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Music is also a great way to improve your listening abilities. It may not seem like it when you're trying to decipher all those lyrics you hear at what seems like light speed, but don't let that stop you from enjoying some great Spanish tunes.<br />
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Find a song or two you like and look up the letra (lyrics) and use them to help you sing along. <br />
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There's also a great site called <a href="http://lyricstraining.com/" target="_blank">Lyrics Training</a> to help you use music to improve your Spanish. It's packed with all sorts of music videos at the beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. The lyrics are displayed as you watch and sing along. It even has a game mode. And did I mention it's free?<br />
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Singing will help you with your speaking abilities too. Singing typically requires a faster pace than regular conversation, so if you can keep up with Shakira a regular conversation will be a breeze.<br />
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<b>Podcasts</b><br />
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I always recommend podcasts because they allow you to make use of otherwise wasted time. Like commuting. And because I learned probably 60% of my Spanish from them.<br />
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My personal tastes aside, there a plenty of podcast sites to help you with your listening skills. <br />
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<a href="http://www.veintemundos.com/" target="_blank">Veinte Mundos</a><br />
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This site has dozens of articles (podcasts) and matching PDF's so you can read along as you listen. The articles are about the culture, history, food, people and more of the Spanish speaking world. Most of the articles even include references to videos that provide supplemental information. It's more for intermediate and advanced speakers as the materials are 100% Spanish. Also free. </div>
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<a href="http://www.spanishpod101.com/member/go.php?r=6313&i=l0" target="_blank">SpanishPod101</a><br />
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You'll find lots of podcasts for all levels with transcripts and grammar lessons. They even have lessons that focus on regional Spanish. Put these lessons on your smart phone, iPod or iPhone and you can learn Spanish where ever you go. You can read the transcripts and grammar lessons on your computer or print them out and take them with you. You can even read them on your phone or tablet if you like.</div>
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Speaking of reading, there's a great book call <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071797572/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0071797572&linkCode=as2&tag=helyouleaspa-20" target="_blank">Read and Think Spanish</a> that has some great stories about traveling and culture in the Spanish speaking world. This book is great because the articles are fun and informative with vocabulary and translations printed in the margin of each page. And it comes with a CD so you can hear the conversations as well.</div>
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So those are a just a few options you have to help you improve those Spanish eats of yours. But before I let you go, I want to share a few pearls of wisdom with you to help you navigate the often difficult and frustrating process of improving your listening skills.<br />
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<b>Managing your expectations</b> </div>
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Lots of people get discouraged when they can't understand what they're listening to. I used to be the same way. But the truth is, in the early stages you aren't supposed to understand everything you hear. Otherwise you wouldn't be learning Spanish, you'd be a Spanish speaker. Don't beat yourself up, just remember that you're learning and you're not going to understand everything. It's a normal part of the process. <br />
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And if you think the day will come when you can actually understand everything you hear, good luck. After 8 years I'm still waiting for that day.<br />
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<b>Listen to something everyday</b><br />
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I can't emphasis this enough. If you want to be able to understand Spanish, you need to hear it constantly. It doesn't matter whether or not you understand everything, you just need to hear it. Have something Spanish playing in your ear as much as possible, even if you're only passively listening.<br />
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<b>You don't have to listen for long periods of time, 5-10 mins a day is fine</b><br />
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Yep, you don't have to torture yourself by listening to 2 hours of something you don't understand, a few minutes a day will do the trick. In general, I recommend you listen to something as often as you can for as long as you can. Honestly, 5-10 minutes of the morning news on TV or the radio will work just fine. Or put on one those Spanish songs you like. But really, anything will do. Whatever interests you and keeps you listening everyday is just fine.<br />
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<b>Listening is a skill you will develop over time</b> <br />
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It's going to take a little while, but if you stick with it you'll notice a significant change in your listening abilities. That 5-10 minutes or more a day will start to pay off. I recommend you find a song, a podcast, a video, something in 100% Spanish to serve as a gauge. It should be something you have a hard time understanding. Listen to it a couple of times, set it aside and come back to it after a few months. I bet you'll be surprised at how much more you understand. Assuming you keep practicing during those 1-3 months, that is.<br />
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<b>Don't focus on what you can't understand, but rather on what you do understand</b><br />
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We often focus on the negative instead of the positive. Pat yourself on the back for every single word you successfully process. You gotta give yourself credit where credit is due. Remember, your goal is to make progress, not to beat yourself up about the things you didn't understand.<br />
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<b>You'll probably have to listen to things more than once</b><br />
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It's true. The first time you hear something you may not understand it. To this day there are still things I have to listen to 3 or 4 times to be able to understand it. Each time you listen you tend to pick up a little more.</div>
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<b>Listen to things that interest you</b></div>
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You'll be more motivated and dedicated if you listen to things you like. Movie trailers, music, songs, interviews, you get the idea.</div>
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And finally.....<br />
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That's it. If you follow the advice in this post you'll quickly make huge advancements in your listening ability.<br />
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Here are some related posts you may find helpful.<br />
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<ol>
<li><a href="http://helpingyoulearnspanish.blogspot.com/2013/08/how-to-learn-spanish-what-is-autodidacta.html" target="_blank">I want to learn Spanish, now what?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://helpingyoulearnspanish.blogspot.com/2013/09/improve-your-conversational-spanish.html" target="_blank">Improving your conversational Spanish</a></li>
</ol>
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<b>¡Suerte!</b><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767848834836585802.post-43352322503830999022014-01-10T17:24:00.001-08:002014-01-10T17:24:52.661-08:00Hazme caso por favorWelcome to the first in a series of posts I'm going to call All About Verbs. I'll be discussing the real life use of a <b>montón </b>(a ton) of Spanish verbs. We'll get things started with <b>hacer</b>, so let's get to it.<br />
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Your Spanish book will tell you the verb <b>hacer</b> means to make or to do, but it actually has a lot more uses than you might expect. Let's take a look at some of the different ways <b>hacer</b> is used.<br />
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Let's start with something you may already know.<br />
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<b>¿Qué haces? </b><br />
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This question actually has a couple of meanings.<br />
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<b>¿Que haces?</b><br />
What are you doing?<br />
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It's also a way of asking someone about what they do for work.<br />
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<b>¿Que haces?</b><br />
What do you do (for a living)?<br />
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Let's move on so some uses of <b>hacer</b> you may not know about.<br />
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If you want to tell your Spanish friends you're throwing a party at your house, then you'll need <b>hacer</b>.<br />
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<b>Hacer fiesta</b> - To throw a party<br />
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<b>Voy a hacer una fiesta en mi casa</b><br />
I'm going to throw a party at my house<br />
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Taking a trip? Then you need probably need to <b>hacer maleta</b>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhavS-m3FB52oCGJZMhzyRi6QPLg75PK-Qv8JpZDwNWhl6UYNWuZ2T27D9hzJrtossQA2Rqtj421uNuGjHapDMl-UuaoUsH_-BzDKBCqVNg1TM8Z_jY_4cSpn6PgM-oTCRubDjeRZfQOzE/s1600/maleta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhavS-m3FB52oCGJZMhzyRi6QPLg75PK-Qv8JpZDwNWhl6UYNWuZ2T27D9hzJrtossQA2Rqtj421uNuGjHapDMl-UuaoUsH_-BzDKBCqVNg1TM8Z_jY_4cSpn6PgM-oTCRubDjeRZfQOzE/s1600/maleta.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>Hacer maleta</b> - To pack a suitcase<br />
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<b>Tengo que hacer la maleta</b><br />
I have to pack my suitcase<br />
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<b>¿Ya hiciste tus maletas?</b><br />
Did you pack your bags yet?<br />
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Speaking of traveling, if you ever take vacations on a cruise ship, then you <b>hacer crucero</b>.<br />
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<b>Dónde y cuándo hacer un crucero</b><br />
Where and when to take a cruise<br />
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<b>Es la tercera vez que hago crucero por las islas griegas</b><br />
It's the third time I'm going on a cruise to the Greek Islands<br />
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And if you're the type who likes to make the bed after you get up, then you like to <b>hacer la cama</b>.<br />
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<b>Hago mi cama todo los días</b><br />
I make the bed everyday<br />
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On a diet? <b>Hacer dieta</b>.<br />
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<b>Hago dieta y no bajo de peso</b><br />
I'm on a diet but I'm not losing weight<br />
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You use <b>hacer caso</b> when you need to get someone to listen to you.<br />
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<b>Hazme caso</b><br />
Pay attention to me<br />
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<b>Haz caso</b><br />
Pay attention<br />
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<b>No me haces caso</b><br />
You don't pay attention to me<br />
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There's one more I want to tell you about. They say the best way to learn Spanish is to have a Spanish speaking <b>pareja</b>, a partner. As in a boyfriend or girlfriend, and if that's the case, then you'll probably need this one:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWdPlprhCvOXedU7mCR0DubkiKbtFB05jfcGQjdiSfooB8NexoLj3DG9CLq2HatLE4m-dIs6cFcGC9WIIovf7Sd0JgIgC6pyjHImgdJXAEYCkmDGThjb_tjBv7P_1uH8W2xDjsTnpluKs/s1600/besame-y-hazme-el-amor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWdPlprhCvOXedU7mCR0DubkiKbtFB05jfcGQjdiSfooB8NexoLj3DG9CLq2HatLE4m-dIs6cFcGC9WIIovf7Sd0JgIgC6pyjHImgdJXAEYCkmDGThjb_tjBv7P_1uH8W2xDjsTnpluKs/s1600/besame-y-hazme-el-amor.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Kiss me and make love to me. The complete expression is <b>hacer el amor</b>.<br />
<br />
<b>Quiero que me hagas el amor</b><br />
I want you to make love to me<br />
<br />
If you're wondering about the weird conjugation (<b>hagas</b>), don't. Just memorize it for now. But if you must know, it's a form of the subjunctive. If you're a beginner I really suggest you just memorize this phrase for now. Subjunctive = major headache. You've been warned. <br />
<br />
<b>Quiero hacerte el amor</b><br />
I want to make love to you<br />
<br />
Well, that's it for today. <b>Hacer</b> has a lot more uses and I'll write about those a little later. But for now, now soak in what you've learned and go forth and speak Spanish.<br />
<br />
<b>¡Chao!</b><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767848834836585802.post-52303201327319430762013-11-29T21:56:00.001-08:002013-11-29T21:56:12.317-08:00Tengo que lavar los trastesSometimes there are things that we just have to do. Well, if you ever need to tell someone what that something you have to do is in Spanish, then you'll need the expression <b>tener que</b>.<br />
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<b>Tener</b> by itself means "to have".<br />
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<b>Tengo 21 años</b><br />
I'm 21<br />
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<b>Tengo dos coches</b><br />
I have two cars<br />
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Add the word <b>que</b> after it and now it means to have to.<br />
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<b>Tengo que lavar los trastes</b><br />
I have to wash the dishes<br />
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<b>Tengo que recoger mi madre del aeropuerto</b><br />
I have to pick my mom up from the airport<br />
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You may be thinking "Doesn't <b>que</b> mean what?" Well you're right, it does. But combine it with the word <b>tener</b> and the meaning changes. Don't try and figure it out, it's an idiomatic expression and you just have to memorize it. <br />
<br />
<b>Tienes que memorizarlo</b><br />
You have to memorize it<br />
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You'll hear <b>tener que</b> a lot, and if you actually use your Spanish in real life you'll end up using it a lot so commit this one to memory.<br />
<br />
<br />
Here's a link to <a href="http://www.spanishpod101.com/member/go.php?r=6313&l=uggc%3A%2F%2Fjjj.fcnavfucbq101.pbz%2F2013%2F11%2F28%2Farjovr-yrffba-29-ebznapr-4-ryvnan-naq-rearfgb-ranzbenqbf%2F%23vageb" target="_blank">a free podcast on tener que</a>. Be sure to go get your free lesson right away because it won't be free forever. It's a great podcast and it actually has even more great Spanish you need to know like the Spanish contraction <b>al</b> and the verb <b>quedarse</b>. You'll also learn about the word <b>enamorados </b>(people in love). <br />
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In fact, if you want to learn more about <b>enamorados</b> and how to talk about the different stages of romance, then take a look at this blog post:<br />
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<a href="http://myspanishnotes.blogspot.com/2010/11/soy-muy-noviera.html" target="_blank">Soy muy noviera</a><br />
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That's it for today, and be sure to follow or subscribe to this blog by email! Also be sure to check out my other blogs <a href="http://myspanishnotes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">My Spanish Notes</a> and <a href="http://pelangoche.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">No Seas Pelangoche</a>.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>¡Chao!</b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767848834836585802.post-25062324238294265642013-11-24T12:08:00.000-08:002014-08-17T13:26:30.272-07:00Tuve un buen tiempo I love to help people with their Spanish. Every week I'm exposed to many beginners and people just starting their journey down the road to Spanish fluency. With that said, I hear a lot of the same errors over and over again. So this the first of a new series of posts called Spanish Blunders to help you identify and correct (and hopefully prevent) your mistakes. <br />
<br />
I also do a lot of socializing with up and coming Spanish speakers, and it's not uncommon for me to get messages like this after a social event:<br />
<br />
<b>Tuve un buen tiempo</b><br />
I had a good time<br />
<br />
Bless their hearts, I'm so glad my friends are enjoying themselves. Unfortunately, that's not how you say I had a good time.<br />
<br />
In their defense this is a very common mistake, so today I'm going to talk about the right way to say this.<br />
<br />
The correct expression in Spanish to talk about having a good time is <b>Pasarla bien</b>.<br />
<br />
The verb is <b>pasar</b> and if you want to know more about <a href="http://helpingyoulearnspanish.blogspot.com/2014/07/que-te-pasa.html" target="_blank">how to use the verb pasar</a>, <a href="http://helpingyoulearnspanish.blogspot.com/2014/07/que-te-pasa.html" target="_blank">click here</a>. Now let's look at a few examples of how to tell someone you had a good time.<br />
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<b>La pasé bien anoche</b><br />
I had a good time last night<br />
<br />
<b>¿La pasaste bien?</b><br />
Did you have a good time?<br />
<br />
<b>¿La pasaron bien?</b><br />
Did you all have a good time?<br />
<br />
<b>La pasamos super bien en el cine</b><br />
We had a really good time at the movies<br />
<br />
<b>Que la pases bien</b><br />
Have a good time<br />
<br />
<b>Que bien lo paso contigo</b><br />
I'm having a good time with you<br />
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<b>No la pasé bien</b><br />
I didn't have a good time<br />
<br />
Notice in some examples I used <b>la </b>and in others <b>lo</b>. So what I really should have said earlier is you can <b>Pasarlo bien</b> or <b>Pasarla bien</b>. What's the difference? In all honesty, I would just chalk this up to a regional difference. Based on my experience I would say <b>Pasarla bien</b> is used in Latin America and <b>Pasarlo bien </b>in Spain. The truth is you can use which ever version you like, because at the end of the day, nobody cares.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixko_xv8mpFaILvkYeh0Iu91PyVX5tun1Rmbi1pkRAGaYQ2S-kVo0Qd826NXUsL4i9Zo4KkA-Zk-7MHGlQFR6IK0yF9Zb7eHbTdDsE9u7R2WY9o8OID8x6G1bE_1-_1t2GKb1WDz3UaXA/s1600/no_parece_que_se_lo_pase_demasiado_bien.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixko_xv8mpFaILvkYeh0Iu91PyVX5tun1Rmbi1pkRAGaYQ2S-kVo0Qd826NXUsL4i9Zo4KkA-Zk-7MHGlQFR6IK0yF9Zb7eHbTdDsE9u7R2WY9o8OID8x6G1bE_1-_1t2GKb1WDz3UaXA/s320/no_parece_que_se_lo_pase_demasiado_bien.jpg" height="244" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
You'll see how fun it is when snows, they said. You'll have an amazing time, they said. <br />
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Pobrecito, looks like he's not having much fun at all.<br />
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Lastly, I'm going to point you to a book that will help you fix a lot of the common mistakes people make.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071773002/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0071773002&linkCode=as2&tag=helyouleaspa-20" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrxitKt-PK_2pwzsWVKnr5wFiu86MCyHqiR-o6MUYPv_EeJxsG1WDcJnlP89UcYuY2ulxdjxmh9Q4gQ6AacmFQYF9f_0yam3geJ9LUbVo8DISHQPUBOlp9yuSDlEgej_G0k8oPYwcGn0/s1600/spanish+blunders.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I have a copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071773002/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0071773002&linkCode=as2&tag=helyouleaspa-20" target="_blank">Correct Your Spanish Blunders</a> myself. It's certainly helped me out a lot. While there are a lot of Spanish books out there, very few of them give you the return on your investment like this one will. If you're serious about learning Spanish, you need to have this book in your collection.<br />
<br />
That's it! Be sure look to the top right-hand side of the page to follow or become an email subscriber to this blog to get more great lessons to help you learn Spanish. And be sure to follow us on Facebook:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/HelpingYouLearnSpanish" target="_blank">Be sure to Like Helping You Learn Spanish on Facebook!</a><br />
<br />
<b>¡Chao!</b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767848834836585802.post-52116451033598176732013-10-11T21:11:00.000-07:002016-09-25T10:11:45.033-07:00Expressing accidental actions in SpanishWhile I don't consider myself a teacher by any stretch of the imagination, today I'm going to try and simplify a concept that can be a sticking point for many learners of Spanish, expressing accidental actions.<br />
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Let's pretend you accidentally broke a glass and need to fess up to it in Spanish. You may be tempted to think of translating "I broke the glass" as:<br />
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<b>Rompí el vaso</b><br />
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And you'd be correct, but it begs the question "Did you break it on purpose or by accident?". <br />
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In fact, "I broke the glass" in English leaves you with the same doubt. To resolve that doubt in English we simply add "by accident".<br />
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I broke the glass by accident<br />
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So how do we resolve this question in Spanish? We combine a reflexive verb with an indirect object.<br />
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If you're like me, after reading that you immediately thought "What? Can you say that in English?". I hear you. Grammar explanations can be confusing, so I'm going to explain it to you in plain English.<br />
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Let's keep it simple and refer to this as "accidental actions". While some people might consider this a somewhat advanced level of grammar , it's actually pretty easy to tell someone you did something by accident, just by using this simple pattern:<br />
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<b>Se + (me, te, le, nos, les) + </b><b>third-person singular </b><b>preterite </b><b>verb conjugation</b><br />
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I'm sure you noticed this: "third-person singular preterite verb conjugation". <br />
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Well that's a mouthful isn't it? All it means is you want the usted preterite conjugation of the verb. If you're looking at a verb chart just look for the preterite (pretérito in Spanish) of "<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;">Usted (Ud), él, ella</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;">". </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;">In fact, take a look at </span><a href="http://users.ipfw.edu/jehle/COURSES/verbs/ROMPER.HTM" style="text-align: -webkit-center;" target="_blank">the conjugation chart for romper.</a><span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;"> </span>To simplify things a little for this post we'll just call it the usted preterite conjugation. <span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;"><br /></span>
Here's our simplified pattern:<br />
<br />
<b>Se + (me, te, le, nos, les) + </b><b>usted preterite conjugation </b><br />
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Let's go back to the broken glass example. Notice that in the pattern you have a choice of <b> me, te, le, nos, </b>and <b>les</b>. Since you're saying "I broke the glass by accident" you want to use "<b>me</b>". I'll explain the other choices shortly. You'll also need the usted past tense of the verb <b>romper </b>(to break), which is <b>rompío</b>.<br />
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<b>Se me rompió el vaso</b><br />
I broke the glass by accident<br />
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Simple, right? Here's another example:<br />
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<b>Se me perdió la llave</b><br />
I lost the key by accident<br />
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Pretty straight-forward right? What if we want to say "you broke the glass by accident" or you lost the key by accident"?<br />
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Let's take another look at our pattern.<br />
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<b>Se + (me, te, le, nos, les) + </b><b>usted preterite conjugation</b><b> </b><br />
<br />
OK, it's time to talk about those little <b>me</b>, <b>te</b>, <b>le</b>, <b>nos </b>and <b>les</b> words I mentioned earlier. You use those indicate who performed the accidental action.<br />
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<b>Me </b>- I lost it:<br />
<b>Se me perdió la llave</b><br />
I lost the key by accident<br />
<br />
<b>Te</b> - You lost it: <br />
<b>Se te perdió la llave</b><br />
You lost the key by accident<br />
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<b>Le</b> - He/she lost it: <br />
<b>Se le perdió la llave</b><br />
He/she lost the key by accident<br />
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<b>Nos</b> - We lost it: <br />
<b>Se nos perdió la llave</b><br />
We lost the key by accident<br />
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<b>Les</b> - They lost it: <br />
<b>Se les perdió la llave</b><br />
They lost the key by accident<br />
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And there you have it. Notice the conjugation of <b>perder</b> (<b>perdió</b>) never changed. <b>Pan comido</b>, right?<br />
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That pattern works for anything you might do by accident. You just need to memorize the pattern and learn how to conjugate verbs to the third person singular preterite tense (remember this mouthful from above?) which you've already learned or are in the process of learning anyway, so there's no extra work involved for you.<br />
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Let's look at another example:<br />
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<b>Se les perdieron las llaves</b><br />
They lost the keys by accident<br />
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Hold on, let's back up. Did you notice that? <br />
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The verb <b>perder </b>was conjugated in the preterite past tense, but in the <b>ellos, ellas, ustedes</b> form. In grammar speak it would be the:<br />
<br />
Third-person plural preterite conjugation<br />
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The past tense verb conjugation must match the number of "things" that were accidentally affected. That means we need one more pattern that's just a little different than the first one.<br />
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<b>Se + (me, te, le, nos, les) + </b><b>third-person plural </b><b>preterite </b><b>verb conjugation</b><br />
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All this means is we have to conjugate to the <b>ellos, ellas, ustedes</b> form of the verb in the preterite tense. Just take a look at the chart I pointed you to earlier.<br />
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Now let's review our broken glass example again:<br />
<br />
<b>Se me rompió el vaso</b><br />
I broke the glass by accident<br />
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Only one glass was broken in that example. So what if I broke more than one glass? Then it changes to:<br />
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<b>Se me rompieron los vasos</b><br />
I broke the glasses by accident<br />
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Let's look at one more example:<br />
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<b>Se les quedaron las llaves en casa</b><br />
They left the keys at home by accident<br />
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Make sense? If you're still confused don't worry about it, it just takes a little practice. To start using this "accidental actions" construction all you need to do is memorize the two simple patterns and learn a few verb conjugations.<br />
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Don't obsess over understanding the grammar at first, the important thing is to start using the construction and pay special attention to it when you see or hear it. Eventually the understanding of the grammar will "click" and everything will make sense. <br />
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Here's another bit of advice. Don't feel like you have to learn everything at once. Feel free to start with focusing on the things you do by accident first, then once you get a feel for that start focusing in on being able to talk about what others do on accident.<br />
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Here are a few websites you can look at for more examples of how to talk about accidental actions in Spanish:<br />
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<a href="http://www.123teachme.com/learn_spanish/node/11293" target="_blank">Se with unintentional events</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.elearnspanishlanguage.com/grammar/verb/accidentalreflexive.html" target="_blank">Spanish Reflexive Pronoun Se with Unplanned Occurrences</a><br />
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Obviously a key part of talking about accidental actions in Spanish is verb conjugations. Conjugating verbs may seem intimidating, but it's really not that hard. In fact, here's a great website with some very helpful conjugation charts. This is a great site when you want to quickly look up the conjugations of a verb. There's even a blank template so you can practice.<br />
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<a href="http://users.ipfw.edu/jehle/VERBLIST.HTM" target="_blank">Fred F Jehle - Spanish Verb Forms</a><br />
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If you want to practice conjugating verbs then I have another recommendation, <a href="http://www.spaleon.com/index.php" target="_blank">The Spaleon Verb Conjugation Trainer</a>. Although I don't use it anymore, it's still a kick-ass site. You can select the verbs and the tense you want to practice, and they even have pre-selected sets of verbs (Basic, Regular, Irregular, Traveling and Learning) to make your practice easier.<br />
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I didn't use any other online verb conjugation trainers, but if <a href="http://www.spaleon.com/index.php" target="_blank">Spaleon </a>doesn't work for you just do a search in Google on verb conjugation trainers and you'll find plenty of other options.<br />
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Both of the sites I mentioned above are great, but there's no doubt in my mind that the <a href="http://d76c7c3hp9kp3s5slcq12mem1a.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_blank">the Verbarrator</a> is the most effective verb conjugation tool available. You have to see it for yourself, it's a great tool. I did a review of it and <a href="http://myspanishnotes.blogspot.com/p/the-verbarrator.html" target="_blank">you can read the Verbarrator review here</a>. OK, it's not so much a review as it is a close up look at the product. Think of it as a product tour.<br />
<br />
With the three options I mentioned above for verb conjugations you have more than enough to become a super whiz at conjugating Spanish verbs. But if you want more help with mastering how to talk about accidental actions in Spanish, read on.<br />
<br />
A more interactive tool to help you nail down how to talk about accidental actions in Spanish is <a href="http://58bb09v3w9hhzq1dqkphozzwff.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_blank">Learning Spanish Like Crazy Level 3</a>. It does a good job of covering this topic. The course comes with over 30 lessons with each lesson being at least 25 minutes. It devotes 2 and a half lessons (almost an hour) towards helping you learn how to use <b>se </b>to talk about accidental actions. That's how I learned, so I know it works.<br />
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That's it for today. I hope I was able to help you get a handle on talking about accidental actions in Spanish.<br />
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<b>¡Hasta la próxima!</b><br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767848834836585802.post-77291015789785773612013-09-15T14:05:00.000-07:002013-09-15T14:05:23.306-07:00Improving your conversational SpanishIn my last post, <a href="http://helpingyoulearnspanish.blogspot.com/2013/08/how-to-learn-spanish-what-is-autodidacta.html" target="_blank">I want to learn Spanish, now what?</a>, I explained what <b>autodidacta</b> is, as well as my idea of a foundation course and how I used them as a part of my learning process to teach myself Spanish. If you haven't read that post or don't know what <b>autodidacta </b>is, <a href="http://helpingyoulearnspanish.blogspot.com/2013/08/how-to-learn-spanish-what-is-autodidacta.html" target="_blank">click here</a>. <br />
<br />
At about the 2 year point in my learning Spanish journey, I had two short trips to Mexico under my belt. The first trip served to rekindle the desire I had to learn Spanish, and inadvertently started me down the path of <b>autodidacta</b>. The second trip taught me that while my foundation courses were really helping, they weren't enough.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://5d085ay5ybslzzcf0h-ek8vm1a.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=HYLS" target="_blank">Learning Spanish Like Crazy Level 1</a>, <a href="http://61435n4awzgcrx6xx1njczcofw.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=HYLS" target="_blank">Synergy Spanish</a> and <a href="http://059a2azgr0iismeg3ohkspil7g.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=HYLS" target="_blank">Rocket Spanish</a> were getting me off to a great start. I was able to get around town, order food and handle everyday touristy type tasks with relative ease. However it quickly became apparent that social conversations (among other things) were another story.<br />
<br />
I realized I had two problems I needed to resolve. The first problem was finding someone to talk to. The second problem was learning conversational/colloquial Spanish. <br />
<br />
I eventually reached a point where I knew that if I wanted to be able to speak this language, I <i>had </i>to find someone to talk to. Desperation was setting in. I remember thinking <b>aunque me muera</b> (even if it kills me), I was going to learn this language. <br />
<br />
The feeling of desperation and the desire to master this language forced me to get out there and find or create opportunities to speak Spanish. Here's what I came up with:<br />
<br />
(1) I ate at a lot of Mexican restaurants. <br />
<br />
I should have turned into a burrito by now, but Mexican restaurants are great places to practice your Spanish. If you visit the same restaurant multiple times and gain the confidence of the wait staff, you'll have a small army of people more than happy to help you with your Spanish. <br />
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The best part is you can study all of the Spanish you need in before you go. Do your homework and learn how to order your food before you even get to the restaurant. Jot down some notes and off you go. You'll even be able to prepare yourself for the responses you can expect to hear back. <br />
<br />
I have to admit, I learned quite a bit of Spanish in Mexican (or Cuban, etc) restaurants. Looking back on my experiences, it's amazing how much Spanish you can learn just by trying to order a burrito.<br />
<br />
(2) Several of the companies I've worked for had a Hispanic janitorial and/or cafeteria staff. <br />
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I used to look forward to lunch time because I got to chit-chat with a few Spanish speakers, even if it were only for 2-3 minutes a day. I even looked forward to working a little late to talk with the janitorial staff.<br />
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Sometimes I had to be a bit persistent because they were shy or had some sort of reservation about speaking to me in Spanish, but with perseverance I eventually gained their confidence and conversation.<br />
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(3) I started speaking Spanish with co-workers. <br />
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Admittedly, I didn't have many Spanish speaking co-workers, but I worked up the courage to start speaking to them. It actually worked out great. I remember going to lunch with a Colombian co-worker and my knowledge of Spanish was sky-rocketing on a daily basis. Not to mention he was taking me to a lot of great hidden spots to both eat and use my Spanish even more.<br />
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(4) I discovered a website called <a href="http://meetup.com/">MeetUp.com</a>. <br />
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Go to the site and do a search for Spanish language groups in your area. If you live in a respectable size city, there's likely at least one group of Spanish lovers like you who meet on a regular basis to practice. At the time there weren't that many groups in my area, but I got lucky and found one that turned out to be great. We met weekly and did nothing but talk for 1-2 hours every meeting. At first it wasn't easy, but I was learning a lot and getting the conversational practice I so desperately needed.<br />
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After I had attend the group for a while, I eventually discovered something even bigger than the group conversations...the power of friendships. I started making Spanish speaking friends, and that's when my Spanish really took off. I started getting invited to social gatherings and meeting even more Spanish speakers. I've even been to a few parties where I was almost the only English speaker there. Talk about trial by fire!<br />
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(5) Find a place where Spanish speakers hang out and join them. <br />
<br />
I managed to find a nice restaurant/bar where Spanish speakers came to dance, play domino's and just hang out. I made some new friends and had some pretty good times. <br />
<br />
And there you have it. I went from a guy who thought he had no one to talk to, to a guy who learned how to turn over stones and find opportunities where it looked like none existed. I hope I gave you some useful ideas on how you can find someone to speak to, even when it seems like there's no one around.<br />
<br />
So now we can talk about the other problem I had, increasing my knowledge of conversational/colloquial Spanish.<br />
<br />
When I traveled and even at home, I was always hearing Spanish that I wasn't learning from my study materials, and I wanted to be able to converse without sounding like a 5 year old. Actually, 5 year old's probably don't stutter and grasp for words as much as I did back then. So I turned to the one place I knew could help me. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&tag=helyouleaspa-20" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a>. <br />
<br />
There are many books and products out there, but very few of them offer the bang for your buck that you deserve if you're going to spend your hard-earned cash. Here are my suggestions on what products are truly deserving of not just your money, but your time and effort. <br />
<br />
Let's get started.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/029274322X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=029274322X&linkCode=as2&tag=helyouleaspa-20" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkOvHWPbeQYuh3JZrqZ-R0iQxr6g04qGum1vACc_tNciYBHP0STBOI1QmONCWx_i_wRUawIPt9uSnklUGCxPqNnwfxRMRngoaFl9g5WM4yrUlZRk-wouaOgJ42DEIwiPzk-rmwoASgzH0/s1600/breaking+out+of+beginners+spanish_small.jpg" /></a></div>
I wouldn't hesitate to call <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/029274322X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=029274322X&linkCode=as2&tag=helyouleaspa-20" target="_blank">Breaking Out of Beginners Spanish</a> the best book on the market for improving your Spanish. If you could only buy one book, this is it. You'll increase your vocabulary and gain a deeper understanding of the language. He discusses things like "YO-ISMO" (the overuse of the pronoun "yo"), tricksters (words commonly misused by English speakers) and he examines 64 verbs and tells you what they mean and how they're really used in conversation as well as a ton of other things.<br />
<br />
He also takes a practical look at the subjunctive that anybody can understand. I don't care what your level of Spanish is, if you're serious about learning and/or improving your conversational Spanish, this book needs to be in your collection. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071754156/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0071754156&linkCode=as2&tag=helyouleaspa-20" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8Zdf0hGykR0Sfg0KdMILBjtZNeowuJ2u_4oFbzWG5IMZdYlho06I8DOzP9s9MRgeB7JsERI4T19uMxCOGAPpaWhz_zgpZbZt_wp3S6wyacCanIdE6hrgrP74Fw5U13v52lRrBJLbcmM/s1600/Spanish-Among-Amigos-small.jpg" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071754156/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0071754156&linkCode=as2&tag=helyouleaspa-20" target="_blank">Spanish Among Amigos</a> will take your conversational abilities to a new level. It's packed with tons of everyday vocabulary, speech and idioms that will have you sounding like a native in no time. The material is presented through realistic dialogues that take place between 3 friends. The book does use Spanish from Spain, but the author does a great job of pointing out regional differences and offering neutral alternatives. <br />
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The second edition features audio recordings of the dialogues. That wasn't available when I bought it, so it's even better now. <br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0020794304/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=helyouleaspa-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0020794304&adid=0ZZAHP60KH7AX5CWV8PH&" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETK9wxIAxCQnOkIwJVvVjfvIBURyxvmTmcMHtlx7XxfXu_QnU6qzYDXKbvMVLlKQUrn-W8WoQEzx4MBBjYBkSc3Vq3n59l5YuYI1dfsY-eu1CGpoITOJm2zgH5fsDcsXK9cZkRmQPjQ4/s200/Cassells+Colloquial+Spanish.gif" width="114" /></a></div>
The last book I'm going to suggest is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0020794304/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=helyouleaspa-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0020794304&adid=0ZZAHP60KH7AX5CWV8PH&" target="_blank">Cassell's Colloquial Spanish, A handbook of idiomatic usage</a>. In the format of a dictionary, this book gives you the most common colloquial usages of the word and corresponding examples, along side the dictionary definition. <br />
<br />
It's more of a reference book than something you read from cover-to-cover, but you'll find yourself quickly amazed at the wealth of information this book has to offer. This book will go a long way in helping you understand the difference between classroom Spanish and colloquial Spanish.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipqNR8ngy8Ba8tdk0JTZ1TPE3gwlp5-Dgvldw-7FmAD7EZonJgAWNgzFAKgLTT833rcKxY9mlu9VAhBxV5w6VQs9TrdHTf5WGc0rDXscGpHt9rakQN5y6-V2vrAFbPKjYBVLnrlnWs8X4/s1600/learn-conversational-spanish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
While books are great, audio is even better. Here's a great CD that Amazon offers that will also grow your conversational abilities. Like everything I recommend, I own a copy and I found it to be worth every nickel.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/193531100X/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=helyouleaspa-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=193531100X&adid=1A55R6AJF2XF3TH55A7N&" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAUjF4mVxSmBPF6eh_pfSwHgQOqq5TynES8z3q3xgHiH0qpxLiCqZZmRA4BhmghYfjM1x_6Krlc8iNz4Lc9unFPOM5DspgVft7_-YO4jztt8YMJQ938e6q5Y_EPmjLj7nntVn6JjoOMuU/s1600/learn-conversational-spanish-small.jpg" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/193531100X/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=helyouleaspa-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=193531100X&adid=1A55R6AJF2XF3TH55A7N&" target="_blank">Learn Conversational Spanish Now (Spanish Edition) </a><br />
<br />
This is a collection of 60 conversational dialogues that come with written transcripts so you can read along while listen to the conversations if you like. A surprising feature about this CD is it offers a slower version of the dialogues in addition to the dialogues at regular speed. The conversations are realistic and are true reflections of what you'll hear in real life.<br />
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It's time to wrap this post up. I hope I've managed to help you in some form or fashion and keep working on that Spanish. <br />
<br />
And remember, when the learning gets tough, <b>¡no te rindas!</b> (don't give up!)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767848834836585802.post-92100034363427296752013-08-16T07:23:00.002-07:002016-07-24T17:04:59.817-07:00I want to learn Spanish. Now what?So you've decided to take the plunge and learn Spanish. That's fantastic, but you may find yourself asking the question many people ask. Where do I start? What's a wanna-be Spanish speaker supposed to do? <br />
<br />
Every week I meet Spanish students and speakers that ask me "How did you learn Spanish?". Nearly everyone finds the answer quite surprising.<br />
<br />
<b>Soy un autodidacta del español</b><br />
I taught myself how to speak Spanish<br />
<br />
<b>Autodidacta </b>means self-taught. Most people are surprised to hear that I never stepped foot inside of a traditional classroom. Nor did I live in a Spanish speaking country. In fact, I've never even done an immersion course. So how did I learn Spanish?<br />
<br />
I primarily learned how to speak Spanish by using audio courses and podcasts. In fact, audio courses were the foundation of my learning. My "classroom" was the driver's seat of my car, my textbooks were CD's and the podcasts I downloaded religiously to my MP3 player. <br />
<br />
Why use audio courses instead of taking classes? Clearly that's a personal choice. Here are a few of my reasons:<br />
<br />
(1) They're portable. Put them on your phone or MP3 player and you can take them everywhere. <br />
(2) You can't get the amount of instruction in one class that you can from an audio course. <br />
(3) Compared to classes, they're amazingly inexpensive. <br />
(4) You have 24 hour instruction available, anytime of the day or night.<br />
(5) If you want to go through the material a second time, you don't have to pay again, you just start over.<br />
(6) You can even find free audio courses if you know where to look<br />
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<div>
There are advantages to being in a classroom and having a teacher, but I decided to put all my eggs in the autodidacta basket and it paid off big time. </div>
<div>
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<div>
Let's talk a little more about audio courses. </div>
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<div>
It should come as no surprise that a trip to your local bookstore or a Google search will turn up an obscene number of products all promising to help you learn Spanish with their magical CD's. The question now becomes which one(s) should I buy?</div>
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To answer that question we need to know what to look for in an audio course. You can find plenty of quality products but that doesn't mean they're going to get you any closer to your goal of becoming a genuine Spanish speaker. Sure, you may learn a few things, but that will be about it. You need what I'm going to call a foundation course. <br />
<br />
Let's talk about this idea of a foundation course. A foundation course should teach you:<br />
<br />
(1) How to conjugate verbs naturally, through using the language, not memorization<br />
(2) Lots of practical vocabulary, the high percentage words you use in everyday speech<br />
(3) How to think and form your own sentences in context<br />
(4) How to speak Spanish naturally, the way a native speaker would<br />
(5) Use the listen and repeat method. This really drives the material home. <br />
(6) Not cost you an ojo de la cara<br />
(literally an eye of the face, or an arm and a leg as we know it)<br />
<br />
There are many courses available and more being released everyday, but I'm only going to talk about the ones I used, because they meet all of the above criteria, especially #6. And more importantly<br />
because they worked for me. <br />
<br />
I have to admit, when I first started learning Spanish I didn't know what I was doing or what I was looking for, much less what I actually needed in a Spanish course. In fact, most people don't, especially if it's your first foreign language. <br />
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I started with an audio course called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591257336/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1591257336&linkCode=as2&tag=helyouleaspa-20" target="_blank">Learn in Your Car Spanish: The Complete Language Course</a>. I learned quite a bit, mostly the basics, numbers, days of the week, etc., a few verb conjugations and some phrases that I just flat out memorized. It was relatively cheap and it got me started. However, even with it's 4 star rating, one trip to Mexico later I quickly realized it hadn't even come close to teaching me how to speak Spanish.<br />
<br />
Several months later, along with more wasted money on numerous Spanish books, I somehow came across <a href="http://5d085ay5ybslzzcf0h-ek8vm1a.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=HYLS" target="_blank">Learning Spanish Like Crazy</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://5d085ay5ybslzzcf0h-ek8vm1a.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=HYLS" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvDINtoV0gvlZDEFnKqP2kd1Xc3RrwR-cZ9BOTt_JgKlQmmnfrcIgFA6Lv1O7OKD9exqktzCMXEjFQH4A6yzuJ0jLDzyQhNtKaLD5T98LJXR-3LX5S33x7M5g8Wm4OEzoaXw50JEdkWRQ/s200/lslc1.jpg" width="143" /></a></div>
In all honesty, when I first bought this course I listened to it for maybe 30 minutes, put it down and walked away from it for the next 2-3 months, maybe longer. That was the (first) biggest mistake of my Spanish speaking career. After another trip to Mexico I decided to pick it up again, probably out of desperation.<br />
<br />
I was thinking "well, I paid for this damn thing so I may as well use it". It wasn't long before I realized I was sitting on a gold mine. Let me tell you a little about the course and what I like about it. <br />
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To start off with, it's a $99 download (at least it was the last time I checked) and it consists of 30 lessons. That's a bargain, trust me. Over the course of those 30 lessons, (each one is 30 minutes or longer) they cover a lot of ground. They take you from "Hola cómo estás" all the way to the subjunctive tense. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://5d085ay5ybslzzcf0h-ek8vm1a.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=HYLS" target="_blank">Learning Spanish Like Crazy</a> will drill the verb conjugations into your head like no other course will. On top of that you'll learn a ton of vocabulary. Each lesson introduces new verbs and vocabulary that you continue to review and build upon throughout the course. These aren't old fashioned memorization drills, these lessons use native speakers that teach you each and every verb conjugation via spoken Spanish, in context, using the listen and repeat approach.<br />
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I found the lessons engaging and if you put forth your share of the work, this course will have you speaking Spanish in no time. I'm convinced buying this course and then <a href="http://67441etg1bgosnbh3fu6j4sz0z.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=HYLS" target="_blank">level 2</a> and <a href="http://58bb09v3w9hhzq1dqkphozzwff.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_blank">level 3</a> that later followed it was the best money I ever spent. Anyway, don't take my word for it, Everybody is different and what works for me may not work for you. <a href="http://5d085ay5ybslzzcf0h-ek8vm1a.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=HYLS" target="_blank">Go to the website and check out the free lessons</a>. <br />
<br />
As great of a course <a href="http://5d085ay5ybslzzcf0h-ek8vm1a.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=HYLS" target="_blank">Learning Spanish Like Crazy</a> is, it's not the only option out there. There's another course I recommend as a foundation course just as much as <a href="http://5d085ay5ybslzzcf0h-ek8vm1a.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=HYLS" target="_blank">Learning Spanish Like Crazy</a> and that course is <a href="http://61435n4awzgcrx6xx1njczcofw.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=HYLS" target="_blank">Synergy Spanish</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://61435n4awzgcrx6xx1njczcofw.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=HYLS" target="_blank">Synergy Spanish</a> is all about teaching you what you need to know in the simplest manner possible to get you communicating with Spanish speakers as quickly as possible. Developed by Marcus SantaMaria, <a href="http://61435n4awzgcrx6xx1njczcofw.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=HYLS" target="_blank">Synergy Spanish</a> is in my opinion, one of the best courses out there. I'd rank it in the top 3 without hesitation. Marcus explains everything step-by-step and making it nearly impossible not to learn Spanish.<br />
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As far as I'm concerned, the man is a genius. I used this course in conjunction with <a href="http://5d085ay5ybslzzcf0h-ek8vm1a.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=HYLS" target="_blank">Learning Spanish Like Crazy</a> and the two are a great compliment to each other. Take a look at <a href="http://61435n4awzgcrx6xx1njczcofw.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=HYLS" target="_blank">Synergy Spanish</a>, Marcus offers several free lessons you can try. I'm sorry there isn't pretty image I can show you, but hey, no course is perfect. And last time I checked, the cost was around $60-70 and it's also downloadable.<br />
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<a href="http://fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Spanish" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpvOdjsMwttdE5J2AX46XQrALafwSXcO_urpjFKOfG2dmi9PT1RSHsieOIpYrikWFpeWd8j4EI6xW-1WiKQwMEw0z3uj86_UU5xF8qqBU7Sxze-U_MbNvtwDk5QAV93VSXRLydeeTH9p0/s320/fsi+Spanish.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
Another course that I qualify as a foundation course is called <a href="http://fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Spanish" target="_blank">FSI Spanish</a>. <br />
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FSI stands for Foreign Service Institute. They developed numerous language courses (it's an impressive list) that were and probably still are used to teach government employees. <a href="http://fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Spanish" target="_blank">FSI Spanish</a> is a very good course. In all honesty, I've only completed a few lessons, but that's only because I found out about it about long after I completed the other courses and I already was several years into my Spanish studies with the courses I mentioned above already underneath my belt. You can <a href="http://fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Spanish" target="_blank">download FSI Spanish here</a>. <br />
<br />
Did I mention <a href="http://fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Spanish" target="_blank">FSI Spanish</a> is free? Yep, FREE. There are many places that will attempt to charge you for it (including <a href="http://www.amazon.com/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&tag=helyouleaspa-20" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a>), but it's in the public domain so don't pay a nickel a for it. Click on the links or the image above and download it for free.<br />
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The course consists of over 50 lessons and is more than worth taking a look at. It covers all of the Spanish verb tenses, teaches a ton of vocabulary and is packed with lots of great drills to help you get a solid grasp on the language. I recommend it, especially in conjunction with one or both the courses I mentioned above. I know several people who have used all three.<br />
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There are also two other courses called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1582141827/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1582141827&linkCode=as2&tag=helyouleaspa-20" target="_blank">Platiquemos</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=helyouleaspa-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1582141827" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=pimsleur%20spanish&linkCode=ur2&sprefix=pimse%2Caps%2C371&tag=helyouleaspa-20&url=search-alias%3Daps" target="_blank"> Pimsluer</a> that are also modeled after <a href="http://fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Spanish" target="_blank">FSI Spanish</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=pimsleur%20spanish&linkCode=ur2&sprefix=pimse%2Caps%2C371&tag=helyouleaspa-20&url=search-alias%3Daps" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCxgyMEppNQYtRUyd7rXmiF_pv9Xn9TT8m9jm-lvCD02A_XmzPuFqr2kk-Ryy7xSFOJY1eOnvA86-pjCdAzEkBF7THFCHAf5yz-6u1eei-ZIxnKxrZXaYr-NP__wHgDobMiMZqQibIPk/s200/platiquemos.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1582141827/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1582141827&linkCode=as2&tag=helyouleaspa-20" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUY6-3O-XpTYed5H7SJmkNMYf8HWaxGhc1aV8iDICt7Xyf5UsDbGMrrP8benhyertATDDV5oyhh_7drEvOtq34cdqQx99Bxt9KfoOaW-Ombsyu3tx0UK18YgeBqFRb9TSuiRUjiEGxnM/s200/pimsluer.jpg" width="167" /></a><br />
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<br />
Personally I don't recommend either of these. It's not that I don't like them (I actually own <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1582141827/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1582141827&linkCode=as2&tag=helyouleaspa-20" target="_blank">Platiquemos</a>) , they're great courses. I just don't think you should spend your hard earned cash on them because they're both so similar to <a href="http://fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Spanish" target="_blank">FSI Spanish</a>, which is free. But honestly, take a look at both of them and read the reviews on Amazon. Choose the courses that you think will work for you. <br />
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<a href="http://059a2azgr0iismeg3ohkspil7g.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=HYLS" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfO3sANz_In1tO0HwaS1ypIeJkakzUNOV1_XIZMAbqD1Jac9hsnE5wTbyruZiETm3o0-DozKLS438i5qM981eiURtRZ3tx0z6-xQnDHdNajru5_uQ2Uc5Z4k30DqM8HjTF3C2asF6eHjE/s1600/spanish-free-6dc-laptop.png" /></a></div>
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<br />
There's another course I really like, and that's <a href="http://059a2azgr0iismeg3ohkspil7g.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=HYLS" target="_blank">Rocket Spanish</a>. In my humble opinion, <a href="http://059a2azgr0iismeg3ohkspil7g.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=HYLS" target="_blank">Rocket Spanish</a> rides the line between a foundation course and a conversational course. It gives you a gentle introduction to Spanish and does a good job of simplifying complex topics. I own this one too, it's great stuff. You may find it more suitable to your learning style. <a href="http://059a2azgr0iismeg3ohkspil7g.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=HYLS" target="_blank">Click here and take a look at what Rocket Spanish has to offer</a>. <br />
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Well, I'm done. Evaluate the courses above and choose what you feel is the best option for you. I ended up buying several courses myself and found that they all complemented each other because each course offers it's own strengths and presents the material differently. <br />
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Got a suggestion for a good course that meets the 6 criteria above? Leave a comment or even better lets talk about it on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HelpingYouLearnSpanish" target="_blank">Helping You Learn Spanish Facebook page</a>.<br />
<br />
If you don't think any of those are good options for you, then take a good look around <a href="http://www.amazon.com/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&tag=helyouleaspa-20" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=helyouleaspa-20&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> to find something that's more your style, but yet fulfills the 6 criteria we identified as being necessary components of a good audio course.<br />
<br />
That's enough rambling for one post. Shortly I'll be writing about the best way to improve your conversational Spanish. <br />
<br />
<b>¡Hasta la próxima!</b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767848834836585802.post-72160612020764159872013-07-28T01:55:00.003-07:002013-07-28T01:55:40.390-07:00Hace mucho tiempo en una galaxia muy, muy, lejanaI run a Spanish Meet Up group in Atlanta and every week the same question comes up, "How long have you been studying Spanish?" And my answer is always the same:<br />
<br />
<b>Llevo casi 10 años aprendiendo español</b><br />
I've been learning Spanish for almost 10 years<br />
<br />
Some of you may be surprised to see that you can answer that question with the verb <b>llevar</b>, but that's a lesson for another day. <br />
<br />
There's nothing wrong with that response. In fact, you will probably impress your Spanish speaking friends with it. So what are we here to talk about you ask? The fact that you can say the same thing with the verb <b>hacer</b>.<br />
<br />
Enough chit-chat, let's get on with it.<br />
<br />
Before I get to how to answer the question, let me explain to you how to ask the question. For that you'll need the phrase "<b>hace cuánto tiempo</b>". <br />
<br />
<b>¿Hace cuánto tiempo que estudias español?</b><br />
How long have you been studying Spanish?<br />
<br />
That isn't a literal translation, so don't get caught up by that. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's find out how to answer the question. It's actually pretty simple. The same verb you used to ask the question is the same verb you use to answer it.<br />
<br />
<b>Hace 10 años que estudio español</b><br />
I've been studying for 10 years<br />
<br />
That wasn't hard was it? Let's look at another example:<br />
<br />
<b>¿Hace cuánto tiempo que no fumas?</b><br />
How long has it been since you stopped smoking?<br />
<br />
You see, <b>hace </b>(from the verb <b>hacer</b>) is your verb of choice for talking about how long ago you've been doing something or how long ago something happened. Here are a few more examples:<br />
<br />
<b>¿Hace cuánto tiempo te mudaste a los Estados Unidos?</b><br />
How long ago did you move to the United States?<br />
<br />
<b>Me mudé a los Estados Unidos hace 5 años</b><br />
I moved to the United States 5 years ago<br />
<br />
<b>Hace mucho que no sé nada del él</b><br />
I haven't heard from him in a long time<br />
<br />
<b>Hace mucho tiempo que no voy al cine</b><br />
I haven't gone to the movies in a long time<br />
<br />
Here are a few other ways you could have answered that last question. You may not find these in your Spanish book, but trust me they're very common responses.<br />
<br />
<b>Hace mucho tiempo</b><br />
A long time ago<br />
<br />
<b>uuuy, hace mucho</b><br />
hmmm, a long time ago<br />
<br />
Notice in that last example I omitted the word "<b>tiempo</b>", but it's understood.<br />
<br />
Here's one more example:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEV-RLY3agxXj6rwMq1JzMN6Th4n9glnSpk66jiSaAkww1Td5silDUu89HU0ZVYtkUrTZAEZkAyeLj0h3dANAoEMvKvMurNVYgLsj_5A5jNIUOxmM-zMB0W_zoeVKG_8wiijifNd3Iwmk/s1600/Sabemos-hace-mucho-tiempo...-que-las-mujeres-traen-la-felicidad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEV-RLY3agxXj6rwMq1JzMN6Th4n9glnSpk66jiSaAkww1Td5silDUu89HU0ZVYtkUrTZAEZkAyeLj0h3dANAoEMvKvMurNVYgLsj_5A5jNIUOxmM-zMB0W_zoeVKG_8wiijifNd3Iwmk/s320/Sabemos-hace-mucho-tiempo...-que-las-mujeres-traen-la-felicidad.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
We've known for a long time that women bring us happiness. <br />
<br />
Lastly let's translate the title of this post:<br />
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<b>Hace mucho tiempo en una galaxia muy, muy, lejana</b><br />
A long time ago in a galaxy very, very far away<br />
<br />
If you don't know what movie this line belongs to, well, I just don't know what to say.<br />
<br />
<b>Ya esta! Así de facíl</b>. Any questions? I know, I didn't translate that. Consider it your <b>tarea </b>(homework).<br />
<br />
Be sure to subscribe to this blog via email (at the very top of the right hand side of the page) and follow me on FaceBook to get additional tips on the Spanish language and even more free resources!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/HelpingYouLearnSpanish">https://www.facebook.com/HelpingYouLearnSpanish</a><br />
<br />
Oh! I mentioned I run a Spanish Meet Up group in Atlanta. Feel free to pay us a visit if you find yourself in our neck of the woods. Just ask for the Spanish group, everybody there knows us. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.meetup.com/MarleesSpanishClass" target="_blank">Marlees Spanish Class </a><br />
<br />
<b>¡Hasta la próxima!</b><br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767848834836585802.post-3595404824158818352013-07-12T11:35:00.000-07:002017-09-28T02:59:42.462-07:00How to say would have in Spanish<b><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">***EDIT***</span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This blog has moved to <a href="http://www.helpingyoulearnspanish.com/">www.helpingyoulearnspanish.com</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://helpingyoulearnspanish.com/how-to-say-would-have-in-spanish/" target="_blank">Click here to go the latest version of this post on the new blog. </a> </span><br />
<br />
My previous two post covered how to say could have and should have in Spanish. Here are the links for those posts:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://helpingyoulearnspanish.blogspot.com/2013/07/how-to-say-should-have-in-spanish.html" target="_blank">How to say Should Have in Spanish</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://helpingyoulearnspanish.blogspot.com/2013/06/how-to-say-could-have-in-spanish.html" target="_blank">How to say Could Have in Spanish</a><br />
<br />
Today we'll finish off this series by looking at how to say Would Have in Spanish.<br />
<br />
<h2>
HOW TO SAY WOULD HAVE IN SPANISH</h2>
To say would have in Spanish, you need the verb <b>haber</b>. <b>Haber </b>is an auxilary or helping verb, but don't worry about that for now. All you need to do for the moment is learn the patterns I'm going to give you. Eventually you'll have to know how to conjugate the verb <b>haber </b>in the conditional perfect tense, but today I'm going to do that for you, just like in the previous posts.<br />
<br />
You also need to be able to form past participles. If you read my other posts, you've already seen how to do that. But for those of you who missed those posts, creating a past participle is easy. All that means is you need the "-ido" or "-ado" version of the verb. With the exception of a few irregular verbs, "-ido" and "-ado" are the only things you need to form the past participle of a verb. Here's a very nice page that's explains how to do that in plain English.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.spanishdict.com/answers/100044/past-participles#.Uc1xaZxWKnE" target="_blank">Forming Past Participles</a><br />
<br />
Just like before, I'm going to give you the basic pattern:<br />
<br />
<b>Haber + verb (past participle)</b><br />
<br />
Let's go ahead and expand this pattern to include all the conjugations of <b>haber </b>in the conditional perfect tense. <br />
<br />
<b>I would have</b><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Habría + verb (-ido, -ado)</span><br />
<br />
<b>You </b><b>would </b><b>have</b><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Habrías + verb (-ido, -ado)</span><br />
<br />
<b>He/she </b><b>would </b><b>have</b><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Habría + verb (-ido, -ado)</span><br />
<br />
<b>They </b><b>would </b><b>have</b><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Habrían + verb (-ido, -ado)</span><br />
<br />
<b>We should have</b><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Habríamos + verb (-ido, -ado)</span><br />
<br />
If you read my previous posts on how to say could have and should have in Spanish, you already know we're going to work with the same examples as before. <br />
<br />
<b>Habría dormido más tiempo</b><br />
I would have slept longer<br />
<br />
<b>Ella Habría bailado toda la noche</b><br />
She/He would have danced all night<br />
<br />
<b>Habríamos ido a la playa</b> <br />
We would have gone to the beach<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Habrían llamado</b><br />
They would have called<br />
<br />
<br />
This is the part where I mention a few other resources where you can find help. If you read the other posts you've already seen these. If not, read on. I think you'll find these suggestions to be quite useful.<br />
<br />
Most likely you're going to need a little more help and practice to truly master how to say would have in Spanish. One great source of practice is the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071639306/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0071639306&linkCode=as2&tag=helyouleaspa-20" target="_blank">Spanish Verb Tenses</a>. <br />
<br />
Chapter 23 offers a great explanation of the conditional perfect tense and plenty of exercises for you to sharpen your skills with.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071639306/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0071639306&linkCode=as2&tag=helyouleaspa-20" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-rIsLR8YMTpwEy081oh4pwVdS3NuK4Inm5_Tt8m2PgCP-Oer-rOXScV4pUq5IfT4YZTAR1p68acMLxDmgXzSQi0Dx-oE_ZzYNuaMI7poNR_yVNYKrcoiR5tYNFzg4489pkTi0S4zGgE/s200/spanish-verb-tenses.jpg" width="145" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071639306/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0071639306&linkCode=as2&tag=helyouleaspa-20" target="_blank">Click here </a>or on the image to take a look at the book on Amazon. You can get a peek inside the book as well. I actually own this book and it's really helpful for learning how to conjugate any verb tense, not just the conditional perfect.<br />
<br />
There's also a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003WJR5V8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003WJR5V8&linkCode=as2&tag=helyouleaspa-20" target="_blank">Kindle version</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Another option to help you with nailing down those conditional perfect verb tense conjugations is <a href="http://58bb09v3w9hhzq1dqkphozzwff.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_blank">Learning Spanish LikeCrazy Level 3</a>. Among other things it devotes two full 30 minutes lessons to saying would have in Spanish. You can <a href="http://58bb09v3w9hhzq1dqkphozzwff.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_blank">click here</a> to check it out. It actual covers a lot of useful material I really haven't found anywhere else.<br />
<br />
I hope you found today's topic useful.<br />
<br />
<b>¡Hasta la próxima!</b><br />
Until next time!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767848834836585802.post-37995958556712751532013-07-07T08:15:00.000-07:002015-09-28T16:00:09.092-07:00How to say should have in SpanishIn my last post I talked about how to say could have in Spanish. Today we're going to talk about how to say should have in Spanish. Let's get to the task at hand.<br />
<br />
<h2>
HOW TO SAY SHOULD HAVE IN SPANISH</h2>
<br />
To say should have in Spanish, you need the verb <b>deber</b>. <b>Deber </b>means should or ought to. You will have to know how to conjugate the verb <b>deber </b>in the conditional tense, but don't worry, I'm going to help you with that too. And just like saying could have in Spanish, you'll also need the helping verb <b>haber</b>. It doesn't need to be conjugated, you just use it as is.<br />
<br />
The last thing you need to know is how to form past participles. All that means is you need to the "-ido" or "-ado" version of the verb. With the exception of a few irregular verbs, "-ido" and "-ado" are the only things you need to form the past participle of a verb. Here's a very nice page that's explains how to do that in plain English.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.spanishdict.com/answers/100044/past-participles#.Uc1xaZxWKnE" target="_blank">Forming Past Participles</a><br />
<br />
Just like I did when I explained how to say could have in Spanish, I'm going to give you the basic pattern:<br />
<br />
<b>Deber + haber + verb (past participle)</b><br />
<br />
Let's go ahead and expand this pattern to include all the conjugations of <b>deber</b> in the conditional tense. <br />
<br />
<b>I should have</b><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Debería haber + verb (-ido, -ado)</span><br />
<br />
<b>You should have</b><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Deberías haber + verb (-ido, -ado)</span><br />
<br />
<b>He/she should have</b><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Debería haber + verb (-ido, -ado)</span><br />
<br />
<b>They should have</b><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Deberían haber + verb (-ido, -ado)</span><br />
<br />
<b>We should have</b><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Deberíamos haber + verb (-ido, -ado)</span><br />
<br />
While those are helpful, nothing beats a few good examples. And just to keep things simple, I'm going to work with the same examples I used in the <a href="http://helpingyoulearnspanish.blogspot.com/2013/06/how-to-say-could-have-in-spanish.html" target="_blank">How to say could have in Spanish</a> post.<br />
<br />
<b>Debería haber dormido más tiempo</b><br />
I should have slept longer<br />
<br />
<b>Debería haber bailado toda la noche</b><br />
She/He should have danced all night<br />
<br />
<b>Deberíamos haber ido a la playa</b><br />
We should have gone to the beach<br />
<br />
<b>Deberían haber llamado</b><br />
They should have called<br />
<br />
There you go. Simple right? <br />
<br />
Even though this really isn't that hard, you may find yourself needing a little extra help to really nail down those conditional verb tenses for <b>deber</b>, or any verb for that matter. Here are a couple of suggestions.<br />
<br />
If you're the old fashioned type and you like the traditional reading and writing exercises, a pretty good book to use is this one:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071639306/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0071639306&linkCode=as2&tag=helyouleaspa-20" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-rIsLR8YMTpwEy081oh4pwVdS3NuK4Inm5_Tt8m2PgCP-Oer-rOXScV4pUq5IfT4YZTAR1p68acMLxDmgXzSQi0Dx-oE_ZzYNuaMI7poNR_yVNYKrcoiR5tYNFzg4489pkTi0S4zGgE/s200/spanish-verb-tenses.jpg" width="145" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071639306/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0071639306&linkCode=as2&tag=helyouleaspa-20" target="_blank">Click here </a>or on the image to take a look at the book on Amazon. You can get a peek inside the book as well. I actually own this book and it's really helpful for learning how to conjugate any verb tense, not just the conditional.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://d76c7c3hp9kp3s5slcq12mem1a.hop.clickbank.net/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxwTy_NVSaJOVdMk9Sc8tBJFDLNcXHnkj1Bi-O4IQgsVi7NUiXpVqD8AO1OXtKFghQ8uhB2eCKs2Of9JOvrBh8RgeWdGr9Einb0Q2zW2Vd0ZaKzo9K2MKMoWkqaztaqA_t0LFSdqXqazk/s1600/verbarrator.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Another option to help you with those pesky verb conjugations that I wish had been around when I started is the <a href="http://d76c7c3hp9kp3s5slcq12mem1a.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_blank">Verbarrator</a>.<br />
<br />
It's an amazing tool that teaches you verb conjugations with practical examples that you can see and hear spoken by native speakers. It will also add new vocabulary to your Spanish toolkit at the same time. I bought a copy and I'm not going to lie to you, if you take your Spanish seriously it's money well spent. Anyway, <a href="http://d76c7c3hp9kp3s5slcq12mem1a.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_blank">click here</a> or on the image to check it out.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
While I do think the <a href="http://d76c7c3hp9kp3s5slcq12mem1a.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_blank">Verbarrator </a>is probably the best and most effective tool on the market for learning verb conjugations, you can still find plenty of free Spanish verb conjugation trainers on the internet with a simple Google search. One that I used quite a bit in the past is the <a href="http://www.spaleon.com/index.php" target="_blank">Spaleon Verb Conjugation Trainer</a>. <br />
<br />
So now you have a couple of options to help you with nailing down those conditional verb tense conjugations. Another one is <a href="http://58bb09v3w9hhzq1dqkphozzwff.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_blank">Learning Spanish LikeCrazy Level 3</a>. Among other things it devotes two full 30 minutes lessons to saying should have in Spanish. You can <a href="http://58bb09v3w9hhzq1dqkphozzwff.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_blank">click here</a> to check it out. It actual covers a lot of useful material I really haven't found anywhere else.<br />
<br />
You may also want to learn how to say could have and would have:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://helpingyoulearnspanish.blogspot.com/2013/06/how-to-say-could-have-in-spanish.html" target="_blank">How to say could have in Spanish</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://helpingyoulearnspanish.blogspot.com/2013/07/how-to-say-would-have-in-spanish.html" target="_blank">How to say would have in Spanish</a><br />
<br />
Well, enough is enough. I hope you found today's topic useful.<br />
<br />
<b>¡Hasta la próxima!</b><br />
Until next time!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767848834836585802.post-39823990676490743062013-06-28T15:57:00.000-07:002015-09-29T03:04:23.126-07:00How to say could have in SpanishThere are tons of articles about many aspects of the Spanish language, but I rarely see anything written about how to say would have, could have and should have, so over the next couple of posts we're going to take a look at this. We'll start with learning how to say could have in Spanish.<br />
<br />
HOW TO SAY COULD HAVE IN SPANISH<br />
<br />
This isn't actually as hard as it sounds and I'm going to do my best to explain it to you without a bunch of grammar double talk. Let's get started. The first thing we need to do is talk about the things you need to know to be able to say could have in Spanish.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHNsZqBRsN1K8Xonll1dMlP9r2wvNFTEB_mCN5hYg75TafeNe1NZFzOfkyJDst60JBdQR9ii131tqTXPN89sq2Kmm2xAkpwzIbN4YOIdc9nlVGg2Eyp9ZFFElJtpYxz7Y7JX9Kv4biLQ/s1600/podria+haber2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHNsZqBRsN1K8Xonll1dMlP9r2wvNFTEB_mCN5hYg75TafeNe1NZFzOfkyJDst60JBdQR9ii131tqTXPN89sq2Kmm2xAkpwzIbN4YOIdc9nlVGg2Eyp9ZFFElJtpYxz7Y7JX9Kv4biLQ/s1600/podria+haber2.jpg" /></a>To express could have in Spanish, you need the verb <b>poder</b>. <b>Poder </b>means "to be able to" which typically gets translated to some form of "can or could", generally speaking. <br />
<br />
You also need the helping verb <b>haber</b>. The bonus here is you don't even have to conjugate it, you just use the verb as is. <br />
<br />
You'll also need to be able to conjugate the past participle of a verb. All that means is you need to the "<b>-ido</b>" or "<b>-ado</b>" version of the verb. With the exception of a few irregular verbs, "<b>-ido</b>" and "<b>-ado</b>" are the only things you need to form the past participle of a verb. Here's a very nice page that's explains how to do that in plain English.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.spanishdict.com/answers/100044/past-participles#.Uc1xaZxWKnE" target="_blank">Forming Past Participles</a><br />
<br />
Rather than go into a long-winded grammar explanation I'm just going to share some very simple patterns with you and I think you'll find they'll make things easier then you thought. Enough chit-chat, let's get to it.<br />
<br />
The basic pattern goes like this:<br />
<br />
<b>Poder + Haber + Verb (Past participle)</b><br />
<br />
Now let's expand on that.<br />
<br />
<b>I could have</b><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Podría haber + verb (-ido, -ado)</span><br />
<br />
<b>You could have</b><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Podrías haber + verb (-ido, -ado)</span><br />
<br />
<b>He/she could have</b><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Podría haber + verb (-ido, -ado)</span><br />
<br />
<b>They could have</b><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Podrían haber + verb (-ido, -ado)</span><br />
<br />
<b>We could have</b><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Podríamos haber + verb (-ido, -ado)</span><br />
<br />
While those are helpful, nothing beats a few good examples.<br />
<br />
<b>Podría haber dormido más tiempo</b><br />
I could've slept longer<br />
<br />
<b>Podría haber bailado toda la noche</b><br />
She/He could have danced all night<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Podrían haber bailado toda la noche</b><br />
They could have danced all night<br />
<br />
<b>P</b><b>odríamos haber ido a la playa</b><br />
We could have gone to the beach<br />
<br />
Not so bad is it?<br />
<br />
Even knowing all of the above, reading a few articles and even getting help from my tutor, I just didn't quite get it, so don't feel bad if you find yourself in the same boat. There were two things that helped me finally start to get a handle on things.<br />
<br />
The first one is I got copy of <a href="http://58bb09v3w9hhzq1dqkphozzwff.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_blank">Learning Like Spanish Crazy Level 3</a>. The course dedicates 3 full lessons to this topic. I can't even begin to tell you how much this helped me. <br />
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The next thing I did was to start using these patterns in my conversations. At the time I didn't necessarily understand the grammar, but through simply memorizing the patterns and using them anyway, that finally helped everything sink in, and for good. Nothing burns this stuff into your memory better than using it in real life. The grammar will come later.<br />
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Well, that's it for today. Here are a few other posts you may find useful.<br />
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<a href="http://helpingyoulearnspanish.blogspot.com/2013/07/how-to-say-should-have-in-spanish.html" target="_blank">How to say Should Have in Spanish</a><br />
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<a href="http://helpingyoulearnspanish.blogspot.com/2013/07/how-to-say-would-have-in-spanish.html" target="_blank">How to say Would Have in Spanish</a><br />
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<b>¡Ojála que te sirva!</b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0