Capítulo 4 - "Mi Familia y Mis Amigos"

After the Midterm (on Tuesday, January 28) we will start with Capítulo 4 - "Mi Familia y Mis Amigos." You must learn new vocabulary about families (like padre, madre, hermana, hermano, tío,  tía, abuelo, abuela, etc.). 

PLEASE CHECK THE YOUTUBE VIDEO ON "LA FAMILIA" POSTED UNDER FAVORITE LINKS (or click the link above). Also check Family Members in Spanish and Study Here (click the links). You will see the video (on "La Familia" from el señor Jordan) on Tuesday, January 28th and you are welcome to take notes. You can also review it at home to improve your notes. I need you to translate the callouts or boxes on page 134 (LIBRO). Page 135: do Exercise No. 2 (Pepe y su familia).

Also read the Diálogo 1 and answer the questions on Exercise No. 3 - ¿Qué recuerdas? Also do Exercise No. 8 (reviewing adjectives, remember how to change masculine adjectives to feminine and plural forms). Make sure that you read the "Repaso Rápido" on page 138 before you do Ex. No. 8. You will do Exercise No. 9 in groups, and later work on Exercises No. 10 - "Nuestra Familia" and No. 11 - ¿Quién va a venir...? Study the "Estructura" from page 139 (Reviewing Possessive Adjectives).

Other vocabulary words to add: hermanastro (stepbrother), hermanastra (stepsister), cuñado (brother-in-law), cuñada (sister-in-law). I may mention a few more in class. 

Third Quarter Homework (end of January/beginning of February) - important for the Test of 2/27/14: Workbook pages 61, 62, and 63 - #4 only. You will also work on a "Family Tree." You can draw one, similar to the one on page 134, and mention the names of your relatives (identifying them - hermano, hermano, primo, prima, tío, tía, etc.) - check Edmodo for more information. Also, Workbook pages 65, 67 and 69. I will collect Workbooks the end of February, for a Homework grade.

You will also learn Verbos -IR on this chapter (page 141) - write the "Estructura" in your notebooks. Conjugate the Verbo Vivir and the Verbo Salir - notice that the "Yo" form of Verbo Salir varies ("Yo salgo" not "Yo salo"). The endings of "Verbos -IR" are exactly like the endings of "Verbos -ER (like comer and beber) except for the "nosotros" and "vosotros" forms.

Exercises for "Verbo Vivir:" LIBRO, page 142 (#13, #14). "Verbo Salir:" page 142 (#15). Find four to six more regular verbs that end with -IR (be careful - not Stem-Changing verbs like "preferir" or "medir").

To practice Possessive Adjectives: review page 139 (LIBRO) and do exercises #10 and #11 (page 140). Also, check the handout (pdf) on possessive adjectives in Edmodo. To review adjectives used with "verbo estar," check pages 144, 145 and 148 (Estructura). You have to know how to change the adjectives (which describe a noun) to the proper form. If you want to say "he is nervous" - you should know that this sentence translates to "él está nervioso;" "she is happy" - "ella está contenta;" "they are tired" - "ellos están cansados."

MIDTERM EXAM

Please review the following for the Midterm Exam (you can copy and paste the information below in a Word Document and print it for yourself if you wish) - you should have notes on all this material:

(Abbreviations: WB - Workbook, LIBRO - ¡Aventura! Textbook, G & V or Grammar & Vocab. - Grammar & Vocabulary Exercises, Vocab. - Vocabulary or Vocabulario)

1. Capítulo 1: Greetings and farewells (common greetings and farewells learned in class). Check Workbook (WB) page 11, No. 1, you must understand what these words and expressions mean. Also: bienvenido, lo siento, con permiso, mucho gusto, perdón, de nada, encantado, encantada, ¿Cómo te llamas? ¿Cuántos años tienes? ¿Qué hora es? mayúscula, minúscula, tilde. LIBRO: Lección A (Vocab. I and II) and Lección B (Vocab. I and II).
2. Capítulo 1: How to tell time in Spanish (WB page 18).
3. Capítulo 2: Definite and Indefinite Articles (WB page 28, # 12 - practice adding indefinite articles to these words too). There are several PowerPoints in Edmodo on Nouns & Definite and Indefinite Articles - please review them. LIBRO: Lección A (Vocab. I and II) and Lección B (only Vocab. I - colors and articles of clothing).
4. Capítulo 2: Plurals of nouns (WB page 29, #14). Also learn the vocabulary from this chapter (common classroom articles and things - Vocab. II from Lección A). Grammar & Vocab. handouts pages 11 and 12 (Mrs. Feld gave you these handouts and all the ones mentioned here, you can also find them on this link - G&V handouts). You must know how to change plural nouns to singular nouns, and singular nouns to plural nouns; with their respective definite and indefinite articles. Example: el libro - los libros, un libro - unos libros; la mochila - las mochilas, una mochila - unas mochilas. Remember: nouns, colors and adjectives that end with an "e" don't change with gender, just add an "s" to make them plural. For nouns that end with a "z," like lápiz you change the "z" to "ces" to make them plural (lápiz becomes lápices, luz becomes luces). LIBRO: pages 52 and 64. 
5. Capítulo 2: Verbos -ar, like necesitar, hablar, estudiar, cantar, etc. (Review WB pages 34, # 7 and 35). Grammar & Vocab. handouts pages 18 and 19, #10. LIBRO: page 67. You must know how to conjugate these verbs and place them correctly in sentences or questions.
6. Capítulo 2: Colors/colors as adjectives and the adjective "nuevo." (WB page 33, #5 and 34, # 6). Grammar & Vocab. handouts page 16. LIBRO: pages 60 and 61. Review the two PowerPoints on Chapter 2 in Edmodo (to review Reflexive Pronouns, Possessive Adjectives, Verbo Ser, Verbos -AR, Negative Sentences, Days of the Week and Colors and Articles of Clothing).
7. Capítulo 2 and Capítulo 3: Question Words - qué, a qué, cómo, cuánto, cuántos, quién, quiénes, de quién, de quiénes, dónde, de dónde, adónde, cuándo, cuál, cuáles, por qué. LIBRO: page 96.
8. Capítulo 3: Verbo "Ir" (to go). (WB page 47 and 48). Grammar & Vocab. pages 29, 30, 31 and 32, #3. LIBRO: pages 104 and 114. You must know how to conjugate this verb and place it correctly in sentences or questions. Also, how to use it with an infinitive. Examples: Yo voy a ir al parque, tú vas a hablar por teléfono, él va a estudiar para el examen de español, etc. Study the Verbo Ir Power Point in Edmodo.
9. Capítulo 3: Verbos -er, like beber, comprender, leer, creer, etc. (WB pages 56, #7, 57, 58 and 59). (Review the Grammar & Vocab. handout pages 35 and 37). LIBRO: page 120 and 121. You must know how to conjugate these verbs and place them correctly in sentences or questions.
10. Capítulo 3: "Introductions" (G & V pages 24 and 25 - LIBRO: page 94), Possessive Adjectives and Reflexive Pronouns (review the latest Quiz and Test, and your notes and the Chapter 2 PowerPoints, as mentioned on No. 6 above, plus the "Possessive Adjectives" PowerPoint in Edmodo). Also the food items (study the two Chapter 3 PowerPoints in Edmodo - "Vamos a la Ciudad" - all slides, & "Las Comidas" - Slides 1-12 only).
11. Verbos Ser y Estar (Verbo Ser, G & V pages 9 and 10, #s 2 and 3 - Verbo Estar, G & V page 21) - Capítulos 1 y 2. LIBRO: Verbo Ser, page 44 and Verbo Estar, page 76. Study the "Ser y Estar" PowerPoint in Edmodo.
12. Days of the Week (lunes, martes, miércoles, jueves, viernes, sábado y domingo) - see No. 6 above.
13. Articles of Clothing (common articles of clothing learned in class) - see No. 6 above.
14. Adjectives: you learned many adjectives in class, you need to remember how these adjectives change in sentences according to gender, and with singular and plural nouns. Examples: La camisa está sucia; la ventana está abierta; el libro es interesante; los libros son cómicos, la chica es honesta, el chico es serio, etc.
15. Foods (Las Comidas) - latest PowerPoint in Edmodo "Las Comidas" (from Capítulo 3, Lección B - Vocab. II, En el restaurante, LIBRO: pages 116, 117 and Capítulo 6, Lección A - Vocab. II, En la mesa, LIBRO: page 234).

You can also review some of the videos (del Señor Jordan) under "Favorite Links" and previous blog entries. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask Mrs. Feld. 

After the Midterm, on our Third Quarter, you will learn new vocabulary in "Capítulo 4 - La Familia" and Verbos -IR (Verbs that end in -IR, like vivir, salir, etc.). We will review the Verbo Estar again and how to use it with adjectives that refer to states of being, feelings and conditions; and the Verbo Ser and how to use it with adjectives that refer to characteristics of a person, animal or thing (LIBRO: pages 144 and 164). 

We will also review the possessive adjectives - indicating POSSESSION (LIBRO: page 139). In this chapter "Mi familia y mis amigos" the possessive adjectives describe the relationship between people. Write the "Estructura" in your notebooks. Example: mi hermano (my brother).

You will also learn, in "Capítulo 5 - Una Semana Típica," the Verbo Tener, expressions with "Qué," direct object pronouns (LIBRO: pages 194-196, exercises 26 to 29); and "dates" in Spanish, and review the days of the week (LIBRO: page 201). You will also learn the months of the year and the stations, and the numbers above 101 (LIBRO: pages 208 and 209).

In "Capítulo 6 - En Casa" - you will learn how to say (in Spanish) the different rooms and appliances in a typical house, and the Verbo Pensar (a stem-changing verb like "querer" - verbs that change from "e" to "ie") and other "e-ie" stem-changing verbs (LIBRO: page 231). You will also learn the demonstrative adjectives on page 238.

My goal is to complete all of "Capítulo 6" before the end of the school year, and all the stem-changing verbs: "e-i," "e-ie," and "o-ue" and "u-ue." (LIBRO: pages 257, 231 and 274). Verbs like: querer, pensar, pedir, poder and jugar, amongst others. If time permits, before the Final Exam, we will cover a few things from "Capítulo 7."

Capitulo 3 - ¡Vamos a la ciudad!

I noticed (when grading your last Quiz) that many of you didn't study or didn't understand the PowerPoint on Possessive Adjectives in Edmodo, so I will include this material again in the test you are having on December 18 . I'll explain it in class when I come back from Jury Duty. Please let me know if you have any questions. You have to understand Possessive Adjectives very well and also how to answer questions like: "¿De quién es la regla?" "Es mi regla" or "Es tu regla" or "Es su regla" or "Es nuestra regla" or "Es vuestra regla," etc.

You are learning "Introductions" in Spanish in this Chapter. I hope you completed the assignments (handout - and Edmodo Assignments when I was out last week). I expect you to take the initiative to study on your own, especially when you are having difficulties understanding something, and to go beyond what I ask you to do (remembering to check this Spanish Blog and Edmodo on a daily basis). When I come back to school you can ask me questions and tell me your concerns. You can keep checking the Aventura Resource Center (link under "Fave" Links - bottom) and review the chapter's material, especially Lesson A, Vocabulary I and II.

If you check the Grammar & Vocabulary pages in: G&V (Aventura RC) you can begin to complete pages 24 - 30 (Chapter 3 - Lesson A). You can complete these pages directly in your computer and then save them and print them for yourself (these are PDF documents). Note (12/4/13): you already have pages 24, 25 and 29, 30 (I gave you these handouts and we reviewed them in class). You can review the other pages (26, 27 and 28).

¿Adónde vamos en la ciudad? (Vocabulario I)

In this chapter you will learn the verb "ir." Not the verbs ending in "-ir" yet, but the "verbo ir" which means "to go." Please write the Estructura on page 104 in your notebooks and notice that the endings are just like the "verbo estar" (this should make it easier for you to learn). The only difference with the endings of "estar" is that there are no accents, no tildes. Also, please save and study the PowerPoint on "Verbo Ir" that I downloaded in Edmodo (and that I already showed and explained in class - on 12/3/13).

Yo voy, tú vas, usted/él/ella va, nosotros vamos, vosotros vais, ustedes/ellos/ellas van.

You will have a Test (on Wednesday, December 18) on this verb (ir) and I will ask you to complete sentences similar to the ones on Exercise 28 (page 104). I will also ask you how to make introductions in Spanish and how to add the appropriate question words in "question sentences." It will be helpful to review the G & V pages 31 - 33 (Chapter 3 - Lesson B). Any questions, please feel free to ask Mrs. Feld.

The present tense of the "verbo ir," conjugated above, is irregular. The most irregular the verbs in Spanish are, the most common they are. Remember that "ir" (verbo ir) in Spanish means "to go" in English.

Another verb that is conjugated like the verbos "estar" and "ir" is "dar" (to give):

Yo doy, tu das, usted/él/ella da, nosotros damos, vosotros dais, ustedes/ellos/ellas dan.  
So "dar" is not conjugated like the typical "-ar verbs" for the first person singular pronoun (personal pronoun) "yo." Look at these endings: yo estoy (estar), yo voy (ir), yo doy (dar) - they're the same! Check this link for Present Tense of "Verbo Ir" (also under "Fave" links).
So, remember this: "ir" and "dar" are conjugated like the "verbo estar" (same endings except for the "tildes"). You already know that "-ar verbs" are conjugated like "estar" without "tildes" except for the personal pronoun "yo" - like "yo hablo." You can say that "ir," "dar" and "estar" are conjugated like " -ar verbs" except for the personal pronoun/first person "yo". PLEASE TRY TO UNDERSTAND THIS AND IT WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER (when learning Spanish).

Suggestion: write these verbs (all the ones you learned and will learn in this Chapter) on index cards. Have them handy to review and study. I know some of you are not writing the Spanish vocabulary and verbs on index cards or in your notebooks. Print the Blog entries for yourself and highlight the important instructions and lessons.
Also write the adjectives you have learned and the question words (interrogative pronouns) on index cards and in your notebooks too. When you write things down, you learn better!
Remember: you MUST write the "Estructuras" from each Chapter in your notebooks. Read them and try to understand them. We will review this material in class. Also write the "Repaso Rápido" from page 96 (very important to review the question words).

Besides qué, de qué, dónde, de dónde, cuál, cuáles, cómo, quién, quiénes, de quién, de quiénes, I need you to add por qué and adónde. Also add cuándo, cuánto, cuánta, cuantos, cuántas. You must know the meaning of all these question words and be able to create questions with them.

When you complete all of Lesson A you can move on to Lesson B - Vocabulario I "En el centro" (downtown) page 110. Homework: Workbook pages 42 (No. 4 only) and 43.

FOR THE TEST ON DECEMBER 18: please study the G & V pages 24 to 30, Workbook pages 42 (No. 4 only) and 43 (on Introductions), and pages 47-49 (on "Verbo IR"), Textbook pages 94 (Exercise No. 8), 95 (Exercises No. 9 and 10), 104 ("Verbo IR" - Exercise 28), 114 (Exercises No. 8 and 9). Please memorize the "verbo IR." You must understand how to introduce people in Spanish and when to use te, le, and les. Also, the quiz material will be included (Possessive Adjectives and Reflexive Pronouns), study your last quiz.

I won't ask you Chapter 3 vocabulary words on this test, but I will on the next one (and on the Midterm).

Possessive Adjectives & Negative Sentences

On November 20, 2013 you will have a Quiz on Possessive Adjectives, Reflexive Pronouns and Negative Sentences. Please review the videos on Possessive Adjectives under "Fave" Links - on the right or here: Possessive Adjectives 1 and Possessive Adjectives 2 (Sr. Jordan videos).

Also check the card below (click on it to enlarge):

I will give you a handout to practice these possessive adjectives. Remember: Possessive adjectives in Spanish, like those in English, are a way of indicating who owns or is in possession of something (they indicate "possession" like the word implies). Their use is straightforward, although they (like other adjectives) must match the nouns they modify in both number and gender. Unlike English, Spanish has two forms of possessive adjectives, a short form that is used before nouns, and a long form that is used after nouns. The ones above are the "short form" possessive adjectives, also known as "possessive determiners."

Note: Possessive adjectives vary by number and gender. The change is with the nouns they modify, not with the person(s) who own or possess the object. Thus, you would say "his book" and "her book" in the same way: su libro; and "his books" and "her books" - sus libros. Sometimes you want to specify who is the owner (or who are the owners) of an object or objects, or the person(s) you are referring to when you use "su" or "sus": el libro de ella (su libro), la mochila de Susana (su mochila), las amigas de Marta (sus amigas), las clases de Arturo (sus clases), los cuadernos de las estudiantes (sus cuadernos), etc.

Summarizing, possessive adjectives indicate the owner of the noun they modify. They are usually placed in front of the noun and MUST match the gender and number of the noun they describe, not the gender and number of the owner of the noun.

Please review the Blog entry of September 29 (below), to review the reflexive pronouns.

Negative Sentences: To make a sentence negative, place the word "no" before the verb or before the reflexive pronoun and verb (i.e. Ella no se llama Marta, se llama Susana).

Ella no habla inglés. (Affirmative sentence: Ella habla inglés)

She doesn't speak English.

Él no es profesor. (Affirmative sentence: Él es profesor)

He is not a professor (teacher).

Other examples: Alicia es de Arizona - Alicia no es de Arizona. Es una camisa verde - No es una camisa verde, es una camisa azul. Me llamo Marta - No me llamo Marta. Ella es de Filadelfia - Ella no es de Filadelfia, ella es de Nueva York. Nosotros bailamos - Nosotros no bailamos.

One of the main differences between English and Spanish negative sentences is that in Spanish the negative sentences are "simpler." You simply place the word "no" in front of the conjugated verb. If you translated the Spanish sentences "literally" to English, they would sound funny: Yo no bailo - "I no dance" (in English we say: "I do not dance"); Ella no canta - "She no sing" (instead of "She does not sing"). In Spanish, unlike English, we don't use "helping verbs" to make a sentence negative. It is also common to use "double negatives" in Spanish: ¿Estudias mucho? No, no estudio mucho. ¿Necesitas un abrigo nuevo? No, no necesito un abrigo nuevo. ¿Llevas una mochila nueva? No, no llevo una mochila nueva. (The affirmative responses could be: Sí, si estudio mucho, Sí, si necesito un abrigo nuevo. Sí, si llevo una mochila nueva).

Also review the PowerPoint on "Capítulo 2" (in Edmodo) with this material.

Capítulo 2 – Días de la Semana, Colores, Materias y Ropa

In this chapter you will learn the days of the week, colors, subjects and articles of clothing in Spanish. Please check some of the links under "Fave" Links to start learning this material really well. Also, study the PowerPoints I downloaded in Edmodo.

I found another silly video to learn the days of the week here: Días (click the word). You can find many others in YouTube. Another video here: Días2. To say "On Mondays" you say "los lunes." To say "On Tuesday" you say "el martes." "Lunes, martes, miércoles, jueves y viernes" don't change for singular or plural forms: el lunes, el martes, el miércoles, el jueves, el viernes; or, los lunes, los martes, los miércoles, los jueves, los viernes. But, for Saturday and Sunday (sábado y domingo) it changes. You say: el sábado, el domingo and los sábados, los domingos. Please write this down in your notebooks.

How do you say "yesterday"? Ayer. How about "the day before yesterday"? Anteayer or antier, both terms are acceptable. Some people prefer one or the other. They say "antier" was first mostly used in rural areas, but now many people use this word. I say "antier" other people say "anteayer" and other people even say "el día antes de ayer."

How do you say "the day after tomorrow"? Pasado mañana. (Remember: "tomorrow" is mañana). To say weekend, you say: el fin de semana; and to say weekends, you say: los fines de semana.

Spanish.about.com says that "like other adjectives, names of the common colors when used in Spanish must agree with the nouns they describe in both gender and number. However, names of some of the more unusual colors are treated differently in Spanish than they are in English. Also, in most cases, names of colors come after the nouns they describe, not before as in English." Check: Colores for more information on colors. Also: Colores2. There are some exceptions to the rules: the colors "violeta" (purple), café (brown), and "naranja" (orange) don't change. When you use these colors, the words remain the same for all genders and whether they are singular or plural. Another example of this is the color "crema" for cream. Please check the handout on "Colores" that I gave you.

These are some examples of how some colors change (like other adjectives, only the ones that end with "o" change to "a" for feminine forms): La blusa blanca... La camisa roja... La chaqueta amarilla... La falda rosada... La faja negra... La camiseta morada..., etc. or la camisa es roja, la falda es rosada, etc. You can also say: Ella tiene una blusa blanca or ella lleva una blusa blanca (she has a white blouse or she is wearing a white blouse); or la blusa de Marta es blanca (Marta's blouse is white).

If I ask: ¿De qué color es la blusa de Susana? You can respond: La blusa de Susana es blanca or la blusa de Susana es azul (or enter whatever color you want). If you answer with the words "de color," then the word for the original color remains: la blusa es de color blanco, la falda es de color morado (instead of la blusa es blanca and la falda es morada).

Colors like: verde, gris, marrón or café, azul -and others ending in "e" or a consonant- don't change with feminine nouns (colors like café and violeta can remain the same for plural forms). Examples: La falda gris. La camiseta azul (but if you want to say the "light blue T-Shirt," then you say la camiseta azul clara or la camiseta celeste), los pantalones  café, la blusas violeta. The words "claro" (for light) and "oscuro" (for dark) do change like regular adjectives (the "o" becomes "a" for feminine forms). To change to plural forms the rule for nouns applies: add "s" to colors that end in a vowel and add "es" to colors that end in a consonant. Practice how to make plural the singular forms of colors and days of the week. Check the most basic colors below, and remember that purple can also be morado, and marrón can also be café.

TEST: On November 12, 2013 you will have a test on Capítulo 2 - Leccion B (Vocab. I), especially the information on this blog, textbook pages 60 to 70 (skip pg. 63) workbook pages 31, 32, 33 (#5 only), 34, and 35. Study the PowerPoints in Edmodo (for this chapter). I will include Present Tense of -AR verbs, Colors, Days of the Week, Subjects and Articles of Clothing. It is a lot of material, so I'm hoping that you are studying a little bit every day, please don't leave the studying for the day before the test. Create index cards, review the workbook and textbook, ask me questions, check the Spanish Blog links, etc.

Quiz: You will have a quiz on November 20, 2013 on Reflexive Pronouns, Possessive Adjectives and Negative Sentences. I decided not to include these on the Test of November 12.

Capítulo 2 - En mi colegio

This month of October we will try to complete all of Lesson A and part of Lesson B, from this Chapter (Capítulo 2). I asked you on Friday (10/11/13) to write all the new vocabulary from Vocabulario II (Lección A) in your notebooks with their respective definite and indefinite articles. It is essential that you memorize these new words with their respective articles, and that you learn to change them to their plural forms too. Please remember the rules for adding the definite and indefinite articles to nouns, and the rules on how to change to their plural forms.

Usually nouns that end in "o," are masculine; and nouns that end in "a," are feminine. But as you learned, there are some exceptions: la mano (not "el mano"), el mapa (not "la mapa") and "el día" (not "la día"). Also, el problema (not "la problema"), el tema (not "la tema"). If a noun is masculine and singular you add the definite article "el." If a noun is feminine and singular you add the definite article "la." If a noun is masculine and plural the definite article is "los." If a noun is feminine and plural the definite article is "las." Check below to review both definite and indefinite articles.

Remember that nouns are words that name a person, place, thing or idea. They can refer to "living things," or "non-living things." In Spanish all nouns have gender, they can be masculine or feminine. Most nouns that refer to males are usually masculine, and most nouns that refer to females are usually feminine. Examples of masculine nouns are: el hombre, el chico, el muchacho, el conductor, el profesor, el escritor, el turista. Examples of feminine nouns are: la mujer, la chica, la muchacha, la profesora, la escritora, la turista. 

Most masculine nouns (for "living things") end in "o," "or," "ista." Most feminine nouns (for "living things") end in "a," "ora," "ista." Some nouns (like "turista" and "artista") have identical endings in masculine and feminine forms. So, in those cases, gender is indicated by the article. Other examples are "joven" and "estudiante." 

Examples of masculine nouns that refer to "non-living things" are: el cuaderno, el bolígrafo, el problema, el autobús. Examples of feminine nouns that refer to "non-living things" are: la palabra, la conversación, la profesión, la lección, la nacionalidad, la vecindad. Common endings for masculine nouns ("non-living things") are "o," "ma," and "s." And for feminine nouns ("non-living things") are "a," "ción," "sión," and "dad." As seen above, there are exceptions to these rules. This is why you SHOULD memorize each noun with its article (el or la). 

Once you know that the definite article of a noun is "el," you will know that the indefinite article is "un." Example: "el libro" - "un libro." The plural form is "los libros - unos libros." Practice this with all the new vocabulary words from this chapter. Spanish nouns that end in a vowel, form the plural by adding "s." Other examples: "el diccionario" - "los diccionarios," "la fotografía - "las fotografías." 

For nouns that end in a consonant, add "es" to form the plural. Examples: "la comunidad - las comunidades," "el profesor - los profesores," "la conversación - las conversaciones." Notice that for the word "conversaciones" the accent was dropped, because the emphasis is not placed on the "o" anymore. Nouns that end with a "z" change the "z" to "ces." Examples: "el lápiz - los lápices," "la cruz - las cruces," and "la luz - las luces."

Also remember that if you have a group of males and females, you will refer to them as "los chicos," or "los muchachos." In Spanish, the masculine plural form is used to refer to a group that includes males and females.

You will have a TEST on Singular and Plural Nouns (from "Capítulo 2 - En mi colegio") and its Definite and Indefinite Articles on Thursday, October 24, 2013. Study Capítulo 2, Lección A, Vocabulario II. You must know the vocabulary from pages 48 and 49; and also know how to spell these words properly. Please check Edmodo, I have more detailed information there. I also added a very good PowerPoint on Nouns and Definite and Indefinite Articles. If you have any questions, feel free to ask Señora Feld.