Friday 18 March 2016

Tell Me, Would You Not Have Gone To Your Spanish Lesson?

Introduction

This post deals with talking about what you did in the past and more specifically about something you didn't do, but would have done in some hypothetical circumstances.





SCENARIO

Imagine you are talking to a relative, a friend or a colleague. Maybe you both study Spanish together. You have mentioned that yesterday you had been on the verge of not going to your Spanish lesson. Wondering if you would not have minded missing your lesson, the other person says to you: "tell me, would you not have gone to your Spanish lesson?".

In Spanish, he/ she could choose to be less formal and say to you:
Dime, ¿no habrías ido a clase de español?

On the other hand, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say to you:
Dígame, ¿no habría ido (usted) a clase de español?


OUR TIP

The question is an invitation for you to state what you would have done. When you say what you would have done in the past, you DO NOT need to be concerned about the level of formality in the other person's question.


In this case, you could consider two alternatives:
    1. Saying what you would do ('no ifs no buts'), for example:
  • Sí, habría ido (yes, I would have gone)
  • No me habría gustado perdérmela (I wouldn't have liked to miss it)
  • No, no habría ido (no, I wouldn't have gone)

    2. Saying what you would have done in certain circumstances*, for example:
  • No habría ido si hubiera llovido (I wouldn't have gone, had it rained)
  • Si hubiese llovido, no habría ido (had it rained, I wouldn't have gone)

Now you should practice replying to someone who says to you:
Dime, ¿no habrías ido a clase de español?

*Please see grammar below


Grammar-Hypothetical Situations


We use conditional sentences to consider the consequences of hypothetical situations, for example:
  • Si no lluevevamos a la playa (if it doesn't rain, we are going to the beach)
  • Si no llovierairíamos a la playa (if it didn't rain, we would go to the beach)
  • Si no hubiera llovidohabríamos ido a la playa (if it hadn't rained, we would have gone to the beach)





    1. Firm Condition
Considering hypothetical situations and their consequences.
Firm Condition → Action
Si llueve, nos vamos a casa (if it rains, we go home)
Nos vamos a casa si llueve (we go home if it rains)

Notes
The main elements of conditional sentences like these are:
  • A future action, e.g.: 'going home'
  • firm and possible condition, e.g.: 'if it rains'
  • If the condition materialises, then the action will follow



Spanish conditional sentences of this kind usually take the following general forms:

  • Si <present -indicative>... <present -indicative>, e.g.:
    • Si llueve nos vamos a casa (if it rains, we go home)
  • <present -indicative>... si <present indicative>, e.g.:
    • Nos vamos a casa si llueve (we go home if it rains)
  • Si <present -indicative>... <future>, e.g.:
    • Si llueve nos iremos a casa (if it rains, we will go home)
  • <future>... si <present -indicative>, e.g.:
    • Nos iremos a casa si llueve (we will go home if it rains)
  • Si <present -indicative>... <imperative>, e.g.:
    • Si quieres irte, vete (if you want to leave, go)
  • <imperative>... si <present -indicative>, e.g.:
    • No te vayassi no quieres irte (don't leave if you don't want to)


    2. 'Soft' Condition
Considering less likely hypothetical situations and their consequences.
'Soft' Condition → Action
Si lloviera nos iríamos a casa (if it rained, we would go home)
Nos iríamos a casa si lloviese (we would go home if it rained)

Notes
The main elements of conditional sentences like these are:
  • A future action, e.g.: 'going home'
  • A 'softer' but possible condition, e.g.: 'if it rained'
  • If the condition materialised, then the action would follow


Conditional sentences of this type usually take the following general forms:

  • Si <imperfect -subjunctive>... <conditional>, e.g.:
    • Si lloviera nos mojaríamos (if it rained we would get wet)
  • <conditional>... si <imperfect -subjunctive>, e.g.:
    • Nos mojaríamos si lloviese (we would get wet if it rained)


    3. Past Condition
Consider hypothetical alternative consequences of situations from the past.

Past Situation → Hypothetical Consequences
Si hubiera llovido nos habríamos ido a casa (had it rained, we would have gone home)
Nos habríamos ido a casa si hubiese llovido (we would have gone home had it rained)

The main features of conditional sentences like these are:
  • A hypothetical past action, e.g.: 'going home'
    • A hypothetical action which didn't happen
  • An impossible condition, e.g.: 'had it rained'
    • It didn't rain, hence it is impossible for the condition to materialise.
  • Had the condition materialised, then the hypothetical action would have followed.

Conditional sentences of this type usually take the following general forms:

  • Si <pluperfect -subjunctive>... <conditional perfect>, e.g.:
    • Si hubiera llovido nos habríamos mojado (had it rained, we would have got wet)
  • <conditional perfect>... si <pluperfect -subjunctive>, e.g.:
    • Nos habríamos mojado si hubiera llovido (we would have got wet if it had rained)

Now you should practise the use of conditional sentences with some examples of your own.

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Tuesday 15 March 2016

Mitad

Today's word is: Mitad
Clase: sustantivo (noun)
Género: femenino (feminine)
Origen: latín (Latin)

In Spanish, “mitad” is a feminine noun of Latin origin which means half*. A typical example of the use of the word “mitad” is:
  • La mitad de los telespectadores (half the TV viewers)


Spanish expressions with the word “mitad” are:
  • A mitad de (half way/ in the mid point)
    • Hicimos un descanso a mitad de camino (we took a rest halfway)
  • Cara mitad (the other half/ the better half)
    • Mi cara mitad (my better half/ other half)
  • Cuarto y mitad (a weight equal to 375 grammes/ grams**)
    • Un cuarto y mitad de queso (375 grammes/ grams of cheese)
  • Mentir por la mitad de la barba (to lie blatantly/ to tell barefaced lies)
    • Mientes por la mitad de la barba (you are telling barefaced lies)
  • Mitad y mitad (half and half/ fifty-fifty)
    • Reapartamos mitad y mitad (let's share/ split/ go fifty-fifty)
  • Partir por la mitad (to divide/ split something in two halves***)
    • Parte la barra de pan por la mitad (cut/ split the baguette in two halves)
  • Plantar a alguien en mitad del arroyo (to throw out/ to kick out/ to sack someone)
    • A Pedro lo plantron en mitad del arroyo (Pedro got the sack/ was kicked out)
  • Poner a alguien en mitad del arroyo (to throw out/ to kick out/ to sack someone)
    • A Pedro lo pusieron en mitad del arroyo (Pedro got the sack/ was kicked out)
  • Reducir a la mitad (to reduce/ cut something to a half)
    • Nos redujeron el sueldo a la mitad (they cut our salary/ wages to a half)



Notes


*When the English word half is not a noun but a describing word/ adjective, its Spanish equivalent is not “mitad” but “medio”/ “media” -see below:




half” (noun)
la mitad
La mitad de una manzana
La mitad de un melón
half” (adjective)
medio/ media
Media manzana
Medio melón


** “Un cuarto” = 250 gr → “la mitad de un cuarto” = 125 gr → “cuarto y mitad” = 250 + 125 = 375 gr


*** Also used sometimes in a figurative sense meaning 'to crush/ break' a person, as in:
  • Me partieron a la mitad (they crushed me)



Love-Spanish.com loves the word "mitad" in the YouTube clip: Mariano Civico - La mitad

For more on the word "mitad", visit: Wordreference.com/es/en/ Mitad

*NB 'Click' on the speaker icon next to the word “mitad”in the link to hear the word pronounced.

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Monday 14 March 2016

Tell Me, Is “éter” Masculine?

Introduction


This post deals with the gender of nouns. There are some patterns which when spotted can help us recognise the gender of Spanish nouns. This post looks at those patterns in general. More specifically, this post looks at the gender of Spanish nouns ending in -er, for example “éter”.



SCENARIO


Imagine you are talking to a relative, a friend or a colleague. Maybe you are studying Spanish together. The other person appears to have a doubt about the gender of a Spanish noun and says to you something like: "tell me, is “éter” a masculine or feminine word?".

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and say:
Dime, ¿es “éter” masculino o femenino?

On the other hand, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:
Dígame, ¿es “éter” masculino o femenino?


OUR TIP

The question is an invitation for you to state the gender of a Spanish noun. When you state the gender of a Spanish noun, you DO NOT need to be concerned about the level of formality in the other person's question.



Remember that Spanish nouns ending in -er are usually masculine -see grammar below*. The noun “éter”, is masculine, so you could say:
  • éter” es masculino* (“éter” is a masculine noun)


If instead of “éter” you were asked about a noun whose gender you didn't know, you could say:
  • No si es masculino o femenino* (I don't know whether it is masculine or feminine noun).

Now you should practice replying to someone who says to you:
Dime, ¿es “éter” masculino o femenino?

*Please see grammar below

Grammar-The Gender of Nouns
What follows are some tips to help you establish the gender of Spanish nouns:

A large number of Spanish nouns end in -o. Most of those nouns are masculine. Some examples of masculine nouns ending in -o:
  • El camino (the way)
  • El carro (the cart/ car)
  • El chopo (the poplar)




Caution: there are also feminine nouns ending in -o, e.g.:
  • La radio (the radio)
  • La mano (the hand)
  • La foto (the photo)
  • La moto (the motorbike)


A large number of Spanish nouns end in -a. Most of those nouns are feminine. Some examples of feminine nouns ending in -a are:
  • La casa (the house)
  • La dama (the lady)
  • La ropa (the clothes)


Caution: there are also masculine nouns anding in -a, e.g.:
  • El día (the day)
  • El tema (the theme)
  • El sistema (the system)
  • El problema (the problem)
  • El teorema (the theorem)

Spanish nouns ending in -aje are usually masculine. Some examples of nouns in this group are:
  • El equipaje (the luggage)
  • El paisaje (the scenery)
  • El garaje (the garage)

Spanish nouns ending in -dad are usually feminine. Some examples of feminine nouns ending in -dad are:
  • La felicidad (the happiness)
  • La caridad (the charity)
  • La personalidad (the personality)

Spanish nouns ending in -ión are usually feminine. Some examples of feminine nouns in ending in -ión are:
  • La canción (the song)
  • La oración (the prayer)
  • La producción (the production)

Caution: there are also masculine nouns ending in -ión, e.g.:
  • El camión (the lorry)
  • El chirrrión (the chariot)

Spanish nouns ending in -tad are usually feminine. Some examples of feminine nouns ending in -tad are:
  • La libertad (the freedom)
  • La lealtad (the loyalty)
  • La amistad (the friendship)

Spanish nouns ending in -tudud are usually feminine. Some examples of feminine nouns ending in -tudud are:
  • La juventud (the youth)
  • La exactitud (the precision)
  • La pulcritud (the neatness)
  • La salud (the health)


Caution: there are also masculine nouns ending in -ud, e.g.:
  • El alud (the avalanche)
  • El ataúd (the coffin)
  • El talud (the incline)

Spanish nouns ending in -umbre are usually feminine. Some examples of feminine nouns ending in -umbre are:
  • La costumbre (the habit)
  • La legumbre (the legume)
  • La pesadumbre (the grief/ sorrow)

Caution: there are also masculine nouns ending in -umbre, e.g.:
  • El alumbre (the alum)
  • El deslumbre (the dazzling)
  • El cazumbre (a type of rope)


Many Spanish nouns end in -e. The gender of nouns in this group doesn't follow a specific pattern.
Some examples of feminine nouns in this group are:
  • La carne (the meat)
  • La parte (the part)
  • La nieve (the snow)

  • El aceite (the oil)
  • El bloque (the block)
  • El cacahuete (the peanut)
  • El carné (the identity card)

Spanish nouns ending in -er are usually masculine. Some examples of masculine nouns ending in -er are:
  • El géiser (the geyser)
  • El ayer (the past)
  • El éter (ether)

Caution: an example of a feminine noun ending in -er is:
  • La mujer (the woman)

Note
*Most Spanish words ending in -er are action words/ verbs. For example, “saber” (to know). I would like to draw your attention to the use in English of the gerund as a noun (the gerund subject/ object), in this example, knowing. Please note that in Spanish, we don't use the present participle/ gerund in such cases. In Spanish, it is the infinitive (“saber”) which is used instead. The gender of such gerund subjects/ objects in Spanish is usually masculine (“el saber”). For example: knowing is good = el saber es bueno.


Spanish nouns ending in -or are usually masculine. Some examples of masculine nouns ending in -or are:
  • El sudor (sweat)
  • El pavor (terror)
  • El calor(the heat)

Caution: an example of a feminine noun ending in -or is:
  • La labor (work)

Note

*The Spanish noun “calor” is sometimes used as a feminine noun. For example, some people may say: “Hace una calor insoportable”.







Spanish nouns which end in -trizare usually feminine. Some examples of feminine nouns ending in -triz are:
  • La actriz (the actress)
  • La emperatriz (the empress)
  • La cicatriz (the scar)

Note


*Many of these are the feminine form of certain nouns ending in -or, such as actoremperadordirectormotor, etc..





Now you should practise using the gender of nouns with some examples of your own.

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