Friday 31 May 2013

Gardenia


Today's WOTD is: "gardenia" = gardenia

In Spanish, “gardenia” is a feminine noun of English origin, which means gardenia.


An expression with the word “gardenia” is:
  • Dos gardenias (two gardenias -song title);



A couple of examples of the use of the word "gardenia" are:
  • Dos gardenias es un bolero muy conocido (“Two gardenias” is a very well known bolero);
  • La reina tiene un jardín con muchas gardenias (the queen has a garden with lots of gardenias);
Love-Spanish.com loves the word "gardenia" in the YouTube clip: DOS GARDENIAS- Ibrahim Ferrer- Buena Vista SocialClub.

For more on the word "gardenia", visit: Wordreference.com/ Gardenia

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Thursday 30 May 2013

It Is Twenty Minutes Past Two

SCENARIO



Imagine a relative, a friend or a work colleague is asking you: "what time is it?"

In Spanish, the other person could say:
¿Qué hora es?



Now 'click' on the speaker icon below to listen to the other person's question.







The Time is:

The question above is an invitation for you to say what time it is.


Looking at the clock, you see the time is twenty minutes past two, so in Spanish you should say:

  • Son las dos y veinte


Now 'click' on the speaker icon below to listen to the time in Spanish.








Now you should practise answering the question:
¿Qué hora es?

If your system/ device supports it, you may use the widget below to record and listen to your answers.


Powered by Vocaroo


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Today Is Thursday 30th Of May 2013


Question:


How do you say today's date in Spanish?


Answer:
Hoy es jueves treinta
de mayo de dos mil trece.

Vocabulary notes:
  1. Today is = Hoy es
  2. Thursday = jueves
  3. The 30th = treinta
  4. Of May = de mayo
  5. 2013 = de dos mil trece
  6. In Spanish, we say "30" instead of "the 30th"
  7. In Spanish we literally say: "of 2013"

This is another Free online Spanish lesson from Love-Spanish.comWe conduct Spanish lessons online on a wide range of topics using the latest video conferencing facilities. Online lessons are the ideal way to improve listening and speaking skills. For more details on our lessons online and how to book them, please visit:

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Wednesday 29 May 2013

Is There A Drugstore Around Here?

Introduction



This post is about giving information about facilities in the vicinity, and more specifically about the availability of a drugstore nearby.





SCENARIO


Imagine you are talking to a relative, a friend or a work colleague. The other person is looking for a drugstore. He/ she doesn't know the locality, but believes that you do and says to you something like: "is there a drugstore around here?"

In Spanish, the other person could choose to say:
¿Hay una droguería por aquí?


OUR TIP
The question is an invitation for you to say whether or not there are any drugstores in the vicinity. A yes/no answer may be strictly sufficient. However, with little effort, your answer could be a lot more informative.

Here are some examples of how you could reply:

  • Sí, hay una droguería cerca de aquí (yes, there is a drugstore near here)
  • Sí, hay una droguería bastante cerca (yes, there is a drugstore quite near)
  • Sí, hay una droguería muy cerca (yes, there is a drugstore very near)
  • Sí, hay una droguería a la vuelta de la esquina (yes, there is a drugstore around the corner)
  • Sí, hay una droguería al otro lado de la calle (yes, there is a drugstore on the other side of the street/ road)
  • Sí, hay varias droguerías bastante cerca (yes, there are several drugstores quite near)
  • No, por aquí no hay ninguna droguería (no, there aren't any drugstores around here)
  • No, por aquí no hay droguerías (no, there are no drugstores around here)

Now you should practise answering the question:
¿Hay una droguería por aquí?

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Tuesday 28 May 2013

Tell Me, Who Is Calling Me?


Introduction
This post is about the practical use of relative pronouns in general and more specifically the relative pronoun “cual”.




SCENARIO
Imagine you are with a relative, a friend or a colleague. You take a phone call and announce it is for the other person. The other person wants to know who is calling and says to you something like: "tell me, who is calling me?".

In Spanish, he/ she could choose to be less formal and say to you:
Dime, ¿quién me llama?

On the other hand, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say to you:
Dígame, ¿quién me llama?


OUR TIP
The question is an invitation for you to announce who is calling. In a situation like this, you should only need to consider different levels of formality for you reply if your answer includes a reference to the person asking the question. If that is not the case, your only concern should be about saying who is calling.

Here are some examples of how you could reply:
  • Te llama aquel chico el cual* nos atendió en el bar (that boy who served us in the bar is calling you);
  • Te llama la chica a la cual* llamamos por teléfono ayer (the girl we phoned yesterday is calling you);
  • Te llama el chico al cual* pagamos la cuenta en el restaurante (the boy we paid the bill in the restaurant to is calling you);
  • Te llama la chica de la cual* te había hablado (the girl I had talked to you about is calling you);
  • Te llama el chico con el cual* estuvimos hablando ayer (the boy we were talking to yesterday is calling you);
  • Te llama la chica para la cual* compramos el regalo (the girl for whom we bought the present is is calling you);

Now you should practise replying to someone who says to you:
Dime, ¿quién me llama?

*Please see grammar topic below, relative pronouns and adjectives- cual

*Grammar-Relative Pronouns & Adjectives

Spanish relative pronouns roughly correspond to the English “who” or which”, whilst relative adjectives roughly correspond to the English “whose”. The Spanish relative pronouns and adjectives applicable to each combination of gender (masculine/ feminine/ neuter) and number (singular/ plural) are shown in the table below.


Pronouns
Adjectives
Masculine/ Singular
(el) que
(el) cual
quien
cuyo
Feminine/ Singular
(la) que
(la) cual
quien
cuya
Neuter
(lo) que
(lo) cual

Masculine/ Plural
(los) que
(los) cuales
quienes
cuyos
Feminine/ Plural
(las) que
(las) cuales
quienes
cuyas
Table 1 – Relative Pronouns and Adjectives


The following are some notes and examples of the use of relative pronouns and adjectives in Spanish.

    1. Que
The relative pronoun “que” is perhaps the most commonly used of them all. This relative pronoun never changes regardless of the gender (masculine/ feminine) or the number (singular/ plural) of the noun it replaces. This pronoun may be used to replace nouns referring to people or things.

The relative pronoun “que” may be used in a variety of situations. Considering the cases when the “que” is the subject, the direct object or neither subject nor direct object of a sentence may help better understand how this pronoun is used.
  • Some examples of the use of “que” as the subject of a sentence are:
  • Pedro fue el que te llamó, ¿verdad? (it was Pedro who called you, wasn't it?);
  • Maria fue la que te llamó, ¿verdad? (it was Maria who called you, wasn't it?);
  • ¿Conoces a la persona que te llamó? (do you know the person who called you?);
  • Esos perros son los que ladraban (those are the dogs which were barking);
  • Esas flores son las que crecen en el jardín (those are the flowers which grow in the garden);
  • ¿Conoces a las personas que te llamaron? (do you know the people who called you?);

  • Some examples of the use of “que” as the direct object of a sentence are:
    • A Pedro fue al que llamaste, ¿verdad? (it was Pedro* you called, wasn't it?);
    • A Maria fue a la que llamaste, ¿verdad? (it was Maria you called, wasn't it?);
    • Esos perros son los que vimos ayer (those are the dogs we saw* yesterday);
    • Esas flores son las que me regalaron (those are the flowers I was given* as a present);
    • ¿No viste a las personas que te llamamaron? (did you not see the people who called you?);

  • Other examples of the use of “que” are:
    • El libro del que me hablas es este ¿verdad? (the book you are talking to me about is this one, isn't it?);
    • La casa en la que vives es muy grande, ¿verdad? (the house you live in is very large, isn't it?);
    • Los libros de los que me hablas son estos, ¿verdad? (the books you are talking to me about are these ones, aren't they?);
    • Las flores para las que es el jarrón son estas (the flowers the vase is for are these ones);

*NB The relative pronoun (who, which, etc.) is often omitted in English. That is the case for example in “it was Pedro you called, wasn't it?”. There are several other examples above. However, the relative pronoun “que” should never be omitted in Spanish.


    2. Quien
The relative pronoun “quien” is used in a very similar way to “que”. The main differences between these two pronouns are:
  • The relative pronoun “quien” may be used to replace nouns referring to people only (not things);
  • The relative pronoun “quien” has a plural form, “quienes”, which is used when replacing plural nouns.

Bearing in mind the above differences, the relative pronoun “quien” may also be used in a variety of situations.

Considering the cases when the “quien” is the subject, the direct object or neither subject nor direct object of a sentence may help better understand how this pronoun is used.
  • Some examples of the use of “quien” as the subject of a sentence are:
  • Pedro fue quién te llamó, ¿verdad? (it was Pedro who called you, wasn't it?);
  • Maria fue quién te llamó, ¿verdad? (it was Maria who called you, wasn't it?);
  • Pedro y Antonio fueron quiénes os llamaron, ¿verdad? (it was Pedro and Antonio who called you, wasn't it?);
  • Pedro y María fueron quiénes os llamaron, ¿verdad? (it was Pedro and Maria who called you, wasn't it?);
  • Lucía y Ana fueron quiénes os llamaron, ¿verdad? (it was Lucia and Ana who called you, wasn't it?);

  • Some examples of the use of “quien” as the direct object of a sentence are:
    • Pedro, a quién llamaste, no te contestó ¿verdad? (Pedro, whom you called, didn't reply, did he?);
    • María, a quién llamaste, no te contestó ¿verdad? (María, whom you called, didn't reply, did she?);
    • Pedro y Antonio, a quiénes llamaste, no te contestaron ¿verdad? (Pedro and Antonio, whom you called, did not reply, did they?);
    • Pedro y María, a quiénes llamaste, no te contestaron ¿verdad? (Pedro and Maria, whom you called, did not reply, did they?);
    • Lucía y Ana, a quiénes llamaste, no te contestaron ¿verdad? (Lucia and Ana, whom you called, did not reply, did they?);

  • Other examples of the use of “quien” are:
    • El hombre de quien me hablas es Pedro ¿verdad? (the man you are talking to me about is Pedro, isn't it?);
    • La mujer de quien me hablas es María, ¿verdad? (the woman you are talking to me about is María, isn't it?);
    • Los amigos con quienes viajaste son Pedro y Antonio, ¿verdad? (the friends you travelled with are Pedro and Antonio, aren't they?);
    • Los amigos para quienes compraste el regalo son Pedro y María, ¿verdad? (the friends you bought the present for are Pedro and Maria, aren't they?);
    • Las amigas para quienes compraste el regalo son Ana y Lucia, ¿verdad? (the friends you bought the present for are Ana and Lucia, aren't they?);

*NB Again, the relative pronoun (who, which, etc.) is often omitted in English. That is the case for example in “it was Pedro you called, wasn't it?”. There are several other examples above. However, the relative pronoun “quien” should never be omitted in Spanish.


    3. Cual
The relative pronoun “cual” is used in a very similar to “que”. The main difference between these two pronouns is:
  • The relative pronoun “cual” has a plural form, “cuales”, which is used when replacing plural nouns.

Bearing in mind the above differences, the relative pronoun “cual” may also be used in a variety of situations.

Considering the cases when the “cual” is the subject, the direct object or neither subject nor direct object of a sentence may help better understand how this pronoun is used.
  • Some examples of the use of “cual” as the subject of a sentence are:
  • Este es Pedro el cual os llamó ayer (this is Pedro who called you yesterday);
  • Esta es María la cual os llamó ayer (this is Maria who called you yesterday);
  • Esos perros, los cuales ladraban ayer, hoy no lo hacen (those dogs which were barking yesterday, are not doing it today);
  • Esas flores, las cuales ayer crecían en el jardín, hoy están ya mustias (those flowers which yesterday were growing in the garden yesterday, are now withered);

  • Some examples of the use of “cual” as the direct object of a sentence are:
    • Pedro, al cual llamaste, no te contestó ¿verdad? (Pedro, whom you called, didn't reply, did he?);
    • María, a la cual llamaste, no te contestó ¿verdad? (María, whom you called, didn't reply, did she?);
    • Pedro y Antonio, a los cuales llamaste, no te contestaron ¿verdad? (Pedro and Antonio, whom you called, did not reply, did they?);
    • Pedro y María, a los cuales llamaste, no te contestaron ¿verdad? (Pedro and Maria, whom you called, did not reply, did they?);
    • Lucía y Ana, a las cuales llamaste, no te contestaron ¿verdad? (Lucia and Ana, whom you called, did not reply, did they?);

  • Other examples of the use of “cual” are:
    • El libro del cual me hablas es este ¿verdad? (the book you are talking to me about is this one, isn't it?);
    • La casa en la cual vives es muy grande, ¿verdad? (the house you live in is very large, isn't it?);
    • Los libros de los cuales me hablas son estos, ¿verdad? (the books you are talking to me about are these ones, aren't they?);
    • Las flores para las cuales es el jarrón son estas (the flowers the vase is for are these ones);

*NB Again, the relative pronoun (who, which, etc.) is often omitted in English. That is the case for example in “it was Pedro you called, wasn't it?”. There are several other examples above. However, the relative pronoun “cual” should never be omitted in Spanish.


    4. Neuter Relative Pronouns
The relative pronouns “que” and “cual” may be used to replace a concept or an action instead of a noun. When used in this way, these pronouns are always preceded by the neuter definite article “lo”. Examples of the use of these relative pronouns are:
  • Descansar es lo que me gusta hacer los domingos (resting is what I like to do on Sundays);
  • Lo que quiero es que descanses (what I want is that you rest);
  • Para lo que gano casi no vale la pena trabajar (for what I earn it is hardly worthwhile working);
  • No nos llamó Pedro lo cual me ha extrañado (Pedro didn't call us which has surprised me);
  • Nos ha ayudado Pedro por lo cual le estamos agradecidos (Pedro helped us, for which we are thankful);


    5. Cuyo
Cuyo” is a relative adjective. As is the case with other adjectives, the relative adjective“cuyo” is is used to describe nouns*. Typical uses of “cuyo” are as per the following examples:
  • Este es mi amigo Pedro cuyo hermano vive en Madrid (this is my friend Pedro whose brother lives in Madrid);
  • Este es mi amigo Pedro cuya familia vive en Madrid (this is my friend Pedro whose family lives in Madrid);
  • Este es mi amigo Pedro cuyos hermanos viven en Madrid (this is my friend Pedro whose brothers live in Madrid);
  • Este es mi amigo Pedro cuyas hermanas viven en Madrid (this is my friend Pedro whose sisters live in Madrid);
  • Este es mi amigo Pedro cuyos padres viven en Madrid (this is my friend Pedro whose parents live in Madrid);

*NB As shown in the examples above, “cuyo” is typically placed between two nouns, agreeing always with the one which follows it.

Now you should practise the use of the relative pronouns and adjectives with some examples of your own.

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