Spanish is a skillset
Modern Spanish evolves the more I hear it, so its important to keep abreast of some key terms, in case you are caught in a situation where you absolutely have to show an amount of politeness in either an everyday situation or in a business situation.
Some words are commonplace and expected and even more have made their way into our vocabularies simply from the culinary sense, the same way French and Italian and Mediteranean terms have. Here I plan on covering a few terms and explaining what type of term it is and how its used. This is a bit of a concise course since I only have a page in which to cover the bare basics.
A few things to know: j is like our h, a ha sound or silent. As in Jueves (Thursday) its silent. Imagine putting a w sound instead and it helps a little.
cu is like our qu (sounds like kwa).
They also have qu, but its pronounced like our K (as in quinto - fifth).
The vowels are: A (ah short a), E (eh short e), I (ih short i), O (long o), and U (oo, as in cool).
In addition, besides the regular n Spanish has an accented extra n "ñ" called an enye that makes a nya or nyo sound. An example might be España (Spain) or Señor (Mister).
A double R means to roll your tongue. I cannot help you there, but if you can bounce your tongue, you're good, if you can't well, most spanish speakers are forgiving. (IE: Guitarra -Guitar)
You can also find a double LL sometimes. In English we would pronounce a single L as in Llama or Lloyd. In Spanish, the LL signifies a Y sound. As in, me llamo Skippy. (My name is Skippy). In some occasions for some countries it can also be a soft J sound, but that wont be encouraged here unless your audience is from one of those countries and does it themselves. Another example which is often heard in songs is the verb Llorar (to cry). ("Aye, Yai, Yai, Yai - Canta no llores..." - Oh sing, don't cry...)
In some circumstances words they have adapted to Spanish speaking use, like Texas is pronounced Tehas. The X can either be silent or h-ified.
Each Spanish speaking land has their own added words, sound, and accents on certain words. For instance, in the Basque area of Spain they th-ify a lot of words at the st, such as Castilian may be pronounced Cathtilian. They dont have a lisp, they just like it that way. Not all the countries do this, so be careful of your audience.
Want Japanese instead? See the new pages I have installed.
Some words are commonplace and expected and even more have made their way into our vocabularies simply from the culinary sense, the same way French and Italian and Mediteranean terms have. Here I plan on covering a few terms and explaining what type of term it is and how its used. This is a bit of a concise course since I only have a page in which to cover the bare basics.
A few things to know: j is like our h, a ha sound or silent. As in Jueves (Thursday) its silent. Imagine putting a w sound instead and it helps a little.
cu is like our qu (sounds like kwa).
They also have qu, but its pronounced like our K (as in quinto - fifth).
The vowels are: A (ah short a), E (eh short e), I (ih short i), O (long o), and U (oo, as in cool).
In addition, besides the regular n Spanish has an accented extra n "ñ" called an enye that makes a nya or nyo sound. An example might be España (Spain) or Señor (Mister).
A double R means to roll your tongue. I cannot help you there, but if you can bounce your tongue, you're good, if you can't well, most spanish speakers are forgiving. (IE: Guitarra -Guitar)
You can also find a double LL sometimes. In English we would pronounce a single L as in Llama or Lloyd. In Spanish, the LL signifies a Y sound. As in, me llamo Skippy. (My name is Skippy). In some occasions for some countries it can also be a soft J sound, but that wont be encouraged here unless your audience is from one of those countries and does it themselves. Another example which is often heard in songs is the verb Llorar (to cry). ("Aye, Yai, Yai, Yai - Canta no llores..." - Oh sing, don't cry...)
In some circumstances words they have adapted to Spanish speaking use, like Texas is pronounced Tehas. The X can either be silent or h-ified.
Each Spanish speaking land has their own added words, sound, and accents on certain words. For instance, in the Basque area of Spain they th-ify a lot of words at the st, such as Castilian may be pronounced Cathtilian. They dont have a lisp, they just like it that way. Not all the countries do this, so be careful of your audience.
Want Japanese instead? See the new pages I have installed.
Sentence structure and Basic Conjugation
Usually, in English we structure a sentence in the following fashion: The dog ate the food / Subject verb Object.
In Spanish, its pretty close but can sometimes be more complex: El perro come el comida. Gender Subject verb Gender Object.
Almost everything has a gender in Spanish. Not all the time are genders used, and its more acceptable now in modern times to omit the gender than it was even 20 years ago.
For conjugation, there are 3 types of verbs. Verbs with an -ar ending, verbs with an -er ending and verbs with an -ir ending. We shall show you the 3 types, how to conjugate them and then what each conjugation means to the listener.
In Spanish, its pretty close but can sometimes be more complex: El perro come el comida. Gender Subject verb Gender Object.
Almost everything has a gender in Spanish. Not all the time are genders used, and its more acceptable now in modern times to omit the gender than it was even 20 years ago.
For conjugation, there are 3 types of verbs. Verbs with an -ar ending, verbs with an -er ending and verbs with an -ir ending. We shall show you the 3 types, how to conjugate them and then what each conjugation means to the listener.
-ar
Dar (to give) Doy Das Da Damos Dan |
-er
Comer (to eat) Como Comes Come Comeste Comen |
-ir
Vivir (to Live) Vivo Vivies Vive Viviste Viven |
each verb's meaning
yo (I) tu (you) el/ella/usted (he, she, it or you) Nosotros We Ellos, -as/ Ustedes They/You all |
A good website I have found for verb conjugation and more is: http://www.123teachme.com/spanish_verb_conjugation/
General sentences to get you by
So, in life, we need someone to help us understand what to say. When we are children, we simply observe others talking, usually our parents or grandparents. From how they act and speak with one another you gain an understanding of basic communications and the effort that must be put into both speaking and listening to the other speaker. Timing, appreciation, and body language are almost as important as what you say.
The following sentences or phrases are everyday use sentences or phrases:
¿Como esta usted? or ¿Como esta? - How are you?
¿Que pasa? - What's up?
¿Cuanto Cuesta? - How much is it?
Adios! - Goodbye
¿En que puede servirle? - How can I serve you (this is exceedingly polite and customer service like)
Sientete - Sit down (one person)
Por Favor - Please
Gracias - Thank you
De Nada - Dont worry about it / Its nothing (usually in response to thank you)
¿Me Puede Ayudar? - Can you help me? (I fell in love with the Spanish desire to help)
Hace Calor - Its hot! (Literally, I make hot)
Tengo Sed - I'm thirsty (Literally, I have thirst)
Tengo Hambre - I'm Hungry (Literally, I have hunger)
Tengo Dolor de Cabeza - I've got a headache (Literally a pain of the head)
Hablo Inglés I speak English
¿Hablas Español? Do you speak Spanish? (Here the Do is implied, they dont add an extra verb.)
Things you should know are the difference between using the gender assignment of le, la, lo or te, tu differs between how well you know someone. If its a parent, teacher or business partner, you always go for the more general le rather than the te. If its your best friend or your sister/brother, go with the more familiar te.
Some things are considered childish like saying gimme (dame) and is discouraged. Find a better way to phrase it.
For more common phrases, check here as a good resource: http://www.commonspanishphrases.org/
The following sentences or phrases are everyday use sentences or phrases:
¿Como esta usted? or ¿Como esta? - How are you?
¿Que pasa? - What's up?
¿Cuanto Cuesta? - How much is it?
Adios! - Goodbye
¿En que puede servirle? - How can I serve you (this is exceedingly polite and customer service like)
Sientete - Sit down (one person)
Por Favor - Please
Gracias - Thank you
De Nada - Dont worry about it / Its nothing (usually in response to thank you)
¿Me Puede Ayudar? - Can you help me? (I fell in love with the Spanish desire to help)
Hace Calor - Its hot! (Literally, I make hot)
Tengo Sed - I'm thirsty (Literally, I have thirst)
Tengo Hambre - I'm Hungry (Literally, I have hunger)
Tengo Dolor de Cabeza - I've got a headache (Literally a pain of the head)
Hablo Inglés I speak English
¿Hablas Español? Do you speak Spanish? (Here the Do is implied, they dont add an extra verb.)
Things you should know are the difference between using the gender assignment of le, la, lo or te, tu differs between how well you know someone. If its a parent, teacher or business partner, you always go for the more general le rather than the te. If its your best friend or your sister/brother, go with the more familiar te.
Some things are considered childish like saying gimme (dame) and is discouraged. Find a better way to phrase it.
For more common phrases, check here as a good resource: http://www.commonspanishphrases.org/
Words you must know (Children know this)
CountingUno - 1
Dos - 2 Tres - 3 Cuatro - 4 Cinco - 5 Seis - 6 Siete - 7 Ocho - 8 Nueve - 9 Dies - 10 Dies y Uno - 11 Dies y Dos - 12 Dies y Tres - 13 Dies y Cuatro - 14 Dies y Cinco - 15 Dies y Seis - 16 Dies y Siete - 17 Dies y Ocho - 18 Dies y Nueve - 19 Vente - 20 Vente y Uno, etc Trienta - 30 Cuarenta - 40 Cincuenta - 50 Sesenta - 60 Setenta - 70 Ochenta - 80 Noventa - 90 Cien - 100 Ciento Uno - 101, etc Dos Cientos - 200, etc Mil - One thousand Un mil uno - 1001, etc Millón - A million Billón - A Billion Trillón - A Trillion Plus (ploos) - Plus Menos - Minus or Less Multiplicar - Multiply Dividir - Divide Shirt - Camisa, Blusa Pants - Pantalones Skirt - Falda Shoes - Zapatos Hat - Sombrero Glasses - Gafas Sun Glasses - Gafas del Sol Jacket - Chaqueta Coat - Abrigo Dress - Vestido |
ColorsColores - Colors
Negra, o- Black Blanco, a- White Gris- Grey Marrón- Brown Rojo - Red Naranja - Orange Rosa - Pink Amarillo - Yellow Verde - Green Azul - Blue Púrpura - Purple Aguamarina - Aqua Bronceado - Tan Oro - Gold Plata - Silver Bronce - Bronze De Cobre - Copper Crema - Cream Herrumbre - Rust Other Important Words Si - Yes No - No Quizas - Perhaps Quien - Who Que - What Cuando - When Porque - Why Porque - Because Donde - Where Ojala que - I hope that Esperanza que - " " Antes de - Before Despues de - After East - Este West -Oeste North - Norte South - Sur Left - Izquierda Right - Derecha Up- Arriba Down - Bajo, Abajo Sir - Don, Señor Madam - Doña, Señora |
Calendar TermsDomingo - Sunday
Lunes - Monday Martes - Tuesday Miercoles - Wednesday Jueves - Thursday Viernes - Friday Sabado - Saturday Calendario - Calender Primero - 1st Segundo - 2nd Tercera - 3rd Cuarto - 4th Quinto - 5th Sexto - 6th Scptimo - 7th Octavo - 8th Noveno - 9th Décimo - 10th Undécimo - 11th Duodécimo - 12th Decimotercero - 13th Decimocuarto - 14th Decimoquinto - 15th Decimosexto - 16th Decimoséptimo - 17th Decimoctavo - 18th Decimonoveno - 19th Vigésimo - 20th Veinte segundos 22nd etc, Trigésimo tercero - 33rd etc (just seeing if you were paying attention. There are never 33 days in a month) Some words in Spanish are the same in English. These are called Cognates. A lot of Spanish words can be made from English words then adding an -O or an -A at the end. Usually (but not always) the -A is feminine and the -O is masculine. It determines whether to make an el or a la in front of nouns. IE: el perro (the dog) or la cama (the bed). Again, this is not always the case, but it works most of the time. |
World (some)Spoken LanguagesAfricano - African
Albanés - Albanian Andorrano - Andoran Alemán - German Americano - American (Sur - South Norte - North) Armenio - Armenian Asiático - Asian Austriaco - Austrian Australiano - Australian Azerbaiyán - Azerbaijani Belga - Belgian Bielorruso- Belarussian Bosnio - Boznian Serbio - Serbian Canadiense - Candian Croata - Croatian Búlgaro - Bulgarian Checo - Czech Danés - Danish Español - Spanish Estonia - Estonian Europeo - European Finlandés - Finnish Francés - French Galés - Welsh Georgiano - Georgian Griego - Greek Holandés - Dutch Húngaro - Hungarian Islandés - Icelandic inglés - English Irlandés - Irish Italiano - Italian Kazajstán - Kajakh Latvio or letón- Latvian Lituano - Lithuanian Luxemburgués - Luxemburgish Macedonio - Macedonian Nórdico - Norse Polaco - Polish Portugués - Portugese Rumano - Romanian Ruso - Russian Suizo - Swiss Ucranio - Ukranian Mapa - Map Good Luck! |