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Tell Me, Who Made The Beds Yesterday?

2017-04-13T01:00:00.000+01:00

Introduction

Verbo: Hacer

Tipo: irregular

Modo: indicativo (indicative)

Tiempo: pretérito indefinido (simple past)

This post is about verb conjugation -the simple past tense, indicative mood of irregular verb hacer.

SCENARIO

Imagine you are talking to a relative, a friend or a colleague. You are sharing accommodation with others and take turns at doing daily chores. The other person wants to know who made the beds and says to you: "tell me, who made the beds yesterday?"

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and say:

Dime, ¿quién hizo las camas ayer?

On the other hand, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:

Dígame, ¿quién hizo las camas ayer?

OUR TIP

Making a sentence which answers that question should be straightforward, but remember:

Make sure that you conjugate your verb correctly
Choose between formal or familiar options to suit the occasion -see examples below.

Typical answers could be:

Yo hice^* las camas ayer (I made the beds yesterday)
Tú hiciste^* las camas ayer, ¿no? (you -familiar made the beds yesterday, didn't you?)
Usted hizo^* las camas ayer, ¿no? (you -formal made the beds yesterday, didn't you?)
Pedro hizo^* las camas ayer (Pedro made the beds yesterday)
María hizo^* las camas ayer (Maria made the beds yesterday)
Pedro y yo hicimos^* las camas ayer (Pedro and I made the beds yesterday)
Tú y Pedro hicisteis^* las camas ayer, ¿no? (you -informal and Pedro made the beds yesterday, didn't you?)
Usted y Pedro hicieron^* las camas ayer, ¿no? (you -formal and Pedro made the beds yesterday, didn't you?)
Pedro y María hicieron^* las camas ayer (Pedro and Maria made the beds yesterday)

Now you should practise replying to someone who says to you:

Dime, ¿quién hizo las camas ayer?

*Please see grammar topic below, Verbs

Verbs

A verb is a 'doing' word which conveys:

What action takes place in a sentence
Who does that action
When that action occurs.

In addition, the verb may also convey the mood or feelings of the speaker toward the action which takes place. The verb may, for example, indicate whether the speaker is stating a fact, expressing a wish or indeed giving an order.

Irregular Verbs

Verb: hacer

The Spanish verb hacer is irregular^* in some tenses, as shown in the table below:

Tense	Mood	Regular	Irregular
Present	Indicative		✓
Imperfect	Indicative	✓
Preterite	Indicative		✓
Future	Indicative		✓
Conditional	Indicative		✓
Perfect	Indicative		✓
Pluperfect	Indicative		✓
Future Perfect	Indicative		✓
Conditional Perfect	Indicative		✓
Present	Subjunctive		✓
Imperfect	Subjunctive		✓
Perfect	Subjunctive		✓
Pluperfect	Subjunctive		✓

* NB:

Conjugate tenses in the regular column the same as other regular verbs ending in -er
The simple past tense conjugation/ subjunctive mood is shown below

Indicative Mood/ Simple Past Tense - Conjugation

Verb: hacer

Subject		HACER (TO DO/ TO MAKE)
I	Yo	HICE
You	Tú	HICISTE
You	Usted^*	HIZO
He	Él
She	Ella
We	Nosotros	HICIMOS
You	Vosotros**	HICISTEIS
You	Ustedes***	HICIERON
They	Ellos
They	Ellas

*NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you'

**NB 'You' plural

*** NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you' plural

Verb Conjugation Notes

It is worth remembering once more that in its basic form (infinitive), a Spanish verb is just a general 'doing' word. In that form, a verb simply indicates an action and nothing else. If we want a verb to be more specific about the action in a sentence, we need to conjugate it. It is only when conjugated that the verb indicates:

Who does the action
When the action takes place
The mood/ attitude of the speaker towards the action

The conjugation tables above refer to using conjugation to establish who does the action. What follows below are some notes on establishing when the action takes place and the mood/ attitude of the speaker towards the action.

Subjunctive Mood

The use of subjunctive mood is disappearing English. Nowadays is often viewed as an old and unfashionable form of the language.

In contrast, the use of subjunctive mood is very much alive and in everyday use in Spanish. This widespread use of subjunctive mood tends to be the bane of many a learner of Spanish from the English speaking world.

The concept of subjunctive mood is perhaps best illustrated by contrasting its use against the use of indicative mood with examples in English. The following are a couple of examples which should serve that purpose:

Indicative mood (“Peter eats an apple”).- Indicative mood is commonly used to make statements of facts or positive beliefs such as this one. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes above), the speaker makes a clear and unambiguous statement of a fact (Peter eats an apple).
Subjunctive mood (“Peter would eat an apple if he were hungry”).- In contrast with indicative mood, subjunctive mood is commonly used to make statements indicating hypothetical or non-fact actions. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes), in this case the speaker sees the action of eating an apple as something hypothetical, something which may or may not happen (Peter would eat an apple... if he were hungry).

Verb Tenses

Verb tenses relate to setting the time period (when) during which the action of the verb takes place. Basic times (periods) for Spanish verb actions are:

The past (before now)
The present (now)
The future (after now)

Each Spanish verb tense corresponds to one of those basic time periods. In other words choosing a verb tense places the action of the verb in one of those basic periods and determines when the action takes place.

Now you should practise the use of the simple past tense of the irregular verb hacer with some examples of your own.

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Tell Me, Who Makes The Beds Today?

2017-04-10T01:00:00.000+01:00

Introduction

Verbo: Hacer

Tipo: irregular

Modo: indicativo (indicative)

Tiempo: presente (present)

This post is about verb conjugation -the present tense, indicative mood of irregular verb hacer.

SCENARIO

Imagine you are talking to a relative, a friend or a colleague. You are sharing accommodation with others and take turns a doing daily chores. The other person wants to know whose turn it is to make the beds and says to you: "tell me, who makes the beds today?"

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and say:

Dime, ¿quién hace las camas hoy?

On the other hand, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:

Dígame, ¿quién hace las camas hoy?

OUR TIP

Making a sentence which answers that question should be straightforward, but remember:

Make sure that you conjugate your verb correctly
Choose between formal or familiar options to suit the occasion -see examples below.

Typical answers could be:

Yo hago^* las camas hoy (I make the beds today)
Tú haces^* las camas hoy, ¿no? (you -familiar make the beds today, don't you?)
Usted hace^* las camas hoy, ¿no? (you -formal make the beds today, don't you?)
Pedro hace^* las camas hoy (Pedro makes the beds today)
María hace^* las camas hoy (Maria makes the beds today)
Pedro y yo hacemos^* las camas hoy (Pedro and I make the beds today)
Tú y Pedro hacéis^* las camas hoy, ¿no? (you -informal and Pedro make the beds today, don't you?)
Usted y Pedro hacen^* las camas hoy, ¿no? (you -formal and Pedro make the beds today, don't you?)
Pedro y María hacen^* las camas hoy (Pedro and Maria make the beds today)

Now you should practise replying to someone who says to you:

Dime, ¿quién hace las camas hoy?

*Please see grammar topic below, Verbs

Verbs

A verb is a 'doing' word which conveys:

What action takes place in a sentence
Who does that action
When that action occurs.

Irregular Verbs

Verb: hacer

The Spanish verb hacer is irregular^* in some tenses, as shown in the table below:

Tense	Mood	Regular	Irregular
Present	Indicative		✓
Imperfect	Indicative	✓
Preterite	Indicative		✓
Future	Indicative		✓
Conditional	Indicative		✓
Perfect	Indicative		✓
Pluperfect	Indicative		✓
Future Perfect	Indicative		✓
Conditional Perfect	Indicative		✓
Present	Subjunctive		✓
Imperfect	Subjunctive		✓
Perfect	Subjunctive		✓
Pluperfect	Subjunctive		✓

* NB:

Conjugate tenses in the regular column the same as other regular verbs ending in -er
The present tense conjugation/ subjunctive mood is shown below

Indicative Mood/ Present Tense - Conjugation

Verb: hacer

Subject		HACER (TO DO/ TO MAKE)
I	Yo	HAGO
You	Tú	HACES
You	Usted^*	HACE
He	Él
She	Ella
We	Nosotros	HACEMOS
You	Vosotros**	HACÉIS
You	Ustedes***	HACEN
They	Ellos
They	Ellas

*NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you'

**NB 'You' plural

*** NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you' plural

Verb Conjugation Notes

Who does the action
When the action takes place
The mood/ attitude of the speaker towards the action

Subjunctive Mood

The use of subjunctive mood is disappearing English. Nowadays is often viewed as an old and unfashionable form of the language.

Indicative mood (“Peter eats an apple”).- Indicative mood is commonly used to make statements of facts or positive beliefs such as this one. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes above), the speaker makes a clear and unambiguous statement of a fact (Peter eats an apple).
Subjunctive mood (“Peter would eat an apple if he were hungry”).- In contrast with indicative mood, subjunctive mood is commonly used to make statements indicating hypothetical or non-fact actions. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes), in this case the speaker sees the action of eating an apple as something hypothetical, something which may or may not happen (Peter would eat an apple... if he were hungry).

Verb Tenses

Verb tenses relate to setting the time period (when) during which the action of the verb takes place. Basic times (periods) for Spanish verb actions are:

The past (before now)
The present (now)
The future (after now)

Now you should practise the use of the present tense of the irregular verb hacer with some examples of your own.

Spanish lessons online

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Great lessons

Book now

Tell Me, Was Anybody Likely To Side With Him?

2017-04-06T01:00:00.000+01:00

Introduction

Verbo: Dar

Tipo: irregular

Modo: subjuntivo (subjunctive)

Tiempo: pretérito imperfecto (imperfect)

This post is about verb conjugation -the imperfect tense, subjunctive mood of irregular verb dar.

SCENARIO

Imagine you are talking to a relative, a friend or a colleague. You are talking about a common friend Luis, who was in the middle of some controversy in the past. Speculating about the likelihood of people having taken sides with Luis, the other person says to you: "tell me, was anybody likely to side with him?"

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and say:

Dime, ¿era probable que alguien le diera la razón?

On the other hand, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:

Dígame, ¿era probable que alguien le diera la razón?

OUR TIP

Making a sentence which answers that question should be straightforward, but remember:

Make sure that you conjugate your verb correctly
Choose between formal or familiar options to suit the occasion -see examples below.

Typical answers could be:

Era probable que yo le diera^* la razón (it was likely I would side with him)
Era probable que tú le dieras^* la razón, ¿no? (it was likely you -familiar would side with him, wasn't it?)
Era probable que usted le diera^* la razón, ¿no? (it was likely you -formal would side with him, wasn't it?)
Era probable que Pedro le diera^* la razón (it was likely Pedro would side with him)
Era probable que María le diera^* la razón (it was likely Maria would side with him)
Era probable que Pedro y yo le diéramos^* la razón (it was likely Pedro and I would side with him)
Era probable que vosotros le dierais^* la razón, ¿no? (it was likely you people -familiar/ plural would side with him, wasn't it?)
Era probable que ustedes le dieran^* la razón, ¿no? (it was likely you people -formal/ plural would side with him, wasn't it?)
Era probable que Pedro y María le dieran^* la razón (it was likely Pedro and Maria would side with him)

Now you should practise replying to someone who says to you:

Dime, ¿era probable que alguien le diera la razón?

*Please see grammar topic below, Verbs

Verbs

A verb is a 'doing' word which conveys:

What action takes place in a sentence
Who does that action
When that action occurs.

Irregular Verbs

Verb: dar

The Spanish verb dar is irregular^* in some tenses, as shown in the table below:

Tense	Mood	Regular	Irregular
Present	Indicative		✓
Imperfect	Indicative	✓
Preterite	Indicative		✓
Future	Indicative	✓
Conditional	Indicative	✓
Perfect	Indicative	✓
Pluperfect	Indicative	✓
Future Perfect	Indicative	✓
Conditional Perfect	Indicative	✓
Present	Subjunctive		✓
Imperfect	Subjunctive		✓
Perfect	Subjunctive	✓
Pluperfect	Subjunctive	✓

* NB:

Conjugate tenses in the regular column the same as other regular verbs ending in -er
The imperfect tense conjugation/ subjunctive mood is shown below

Subjunctive Mood/ Imperfect Tense - Conjugation

Verb: dar

Subject		DAR (TO GIVE)
I	Yo	DIERA
You	Tú	DIERAS
You	Usted^*	DIERA
He	Él
She	Ella
We	Nosotros	DIÉRAMOS
You	Vosotros**	DIERAIS
You	Ustedes***	DIERAN
They	Ellos
They	Ellas

*NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you'

**NB 'You' plural

*** NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you' plural

Verb Conjugation Notes

Who does the action
When the action takes place
The mood/ attitude of the speaker towards the action

Subjunctive Mood

The use of subjunctive mood is disappearing English. Nowadays is often viewed as an old and unfashionable form of the language.

Indicative mood (“Peter eats an apple”).- Indicative mood is commonly used to make statements of facts or positive beliefs such as this one. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes above), the speaker makes a clear and unambiguous statement of a fact (Peter eats an apple).
Subjunctive mood (“Peter would eat an apple if he were hungry”).- In contrast with indicative mood, subjunctive mood is commonly used to make statements indicating hypothetical or non-fact actions. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes), in this case the speaker sees the action of eating an apple as something hypothetical, something which may or may not happen (Peter would eat an apple... if he were hungry).

Verb Tenses

Verb tenses relate to setting the time period (when) during which the action of the verb takes place. Basic times (periods) for Spanish verb actions are:

The past (before now)
The present (now)
The future (after now)

Now you should practise the use of the imperfect tense of the irregular verb dar with some examples of your own.

Spanish lessons online

Skype/ Google+ Hangout/ Facetime

Great lessons

Book now

Tell Me, Is Anybody Likely To Side With Him?

2017-04-03T01:00:00.000+01:00

Introduction

Verbo: Dar

Tipo: irregular

Modo: subjuntivo (subjunctive)

Tiempo: presente (present)

This post is about verb conjugation -the present tense, subjunctive mood of irregular verb dar.

SCENARIO

Imagine you are talking to a relative, a friend or a colleague. You are talking about a common friend Luis, who is in the middle of some controversy. Speculating about the likelihood of people taking sides with Luis, the other person says to you: "tell me, is anybody likely to side with him?"

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and say:

Dime, ¿es probable que alguien le dé la razón?

On the other hand, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:

Dígame, ¿es probable que alguien le dé la razón?

OUR TIP

Making a sentence which answers that question should be straightforward, but remember:

Make sure that you conjugate your verb correctly
Choose between formal or familiar options to suit the occasion -see examples below.

Typical answers could be:

Es probable que yo le dé^* la razón (it is likely I will side with him)
Es probable que tú le des^* la razón, ¿no? (it is likely you -familiar will side with him, isn't it?)
Es probable que usted le dé^* la razón, ¿no? (it is likely you -formal will side with him, isn't it?)
Es probable que Pedro le dé^* la razón (it is likely Pedro will side with him)
Es probable que María le dé^* la razón (it is likely Maria will side with him)
Es probable que Pedro y yo le demos^* la razón (it is likely Pedro and I will side with him)
Es probable que vosotros le deis^* la razón, ¿no? (it is likely you people -familiar/ plural will side with him, isn't it?)
Es probable que ustedes le den^* la razón, ¿no? (it is likely you people -formal/ plural will side with him, isn't it?)
Es probable que Pedro y María le den^* la razón (it is likely Pedro and Maria will side with him)

Now you should practise replying to someone who says to you:

Dime, ¿es probable que alguien le dé la razón?

*Please see grammar topic below, Verbs

Verbs

A verb is a 'doing' word which conveys:

What action takes place in a sentence
Who does that action
When that action occurs.

Irregular Verbs

Verb: dar

The Spanish verb dar is irregular^* in some tenses, as shown in the table below:

Tense	Mood	Regular	Irregular
Present	Indicative		✓
Imperfect	Indicative	✓
Preterite	Indicative		✓
Future	Indicative	✓
Conditional	Indicative	✓
Perfect	Indicative	✓
Pluperfect	Indicative	✓
Future Perfect	Indicative	✓
Conditional Perfect	Indicative	✓
Present	Subjunctive		✓
Imperfect	Subjunctive		✓
Perfect	Subjunctive	✓
Pluperfect	Subjunctive	✓

* NB:

Conjugate tenses in the regular column the same as other regular verbs ending in -er
The present tense conjugation/ subjunctive mood is shown below

Subjunctive Mood/ Present Tense - Conjugation

Verb: dar

Subject		DAR (TO GIVE)
I	Yo	DÉ
You	Tú	DES
You	Usted^*	DÉ
He	Él
She	Ella
We	Nosotros	DEMOS
You	Vosotros**	DEIS
You	Ustedes***	DEN
They	Ellos
They	Ellas

*NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you'

**NB 'You' plural

*** NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you' plural

Verb Conjugation Notes

Who does the action
When the action takes place
The mood/ attitude of the speaker towards the action

Subjunctive Mood

The use of subjunctive mood is disappearing English. Nowadays is often viewed as an old and unfashionable form of the language.

Indicative mood (“Peter eats an apple”).- Indicative mood is commonly used to make statements of facts or positive beliefs such as this one. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes above), the speaker makes a clear and unambiguous statement of a fact (Peter eats an apple).
Subjunctive mood (“Peter would eat an apple if he were hungry”).- In contrast with indicative mood, subjunctive mood is commonly used to make statements indicating hypothetical or non-fact actions. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes), in this case the speaker sees the action of eating an apple as something hypothetical, something which may or may not happen (Peter would eat an apple... if he were hungry).

Verb Tenses

Verb tenses relate to setting the time period (when) during which the action of the verb takes place. Basic times (periods) for Spanish verb actions are:

The past (before now)
The present (now)
The future (after now)

Now you should practise the use of the present tense of the irregular verb dar with some examples of your own.

Spanish lessons online

Skype/ Google+ Hangout/ Facetime

Great lessons

Book now

Tell Me, Who Was A Bit Of A Nuisance?

2016-05-17T01:00:00.000+01:00

Introduction

Verbo: Dar

Tipo: irregular

Modo: indicativo (indicative)

Tiempo: pretérito indefinido (simple past)

This post is about verb conjugation -the simple past tense, indicative mood of irregular verb dar.

SCENARIO

Imagine you are talking to a relative, a friend or a colleague. You are catching up with what has been going on of late. Having heard that someone had been a bit of nuisance temporarily, the other person says to you: "tell me, who was a bit of a nuisance?"

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and say:

Dime, ¿quién dio la lata?

On the other hand, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:

Dígame, ¿quién dio la lata?

OUR TIP

Making a sentence which answers that question should be straightforward, but remember:

Make sure that you conjugate your verb correctly
Choose between formal or familiar options to suit the occasion -see examples below.

Typical answers could be:

Yo di^* la lata (I was a bit of a nuisance)
Tú diste^* la lata, ¿no? (you -familiar were a bit of a nuisance, weren't you?)
Usted dio^* la lata, ¿no? (you -formal were a bit of a nuisance, weren't you?)
Pedro dio^* la lata (Pedro was a bit of a nuisance)
María dio^* la lata (Maria was a bit of a nuisance)
Pedro y yo dimos^* la lata (Pedro and I were a bit of a nuisance)
Vosotros disteis^* la lata, ¿no? (you people -familiar/ plural were a bit of a nuisance, weren't you?)
Ustedes dieron^* la lata, ¿no? (you people -formal/ plural were a bit of a nuisance, weren't you?)
Pedro y María dieron^* la lata (Pedro and Maria were a bit of a nuisance)

Now you should practise replying to someone who says to you:

Dime, ¿quién dio la lata?

*Please see grammar topic below, Verbs

Verbs

A verb is a 'doing' word which conveys:

What action takes place in a sentence
Who does that action
When that action occurs.

Irregular Verbs

Verb: dar

The Spanish verb dar is irregular^* in some tenses, as shown in the table below:

Tense	Mood	Regular	Irregular
Present	Indicative		✓
Imperfect	Indicative	✓
Preterite	Indicative		✓
Future	Indicative	✓
Conditional	Indicative	✓
Perfect	Indicative	✓
Pluperfect	Indicative	✓
Future Perfect	Indicative	✓
Conditional Perfect	Indicative	✓
Present	Subjunctive		✓
Imperfect	Subjunctive		✓
Perfect	Subjunctive	✓
Pluperfect	Subjunctive	✓

* NB:

Conjugate tenses in the regular column the same as other regular verbs ending in -er
The simple past tense conjugation/ indicative mood is shown below

Indicative Mood/ Simple Past Tense - Conjugation

Verb: dar

Subject		DAR (TO GIVE)
I	Yo	DI
You	Tú	DISTE
You	Usted^*	DIO
He	Él
She	Ella
We	Nosotros	DIMOS
You	Vosotros**	DISTEIS
You	Ustedes***	DIERON
They	Ellos
They	Ellas

*NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you'

**NB 'You' plural

*** NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you' plural

Verb Conjugation Notes

Who does the action
When the action takes place
The mood/ attitude of the speaker towards the action

Subjunctive Mood

The use of subjunctive mood is disappearing English. Nowadays is often viewed as an old and unfashionable form of the language.

Indicative mood (“Peter eats an apple”).- Indicative mood is commonly used to make statements of facts or positive beliefs such as this one. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes above), the speaker makes a clear and unambiguous statement of a fact (Peter eats an apple).
Subjunctive mood (“Peter would eat an apple if he were hungry”).- In contrast with indicative mood, subjunctive mood is commonly used to make statements indicating hypothetical or non-fact actions. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes), in this case the speaker sees the action of eating an apple as something hypothetical, something which may or may not happen (Peter would eat an apple... if he were hungry).

Verb Tenses

Verb tenses relate to setting the time period (when) during which the action of the verb takes place. Basic times (periods) for Spanish verb actions are:

The past (before now)
The present (now)
The future (after now)

Now you should practise the use of the simple past tense of the irregular verb dar with some examples of your own.

Spanish lessons online

Skype/ Google+ Hangout/ Facetime

Great lessons

Book now

Tell Me, Who Is Being A Bit Of A Nuisance?

2016-05-13T22:20:00.000+01:00

Introduction

Verbo: Dar

Tipo: irregular

Modo: indicativo (indicative)

Tiempo: presente (present tense)

This post is about verb conjugation -the present tense, indicative mood of irregular verb dar.

SCENARIO

Imagine you are talking to a relative, a friend or a colleague. You are catching up with what has been going on of late. Having heard that someone is being a bit of nuisance the other person says to you: "tell me, who is being a bit of a nuisance?"

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and say:

Dime, ¿quién da la lata?

On the other hand, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:

Dígame, ¿quién da la lata?

OUR TIP

Making a sentence which answers that question should be straightforward, but remember:

Make sure that you conjugate your verb correctly
Choose between formal or familiar options to suit the occasion -see examples below.

Typical answers could be:

Yo doy^* la lata (I am being a bit of a nuisance)
Tú das^* la lata, ¿no? (you -familiar are being a bit of a nuisance, aren't you?)
Usted da^* la lata, ¿no? (you -formal are being a bit of a nuisance, aren't you?)
Pedro da^* la lata (Pedro is being a bit of a nuisance)
María da^* la lata (Maria is being a bit of a nuisance)
Pedro y yo damos^* la lata (Pedro and I are being a bit of a nuisance)
Vosotros dais^* la lata, ¿no? (you people -familiar/ plural are being a bit of a nuisance, aren't you?)
Ustedes dan^* la lata, ¿no? (you people -formal/ plural are being a bit of a nuisance, aren't you?)
Pedro y María dan^* la lata (Pedro and Maria are being a bit of a nuisance)

Now you should practise replying to someone who says to you:

Dime, ¿quién da la lata?

*Please see grammar topic below, Verbs

Verbs

A verb is a 'doing' word which conveys:

What action takes place in a sentence
Who does that action
When that action occurs.

Irregular Verbs

Verb: dar

The Spanish verb dar is irregular^* in some tenses, as shown in the table below:

Tense	Mood	Regular	Irregular
Present	Indicative		✓
Imperfect	Indicative	✓
Preterite	Indicative		✓
Future	Indicative	✓
Conditional	Indicative	✓
Perfect	Indicative	✓
Pluperfect	Indicative	✓
Future Perfect	Indicative	✓
Conditional Perfect	Indicative	✓
Present	Subjunctive		✓
Imperfect	Subjunctive		✓
Perfect	Subjunctive	✓
Pluperfect	Subjunctive	✓

* NB:

Conjugate tenses in the regular column the same as other regular verbs ending in -er
The present tense conjugation/ indicative mood is shown below

Indicative Mood/ Present Tense - Conjugation

Verb: dar

Subject		DAR (TO GIVE)
I	Yo	DOY
You	Tú	DAS
You	Usted^*	DA
He	Él
She	Ella
We	Nosotros	DAMOS
You	Vosotros**	DAIS
You	Ustedes***	DAN
They	Ellos
They	Ellas

*NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you'

**NB 'You' plural

*** NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you' plural

Verb Conjugation Notes

Who does the action
When the action takes place
The mood/ attitude of the speaker towards the action

Subjunctive Mood

The use of subjunctive mood is disappearing English. Nowadays is often viewed as an old and unfashionable form of the language.

Indicative mood (“Peter eats an apple”).- Indicative mood is commonly used to make statements of facts or positive beliefs such as this one. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes above), the speaker makes a clear and unambiguous statement of a fact (Peter eats an apple).
Subjunctive mood (“Peter would eat an apple if he were hungry”).- In contrast with indicative mood, subjunctive mood is commonly used to make statements indicating hypothetical or non-fact actions. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes), in this case the speaker sees the action of eating an apple as something hypothetical, something which may or may not happen (Peter would eat an apple... if he were hungry).

Verb Tenses

Verb tenses relate to setting the time period (when) during which the action of the verb takes place. Basic times (periods) for Spanish verb actions are:

The past (before now)
The present (now)
The future (after now)

Now you should practise the use of the present tense of the irregular verb dar with some examples of your own.

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Pena

2016-05-06T01:00:00.000+01:00

Today's word is: Pena

Clase: sustantivo (noun)

Género: femenino (feminine)

Origen: latín (Latin)

Related words

la pena	noun	pity sadness shame sorrow punishment sentence difficulties struggle troubles ghost
el penado la penada	noun	convict
apenado apenada apenados apenadas	adjective	saddened feeling sad
apenar	verb	to cause sorrow to cause upset to cause bother
apenarse	verb	to feel sorrow to feel upset to feel shame
penar	verb	to punish to suffer to agonise to pine

In Spanish, “pena” is a feminine noun of Latin origin which means pity, sadness, shame or sorrow. Typical examples of the use of the word “pena” in this context are:

Es una pena que no podáis venir a vernos (it is a pity you can't come to visit us)
Qué pena que no podáis venir a vernos (what a shame you can't come to visit us)

The noun “pena” also means punishment or sentence. Typical examples of the use of the word “pena” in this context are:

En España la pena de muerte ha sido abolida (the death sentence has been abolished in Spain)
El robo puede conllevar pena de prisión (theft could result in jail as a punishment)

The noun “pena” may also mean struggle or troubles. A typical example of the use of the word “pena” in this context is:

Cuéntame tus penas (tell me about your troubles)

In some parts, especially in Latin America the noun “pena” may also mean ghost. A typical example of the use of the word “pena” in this context is:

Cuentos de penas aparecidos (tales of ghosts and apparitions)

A related word is “penado” is a noun meaning convict. A typical example of the use of the word “penado” as a noun is:

Los penados suelen realizar actividades laborales en la cárcel (convicts/ prisoners often work whilst in jail)

Also a related word is “apenado” is a describing word/ adjective meaning saddened. A typical example of the use of the word “apenado” is:

Nos sentimos apenados (we feel saddened)

The action word/ verb “apenar”/ “apenarse” is a related word meaning to sadden, to be sad or to feel sad. A typical example of the use of this verb could be:

Apena ver que no te sientes bien (it is sad to see that you are not feeling well)

The action word/ verb “penar” is also a related word meaning to punish, to agonise, to pine, or to suffer. A couple of typical examples of the use of the word “penar” are:

La ley penará el fraude (fraud will be punished by law)
Alejados de la familia penamos lo indecible (away from our families we suffer beyond words)

Spanish expressions with the word “pena” are:

Apenas (barely/ hardly/ as soon as/ no sooner)
- Apenas llegamos a casa nos fuimos a la cama (no sooner had we got home, we went to bed)
A duras penas (with great hardship)
- A duras penas llego a fin de mes (I really struggle to make ends meet/ I barely make ends meet)
A malas penas (with great hardship)
- A malas penas llego a fin de mes (I really struggle to make ends meet/ I barely make ends meet)
A penas (barely/ hardly/ as soon as/ no sooner)
- A penas llegamos a casa nos fuimos a la cama (no sooner had we got home, we went to bed)
Alma en pena (lost soul)
Dar pena (to sadden/ to feel sad)
De pena (badly/ pitifully)
- El trabajo me va de pena (the situation at work is really bad)
- Esta ropa me queda de pena (I look really bad in these clothes)
Merecer la pena (to be worth it)
- No merece la pena que vengas (it is not worth your while coming)
Hecho una pena^* (in a sorry state/ in a mess)
Pena capital (capital punishment/ death penalty)
Pena de la vida (capital punishment/ death penalty)
Pena de muerte (capital punishment/ death penalty)
Pena del talión (an eye for an eye penalty/ punishment)
Pena pecuniaria (fine)
Qué pena (what a shame)
Sin pena ni gloria (uneventfully/ almost unnoticed)
- El día pasó sin pena ni gloria (the day ended quite uneventfully)
So pena de (on penalty of/ under penalty of)
- Está prohibido fumar so pena de despido (smoking is prohibited under penalty of dismissal)
Valer la pena (to be worth it)
- No vale la pena que vengas (it is not worth your while coming)

Notes

*Agreement with the described noun required, e.g.:

El baño estaba hecho una pena (the bathroom was a mess)
La cocina estaba hecha una pena (the kitchen was a mess)

Love-Spanish.com loves the word "pena" in the YouTube clip: MarcAnthony - Valió La Pena

For more on the word "pena", visit: Wordreference.com/es/en/ Pena

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

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Thursday 28th Of April 2016

2016-04-28T09:36:00.000+01:00

SCENARIO

Imagine that today, a relative, a friend or a work colleague asks you: "what is today's date?"

In Spanish, the other person could say:

¿Qué día es hoy?

Hoy es:

The question is an invitation for you to say today's date.

A quick look at your diary confirms that today is: Thursday the 28th of April 2016. You could give today's date in Spanish by saying:

Hoy es jueves veintiocho de abril de dos mil dieciséis

Notes:

Today is = Hoy es
Thursday = jueves
The 28th = veintiocho
Of April = de abril
2016 = de dos mil dieciséis
In Spanish, we just say "28", instead of "the 28th"
In Spanish we literally say: "of 2016"
In Spanish we don't capitalise day of the week names, for example: jueves
In Spanish we don't capitalise month names, for example: abril

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Tell Me, Who Was Likely To Ask For Help?

2016-04-22T10:17:00.000+01:00

Introduction

Verbo: Pedir

Tipo: irregular

Modo: subjunctive

Tiempo: pretérito imperfecto (imperfect tense)

This post is about verb conjugation -the imperfect tense, subjunctive mood of irregular verb pedir.

SCENARIO

Imagine you are talking to a relative, a friend or a colleague. You are in the middle of a general conversation. Appearing to have understood that someone you both know was likely to have a problem and ask for help, the other person says to you: "tell me, who was likely to ask for help?"

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and say:

Dime, ¿quién era probable que pidiera ayuda?

On the other hand, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:

Dígame, ¿quién era probable que pidiera ayuda?

OUR TIP

Making a sentence which answers that question should be straightforward, but remember:

Make sure that you conjugate your verb correctly
Choose between formal or familiar options to suit the occasion -see examples below.

Typical answers could be:

Era probable que yo pidiera^* ayuda (it was likely I asked for help)
Era probable que tú pidieras^* ayuda, ¿no? (it was likely you -familiar asked for help, wasn't it?)
Era probable que usted pidiera^* ayuda, ¿no? (it was likely you -formal asked for help, wasn't it?)
Era probable que Pedro pidiera^* ayuda (it was likely Pedro asked for help)
Era probable que María pidiera^* ayuda (it was likely Maria asked for help)
Era probable que Pedro y yo pidiéramos^* ayuda (it was likely Pedro and I asked for help)
Era probable que vosotros pidierais^* ayuda, ¿no? (it was likely you people -familiar/ plural asked for help, wasn't it?)
Era probable que ustedes pidieran^* ayuda, ¿no? (it was likely you people -formal/ plural asked for help, wasn't it?)
Era probable que Pedro y María pidieran^* ayuda (it was likely Pedro and María asked for help)

Now you should practise replying to someone who says to you:

Dime, ¿quién era probable que pidiera ayuda?

*Please see grammar topic below, Verbs

Verbs

A verb is a 'doing' word which conveys:

What action takes place in a sentence
Who does that action
When that action occurs.

Irregular Verbs

Verb: pedir

The Spanish verb pedir is irregular^* in some tenses, as shown in the table below:

Tense	Mood	Regular	Irregular
Present	Indicative		✓
Imperfect	Indicative	✓
Preterite	Indicative		✓
Future	Indicative	✓
Conditional	Indicative	✓
Perfect	Indicative	✓
Pluperfect	Indicative	✓
Future Perfect	Indicative	✓
Conditional Perfect	Indicative	✓
Present	Subjunctive		✓
Imperfect	Subjunctive		✓
Perfect	Subjunctive	✓
Pluperfect	Subjunctive	✓

* NB:

Conjugate tenses in the regular column the same as other regular verbs ending in -er
The imperfect tense conjugation/ subjunctive mood is shown below

Subjunctive Mood/ Imperfect Tense - Conjugation

Verb: pedir

Subject		PEDIR (TO ASK FOR)
I	Yo	PIDIERA o PIDIESE
You	Tú	PIDIERAS o PIDIESES
You	Usted^*	PIDIERA o PIDIESE
He	Él
She	Ella
We	Nosotros	PIDIÉRAMOS o PIDIÉSEMOS
You	Vosotros**	PIDIERAIS o PIDIESEIS
You	Ustedes***	PIDIERAN o PIDIESEN
They	Ellos
They	Ellas

*NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you'

**NB 'You' plural

*** NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you' plural

Verb Conjugation Notes

Who does the action
When the action takes place
The mood/ attitude of the speaker towards the action

Subjunctive Mood

The use of subjunctive mood is disappearing English. Nowadays is often viewed as an old and unfashionable form of the language.

Indicative mood (“Peter eats an apple”).- Indicative mood is commonly used to make statements of facts or positive beliefs such as this one. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes above), the speaker makes a clear and unambiguous statement of a fact (Peter eats an apple).
Subjunctive mood (“Peter would eat an apple if he were hungry”).- In contrast with indicative mood, subjunctive mood is commonly used to make statements indicating hypothetical or non-fact actions. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes), in this case the speaker sees the action of eating an apple as something hypothetical, something which may or may not happen (Peter would eat an apple... if he were hungry).

Verb Tenses

Verb tenses relate to setting the time period (when) during which the action of the verb takes place. Basic times (periods) for Spanish verb actions are:

The past (before now)
The present (now)
The future (after now)

Now you should practise the use of the imperfect tense of the irregular verb pedir with some examples of your own.

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Tell Me, Who Is Likely To Ask For Help?

2016-04-12T10:00:00.000+01:00

Introduction

Verbo: Pedir

Tipo: irregular

Modo: subjuntivo

Tiempo: presente (presesnt tense)

This post is about verb conjugation -the present tense, subjunctive mood of irregular verb pedir.

SCENARIO

Imagine you are talking to a relative, a friend or a colleague. You are in the middle of a general conversation. Appearing to have understood that someone you both know is likely to come across a problem and will ask for help, the other person says to you: "tell me, who is likely to ask for help?"

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and say:

Dime, ¿quién es probable que pida ayuda?

On the other hand, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:

Dígame, ¿quién es probable que pida ayuda?

OUR TIP

Making a sentence which answers that question should be straightforward, but remember:

Make sure that you conjugate your verb correctly
Choose between formal or familiar options to suit the occasion -see examples below.

Typical answers could be:

Es probable que yo pida^* ayuda (it is likely I will ask for help)
Es probable que tú pidas^* ayuda, ¿no? (it is likely you -familiar will ask for help, isn't it?)
Es probable que usted pida^* ayuda, ¿no? (it is likely you -formal will ask for help, isn't it?)
Es probable que Pedro pida^* ayuda (it is likely Pedro will ask for help)
Es probable que María pida^* ayuda (it is likely Maria will ask for help)
Es probable que Pedro y yo pidamos^* ayuda (it is likely Pedro and I will ask for help)
Es probable que vosotros pidáis^* ayuda, ¿no? (it is likely you people -familiar/ plural will ask for help, isn't it?)
Es probable que ustedes pidan^* ayuda, ¿no? (it is likely you people -formal/ plural will ask for help, isn't it?)
Es probable que Pedro y María pidan^* ayuda (it is likely Pedro and María will ask for help)

Now you should practise replying to someone who says to you:

Dime, ¿quién es probable que pida ayuda?

*Please see grammar topic below, Verbs

Verbs

A verb is a 'doing' word which conveys:

What action takes place in a sentence
Who does that action
When that action occurs.

Irregular Verbs

Verb: pedir

The Spanish verb pedir is irregular^* in some tenses, as shown in the table below:

Tense	Mood	Regular	Irregular
Present	Indicative		✓
Imperfect	Indicative	✓
Preterite	Indicative		✓
Future	Indicative	✓
Conditional	Indicative	✓
Perfect	Indicative	✓
Pluperfect	Indicative	✓
Future Perfect	Indicative	✓
Conditional Perfect	Indicative	✓
Present	Subjunctive		✓
Imperfect	Subjunctive		✓
Perfect	Subjunctive	✓
Pluperfect	Subjunctive	✓

* NB:

Conjugate tenses in the regular column the same as other regular verbs ending in -er
The present tense conjugation/ subjunctive mood is shown below

Subjunctive Mood/ Present Tense - Conjugation

Verb: pedir

Subject		PEDIR (TO ASK FOR)
I	Yo	PIDA
You	Tú	PIDAS
You	Usted^*	PIDA
He	Él
She	Ella
We	Nosotros	PIDAMOS
You	Vosotros**	PIDÁIS
You	Ustedes***	PIDAN
They	Ellos
They	Ellas

*NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you'

**NB 'You' plural

*** NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you' plural

Verb Conjugation Notes

Who does the action
When the action takes place
The mood/ attitude of the speaker towards the action

Subjunctive Mood

The use of subjunctive mood is disappearing English. Nowadays is often viewed as an old and unfashionable form of the language.

Indicative mood (“Peter eats an apple”).- Indicative mood is commonly used to make statements of facts or positive beliefs such as this one. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes above), the speaker makes a clear and unambiguous statement of a fact (Peter eats an apple).
Subjunctive mood (“Peter would eat an apple if he were hungry”).- In contrast with indicative mood, subjunctive mood is commonly used to make statements indicating hypothetical or non-fact actions. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes), in this case the speaker sees the action of eating an apple as something hypothetical, something which may or may not happen (Peter would eat an apple... if he were hungry).

Verb Tenses

Verb tenses relate to setting the time period (when) during which the action of the verb takes place. Basic times (periods) for Spanish verb actions are:

The past (before now)
The present (now)
The future (after now)

Now you should practise the use of the present tense of the irregular verb pedir with some examples of your own.

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Madeja

2016-04-11T01:00:00.000+01:00

Today's word is: Madeja

Clase: sustantivo (noun)

Género: femenino (feminine)

Origen: latín (Latin)

Related words

la madeja	noun	the skein the head of hair the mane
el enmadejado	noun	the winding
desmadejado desmadejada desmadejados desmadejadas	adjective	unravelled tired weakened
enmadejado enmadejada enmadejados enmadejadas	adjective	wound
desmadejar(se)	verb	to unravel to become weak to faint
enmadejar^*	verb	to wind into skeins

In Spanish, “madeja” is a feminine noun of Latin origin which means skein. A typical example of the use of the word “madeja” in this context is:

Una madeja de lana (a skein of wool)

The Spanish noun “madeja” also means mane or head of hair. A typical example of the use of the word “madeja” in this context is:

¡Menuda madeja de pelo tiene tu amigo! (what a head of hair your friend has!)

A related word is “desmadejado”, a describing word/ adjective meaning unravelled, tired or weak. A typical example of the use of the word “desmadejado” as a describing word/ adjective is:

Quizás se nos vea desmadejados (maybe we look of tired/ weak)

Also a related word is “enmadejado”, which could be:

A noun meaning winding. A typical example of the use of the word “enmadejado” as a noun is:
- El enmadejado de la seda (silk throwing/ silk reeling)
A describing word/ adjective meaning wound. A typical example of the use of the word “enmadejado” as a describing word/ adjective is:
- Lana enmadejada (wool wound into skeins)

The action word/ verb “desmadejar”/ “desmadejarse” is a related word meaning to unravel, to become weak or even to faint. A typical example of the use of this verb could be:

El levantamiento se desmadejó enseguida (the uprising unravelled very quickly)

The action word/ verb “enmadejar” is a related word meaning to wind into skeins. A typical example of the use of the word “enmadejar” in this context is:

Deberías enmadejar la lana (you ought to wind the wool into a skein)

Spanish expressions with the word “madeja” are:

Enredar la madeja (to complicate things)
- Deja de enredar la madeja (stop complicating things)
Enredarse la madeja (things get complicated/ twisted)
- Fue entonces cuando se enredó la madeja (it was then that things began to get complicated)
Madeja sin cuenta (hopeless mess/ tremendous confusion/ tremendous tangle)
- Eso es una madeja sin cuenta (that is a hopeless mess/ a tremendous confusion/ a tremendous tangle)

Notes

*In Bolivia, Chile and México “aspar” is used with the same meaning.

Love-Spanish.com loves the word "madeja" in the YouTube clip: La Madeja - La Vela Puerca

For more on the word "madeja", visit: Wordreference.com/es/en/ Madeja

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

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Etiqueta

2016-04-01T01:00:00.000+01:00

Today's word is: Etiqueta

Clase: sustantivo (noun)

Género: femenino (feminine)

Origen: francés (French)

Related words

la etiqueta	noun	the etiquette
la etiqueta	noun	the label/ tag
el etiquetado	noun	the labelling
etiquetado etiquetada etiquetados etiquetadas	adjective	labelled
etiquetar	verb	to label

In Spanish, “etiqueta” is a feminine noun of French origin which means etiquette. A typical example of the use of the word “etiqueta” in this context is:

Normas de etiqueta (etiquette rules)

The Spanish noun “etiqueta” also means label or tag. A typical example of the use of the word “etiqueta” in this context is:

Antes de lavar la prenda leer la etiqueta (before washing the garment read the label)

The action word/ verb “etiquetar” is a related word meaning to label or to classify. A typical example of the use of the word “etiquetar” in this context is:

El fabricante debería etiquetar mejor ese producto (the manufacturer ought to label that product better)

Also a related word is “etiquetado”, which could be:

A noun meaning labelling. A typical example of the use of the word “etiquetado” as a noun is:
- Se fomenta el etiquetado correcto de los alimentos (proper labelling of food products is encouraged)
A describing word/ adjective meaning labelled. A typical example of the use of the word “etiquetado” as a describing word/ adjective is:
- Es preferible adquirir productos etiquetados correctamente (it is better to buy products properly labelled)
- Esa fruta está mal etiquetada (that fruit is labelled incorrectly/ badly)

Spanish expressions with the word “etiqueta” are:

De etiqueta (good manners/ etiquette)
- Marcharse sin despedirse no es de etiqueta (it is not good manners/ etiquette to leave without saying goodbye)
De etiqueta (formal event/ formal dress code)
- Pedro va de etiqueta (Pedro is formally dressed)
- Un evento de etiqueta (a formal event)
Estar de etiqueta^* (a more distant relationship)
- Pedro y Antonio están de etiqueta (Pedro and Antonio's relationship has become a lot more distant)
Ir de etiqueta (to wear formal clothes/ evening wear/ formal wear)
Media etiqueta (less formal dress code)
Ropa de etiqueta (formal clothes/ evening wear/ formal wear)
Traje de etiqueta (formal attire/ suit)
Vestido de etiqueta (formal attire)

Notes

* The expression refers to the relationship between two people who were originally quite close, but whose relationship has cooled down significantly.

Love-Spanish.com loves the word "etiqueta" in the YouTube clip: Amor de etiqueta la caro band

For more on the word "etiqueta", visit: Wordreference.com/es/en/ Etiqueta

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

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

2016-03-18T01:00:00.000+00:00

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 llueve, vamos a la playa (if it doesn't rain, we are going to the beach)
Si no lloviera, iríamos a la playa (if it didn't rain, we would go to the beach)
Si no hubiera llovido, habríamos 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'
A 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 vayas, si 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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Mitad

2016-03-15T23:40:00.000+00:00

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

See more on the word “medio” and more on the word “media”

** “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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Tell Me, Is “éter” Masculine?

2016-03-14T01:00:00.000+00:00

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 sé 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:

1. Nouns ending in -o

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)

2. Nouns ending in -a.

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)

3. Nouns ending in -aje.

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)

4. Nouns ending in -dad.

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)

5. Nouns ending in -ión.

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)

6. Nouns ending in -tad.

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)

7. Nouns ending in -tud/ ud.

Spanish nouns ending in -tud/ ud are usually feminine. Some examples of feminine nouns ending in -tud/ ud 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)

8. Nouns ending in -umbre.

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)

9. Nouns ending in -e.

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)

Caution: there also masculine nouns ending in -e, e.g.:

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

10. Nouns ending in -er*.

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.

11. Nouns ending in -or.

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”.

12. Nouns ending in -triz.

Spanish nouns which end in -triz* are 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 actor, emperador, director, motor, etc..

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

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Tell Me, Who Asked For Help?

2016-03-08T01:00:00.000+00:00

Introduction

Verbo: Pedir

Tipo: irregular

Modo: indicativo

Tiempo: pretérito perfecto simple (preterite tense)

This post is about verb conjugation -the preterite tense, indicative mood of irregular verb pedir.

SCENARIO

Imagine you are talking to a relative, a friend or a colleague. You are in the middle of a general conversation. Appearing to have understood that someone you both know had a problem in the past and asked for help, the other person says to you: "tell me, who asked for help?"

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and say:

Dime, ¿quién pidió ayuda?

On the other hand, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:

Dígame, ¿quién pidió ayuda?

OUR TIP

Making a sentence which answers that question should be straightforward, but remember:

Make sure that you conjugate your verb correctly
Choose between formal or familiar options to suit the occasion -see examples below.

Typical answers could be:

Yo pedí^* ayuda (I asked for help)
Tú pediste^* ayuda, ¿no? (you -familiar asked for help, didn't you?)
Usted pidió^* ayuda, ¿no? (you -formal asked for help, didn't you?)
Pedro pidió^* ayuda (Pedro asked for help)
María pidió^* ayuda (Maria asked for help)
Pedro y yo pedimos^* ayuda (Pedro and I asked for help)
Vosotros pedisteis^* ayuda, ¿no? (you people -familiar/ plural asked for help, didn't you?)
Ustedes pidieron^* ayuda, ¿no? (you people -formal/ plural asked for help, didn't you?)
Pedro y María pidieron^* ayuda (Pedro and María asked for help)

Now you should practise replying to someone who says to you:

Dime, ¿quién pidió ayuda?

*Please see grammar topic below, Verbs

Verbs

A verb is a 'doing' word which conveys:

What action takes place in a sentence
Who does that action
When that action occurs.

Irregular Verbs

Verb: pedir

The Spanish verb pedir is irregular^* in some tenses, as shown in the table below:

Tense	Mood	Regular	Irregular
Present	Indicative		✓
Imperfect	Indicative	✓
Preterite	Indicative		✓
Future	Indicative	✓
Conditional	Indicative	✓
Perfect	Indicative	✓
Pluperfect	Indicative	✓
Future Perfect	Indicative	✓
Conditional Perfect	Indicative	✓
Present	Subjunctive		✓
Imperfect	Subjunctive		✓
Perfect	Subjunctive	✓
Pluperfect	Subjunctive	✓

* NB:

Conjugate tenses in the regular column the same as other regular verbs ending in -er
The preterite tense conjugation/ indicative mood is shown below

Indicative Mood/ preterite Tense - Conjugation

Verb: pedir

Subject		PEDIR (TO ASK FOR)
I	Yo	PEDÍ
You	Tú	PEDISTE
You	Usted^*	PIDIÓ
He	Él
She	Ella
We	Nosotros	PEDIMOS
You	Vosotros**	PEDISTEIS
You	Ustedes***	PIDIERON
They	Ellos
They	Ellas

*NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you'

**NB 'You' plural

*** NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you' plural

Verb Conjugation Notes

Who does the action
When the action takes place
The mood/ attitude of the speaker towards the action

Subjunctive Mood

The use of subjunctive mood is disappearing English. Nowadays is often viewed as an old and unfashionable form of the language.

Indicative mood (“Peter eats an apple”).- Indicative mood is commonly used to make statements of facts or positive beliefs such as this one. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes above), the speaker makes a clear and unambiguous statement of a fact (Peter eats an apple).
Subjunctive mood (“Peter would eat an apple if he were hungry”).- In contrast with indicative mood, subjunctive mood is commonly used to make statements indicating hypothetical or non-fact actions. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes), in this case the speaker sees the action of eating an apple as something hypothetical, something which may or may not happen (Peter would eat an apple... if he were hungry).

Verb Tenses

Verb tenses relate to setting the time period (when) during which the action of the verb takes place. Basic times (periods) for Spanish verb actions are:

The past (before now)
The present (now)
The future (after now)

Now you should practise the use of the preterite tense of the irregular verb pedir with some examples of your own.

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Luz

2016-03-04T01:00:00.000+00:00

Today's word is: Luz

Clase: sustantivo (noun)

Género: femenino (feminine)

Origen: latín (Latin)

In Spanish, “luz”* is a feminine noun of Latin origin which means light. A typical example of the use of the word “luz” is:

Hágase la luz (let there be light)
Apaga la luz (turn the light off)

The noun “luz” is often used to refer to electrical power or electricity. A typical example of the use of the word “luz” is:

Nos hemos quedado sin luz (we have lost electrical power/ electricity)

The action word/ verb “lucir” is a related word meaning to shine, to exhibit or to wear. A typical example of the use of the word “lucir” is:

Ana lucía pendientes de oro (Ana was wearing gold ear rings)

Spanish expressions with the word “luz” are:

Año luz (light year)
- Estamos a años luz de nuestra meta (we are light years away from our goal/ target)
A media luz (in dim light/ lights dimmed)
- Cenamos a media luz y con música suave de fondo (we had dinner with lights dimmed and a soft background music)
A plena luz del día (in broad daylight)
- Entran a robar en una casa a plena luz del día
A primera luz (at first light/ dawn/ daybreak)
- Saldremos a primera luz (we'll leave at first light)
A todas luces (clearly/ obviously/ evidently)
- Lo que dices es a todas luces incorrecto (what you are saying is clearly/ undisputedly wrong)
Bajo la luz de la luna (in the moonlight)
- Caminamos bajo la luz de la luna (we walked by moonlight)
Bajo la luz de las estrellas (by starlight)
- Caminamos bajo la luz de las estrellas (we walked by starlight)
Baño de luz (highlights -hair treatment)
Bichito de luz (glow worm/ firefly/ lightning bug)
Bicho de luz (glow worm/ firefly/ lightning bug)
Cono de luz (light cone)
Con luz y taquígrafos (openly/ with total transparency/ not hiding anything)
- Gobernar con luz y taquígrafos (to govern with total transparency)
Con luces y taquígrafos (openly/ with total transparency/ not hiding anything)
- Gobernar con luces y taquígrafos (to govern with total transparency)
Crespa de luz (light beam)
Dar a luz (to give birth)
- Ana dio a luz ayer (Ana gave birth yesterday)
Dar luces (to flash the lights)
- El vehículo que nos seguía comenzó a darnos luces (the vehicle behind me started flashing his lights at us)
Dar luz (to give/ to emit light/ to let light through)
- Esa bombilla apenas da luz (that bulb hardly gives any light)
- Esa ventana da mucha luz (that window lets in lots of light)
Dar luz verde (to give the go ahead)
- Por fin han dado luz verde a ese proyecto (at last they have given the go ahead to that project)
Entre dos luces (at dawn/ at dusk)
Estar entre dos luces (to be a bit drunk -colloquially)
Fuente de luz (light source)
Fuente primaria de luz (primary light source)
Fuente secundaria de luz (secondary light source)
Gusano de luz (glow worm/ firefly/ lightning bug)
Haz de luz (light beam/ beam of light)
Irse la luz (to have a power outage/ the lights go out)
- Ayer se nos fue la luz (yesterday we had a power outage/ the lights went out)
Luz blanca (white light)
Luz corta (dipped beam -vehicle)
Luz de Bengala (Bengal light/ flare)
Luz de carretera (full beam -vehicle)
Luz de cruce (dipped beam -vehicle)
Luz de freno (brake lights -vehicle)
Luz directa (direct light)
Luz dura (hard light)
Luz larga (full beam -vehicle)
Luz mala (fatuous fire/ Will o' the Wisp)
Luz natural (natural light/ sunlight)
Luz negra (black light/ ultraviolet light -UVA)
Luz primaria (light from a primary light source)
Luz refleja (light from a secondary light source)
Luz secundaria (light from a secondary light source)
Luz solar (sunlight)
Luz suave (soft light)
Luz ultravioleta (ultraviolet light)
Luz verde (green light)
Luces cortas (dipped beam -vehicle)
Luces de avería (hazard warning lights -vehicle)
Luces de emergencia (hazard warning lights -vehicle)
Luces de carretera (full beam -vehicle)
Luces de cruce (dipped beam -vehicle)
Luces de freno (brake lights -vehicle)
Luces largas (full beam -vehicle)
Mesa de luz (bedside table)
Poste de luz (lamp post)
Rayo de luz (ray of light)
Sacar a luz (to give birth/ to publish/ to make public a work)
- Ese autor sacó a luz su primera obra hace ya casi 20 años (that author published his first work more that 20 years ago)
Sacar a la luz (to give birth/ to publish/ to make public a work)
- Ese autor sacó a la luz su primera obra hace ya casi 20 años (that author published his first work more that 20 years ago)
Traje de luces (suit/ costume worn by matadors & bullfighting teams/ crew)
Tubo de luz (light tube)
Tubo de luz fría (fluorescent light tube -Cuba)
Velocidad de la luz (speed of light)
Ver la luz (to see the light/ to be born/ to be published)
- La primera obra de ese autor vio la luz hace ya casi 20 años (that author's first work was published more that 20 years ago)

Notes

*The plural of “luz” → “luces”. See more on the plural of nouns ending in -z .

Love-Spanish.com loves the word "luz" in the YouTube clip: Julio Iglesias - A Media Luz

For more on the word "luz", visit: Wordreference.com/es/en Luz

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

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Tell Me, Who Is Asking For Help?

2016-03-03T01:00:00.000+00:00

Introduction

Verbo: Pedir

Tipo: irregular

Modo: indicativo

Tiempo: presente (present tense)

This post is about verb conjugation -the present tense, indicative mood of irregular verb pedir.

SCENARIO

Imagine you are talking to a relative, a friend or a colleague. You are in the middle of a general conversation. Appearing to have understood that someone you both know has a problem and is asking for help, the other person says to you: "tell me, who is asking for help?"

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and say:

Dime, ¿quién pide ayuda?

On the other hand, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:

Dígame, ¿quién pide ayuda?

OUR TIP

Making a sentence which answers that question should be straightforward, but remember:

Make sure that you conjugate your verb correctly
Choose between formal or familiar options to suit the occasion -see examples below.

Typical answers could be:

Yo pido^* ayuda (I am asking for help)
Tú pides^* ayuda, ¿no? (you -familiar are asking for help, aren't you?)
Usted pide^* ayuda, ¿no? (you -formal are asking for help, aren't you?)
Pedro pide^* ayuda (Pedro is asking for help)
María pide^* ayuda (Maria is asking for help)
Pedro y yo pedimos^* ayuda (Pedro and I are asking for help)
Vosotros pedís^* ayuda, ¿no? (you people -familiar/ plural are asking for help, aren't you?)
Ustedes piden^* ayuda, ¿no? (you people -formal/ plural are asking for help, aren't you?)
Pedro y María piden^* ayuda (Pedro and María are asking for help)

Now you should practise replying to someone who says to you:

Dime, ¿quién pide ayuda?

*Please see grammar topic below, Verbs

Verbs

A verb is a 'doing' word which conveys:

What action takes place in a sentence
Who does that action
When that action occurs.

Irregular Verbs

Verb: pedir

The Spanish verb pedir is irregular^* in some tenses, as shown in the table below:

Tense	Mood	Regular	Irregular
Present	Indicative		✓
Imperfect	Indicative	✓
Preterite	Indicative		✓
Future	Indicative	✓
Conditional	Indicative	✓
Perfect	Indicative	✓
Pluperfect	Indicative	✓
Future Perfect	Indicative	✓
Conditional Perfect	Indicative	✓
Present	Subjunctive		✓
Imperfect	Subjunctive		✓
Perfect	Subjunctive	✓
Pluperfect	Subjunctive	✓

* NB:

Conjugate tenses in the regular column the same as other regular verbs ending in -er
The present tense conjugation/ indicative mood is shown below

Indicative Mood/ Present Tense - Conjugation

Verb: pedir

Subject		PEDIR (TO ASK FOR)
I	Yo	PIDO
You	Tú	PIDES
You	Usted^*	PIDE
He	Él
She	Ella
We	Nosotros	PEDIMOS
You	Vosotros**	PEDÍS
You	Ustedes***	PIDEN
They	Ellos
They	Ellas

*NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you'

**NB 'You' plural

*** NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you' plural

Verb Conjugation Notes

Who does the action
When the action takes place
The mood/ attitude of the speaker towards the action

Subjunctive Mood

The use of subjunctive mood is disappearing English. Nowadays is often viewed as an old and unfashionable form of the language.

Indicative mood (“Peter eats an apple”).- Indicative mood is commonly used to make statements of facts or positive beliefs such as this one. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes above), the speaker makes a clear and unambiguous statement of a fact (Peter eats an apple).
Subjunctive mood (“Peter would eat an apple if he were hungry”).- In contrast with indicative mood, subjunctive mood is commonly used to make statements indicating hypothetical or non-fact actions. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes), in this case the speaker sees the action of eating an apple as something hypothetical, something which may or may not happen (Peter would eat an apple... if he were hungry).

Verb Tenses

Verb tenses relate to setting the time period (when) during which the action of the verb takes place. Basic times (periods) for Spanish verb actions are:

The past (before now)
The present (now)
The future (after now)

Now you should practise the use of the present tense of the irregular verb pedir with some examples of your own.

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Cuneta

2016-02-26T12:40:00.000+00:00

Today's word is: Cuneta

Clase: sustantivo (noun)

Género: femenino (feminine)

Origen: italiano (Italian)

In Spanish, “cuneta” is a feminine noun of Italian origin which means ditch, kerb or curb. A typical example of the use of the word “cuneta” is:

Perdí el control del vehículo y fui a parar a la cuneta (I lost control of the vehicle and ended up in the ditch)

Love-Spanish.com loves the word "cuneta" in the YouTube clip: La Cuneta son Machin - Entre Ritmos y Palmeras

For more on the word "cuneta", visit: Wordreference.com/es/en/ Cuneta

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

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Carretera

2016-02-19T01:00:00.000+00:00

Today's word is: Carretera

Clase: sustantivo (noun)

Género: femenino (feminine)

Origen: latín (Latin)

In Spanish, “carretera” is a feminine noun of Latin origin which means road or highway. A typical example of the use of the word “carretera” is:

Esa carretera tiene muchas curvas (that road has lots of bends)

In Spanish, the noun “carretero”^* is a related word meaning a male cartwright. A typical example of the use of the word “carretero” is:

Pedro es carretero (Pedro is a cartwright)

Spanish expressions with the word “carretera” or related words are:

Asistencia en carretera (roadside/ breakdown assistance)
Bicicleta de carretera (road bike -pedal bike)
Carretera afirmada (unpaved compacted dirt road/gravel road)
Carretera asfaltada (paved road/ tarmac road)
Carretera con peajes (toll road)
Carretera de aceso (access road)
Carretera de aceso limitado (restricted/ limited access road)
Carretera de peaje (toll road)
Carretera de cuota (toll road -Latin America)
Carretera en obras (road under construction/ maintenance -roadworks)
Carretera forestal (forestry road/ track)
Carretera general (main road -long distance/ interstate)
Carretera nacional (main road -long distance/ interstate)
Carretera comarcal (secondary road)
Carretera con muchas curvas (winding road – a road with lots of bends)
Carretera cortada (closed road)
Carretera cortada por obras (closed road due to roadworks)
Carretera de circunvalación (ring road)
Carretera local (local road)
Carretera secundaria (secondary road)
Carretera sin afirmar (unpaved uncompacted dirt road)
Carretera sin asfaltar (unpaved road/ dirt road)
Carretera y manta (leave immediately/ just leave! -see notes below^**)
Ciclismo de carretera (road cycle racing -sport)
Ciclismo en carretera (road cycle racing -sport)
Cruce de carretera (crossroads/ road junction)
Fumar como un carretero (to chain smoke/ smoke like a chimney)
Hablar como un carretero (to use a coarse language/ to talk like a sailor***)
Jurar como un carretero (to use a coarse language/ to talk like a sailor***)
Luz de carretera (headlights -full beam)
Moto de carretera (road bike -motorbike)
Salirse de la carretera (to come/ go off the road)
Tramo de carretera (stretch of road)
- Algunos tramos de esa carretera están en muy mal estado (some stretches of that road are in a really poor state)
Transporte por carretera (road freight/ road haulage/ road transport)

Notes

*The feminine form of this noun, i.e.: “carretera” should be used when referring to a female cartwright.

The noun “carretero” is often used to refer to an uncouth or foul mouthed person -see expressions above***.

** As a typical use of this expression, imagine you want to summarily dismiss or eject someone from somewhere. Basically, you want to tell the person in question to gather his/ her belongings and just leave. In Spanish, you could say: recoge tus bártulos y carretera y manta.

Love-Spanish.com loves the word "carretera" in the YouTube clip: Julio Iglesias - La Carretera - "HQ"

For more on the word "carretera", visit: Wordreference.com/es/en/ Ccarretera

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

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Tell Me, In All Likelihood Who Would Have Set The Table?

2016-02-17T10:00:00.000+00:00

Introduction

Verbo: Poner

Tipo: irregular

Modo: subjuntivo

Tiempo: pretérito pluscuamperfecto (pluperfect tense)

This post is about verb conjugation -the pluperfect tense, subjunctive mood of irregular verb poner.

SCENARIO

Imagine you are talking to relatives, friends or colleagues. You are talking about what happened at a recent group meal. This was a gathering like others which take place on a regular basis at someone's house. Preparing the food, setting the table, etcetera, is something you usually take turns doing. However, something unforeseen occurred this time. All went well in the end, but someone who isn't familiar with what happened says to you: "tell me, in all likelihood who would have set the table?"

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and say:

Dime, ¿quién era más probable que hubiera puesto la mesa?

On the other hand, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:

Dígame, ¿quién era más probable que hubiera puesto la mesa?

OUR TIP

Making a sentence which answers that question should be straightforward, but remember:

Make sure that you conjugate your verb correctly
Choose between formal or familiar options to suit the occasion -see examples below.

Typical answers could be:

Lo más probable era que yo hubiera puesto^* la mesa (in all likelihood I would have set the table)
Lo más probable era que tú hubieras puesto^* la mesa, ¿no? (in all likelihood you -familiar would have set the table, wouldn't you?)
Lo más probable era que usted hubiera puesto^* la mesa, ¿no? (in all likelihood you -formal would have set the table, wouldn't you?)
Lo más probable era que Pedro hubiera puesto^* la mesa (in all likelihood Pedro would have set the table)
Lo más probable era que María hubiera puesto^* la mesa (in all likelihood Maria would have set the table)
Lo más probable era que Pedro y yo hubiéramos puesto^* la mesa (in all likelihood Pedro and I would have set the table)
Lo más probable era que vosotros hubierais puesto^* la mesa, ¿no? (in all likelihood you people -familiar/ plural would have set the table, wouldn't you?)
Lo más probable era que ustedes hubieran puesto^* la mesa, ¿no? (in all likelihood you people -formal/ plural would have set the table, wouldn't you?)
Lo más probable era que Pedro y María hubieran puesto^* la mesa (in all likelihood Pedro and María would have set the table)

Now you should practise replying to someone who says to you:

Dime, ¿quién era más probable que hubiera puesto la mesa?

*Please see grammar topic below, Verbs

Verbs

A verb is a 'doing' word which conveys:

What action takes place in a sentence
Who does that action
When that action occurs.

Irregular Verbs

Verb: poner

The Spanish verb poner is irregular^* in some tenses, as shown in the table below:

Tense	Mood	Regular	Irregular
Present	Indicative		✓
Imperfect	Indicative	✓
Preterite	Indicative		✓
Future	Indicative		✓
Conditional	Indicative		✓
Perfect	Indicative		✓
Pluperfect	Indicative		✓
Future Perfect	Indicative		✓
Conditional Perfect	Indicative		✓
Present	Subjunctive		✓
Imperfect	Subjunctive		✓
Perfect	Subjunctive		✓
Pluperfect	Subjunctive		✓

* NB:

Conjugate tenses in the regular column the same as other regular verbs ending in -er
The pluperfect tense conjugation/ subjunctive mood is shown below

Subjunctive Mood/ Pluperfect Tense - Conjugation

Verb: poner

Subject		PONER (TO PUT)
I	Yo	HUBIERA o HUBIESE PUESTO
You	Tú	HUBIERAS o HUBIESES PUESTO
You	Usted^*	HUBIERA o HUBIESE PUESTO
He	Él
She	Ella
We	Nosotros	HUBIÉRAMOS o HUBIÉSEMOS PUESTO
You	Vosotros**	HUBIERAIS o HUBIESEIS PUESTO
You	Ustedes***	HUBIERAN o HUBIESEN PUESTO
They	Ellos
They	Ellas

*NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you'

**NB 'You' plural

*** NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you' plural

Verb Conjugation Notes

Who does the action
When the action takes place
The mood/ attitude of the speaker towards the action

Subjunctive Mood

The use of subjunctive mood is disappearing English. Nowadays is often viewed as an old and unfashionable form of the language.

Indicative mood (“Peter eats an apple”).- Indicative mood is commonly used to make statements of facts or positive beliefs such as this one. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes above), the speaker makes a clear and unambiguous statement of a fact (Peter eats an apple).
Subjunctive mood (“Peter would eat an apple if he were hungry”).- In contrast with indicative mood, subjunctive mood is commonly used to make statements indicating hypothetical or non-fact actions. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes), in this case the speaker sees the action of eating an apple as something hypothetical, something which may or may not happen (Peter would eat an apple... if he were hungry).

Verb Tenses

Verb tenses relate to setting the time period (when) during which the action of the verb takes place. Basic times (periods) for Spanish verb actions are:

The past (before now)
The present (now)
The future (after now)

Now you should practise the use of the pluperfect tense of the irregular verb poner with some examples of your own.

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Tell Me, Who Was Most Likely To Set The Table?

2016-02-12T01:00:00.000+00:00

Introduction

Verbo: Poner

Tipo: irregular

Modo: subjuntivo

Tiempo: pretérito imperfecto (imperfect tense)

This post is about verb conjugation -the imperfect tense, subjunctive mood of irregular verb poner.

SCENARIO

Imagine you are talking to relatives, friends or colleagues. You are describing how things used to be at group meals -gatherings which used to take place on a regular basis at someone's house. Speculating about who used to prepare the food, who used to set the table, etcetera, someone says to you: "tell me, who was most likely to set the table?"

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and say:

Dime, ¿quién era más probable que pusiera la mesa?

On the other hand, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:

Dígame, ¿quién era más probable que pusiera la mesa?

OUR TIP

Making a sentence which answers that question should be straightforward, but remember:

Make sure that you conjugate your verb correctly
Choose between formal or familiar options to suit the occasion -see examples below.

Typical answers could be:

Lo más probable era que yo pusiera^* la mesa (it was most likely that I set the table)
Lo más probable era que tú pusieras^* la mesa, ¿no? (it was most likely that you -familiar set the table, wasn't it?)
Lo más probable era que usted pusiera^* la mesa, ¿no? (it was most likely that you -formal set the table, wasn't it?)
Lo más probable era que Pedro pusiera^* la mesa (it was most likely that Pedro set the table)
Lo más probable era que María pusiera^* la mesa (it was most likely that Maria set the table)
Lo más probable era que Pedro y yo pusiéramos^* la mesa (it was most likely that Pedro and I set the table)
Lo más probable era que vosotros pusierais^* la mesa, ¿no? (it was most likely that you people -familiar/ plural set the table, wasn't it?)
Lo más probable era que ustedes pusieran^* la mesa, ¿no? (it was most likely that you people -formal/ plural set the table, wasn't it?)
Lo más probable era que Pedro y María pusieran^* la mesa (it was most likely that Pedro and María set the table)

Now you should practise replying to someone who says to you:

Dime, ¿quién era más probable que pusiera la mesa?

*Please see grammar topic below, Verbs

Verbs

A verb is a 'doing' word which conveys:

What action takes place in a sentence
Who does that action
When that action occurs.

Irregular Verbs

Verb: poner

The Spanish verb poner is irregular^* in some tenses, as shown in the table below:

Tense	Mood	Regular	Irregular
Present	Indicative		✓
Imperfect	Indicative	✓
Preterite	Indicative		✓
Future	Indicative		✓
Conditional	Indicative		✓
Perfect	Indicative		✓
Pluperfect	Indicative		✓
Future Perfect	Indicative		✓
Conditional Perfect	Indicative		✓
Present	Subjunctive		✓
Imperfect	Subjunctive		✓
Perfect	Subjunctive		✓
Pluperfect	Subjunctive		✓

* NB:

Conjugate tenses in the regular column the same as other regular verbs ending in -er
The imperfect tense conjugation/ subjunctive mood is shown below

Subjunctive Mood/ Imperfect Tense - Conjugation

Verb: poner

Subject		PONER (TO PUT)
I	Yo	PUSIERA o PUSIESE
You	Tú	PUSIERAS o PUSIESES
You	Usted^*	PUSIERA o PUSIESE
He	Él
She	Ella
We	Nosotros	PUSIÉRAMOS o PUSIÉSEMOS
You	Vosotros**	PUSIARAIS o PUSIESEIS
You	Ustedes***	PUSIERAN o PUSIESEN
They	Ellos
They	Ellas

*NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you'

**NB 'You' plural

*** NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you' plural

Verb Conjugation Notes

Who does the action
When the action takes place
The mood/ attitude of the speaker towards the action

Subjunctive Mood

The use of subjunctive mood is disappearing English. Nowadays is often viewed as an old and unfashionable form of the language.

Indicative mood (“Peter eats an apple”).- Indicative mood is commonly used to make statements of facts or positive beliefs such as this one. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes above), the speaker makes a clear and unambiguous statement of a fact (Peter eats an apple).
Subjunctive mood (“Peter would eat an apple if he were hungry”).- In contrast with indicative mood, subjunctive mood is commonly used to make statements indicating hypothetical or non-fact actions. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes), in this case the speaker sees the action of eating an apple as something hypothetical, something which may or may not happen (Peter would eat an apple... if he were hungry).

Verb Tenses

Verb tenses relate to setting the time period (when) during which the action of the verb takes place. Basic times (periods) for Spanish verb actions are:

The past (before now)
The present (now)
The future (after now)

Now you should practise the use of the imperfect tense of the irregular verb poner with some examples of your own.

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Clima

2016-02-11T01:00:00.000+00:00

Today's word is: Clima

Clase: sustantivo (noun)

Género: masculino (masculine)

Origen: latín (Latin)

In Spanish, “clima” is a masculine noun of Latin origin which means climate or weather. Also in a figurative sense, “clima” could mean atmosphere. Typical examples of the use of the word “clima” is:

El clima de esta zona es frío y seco (this region's climate is cold and dry)
Un clima de miedo se extiende por el país (an atmosphere of fear is growing across the country)

Spanish expressions with the word “clima” or related words are:

Cambio climático (climate change)
Clima atlántico (Atlantic climate)
Clima cálido (hot climate)
Clima continental (continental climate)
Clima de desconfianza (mistrust climate/ atmosphere of mistrust)
Clima de entendimiento (climate of understanding)
Clima de inseguridad (atmosphere/ air of insecurity)
Clima de trabajo (work environment/ working environment)
Clima ecuatorial (equatorial climate)
Clima húmedo (wet climate)
Clima oceánico (oceanic climate)
Clima político (political environment)
Clima seco (dry climate)
Clima templado (warm climate)
Clima tropical (tropical climate)

Notes

The table below shows some words related to “clima”:

Word	Type	English Meaning
Climático	Describing word/ adjective	climatic/ clime/ weather
Climatología	Noun	climatology
Climatológico	Describing word/ adjective	climatological
Climatólogo^*	Noun	climatologist

Table 1 – Words Related to “clima”

* The noun “climatólogo” is both masculine and feminine. It could be used to refer to a male climatologist or a female climatologist.

Love-Spanish.com loves the word "clima" in the YouTube clip: Morenito De Fuego - La Del Clima

For more on the word "clima", visit: Wordreference.com/es/en/ Clima

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

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Friday 5th Of February 2016

2016-02-05T01:00:00.000+00:00

SCENARIO

Imagine that today, a relative, a friend or a work colleague asks you: "what is today's date?"

In Spanish, the other person could say:

¿Qué día es hoy?

Hoy es:

The question is an invitation for you to say today's date.

A quick look at your diary confirms that today is: Friday the 5th of February 2016. You could give today's date in Spanish by saying:

Hoy es viernes cinco de febrero de dos mil dieciséis

Notes:

Today is = Hoy es
Friday = viernes
The 5th = cinco
Of February = de febrero
2016 = de dos mil dieciséis
In Spanish, we just say "5", instead of "the 5th"
In Spanish we literally say: "of 2016"
In Spanish we don't capitalise day of the week names, for example: viernes
In Spanish we don't capitalise month names, for example: febrero

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Tell Me, Who Is Most Likely To Have Set The Table

2016-02-02T01:00:00.000+00:00

Introduction

Verbo: Poner

Tipo: irregular

Modo: subjuntivo

Tiempo: pretérito compuesto (perfect tense)

This post is about verb conjugation -the perfect tense, subjunctive mood of irregular verb poner.

SCENARIO

Imagine you are talking to relatives, friends or colleagues. Someone has arrived a bit late for a group meal -a get together which takes place on a regular basis at someone's house. There is some speculation about who will have prepared the food this time, who will have set the table, etcetera and someone says to you: "tell me, who is most likely to have set the table?"

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and say:

Dime, ¿quién es más probable que haya puesto la mesa?

On the other hand, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:

Dígame, ¿quién es más probable que haya puesto la mesa?

OUR TIP

Making a sentence which answers that question should be straightforward, but remember:

Make sure that you conjugate your verb correctly
Choose between formal or familiar options to suit the occasion -see examples below.

Typical answers could be:

Lo más probable es que yo haya puesto^* la mesa (it is most likely that I will have set the table)
Lo más probable es que tú hayas puesto^* la mesa, ¿no? (it is most likely that you -familiar will have set the table, isn't it?)
Lo más probable es que usted haya puesto^* la mesa, ¿no? (it is most likely that you -formal will have set the table, isn't it?)
Lo más probable es que Pedro haya puesto^* la mesa (it is most likely that Pedro will have set the table)
Lo más probable es que María haya puesto^* la mesa (it is most likely that Maria will have set the table)
Lo más probable es que Pedro y yo hayamos puesto^* la mesa (it is most likely that Pedro and I will have set the table)
Lo más probable es que vosotros hayáis puesto^* la mesa, ¿no? (it is most likely that you people -familiar/ plural will have set the table, isn't it?)
Lo más probable es que ustedes hayan puesto^* la mesa, ¿no? (it is most likely that you people -formal/ plural will have set the table, isn't it?)
Lo más probable es que Pedro y María hayan puesto^* la mesa (it is most likely that Pedro and María will have set the table)

Now you should practise replying to someone who says to you:

Dime, ¿quién es más probable que haya puesto la mesa?

*Please see grammar topic below, Verbs

Verbs

A verb is a 'doing' word which conveys:

What action takes place in a sentence
Who does that action
When that action occurs.

Irregular Verbs

Verb: poner

The Spanish verb poner is irregular^* in some tenses, as shown in the table below:

Tense	Mood	Regular	Irregular
Present	Indicative		✓
Imperfect	Indicative	✓
Preterite	Indicative		✓
Future	Indicative		✓
Conditional	Indicative		✓
Perfect	Indicative		✓
Pluperfect	Indicative		✓
Future Perfect	Indicative		✓
Conditional Perfect	Indicative		✓
Present	Subjunctive		✓
Imperfect	Subjunctive		✓
Perfect	Subjunctive		✓
Pluperfect	Subjunctive		✓

* NB:

Conjugate tenses in the regular column the same as other regular verbs ending in -er
The perfect tense conjugation/ subjunctive mood is shown below

Subjunctive Mood/ Perfect Tense - Conjugation

Verb: poner

Subject		PONER (TO PUT)
I	Yo	HAYA PUESTO
You	Tú	HAYAS PUESTO
You	Usted^*	HAYA PUESTO
He	Él
She	Ella
We	Nosotros	HAYAMOS PUESTO
You	Vosotros**	HAYÁIS PUESTO
You	Ustedes***	HAYAN PUESTO
They	Ellos
They	Ellas

*NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you'

**NB 'You' plural

*** NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you' plural

Verb Conjugation Notes

Who does the action
When the action takes place
The mood/ attitude of the speaker towards the action

Subjunctive Mood

The use of subjunctive mood is disappearing English. Nowadays is often viewed as an old and unfashionable form of the language.

Indicative mood (“Peter eats an apple”).- Indicative mood is commonly used to make statements of facts or positive beliefs such as this one. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes above), the speaker makes a clear and unambiguous statement of a fact (Peter eats an apple).
Subjunctive mood (“Peter would eat an apple if he were hungry”).- In contrast with indicative mood, subjunctive mood is commonly used to make statements indicating hypothetical or non-fact actions. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes), in this case the speaker sees the action of eating an apple as something hypothetical, something which may or may not happen (Peter would eat an apple... if he were hungry).

Verb Tenses

Verb tenses relate to setting the time period (when) during which the action of the verb takes place. Basic times (periods) for Spanish verb actions are:

The past (before now)
The present (now)
The future (after now)

Now you should practise the use of the perfect tense of the irregular verb poner with some examples of your own.

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Book now