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1. The written lesson is below.

2. Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left.

Whole books have been written about the two important Spanish verbs: ser and estar. This will be the subject of our discussion for the next few lessons. Soon, you will have a very good understanding of how these two verbs are used.

Ser and estar can both be translated as "to be." Here is the English verb, fully conjugated:

Notice that these two sentences can have different meanings in English.

The apple is green.
(Meaning the apple is not ripe.)

The apple is green.
(Meaning the color of the apple is green.)

In the first case, our example speaks of the condition of the apple. The apple is green because it has not yet ripened. When the condition of the apple changes, that is, when it has ripened, it will no longer be green, it will be ripe.

In the second case, our example speaks of the essential characteristics of the apple. The apple is green in color. This particular apple remains green even after it has ripened.

In English, the verb "to be" can be used to tell how something is (the condition) and what something is (the essence).

In Spanish, a different verb is used to express "to be" depending on whether the speaker intends to address a condition or an essential quality.

La manzana está verde.
The apple is green. (condition)

La manzana es verde.
The apple is green. (essence)

Note how the adjective "verde" actually changes meaning, depending upon whether it is used with ser or estar.

La manzana está verde.
(condition: verde = unripe)

La manzana es verde.
(essential characteristic: verde = color green)

To address condition, use estar. Estar is an irregular verb. It does not follow the standard rules of conjugation for regular -ar verbs. Therefore, you must memorize it.

To address an essential quality, use ser. Ser is also irregular and must be memorized.

If you are talking about what something is, use ser; if you are talking about how something is, use estar.

Let's add the two important verbs ser and estar to our set of verb flashcards:

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Ser and Estar: Part I - StudySpanish.com

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Learn the fundamental difference and use of the Spanish verbs Ser and Estar, and their conjugation. See examples of their use in Spanish.

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Letra

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Cancion

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Pearson - Realidades - Level A/1: Canciones de hip hop

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Realidades - Level A/1: Canciones de hip hop

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Video

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01057 Spanish Lesson - El tiempo y el clima (weather)

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The Weather

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BBC - Schools - Primary Languages - Spanish - Our World - Weather

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song

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Pearson - Realidades - Level A/1: Canciones de hip hop

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Realidades - Level A/1: Canciones de hip hop

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Lyrics

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Cancion

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me gusta song for spanish teaching - Bing video

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Spanish Song Te Gusta Me Gusta Song for Students Song in Spanish La Familia Spanish Family Song Spanish Videos Senor Jordan Gustar Me Gusta Part 1 Senor Me Gusta Gusta Rap Me Gustas Tu Edited for Spanish Class Gustar Spanish Song Sesame Street Me Gusta Teaching Spanish Me Gusta Song YouTube Video for Spanish Class Me Gusta Si Si Me Gusta

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Video

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01065 Spanish Lesson - Present Tense - E-IE Stem-changing verbs

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60 minutes

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60 Minutes Lethal Medicine 60 Minutes Sagrada 60 Minutes Antoni Gaudi 60 Minutes Full Episodes Logan CBS 60 Minutes 60 Minutes Barcelona Church 60 Minutes Sunday Show CBS 60 Minutes Episodes 60 Minutes Tonight's Episode 60 Minutes Episodes God S Architect March-10 2013 60 Minutes Basilica Spain 60 Minutes Church in Spain 60 Minutes Sunday

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Sr. Jordan

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Ser vs Estar - Using Ser + Uses of Ser Song! (intermediate)

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for homework on 10/5/15

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1. The written lesson is below.

2. Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left.

Whole books have been written about the two important Spanish verbs: ser and estar. This will be the subject of our discussion for the next few lessons. Soon, you will have a very good understanding of how these two verbs are used.

Ser and estar can both be translated as "to be." Here is the English verb, fully conjugated:

Notice that these two sentences can have different meanings in English.

The apple is green.
(Meaning the apple is not ripe.)

The apple is green.
(Meaning the color of the apple is green.)

In the first case, our example speaks of the condition of the apple. The apple is green because it has not yet ripened. When the condition of the apple changes, that is, when it has ripened, it will no longer be green, it will be ripe.

In the second case, our example speaks of the essential characteristics of the apple. The apple is green in color. This particular apple remains green even after it has ripened.

In English, the verb "to be" can be used to tell how something is (the condition) and what something is (the essence).

In Spanish, a different verb is used to express "to be" depending on whether the speaker intends to address a condition or an essential quality.

La manzana está verde.
The apple is green. (condition)

La manzana es verde.
The apple is green. (essence)

Note how the adjective "verde" actually changes meaning, depending upon whether it is used with ser or estar.

La manzana está verde.
(condition: verde = unripe)

La manzana es verde.
(essential characteristic: verde = color green)

To address condition, use estar. Estar is an irregular verb. It does not follow the standard rules of conjugation for regular -ar verbs. Therefore, you must memorize it.

To address an essential quality, use ser. Ser is also irregular and must be memorized.

If you are talking about what something is, use ser; if you are talking about how something is, use estar.

Let's add the two important verbs ser and estar to our set of verb flashcards:

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Ser and Estar: Part I - StudySpanish.com

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The written lesson is below. Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left. Whole books have been written about the two important Spanish verbs: ser and estar. This will be the subject of our discussion for the next few lessons. Soon, you will have a very good understanding of how these two verbs are used.

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Letra

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Lasso

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Lasso Ft Sheryl Rubio Quiero que Vuelvas Video Oficial

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Lasso "Hoy Te Dejo De Amar" disponible ya! http://bit.ly/1MQMRU3 http://vevo.ly/DVr5gt

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1. The written lesson is below.

2. Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left.

A verb is an action word.

The main form of a verb is called the infinitive. In English, infinitives include the word "to."

The infinitive is the pure form of a verb. The infinitive is like a lump of clay that can be molded to match the subject of the sentence it is used in:

Note: The above forms are called conjugations of the infinitive "to speak."

Regarding the form "you-all" - this usage is not considered to be standard English. In standard English, the same word is used for both the singular you and the plural you. That is, each of the following is correct:

You have a tail light out, ma'am.
You (kids) have soccer practice at four.

In the first sentence, "you" refers to the singular "ma'am." In the second sentence, "you" refers to the plural "kids." To avoid confusion between you (singular) and you (plural), we will employ the non-standard English usage "you-all" to indicate you (plural). This will be very beneficial to y'all, particularly at the beginning of your studies.

The words "I" "you" "he" "she" "we" "you-all" and "they" are called subject pronouns. Spanish has corresponding subject pronouns. Here's a list of the English subject pronouns and their Spanish equivalents:

Spanish subject pronouns are both similar to and different from their English counterparts. Let's examine some of the differences. Look more closely at the English word "you."

You have just seen that this can be translated into Spanish as "usted." But there is also a second way it can be translated. There are two ways the English word "you" can be expressed in Spanish:

Spanish has a formal and an informal form of the word "you." "Usted" is more formal and is generally used to express respect. "Tú" is more familiar and is used among friends, coworkers, relatives, or when addressing a child.

Speaking to your boss: usted
Speaking to your daughter: tú
Speaking to your teacher: usted
Speaking to your friend: tú

usted = you formal

tú = you informal (familiar)

This same distinction with regard to degree of formality occurs in the plural form as well. When referring to "you-all," there are two choices in Spanish:

Once again, the difference lies in the degree of formality conveyed by the speaker. However, the vosotros form is used primarily in Spain. Throughout Latin America, "ustedes" is generally used in both formal and informal situations to refer to "you-all."

Speaking to a group of children
(in Spain): vosotros

Speaking to a group of children
(in Latin America): ustedes

Speaking to a group of strangers
(in Spain): ustedes

Speaking to a group of strangers
(in Latin America): ustedes

Note: usted can be abbreviated Ud. or Vd. ; ustedes can be abbreviated Uds. or Vds.

In many ways, Spanish is more gender-specific than English. We find evidence of this in the subject pronouns. First, look at the word "nosotros." This means "we" in the sense of a group containing at least one male. If the group contains only females, the word "nosotras" is used. So, in Spanish, there are two ways to say "we":

This same idea applies to the English word "they":

This same idea also applies to the "vosotros" form:

Note: These forms are used primarily in Spain, not Latin America.

Finally, don't get confused over the difference between talking to a group or talking about a group. Consider the following statement, which could have been made by your Spanish teacher, while standing before the class:

"You-all need to study your Spanish. Those students in the other class don't need to study Spanish. They are studying French. You-all can practice Spanish in Spain. They can practice French in France."

The teacher is talking to the Spanish students and about the French students.

Talking to a group, use "you-all":

Talking about a group, use "they":

Here's the complete list of Spanish subject pronouns:
Plural

nosotros

we (masculine or mixed gender)

nosotras

we (feminine)

vosotros

you-all (familiar, Spain, masculine or mixed gender)

vosotras

you-all (familiar, Spain, feminine)

ellos

they (masculine or mixed gender)

ellas

they (feminine)

ustedes

you-all (formal in Spain, formal and familiar in Latin America)

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The written lesson is below. Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left. A verb is an action word. The main form of a verb is called the infinitive. In English, infinitives include the word "to." The infinitive is the pure form of a verb.

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In Spanish, there are three categories of verbs. The category is determined by the last two letters of the infinitive:

-ar verbs (like hablar)
-er verbs (like comer)
-ir verbs (like vivir)

The infinitive is the base form of the verb, such as to speak, to eat, to live, etc. In Spanish, all infinitives end in -ar, -er, or -ir.

To conjugate a verb means to manipulate the infinitive so that it agrees with the different possible subjects. Here is the present tense conjugation of the infinitive "to speak":

The present tense in Spanish can mean three things. The Spanish phrase "yo hablo" can mean:

Many Spanish verbs are completely regular, meaning that they follow a specific pattern of conjugation. In this lesson you will learn to conjugate regular -ar, -er, and -ir verbs (in the present tense). Before you can do that, you must memorize the following subject pronouns.

yo (I)
tú (you - informal)
él (he)
ella (she)
usted (you - formal)

nosotros/nosotras (we)
vosotros/vosotras (you-all - informal)

ellos/ellas (they)
ustedes (you-all formal)

For a review of the subject pronouns, click here.

Spanish infinitives are divided into two parts: the ending and the stem. The ending is the last two letters. Remember, all infinitives end in -ar, -er, or -ir. The stem is everything that's left after you remove the ending.

habl + ar = hablar
com + er = comer
viv + ir = vivir

In this lesson, we will use the model -ar verbs: hablar. In Spanish, you conjugate verbs by changing the ending. If the subject is I (yo), conjugate by dropping the ending and add -o.

yo hablo (hablar - ar + o = hablo)
I speak, I am speaking, I do speak

If the subject is you - informal (tú), conjugate by dropping the ending and add -as (for -ar verbs).

tú hablas (hablar - ar + as = hablas)
you speak, you are speaking, you do speak

If the subject is he (él), she (ella) or you - formal (usted), conjugate by dropping the ending and add -a (-ar verbs).

él/ella/usted habla (hablar - ar + a = habla)
he speaks, she is speaking, you (formal) do speak

If the subject is we (nosotros/nosotras), conjugate by dropping the ending and add -amos for -ar verbs.

nosotros hablamos (hablar - ar + amos = hablamos)
we speak, we are speaking, we do speak

If the subject is you-all - informal (vosotros/vosotras), conjugate by dropping the ending and add -áis for -ar verbs.

vosotros habláis (hablar - ar + áis = habláis)
you-all speak, you-all are speaking, you-all do speak

If the subject is they (ellos/ellas) or you-all - formal (ustedes), conjugate by dropping the ending and add -an (-ar verbs).

ellos/ellas/ustedes hablan (hablar - ar + an = hablan)
they speak, they are speaking, you-all (formal) do speak

As you can see, to conjugate regular -ar verbs, simply drop the ending (-ar) and add one of the following:

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In Spanish, there are three categories of verbs. The category is determined by the last two letters of the infinitive: -ar verbs (like hablar) -er verbs (like comer) -ir verbs (like vivir) The infinitive is the base form of the verb, such as to speak, to eat, to live, etc.

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Reflexive Verbs Part I: Quiz #1 - StudySpanish.com

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Learn Spanish grammar with our free helpful lessons and fun exercises at StudySpanish.com. Get started on your way to speaking Spanish conversationally!

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1. The written lesson is below.

2. Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left.

A verb is reflexive when the subject and the object are the same.

Since the subject and object are the same, the verb is reflexive. Since the subject and object are different, the verb is not reflexive.

Here's another example of how a verb can be either reflexive or non-reflexive.

I scratch myself.
subject: I
verb: scratch
object: myself
Since the subject and object are the same, the verb is reflexive.
I scratch the dog.
subject: I
verb: scratch
object: dog
Since the subject and object are different, the verb is not reflexive.

When a verb is reflexive, the infinitive ends in "se."

There is one reflexive verb you have been using since you began studying Spanish.

llamarse - to call oneself

¿Cómo se llama usted?
What do you call yourself?

Me llamo Juan.
I call myself Juan.

Note: A more "natural" translation would be "What is your name?" and "My name is Juan."

When you learned to conjugate regular verbs, you needed to learn a set of pronouns called "subject pronouns."

To learn to conjugate reflexive verbs, you need to learn a different set of pronouns called "reflexive pronouns." These pronouns are positioned before the verb, while the ending "se" is dropped and the verb is conjugated normally.

lavarse
tú te lavas
you wash (yourself) (informal)

él se lava
he washes (himself)

ella se lava
she washes (herself)

usted se lava
you wash (yourself) (formal)

nosotros nos lavamos
we wash (ourselves)

nosotras nos lavamos
we wash (ourselves) (feminine)

vosotros os laváis
you-all wash (yourselves) (informal)

vosotras os laváis
you-all wash (yourselves) (informal, feminine)

ustedes se lavan
you-all wash (yourselves)(formal)

ellos se lavan
they wash (themselves)

ellas se lavan
they wash (themselves) (feminine)

The reflexive pronouns are not subject pronouns; rather they are object pronouns.

The purpose of the reflexive object pronouns is to show that the action of the verb remains with the subject.

Juan se lava la cara.
Juan washes his face. (reflexive)

Juan lava su carro. (non-reflexive)
Juan washes his car.

Note: When referring to body parts, use the definite article, thus "la cara" not "su cara."

Note that many, many verbs can be made reflexive. All it means when a verb is reflexive is that the action remains with the subject.

wash the dog (non-reflexive)
wash your face (reflexive)

raise the book (non-reflexive)
raise yourself (reflexive)

put the baby to bed (non-reflexive)
go to bed (reflexive)

wake up your son (non-reflexive)
wake up yourself (reflexive)

...and so on

Now add a flashcard for reflexive verbs:

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The written lesson is below. Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left. A verb is reflexive when the subject and the object are the same. Since the subject and object are the same, the verb is reflexive. Since the subject and object are different, the verb is not reflexive.

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02 Spanish lesson - Demonstrative adjectives (part 1): this &  that

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Demonstrative adjectives

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As the name implies, Spanish demonstrative adjectives demonstrate a quality about the noun they modify. In this case, that quality is the location in respect to the speaker or the listener. Spanish demonstrative adjectives can be translated as this, that, these, or those.

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Demonstrative Adjectives Spanish | SpanishDict

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As the name implies, Spanish demonstrative adjectives demonstrate a quality about the noun they modify. In this case, that quality is the location in respect to the speaker or the listener. Spanish demonstrative adjectives can be translated as this, that, these, or those.

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In Spanish, there are two verbs that can be translated as "to be." These two verbs are ser and estar. This lesson will not focus on their correct usage; rather, it is designed to give you lots of practice conjugating these two verbs. For detailed explanations of when to use ser and when to use estar, see the following lessons:

For these quizzes, you only need know how to conjugate ser and estar.

By practicing with these quizzes, you will start to gain a subconscious knowledge of the rules for using ser and estar. Thus, these quizzes will be a great help not only in learning to conjugate the verbs, but also in learning to automatically use them correctly.

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In Spanish, there are two verbs that can be translated as "to be." These two verbs are ser and estar. This lesson will not focus on their correct usage; rather, it is designed to give you lots of practice conjugating these two verbs.

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02 Spanish lesson - Demonstrative adjectives (part 1): this &  that

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Learn Spanish - Family Members (beginner)

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Spanish D!ct

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The world's most popular Spanish translation website. Over 1 million words and phrases. Free. Easy. Accurate.

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Check out the beautiful image on SpanishDict today!

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Conjugate Spanish verbs with our conjugator. Verb conjugations include preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, subjunctive, and more tenses.

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Video lesson

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02 Spanish Lesson - Direct Objects (parte 2)

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Hola. In this video lesson, we continue learning about the Direct Object pronouns. In the first video, ,we learned about lo, la, los and las. In this video, we also learn about the direct object pronouns that we use for people (me, te, lo, la, nos, los, las) Like this video if it was helpful.

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Video lesson

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02 Spanish Lesson - Indirect Object Pronouns (me, te, le, nos, *os, les)

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Video lesson

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Learn Spanish! - How to use Direct objects (lo, la, los, las)

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SUBSCRIBE for more Spanish videos: http://bit.ly/XGe7we Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/srjordanspanish Tweet me: https://twitter.com/senorjordan Check out my website: http://www.senorjordan.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Click link to see wordbank: http://www.senorjordan.com/2009/05/01-direct-objects/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This video lesson covers the direct objects (lo, la, los, and las) that we use in Spanish instead of 'it' and 'them'.

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More info and practice

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1. The written lesson is below.

2. Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left.

The indirect object (IO) tells us where the direct object (DO) is going.

The indirect object answers the question "To whom?" or "For whom?" the action of the verb is performed.

Sentences that have an indirect object usually also have a direct object. Remember, the IO tells us where the DO is going. Notice how the sentences below just wouldn't work without a direct object.

He gives María . . .
the book, the pen, the diamond, etc.

He buys me . . .
flowers, candy, an ironing board, etc.

Sometimes the direct object is not stated; rather it is implied, or understood.

My mother writes me every week.
DO=letter (understood)
IO=me
(My mother writes me a letter every week.)

She told him.
DO=it (understood)
IO=him
(She told it to him.)

To identify the indirect object use our two guidelines:

1. The IO tells us where the DO is going.

2. The IO answers the question "to whom?" or "for whom" the action of the verb is performed.

When a pronoun takes the place of the name of the indirect object, use the following pronouns:

In an affirmative statement with one verb, the indirect object pronoun comes immediately before the conjugated verb.

Now, focus in on one part of each of the previous examples:

Juan me compra un regalo.
John buys (for) me a gift.

Juan te compra un regalo.
John buys (for) you a gift.

Juan le compra un regalo.
John buys (for) her a gift.

Juan nos compra un regalo.
John buys (for) us a gift.

Juan os compra un regalo.
John buys (for) you-all (familiar) a gift.

Juan les compra un regalo.
John buys (for) them a gift.

Let's extract the IO phrase and its English equivalent:

Just like with the direct object, the indirect object presents a problem if one tries to translate word-for-word:

Juan me compra un regalo.
John for me he buys a gift.

The key to learning to use the indirect object pronouns is the same as the key for direct object pronouns. You must learn to think in phrases, not words. The phrases consist of a pronoun and a conjugated verb. In the following examples, note that the IO remains the same, while the subject of the phrase changes.

The IO pronouns le and les present a special problem because they are ambiguous. That is, they can stand for different things.

The following sentences, while grammatically correct, are ambiguous:

Ella le escribe una carta.
Ella les escribe una carta.

Out of context, there is no way we can know the meaning.

Ella le escribe una carta.
She writes him a letter.
She writes her a letter.
She writes you (formal) a letter.

Since le and les can mean more than one thing, a prepositional phrase is often added to remove the ambiguity.

Ella le escribe a Juan una carta.
Ella le escribe a su hermana una carta.
Ella le escribe a usted una carta.

Ella les escribe a sus padres una carta.
Ella les escribe a ustedes una carta.

Sometimes a prepositional phrase is added not for clarity, but rather for emphasis.

Juan me da a mí el dinero.
John gives me the money.
(emphasizing that the money is given to me and not to someone else)

Juan te da a ti el dinero.
John gives you the money. (emphasis on you)

There is no ambiguity in the following sentence. It can only mean one thing.

Juan me da el dinero.
John gives me the money.

The addition of a prepositional phrase merely adds emphasis.

Let's sum up the important points of this lesson:

The IO tells us where the DO is going.

The IO answers the question "to whom" or "for whom."

Sentences that have an IO usually also have a DO

Sometimes the DO is not stated, but rather is implied, or understood.

The IO pronouns are: me, te, le, nos, os, les.

Place the pronoun before the conjugated verb.

Think in phrases, do not translate word-for-word.

Le and les are ambiguous.

Prepositional phrases are often used for clarity and for emphasis.

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Indirect Object Pronouns: Part I - StudySpanish.com

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The written lesson is below. Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left. The indirect object (IO) tells us where the direct object (DO) is going. The indirect object answers the question "To whom?" or "For whom?" the action of the verb is performed.

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More info and practice...

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1. The written lesson is below.

2. Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left.

The object that directly receives the action of the verb is called the direct object.

Bill hit the ball.
"Ball" receives the action of the verb "hit."

Sherry reads the book.
"Book" receives the action of the verb "reads."

The direct object can also be a person.

The direct object answers the question " what?" or " whom? " with regard to what the subject of the sentence is doing.

Often, it is desirable to replace the name of the direct object with a pronoun.

Example 1
Paul bought the flowers. He took the flowers home and gave the flowers to his wife.
Example 2
Paul bought the flowers. He took them home and gave them to his wife.

When the pronoun replaces the name of the direct object, use the following pronouns:

In an affirmative statement with one verb, the direct object pronoun comes immediately before the conjugated verb.

The pronoun (la) comes immediately before the verb (tengo).

Notice that if the subject of the sentence changes, this does not affect the direct object pronoun.

However, if the direct object of the sentence changes to a masculine noun, the masculine pronoun must be used.

Likewise, if the direct object of the sentence changes from singular to plural, the plural pronoun must be used.

Look at how Spanish and English are different.

"Lo tengo" and "La tengo" BOTH mean "I have it."

Differences:

1. "It" has two forms in Spanish: lo, la

2. "Tengo" one word in Spanish = two words in English (I have)

3. The word order is different. In Spanish, the pronoun (lo, la) comes before the verb; in English, the pronoun (it) comes after the verb.

When you try to translate literally from English to Spanish, sometimes it works very well:

John eats the soup.
John = Juan
John eats = Juan come
John eats the = Juan come la
John eats the soup = Juan come la sopa.

Other times, direct translation doesn't work so well:

I eat the soup.
I = Yo
I eat = Yo como
I eat the = Yo como la
I eat the soup = Yo como la sopa.

Because "como" means "I eat," the word "yo" is redundant. A better translation might be:

I eat the soup.
Como la sopa.

Sometimes, when you try to translate literally, you run into much bigger problems:

I eat it. (the soup - la sopa)
I = Yo
I eat = Yo como
I eat it. = Yo como la.
This is completely incorrect!

The correct translation would be:

As you can see, directly translating sentences with direct object pronouns doesn't work, so ... don't do it! There is a better, easier way.

Learn to translate groups of words, rather than individual words. The first step is to learn to view two Spanish words as a single phrase.

Try to think of each line as a single phrase, not two separate words:

Read each line again. Before you do, glance at the translation beneath it. Then, read each line thinking of it as a phrase that has the same meaning as the English phrase below it.

In the previous examples, it is clear that the subject of the sentence is "I" because the verbs are all conjugated in the "yo" form. With other verb forms, it is often desirable to add a word to clarify the subject.

Juan la come. (la comida)

Juan eats it.

María lo tiene. (el libro)

María has it.

El chico la compra. (la pluma)

The boy buys it.

La chica lo ve. (el edificio)

The girl sees it.

Ustedes lo leen. (el periódico)

You-all read it.

Now, some examples of plural direct objects.

Now, some examples where the direct object is a person.

Just as no one has ever learned to ride a bicycle by reading about it, neither will you learn to use direct object pronouns simply by reading this lesson. The key to success, as always, is to practice, practice, practice.

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Direct Object Pronouns: Part I - StudySpanish.com

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The written lesson is below. Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left. The object that directly receives the action of the verb is called the direct object. Bill hit the ball. "Ball" receives the action of the verb "hit." Sherry reads the book. "Book" receives the action of the verb "reads."

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Cielo (Heaven in Spanish)- Los Lonely Boys with lyrics

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Song: Cielo Artist: Los Lonely Boys Album: Los Lonely Boys [special edition]

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Learn Spanish - nouns, definite articles & class vocab

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1. The written lesson is below.

2. Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left.

In the last lesson, you learned that the preterite is used for past actions that are seen as completed. You also learned how to conjugate regular -ar verbs. In this lesson, you will learn how to conjugate -er and -ir verbs, and become more familiar with the uses of the preterite.

To conjugate regular -ar verbs in the preterite, simply drop the ending (-ar) and add one of the following:

To conjugate regular -er and -ir verbs in the preterite, simply drop the ending (-er or -ir) and add one of the following:

Here are all three regular preterite verb forms together:

Note: the nosotros forms for -ar and -ir verbs are the same in both preterite and present tenses: hablamos, vivimos.

The preterite is used for actions that can be viewed as single events.

Ella caminó por el parque.
She walked through the park.

Ellos llegaron a las ocho.
They arrived at eight o'clock.

The preterite is used for actions that were repeated a specific number of times, or occurred during a specific period of time.

Ayer escribí tres cartas.
Yesterday I wrote three letters.

Vivimos allí por cuatro años.
We lived there for four years.

The preterite is used for actions that were part of a chain of events.

Ella se levantó, se vistió, y salió de la casa.
She got up, dressed, and left the house.

The preterite is used to state the beginning or the end of an action.

Empezó a nevar a las ocho de la mañana.
It began to snow at eight in the morning.

The above examples all fall within our general rule for using the preterite:
The preterite is used for past actions that are seen as completed.
Let's add two more flashcards for regular -er and -ir verbs in the preterite tense:

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The written lesson is below. Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left. In the last lesson, you learned that the preterite is used for past actions that are seen as completed. You also learned how to conjugate regular -ar verbs.

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Ser o Estar?

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Learn Spanish! - Describing feelings with Estar (to be)

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SUBSCRIBE for more Spanish videos: http://bit.ly/XGe7we Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/srjordanspanish Tweet me: https://twitter.com/senorjordan Check out my website: http://www.senorjordan.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In this video lesson, we'll be going over the irregular verb 'estar' (to be). We use this verb for feelings/emotions, locations and for the -ING (progressive) tenses.

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1. The written lesson is below.

2. Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left.

Whole books have been written about the two important Spanish verbs: ser and estar. This will be the subject of our discussion for the next few lessons. Soon, you will have a very good understanding of how these two verbs are used.

Ser and estar can both be translated as "to be." Here is the English verb, fully conjugated:

Notice that these two sentences can have different meanings in English.

The apple is green.
(Meaning the apple is not ripe.)

The apple is green.
(Meaning the color of the apple is green.)

In the first case, our example speaks of the condition of the apple. The apple is green because it has not yet ripened. When the condition of the apple changes, that is, when it has ripened, it will no longer be green, it will be ripe.

In the second case, our example speaks of the essential characteristics of the apple. The apple is green in color. This particular apple remains green even after it has ripened.

In English, the verb "to be" can be used to tell how something is (the condition) and what something is (the essence).

In Spanish, a different verb is used to express "to be" depending on whether the speaker intends to address a condition or an essential quality.

La manzana está verde.
The apple is green. (condition)

La manzana es verde.
The apple is green. (essence)

Note how the adjective "verde" actually changes meaning, depending upon whether it is used with ser or estar.

La manzana está verde.
(condition: verde = unripe)

La manzana es verde.
(essential characteristic: verde = color green)

To address condition, use estar. Estar is an irregular verb. It does not follow the standard rules of conjugation for regular -ar verbs. Therefore, you must memorize it.

To address an essential quality, use ser. Ser is also irregular and must be memorized.

If you are talking about what something is, use ser; if you are talking about how something is, use estar.

Let's add the two important verbs ser and estar to our set of verb flashcards:

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Ser and Estar: Part I - StudySpanish.com

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The written lesson is below. Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left. Whole books have been written about the two important Spanish verbs: ser and estar. This will be the subject of our discussion for the next few lessons. Soon, you will have a very good understanding of how these two verbs are used.