Correct Your Spanish Blunders

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(2) CORRECT your SPANISH BLUNDERS. How to Avoid 99% of the Common Mistakes Made by Learners of Spanish. JEAN YATES.

(3) Copyright © 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. 0-07-146014-4 The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: 0-07-143841-6. All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Rather than put a trademark symbol after every occurrence of a trademarked name, we use names in an editorial fashion only, and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark. Where such designations appear in this book, they have been printed with initial caps. McGraw-Hill eBooks are available at special quantity discounts to use as premiums and sales promotions, or for use in corporate training programs. For more information, please contact George Hoare, Special Sales, at [email protected] or (212) 904-4069. TERMS OF USE This is a copyrighted work and The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (“McGraw-Hill”) and its licensors reserve all rights in and to the work. Use of this work is subject to these terms. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976 and the right to store and retrieve one copy of the work, you may not decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, reproduce, modify, create derivative works based upon, transmit, distribute, disseminate, sell, publish or sublicense the work or any part of it without McGraw-Hill’s prior consent. You may use the work for your own noncommercial and personal use; any other use of the work is strictly prohibited. Your right to use the work may be terminated if you fail to comply with these terms. THE WORK IS PROVIDED “AS IS.” McGRAW-HILL AND ITS LICENSORS MAKE NO GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES AS TO THE ACCURACY, ADEQUACY OR COMPLETENESS OF OR RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED FROM USING THE WORK, INCLUDING ANY INFORMATION THAT CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE WORK VIA HYPERLINK OR OTHERWISE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. McGraw-Hill and its licensors do not warrant or guarantee that the functions contained in the work will meet your requirements or that its operation will be uninterrupted or error free. Neither McGrawHill nor its licensors shall be liable to you or anyone else for any inaccuracy, error or omission, regardless of cause, in the work or for any damages resulting therefrom. McGraw-Hill has no responsibility for the content of any information accessed through the work. Under no circumstances shall McGraw-Hill and/or its licensors be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, consequential or similar damages that result from the use of or inability to use the work, even if any of them has been advised of the possibility of such damages. This limitation of liability shall apply to any claim or cause whatsoever whether such claim or cause arises in contract, tort or otherwise. DOI: 10.1036/0071460144.

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(5) For more information about this title, click here. CONTENTS Introduction v PRONUNCIATION AND SPELLING 1 Pronunciation. 3. Spelling 10 Capitalization 17 Punctuation 20 GRAMMAR 23 Nouns. 25. Numbers 38 Noun Determiners 53 Descriptive Adjectives. 80. Verbs The Infinitive 96 Types of Verbs. 102. The Indicative Mood 110 The Present Tense. 111. The Preterite Perfect Tense The Preterite Tense. 122. 127. The Imperfect Tense 132 The Pluperfect Tense 140 The Future Tense 143 The Future Perfect Tense 149 The Conditional 151 The Simple Conditional 152 The Conditional Perfect 155 iii.

(6) iv. CONTENTS. The Subjunctive Mood 158 The Present Subjunctive 161 The Preterite Perfect Subjunctive 177 The Imperfect Subjunctive 184 The Pluperfect Subjunctive 197 Reported Speech. 200. Subjects, Objects, and Their Pronouns. 204. Adverbs and Prepositions with Adverbial Functions 231 Other Prepositions 257 Conjunctions. 290. VOCABULARY 297 Words 299 Constructions 323 Catch the Blunders 331 Answer Key 337 Index of Spanish Words and Expressions 351 Subject Index. 356.

(7) INTRODUCTION The purpose of this book is to identify the most common trouble spots for English speakers learning Spanish, to provide a basis for understanding why these trouble spots cause difficulties, and to offer guidance and practice for avoiding potential errors. Many errors commonly made by speakers and learners of a second language are caused by transferring the patterns of the native language to the language being learned. This happens in all aspects of language, from pronunciation to word formation to sentence structure. Following are some examples of problems English speakers have when learning Spanish. 1. There are only a few sounds in Spanish that do not exist in English. Many sounds common to both languages, however, are represented by different letters in each language. For example, in certain situations the letter d in Spanish is pronounced like the “th” in the English “brother.” Also, English and Spanish have different pronunciation patterns for vowels, which can cause English speakers to mispronounce many words. 2. Although there are some clues as to whether Spanish nouns are masculine or feminine, many nouns seem to defy regular patterns. English speakers must learn the gender of Spanish nouns and be careful to use the correct corresponding articles and pronouns. 3. Although many Spanish words have cognates in English, there are also many false cognates, aptly called falsos amigos in Spanish. One example is sensible, an adjective in both languages; it means “levelheaded” in English but “sensitive” in Spanish. 4. In many cases, one word in English has two or more noninterchangeable translations in Spanish. One example of this is the verb “be” in English, whose correspondents in Spanish are ser and estar, as well as other verbs used idiomatically. Another is the English “for,” which has several Spanish translations, among them, por and para. 5. Particles, such as prepositions and conjunctions, have no one-forone equivalents in both languages. For example, the Spanish preposition en can be translated into English as “in,” “on,” “at,” “of,” and v Copyright © 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click here for terms of use..

(8) vi. INTRODUCTION. “about.” Likewise, the translation of English “on Sunday” is el domingo, “the Sunday.” 6. A more insidious type of falso amigo is encountered in the use of verb tenses. The present tense, for example, can be used identically in both languages for certain functions. It is, therefore, often assumed that the function of the present tense will be the same in all instances. Actually, the Spanish present tense can also be used for functions that are expressed in English in the present progressive, present perfect, past, and future tenses. Every verb tense, in fact, represents a potential trouble spot for English-speaking learners of Spanish. 7. Information can be expressed one way in one language, and in a different way in the other. In English, for example, one says “I am hungry,” while in Spanish one says the equivalent of “I have hunger.” Likewise, the English “I like ice cream” is stated in Spanish as “Ice cream appeals to me.” Expressions of this type present more complications when their individual words are modified; for example, “I am very hungry” is the equivalent of “I have a lot of hunger.” Again, the pitfall is transferring the English pattern to the Spanish. In this book you will find the reasons behind these and many other common but lesser-known “blunders” through explanations of how regular patterns of Spanish differ from those of English. You will be made aware of potential trouble spots and shown how to break bad habits and correct your own mistakes. Several examples are given for each topic, followed by exercises that test your understanding and help you avoid the pitfalls encountered when translating word for word, structure for structure, from English. Because individual words of a language are used in connection with other words, you will find that most topics are mentioned in more than one place. This repetition allows for cross-referencing and provides multiple examples of the most problematic structures. You will find that many of the lists are structured for sense and meaning; adverbs are listed in order of nunca “never” to siempre “always,” for example. Nouns are grouped by their endings, and verbs are grouped by usage. In addition, the comprehensive, detailed index at the back of the book serves as a guide to finding all the references to each topic. At the back of the book you will also find the answers to all the exercises. It is hoped that the materials presented here will help you improve your proficiency in Spanish and avoid the most common blunders.. Suggestions for Using This Book The book is divided into three parts: Pronunciation and Spelling, Grammar, and Vocabulary. The largest section is Grammar, which identifies.

(9) INTRODUCTION. vii. the various types of words according to traditional terminology. If you are unfamiliar with these terms, or if you find them more confusing than helpful, follow these suggestions: ]. ]. ]. ]. First look for the “Avoid the Blunder” headings in each section. Read the examples, then read the related explanation. Use the Index, rather than the Contents, to find what you are looking for. Check all the cross-references to a topic you are interested in to find more examples. Do the exercises on a separate sheet of paper, then check your answers in the Answer Key at the back of the book. If you have made mistakes, reread the pertinent sections, then do the exercises again.. Throughout the book, all blunders are printed in red type and marked by a stylized ✗. These are words, phrases, and sentences that are unacceptable. The guidelines here are based on current standard usage in all countries where Spanish is the native language. However, be aware that language is constantly changing, that there are many different forms of expression, and that certain items identified here as “blunders” are accepted as standard usage in some areas. The biggest blunder of all would be to correct a native speaker, or to in any way imply that he or she doesn’t speak “correct” Spanish. Recognizing the differences you encounter in different places will enrich your Spanish and enable you to identify regional variations. The best way to learn a language is to listen to its native speakers and practice by communicating with them.. Acknowledgments The author is indebted to her many teachers, colleagues, friends, and students, from whom she continues to learn. She especially appreciates the advice of Ligia Ochoa Sierra, and the help of Jeannette Walters Márquez and Luz Noemi Curet, who read the entire manuscript and provided many insightful comments and suggestions..

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(11) PRONUNCIATION AND SPELLING. Copyright © 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click here for terms of use..


(13) PRONUNCIATION ONE - SYLLABLE VOWELS. a. e. i. o. u. ONE - SYLLABLE VOWEL COMBINATIONS. Any combination of a, e, or o with the letter i or u ia ya. ie yeh. io yo. iu yu. ua wa. ue weh. ui wee. ai eye. ei ay as in “say”. oi oy as in“boy”. ui wee. au ah-oo. eu eh-oo. iu you. úo OO-o. uo wo. TWO - SYLLABLE VOWEL COMBINATIONS. Combinations of a, e, or o with accented i or u ía EE-ah. íe EE-eh. ío EE-o. úa OO-ah. úe OO-eh. úi OO-ee. aí ah-EE. eí eh-EE. oí o-EE. aú ah-OO. eú eh-OO. iú ee-OO. Combinations that do not contain i or u and that have no accent mark ae ah-eh. ao ah-o. ea eh-ah. CONSONANTS. ee eh-eh. eo eh-o. oa o-ah. IN INITIAL POSITION. oe o-eh. oo o-o. AFTER VOWEL. similar to: b/v c before a, o, u k qu before e, i c before e, i cc d. b as in “boy”. i y t. breathed through almost-closed lips. k as in “skate” r c as in “ceiling” (in Latin America) w q th as in “thumb” (in Spain). cc as in “access” th as in “brother”. d as in “dog”. 3.

(14) 4. PRONUNCIATION AND SPELLING. CONSONANTS. IN INITIAL POSITION. AFTER VOWEL. similar to: f f as in “find” g before a, o, u i g as in “girl” y gu before e, i t g before e, i j x h l ll y m n ñ p r rr s t w x y z. i y t i y t. ch as in Scottish “loch” or German “ach”; a voiceless, scratchy sound from the throat h as in “honest” (silent) l as in “love”. breathed through almost-closed throat. tl as in “bottle”. yy as in “say yes” OR j as in “jar” m as in “man” n as in “next” ni as in “onion” p as in “spin” rolling trill of the tongue s as in “sun” t as in “stamp” w as in “wash” s as in “sun” (in native Mexican words) (see also g, j, x) (see ll) s as in “sun” (in Latin America) th as in “thumb” (in Spain). d as in “body” rolling trill of the tongue. x as in “extra” y as in “guy,” “way,” “boy”.

(15) PRONUNCIATION. 5. Spanish Letters and Sounds Because the Spanish and English alphabets are so similar, it is important to keep in mind that the sounds represented by most letters in Spanish are different from the sounds they represent in English.. Vowels Spanish vowel sounds are produced by first positioning the mouth correctly, then uttering the sound without moving the jaw. AVOID THE. Blunder. Do not pronounce a single vowel with two vowel sounds. a. pronounced like the a in “father,” but cut short: taco. ✗ ta uh co e. pronounced like the e in “bet”: bueno. ✗ bwayno i. pronounced like the i in “machine,” but cut short: fino. o. pronounced like the beginning of o in “open”. Do not glide into an /ow/ sound: fino.. ✗ finow u. ✗ tacow. pronounced like the beginning of u in “tuba”. Do not make a /yu/ sound: Cuba.. ✗ kyuwba Unstressed vowels in English are usually pronounced with the mouth in a relaxed, almost-closed position, making them all sound something like “uh.” In Spanish, each vowel is pronounced clearly. rosas buenos días AVOID THE. “ro sas” “bwe nos dee ahs”. Blunder. ✗ row zuhs ✗ bway nuhz dee uhz.

(16) 6. PRONUNCIATION AND SPELLING. Any combination of the vowels i or u with a, e, or o is pronounced as one syllable unless there is an accent mark over one of the vowels. pia no a gua Jai me Lau ra. die ta bue no rei na Eu ro pa. Ma rio rui nas oi go. viu da cuo ta cui dar. Any combination of the vowels i or u with a, e, or o is pronounced as two syllables when there is an accent mark over either vowel. dí a grú a. rí o ac tú a. Ma rí a re ú ne. le í Ra úl. con ti nú e. Any combination of the vowels a, e, or o is pronounced as two syllables. No accent mark is used. pa e lla AVOID THE. ✗ Jaíme ✗ paélla. fe o. po e ma. Blunder ✗ oígo ✗ féo. ✗ óigo ✗ poéma. ca os. ✗ dia ✗ cáos. le er. ✗ Raul ✗ leér. When a word ends with a vowel, and the following word starts with the same vowel, the vowel is pronounced only once. Ana anda al parque la casa de Eduardo AVOID THE. “a nan dal par que” “la ca sa de duar do”. Blunder. ✗ Ana | anda | al parque ✗ la casa de | Eduardo. When a vowel is repeated within a word, however, like ee or oo, the vowels are pronounced as two syllables that glide together. leer coordinar AVOID THE. “le ER” “co or dee NAR”. Blunder. Do not add a /y/ or /w/ sound, as you would in English.. ✗ le yer ✗ co wor di nar.

(17) 7. PRONUNCIATION. Words are connected in a stream of speech, without a break between words. ¿Cómo está usted? Vamos a la piscina a nadar un rato.. AVOID THE. “co mwe stau sted” “va mo sa la pi si na na da run ra to”. Blunder. ✗ co mo | está | us ted ✗ va mos | a la pis cina | a na dar | un ra to Consonants The sounds /p/, /k/, and /t/ at the beginning of English words are followed by a puff of air. Do not produce this puff of air when pronouncing these sounds in Spanish. Pepe. papá. taco. capa. Paco. tapas. The sounds of the Spanish letters b, v, g, and d are similar to their English equivalents at the beginning of words. However, when these letters fall between two vowels, they are softer and may be lengthened. b, v. Keep the lips slightly apart and let the air come through. bebe. g. habas. uva. Keep a slight opening at the throat and let the air come through. (This sound is like the French r.) haga. d. tuvo. traigo. mago. llegue. Place the tongue between the top and bottom teeth, exactly like the th in “brother.” cada. AVOID THE. dedo. mide. seda. Blunder. Do not use the English /d/ sound for the Spanish d in the middle or at the end of words. This sound is used for the Spanish r. Say the following words aloud, pronouncing d like the English th, and r like the English d. cada todo ida mide. cara toro ira mire. cedo dudo comed hablad. cero duro comer hablar.

(18) 8. PRONUNCIATION AND SPELLING. Remember that ll and y are consonants and are pronounced like the doubled y in “say yes” or the j in “jar.” They must be pronounced with force to avoid misunderstanding. For example, if the ll is not pronounced forcefully enough, a person might hear you say “I love myself” (me amo) rather than “My name is” (me llamo). se llama Yolanda. “se yya ma yyo lan da” OR “se ja ma jo lan da” “yya me yya mó” OR “ja me ja mó”. ya me llamó AVOID THE. Blunder. ✗ se ama Yolanda. ✗ ya me amó. The sound /r/ in Spanish is very different from the English /r/. To pronounce the English /r/, the lips are rounded, the top teeth are somewhat bared, and the tongue is suspended in the middle of the mouth without touching anything. To pronounce the Spanish /r/, keep your lips in a flat position and tap the tip of your tongue once on the ridge behind your top front teeth. The sound is like the d in the English “body.” cara. cero. hora. iré. loro. oro. para. Learn to make the trilled Spanish r by placing the tip of your tongue loosely on the ridge behind your top front teeth, then forcing air between the tongue and the ridge, causing it to flap rapidly and automatically. This takes practice, but it’s worth learning. The letter r before another consonant requires a half-trill. carta. embargo. cierto. cerca. forma. The letter r at the beginning of a word is fully trilled, as is the rr in the middle of a word. río. rama. rosa. carro. perro. cierra. error. The Spanish s is pronounced like the s in “sun,” even in the middle or at the end of a word. It is never pronounced like the English z, as in the second s of “Susan” or at the end of a word. AVOID THE. Blunder. Pronounce the Spanish s (even in the middle or at the end of a word) like the s in “sun.”. ✗ Suzanna. ✗ rozez.

(19) PRONUNCIATION. 9. In Spanish, the only consonants that are doubled are l, r, and c; all of the doubled consonants represent sounds that are very different from the sounds of the single letters. (See the chart on pages 3–4.) AVOID THE. Blunder. Do not use a double consonant in Spanish where it is used in the English cognate.. ✗ intelligente. ✗ professor. ✗ recommendar.

(20) SPELLING Consonants The sound /k/ is spelled with c before the vowels a, o, and u, and with qu before the vowels e and i. ca casa. que queso. qui quieto. co come. cu cuna. The sound /kw/ is always spelled cu. cua cuatro. cue cueva. cui cuidar. cuo cuota. The sound /th/ (in Spain) and /s/ (in Latin America) is spelled with z before the vowels a, o, and u, and with c before the vowels e and i. za zapato. ce cero. ci cinco. zo zona. zu zumo. The sound /g/ is spelled with g before the vowels a, o and u, and with gu before the vowels e and i. ga gala. gue guerra. gui guitarra. go goza. gu gusano. The sound /gw/ is spelled gu before the vowels a and o, and gü before the vowels e and i. gua guante. güe güera. güi pingüino. guo antiguo. The “stronger than /h/” sound (more guttural—from the throat—than the English h) is spelled with a j before the vowels a, e, i, o, and u. It can also be spelled with a g before the vowels e and i, and with an x in the words México and mexicano. ja jaleo. je OR ge OR xe jerga general México mexicano. ji OR gi jitomate gigante. 10. jo joya. ju jugo.

(21) 11. SPELLING. The sound of the letter ñ is similar to that of the ni in the English “onion.” The ñ represents a combination of the consonants n ! y. The tilde that distinguishes this letter from n may be written as a straight line over the n. Always pronounce the /y/ sound clearly after the /n/ sound. año baño pequeño niña AVOID THE. “an yo” “ban yo” “pe ken yo” “nin ya”. Blunder. Do not forget to write the tilde.. ✗ ano. ✗ bano. ✗ pequeno. ✗ nina. ] When grammar forces a vowel change, this may affect the consonants described above. This consonant change occurs in the following situations: ]. adding a plural ending to a noun or adjective un lápiz la actriz el arroz. ]. yo saqué yo jugué yo empecé. ( ✗ sacé) ( ✗ jugé) ( ✗ empezé). saque ruegue recoja almuerce. (✗ (✗ (✗ (✗. sace) ruege) recoga) almuerze). making an adjective from a noun Nicaragua. ]. ( ✗ recogo) ( ✗ dirigo). present subjunctive verb forms sacar rogar recoger almorzar. ]. yo recojo yo dirijo. preterite yo forms sacar jugar empezar. ]. ( ✗ lápizes) ( ✗ actrizes) ( ✗ arrozes). present indicative yo forms recoger dirigir. ]. dos lápices las actrices los arroces. nicaragüense. ( ✗ nicaraguense). intensifying an adjective simpático feliz. simpatiquísimo ( ✗ simpaticísimo) felicísima ( ✗ felizísima).

(22) 12. PRONUNCIATION AND SPELLING. AVOID THE. Blunder. ✗ lápizes ✗ recogo ✗ sacé ✗ sace ✗ nicaraguense ✗ simpaticísimo ✗ felizísima. ✗ actrizes ✗ dirigo ✗ jugé ✗ ruege. ✗ arrozes ✗ empezé ✗ recoga. ✗ almuerze. Accent Marks ] Accent marks are used above both uppercase and lowercase letters.. When writing the accent mark by hand, make a small mark directly over the vowel, slanting upward toward the right. When the accent mark is above a lowercase i, do not dot the i. AVOID THE. Blunder. Do not “float” accent marks above words. ✗ lap´iz ✗ difi´ cil ✗ saq´ue ] The following present-tense forms of the verb estar require an accent mark.. estás. está. están. estáis. The following present-tense forms of the verb estar do not require an accent mark. estoy. estamos. ] Certain verbs whose infinitive ends in -iar require accent marks over the i in the yo, tú, usted/él/ella, and ustedes/ellos/ellas forms of the present tense, but not in the nosotros(-as) and vosotros(-as) forms.. confiar (to trust). confío confías confía confían. confiamos confiáis. Other verbs of this type include the following. enviar guiar variar. to send to guide to vary.

(23) 13. SPELLING. Other verbs that end in -iar do not have accent marks over the i in their conjugated forms. estudiar (to study). estudio estudias estudia estudian. estudiamos estudiáis. Other verbs of this type include the following. abreviar cambiar limpiar. to abbreviate to change to clean. ] The words quién, cómo, qué, cuál, dónde, cuándo, and por qué. have an accent mark when they begin a question, whether direct or indirect. They do not require an accent mark in other contexts. “Why” is expressed with two words and has an accent mark: ¿Por qué? “Because” is expressed with one word and does not have an accent mark: porque. ¿Quién es? No sé quién es. Fui yo quien vio el accidente.. Who is it? I don’t know who it is. I was the one who saw the accident.. ¿Cómo estás? No entiendo cómo lo haces. Debes trabajar como tu papá.. How are you? I don’t understand how you do it. You should work like your father does.. ACCENT MARK. ¿Qué es esto? Él no sabía qué hacer.. NO ACCENT MARK. Él me dijo que lo haría.. What’s this? He didn’t know what to do. He told me he would do it.. ACCENT MARK. ¿Cuál es su nombre? Quisiera saber cuál de los libros es el mejor.. ACCENT MARK ACCENT MARK NO ACCENT MARK. ACCENT MARK ACCENT MARK NO ACCENT MARK. ACCENT MARK. ACCENT MARK. NO ACCENT MARK. He perdido mi tarjeta, sin la cual no puedo comprar nada.. What’s your name? I would like to know which one is the best book. I lost my card, without which I can’t buy anything..

(24) 14. PRONUNCIATION AND SPELLING. ACCENT MARK ACCENT MARK NO ACCENT MARK. ACCENT MARK ACCENT MARK NO ACCENT MARK. ACCENT MARK ACCENT MARK NO ACCENT MARK. Where are you? He asked me where his mother was. Let’s go to the restaurant where we ate yesterday.. ¿Dónde estás? Me preguntó dónde estaba su mamá. Vamos al restaurante donde comimos ayer.. ¿Cuándo es la fiesta? When is the party? Tengo que averiguar I have to find out when cuándo es el examen. the exam is. Cuando lo vio, se When she saw him, she desmayó. fainted. ¿Por qué no vienes con nosotros? Me puedo imaginar por qué lo hiciste. Trabaja mucho porque quiere ganar más.. Why don’t you come with us? I can imagine why you did it. He works hard because he wants to earn more.. ] The meaning of certain words is distinguished by the use of an accent mark.. aún dé él más mí sí sólo té tú. still give! (command) he more, plus me yes only tea you. aun de el mas mi si solo te tu. even of, from the however my if alone you (object) your. ] The following guidelines apply to the use of accent marks with other words.. In order to know where to put an accent mark, you need to know how the word is pronounced and be able to identify the syllable that is stressed or slightly more emphasized. ~ When the emphasized syllable is the final syllable: ]. there is no accent mark if that syllable ends in a consonant other than -n or -s. verdad. reloj. animal. error. estoy. arroz.

(25) 15. SPELLING ]. an accent mark is required over the vowel of the final syllable if it ends in a vowel, a one-syllable vowel combination (see page 3), -n, or -s. habló. comí. comió. comerán. acción. sabrás. ~ When the emphasized syllable is the next-to-last syllable: ]. there is no accent mark if the final syllable ends in a vowel, -n, or -s. hablo. ]. sabes. aprendemos. cacao. Corea. poema. paella. there is no accent mark if the final syllable is a one-syllable vowel combination. Mario. ]. comen. there is no accent mark if the stressed vowel is part of a two-syllable vowel combination (any combination of the vowels a, e, and o). video. ]. supe. Colombia. agua. perpetuo. superficie. there is an accent mark over the stressed vowel if the stressed vowel is part of a normally one-syllable vowel combination (any vowel combination that includes i or u). María maíz. día país. tío. ríe. Raúl. ~ When the emphasized syllable is the third-, fourth-, or fifth-last syllable, it always has an accent mark.. anímate. propósito. estudiándolo. dígaselo. rápidamente. ~ Adding a syllable can change the need for an accent mark. For example, words that end in -ión always have an accent mark, but when they are made plural, they lose it.. acción lección. acciones lecciones. Certain other words may not have an accent mark in the singular but may need one in the plural. examen joven AVOID THE. ✗ accion ✗ exámen. exámenes jóvenes. Blunder ✗ leccion ✗ jóven. ✗ acciónes ✗ examenes. ✗ lecciónes ✗ jovenes.

(26) 16. PRONUNCIATION AND SPELLING. Exercises A !. Fill in the blanks with the consonant or consonants that precede the vowel to produce the sound indicated.. 1. The sound /k/ is spelled: 2. The sound /g/ is spelled: 3. The sound /th/ or /s/ is spelled: 4. The sound /kw/ is spelled: 5. The sound /gw/ is spelled: 6. The sound /h/ is spelled:. ca ga za cu a gu a ja o. B !. e. i. o. u. e. i. o. u. e. i. o. u. e. i. o. i. o. e e/. e. i/. i. u. Write an accent mark where necessary in the underlined words.. 1. Mi hermano no vino a clase porque no hizo la tarea. Ahora esta en casa. 2. ¿Quienes van al cine esta tarde? ¿Vas tu? ¿Va tu hermano? 3. Si, mi hermano va, pero solo si hace la tarea primero. C !. Write the number of syllables in each word on the line next to it.. 1. rápidamente 2. Mario 3. María 4. video 5. aprendemos.

(27) CAPITALIZATION Many conventions used in English are the same in Spanish, but there are some important exceptions. ] The words usted, ustedes, señor, señores, señora, señorita, don, and doña are capitalized only in the abbreviated form.. Ud. Uds. Sr. Sres.. you you all Mr. Gentlemen. AVOID THE. ✗ Usted. Sra. Mrs. Srta. Miss D. i friendly term of respect for an older person, y Da. t used with his or her first name. Blunder ✗ Ustedes. ✗ Señor. ✗ Señora. ✗ Don. ] The names of months and days are not capitalized in Spanish.. enero febrero marzo abril mayo junio julio agosto septiembre octubre noviembre diciembre AVOID THE. ✗ Enero. January February March April May June July August September October November December. Blunder ✗ Mayo. lunes martes miércoles jueves viernes sábado domingo. ✗ Lunes. 17. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday. ✗ Domingo.

(28) 18. PRONUNCIATION AND SPELLING. ] The names of languages and nationalities are not capitalized in Spanish.. argentino(-a) colombiano(-a) español(a) francés/francesa inglés/inglesa mexicano(-a) AVOID THE. ✗ Español. Argentine Colombian Spanish French English Mexican. Blunder ✗ Inglés. náhuatl panameño(-a) peruano(-a) portugués/ portuguesa quechua. ✗ Peruano. Nahuatl Panamanian Peruvian Portuguese Quechua. ✗ Colombiana. ] The names of religions and religious affiliations are typically not capitalized in Spanish.. budista católico(-a) cristiano(-a) hindú judío(-a) musulmán/ musulmana AVOID THE. ✗ Cristiano ✗ Budismo. Buddhist Catholic Christian Hindu Jew Muslim. el el el el el. budismo catolicismo cristianismo hinduismo judaísmo BUT el Islam. Blunder. ✗ Judía ✗ Catolicismo. Buddhism Catholicism Christianity Hinduism Judaism Islam. ✗ Musulmana ✗ Hinduismo. ] In the titles of books and articles, only the first word and proper names are capitalized.. Gramática de la lengua española Don Quijote de la Mancha AVOID THE. Blunder. Grammar of the Spanish Language Don Quixote of la Mancha. ✗ Gramática De La Lengua Española ✗ Gramática de la Lengua Española ✗ Don Quijote De La Mancha.

(29) CAPITALIZATION. Exercises A !. Write the abbreviated form of the following words.. 1. don 2. señora 3. usted 4. señores B !. Circle the words below that have incorrect capitalization.. 1. Septiembre. 6. Católico. 2. viernes. 7. judío. 3. español. 8. Miércoles. 4. Inglés 5. octubre. 9. Argentino 10. peruana. 19.

(30) PUNCTUATION ] Two question marks are required for every question: an upsidedown question mark at the beginning, and one identical to the English question mark at the end.. Where are you going, Dad? Will you buy me a toy?. ¿Adónde vas, papá? ¿Me compras un juguete?. Two exclamation points are required for every exclamation: an upsidedown exclamation point at the beginning, and one identical to the English exclamation point at the end. Get out of here! Leave me alone!. ¡Váyanse de aquí! ¡Déjame en paz!. The first question mark or exclamation point is placed at the beginning of the question or exclamation, which is not necessarily at the beginning of the sentence. Dad, where are you going? Guys, get out of here!. Papá, ¿adónde vas? Chicos, ¡váyanse de aquí!. ] In writing dialogue, a dash, rather than quotation marks, is used to indicate the spoken word or a change in speakers.. “What are you planning to do, Mr. Rodriguez?” “I don’t know. I’ll have to talk it over with my family.”. —¿Qué piensa hacer usted, Sr. Rodríguez? —No sé. Tendré que hablarlo con mi familia.. ] Quotation marks are used, as in English, to mark someone’s exact words within a text. In Spanish the symbols « . . . » are often used for this purpose. If the end punctuation of the quote is a question mark or exclamation point, it goes before the final quotation mark. In Spanish, unlike English, this is followed by a period. A colon, rather than a comma, is used to introduce the quote.. The director asked him, “What are you planning to do, Mr. Rodríguez?”. El director le preguntó: “¿Qué piensa hacer usted, Sr. Rodríguez?”.. 20.

(31) PUNCTUATION. 21. When a quote ends in a period or is followed by a comma, the period or comma goes after the quotation mark. El Sr. Rodríguez contestó: “No sé, tendré que hablarlo con mi familia”. “No sé”, dijo el Sr. Rodríguez.. AVOID THE. Mr. Rodríguez answered, “I don’t know. I’ll have to talk it over with my family.” “I don’t know,” said Mr. Rodríguez.. Blunder. ✗ Adónde vas, papá? ✗ ¿Papa, adónde vas? ✗ Déjame en paz! ✗ “No voy,” dijo Juan.. In Spanish, items in a series are separated by commas. No comma is used between the last two items (that is, before y). Luisa, Elena y Dolores están en México este verano. En el mercado compramos carne, queso, tomates, aguacates y fresas. AVOID THE. Luisa, Elena, and Dolores are in Mexico this summer. At the market we bought meat, cheese, tomatoes, avocadoes, and strawberries.. Blunder. ✗ Luisa, Elena, y Dolores ✗ carne, queso, tomates, aguacates, y fresas. Exercise A !. Punctuate the following sentences.. 1. María vas a estudiar conmigo hoy 2. No no puedo 3. Me llamas más tarde 4. Sí te llamo a las ocho 5. Te voy a extrañar dijo Paco 6. Fueron a Guatemala El Salvador Honduras y Nicaragua.


(33) GRAMMAR. Copyright © 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click here for terms of use..


(35) NOUNS A noun is a word that names a person, an animal, an object, a place, an event, an idea, a quality, an action, a state, or other abstract notion.. Gender Every noun in Spanish has gender—it is either masculine or feminine. Generally, words that name male people or animals are masculine, and those that name female people or animals are feminine, but there are exceptions. Words that name objects, places, events, periods of time, and abstract notions are also either masculine or feminine. The gender of a noun is indicated by the article that precedes it: el indicates a masculine noun; la indicates a feminine noun. AVOID THE. Blunder. Learn nouns with their articles, as if they were one unit.. Nouns That Name People and Animals Many nouns end in -o for males and -a for females. el chico la chica. the boy the girl. el hermano la hermana. the brother the sister. el amigo la amiga. the male friend the female friend. el esposo la esposa. the husband the wife. el cartero la cartera el enfermero la enfermera. 25. the male mail carrier the female mail carrier the male nurse the female nurse.

(36) 26. GRAMMAR. Both males and females can be named by nouns that end in -e. The article used indicates the gender of the person named, el for a male, la for a female. el estudiante i y the student la estudiante t i y the manager t. el gerente la gerente. el hablante i y the speaker la hablante t. el paciente la paciente. i y the patient t. el ayudante la ayudante. i y the assistant t. el presidente i y the president la presidente* t. *La presidenta is used in some countries but not in others.. There are some exceptions. el jefe la jefa. the male boss the female boss. el monje la monja. the monk the nun. Both males and females can be named by nouns that end in -ista. The article used indicates the gender of the person named. el optimista la optimista. i y the optimist t. el protagonista i y the main character la protagonista t el especialista i y the specialist la especialista t el periodista la periodista. i y the journalist t. Both males and females can be named by several common nouns that end in -o. el modelo i y the model la modelo t el piloto la piloto. i y the pilot t. el testigo i y the witness la testigo t. el soprano i y the soprano la soprano t el miembro i y the member la miembro t el médico i y the doctor la médico* t. *La médica is used in some countries but not in others..

(37) 27. NOUNS. Both males and females can be named by nouns that end in -ía. el policía la policía. the male police officer the female police officer. el guía la guía. the male guide the female guide. AVOID THE. Blunder. Do not change the endings of these nouns to -o or -a in an attempt to make them masculine or feminine. The article is all you need to distinguish them.. ✗ la estudianta. ✗ el artisto. ✗ la modela. ✗ el policío. Many nouns that name males end in -or. Their counterparts for females end in -ora. el profesor la profesora. i y the teacher t. el doctor la doctora. i y the doctor t. el ganador la ganadora. i y the winner t. el perdedor la perdedora. i y the loser t. el contador la contadora. i y the accountant t. el encantador i y the charmer la encantadora t. An exception is the feminine equivalent of el actor: la actriz. Certain nouns that name males end in -ín or -ón. The counterparts for females end in -ina or -ona. el parlanchín i y the talkative one la parlanchina t el comilón la comilona. i y the one who eats a lot t. el dormilón la dormilona. i y the one who sleeps a lot t. el gruñón la gruñona. i y the one who growls a lot t.

(38) 28. GRAMMAR. A few nouns that name people do not change gender, regardless of the gender of the person they refer to. la persona. María es una persona muy simpática. José es una persona muy simpática.. María is a very nice person. José is a very nice person.. la víctima. María es la víctima de una tragedia. José es la víctima de una tragedia.. María is the victim of a tragedy. José is the victim of a tragedy.. la estrella. Verónica es la estrella que le gusta más a Pablo. Antonio es la estrella que le gusta más a Ana. AVOID THE. Verónica is the movie star that Pablo likes best. Antonio is the movie star that Ana likes best.. Blunder. Do not try to change the gender of these nouns.. ✗ el persona ✗ el víctimo. ✗ el persono ✗ el estrella. ✗ el víctima. When referring to a group of people, if there is at least one male in the group, the masculine plural noun is used. dos hermanas dos hermanas y un hermano / tres hermanos. two sisters two sisters and one brother / three siblings. Gender of Other Nouns For all nouns that do not name people, the gender refers to the word, not to the person the object belongs to. el brazo (the arm). masculine, whether it is the arm of a male or a female. la pierna (the leg). feminine, whether it is the leg of a male or a female. la corbata (the necktie). feminine, even though it is usually worn by males. el vestido (the dress). masculine, even though it is usually worn by females.

(39) 29. NOUNS. AVOID THE. ✗ la braza. Blunder ✗ el pierno. ✗ el corbata. ✗ la vestida. Many nouns that end in -o are masculine. Many nouns that end in -a are feminine. el carro el año el ojo. the car the year the eye. la casa la empresa la pulgada. the house the enterprise the inch. Certain nouns that end in -ma are masculine. el el el el el. problema sistema clima trauma drama. the problem the system the climate the trauma the drama. el el el el. programa aroma síntoma carisma. the program the aroma the symptom the charisma. Nevertheless, others are feminine. la trama la crema la yema AVOID THE. the plot the cream the egg yolk. Blunder. Check the gender of -ma words that are unfamiliar to you.. ✗ “no problemo” ✗ la programa. ✗ la problema ✗ el crema. ✗ la sistema. Nouns that begin with a stressed a- or ha- may be feminine, but they are preceded by el instead of la for pronunciation purposes. Adjectives and other determiners that refer to these nouns are feminine. (See pages 55–56.) el agua el hambre el alma. the water the hunger the soul. El agua está fría. Tengo mucha hambre. Te amo con toda el alma.. el águila el asma. the eagle the asthma. The water is cold. I’m really hungry. (I have a lot of hunger.) I love you with all my heart. (I love you with all my soul.).

(40) 30 AVOID THE. GRAMMAR. Blunder. Do not use la with these words. Do not use masculine adjectives with these words.. ✗ La agua está fría. ✗ El agua está frío. ✗ Tengo mucho hambre. Certain nouns that end in -a are masculine. Certain nouns that end in -o are feminine. el día el mapa el tranvía. the day the map the streetcar. Buenos días. El día está muy bonito. Ella tiene las manos bonitas. AVOID THE. el planeta la mano. the planet the hand. Good morning. It’s a beautiful day. She has pretty hands.. Blunder. Unless the noun begins with a stressed a- or ha-, use the article, not the noun’s ending, as a guide to gender. If the article is el, use masculine adjectives. If the article is la, use feminine adjectives.. ✗ El día está muy bonita. ✗ Ella tiene las manos bonitos. Certain nouns that end in -o are feminine, and they are really just shortened forms of nouns that end in -a. la foto la fotografía. i y the photograph t. i la moto y the motorcycle la motocicleta t. AVOID THE. ✗ el foto. Blunder ✗ el moto.

(41) 31. NOUNS. All nouns that end in -ción, -sión, or -xión are feminine. the nation the evolution. la nación la evolución. the tension the connection. la tensión la conexión. Certain other nouns that end in -ión are feminine. the union the meeting the region. la unión la reunión la región. Other nouns that end in -ión are masculine. the airplane the script. el avión el guión AVOID THE. el camión el sarampión. the truck the measles. Blunder. If an unfamiliar word ends in -ión (but not -ción, -sión, or -xión), check the gender before using it.. ✗ el nación. ✗ el región. ✗ la avión. ✗ la sarampión. All nouns that end in -tad, -dad, -tud, or -umbre are feminine. la la la la la la. libertad amistad facultad ciudad honestidad nacionalidad. la virtud la gratitud la actitud. the liberty the friendship the university department the city the honesty the nationality the virtue the gratitude the attitude. la costumbre la cumbre la muchedumbre. All nouns that end in -ie are feminine. la serie la superficie la planicie AVOID THE. the series the surface the plain. Blunder. ✗ el ciudad ✗ el muchedumbre. ✗ el universidad ✗ el serie. the custom the summit the crowd.

(42) 32. GRAMMAR. A number of words change in meaning according to their gender. Here are some of the most common. MASCULINE. FEMININE. la la la la la la la la. el editorial el escolta. the money the cholera the coma the comet the current month the cut the priest the defensive back in soccer the editorial the male escort. el guardia. the male guard. la guardia. el guía. the male guide. la guía. el orden el policía. the arrangement the male police officer. la orden la policía. el recluta. the male recruit. la recluta. el el el el el el el el. capital cólera coma cometa corriente corte cura defensa. AVOID THE. capital cólera coma cometa corriente corte cura defensa. la editorial la escolta. the capital city the anger the comma the kite the current the court of law the cure the defense the publisher the group of escorts, the female escort guard duty, the guard unit, the female guard the guidebook, the female guide the command the police force, the female police officer the recruitment, the female recruit. Blunder. Be aware that as the role of women in society is changing, nouns that refer to females are changing—and changing differently in different parts of the Spanish-speaking world. When in doubt about the gender of a noun, check it in a current dictionary.. Plurals There are several different conventions for making nouns plural. ]. Add -s to most nouns that end in a vowel. casa casas. house houses. pie pies. foot feet. libro libros. book books. papá papás. father parents.

(43) 33. NOUNS. ejercicio ejercicios ]. ]. ]. exercise exercises. sofá sofás. sofa sofas. Add -es to a noun ending in stressed -í or -ú. rubí rubíes. ruby rubies. marroquí marroquíes. Moroccan Moroccans. esquí esquíes. ski skis. hindú hindúes. Hindu Hindus. Add -es to a noun ending in a consonant. ladrón ladrones. thief thieves. ciudad ciudades. city cities. reloj relojes. watch watches. For nouns ending in -z, change the -z to -c and add -es (see page 11). lápiz lápices. pencil pencils. arroz arroces. rice rice dishes. cruz cruces. cross crosses. When making a noun plural, an accent mark may need to be added or deleted to indicate stress on the same syllable as in the singular form (see pages 14–15). crimen crímenes. crime crimes. ladrón ladrones. thief thieves. orden órdenes. order orders. reunión reuniones. meeting meetings. AVOID THE. Blunder. Double-check the spelling of plurals you use. Keep in mind that accent marks may need to be added or deleted.. ✗ rubís ✗ crimenes. ✗ esquís ✗ ladrónes. ✗ relojs ✗ aviónes. ✗ lápizes. A family is referred to by the singular form of its surname. los Santiago los Galván los Valdés los González los Pérez. the Santiagos the Galvans the Valdeses the Gonzalezes the Perezes.

(44) 34. GRAMMAR. Certain nouns are the same in the singular and the plural. el lunes los lunes. Monday Mondays. la crisis las crisis. the crisis the crises. el martes los martes. Tuesday Tuesdays. el virus los virus. the virus the viruses. el miércoles los miércoles. Wednesday Wednesdays. el jueves los jueves. Thursday Thursdays. el viernes los viernes. Friday Fridays. AVOID THE. Blunder. Do not try to pluralize these nouns.. ✗ los luneses. ✗ los viruses. Certain nouns are plural in English but singular in Spanish. la gente la ropa. people clothes. La gente es muy simpática. La ropa es cara.. The people are very nice. Clothes are expensive.. The names of certain school subjects end in -s in English, even though they are singular. They do not end in -s in Spanish. la política la economía la física. politics economics physics. Mi hermana estudia física. AVOID THE. Blunder. My sister is studying physics.. Do not pluralize these nouns, and do not use plural adjectives and verbs with them.. ✗ Las gentes son amables. ✗ Voy a comprar las ropas..

(45) NOUNS. 35. Certain nouns are singular (or noncount) in English but plural in Spanish. las vacaciones los celos los aplausos las elecciones*. the vacation the jealousy the applause the election. *La elección means “the choice.” Good morning. Good afternoon. Good evening. / Good night.. Buenos días.* Buenas tardes. Buenas noches. *Buen día is used in some places. AVOID THE. Blunder. Do not use these nouns in the singular.. ✗ Voy a tomar una vacación. ✗ La elección es en noviembre.. AVOID THE. Blunder. ✗ Buena tarde. ✗ Buen tarde.. ✗ Buena noche. ✗ Buen noche.. Nouns that are compounds of a verb plus a plural noun are singular, even though they end in -s. el el el el el el el el el. cumpleaños lavaplatos abrelatas sacacorchos salvavidas quitamanchas paraguas parabrisas parachoques. the birthday (the completion of years) the dishwasher (the washer of dishes) the can opener (the opener of cans) the corkscrew (the remover of corks) the life saver / lifeguard (the saver of lives) the spot remover (the remover of spots) the umbrella (the water-stopper) the windshield (the wind-stopper) the bumper (the accident-stopper/breaker). Their plurals have the same form. Tengo un paraguas. Mi amigo tiene dos paraguas.. I have an umbrella. My friend has two umbrellas..

(46) 36. GRAMMAR. Hoy es el cumpleaños de mi amigo. En su familia siempre celebran los cumpleaños de los niños con una fiesta. AVOID THE. Today is my friend’s birthday. In his family they always celebrate the children’s birthdays with a party.. Blunder. Do not add -es to these nouns to make them plural.. ✗ dos paraguases. ✗ los cumpleañoses.

(47) 37. NOUNS. Exercises A !. Complete the following chart by adding the male equivalent of the feminine nouns and the female equivalent of the masculine nouns.. MASCULINE. FEMININE. 1. el hermano 2.. la profesora. 3. el médico 4.. la especialista. 5. el paciente 6.. la amiga. 7. el miembro 8.. la jefa. 9. el hombre B !. Write the article that goes before each noun.. 1.. brazo. 5.. crema. 9.. 2.. pierna. 6.. agua. 10.. camión. 3.. problema. 7.. mano. 11.. costumbre. 4.. día. 8.. lección. 12.. ciudad. C !. Write the plural form of the following nouns.. 1. casa 2. libro 3. esquí 4. ladrón 5. ciudad 6. lápiz 7. orden 8. lunes 9. domingo 10. el Sr. y la Sra. Pérez. cumpleaños.

(48) NUMBERS Cardinal Numbers 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. cero uno dos tres cuatro cinco seis siete ocho nueve. 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39. treinta treinta y uno treinta y dos treinta y tres treinta y cuatro treinta y cinco treinta y seis treinta y siete treinta y ocho treinta y nueve. 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69. sesenta sesenta y uno sesenta y dos sesenta y tres sesenta y cuatro sesenta y cinco sesenta y seis sesenta y siete sesenta y ocho sesenta y nueve. 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19. diez once doce trece catorce quince dieciséis diecisiete dieciocho diecinueve. 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49. cuarenta cuarenta y uno cuarenta y dos cuarenta y tres cuarenta y cuatro cuarenta y cinco cuarenta y seis cuarenta y siete cuarenta y ocho cuarenta y nueve. 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79. setenta setenta y uno setenta y dos setenta y tres setenta y cuatro setenta y cinco setenta y seis setenta y siete setenta y ocho setenta y nueve. 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29. veinte veintiuno veintidós veintitrés veinticuatro veinticinco veintiséis veintisiete veintiocho veintinueve. 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59. cincuenta cincuenta y uno cincuenta y dos cincuenta y tres cincuenta y cuatro cincuenta y cinco cincuenta y seis cincuenta y siete cincuenta y ocho cincuenta y nueve. 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89. ochenta ochenta y uno ochenta y dos ochenta y tres ochenta y cuatro ochenta y cinco ochenta y seis ochenta y siete ochenta y ocho ochenta y nueve. 38.

(49) 39. NUMBERS. 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 113 129 133 142 154 165 176 188 197 1000 1492 1776 1999 2000. noventa noventa y uno noventa y dos noventa y tres noventa y cuatro noventa y cinco noventa y seis noventa y siete noventa y ocho noventa y nueve cien ciento uno ciento dos ciento trece ciento veintinueve ciento treinta y tres ciento cuarenta y dos ciento cincuenta y cuatro ciento sesenta y cinco ciento setenta y seis ciento ochenta y ocho ciento noventa y siete. 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900. doscientos(-as) trescientos(-as) cuatrocientos(-as) quinientos(-as) seiscientos(-as) setecientos(-as) ochocientos(-as) novecientos(-as). mil mil cuatrocientos noventa y dos mil setecientos setenta y seis mil novecientos noventa y nueve dos mil. 1.000.000 un millón 2.472.683 dos millones, cuatrocientos setenta y dos mil, seiscientos ochenta y tres. Ordinal Numbers 1o 2o 3o 4o 5o 6o 7o 8o 9o 10o. primero(-a) segundo(-a) tercero(-a) cuarto(-a) quinto(-a) sexto(-a) séptimo(-a) octavo(-a) noveno(-a) décimo(-a). primer (before masculine noun) tercer (before masculine noun).

(50) 40 11o 12o 13o 14o 15o 16o 17o 18o 19o 20o 21o 22o 23o. GRAMMAR. undécimo(-a) duodécimo(-a) decimotercero(-a) decimocuarto(-a) decimoquinto(-a) decimosexto(-a) decimoséptimo(-a) decimoctavo(-a) decimonoveno(-a) vigésimo(-a) vigesimoprimero(-a) vigesimosegundo(-a) vigesimotercero(-a). Fractions 1⁄2 2. ⁄3 3 ⁄4 4 ⁄5 5 ⁄6 6⁄7 5 ⁄8 7 ⁄9 4 ⁄10. un medio dos tercios tres cuartos cuatro quintos cinco sextos seis séptimos cinco octavos siete novenos cuatro décimos. 30o 40o 50o 60o 70o 80o 90o 100o 1000o 1.000.000o. trigésimo(-a) cuadragésimo(-a) quincuagésimo(-a) sexagésimo(-a) septuagésimo(-a) octogésimo(-a) nonagésimo(-a) centésimo(-a) milésimo(-a) millonésimo(-a).

(51) NUMBERS. 41. Review the numbers in the charts on the previous pages. The Spanish and English numbering systems are very similar. There are, however, several notable differences.. Writing Numbers In some countries, the numbers 1 and 7 are handwritten in a slightly different manner in Spanish.. 1 7. uno siete. a one with a long tail (can look like a seven) a seven with a line through the center. In many, but not all, Spanish-speaking countries, a period is used to mark the thousands, and a comma is used for the decimal point— exactly the opposite of the English system. 2.763 3.892.359 4,25 3,75. two thousand, seven hundred sixty-three three million, eight hundred ninety-two thousand, three hundred fifty-nine four point two five three point seven five. The Spanish equivalent of the English nd and th, as in 2nd or 4th, is o when referring to a masculine noun and a when referring to a feminine noun. The equivalent of the English st, as in 1st, and rd, as in 3rd, is ero when referring to a masculine noun and era when referring to a feminine noun. The ero is shortened to er ( primer and tercer) before a masculine singular noun. 1ero 1era 1er. primero primera primer. 3ero 3era 3er. tercero tercera tercer. 2o 2a. segundo segunda. 4o 4a. cuarto cuarta. Ones ] Note the spelling of seis and siete.. seis siete. “SEH ees” (rhymes with English “face”) “SYE teh”. Watch the spelling of cuatro. AVOID THE. ✗ sies. Blunder. ✗ seite. ✗ quatro.

(52) 42. GRAMMAR. ] The numbers from dos to cien (“two” to “one hundred”) are never pluralized.. four apples seven students ninety people a hundred books. cuatro manzanas siete alumnos noventa personas cien libros AVOID THE. Blunder. ✗ cuatros manzanas ✗ noventas personas. ✗ sietes alumnos ✗ cientos libros. ] In Spanish there are several ways to indicate “one.” ~ The word for “one” is the same as the indefinite article, which has three forms.. un, uno, una. one. —¿Qué tienes? —Tengo un libro.. “What do you have?” “I have a book.”. —¿Cuántos libros tienes? —Tengo un libro. / Tengo uno.. “How many books do you have?” “I have one book.” / “I have one.”. —¿Quiere un libro? —Hay uno en la mesa.. “Do you want a book?” “There is one on the table.”. —¿Quiere una pluma? —Aquí está una.. “Do you want a pen?” “Here is one.”. Numbers above 20 that contain “one” follow the same pattern. Tengo veintiún libros. Mi hermano tiene treinta y un libros. Hay veinte niños y veintiuna niñas. Necesitamos cuarenta y una camisetas. AVOID THE. I have 21 books. My brother has 31 books. There are 20 boys and 21 girls. We need 41 T-shirts.. Blunder. Drop the -o from uno before a masculine noun. Use una before a feminine noun. Don’t forget the accent mark above the ú in veintiún.. ✗ uno libro ✗ treinta y uno libros. ✗ un pluma ✗ veintiun libros. ✗ veintiuno libros.

(53) NUMBERS. 43. ~ Ningún, ninguno, or ninguna is used to express “not one.”. No tengo ningún amigo aquí.. I don’t see a book. (I don’t see any books.) There aren’t any. (There isn’t a single one.) I don’t have any friends here.. —¿Cuántas personas vinieron? —No vino ninguna.. “How many people came?” “Not a single one came.”. No veo ningún libro. No hay ninguno.. AVOID THE. Blunder. In English, “zero”—or “not any”—is followed by a plural noun. Do not use a plural with ninguno in Spanish.. ✗ No tengo ningunos libros. ✗ No hay ningunas personas. ~ “Another one,” “one more,” and “a different one” are expressed with otro(-a) in Spanish. Alternatively, uno(-a) más can be used for “one more” and uno(-a) distinto(-a) can be used for “a different one.”. Tengo un libro. Quiero otro. Quiero otro. / Quiero uno más. Quiero otro. / Quiero uno distinto. Tiene una pluma. Quiere otra. Quiere otra. / Quiere una más. Quiere otra. / Quiere una distinta. AVOID THE. I have a book. I want another one. I want one more. I want a different one. He has a pen. He wants another one. He wants one more. He wants a different one.. Blunder. Do not use un, uno, or una before otro or otra.. ✗ un otro libro. ✗ una otra amiga. In English, numbers are placed before the word “other.” In Spanish, they are placed after otros(-as). (See pages 71–72.) Tenemos otros dos primos. Necesitan otras cuatro sillas.. We have two other cousins. They need four more chairs..

(54) 44 AVOID THE. ✗ dos otros. GRAMMAR. Blunder. ✗ cuatro otras. Tens Watch the numbers once, doce, trece, catorce, and quince. AVOID THE. Blunder. ✗ diez y tres. ✗ diez y cuatro. ✗ diez y cinco. Note that the numbers from 16 through 29 are expressed as one word. It is no longer common to separate these into three-word expressions. AVOID THE. Blunder. ✗ diez y seis. ✗ veinte y nueve. Note that the numbers 16, 22, 23, and 26 require an accent mark on the final syllable. dieciséis. veintidós. veintitrés. veintiséis. Watch the spelling and pronunciation of veinte. The first syllable is spelled and pronounced like the English word “vein.” Similarly, the vowels in the first syllable of treinta are pronounced (but not spelled) like the vowels in the English word “train.” AVOID THE. ✗ viente. Blunder ✗ trienta. Hundreds Ciento is shortened to cien when it immediately precedes a noun and when it stands alone. Hay cien alumnos. Tenemos cien cajas de libros. Hay cien.. There are a hundred students. We have a hundred boxes of books. There are a hundred..

(55) 45. NUMBERS. In English, the number “one” or “a” can precede “hundred.” In Spanish, ciento and cien are never preceded by a form of uno. Hay cien chicos. Hay ciento veinte chicas.. AVOID THE. ✗ un ciento. There are a/one hundred boys. There are a/one hundred and twenty girls.. Blunder. ✗ una cien. In spoken English, there is a tendency to insert “and” after the hundreds. In Spanish, there is no y after the hundreds. In Spanish, y (“and”) is used in the tens. ciento tres quinientos veinte doscientos cuarenta y cuatro AVOID THE. one hundred and three five hundred and twenty two hundred and forty-four. Blunder. ✗ ciento y tres ✗ cuarenta cuatro. ✗ quinientos y veinte ✗ treinta dos. Multiple hundreds are always plural and are masculine or feminine to agree with the nouns they modify. doscientos dólares trescientos pesos cuatrocientas libras. two hundred dollars three hundred pesos four hundred pounds. Thousands In English, the number “one” or “a” can precede “thousand.” In Spanish, mil is preceded by un only in cases of ambiguity. $1.000 $400.000. mil dólares cuatrocientos mil dólares. $401.000. cuatrocientos un mil dólares. AVOID THE. Blunder. ✗ un mil dólares. one thousand dollars four hundred thousand dollars four hundred and one thousand dollars.

(56) 46. GRAMMAR. In English, years above 1000 are often expressed as multiples of hundreds. In Spanish, mil is used. 1867 1959. mil ochocientos sesenta y siete mil novecientos cincuenta y nueve. AVOID THE. Blunder. Do not use this format to express 1959.. ✗ diecinueve cincuenta y nueve Millions, Billions, and Trillions Millón, billón, and trillón are preceded by un to express “one.” To express more than one, they are pluralized. one million two million three billion one trillion. un millón dos millones tres billones un trillón. When the item being counted is stated, it is preceded by de. un millón de dólares tres billones de pesos AVOID THE. one million dollars three billion pesos. Blunder. ✗ un millón dólares. ✗ tres millones pesos. Using Cardinal Numbers Comparisons When a comparison includes a number, “more than” is expressed by más de; “less than” is expressed by menos de. Tengo que esperar más de dos horas. Tiene menos de cien pesos. AVOID THE. Blunder. ✗ más que tres. I have to wait more than two hours. He has less than a hundred pesos.. ✗ menos que cuatro.

(57) NUMBERS. 47. Dates In Spanish, when numbers are used to designate a calendar date, the first number indicates the day, the second number indicates the month, and the third number indicates the year. June 3, 2005 July 4, 1976 October 6, 1964. 3/6/05 4/7/76 6/10/64 AVOID THE. Blunder. Do not use this format to express November 23, 1974.. ✗ 11/23/74 Do not use this format to express March 6, 2006.. ✗ 3/6/06 Telephone Numbers Telephone numbers are expressed as a sequence of two-digit numbers in Spanish. When there are three digits in a group, the first number is stated in isolation, and the second two as a two-digit number. 64.98.31 453-8679 301-220-0290. sesenta y cuatro, noventa y ocho, treinta y uno cuatro, cincuenta y tres, ochenta y seis, setenta y nueve tres cero uno, dos veinte, cero dos, noventa. Street Addresses Street addresses typically begin with the name of the street followed by the street number, then the floor and apartment or room number, if applicable. Calle Villamil, 27 3eroB. AVOID THE. Blunder. ✗ 27 Villamil Calle. 27 Villamil Street, Third Floor, Apt. B.

(58) 48. GRAMMAR. Telling Time ¿Qué hora es? asks for the current time. Following are some common responses. (See page 58.) Es la una de la madrugada. Son las diez y cuarto de la mañana. Son las cinco y media de la tarde. Es mediodía. Es medianoche. AVOID THE. It’s one o’clock in the morning. / It’s 1 A.M. It’s a quarter after ten in the morning. / It’s 10:15 A.M. It’s 5:30 in the afternoon. / It’s 5:30 P.M. It’s 12 noon. It’s 12 midnight.. Blunder. Use es la with “one o’clock” and son las with other times.. ✗ son la una. ✗ es las tres. ✗ es cinco. En la mañana, en la tarde, and en la noche are correct when used to refer to parts of the day, when the actual time is not expressed. The abbreviation “A.M.” is expressed with de la mañana and “P.M.” is expressed with de la tarde or de la noche. AVOID THE. Blunder. ✗ Son las diez en la mañana. ✗ Es la una en la tarde. ✗ Son las once en la noche. ¿A qué hora es? asks the time of an event. The answer is also expressed with a when a specific time is mentioned. ¿A qué hora es la reunión? Es en la mañana. / Es por la mañana. Es a las once de la mañana. Es en la tarde. / Es por la tarde. Es a las siete y media de la tarde. Es en la noche. / Es por la noche. Es a las diez de la noche.. What time is the meeting? It’s in the morning. It’s at 11 o’clock in the morning. / It’s at 11 A.M. It’s in the afternoon. OR It’s in the evening. It’s at 7:30 in the evening. / It’s at 7:30 P.M. It’s in the evening. OR It’s at night. It’s at 10 o’clock at night. / It’s at 10 P.M..

(59) NUMBERS. AVOID THE. 49. Blunder. A—not es or son—must be used when telling the time of an event.. ✗ La reunión es la una. ✗ La clase es son las once.. Using Ordinal Numbers Review the ordinal numbers in the chart on pages 39–40. Two ordinal numbers, primero and tercero, are shortened to primer and tercer when used before masculine singular nouns. the first president the third floor. el primer presidente el tercer piso AVOID THE. Blunder. ✗ el primero año. ✗ el tercero hombre. All ordinal numbers change the final -o to -a before a feminine noun. la primera presidente la tercera calle la quinta milla. the first president the third street the fifth mile. Primero and primera can be used in the plural. los primeros días de enero las primeras llamadas del día. the first days in January the first calls of the day. Although there are ordinals in Spanish for “eleventh” and above, cardinal numbers are usually used for ordinals higher than décimo. Está en el piso once. Vamos a la Calle Cincuenta y cuatro.. It’s on the eleventh floor. Let’s go to Fifty-fourth Street.. In spoken language, the names of kings and popes are expressed without the article el. Carlos V Alfonso XII Juan XXIII. Carlos quinto Alfonso doce Juan veintitrés. Carlos the Fifth Alfonso the Twelfth John the Twenty-third.

(60) 50. GRAMMAR. AVOID THE. Blunder. ✗ Carlos el quinto. ✗ Alfonso el doce. When giving dates, the “first” of the month is expressed with primero. All other days are expressed with the cardinal number. el el el el. January 1 February 2 September 16 December 28. primero de enero dos de febrero dieciséis de septiembre veintiocho de diciembre. AVOID THE. Blunder. ✗ el tercero de marzo. ✗ el cuarto de julio. Using Fractions “One-half” is expressed by using medio(-a) followed by a noun of quantity. Déme medio kilo de mantequilla. He traído media docena de huevos. AVOID THE. Give me a half-kilo of butter. / Give me half a kilo of butter. I brought a half-dozen eggs. / I brought half a dozen eggs.. Blunder. Do not use un, uno, una before medio ! noun.. ✗ un medio kilo. ✗ una media docena. “One and a half” is expressed by naming the noun of quantity followed by y medio(-a). Esperamos hora y media. Ella compró kilo y medio de harina. Tomé taza y media de café.. We waited an hour and a half. She bought a kilo and a half of flour. I drank a cup and a half of coffee..

(61) NUMBERS. AVOID THE. 51. Blunder. Do not use un, uno, una before a quantity noun if a fraction follows.. ✗ una taza y media. ✗ una hora y media. “Half of” a commodity can be expressed by la media parte de or la mitad de. Pablo vendió la media parte de sus tierras. Ella le robó la mitad de sus bienes.. AVOID THE. Pablo sold half of his land. She robbed him of half of his assets.. Blunder. Be sure to use la and de with these expressions.. ✗ media parte sus tierras. ✗ una mitad sus bienes. A whole number plus a half is always separated by a noun of quantity. Esperamos dos horas y media. He perdido tres kilos y medio. AVOID THE. We waited two and a half hours. I’ve lost three and a half kilos.. Blunder. Do not put y medio or y media before the noun.. ✗ dos y media horas. ✗ tres y medio kilos. When the top number of a fraction is “one,” use la ! the ordinal number ! parte de. la la la la. one-third of one-fourth of / a quarter of one-seventh of one-tenth of. tercera parte de cuarta parte de séptima parte de décima parte de. AVOID THE. Blunder. ✗ una tercera de. ✗ una cuarta de.

(62) 52. GRAMMAR. Exercises A !. Write the words for the following numbers.. 1. 2 2. 10 3. 14 4. 22 5. 39 6. 146 7. 473 8. 511 9. 1984 10. 2007 B !. Write the words for the ordinal numbers in the chart. MASCULINE. 1. first. el primer. FEMININE. libro. novela. 2. second. piso. vez. 3. third. edificio. casa. 4. fourth. año. calle. 5. fifth. día. persona. C !. Express in words.. 1. 21 chicos 2. 21 chicas 3. 100 libros 4. 203 niños 5. $2.000.000 6. 2/10/77 7. 202-490-3361 8. 10:30 A.M. 9.. 1. ⁄2 kilo. 10. 21⁄2 kilos.

(63) NOUN DETERMINERS Definite Articles el, la, los, las. the. Indefinite Articles un, una unos, unas. a, an some. Demonstratives este, esta, esto estos, estas. this these. ese, esa, eso esos, esas. that those. aquel, aquella aquellos, aquellas. that (over there) those (over there). Possessives ALONE OR AFTER AN ARTICLE BEFORE A NOUN. OR NOUN. mi/mis tu/tus/su/sus. my your. su/sus su/sus su/sus. his her its. nuestro(-a/-os/-as) vuestro(-a/-os/-as)/su/sus. our your. su/sus. their. cuyo(-a/-os/-as). whose. 53. mío(-a/-os/-as) tuyo(-a/-os/-as)/ suyo(-a/-os/-as) suyo(-a/-os/-as) suyo(-a/-os/-as). mine/my yours/your. nuestro(-a/-os/-as) vuestro(-a/-os/-as)/ suyo(-a/-os/-as) suyo(-a/-os/-as). ours/our yours/your. his/his hers/her. theirs/their.

(64) 54. GRAMMAR. Other Determiners algún/alguna(-os/-as) otro(-a/-os/-as) cierto(-a/-os/-as) propio(-a/-os/-as) mucho(-a/-os/-as) poco(-a/-os/-as) tanto(-a/-os/-as) todo(-a/-os/-as). some other, another (a) certain one’s own a lot of little so much, so many all, every. el/la mismo(-a) los/las mismos(-as) el/la único(-a) los/las únicos(-as) ambos(-as) los/las demás varios(-as) unos(-as) cuantos(-as) unos(-as) pocos(-as). the same the same the only the only both the rest several several a few. cada tal semejante(s) medio(-a) cualquier/cualquiera. each the aforementioned such (a) half a any.

(65) NOUN DETERMINERS. 55. Review the forms in the charts on the previous pages. Noun determiners help identify nouns and are usually placed before the noun, with a few exceptions.. Definite Articles The definite article—masculine singular el, feminine singular la, masculine plural los, feminine plural las—like English “the,” refers to a particular noun. The definite article may refer to the only noun possible or simply to one that both the speaker and hearer have mutual knowledge of. el hijo de Juan la cocina. Juan’s son the (only) kitchen (in this house or restaurant). los hijos de Juan las llaves de mi casa. Juan’s children the keys to my house. ] Purely for pronunciation purposes, feminine singular nouns that begin with a stressed a- or ha- are preceded by el instead of la (see page 29).. el el el el el. agua águila área alma hambre. the water the eagle the area the soul the hunger. El does not replace la in the following situations, however: ]. If another determiner or an adjective separates the definite article from the noun. Es la primera águila que vemos. La otra área es más bonita.. ]. If the el or la distinguishes whether the person referred to is male or female. el árabe la árabe. ]. It’s the first eagle we’ve seen. The other area is prettier.. the Arab (male) the Arab (female). If the noun and definite article are plural. las las las las. aguas águilas áreas almas. the waters the eagles the areas the souls.

(66) 56. GRAMMAR. All other determiners and adjectives that relate to these nouns are feminine. the clean water the beautiful eagle the dry area very little water a lot of hunger. el agua pura el águila bella el área seca poca agua mucha hambre AVOID THE. ✗ la área ✗ los almas. Blunder. ✗ todo el área ✗ mucho hambre. ✗ este área. ] When el is preceded by the preposition a, it must be contracted to al. When preceded by de, it must be contracted to del. This does not apply to El when it is part of a proper name.. Vamos al mercado. Vamos a El Salvador.. We’re going to the market. We’re going to El Salvador.. Soy del sur del país. Soy del sur de El Salvador.. I’m from the south of the country. I’m from the south of El Salvador.. AVOID THE. ✗ a el país. Blunder. ✗ de el hermano. ] In Spanish, as in English, no article is used before a title when addressing someone.. Buenos días, Sr. Ochoa. Hola, Sra. Rodríguez. Hasta luego, Srta. Díaz.. Good morning, Mr. Ochoa. Hello, Mrs. Rodríguez. See you later, Miss Díaz.. In Spanish, a definite article is required before a title such as señor, señora, señorita, doctor, doctora, or ingeniero when speaking about someone, even though no article would be used in English. El señor Ochoa me llamó anoche. Quiero presentarte a la señora Rodríguez. Voy a visitar a la señorita Díaz cuando vaya a Chile. Conocimos al doctor Páez el viernes pasado.. Mr. Ochoa called me last night. I want to introduce you to Mrs. Rodríguez. I’m going to visit Miss Díaz when I go to Chile. We met Dr. Páez last Friday..

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