Lightspeed Spanish - Advanced Intermediate Spanish Lessons podcast - Page 7

June 08, 2016 34 Advanced Intermediate Spanish Diminutives and Augmentatives

Smaller than life Spanish Diminutives.

Spanish diminutives are probably one of the great mysteries of the Spanish language. When I say ‘mystery’ I mean that in terms of understanding the system.

There seems to be a distinct lack of regimented, clearly set out rules about the ending you give to each noun. Of course, we do have some guidelines, such as the following example of Spanish diminutives with the word ‘Chico’:

Chico = In this sense it means small.

Chiquito = Quite small

Chiquitito = Very small

Chiquititito = Extremely small

Chiquitititito = Ridiculously small (lol)

So, with certain words we can apply the ‘just add an ‘ito’ rule and we are plain sailing. However, that’s not always the case. There are many other endings used as Spanish diminutives that ‘must’ only be used with certain words. (We cover this in the Helpsheets)

So how do we know what to add?

Well, the fact is that we don’t know. The use of Spanish diminutives seems to be very much a regional or national thing. Different parts of Spain have different preferences. For example, in Murcia they seem to prefer ‘ico’ rather than ‘ito’.

In Mexico, the use of Spanish diminutives is massive. The personal officer in the factory that I worked in would frequently ask me:

Gordon, ¿quieres tomar un cafecito conmigo? Quiero platicar contigo un ratito sobre unos problemitas que tenemos en la fábrica. = Gordon, do you want to have a little coffee with me? I want to talk with you a little while about some little problems we have in the factory.

We have them too.

The Spanish speaking world doesn’t have the monopoly on diminutives of course. In English we too use them. The English diminutive is normally created by adding ‘Y’ onto words and we typically do that to make things sound cute or inoffensive. We use them with children, just as they do in Spain and we also use them when we want to make something that is not so good for us sound attractive:

Do you want a voddy? (vodka)

I’m going to smoke a ciggy.

Do you want some choccy pudding?

My wife with my son.

When Cynthia talks to Sebastian, my son, she constantly uses Spanish diminutives. One that stands out is when she talks about water:

Sebastián, ¿quieres un poquito de aguita?

Try as I might I can’t get a decent translation into English of the word ‘aguita’. I would sound a bit like this:

Sebastian, would you like a little bit of warty? jeje.

So, if you would like to find out more about Spanish diminutives and hear some great advice on how non-natives should use them, then have a listen to this podcast. And remember, the Helpsheets are available to really give you a full insight into how to use them and when.

un saludo,

Gordon:)

Video for This Spanish Lesson

Audio for This Spanish Lesson

Podcast_34

0:00

/

0:00

Speed

0.75x

1x

1.25x

1.5x

2x

Play new window

|

Download

Learn Spanish Resources

Free Videocasts

160+ free podcasts & lessons, each with a comprehensive helpsheet to guide your learning.

Our Fantastic Books

A growing range of acclaimed workbooks explaining Spanish grammar clearly and simply.

Total Immersion Courses

Week-long immersion near Madrid to boost your confidence — Socios get €50 off.

1-to-1 & Group Lessons

Have a free, no-obligation chat with Ana and explore how to take your Spanish further.

Gordon’s Diaries

Hundreds of free diaries where Gordon talks about Spain, life, and everything else.

Cynthia’s Insights

Cynthia shares her view on life in Spain and in general through video diaries.

All of Our Playlists

Browse hundreds of videos on YouTube. Any questions? Write to us anytime.

LightSpeed Spanish App

Download our free iOS & Android app and access lessons on the go.

Any questions? Contact us

The post 34 Advanced Intermediate Spanish Diminutives and Augmentatives appeared first on Lightspeed Spanish.

11 min

June 02, 2016 33 Advanced Intermediate Talking Spanish well The little words LightSpeed Spanish

Talking Spanish.

Let’s be honest, no matter which way you look at it, we are all here to be able to do one thing and that is talking Spanish well.

No matter how much we try to fool ourselves into thinking that we get more benefit from written exercises, or that reading about grammar will make us a proficient speaker, the bottom line is that if you want to speak Spanish well, that’s precisely what you have to do. You have to get ‘ talking Spanish ‘ like crazy.

Why do we avoid speaking?

The answer is easy. FEAR. We are typically frightened to speak because we are scared of making mistakes. Of course, this limiting fear, in turn, limits our learning and we get caught up in a downward spiral of the following:

We don’t speak so that we won’t make mistakes and because we don’t speak we don’t get the practice that we need to stop us from making so many mistakes so that, when we are forced into talking Spanish, we make mistakes because we haven’t practiced enough and that makes us frightened of speaking the next time and on and on…

We’ve all been there.

The reason I can talk about this ‘FEAR’ phenomenon is because I’ve felt it more times that you can imagine. The only benefit I had when I was first learning, however, was that I was in a Spanish speaking country and I simply didn’t have a choice. It was talking Spanish or going without food. That was a great motivator.

Generally, however, we learn our second language in our own native country and so finding opportunities to speak Spanish isn’t so easy. Quite often, the longer the gap between conversations, the more anxiety we feel about speaking. Yet, when you are doing it all day, it quickly becomes the norm.

The little words.

We have made this Podcast and the accompanying helpsheets to help you overcome your fears and more to the point, to let you make your Spanish conversation flow more naturally. When you are talking Spanish it pays to have a generous bank of filler words that allow you to hang on to your conversation. (Spanish people will jump into any lengthy gap you leave in your conversation so to avoid interruptions you need to fill the gaps with stuff that doesn’t really mean anything.)

By using these filler words when talking Spanish, you make your spoken word sound more authentic and natural. Why? Because every native speaker uses them. We all do. And you can too!

Listen in to the podcast and choose the little words you like the sound of and ones you can incorporate into your conversation. It will be the making of you! Oh, and get talking Spanish!

un saludo,

Gordon

Video for This Spanish Lesson

Audio for This Spanish Lesson

Podcast_33

0:00

/

0:00

Speed

0.75x

1x

1.25x

1.5x

2x

Play new window

|

Download

Learn Spanish Resources

Free Videocasts

160+ free podcasts & lessons, each with a comprehensive helpsheet to guide your learning.

Our Fantastic Books

A growing range of acclaimed workbooks explaining Spanish grammar clearly and simply.

Total Immersion Courses

Week-long immersion near Madrid to boost your confidence — Socios get €50 off.

1-to-1 & Group Lessons

Have a free, no-obligation chat with Ana and explore how to take your Spanish further.

Gordon’s Diaries

Hundreds of free diaries where Gordon talks about Spain, life, and everything else.

Cynthia’s Insights

Cynthia shares her view on life in Spain and in general through video diaries.

All of Our Playlists

Browse hundreds of videos on YouTube. Any questions? Write to us anytime.

LightSpeed Spanish App

Download our free iOS & Android app and access lessons on the go.

Any questions? Contact us

The post 33 Advanced Intermediate Talking Spanish well The little words LightSpeed Spanish appeared first on Lightspeed Spanish.

13 min

May 31, 2016 32 Advanced Intermediate Tratar and Acabar in Spanish LightSpeed Spanish

Tratar and Acabar in Spanish.

In this Podcast we don’t just deal with Tratar and Acabar in Spanish but also the reflexive versions of these verbs which you have probably see before: ‘Acabarse and Tratarse.

What you will find is that, just like many other verbs that have a reflexive option (just about all of them) the meaning sometimes changes subtly between the two and sometimes it’s completely different.

Look at the verb Poner, for example. On it’s own it means ‘to put’:

Pongo la taza en la mesa. = I put the cup on the table.

Then, we have Ponerse.

Just by adding the reflexive pronoun we have change of meaning to ‘to become’ or to ‘put on’:

Se puso furioso. = He became furious. (Lit. He put himself furious.)

Se puso una chaqueta. = He put a jacket on. (Lit. He put a jacket on himself)

As you can see from the examples, sometimes the meaning can change quite dramatically.

Sometimes, however, there is little difference, like in the verbs Olvidar and Olvidarse. To forget/oneself

These two can be used equally and yet they mean pretty much the same:

Olvidé decirte que…. = I forgot to tell you that…

Me olvidé de decirte que… = I forgot to tell you that….

Notice that the only difference is the ‘de’ preposition that must go with ‘olvidarse’.

So, the case is that just like Tratar and Acabar in Spanish compared with Tratarse and Acabarse, Spanish verbs can have multiple meanings that simply have to be learnt. However, we have no room to complain about verbs that change meaning.

English is much worse.

Quite often, when we are faced with these changes of meaning we roll our eyes and sigh with frustration. ‘Why can’t they just be straight forward?’ we ask.

Well, every time you think like that, just remember that English has the infamous ‘Phrasal verbs’ that change meaning totally with every preposition you add. For example:

TO GET.

Get on = Subirse

Get on with = Llevarse bien con alguien

Get over something = Superar/mejorarse

Get by = arreglarse

Get in = subirse/entrar

Get through = ponerse en contacto/hacer entender

And the list goes on!

Imagine if you had to learn English consciously, you would have to memorise the meaning of every Phrasal verb….and there are hundreds.

The simple fact is that verbs change meaning and that’s good. They make up the very richness of the Spanish language and so, in this Podcast we will give you an insight into the verbs Tratar and Acabar in Spanish. We cover many other verb meanings in our Podcast range so watch out for them. If you need to search for a verb you can do so in our Search Bar which is very good.

Hasta pronto,

Gordon

Video for This Spanish Lesson

Audio for This Spanish Lesson

Podcast_32

0:00

/

0:00

Speed

0.75x

1x

1.25x

1.5x

2x

Play new window

|

Download

Learn Spanish Resources

Free Videocasts

160+ free podcasts & lessons, each with a comprehensive helpsheet to guide your learning.

Our Fantastic Books

A growing range of acclaimed workbooks explaining Spanish grammar clearly and simply.

Total Immersion Courses

Week-long immersion near Madrid to boost your confidence — Socios get €50 off.

1-to-1 & Group Lessons

Have a free, no-obligation chat with Ana and explore how to take your Spanish further.

Gordon’s Diaries

Hundreds of free diaries where Gordon talks about Spain, life, and everything else.

Cynthia’s Insights

Cynthia shares her view on life in Spain and in general through video diaries.

All of Our Playlists

Browse hundreds of videos on YouTube. Any questions? Write to us anytime.

LightSpeed Spanish App

Download our free iOS & Android app and access lessons on the go.

Any questions? Contact us

The post 32 Advanced Intermediate Tratar and Acabar in Spanish LightSpeed Spanish appeared first on Lightspeed Spanish.

11 min

March 21, 2015 Advanced Intermediate Podcast 31 Spanish Preterite vs Imperfect

The Spanish Preterite vs Imperfect.

In all of our private classes we probably spend more than 50% of our time helping people control the Spanish preterite vs imperfect tenses.

Why?

Well, there are two principle reasons. The first is that we talk in the past a LOT! The second is that getting them right can be a real challenge!

Juggling the Preterite and the Imperfect

In our own mother tongue we don’t think twice when we want to tell a friend about something that happened to us the other day. The words just roll off our tongue as we focus on telling the story and not on HOW to tell the story.

It’s quite the opposite, however, when we have to battle with the Spanish preterite vs imperfect whilst at the same time managing our tale and trying to keep our listener interested.

Then there are all those rules

It’s a fact that to learn when to use these tenses you have to know quite a few rules and regulations. What’s more, before we open our mouths we have to trawl through a number of questions to know if we should be saying ‘pude’ o ‘podía’.

All this mechanical brainwork slows our speech right down, sometimes to a snails pace, and can be very frustrating.

The ironical thing

The irony of it all is that if you were to speak to a Spanish speaker about the rules, they would have no idea what you were waffling on about. Native speakers don’t use rules to speak. They just do it. They don’t have the constant battle between the Spanish preterite vs imperfect as we do.

In fact, most times, when you ask them if the preterite or the imperfect is correct in a particular sentence they will tell you that both are fine!

Lots of times both are correct

What??? How can both be correct? Well, think of these sentences:

I talked to my friend the other day. (Pret)

I was talking to my friend the other day. (Imperf)

Is there a lot of difference when we compare the two sentences? Not really.

Do the two sentences mean different things? Maybe yes, maybe no. Some people would argue that they were very different, some would say they were identical.

Am I measuring it or describing it?

Really, the bottom line is that to understand the Spanish preterite vs imperfect puzzle, all you have to do is ask yourself the above question.

The preterite is a measurement of action.

The imperfect is a description of what was happening.

And if it were that easy, all our problems would be solved. However, the real skill is putting those benchmarks into practice. In this podcast we help you do that. Listen in and perhaps you’ll learn the most important thing about the Spanish preterite vs imperfect up to now.

Saludos, Gordon y Cynthia

Video for This Spanish Lesson

Audio for This Spanish Lesson

Podcast_31_Pret_imp

0:00

/

0:00

Speed

0.75x

1x

1.25x

1.5x

2x

Play new window

|

Download

Learn Spanish Resources

Free Videocasts

160+ free podcasts & lessons, each with a comprehensive helpsheet to guide your learning.

Our Fantastic Books

A growing range of acclaimed workbooks explaining Spanish grammar clearly and simply.

Total Immersion Courses

Week-long immersion near Madrid to boost your confidence — Socios get €50 off.

1-to-1 & Group Lessons

Have a free, no-obligation chat with Ana and explore how to take your Spanish further.

Gordon’s Diaries

Hundreds of free diaries where Gordon talks about Spain, life, and everything else.

Cynthia’s Insights

Cynthia shares her view on life in Spain and in general through video diaries.

All of Our Playlists

Browse hundreds of videos on YouTube. Any questions? Write to us anytime.

LightSpeed Spanish App

Download our free iOS & Android app and access lessons on the go.

Any questions? Contact us

The post Advanced Intermediate Podcast 31 Spanish Preterite vs Imperfect appeared first on Lightspeed Spanish.

12 min

February 05, 2014 Advanced Intermediate 30 – Spanish Culture and the Big Differences

Spanish Culture

Is it so different?

Given that Cynthia and I are from different backgrounds, (I’m British and she is Spanish.) we have been able to appreciate some of the key differences between the two countries.

Culturally, we are similar in many things and yet in others we couldn’t be more different.

In the Podcast we cover a number of areas in which we are different, yet in this Blog I would like to focus on one particular area of British and Spanish culture and that is, POLITENESS.

Rude or just Direct?

If the British are famous for one thing it’s their Hooligans and their Politeness. (Two things actually.) Putting the hooligans to one side, let’s focus on our politeness.

We do love our PLEASES just as much as we do our THANK YOUS.

The Spanish, however, are not so big on saying please and thank you. In fact, we British really do annoy them with our almost anally retentive need to bolt a ‘please’ onto every ‘yes’ and a hearty ‘thank you’ after each ‘no’.

“Do you want milk with that?”…”Yes, please.”…”And sugar?”…”Yes, please.”…”And a biscuit?”…”No, thanks.” and so on and so forth.

The Spanish, on the other hand, typically (if you’re lucky) give you a ‘please’ at the beginning and a ‘thank you’ at the end of each transaction. In between, a simple ‘yes’ and ‘no’ is quite enough for them.

And that works beautifully well in both countries.

Put a Spaniard in English culture or an English person in Spanish culture, however, and everything goes “patas arriba”.

British Politeness.

In the U.K., replying with a curt ‘yes’ when being asked whether you want something is tantamount to breaking wind in a lift. Any Brit worth their salt would be deeply offended and consider it extremely ‘rude’ behaviour.

Spanish Directness.

In Spain, repeating ‘yes, please’ ad infinitum makes a Spaniard suspicious of your motives and they might even think that ‘ le estás tomando el pelo.” (You’re making fun of them.)

And so it’s these subtleties of the English and Spanish culture, or any culture for that matter, that can be very important to know.

Tutting.

Another interesting difference along these same lines is the Spanish ‘TUT’.

This is done when a Spanish person wants to say ‘no’. Sometimes, rather than saying ‘no’, they simply make a tutting noise two or three times and wiggle their finger from side to side.

Here in the U.K., this same action doesn’t mean ‘no’, it means “BAD PERSON/ACTION”. It’s a sign of disapproval.

The possible outcome of this double meaning.

So imagine the scenario: I ask Cynthia (true story) if she would like a tea. She answers me by looking at me with ‘desprecio’ and tutting whilst waving her finger at me.

As a Brit, I am flabbergasted that she can be so rude as to disapprove of my offering her a tea. What’s so wrong with a tea? What did I do to deserve that?

Of course, Cynthia is completely oblivious to my extreme reaction and thinks that she has simply refused a tea. She spends the rest of the day wondering what on earth has gotten into me.

And so, like this, onwards we went through the last ten years stepping on each others cultural taboos until now we just laugh at them and wonder how many more we will stumble across.

We are moving to Spain in a couple of years (the summer of 2016) so no doubt it will be my turn to tread on a few toes.

Deseadme suerte,

Gordon

Video for This Spanish Lesson

Audio for This Spanish Lesson

Podcast_30_culture_diff

0:00

/

0:00

Speed

0.75x

1x

1.25x

1.5x

2x

Play new window

|

Download

Learn Spanish Resources

Free Videocasts

160+ free podcasts & lessons, each with a comprehensive helpsheet to guide your learning.

Our Fantastic Books

A growing range of acclaimed workbooks explaining Spanish grammar clearly and simply.

Total Immersion Courses

Week-long immersion near Madrid to boost your confidence — Socios get €50 off.

1-to-1 & Group Lessons

Have a free, no-obligation chat with Ana and explore how to take your Spanish further.

Gordon’s Diaries

Hundreds of free diaries where Gordon talks about Spain, life, and everything else.

Cynthia’s Insights

Cynthia shares her view on life in Spain and in general through video diaries.

All of Our Playlists

Browse hundreds of videos on YouTube. Any questions? Write to us anytime.

LightSpeed Spanish App

Download our free iOS & Android app and access lessons on the go.

Any questions? Contact us

The post Advanced Intermediate 30 – Spanish Culture and the Big Differences appeared first on Lightspeed Spanish.

12 min

January 28, 2014 Advanced Intermediate 29 – (Tú) Tu vs Usted Using Formal Spanish

Which one do I use?

The question of “(Tú) Tu vs Usted” is always on the mind of students, especially when they are learning Spanish from Latin America.

Most of us will know that the difference between Tú and Usted is simply the level of formality or politeness you want to maintain between you and the person you are talking to.

In Spain, for example, once you are on talking/friendly terms you will “tutear” with that person. In fact, were you to continue to use Usted with someone, they would find it a bit strange. It would be like you were saying to them that you didn’t want to be friends with them.

Many things to many people.

Just because that happens in Spain, however, does not mean that the same applies throughout the Spanish speaking world. Not at all!

Certainly in many countries in Latin America, talking to someone in Usted is expected. Children to parents, work associates. In fact, some cultures expect you to use Usted with everyone, even with close family members and friends.

So, how will I know?

The answer to this is easy. Simply listen to what people are saying to you. If they are using Usted, you will hear it mentioned. The tip is that if they are using Usted, then you use Usted. If they switch to Tú, you automatically have permission to do the same.

Until you are very skilled at Spanish, it’s safer to use this system.

How to manage the situation.

There are ways that you can manage the way someone talks to you. For example, if someone is talking to you in Usted and you know that in their culture it’s acceptable to talk to one another using Tú, then you can say:

No me trates de usted.

Tratar means to treat. So this is saying something like: “Don’t treat me like an Usted.”

Another way of saying it is to say:

¿Puedo tutearte?

Tutear is the verb used to describe the act of talking to someone using Tú. Thus, this sentence simply means: Can I talk to you using Tú?

Use Usted as your default.

As a rule of thumb, it’s always best to address everyone you meet with Usted. Then, if you feel that there is a level of confidence growing, you can use the above phrases. However, the best thing is to take the lead from the person you are talking to. Let them guide you. You can be sure that if they want to use Tú, they will let you know.

They may do that by spontaneous changing to Tú during the conversation or they will tell you directly. However, if they seem comfortable using Usted with you, then stick with it.

We hope that has helped to clear up a little confusion regarding the Tu vs Usted question.

Hasta la próxima.

Gordon y Cynthia

Video for This Spanish Lesson

Audio for This Spanish Lesson

Podcast_29_tu_vs_usted

0:00

/

0:00

Speed

0.75x

1x

1.25x

1.5x

2x

Play new window

|

Download

Learn Spanish Resources

Free Videocasts

160+ free podcasts & lessons, each with a comprehensive helpsheet to guide your learning.

Our Fantastic Books

A growing range of acclaimed workbooks explaining Spanish grammar clearly and simply.

Total Immersion Courses

Week-long immersion near Madrid to boost your confidence — Socios get €50 off.

1-to-1 & Group Lessons

Have a free, no-obligation chat with Ana and explore how to take your Spanish further.

Gordon’s Diaries

Hundreds of free diaries where Gordon talks about Spain, life, and everything else.

Cynthia’s Insights

Cynthia shares her view on life in Spain and in general through video diaries.

All of Our Playlists

Browse hundreds of videos on YouTube. Any questions? Write to us anytime.

LightSpeed Spanish App

Download our free iOS & Android app and access lessons on the go.

Any questions? Contact us

The post Advanced Intermediate 29 – (Tú) Tu vs Usted Using Formal Spanish appeared first on Lightspeed Spanish.

3 min

January 27, 2014 Advanced Intermediate 28 – Stem Changing Spanish Preterite

Tips on the Spanish Preterite.

In the previous blog we said all we wanted to say on the subject of why we should learn the Spanish preterite.

In this blog, then, which is the second in the series of the stem changing, irregular Spanish preterite, we will focus on some interesting tips of how the preterite is used.

We’ve covered this before, but as repetition is the mother of all learning, it cannot do any harm. ¿Verdad?

No Overlapping.

Did you realise that one limitation of the preterite is that it is totally sequential? That means that you can only use it to either speak about a specific event or to list a sequence of events.

You are not able to use the preterite to talk about two or more things that happened at the same time.

That’s the job of the Imperfect past. That’s why we say that you should listen out for the “was…ing, were…ing as a sign for when you need to use the Imperfect (ABA/ÍA)

Look at this sentence. Where did I fall?

“Esta mañana bajé las escaleras, me caí y luego salí de casa,”

If you thought that I fell whilst I was coming down the stairs you would be wrong.

FIRST I came down the stairs. THEN I fell. THEN I left the house.

Because I used the Spanish preterite, which cannot overlap events, my coming down the stairs was one completed event.

So that means…

This explains the rather strange way that the theory books talk about the preterite as a “completed action”. This is a term which has caused a mountain of confusion given that most students think it means that it’s an event that has been completed. In reality, EVERY past event has been completed. No wonder we get confused.

What they should say is that it is an event that has a clear beginning and end, or to be even more clear, an event that is totally measurable.

Unspoken measurement.

One interesting thing about the Spanish preterite is that, by choosing to use it you are showing that you CAN measure a particular event, even if you don’t actually mention a measurement in your sentence.

For example, the difference between saying, “Estaba aquí esta mañana.” and “Estuvo aquí esta mañana.” is that by using the preterite you are inferring that you could quite possibly put a time on his stay and that the event is over. He is no longer here.

By using the imperfect, however, you are intimating that you really don’t know how long he was present. You know he was here but that’s about it. There’s also a possibility that he is still here. With the imperfect everything is vague and unmeasurable.

Eso es todo.

There you have some handy observations about how to choose the Spanish preterite. We hope you found them valuable. All these tips and so much more are to be found in our Helpsheets, too, which have been designed with you in mind.

Video for This Spanish Lesson

Audio for This Spanish Lesson

Podcast_28_stem_changing_2

0:00

/

0:00

Speed

0.75x

1x

1.25x

1.5x

2x

Play new window

|

Download

Learn Spanish Resources

Free Videocasts

160+ free podcasts & lessons, each with a comprehensive helpsheet to guide your learning.

Our Fantastic Books

A growing range of acclaimed workbooks explaining Spanish grammar clearly and simply.

Total Immersion Courses

Week-long immersion near Madrid to boost your confidence — Socios get €50 off.

1-to-1 & Group Lessons

Have a free, no-obligation chat with Ana and explore how to take your Spanish further.

Gordon’s Diaries

Hundreds of free diaries where Gordon talks about Spain, life, and everything else.

Cynthia’s Insights

Cynthia shares her view on life in Spain and in general through video diaries.

All of Our Playlists

Browse hundreds of videos on YouTube. Any questions? Write to us anytime.

LightSpeed Spanish App

Download our free iOS & Android app and access lessons on the go.

Any questions? Contact us

The post Advanced Intermediate 28 – Stem Changing Spanish Preterite appeared first on Lightspeed Spanish.

3 min

January 25, 2014 Advanced Intermediate 27 – The Irregular Spanish Preterite

The Spanish Preterite.

Why is it so challenging?

If you are new to Spanish, or a seasoned student, the Spanish preterite will always be a challenging area of learning. The reason for that is that if we set it against any other tense found within Spanish grammar, it will come out hands down as the most irregular.

It’s the only tense that doesn’t follow the standard endings that we find repeating themselves in every other and along with that, it often creates vague and changeable meanings to the verb.

All the more reason to learn it.

It’s for these very facts that the Spanish preterite is so important. We use the preterite tense so frequently that unless we can command it well “hasta dominarlo” our Spanish will always struggle along.

The good news is that because of the fact that we have no choice but to frequently use it, these irregularities can be easily learned through dogged repetition. (The greatest way of learning.)

Regularity with its irregularities.

This mean seem like an ‘oxymoron’, but the simple truth is that the irregular preterite, which is what we focus on in this particular podcast, is really quite regular. It would be better to view it more like an extra tense than a weird preterite one.

Apart from vowel changes which in themselves are grouped into families, the pattern of what is called the irregular Spanish preterite is very reliable and consistently repeats itself.

Pronunciation.

A frequent error made by students when they use the irregular Spanish preterite is to continue to add the emphasis to the end of the word, as though it had a tilde/accent like the regular preterite.

This is not the case and if you look at the conjugations of the irregular, stem changing Spanish preterite. There are no accents, thus demanding that the emphasis or ‘golpe de voz’ goes on the second last vowel.

Therefore, to say, “He said”, you must not push the emphasis to the end as many people do and say: “Él dijÓ”. Rather, the emphasis falls on the letter ‘I’ to give you the more smooth (and beautifully sounding) “dIjo.”

This applies to all of the stem changing preterite verbs, so be ever so careful when you use them. When you listen in to the following video podcast pay special attention to the way we pronounce the examples we give.

Remember that all of our podcasts come with a transcription, translation and a great Helpsheet that will guide you through the important parts of each grammar subject as well as test your understanding.

Hasta luego

Video for This Spanish Lesson

Audio for This Spanish Lesson

Podcast_27_stem_change

0:00

/

0:00

Speed

0.75x

1x

1.25x

1.5x

2x

Play new window

|

Download

Learn Spanish Resources

Free Videocasts

160+ free podcasts & lessons, each with a comprehensive helpsheet to guide your learning.

Our Fantastic Books

A growing range of acclaimed workbooks explaining Spanish grammar clearly and simply.

Total Immersion Courses

Week-long immersion near Madrid to boost your confidence — Socios get €50 off.

1-to-1 & Group Lessons

Have a free, no-obligation chat with Ana and explore how to take your Spanish further.

Gordon’s Diaries

Hundreds of free diaries where Gordon talks about Spain, life, and everything else.

Cynthia’s Insights

Cynthia shares her view on life in Spain and in general through video diaries.

All of Our Playlists

Browse hundreds of videos on YouTube. Any questions? Write to us anytime.

LightSpeed Spanish App

Download our free iOS & Android app and access lessons on the go.

Any questions? Contact us

The post Advanced Intermediate 27 – The Irregular Spanish Preterite appeared first on Lightspeed Spanish.

11 min

January 21, 2014 Advanced Intermediate 26 – The Etiquette of Living In Spain or Being a Guest

There’s a right and a wrong way to do everything.

Culturally, Spain is unique in as much as it has its own ways of doing things and behaving. Just like any country, there are certain rights and wrongs in how you relate to others.

What might seem like an innocent comment or a meaningless gesture to you can be taken as quite rude by a Spanish person if, unbeknown to you, you cross the line of what they consider “comportamiento aceptable.”

No te preocupes.

Before you start getting into a panic, we are not saying that the Spanish are intolerant. Quite naturally, they make allowances for anyone who isn’t from their culture and so, even if you were to commit a total “traspié” or faux pas, they would forgive you. If you are living in Spain or simply visiting, however, it’s best to know how to behave.

After all, to be forewarned is to be forearmed.

The Cultural Divide.

Let me give you an example of something quite simple, yet radically different.

In Spain, when you are a guest in someone’s house and you want to leave, there is a process that you should adhere to.

You must give notice that you are planning to leave LONG before you actually want to leave. There is rarely a speedy get away form a Spanish household unless there really is an emergency. Rather, the geust begins to throw into the conversation that they really must be going as they have things to do.

The host then poo-poo’s that suggestion and offers more beer, food, crisps etc.

After much to-ing and fro-ing, which can last for a good hour or more, the guest then makes a move for the door.

Only when it is absolutely clear that they really are serious about leaving does the host go and get their coat.

The Spanish doorway stand-off.

This is when things get interesting. Their being by the door and having their coat on does not, by any means, indicate that the visit is over.

It’s here, in the doorway that the Spanish stand-off begins. A good fifteen minutes can pass in which host and guest talk about a wide range of subjects, the family, what happened with so and so, the plans for the following week or whatever happens to “surgir”.

At no time does the host give any indication that they wished the guest would just “irse de una vez” even though I have always had the feeling that deep down that’s exactly what they would love to say.

The repercussions of rushing out the guest.

I heard a story of a lady who was a once guest in someone’s house. Knowing that she had to leave within the next hour and a half, she did the normal thing by saying that she really needed to go.

To her shock and horror, the host went immediately and got her coat.

This was more than ten years ago and she still talks about it to this day! lol.

Listen into our podcast so you don’t have to be the talking point of some future host for the next twenty years.

Gordon: (Cynthia will kill me when she reads this. Gulp.)

Video for This Spanish Lesson

Audio for This Spanish Lesson

Podcast_26_invite

0:00

/

0:00

Speed

0.75x

1x

1.25x

1.5x

2x

Play new window

|

Download

Learn Spanish Resources

Free Videocasts

160+ free podcasts & lessons, each with a comprehensive helpsheet to guide your learning.

Our Fantastic Books

A growing range of acclaimed workbooks explaining Spanish grammar clearly and simply.

Total Immersion Courses

Week-long immersion near Madrid to boost your confidence — Socios get €50 off.

1-to-1 & Group Lessons

Have a free, no-obligation chat with Ana and explore how to take your Spanish further.

Gordon’s Diaries

Hundreds of free diaries where Gordon talks about Spain, life, and everything else.

Cynthia’s Insights

Cynthia shares her view on life in Spain and in general through video diaries.

All of Our Playlists

Browse hundreds of videos on YouTube. Any questions? Write to us anytime.

LightSpeed Spanish App

Download our free iOS & Android app and access lessons on the go.

Any questions? Contact us

The post Advanced Intermediate 26 – The Etiquette of Living In Spain or Being a Guest appeared first on Lightspeed Spanish.

12 min

January 20, 2014 Advanced Intermediate Spanish Podcast 25 – Spanish Vocabulary – Airports & Taxis

Great Spanish Vocabulary.

Travelling to Spanish Speaking Countries.

According to the current statistics, more than one million Americans actually live in Mexico. On top of that, many tens of millions travel to Latin American countries every year, not to speak of those who cross the Atlantic to visit Spain.

In the U.K., more than 70% of all people who travel abroad go to Spanish resorts.

In our book, that’s a lot of travelling and of course, when travelling in Spanish speaking countries, it’s important to have the appropriate vocabulary.

We admit that, in most tourist zones there is little need to speak Spanish as the majority of services offered to the travellers cater for multiple languages with English being top of the list.

Off the Beaten Track

However, step only a tiny bit off the beaten track into what we could describe as ” normal people” country, and you will find a distinct lack of bilingual speakers.

This often catches people off guard. We have lost count of the times that people have called us in a panic saying that they have bought a house in Spain and, to quote them, “Nobody in the village speaks English!. Quick! I need lots of Spanish vocabulary!”

To “ASSUME” makes an ASS of U and ME.

Why we should assume that everyone in the world can speak English doesn’t really make sense at all. Naturally, English is the international language for those who move around the world, yet, for the majority, travelling from country to country isn’t an option. Clearly, for them, their native language is all they will ever need to speak.

In Spain, for example, the vast majority of Spaniards choose to holiday in their own country. They rarely travel to other countries as a rule. So, although you will find in Spain a level of English slightly better than that of the Spanish spoken in the U.K. it is still spoken at a low level and with a heavy accent.

At Least have the Minimum.

So, when travelling through a Spanish speaking country, it’s advisable to at least have the basics of Spanish vocabulary. In this podcast we talk you through some key travelling vocabulary for Airports and Taxis. After all, there’s nothing worse than jumping into a taxi and finding that the driver doesn’t speak a word of English. (Apparently, that can happen in New York these days. haha)

Our podcasts are all backed up with fully padded out helpsheets that explain all of the expressions and terms that we use during the podcast. In addition to that, we provide a full transcription and translation of all of the conversations we have.

We hope you will find them of great use in your studies.

Saludos, Gordon and Cynthia.

Video for This Spanish Lesson

Audio for This Spanish Lesson

Podcast_25_airports

0:00

/

0:00

Speed

0.75x

1x

1.25x