¡BIENVENIDAS!

Welcome! BIENVENIDAS! We will have a very successful year learning Spanish. This introductory course focuses on the basic structure, pronunciation, listening, reading, and writing of the Spanish language. You will explore grammatical structures as well as proper punctuation.

I encourage you to check this blog everyday, as well as EDMODO. I will have an Edmodo Group for our class (ESPAÑOL I). I will give you a handout on how to join this group. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me (Señora Feld).

We will work using the ¡Aventura! Texbook and the ¡Aventura! Workbook. Learning a foreign language takes time, dedication and practice. There are well over 35 million Spanish speakers in the United States alone; so learning Spanish sounds like a great idea! It can increase your chances of getting a good job. In Europe, Spanish is also the second most popular second language, after English. Spanish is the fourth most commonly spoken language in the world. Spanish is an official language on four continents and is the mother tongue in 21 countries. The sheer number of Spanish speakers and their rate of growth makes learning Spanish a smart choice. Learning Spanish will (truly) expand your universe. Spanish is what we call a "Romance" language, meaning that it is based on Latin, the language of the ancient Roman Empire.

Many English words are also of Latin origin, and so when you learn vocabulary in Spanish you will simultaneously be expanding your English vocabulary. You will also find that your understanding of the deep meaning of these Latin based English words is greatly enhanced. Also, as you study the grammar of Spanish, you will notice how it is similar to English, as well as how it is different. This will raise your awareness of the grammar of your native language. Because Spanish is very nearly phonetically perfect, you can look at almost any word and immediately know exactly how to pronounce it- because Spanish is very consistent in its spelling and pronunciation rules. This characteristic makes Spanish one of the easiest languages to learn. And, when it comes to learning a third language, such as French or Italian, already knowing Spanish will be a huge advantage because these languages, too, are Romance Languages.

Also, learning Spanish will allow you to better appreciate Hispanic cultural contributions.
 Learning Spanish is fun! Check: http://www.studyspanish.com/topten_reasons.htm.
We will start learning the vowels: A E I O U (how to pronounce them in Spanish) and the alphabet (el alfabeto or abecedario): A B C CH D E F G H I J K L LL M N Ñ O P Q R RR S T U V W X Y Z (and how to pronounce these letters). The letters that I underlined are no longer considered separate Spanish letters per the latest recommendations by the Academia Real Española, but I added them because you will find them as part of the Spanish alphabet in many websites and books. Just keep in mind that officially the Spanish Alphabet consists of 27 letters. Please check the links under "Fave" Links (Alphabet, Alphabet 2 and Alphabet 3). Once you learn to properly pronounce the Spanish Alphabet, you'll be able to easily read most Spanish words.

We will also work on Capítulo 1 ("¿Cómo te llamas?") and Capítulo 2 ("En mi colegio") during our First Quarter, starting with greetings and farewells and "¿Cómo te llamas?" (what is your name?). You will also learn the verbs "Ser" and "Estar" (verb "to be" in English), many interrogative pronouns (question words) and the names and location of all the Spanish-speaking countries, and important information about these countries. You will also start learning the numbers 1 - 20 in Spanish (later on, the numbers up to 100), how to tell time in Spanish, and which are the definite and indefinite articles (that accompany nouns) and a lot of Spanish vocabulary!

Any questions, please feel free to ask Señora Feld. Advice: write all the words and expressions (from Chapters 1 and 2) on index cards (3" x 5" index cards cut in half) with the definition on the back and study them, memorize them, understand them! At the end of each Lesson and at the end of each Chapter you will find the words and expressions learned ("Palabras y expresiones") and the Vocabulary ("Vocabulario"). You should also write the information regarding Capítulo 1 above in your notebook. Feel free to review Capítulo 1 in your textbook, pages 1 - 17 (Lección A). Try to understand. It's up to you to become proficient in speaking and writing Spanish! YOU CAN DO IT! ("¡Lo puedes hacer!")

IMPORTANT ADVICE:

Take advantage of the ¡Aventura! Internet Resource Center and other websites -CHECK THE LINKS ON THE RIGHT SIDE UNDER "Fave" Links- to learn Spanish. I need you to listen to the mp3's on the section "Textbook Audio Program" in the ¡Aventura! site - just click on them (you can also download them in your computer, if you wish, pressing Download Chapter 1A and Download Chapter 1B). You can start with El Alfabeto (página 2). Then move to Vocabulario 1 (página 2), Activity 1 (página 3), and Diálogo (página 4). Also watch Basic Conversation 1 and Basic Conversation 2 (You Tube Videos with Señor Jordan) - under "Fave" Links.

You will learn the following words and expressions from Capítulo 1:

¡Hola! (Hi!) ¡Hola! ¿Cómo te llamas? Me llamo… (your name). Also, ¿Cómo estás? Bien gracias, ¿y tú? Other responses: Muy bien (very well), gracias; or muy mal (if you’re not feeling well); or regular (you can also say más o menos). If asking a person you don’t know, or a teacher or older person, you want to use “usted” instead of “tú.” ¿Cómo te llamas? Is when you ask a younger person, or another classmate, or someone your same age: What’s your name? or ¿Cómo estás? - How are you? (also using the second person “tú”). If using “usted” - use ¿Cómo se llama usted?

Later, questions like: ¿Cuántos años tienes? (How old are you?) ¿De dónde eres? (Where are you from?) and how to respond properly in Spanish.

Homework 1: 

1) Write (or type) two complete paragraphs, in your own words (do not copy and paste please), explaining why it is important to learn a second language, especially Spanish, hand-in to Mrs. Feld on Friday, September 5, 2014. 

2) Listen to the Alphabet links and learn how to properly pronounce the Spanish Alphabet! Write the page 3 Alphabet ("El Alfabeto") in your notebooks. You can also listen to the "alfabeto" in the Aventura Resource Center (ARC) - p.2 Alfabeto.

"EXAMEN" FINAL - FINAL EXAM

For the Final Exam you MUST review and study the following:

1. "Verbos Ser y Estar:" Like I said in class, these irregular verbs are indispensable! You must ALWAYS remember them (you also need them for Spanish II). So, even though we started learning them during our First Semester, you had to review/study them again during our Second Semester. You MUST remember when to use them. You can review the PowerPoint on "Ser y Estar" in Edmodo and LIBRO page 168.
2. "Capítulo 4 - Mi Familia y Mis Amigos:" Vocab Lección A (Vocabulario I y Vocabulario II pages 134 and 144). You must remember how to say family members ("Mi Familia") in Spanish (LIBRO page 134). Also, review common adjectives that you can use with "Estar" (LIBRO pages 144 and 148, 149).
3. "Capítulo 4 - Mi Familia y Mis Amigos:" This chapter also includes "Possessive Adjectives" in Spanish (LIBRO page 139); "Verbo Vivir" (LIBRO page 141) and other -IR Verbs (salir, which varies for the "Yo" form, and other regular verbs like asistir, abrir, escribir, descubrir). You must be able to easily conjugate ALL the Present Tense of -AR, -ER and -IR Verbs (make sure you remember ALL the endings).
4. "Capítulo 4 - Mi Familia y Mis Amigos:" Vocab Lección B (Vocabulario I and Vocabulario II, pages 154, 155 and 164, 165). Likes and dislikes in Spanish (LIBRO pages 158 and 160) - study the Indirect Object Pronouns in Spanish - ME TE LE NOS OS LES and how to use them with gustar.
5. "Capítulo 5 - Una Semana Típica:" Irregular verbs - "Verbo Tener" (LIBRO page 186) and "Verbo Venir" (LIBRO page 204 and Blog entry of March 13, 2014), and how to use these verbs. Also, days of the week "Los Días de la Semana" (LIBRO page 190 - learn only days of the week and what is "la semana que viene"). LIBRO pages 194 and 196, Direct Object Pronouns - ME TE LO/LA ME TE LOS/LAS and how to use them properly. Review the Blog entry of March 23, 2014.
   
6. "Capítulo 5 - Una Semana Típica:" Vocab Lección B "La Fecha" - Study the Blog entry of April 4, 2014 (all the vocab mentioned there, including the numbers, also check LIBRO pages 209 and 437). "Los Meses" (LIBRO page 208) - YOU MUST REMEMBER HOW TO SAY THE DAYS OF THE WEEK, THE MONTHS AND THE SEASONS in Spanish! And how to say dates... Hoy es domingo 18 de mayo del 2014. You should be able to answer questions like: ¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños? ¿Cuándo es su cumpleaños? ¿Cuántos años cumples?  ¿Cuántos años cumple ella? ¿Cuántos años cumple Mario? etc.
7. "Capítulo 6 - En Casa:"  Check Blog entry of April 14, 2014. Stem-Changing Verbs - review endings of -AR, -ER and -IR verbs to be able to conjugate these Stem-Changing Verbs properly! Study the following E:IE verbs: pensar (LIBRO pages 231 and 232), cerrar, empezar, comenzar, calentar, recomendar, querer, encender, entender, perder, preferir, sentir, mentir. The E:I verbs like decir (which varies for "Yo" form), pedir, repetir. The O:UE verbs like dormir, volver, devolver, poder, etc. And the U:UE verb like jugar.
8. "Capítulo 6 - En Casa:" ALL Vocab Lección A and Lección B in Blog entry (April 14, 2014). Also, Demonstrative Adjectives ("Adjetivos Demonstrativos") - LIBRO page 238.
9. "Capítulo 6 - En Casa:" "La Casa"  - Parts of the house in Blog entry (April 14, 2014). Study the PowerPoint "La Casa" in Edmodo and the Test of May 19, 2014.
10. And the handout on "Muy or Mucho" (when to use "muy" and when to use "mucho. Study the Test of 4/4/14.
11. Parts of the Body - Check Blog entry of May 12, 2014. And review/study differences between "querer," "me gustaría," and "tengo ganas de" (LIBRO page 250, Estructura and Exercises 13 and 14).
12. Other verbs you MUST know: hacer, ver, saber, ir (irregular verbs).

We will start reviewing this coming week. Feel free to review the Workbook pages with the above material you must know and understand for the Final Exam (check Chapters 4, 5 and 6). Also, review/study the handouts I gave you (this 2nd Semester), your notes in your notebook, and the tests and quizzes from the 2nd Semester.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me. I'm available for tutoring during 3rd and 6th Periods.

End of Fourth Quarter

The last test this Fourth Quarter will be on MONDAY, MAY 19. I originally planned it for May 14; but decided to move the date, to give everyone more time to study the material that will be included.

The test will cover the following: Lección B (check the vocabulary on this Blog -previous entry- and page 252 [LIBRO] - you should translate ALL this vocab and use the definite articles with these words as shown); page 253, No. 19; page 254, Nos. 20 and 21 and Diálogo II; the last three handouts on Verbo Decir, Expressing Wishes - Querer or Gustaría (also LIBRO page 250 and Exercises No. 13 and 14); and on Verbos Pedir, Repetir and Decir. 

Study "La Casa" PowerPoint in Edmodo, with the Vocab. from Lección B (Cap. 6).

Those of you who had difficulties with the Stem-Changing verbs and the Demonstrative Pronouns MUST review/study them for the Final Exam. If you have any questions, please come and see me.

Workbook pages to do and study: pg. 111 and 112 (La Casa), pg. 115, No. 6 only (Verbo Decir), pg. 116 (vocab Lección B), pg. 118, No. 12 (Verbo Repetir), pg. 119 (Verbo Pedir), pg. 164 (Verbo Preferir).

You will also learn the Parts of the Body this quarter. Please find the following Vocabulary online (I will explain in class too) and do Workbook page 162. I will give you information on what to study for the Final Exam later. Learn how to say the following in Spanish: hair, head, face, body, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, shoulders, arm(s), hand(s), fingers, knees, leg(s), toes, foot, feet, neck, elbow, teeth and any other parts of the body you'd like to learn. You can check this website (click link) or others online. Quizlet Body Parts here... and Señor Jordan's video here...

CAPÍTULO 6 - "En Casa" (At Home)

In this chapter you will learn how to say the different parts of the house and its appliances. Also things like silverware, tablecloth and a few other food items.

Vocabulary to learn (Lección A):

El plato, los platos, los cubiertos, la mesa, la luz, las luces, la lámpara, las servilletas, el comedor, el mantel, el cuchillo, la cuchara, la cucharita, el tenedor, la sopa, la taza, la mantequilla, la sal, la pimienta, el aceite, el postre, el pan, "pásame…," "está muy buena."

Vocabulary to learn (Lección B):

La cocina, la sala, el comedor, las plantas, el cuarto, el baño, el garaje, la piscina, grande, pequeño (a), la escalera, el primer piso, la planta baja and other vocab in "La Casa" PowerPoint (in Edmodo). Other (Vocabulario II): tengo frío, tengo miedo, tengo sueño, tengo prisa, tengo calor, tengo mucho calor, tengo sed, tengo mucha sed, tengo ganas de…, la prima pequeña, yo también.

Verbs you will learn:

Stem-Changing Verbs E:IE like verbo pensar, verbo querer and other E:IE verbs: calentar, cerrar, comenzar, empezar, despertar, recomendar, encender, entender, perder, preferir, sentir and mentir. Also review verbos tener and venir. You will also learn other Stem-Changing Verbs, O:UE, U:UE and E:I, check the paragraph below. Also, check the videos on Stem-Changing Verbs under "Fave" Links, or listen to the "Stem-Changing" Song here: Like Adele's.

Class Assignment and HOMEWORK:
LIBRO página 238, read "Estructura" on Demonstrative Adjectives and take notes. Also review the verbs on página 256. Stem-Changing Verbs pgs. 433 and 434 - write them in your notebooks and translate them (know the meaning) - Stem Changing Verbs E:IE cerrar, perder, sentir; O:UE contar, volver, dormir; U:UE jugar; E:I pedir (and add "medir"). WRITE 12 SENTENCES (TOTAL) USING THESE VERBS and using all the different subject pronouns, hand in to me by Thursday, May 1, 2014. Don't forget there will be a test on May 6, 2014 on ALL Stem-Changing verbs, and Demonstrative Adjectives; plus the vocabulary from Lección A (only), mentioned above. The last test of this Fourth Quarter will be on May 14, 2014 (or May 28 - we'll see how we're doing!).

You will also learn the "Adjetivos Demostrativos" (Demonstrative Adjectives), check page 238.

You must understand these adjectives really well. You can also check the links on "Fave" Links - Demonstrative Adjectives 1 and Demonstrative Adjectives 2. Also check this link to practice: Dem.Adjectives.

CAPÍTULO 5… Más (Lección B)

We should complete "Capítulo 5" next week (Week of April 7). We will concentrate on numbers in Spanish, "El Calendario" (fechas) - including days of the week (Días de la Semana), months of the year (Los Meses del Año), seasons (las Estaciones). Everyone should have completed already the two-page handout on "Números." You must remember how to say and write the years; i.e. 2014 (dos mil catorce), 1999 (mil novecientos novena y nueve), 1776 (mil setecientos setenta y seis), 2000 (dos mil), etc. 

Please review Lección B and do the following homework.

HOMEWORK: (I will collect next week, and I will explain "el lunes 7 de abril")

Workbook (WB): page 91 (dates) - Note the expression "Noche Vieja" which means New Year's Eve. 

LIBRO: pg. 201 #3; pg. 209 #16; pg. 210 #18; pg. 213 #23 and pg. 214 - review the "Estructura" and understand it. Important for next Quiz and Test. Any questions? Please ask señora Feld. 

VOCAB AND EXPRESSIONS TO REMEMBER (translate in your notebooks):

La fecha, hoy, mañana, pasado mañana, la semana que viene, la semana pasada, el fin de semana, los fines de semana, la semana, ayer, anteayer, fue (third person/past tense "verbo ser" - was in English), temprano, el Año Nuevo, la Navidad, mi cumpleaños, el mes (los meses), el día (los días), todos los días, el invierno, la primavera, el verano, el otoño, las estaciones. Also, ¿Cuál es la fecha de hoy? ¿Cuándo es la fecha de tu cumpleaños? ¿Cuántos años vas a cumplir? Voy a cumplir 15 años (or whatever age you're going to be) or ¿Cuántos años cumples? Cumplo 15 años. ¿Qué día es hoy? ¿En qué mes estamos? Estamos en el mes de abril or Estamos en abril. ¿En qué año estamos? Estamos en el año dos mil catorce. 

Please review the days of the week, the months of the year and the seasons in Spanish, and "los números del 1 - 1.000" (and the years 1000 to 2014) ¿Tienen preguntas? Please ask señora Feld.

Next Test:  El lunes 14 de abril del 2014. (Lección B - Dates, "El Calendario" PowerPoint, Numbers and all the material mentioned above, including numbers). 

(Review these numbers 100 - 1.000)

Direct Object Pronouns and Personal "a" (Capítulo 5)

First of all you must remember that a direct object in a sentence is the person, event or thing affected by the verb. The main difference between the use of the direct object pronouns in Spanish and English is their placement. While in English they substitute the direct object (and its article) and are placed where the original object was, in Spanish this pronoun is placed in front of the verb, replacing also any article used with the object previously.

Direct object pronouns (DOP's) are words that replace direct object nouns (DON's). Like in English, Spanish sometimes uses a DOP to avoid repeating a noun already mentioned. Example: Felipe compra el sombrero ("el sombrero" is the direct object noun or DON) - Felipe lo compra ("lo" is the DOP). Another example: Vicky tiene el libro - Vicky lo tiene (which is the DON and which is the DOP?). You must be able to recognize which is which, which is a direct object noun (DON) and which is a direct object pronoun (DOP).

Note: In affirmative sentences the DOP's generally appear before the conjugated verb, like in: Adela practica el tenis ("el tenis" is the DON) - Adela lo practica ("lo" is the DOP). Carmen compra los tiquetes ("los tiquetes" is the DON) - Carmen los compra ("los" is the DOP).

In negative sentences, the pronoun is placed between the word NO and the verb. Examples: Pablo no tiene los zapatos - Pablo no los tiene; Diego no tiene las llaves - Diego no las tiene.

When the verb is an "infinitive construction," like "van a escribir" or "van a mirar," the DOP can be placed before the conjugated form. Examples: Ellos van a escribir unas cartas - Ellos las van a escribir. Lidia va a ver una película - Lidia la va a ver. You can also say: Ellos van a escribirlas (notice how the DOP "las" moves to the end of the verb) and Lidia va a verla ("la" moves to the end of the verb too).

As you can see below, the indirect object pronouns agree in number with the corresponding direct object pronouns me, te, nos and os, but not in gender.

Personal "a:" When the direct object is a place, the personal "a" is not required. Example (The direct object nouns are underlined): Susana visita el museo - Susana lo visita ("lo" is the Direct Object Pronoun). The personal "a" is required when the direct object is a person. Example: Susana visita a Cristina - Susana la visita ("la" is the Direct Object Pronoun or DOP). Also, when the DOP is a person (or persons) and includes a possessive adjective, like Yo llamo a mis primos, you use the personal "a." Other examples (Verbo Ver): Veo a mi amiga, veo a mi mamá, veo a mi prima, ¿ves a tus amigos hoy? and ¿comprendes al profesor? (el profesor) - "al" instead of "a el," remember? (Verbo Comprender) etc. But for "Tengo tres hermanos" you don't use the personal "a." With practice you'll see the difference. You very rarely use the "a personal" with the Verbo Tener. There are some examples that you don't need to learn at this time.

To understand the personal "a" and the "DOP's" better, I need you to work on the following exercises: Workbook page 86 - Exercises No. 8 and 9, I also want you to create sentences with the DOP's. Example: Todos los días llevo el perro al parque ("llevo" from "llevar" is the verb, "el perro" is the DON) - Todos los días lo llevo al parque ("lo" is the DOP). And pages 87 and 88.

On Friday, April 4, 2014: You will have a TEST on Direct Object Pronouns, Verbos Tener and Venir, Personal "a" and what we cover up to that date (Lecciones A & B - Capítulo 5). I won't include "El Calendario" and "Fechas" (Dates), and numbers.

Capítulo 5 – “Una Semana Típica"

"Una Semana Típica" means "A Typical Week." We already started this Chapter with "Verbos Tener y Venir." Try to understand these verbs and start memorizing them, please! I also gave you handouts with these verbs and exercises (to conjugate them in sentences). You will have a Quiz on this before the end of this Third Quarter (March 28).

Quiz date: Friday, March 21, 2014. I will add this quiz grade for this quarter, and also give you a Workbook grade. Workbook pages to complete for a grade: From Chapter 4, pages 72-79 (pg. 73, No. 4 only); from Chapter 5, page 81 (No. 2 only, to answer these True and False questions you must read pages 185 and 193 on your LIBROS, to learn about Costa Rica, my country); and also page 82 ("Verbo Tener") and page 94 ("Verbo Venir"), great to review for the Quiz. 

The quiz will include "muy" and "mucho." Remember: "muy" (adverb) means very and you use it with adjectives - ie. Estoy muy cansada; él es muy simpático. "Mucho" (an adjective and an adverb) means many or a lot, and you use it with nouns and verbs. When used with nouns it changes with the nouns' gender -whether they are feminine or masculine- and whether the nouns are singular or plural - ie. Mi hermano tiene muchos libros en su mochila; mi prima tiene muchas blusas verdes. So, unlike other adjectives, "mucho/mucha/muchos/muchas" is placed before the noun they modify. When used with a verb, as an adverb, "mucho" remains the same and is placed after the verb - ie. Me gusta leer mucho; yo como mucho (with a noun used as an adjective it would change: yo como muchos frijoles); ella estudia mucho; ella habla mucho. Check the video on "Fave Links" or click here: Muy vs. Mucho. Any questions? Please ask señora Feld.

Verbos Tener y Venir (also check Textbook pages 186 and 204)

 Notice that these verbs are very irregular, and they are also "stem-changing" verbs; which means that their base or stem changes. The stem of "tener" is "ten" and the "e" changes to "ie" in some of the conjugations, as you can see above. The same happens with "venir." The "e" changes to "ie" for "tú, Ud./él/ella" and "Uds./ellos/ellas;" but it remains the same for "nosotros y vosotros." The "yo" form is different, though. It's not "yo teno" or "yo veno," but "yo tengo" and "yo vengo."

Examples with Verbo Tener: ¿Cuántos años tienes (tú)? Yo tengo 15 años. ¿Cuántos libros tienes en tu mochila? Tengo seis libros grandes. ¿Qué tiene el profesor en la clase de español? Tiene un mapa de Costa Rica. ¿Qué tiene tu hermano en su mochila? Tiene dos cuadernos, tres libros y seis CDs. Daniel tiene una revista. Tu abuela tiene una casa muy bonita. Tus padres tienen un equipo de sonido muy bueno. Mi mamá tiene tres hermanas. ¿Cuántos hermanos tienes tú? Yo tengo un hermano y dos hermanas. Nosotros tenemos frío. Tenéis dinero? Mis tías tienen muchas revistas.

Capítulo 5 starts on page 180, and I need you to learn the following vocabulary words and expressions (not all the vocabulary words from this chapter): una semana típica, el dinero, la tienda, los artículos electrónicos, el correo electrónico, el equipo de sonido, la computadora, el disco compacto, el CD, los discos compactos, los CDs, el DVD, los DVDs, la televisión, la radio (el radio), la canción, las canciones, la música, ¡Qué lástima!, la chica entra a la tienda, la película. You can learn the other vocabulary words from page 182 if you wish, or learn to recognize them (but I won't ask you to define them in test or quizzes - we can work with these words in sentences, but you don't have to memorize them). You only have to memorize the ones in this paragraph!

In this chapter, you will also learn the "Direct Object Pronouns" (los pronombres de complement directo), page 194. Read and understand the "Estructura" on this page. I will explain these in class and we will do many exercises to try to understand how to use these pronouns in sentences. So we will learn a new song, notice the differences. First song: me te se - nos os se (Reflexive Pronouns); Second song: me te le - nos os les (Indirect Object Pronouns); Third song: me te lo la - nos os los las (Direct Object Pronouns).