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ave
ave
bird
bao
bao
casa
casa
house
champ
champ
shampoo
dama
dama
lady
edad
edad
age
fecha
fecha
date (calendar)
gafas
gafas
glasses
helado
helado
ice cream
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bath
idea
idea
idea
jabn
jabn
soap
kilmetro
kilmetro
kilometer
lago
lago
lake
llave
llave
key
mesa
mesa
table
nada
nada
nothing
The English letter n written with a tilde (or wavy line) on top is called
ame
ame
yam
ojo
ojo
eye
plato
plato
plate
queso
queso
cheese
ro
ro
river
sal
sal
salt
todo
todo
everything
uva
uva
grape
The English letter v is called v (or v chica) (v chica is used to differentiate v from b grande)
vista
vista
view
The English letter x is called x (very few Spanish words begin with x. It occurs within many words, such as
taxi.
The English letter y is called y
yema
yema
egg yolk
zapato
zapato
shoe
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dance
cause
France
radio
city
water
fire
ruins
store
Now that youve learned the vowel sounds of Spanish, lets talk about the consonants.
The sound of b is somewhat like an English b only softer; dont press your lips all the way together. This
sound occurs in bao
bath and jabn soap
C has two sounds; before the letters o, a, and u, it sounds like English k, as in taco or casa
house.
Before e or i, c sounds like English s, as in cerca
near by or cine cinema. (In many regions of
Spain, c before e or i sounds like the English t-h in bath.)
D sounds rather like the English t-h in then, as in dama lady and edad age
F is like English f, as in fecha date
G, like c, has two different sounds depending on what letter follows it. Before o, a, and u, g makes a [g]
sound, as in the words gafas glasses, lago lake or amigo
friend. Before e or i, g makes the sound [h], as in gente people and region region
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salt
taco
wine
X makes either a [ks] sound, as in taxi taxi or a [h] sound, as in Mxico Mexico
Y is generally pronounced the same way as ll, as in the word yema egg yolk. In isolation, it is
pronounced [ee]; this letter by itself is the Spanish word for and.
Z sounds like a soft English s, as in zapato shoe (this letter is also pronounced as a soft t-h sound in
parts of Spain.)
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Hospital
Radio
Restaurant
Reception
Music
Airport
Sweater
Hamburger
Television
Bank
There are lots of cognates between Spanish and English; be on the lookout for them.
One more thing youll need to know to pronounce Spanish words correctly is where the stress falls in a word.
As an example of why the stress is important, consider the words suspect and suspect in English. One is a
noun, suspect, and the other is a verb, suspect. Yet the only difference in pronunciation is where the word is
stressed. There are pairs of words like this in Spanish, as well. When you repeat words as you listen to these
tapes, pay attention to where the stress falls. There are three simple rules, which will allow you to correctly
stress any word you see written but have not yet heard. These rules are as follows:
1) If the last letter of a word is n, s, or any vowel, word stress falls on the next-to-last syllable, as in:
Agua - water, chicle - gum, bao - bath, platos - plate, atlas - atlas
and in hablan, which means they speak.
2)
If the last letter of a word is any consonant other than n or s , stress falls on the final syllable, as in:
Coliflor - cauliflower, frijol - bean, pared - wall, and nariz-nose
3)
Any word that does not follow these 2 rules has a written accent over the stressed syllable. Some
examples of words needing written accents are:
Jabn - soap, kilmetro - kilometer, francs - French, and man - peanut
(the written accent may also be used to distinguish otherwise identical words; for instance, s with an
accent written over the i means yes, si without an accent means if.)
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ao (a- -o)
mesa (m-e-s-a)
frijol (f-r-i-j-o-l)
jabn (j-a-b--n) (Did you notice o con acento, that means o with an accent)
chicle (c-h-i-c-l-e)
agua (a-g-u-a)
edad (e-d-a-d)
ruinas (r-u-i-n-a-s)
kilmetro (k-i-l--m-e-t-r-o)
OK, lets see if you can remember some of the vocabulary youve heard so far. Try to answer the question
Cmo se dice? How does one say?
Cmo se dice ?
Cmo se dice ?
Cmo se dice ?
Cmo se dice ?
Cmo se dice ?
Cmo se dice ?
Cmo se dice ?
Cmo se dice ?
Cmo se dice ?
Cmo se dice ?
Cmo se dice ?
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Cauliflower
Bathroom
Key
Soap
Salt
Plate
Table
Water
Music
wine
coliflor
bao
llave
jabn
sal
plato
mesa
agua
msica
vino
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Hello
Buenos das
Good morning
Buenas tardes
Good afternoon
When you meet someone new, you might say mucho gusto (pleased to meet you). You could also say
encantado if you are a man or encantada if you are a woman (this is another way to express pleased to meet
you).
You might wonder why there are two forms, encantado, and encantada. These words are adjectives, and
adjectives in Spanish are said to agree with the nouns they modify, they can be singular or plural, as well as
masculine or feminine. The idea of masculine and feminine is fairly straightforward with nouns that refer
to people, such as hombre (man) and mujer (woman); hombre is masculine, and mujer is feminine. However,
all other nouns in Spanish also have gender, which is best thought of as a grammatical property of nouns in
Spanish. English nouns do not have this particular property.
So, when meeting someone new, a woman might say she is enchanted, encantada, while a man would use
the masculine form of this adjective, encantado.
Did you notice that das in the greeting buenos das is modified by the form buenos, while tardes in buenas
tardes is modified by the form buenas? Thats because das is a plural masculine noun, while tardes is a plural
feminine noun. You will learn more about agreement in lesson 3.
Okay, now that you know how to greet someone in Spanish, lets learn how to ask for a persons name. To ask
one person, who is a new acquaintance, this question, say:
Cmo se llama? This is used as Whats your name? but it literally means How do you call yourself?
Cmo is the question how. Se llama is a formal 2nd person singular form of the verb llamarse, to call
oneself.
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we are
yall are
they are
Note that there are really only 3 present-tense forms of the verb to be; am, are, and is. And most English verbs
have even fewer forms! However, as you will see, there are 6 present-tense forms of each verb in Spanish.
In the case of llamarse, these forms are:
Me llamo
Te llamas
Se llama
nos llamamos
os llamis
se llaman
These forms correspond to different possible subjects. However, it is important to remember that me, te, se,
nos, os, se are not subject pronouns. These are actually the corresponding forms of the reflexive se on the
infinitive. Note that when a reflexive verb is conjugated, the proper form of se is placed before the conjugated
verb form. So, if me, te, se, nos, os, se are not subject pronouns, what are the subject pronouns of Spanish?
Well learn them next.
Subjects can be 1st person (if they include the speaker, like I or we), 2nd person (if they include the person being
spoken to, like you or yall), or 3rd person (used when speaking about others, like she, he, or they). Subjects
can also be singular or plural, and in Spanish, 2nd person subjects can be formal or informal, as well. In these
lessons, verb forms will be given according to the standard Spanish subject pronouns, which are:
Yo, I
T, you (singular informal)
Ud., you (singular formal)
l, he
Ella, she
nosotros, we
vosotros, you (plural informal)
Uds., you (plural formal)
ellos, they (masculine or mixed gender)
ellas, they (feminine)
Ud. and Uds. are often abbreviated as u-d and u-d-s, respectively.
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It is important to remember that subject pronouns are most often omitted in Spanish, unless they are needed
to clarify or emphasize who the subject is. As an example, here is a partial conversation. Listen and repeat
(escucha y repite).
A: Buenos das. Good day.
B: Hola. Cmo se llama Ud.? Hello. What is your name?
A: Me llamo Mara. Y Ud.? My name is Mary. And you?
B: Me llamo Patricia. My name is Patricia.
A: Mucho gusto. Nice to meet you.
B: Encantada. Nice to meet you.
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nos llamamos
os llamis
se llaman
OK, now that youve met someone and asked for his or her name, lets learn how to ask how your new
acquaintance is doing. You already know the word for how, cmo, but youll need another verb for this
question. The infinitive of this new verb is estar; it is translated as to be in English and is used to talk about
location as well as states or conditions of people and things. The present-tense forms of estar are:
estoy
ests
est
I am
you are
he or she is
estamos
estis
estn
we are
youll are
they are
So, you might ask a new acquaintance, Cmo est Ud.? or ask a friend, Cmo ests?. A very informal way
to ask this, similar to asking Whats up? in English, is to ask Qu tal? This idiomatic expression has only
one form.
Now can you list the conjugated forms of estar.
You should have listed:
estoy
ests
est
estamos
estis
estn
Now lets talk about how one might answer the question Cmo ests?. Here are some ways you might be
feeling when someone asks:
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well
very well
so so
badly
very badly
You might also wish to thank the person for asking, by saying gracias Thank you or muchas gracias
Thank you very much.
Now lets see how much you remember. How would you answer these words and questions?
Buenas tardes. If you said hola or buenas tardes in return, thats right! How about:
Cmo se llama Ud.? If you said me llamo and your name, thats great! Now try:
Mucho gusto. Did you say mucho gusto in return? Great! If youre a woman, you might also have said
encantada, or encantado if youre a man. OK, how would you answer:
Cmo ests? You might have said estoy bien or estoy as-as. If youre doing very well, you probably said
estoy muy bien.
Now you can have a brief conversation with someone in Spanish. But theres one thing missing: how will you
say goodbye after the conversation is finished? Here are some possibilities:
Adis
Hasta luego
Nos vemos
Chao
Goodbye
Until later
See you (literally, well see each other)
Bye
Lets see how much of this you can remember. How does one say (Cmo se dice?):
I am well, thank you.
How are you all?
Good afternoon.
Her name is Mary.
Until later!
How about some of the nouns you heard in lesson 1? Challenge yourself with these:
Cmo se dice?
Cmo se dice?
Cmo se dice?
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Soap
Water
Wine
jabn
agua
vino
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Salt
Table
Key
Bean
Kilometer
sal
mesa
llave
frijol
kilmetro
Is it soap?
No, its shampoo.
Is it a lake?
No, its a river.
Is it water?
No, its wine.
Are they yams?
Yes, theyre yams
Are you a doctor?
Yes, I am a doctor.
We are all doctors here.
Did you notice that forms of to be in these sentences were not translated with estar, but rather with a different
verb? The infinitive of this other verb is ser. When to be is used to identify people, places and things, the verb
ser is used instead of estar.
These are the present tense forms of ser:
soy
eres
es
I am
You are
He or she is
somos
sois
son
We are
Youll are
They are
Now practice a few sentences using these forms. Cmo se dice? (How does one say?):
They are keys.
Is is water?
We are ladies
Its shampoo.
Theyre birds.
Son llaves.
Es agua?
Somos damas.
Es champ.
Son pjaros.
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somos
sois
son
One way you can use ser to identify people is to associate them with their professions or occupations, as in soy
mdica. Mdica is the feminine form of the noun doctor. The masculine form of the noun is mdico. Here are
some other people you might meet. Some are cognates, and you may be able to guess their meanings.
Escucha y repite:
profesor
profesora
estudiante
jefe
jefa
empleado
empleada
cliente
conductor
conductora
piloto
pilota
asistente
asistente de vuelo
mesero
mesera
hombre de negocios
mujer de negocios
turista
Xavier es hombre de negocios.
Soy la jefa.
Somos empleados del banco.
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teacher
teacher
student
boss
boss
employee
employee
client
driver
driver
pilot
pilot
assistant
flight attendant
waiter
waitress
business man
business woman
tourist
Xavier is a business man.
I am the boss.
We are employees of the bank.
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Somos estudiantes.
Es professor.
Son asistentes de vuelo?
Ella es mdica.
Soy turista.
Thats great! Did you notice that a in these sentences doesnt have a word translating it in the Spanish
version? Thats because the equivalent of a, the indefinite article, is generally not used in Spanish when
identifying someones occupation, as in Manuel es piloto.
So, now you know two different ways to translate the verb to be in Spanish. The way it is used in a sentence
will determine whether you should translate it as ser or estar. Which verb is used to identify something? ser is
used. Which verb is used to ask someone how he or she is doing, as in how are you today? estar is used. And
which verb is used when identifying someones occupation? Ser is used.
OK, lets put it all together. Here is a conversation between two friends and a third person unknown to one of
them. Most of the vocabulary will be familiar to you.
A: Hola, Ana. - Hi Ana!
B. Buenos das, Carmen. Cmo ests? - Hello Carmen, how are you?
A: Muy bien, gracias. Y t? - Very well thanks, and you?
B: Bien, gracias. - Well, thank you.
A: Ana, te quiero presentar a Jaime Ramrez. - Ana, Id like to introduce you to Jaime Ramrez. l es un
amigo de mi familia. - He is a friend of my family.
B: Mucho gusto, Jaime. - Pleased to meet you Jaime.
C: Mucho gusto. Ud. se llama Ana, no? - Pleased to meet you. Your name is Ana, right?
B: S, Ana Tapia. Cmo est Ud. hoy? - Yes, Ana Tapia. How are you today?
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17
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a book
a store
some taxis
some beaches
Forms of the
el
(el is masculine, singular)
la
(la is feminine, singular)
los
(los is masculine, plural)
las
(las is feminine, plural)
Escucha y repite:
el libro
la tienda
los taxis
las playas
the book
the store
the taxis
the beaches
Now how about some more nouns to go with these articles? Here are some common ones you might wish to
use.
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a man
a boy
a hotel
a bus
a taxi
a restaurant
a building
una mujer
una chica
una playa
una calle
una habitacin
una tienda
una casa
a woman
a girl
a beach
a street
a hotel room
a store
a house
Many feminine nouns end in a, though there are exceptions, such as un mapa, un da, and many nouns ending in
-ema or -ama, for example el drama the drama and el problema the problem. Likewise, many nouns ending
in o are masculine; a common exception is la mano the hand. The best way to know if a noun is masculine or
feminine is to learn that information whenever you learn a new noun; learn a noun along with its article.
To make a noun or adjective plural in Spanish, add s to the word if it ends in a vowel and e-s if the word ends in
a consonant. Here are some plurals of nouns you heard earlier:
El hombre/ los hombres
La mujer/ las mujeres
El taxi/ los taxis
La habitacin/ las habitaciones
Un edificio/ unos edificios
Una tienda/ unas tiendas
Ahora, escucha y repite:
Es un restaurante excelente.
La noche en la playa es bella, no?
Cmo son las habitaciones?
Es un edificio grande.
Son chicos buenos.
Eres una mujer muy inteligente.
Lets see how many things and people you remember. Cmo se dice?
a boy
a girl
a street
a house
a beach
a building
a store
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un chico
una chica
una calle
una casa
una playa
un edificio
una tienda
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una mujer
un hombre
una habitacin
beautiful
interesting
large
young
lazy
intelligent
good
best
feo/ fea
aburrido/ aburrida
pequeo/a
viejo/a
trabajador/a
tonto/a
malo/a
peor
ugly
boring
small
old
hard working
foolish
bad
worst
Most adjectives in Spanish occur following the nouns they modify, for example:
Una tienda pequea
Una casa bella
Un hombre inteligente
Un edificio grande
Las playas bellas
Los chicos jvenes
Unas tiendas buenas
El restaurante mejor
A small store
A beautiful house
An intelligent man
A large building
The beautiful beaches
The young boys
Some good stores
The best restaurant
These adjectives are usually used to describe characteristics of people or things. When the verb to be is used to
describe the characteristics of people or things, ser is used rather than estar. Do you remember the forms of ser?
Try to list them,
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somos
sois
son
Here are some examples of sentences using ser to describe the characteristics of someone or something:
El edificio es bello,no?
Eres muy inteligente.
Las chicas son perezosas.
Bernardo no es muy inteligente.
Soy trabajadora.
Las habitaciones son pequeas.
La casa es vieja.
La tienda es grande.
Son mujeres jvenes.
If you are a man you would have said soy viejo while a woman
would say soy vieja
Muy bien! You already know that ser is used to identify people and things, for example in Es vino or Son
mdicos. Another example of how ser can be used to identify is when you ask or tell where someone is from.
Here are two new words youll use to ask that question:
de
dnde?
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Mxico
el Canad
Francia
Alemania
el Per
Japn
Mexico
Canada
France
Germany
Peru
Japan
Some of these country names are commonly used with the article, though most are not. Of course there are
many others! So if you are from the US, how would you answer the question De dnde es Ud?. If you said
Soy de los Estados Unidos youre right!
That means I am from the United States.
Ahora, escucha y repite:
Somos de Japn.
Eres del Canad?
Son Uds. de Alemania?
Francisco es de Espaa.
Ella es de Italia.
Los chicos jvenes son de la Argentina.
Did you notice that from Canada was translated as del Canad? When de directly precedes the masculine
singular article el, the contraction del is formed.
You might also want to ask what language or languages a person speaks. Using the formal Ud. form, this
question would be:
Qu idiomas habla?
Informally, the question would be Qu idiomas hablas?
Qu ? is the question what? and un idioma is a language. This question also uses hablar, to speak or to talk.
Hablar is whats known as a regular verb; it is conjugated in the same way as many other regular verbs in
Spanish. You already know two Spanish verbs that are irregular, ser and estar. There are 3 types of regular verbs
in Spanish; next well learn how to conjugate verbs of one type, and some examples of this type.
First, lets take a closer look at an infinitive. A Spanish infinitive consists of 2 parts, the root and the infinitive
ending. In the case of hablar, the root is habl- (h-a-b-l) and the ending is ar, spelled a-r. This ending is
characteristic of one of the 3 types of regular verbs; their infinitives end in ar and their conjugated forms have
the same set of endings, as well. What are the conjugated forms of such verbs? Lets take hablar as an example
to illustrate.
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So, once conjugated, the present tense forms of hablar sound like this:
hablo I speak, I am speaking
hablamos we speak
hablas you speak, you are speaking
hablis yall speak
habla he/she/it speaks
hablan they speak
Note that the present tense forms of Spanish verbs can be translated either with the simple present in English or
the present progressive that is hablo can be translated as I speak or as I am speaking.
Here are some other regular verbs that are conjugated in the same way:
Bailar
to dance
Caminar
to walk
Comprar
to buy
Desear
to want or desire
Escuchar
to listen to
Llamar
to call (vs. llamarse).
You will notice that this infinitive lacks the reflexive marker se that we saw in the reflexive llamarse to call
oneself.
Mirar
to look at, or to watch
Pagar
to pay
Tomar
to take (as in tomar el autobs, to take the bus)
Trabajar
to work
Necesitar
to need
There are many more! The majority of Spanish verbs are in this category. In addition to regular verbs ending
in ar, there are two other types of regular verbs in Spanish: those whose infinitives end in er (e-r), and those
ending in ir (i-r).
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tomamos
tomis
toman
necesitamos
necesitis
necesitan
hablamos
hablis
hablan
26
Spanish
English
German
Mandarin
Hebrew
el italiano
el francs
el rabe
el portugus
el japons
Italian
French
Arabic
Portuguese
Japanese
Hablo espaol
Hablan ingls
Habla Ud. francs?
Hablamos portugus
So, once conjugated, the present tense forms of comer sound like this:
como
comes
come
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I eat
you eat
he/she eats
comemos
comis
comen
we eat
yall eat
they eat
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To learn
To drink
To understand
To believe
To read
bebemos
bebis
beben
leemos
leis
leen
Muy bien! The verb creer (to believe or to think) is often followed by the word que, meaning that, and a
phrase, as in Creo que ella habla ingles. How would you say, I think that he understands?
Creo que
comprende
OK, Cmo se dice ?
We drink wine?
They understand English.
I think that they understand English.
Hes learning Spanish.
Bebemos vino.
Comprenden ingles.
Creo que comprenden ingles.
l aprende espaol.
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So, once conjugated, the present tense forms of vivir sound like this:
vivo
vives
vive
I live
you live
he/she lives
vivimos
vivs
viven
we live
you all live
they live
Here are some other regular verbs that are conjugated in the same way:
Abrir
Asistir
Decidir
Escribir
To open
To attend (Asistir is usually followed by prep. a)
To decide
To write
decidimos
decids
deciden
The verb vivir is often followed by the word en, meaning in, and a place, as in Vivo en el Canad. How would
you say, They live in Mexico?
Viven en Mxico
Muy bien! Ahora, Cmo se dice?
I write well in English.
Do you (t) live in England?
They open the store.
We decide.
29
30
31
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Es muy bella.
Desea caminar un poco.
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In addition to meaning to do or to make, hacer is used idiomatically in the 3rd person singular to talk about
many types of weather. Here are some types of weather you might encounter it is important to remember that
explicit subject or pronouns are never used in these expressions. Escucha y repite:
Hace calor. Its hot (literally this expression means it makes heat).
(calor, fro, sol and so forth are actually nouns rather than adjectives.)
Hace mucho calor
Hace fro
Hace mucho fro
Hace fresco
Hace sol
Hace viento
Hace buen tiempo
Hace mal tiempo
est nublado
est despejado
est lloviendo
llueve
est nevando
nieva
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hacemos
hacis
hacen
Hace fro
Hace calor
Hace mucho calor
Llueve or est lloviendo
Hace viento
Est nublado
The months
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
35
The seasons
spring
summer
autumn
winter
En el Canad, hace mucho fro en diciembre. In Canada, its very cold in December
Qu tiempo hace en Los Angeles en el verano? What is the weather like in Los Angeles in the summer?
Hace mucho calor en el verano.
Its very hot in the summer.
En la Argentina, llueve mucho en julio.
In Argentina, it rains a lot in July.
Es invierno en la Argentina en julio!
Its winter in Argentina in July.
En Alaska, nieva mucho en invierno.
In Alaska, it snows a lot in the winter.
As you might have guessed, youll also use hacer if you want to ask what someone is doing. Can you figure out
how to ask What are you doing? If you said Qu haces? or Qu hace?, youre right!
Ahora, escucha y repite:
Qu haces?
Llamo a Laura.
Qu hacen Uds.?
Escuchamos msica venezolana.
Qu hace Ud.?
Leo una novela.
Qu hace Pablo?
Abre la puerta.
Qu hacis?
Escribimos cartas postales.
Qu hacen los chicos?
Miran la televisin.
Qu hacemos?
Vamos a la playa!
The last sentence, Vamos a la playa! uses another irregular verb, the verb ir, which means to go. These are the
present-tense forms of ir:
voy
vas
va
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I am going
you are going
he/she is going
vamos
vais
van
we are going
you all are going
they are going
36
Whenever a directly precedes the masculine singular article el, the two form a contraction, al, as in
Vamos al restaurante.
Vas al hotel?
vamos
vais
van
Vamos a la playa.
Vais a Madrid?
Van a un restaurante.
Voy al hotel.
As in English, the verb meaning to go can also be used to refer to future actions in Spanish. To do this, use the
appropriate conjugated form of ir, followed by the preposition a and the infinitive that expresses the desired
action. Here are some examples: escucha y repite:
Voy a tomar el autobs.
Vas a trabajar hoy?
Vamos a aprender espaol.
Dolores va a vivir en Guadalajara.
Vais a comer pronto?
Pablo y Ana van a bailar salsa.
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I have
you have
he/she has
tenemos
tenis
tienen
we have
you all have
they have
Escucha y repite:
Tengo muchos amigos.
Tienes una pregunta?
Tenemos las llaves.
Ana y Marcos tienen una clase ahora.
tenemos
tenis
tienen
Remember the question Cuntos aos tienes? Un ao is a year, Cuntos is the question how much? or how
many? and it works like an adjective. It will agree with the noun it modifies in gender and number, as in these
examples:
Cunto dinero tienes?
Cuntos aos tiene Federico?
Cunta televisin miran las chicas?
Cuntas habitaciones desea Ud.?
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I am going home.
I am going to work.
I am going to the store.
Of course, there are lots of places you might like to go. What if you dont know how to get where youre going?
In this section, youll learn the names of some places around town, and how to ask for directions.
First, here are the names of some places in town you might want to visit.
Escucha y repite:
La agencia de turismo
El almacn
El ayuntamiento
El banco
El centro
El cine
La farmacia
El hotel
La iglesia
El mercado
El museo
El parque
El supermercado
When you want to ask about the location of something or someone, youll use the verb estar, for instance in
Dnde est la iglesia? (Where is the church?). Another verb you can use is quedar, then your question would
be Dnde queda la iglesia? Try asking the location of these places:
Cmo se dice?
Where is the museum?
Where is city hall?
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Una cuadra
Una manzana
Una bocacalle
Una esquina
Un semforo
Perdn
Medio/a
A block
A block
An intersection
A corner
A traffic light
Excuse me.
Half
OK, if someone gave you the following directions, what would you do?
Cruce la calle
Doble a la derecha
Doble a la derecha en la esquina
Siga derecho
Siga derecho una cuadra y media
En la bocacalle, cruce la calle
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Close to
Far from
Next to
In front of
Behind
Cmo se dice?
The bank is in front of the city hall.
Where is city hall?
The supermarket is not far from here.
We are in front of the park.
The movie theater is next to the hotel.
The pharmacy is on the corner.
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44
Busca el museo
El museo est cerca.
Va al banco
No, queda en un edificio viejo.
Una farmacia est una cuadra al norte del banco
Est en la bocacalle.
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You should have given the current month, for exemple Es junio.
In our example, the answer would probably be Es verano.
To answer the question Qu da es? youll need to know the days of the week.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
The week
Cmo se dice?
Cmo se dice?
Cmo se dice?
Cmo se dice?
Today is Tuesday
Its Friday
The week
Hoy es martes
Es viernes
La semana
OK, lets say you also want to know the date. You can use the question Cul es la fecha? to find out. Cul is
the question which and it also has a plural form, cules. La fecha, as you may recall, is the date. Escucha y
repite:
el ao.
la fecha.
Cul es la fecha.?
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the year
the date
What is the date?
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Muy bien! Now say you also want to talk about what year it is. How would you ask the question What year
is it? If you said Qu ao es?, thats right! Of course, to talk about years, youll need to know a few more
numbers. Ahora, vas a aprender ms nmeros. Escucha y repite:
100 (hundred), 200 (two hundred), 300 (three hundred), 400 (four hundred), 500 (five hundred), 600 (six
hundred), 700 (seven hundred), 800 (eight hundred), 900 (nine hundred), 1000 (thousand), 2000 (two thousand),
3000 (three thousand), 4000 (four thousand), 5000 (five thousand)
Cuntos son
100 + 450
1000 + 200
2000 + 313
600 + 100
550
1200
2313
700
These larger numbers may also come in handy while shopping, depending on the exchange rate and the value
per unit of the currency youre using. Next, youll practice some other vocabulary that might be useful while
shopping. First, here are some things you could be looking for in a store:
Escucha y repite:
Un mapa
Una gua turstica
La pelcula
Un rollo de pelcula
Unas pilas
Unas bateras
Un sombrero
La locin bronceadora
Una botella de agua
Las sandalias
Una toalla
El traje de bao
Una camiseta
Un suter
Un paraguas
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a map
a tourist guide
the film
a roll of film
batteries
batteries
a hat
sunblock
a bottle of water
sandals
a towel
the bathing suit
a T-shirt
a sweater
an umbrella
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shoes
aspirins
an adhesive bandage
a bandage
matches
a safety pin
a magazine
a newspaper
a public telephone
the phone book
please
Cmo se dice?
A bathing suit
I need a bathing suit.
We need some aspirins.
Do you (Uds) have a safety pin?
Where is the film?
Un traje de bao
Necesito un traje de bao.
Necesitamos unas aspirinas.
Tienen un imperdible?
Dnde est la pelcula?
The pharmacy
The market
The supermarket
The department store
The kiosk or newsstand
The clothing store
The shoe store
The drugstore
The drugstore
The fruit store
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expensive
cheap or inexpensive
on sale
to go shopping
to accept
to pay
credit card
cash
travellers checks
Money
the cashier
Ir de compras
Deseo ir de compras.
Vamos al supermercado.
Los zapatos son caros.
Aceptan tarjetas de crdito?
Va a pagar en efectivo.
Tienes dinero?
Excelente! Lets say youre looking for something specific in the store, like a map. You could use the Uds.
form of tener to ask whether there are any maps available, as in Tienen mapas?. Another, very common way to
ask such questions is to use the very irregular verb haber. Only the 3rd person singular form of this verb is used
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Cmo se dice?
There are good stores here.
Is there a bottle of water on the table?
Are there bathing suits?
There are bathing suits behind the towels.
This question uses a new verb, costar (to cost). Costar is whats known as a stem-changing verb. In this type
of verb, the endings are the same as those of regular verbs. However, the final vowel sound of the stem or
root of these verbs changes in some of its conjugated forms. Listen to the present-tense conjugation of costar:
cuesto
cuestas
cuesta
costamos
costis
cuestan
Did you notice that the o of the stem changed to the sound ue in all forms except nosotros and vosotros? This
is the pattern that the change in vowel sound will always follow with such verbs. It is also true that this change
occurs only when the vowel in question is in the stressed syllable of the conjugated form. Listen again to the
forms of costar and see if you can hear where the stress falls:
cuesto
cuestas
cuesta
costamos
costis
cuestan
If you are using a dictionary, the dictionary will indicate when a verb is a stem-changing verb. The change from
o to ue is one of 3 common types of stem change. Here are a few other verbs with this same type of change:
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See if you can list the conjugated forms of dormer (to sleep).
You should have listed:
duermo
dormimos
duermes
dorms
duerme
duermen
Great! How about poder (to be able to)?
You should have listed:
puedo
podemos
puedes
podis
puede
pueden
Two other types of stem-change are quite common. One is the change from e to ie, as occurs in these verbs:
querer
to want
(querer can be followed by a noun or the infinitive of another verb)
preferir
to prefer
recomendar
to recommend
pensar
to think
As an example of this type, here are the present-tense forms of querer (to want):
quiero
quieres
quiere
queremos
queris
quieren
preferimos
prefers
prefieren
servimos
servs
sirven
pedimos
peds
piden
Pido aspirinas.
Cunto cuesta el sombrero?
Podemos pagar en efectivo.
Podis comprar un mapa aqu.
Puedo comprar una gua turstica aqu?
Duermen en la habitacin.
Quieres ir de compras?
Prefiere ir de compras en el supermercado.
a stamp
a PO box
a pen
to send
to send
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a glass
a cup
a wine glass
a plate
a napkin
a spoon
a fork
a knife
the salt
the pepper
sugar
bread
butter
Un tenedor
Necesito un tenedor.
Una servilleta
Un vaso
Queremos dos vasos de agua, por favor.
Azcar
Hay azcar en la mesa?
La sal
Necesita sal.
Necesitar is one useful verb in a restaurant. Here are a few other verbs that might come in handy. Escucha y
repite:
traer
pedir
servir
dejar
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to bring
to ask for or to order
to serve
to leave (as in leave something behind)
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to order
to wait on
Ordenar and dejar are regular ar verbs. As you know, servir and pedir have a stem change from e to i. Atender
also has a stem change, from e to ie. The verb traer has an irregular yo form in the present tense. These are the
conjugated forms of traer (to bring):
traigo
traes
trae
traemos
trais
traen
Cmo se dice?
Im bringing the plates.
Traigo los platos.
Hes bringing a fork.
Trae un tenedor.
Are they going to bring napkins? Van a traer servilletas?
A number of other verbs in Spanish are also irregular only in the 1st person singular in the present. You already
know one such verb; can you remember which one it is? Thats right, hacer is irregular only in the yo form,
hago. Here are five other verbs that are irregular only in the yo form of the present tense:
salir
poner
ver
saber
conocer
salimos
sals
salen
ponemos
ponis
ponen
vemos
veis
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ven
sabemos
sabis
saben
conocemos
conocis
conocen
hago
traigo
salgo
pongo
veo
s
conozco
In the last sentence, Conoce a Mara, did you wonder where the a came from? This is known as the personal a,
or la a personal. Anytime the object of a verb is a person, it will be preceded by an a. Here are some examples
of sentences where the a personal is used preceding a person who is the object of a verb:
Escucha y repite:
Puedo ver a ellos.
Conozco a muchas personas interesantes.
Conoces a Pedro?
Miro a los chicos.
Escuchamos al jefe.
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Now, try repeating these other things and people you might encounter in a restaurant:
el mesero
the waiter
la mesera
the waitress
el cocinero
the cook
la cocinera
the cook
una silla
a chair
el men
the menu
la cuenta
the bill
la propina
the tip
un entrems
an appetizer or starter
una ensalada
a salad
la sopa
the soup
el plato principal
the main dish
un postre
a dessert
una bebida
a drink
una comida
a meal
el desayuno
breakfast
el almuerzo
lunch
la cena
dinner
la comida
the food
(comida is used as food or a meal)
As far as tipping, it is common for a certain amount, usually 10%, to be automatically added to your bill as a
tip. Do you remember how to say the tip in Spanish? Thats right, the tip is la propina. Check your bill for an
amount listed as servicio; this would be the amount of tip already added. If the service was good, feel free to
add another 5% or so. It is very common to leave the smaller coins you receive in change as an additional tip.
Bueno. Cmo se dice?
We need a waiter.
I want salad.
Is the soup good?
Can you (Ud.) bring a chair, please?
They are leaving the tip.
They serve an excellent dessert here.
Necesitamos a un mesero.
Quiero ensalada.
Es buena la sopa?
Puede Ud. traer una silla, por favor?
Dejan la propina.
Sirven un postre excelente aqu.
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These sentences use a grammatical construction called el se impersonal (the impersonal se), which is used to
express the same idea as the impersonal one or you or they of English. An impersonal marker se occurs before
the verb, which is in the 3rd person singular. Sometimes this construction can also be interpreted as a passive; for
example, se habla espaol, might be interpreted either as an impersonal statement, one speaks Spanish, or as a
passive, Spanish is spoken. Here are the examples you heard earlier, without the translation (the verb permitir
is a cognate meaning to permit). Listen to how the se construction is used.
Escucha y repite:
Se permite fumar?
Se sirve tamales aqu?
Se paga en la caja?
Se compra zapatos en la zapatera.
Muy bien! Now, see if you can answer these questions about what people in general do. Youll want to know
that usar is a regular ar verb meaning to use. Deber is a regular er verb that means something like to ought to.
It is often followed by an infinitive.
Ahora contesta la pregunta:
Dnde se compra aspirinas?
Se compra aspirinas en la farmacia o se compra aspirinas en la droguera.
En la mesa, dnde se pone el tenedor?
Se pone el tenedor a la izquierda del plato.
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dairy products
milk
cheese
cream
ice cream
whipped cream
yogurt
los aves
los huevos
el pollo
el pato
poultry
eggs
chicken
duck
las carnes
el bistec
la carne de res
el cerdo
el jamn
meats
steak
beef
pork
ham
pescados y mariscos
el pescado
el atn
el salmn
el lenguado
los camarones
los calamares
el cangrejo
la langosta
las legumbres
los frijoles
legumes
beans
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nuts
peanuts
peanut butter
peanut butter
lentils
las verduras
las espinacas
la lechuga
los guisantes
las papas
las zanahorias
los esprragos
el apio
la cebolla
el ajo
vegetables
spinach
lettuce
peas
potatoes
carrots
asparagus
celery
onion
garlic
las frutas
el aguacate
las fresas
el tomate
la banana
el limn
las uvas
la naranja
la toronja
la manzana
fruits
avocado
strawberries
tomato
banana
lemon
rapes
orange
grapefruit
apple
That was a lot of vocabulary! Here is the list again for you to practice, without the translation.
productos lcteos
la leche
el queso
la crema
el helado
la nata
el yogur
las legumbres
los frijoles
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los aves
los huevos
el pollo
el pato
las carnes
el bistec
la carne de res
el cerdo
el jamn
pescados y mariscos
el pescado
el atn
el salmn
el lenguado
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los camarones
los calamares
el cangrejo
la langosta
las frutas
el aguacate
las fresas
el tomate
la banana
el limn
las uvas
la naranja
la toronja
la manzana
OK, now see if you can pick the item in each group that doesnt fit. Which one doesnt belong? (Cul no
pertenece?):
Las espinacas, las zanahorias, el limn, la cebolla
Los frijoles, el lenguado, los camarones, el atn
La leche, el pato, el helado, el yogur
El aguacate, la banana, las fresas, el jamn
-el limn
-los frijoles
-el pato
-el jamn
Great! Now see how many items from each category you can name. After a pause, you will hear a number of
possible items.
productos lcteos
la leche
el queso
la crema
el helado
la nata
el yogur
los aves
los huevos
el pollo
el pato
las legumbres
los frijoles
las nueces
los cacahuetes/ los manes
la mantequilla de cachuete/de man
las lentejas
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las carnes
el bistec
la carne de res
el cerdo
el jamn
los pescados y mariscos
el pescado
el atn
el salmn
el lenguado
los camarones
los calamares
el cangrejo
la langosta
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las frutas
el aguacate
las fresas
el tomate
la banana
el limn
las uvas
la naranja
la toronja
la manzana
La leche es un lquido
La manzana es una fruta
El pollo es un ave
Una naranja es una fruta
Excelente, ahora sabes mucho vocabulario que puedes usar para hablar de comidas, no? Vas a aprender ms
en leccin 7. Quieres practicar un poco ms ahora?
Escucha y repite la conversacin.
En casa de Miguel, l, Luisa y Anita preparan una fiesta. - At Miguels house, he, Luisa and Anita are
preparing a party.
M: Gracias por ayudarme. - Thank you for helping me.
L: De nada Miguel, yo pienso que hacer una fiesta es muy divertido. - Your welcome Miguel, I think having a
party is really fun. No piensas que s Anita? - Dont you think so Anita?
A: Claro que s. - Oh, yes. Yo voy a preparar la msica. - I am going to get the music ready. Prefieren
msica Rock o un poco de salsa? - Do you prefer Rock music or a little salsa.
M: Bueno, se debe escuchar msica latina en una fiesta no? - Well, one should listen to latin music in a
party, dont you think?
L: S, estoy de acuerdo. - Yes, I agree. Miguel, dnde pongo los vasos? - Miguel, where should I put the
glasses?
M: Aqu, al lado de los platos. - Here, next to the plates. Gracias por traer el helado para postre, Luisa.
- Thanks for bringing the ice cream for dessert, Luisa. Creo que lvaro trae la torta. - I think lvaro is
bringing the cake.
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more food vocabulary, this time dishes you might see on a menu
a bit about meals and mealtimes in Spanish-speaking countries
vocabulary and information to help you find a place to stay while traveling
clothing vocabulary, and vocabulary related to various activities
Primero, vas a aprender ms vocabulario de comida. Aqu estn unos platos que se ven en un men.
Escucha y repite:
El desayuno
la bollera
los churros
la tostada
la mermelada
el caf
el caf con leche
el tocino
las salchichas
los huevos fritos
los huevos revueltos
el jugo de naranja
el t
El almuerzo y la cena
la tortilla
la ensalada mixta
la ensalada rusa
el filete de lenguado
la chuleta de cerdo
medio pollo asado
los espaguetis
el arroz
la hamburguesa
las papas fritas
el pur de papas
un sandwich de atn
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Breakfast
assorted rolls and breads
a fried sweet bread
toast
marmalade or jam
coffee
coffee with milk
bacon
sausages
fried eggs
scramble eggs
orange juice
tea
Lunch and dinner
(In Mexico, una tortilla is probably what youre used to seeing: a flat cake made
of flour or perhaps corn, or sometimes fried. In Spain is more like an omelet, a
dish of eggs, potatoes and onion.)
a mixed salad
coleslaw
filet of sole
pork chop
half a roasted chicken
spaguetti or sometimes pasta in general
rice
hamburger
french fries
mashed potatoes
a tuna sandwich
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lodging
room service
amenities
Hispanic countries
to rent
to stay
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the closet
the bellhop
a single bed
a double bed
a room with a bathroom
a shower
a luxury hotel
a star
a 2, 3, or 4-star hotel
the guest
room and full board
the reception
to confirm
to reserve
to reserve in advance
a view
a gym
a pool
a pool
full (as in no vacancy)
vacancy
a reservation
a kitchen
a living room
a balcony
a room or a bedroom
a bedroom
a maid or cleaning person
cable TV
a telephone
an alarm clock
a computer
a fax machine
parking
an apartment
Una ducha
Una habitacin con ducha
Un hotel de cuatro estrellas
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take pictures
buy souvenirs
visit ruins
take a tour
to play golf
to fish
to swim
to swim in the sea
to dance in a disco
to exercise
to go out with friends
to walk
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to take a walk
to attend a concert
to ski
to sun bathe
to visit historic sites
to attend church
to listen to local music
to ride a horse
To camp
to scuba dive
to go mountain climbing
Quiero pescar.
Dnde puedo jugar golf?
Vamos a nadar en el mar.
Uds. deben visitar las ruinas.
Quieres bucear?
Dnde podemos montar en caballo?
Prefiero acampar en la playa.
Debemos bailar en la discoteca.
Pedro quiere hacer una gira.
Voy a sacar fotos.
Quieren ellos asistir a la iglesia?
Vis a comprar recuerdos?
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overcoat
jeans
t-shirt
pullover
pants
shorts
sweats or a sweatshirt
dress
hose or stockings
blouse
shirt
socks
tie
the suit
bathing suit
skirt
sweater
jacket
to wear (llevar is a regular ar verb)
to dress or get dressed
cotton
wool
silk
polyester
leather
(when expressing what something is made of, you will use the preposition de before the material, for example,
la blusa es de seda, the blouse is made of silk)
blanco/a
negro/a
rojo/a
rosado/a
verde
azul
amarillo/a
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white
black
red
pink
green
blue
yellow
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orange
purple
gray
brown
light (as in light color)
dark
the color
Un vestido
Lleva un vestido.
La blusa
Es una blusa de seda?
Un abrigo
Vas a necesitar un abrigo.
Llevan trajes de lana.
Un suter marrn.
Busco un suter marrn.
Hay pantalones cortos?
Preferimos llevar pantalones cortos.
Tienen chaquetas?
Deben traer chaquetas.
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The train
the train station
the platform
departure
arrival
to arrive
seat
luggage
the suitcase
to take a trip
to travel
first class
economy class
smoking section
non-smoking section
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There are a few things to notice about these examples. One is that the article la or las is always used before the
hour. When is la used as opposed to las? Thats right, when its 1:00, or 1:20 or 1:15, etc. For all other hours,
the plural las is used. Also, there is some additional vocabulary you might want to know.
Escucha y repite:
y cuarto
y media
en punto
menos cuarto
el medioda
la medianoche
de la maana
de la tarde
de la noche
fifteen after
thirty (as in eight thirty)
on the dot
a quarter till
noon
midnight
in the morning
in the afternoon
at night
When you want to express a number of minutes after the hour, use y. When you want to express a number of
minutes before the hour, use menos. But so far weve only talked about saying at what time something happens.
Thats not quite the same as telling what time it is. Here are two questions you might ask to find out the current
time:
Qu hora es?
Qu horas son?
Either one is fine. Did you notice what verb is used to tell what the hour is? Thats right, ser. The third person
singular is used with 1:00, or with noon or midnight, while other hours require the 3rd person plural, as in these
examples:
Qu hora es?
Son las tres.
Es la una y media.
Son las cinco y cuarto de la tarde.
Es medioda en punto.
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The car
the car
the truck
to drive
a drivers license
gasoline
the windshield
fill the tank
to clean
the gas station
the motor
the door
the door
the windshield wiper
the window
the license plate
the trunk
the tires
the freeway
entrance
exit
broken
a problem
an accident
to help
a detour
the toll or the toll booth
Un coche o un carro
Necesitamos alquilar un carro/coche
El tanque.
Llenar el tanque
Va a llenar el tanque?
Un peaje
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Hay un peaje
Una desviacin
Hay una desviacin?
La carretera
Hay un accidente en la carretera.
Hay un problema con el motor.
to me
to you (t)
to you (Ud.)
to him/her/it
nos
os
les
to us
to you (vosotros)
to you (Uds.)
to them
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nos a nosotros
os a vosotros
les a Uds.
a ellos/ellas
Now try answering these questions about things that may or may not be likeable to you. Notice that whenever
the likeable thing is plural, the verb form is plural as well.
Te gusta viajar?
S, me gusta viajar. No, no me gusta viajar.
Te gusta tomar el tren?
S, me gusta tomar el tren. No, no me gusta tomar el tren.
Te gusta el vino?
S, me gusta el vino. No, no me gusta el vino.
Te gusta la ensalada?
S, me gusta la ensalada. No, no me gusta la ensalada.
Te gustan los hoteles caros?
S, me gustan los hoteles caros. No, no me gustan los hoteles caros.
Te gustan las fresas?
S, me gustan las fresas. No, no me gustan las fresas.
Muy bien hecho! Here are some other verbs that work the same way as gustar.
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to be very enjoyable
to be interesting
to be annoying
to disgust or be disgusted
to surprise or be surprising
to be agreeable
Me encanta conducir.
Os interesan los coches/carros?
Nos gustan los postres aqu.
A Mariela le disgustan las hamburguesas.
Te sorprende la cuenta?
Les agrada tomar el sol.
No me gusta hacer cola.
Muy bien! There are other verbs, more easily translated into English, which also require indirect object
pronouns. Two very common ones are dar (to give) and decir (to say or tell). Both of these verbs are irregular.
First, lets practice the conjugation of dar; dar has an irregular yo form.
doy
das
da
damos
dais
dan
Decir has an irregular yo form and a stem change from e to i. These are the present-tense forms of decir:
digo
dices
dice
decimos
decs
dicen
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the plane
the airline
the airport
customs
the customs agent
the flight attendant
the porter or sky cap
the gate
to check luggage
to pack
the suitcase
the window
the aisle
a stop
to make a stop (this refers to a schedule stop on route to your final
destination)
the delay
the arrival
the departure
the runway
the safety belt
the tray
the lifesaving vest
the flight
El vuelo
A qu hora sale el vuelo?
Facturar el equipaje.
Necesitamos facturar 3 maletas.
la aduana
Se tiene que hacer cola en la aduana?
El pasillo
Prefiero un asiento en el pasillo.
La puerta
De cul puerta sale el vuelo?
El aeropuerto
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Necesito ir al aeropuerto.
In the preceding examples, all of the answers replace the object of the verb from the question with an object
pronoun. However, these are not indirect object pronouns, they are direct object pronouns. Notice that there
was no preposition to in the English translation of these object pronouns. Only the 3rd person forms of direct
object pronouns are different form those of indirect object pronouns. Like indirect object pronouns, direct object
pronouns are placed before the conjugated verb in a sentence. These are the forms of direct object pronouns:
me me
te you (t)
lo you (Ud.)
him/it (m)
la you (Ud.)
her/it (f)
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nos us
os you (vosotros)
los you (Uds.)
them (m)
las you (Uds.)
them (f)
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