Interrogative Pronouns - Question Words

¿Qué? – what? and ¿De qué…? – from what…?

This pronoun is used a lot in Spanish. Examples: ¿Qué tal? (how are you?) ¿Qué es eso? (what is that?) ¿Qué es esto? (what is this?) ¡Qué bien! (good or great!) ¿Qué quieres? (what do you want?) ¿Qué ves? (what do you see?) ¿Qué hora es? (what time is it?) ¿Qué día es hoy? (what day is today?) ¿Qué día es mañana? (what day is tomorrow?) ¿Qué clase es? (what class is it?) ¿Qué necesitas? (what do you need? – "tú" implied: ¿Qué necesitas tú?) ¿Qué necesitan ellos? (what do they need?) ¿Qué necesitan ustedes? (what do you need? – plural) ¿Qué necesita ella? (what does she need?) ¿Qué quiere decir…? (what does… mean?) i.e. ¿Qué quiere decir “door”? When asking a question ¿Qué...? must have an accent on the “é” – tilde.

You can use the verbs “ser” y “estar” with “¿Qué…?” But it varies depending on what you’re trying to say. You can also use ¿Qué…? with many other verbs; but when translating “what is… (something)?” “what is this?” “what is that?” “what day is today?” “what class is this?” you ALWAYS use the “verbo ser” NOT the “verbo estar.” ¿Qué es esto? ¿Qué es eso? ¿Qué día es hoy? ¿Qué clase es? etc. Little by little you will learn when to use “ser” and when to use “estar.” You can ask: ¿Qué pasa? (what's happening?) ¿Qué estás haciendo? (what are you doing?) ¿Qué está haciendo él? (what is he doing?) ¿Qué está haciendo María? ¿Qué está pasando? (what is happening?) ¿Qué tienes en tu mochila? (what do you have in your backpack?) ¿Qué hay en tu pupitre? (what do you have on your desk?) ¿Qué hora es? (what time is it?)

You can also use the preposition “de” before “qué:” ¿De qué color es el libro? (what color is the book?) ¿De qué color es la blusa? (what color is the blouse?) ¿De qué país eres? (“tú” implied) ¿De qué país son ellos? (from what/which country is she from? and what country are they from?) ¿De qué ciudad eres tú? (from what/which city are you from?) Check pages 62 and 73.You can also use the preposition “a” before “qué:” ¿A qué hora termina la clase de español? (at what time does the Spanish class end?) Check page 70.

¿Dónde? – where? and ¿De dónde? – from where?

“Dónde” is also accented when asking a question. You can use “dónde” when asking “where is it?” - ¿Dónde está? ¿Dónde está el libro? ¿Dónde están las sillas? ¿Dónde está el bolígrafo? ¿Dónde está el pupitre? ¿Dónde está el reloj? ¿Dónde está Filadelfia? ¿Dónde está mi computadora? ¿Dónde está el profesor? etc. Notice that here you use the verbo “estar” only. You use “estar” when referring to LOCATION and to STATE OF BEING (like in ¿Cómo estás? Estoy bien gracias). So, if you only have the question word “dónde” you can simply ask ¿dónde? (where?) or ¿dónde está…? (where is…?) Please check pages 76 and 79 of your Spanish textbook. But you could also ask: ¿Dónde es el concierto? ¿Dónde es la reunión? ¿Dónde es la clase? Because we're referring her to an EVENT (place of an event).

If you want to ask: where is he or she from? Then you must use “¿de dónde…?” and you use the verb “ser” only, not the verb “estar.” Any time you have “¿de dónde…?” you use “ser.”¿De dónde es Pablo? (where is Pablo from?) ¿De dónde es esa chica? (where is that girl from?) ¿De dónde eres? (“tú” implied - ¿De dónde eres tú?) (where are you from?) ¿De dónde son ellos? (where are they from?) ¿De dónde son Mario y Fernando? (subject pronoun: “ellos”) etc.

I had given you a two-page hand-out with questions used in Capítulo 2 (also in Edmodo as "ch2_q_a.docx"). Please review it and try to understand the questions. See if you can easily translate them. If not, I suggest that you check this chapter again. Also know how to answer these questions. Review other question words like ¿cómo…” (¿Cómo te llamas? ¿Cómo estás? etc.) and ¿quién…? ¿quiénes…? (¿Quién es él? ¿Quién es ella? ¿Quién es la chica con la profesora? ¿Quiénes son esos muchachos? etc.)

Other questions words used in this Chapter are ¿Cuál…? (which…?) Check pages 72 and 74. See if you can come up with other questions and answer them.

Please check again "Verbos Ser y Estar" (click on this link - to review when to use "ser" and when to use "estar"). You must have this information in your notebook. Remember: take some time to organize your notes (I won't check you notebook). It will help you to study more effectively. If you have any questions, please ask Mrs. Feld.

THIS MATERIAL WON'T BE ON MONDAY'S (12/3/12) TEST. But you must study it for a future test. The test of December 3rd will include: COLORS (and how to use them in sentences), SCHOOL SUBJECTS, the word NUEVO (and how to use it in sentences), ARTICLES OF CLOTHING (and how to use the word LLEVAR), the exercises from the textbook that Mrs. Feld asked you to do for homework that include VERBOS -AR (and how to conjugate different -AR VERBS in order to complete sentences like the ones in the textbook and the ones we did in class). And also REVIEW THE QUIZZES AND THE PREVIOUS ENTRY ON CAPÍTULO 2 - LECCIÓN B!

Quick Review on "Verbos Ser y Estar" (when do you use "Ser" and when do you use "Estar"):

Ser: 1. Origin (of a person or thing), 2. Identification, 3. Characteristics, 4. Telling time and Date, 5. Event (time and/or place and 6. Possession, Material with the preposition "de."
Estar: 1. Location (of a person or thing) - where you are, 2. Conditions and feelings (how you feel), 3. Impressions,opinions.

Please study the PowerPoint presentation "Ser y Estar." I will download it again in Edmodo. (SAVE IT IN YOUR COMPUTER AT HOME AND IN SCHOOL AND WRITE EVERYTHING IN YOUR NOTEBOOKS). Writing things down will help you remember. Write what you think is more important in index cards too.

Capítulo 2 – Lección B

Chicas: Like I explained in class today (jueves 15 de noviembre), I'm counting on you to do the homework and computer assignments I asked you to do, and to challenge yourself to learn Spanish. I know learning a language is not easy, but with practice and determination you can do it! There are a lot of great resources out there; but you can start with the  іAventura! Internet Resource Center. Also check this Spanish blog frequently and check the links. Keep up with the assignments, it's hard to continue learning if you don't do the required work! If you have any questions or need any help, come to see me after school, I'm available from 3 to 4 PM everyday. Just let me know you're coming and bring specific questions and the material you don't understand or need help with.

The following is what you must learn in this chapter:  colors, subjects, many new vocabulary words (in the classroom and others, like clothing items). Check pages 81 and 87 from the textbook and study the PowerPoint presentation "Capítulo 2, Colors, Materias y Ropa". The vocabulary words and expressions on those pages (and from the PowerPoint presentation) must be entered on Index Cards (and your notebooks if you want) in order to learn their spelling and their meanings! Writing things down is an excellent way to remember things! Also check the sites (links) from previous entries and under "Favorite Links" to review the colors, the clothing articles and the present tense of "-ar verbs". This chapter also teaches you how to conjugate these "-ar verbs." Write in your notebooks the "Estructura" from page 67 (del libro) and review the "Reviewing Capítulo 2" PowerPoint presentation too - for the -ar verbs and Days of the Week).  Learn how to conjugate the verb "hablar" (to speak) and all the verbs that end in -ar like: cantar, bailar, brincar, estudiar, llevar, necesitar, terminar. Once you know the endings (o, as, a, amos, áis, an) it will be very easy to conjugate these -ar verbs, you must simply memorize these endings (write them on Index Cards with their respective subject pronouns, and create a song to practice them) - check the slide below. Also remember the "reflexive pronouns" (me, te, se, nos, os, se) - create a rap song or any other type of song to remember them, keep repeating them over and over. Remember "me" for yo, "te" for tú, "se" for él/ellas/ud. and for ellos/ellas/uds., "nos" for nosotros and "os" for vosotras. There's no other way around it, to learn any language you MUST MEMORIZE a lot! Yes, you exercise your brain a lot! (which is really a good thing!)

Example: Verbo Cantar will be conjugated as follows - you canto, tu cantas, él/ella/usted canta, nosotros cantamos,vosotros/as cantáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes cantan. Notice the endings. Try now to conjugate other -ar verbs. For Bailar the stem or base is "bail" (you just take the ending -ar off). For Estudiar is "estudi." For Llevar is "llev." The stem or base of the verbs consists of all the letters before the ending "ar" (keep this in mind). So what are the stems of brincar, necesitar, terminar, abrazar, ayudar, caminar, contestar, comprar, dejar, firmar, ganar, nadar, olvidar, pintar, preguntar, trabajar, viajar, dañar? Be curious and write these "stems" down (then just add the endings to conjugate their present tense) and also find the meaning of these words (verbs). To practice the pronunciation  of -ar verbs go here: -ar verbs (put the cursor on the words).

Memorize this slide:

Ongoing homework: review the chapter exercises to see if you understand them, if not, ask Mrs. Feld. Check the copy of the three slides I gave you with the computer and textbook assignments (Lección B and Listening Activities). Also, write in your notebooks all the "Estructuras." Chapter 2 has "Estructuras" on pages 64 (this one reviews well what you learned in class today about "colors" as adjectives), 65, 67, 70 and 76 (Verbo Estar - which you should already know and have in your notebooks, copy the verb again and the examples at the bottom). You must know the verbs "Ser y Estar" really well, no excuses! If not, it will be harder for you to keep advancing, these are essential verbs! Little by little you will know when and how to use them. Read and study and write the information on the blog entry "Verbos Irregulares Ser y Estar" (click this link).

Many of you still owe me the assignment I entered on the Computer Assignments and Other of November 2, 2012: Página 50 - Dialogo II. Write this diálogo and translate it and pg. 50, No. 21 "Tu propio diálogo." (First assignment for this Second Quarter)

Skip the following pages from Lección B: Páginas 63, 75, 78, 79 (Nos. 37 and 38 - just do No. 36, you must understand this one), 80, 82 - 86 (these are all optional exercises, these material won't be included).

Workbook exercises you MUST HAVE COMPLETED: pages 25 - 30 (already included on Test of 11/14/12), pages 30 - 35 (just skip No. 4, from pg. 33). These pages 30 - 35 will be included on the Quiz of 11/28/12 and the Test of 12/3/12). Note: I decided to move the test to December 3rd to give you more time to understand all the material of Capítulo 2. In December we will concentrate on Capítulo 3.

Another good practice for the Test and to Review Capítulo 2 are the following pages from Grammar and Vocabulary in the Aventura Internet Resource Center. Or go to: "Grammar and Vocabulary Exercises." Work on the following pages: 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21 and 22. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask Señora Feld.

Add the following to you notes (in your notebook): 

COLORS - GENDER AND NUMBER (PLURAL)

• The colors are adjectives, which describe the noun or nouns; so they behave like adjectives. We have two cases: the ones that end in a vowel, you have to change its ending; ie. La camisa roja, el libro rojo, las camisas rojas, los libros rojos. Using the verbo ser: La camisa es roja, el libro es rojo, las camisas son rojas, los libros son rojos. Remember: the verbo ser changes to "son" when using plural nouns.
  
• The ones that end with a consonant or with an “e” only change in number, meaning, they only change when you are making a singular adjective, in this case the color, into a plural. If the color ends with an “e” you just add an “s.” i.e. El libro verde – los libros verdes; la camisa verde – las camisas verdes. Other examples: Los pantalones grises, las blusas marrones, los suéteres celestes, las camisetas son azules, los sombreros son cafés.
• The ones that end with a consonant, add “es.” i.e. El abrigo azul – los abrigos azules; la falda azul – las faldas azules; el vestido gris - los vestidos grises.
• The word "new" in Spanish - "nuevo" works similarly. It's also considered an adjective that describes a noun and it changes depending on the gender. Masculine: nuevo. Feminine: nueva. Plural: nuevos (if masculine) and nuevas (if feminine). i.e. La camisa es nueva, el libro es nuevo, las camisas son nuevas, los libros son nuevos, or simply: la camisa nueva, el libro nuevo, las camisas nuevas, los libros nuevos.

Advice: Now that we are in Capítulo 2 you should put all the hand-outs, tests, quizzes, class assignments, etc. in a new folder. Have a new folder for each chapter, ideally a heavy-duty pocket folder. Get organized. Check your notebook too, do you have titles for each Chapter? Do the same for all your subjects. If you get organized your life will become easier.

CHECK "EDMODO"! Practice the "Repaso 3" Aventura Internet Resource Center (Capítulo 2). To practice how to pronounce clothing in Spanish go to: La Ropa Masculina and La Ropa Femenina (they have the accent from Spain, but are great sites). To check the 100 most used verbs in Spanish go to: VERBS (click on each verb to check the conjugation). Also check: MORE VERBS (all you have to do is enter the verb you need to conjugate under "Please enter a verb").

Lección B - New Links

We are presently on "Lección B del Capítulo 2" - you are learning about the days of the week, your classroom (and vocabulary related to items you find in a classroom), school subjects, clothing, etc. I found some great sites to practice, so don't forget to check the links under "Favorite Links." The new links are: Colors in Spanish 2, Days/Months/Seasons and Spanish Classroom from Quizlet (you can click these links too). To learn the "clothes" in Spanish, and a few other articles of clothing ("La Ropa"), check the following video: YouTube and also the following games: La Ropa and Días y Meses. Take a Quiz on colors here: Colors Quiz. These are great ways to practice, learn and listen to the pronunciation of all these vocabulary words! So check them out! Get excited about learning Spanish!

Also check the other links: Colors, Days of the Week, Months of the Year and Present Tense of "-ar" Verbs. You can advance at your own pace and do more than you're expected to do.