Nina Schmidt ~ Vancouver German and Spanish Lessons

Author: Learn With Nina

Isabel Allende

Isabel Allende is a famous Chilean author. She spent the first years of her life inChile until her relative, the president of Chile Salvador Allende, was assassinatedin 1973. Thereafter, she moved to the United States and worked as a journalist for many years. She had two children with her first husband.

In 1981 Allende began writing a letter to her grandfather who was dying. The letter turned into the basis for her first novel titled “The House of the Spirits.” She wrote it in the style of magical realism. Allende had a lot of success with this first novel and has since written numerous popular novels.

In 1992 her daughter, Paula, became ill and Isabel wrote her first nonfiction book.The book is a biography of the Allende family. Unfortunately, after a year in a coma, her daughter died.

Isabel has won many literature awards and currently lives in Northern California with her second husband and two dogs. I continue to enjoy all of her new books and highly recommend them to students of Spanish.

August 22, 2017

Grammar Tips ~ The Subjunctive

Nothing in the Spanish language can seem quite as confusing to English speakers as the subjunctive! It’s not surprising, as this is one area of grammar in which English and Spanish are very different. The use of the subjunctive in English is very limited and can often sound arcane or old-fashioned whereas it is a fundamental part of everyday Spanish being used in about 15% of everyday conversation. This is the highest among all modern romance languages (French, Italian, Portuguese etc.)

MOST IMPORTANTLY: The subjunctive is not a tense; it is a mood.

A tense expresses when something is occurring ie. present, past, future. The subjunctive is a mood. It shows the probability or likelihood of something occurring.

All verb tenses in Spanish are divided into the indicative or subjunctive mood. (There is a third mood, the imperative, used for commands)

Indicative: that which is known to be fact and true, habitual events

Subjunctive: that which is open to subjectivity, unknown future events.

Common Indicative mood conjugations: present tense, imperfect, preterit, future, present perfect, past perfect

Common Subjunctive mood conjugations: present subjunctive*, imperfect subjunctive, present perfect subjunctive

*Note: About 80% of the use of the subjunctive is in the present tense so that is our focus here.

Overall, there are less subjunctive mood conjugations than indicative. Over the centuries, many subjunctive conjugations have become obsolete or relegated to legal use only.

Now that we have put the subjunctive into context let’s start looking at some specific examples.

Examples of the use of the subjunctive in English:

Long live the King! (live replaces lives to show a wish)

Let there be light! (be replaces is show a desire)

He insists the child stay put. (stay replaces stays for a command)

May she rest in peace. (rest replaces rests to show a wish)

If I were you…. (were replaces am as it’s not real)

Examples of the subjunctive in Spanish:

As the use of the subjunctive is much more widespread in Spanish it is useful to have an acronym:

C ~ Conjunctions (cuando, para que)

O ~ Ojalá (also: quizás etc.)

W ~ Wishes/Wants (desear que, querer que)

R ~ Requests/Recommendations (pedir que, insistir que)

I ~ Impersonal Expressions (es posible que, es probable que)

D ~ Doubts/Denial (Dudo que, no estoy seguro que)

E ~ Emotions (me alegro que, estoy triste que)

Each category above (COW RIDE) has a long list of verbs or expressions associated with it that must be memorized! The general concept behind the subjunctive is always the same: someone/thing wishes/insists etc. for someone/thing else to behave in a certain way.

Rosa quiere que su novio trabaje menos.

El padre insiste que su hijo estudie hoy.

El posible que ellos trabajen hoy.

Formation of the present subjunctive

Forming the present subjunctive is a two-step process:

-First find the ‘yo’ form of the present indicative: vivo, tengo etc.

-Then, drop the letter ‘o’ and replace it with the ‘opposite vowel.’ That is to say, if your verb is an –ir/-er verb you replace it with an ‘a’ and for –ar verbs you use an ‘e’. Examples:

	hablar	tener	vivir
yo	hable	tenga	viva
tú	hables	tengas	vivas
usted, él, ella	hable	tenga	viva
nosotros	hablemos	tengamos	vivamos
ustedes, ellos, ellas	hablen	tengan	vivan

ser	dar	estar	venir	ir	Also:
sea	dé	esté	venga	vaya	haya
seas	des	estés	vengas	vayas
sea	dé	esté	venga	vaya
seamos	demos	estemos	vengamos	vayamos
sean	den	estén	vengan	vayan

Final notes:

As the first and third person share the same form, it is more common to see the use of the personal pronouns with the present subjunctive to avoid confusion.

Take heart, as the consistent and correct use of the subjunctive often takes years to develop as a non-native speaker of the Spanish language. The true and natural use of this mood means you have ‘arrived’ as a fluent speaker of the Spanish language.

July 20, 2017

Biography ~ Shakira

Shakira is a very popular Colombian singer. She was born in Baranquilla in February 1977. Her father’s family is of Lebanese origin and her mother’s family comes from Catalonia and Italy. Their ethnic roots have had a great influence on the music of Shakira. She is the only daughter of the second marriage of her father but she has eight half siblings from the first marriage of her father.

She started singing and dancing at age four. She is very famous for her belly dancing. As a child she also wrote many poems. These poems were the basis of her first album. The release of her first album Magic occurred when she was only thirteen years old. In the following years Shakira recorded five more albums in Spanish. With her first English song Whenever, Wherever she became a worldwide superstar.

Shakira has a boyfriend named Gerard Piqué. He is a Spanish soccer player a few years younger than her. They have two sons together. Shakira has won many awards for her music and continues to produce hits year after year. She also works with many charitable foundations to help poor people in Latin America. In particular with her own foundations in Colombia.

June 5, 2017
Che Guevara

Ernesto Che Guevara was born on June 14, 1928 in Argentina. After studying medicine, he became a Marxist revolutionary and fought during the Cuban revolution of 1959 with Fidel Castro.

While traveling through South America as a medical student, he found very hungry and sick people. He believed that the cause of this was the capitalist exploitation of Latin Americans by the United States. As a consequence, he became radicalized in Marxist political ideology. Later in life he met Raul and Fidel Castro in Mexico City and after helping them achieve their revolution in Cuba in 1959, he played a number of key roles in their new government.

In addition to his government duties he was also an avid writer and wrote a souvenir of his journey on motorcycle that has become a movie.

In 1965 Guevara went to the Congo and later Bolivia trying to export his communist ideology. Guevara died in Bolivia after being captured by the CIA in 1967 at the age of 39. To this day he is a controversial figure, but he is undoubtedly one of the most influential people of the twentieth century. He received his nickname Che as people from Argentina often use this expression.

May 24, 2017
Biografía ~ Celia Cruz

Celia Cruz nació el 21 de octubre de 1925 en La Habana, Cuba. Ella era una persona muy positiva y muy querida. Fue una gran cantante con una voz muy poderosa. Le encantaba cantar y bailar y ¡llevar vestidos increíbles!

Cruz salió de Cuba después de la Revolución en 1959 e hizo una nueva casa en Manhattan. Tuvo una carrera increíble y ella actuó junto a otras superestrellas como Tito Puente y Ruben Blades. Celia fue la primera mujer hispana en cantar en Carnegie Hall. Ella fue nominada para 12 premios Grammy y ganó uno en 1989.

Como no podía tener hijos propios, adoptó a cientos de ahijados y ella los apoyó durante toda su vida. Siempre sonreía y siempre tenía su marido Pedro Knight a su lado. Cuando murió en 2003, los dos habían pasado 41 años juntos. Ella fue enterrada en Nueva York junto con un puñado de tierra que había traído con ella de Cuba años antes.

Celia fue conocida como la Reina de Salsa. Sus canciones más populares incluyen: Azúcar, Quimbara quimbara y Yo viviré. Su música sigue siendo popular hoy en día en todo el mundo.

March 30, 2017
Cultural Corner: Latin Countries Trivia Challenge!
Name the Spanish speaking country these people are from!

1. My name is Roberta. I live in Europe and I speak Spanish with my mother and Catalan with my father. I like to dance flamenco. I am from ______________.

2. I am 17 years old and I live near the United States. My uncle lives in San Diego. My father always listens to mariachi music on the radio. I am from ______________.

3. I live in a country famous for beautiful beaches. Many tourists visit my father’s hotel every year. The island I live on is shared with another country. I am from ______________.

4. My country is most famous for its exotic animals and plants. We are located in Central America and have a huge amount of tropical birds. I love to hike in the jungle with my uncle. I am from _______________.

5. I live where Latin America meet South America. We are famous for our canal which allows people and goods to travel more quickly. I am from _____________.

6. My country is very long! In the north we have a desert and in the south we have snow! Like most people I live near the middle in the capital city of Santiago. I am from ______________.

7. My father is a cattle rancher as my South American country produces a lot of beef. I am a huge soccer fan! I am from ______________.

8. I live on an island in the Caribbean. My island is a territory of the United States and I speak both English and Spanish perfectly. My sisters and I are all good dancers! I am from ______________.

9.I live in a small country with 15 million people. We are famous for our ancient Mayan Ruins. Many people in my country still speak indigenous languages. I am from _____________.

10. My name is Rigoberto and my favorite singer is Shakira because she is from my country! We also have many cities that are famous for their colonial architecture. I am from _______________.

Answer Key:
1. España
2. México
3. Dominican Republic
4. Costa Rica
5. Panamá
6. Chile
7. Argentina
8. Puerto Rico
9. Guatemala
10. Colombia
February 21, 2017
Biography ~ Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso was born in 1881 in Malaga, Spain. His father was an art teacher and drew very well. Pablo began taking classes from his father when he was ten. Just a few years later he was drawing better than his father!

He had his first exposition at thirteen. The family then moved to Barcelona in 1895 and Pablo entered La Llotja art academy. At that time he used to go to cafes, restaurants and theaters to find inspiration.

In 1898 he decided to change his style and began to spend time with other artists who had connections with the world of art in Paris. In 1904 he moved to Paris and began to develop his new style of cubism. Cubism broke with tradition and played with perspective and illusion. At first the critics did not like this new art form. However, little by little with the support and influence of his friends who were part of the artistic world, he began to gain fame.

One of his most famous paintings is called Guernica. It was painted in 1937 and shows the horror of modern warfare. It represents a bombing during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). It is a very large painting and it’s displayed in the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid. During his 91-year life, Picasso produced 1885 paintings, 1228 sculptures, 2880 ceramics and about 12,000 drawings. Today his works are sold in art auctions for millions of dollars.

January 18, 2017
Weihnachten ~ German Christmas

Weihnachtsabend ist der 24. Dezember. Weihnachten ist ein Familienfest. Viele Familien haben einen großen Tannenbaum im Wohnzimmer. Die Ursprung des Tannenbaumes stammt aus dem 16. Jahrhundert in Deutschland. Am Anfang wurden sie mit Äpfeln, Nüssen, Bretzeln und Papierblumen dekoriert. Auch wurde diese Tradition damals nur in den Kirchen gepflegt. Erst im 17. Jahrhundert hatten Familien Weihnachtsbäume zu Hause.

Im katholischen Deutschland bringt das Christkind die Geschenke. Kinder dürfen den Baum nicht vorher sehen! Nur wenn die Glocke im Wohnzimmer klingelt, dürfen sie den dekorierten Baum und die Geschenke sehen. Nach der großen Überraschung, gibt es ein Festessen wie für Könige. Später fahren alle zur Kirche. Dort werden Lieder gesungen und gebetet. Später zu Hause wird Glühwein getrunken und Lebkuchen gegessen!

December 16, 2016
Biography: Porfirio Diaz

José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz was a Mexican soldier and politician Born in Oaxaca, Mexico in 1830. Diaz was of mixed Spanish and indigenous blood. His father died when he was only three years old and he was sent away to school at the age of six. His family was devoutly Catholic and he began training for the priesthood but he was called out to serve as a soldier during the Mexican-American war. During his early life he met Benito Juarez another politician who served as the governor of Oaxaca and later president of Mexico from 1868-1872. Diaz was also present during the Battle of Puebla in the Franco- Mexican war of 1867. He seized power in 1876 during a coup. He served seven times as the president of Mexico being in power for over 35 years between 1876 and 1911! The time in which he was in power is known as the Porfiriato.

Like many men of great power, Diaz is a controversial figure. During the time in which Diaz was in power, industry and the economy prospered. It was the only time in which the Mexican peso was equivalent to the US dollar. However this economic growth mainly benefited the elite both inside and outside of Mexico, including Diaz himself who amassed a large personal fortune. Diaz permitted heavy investment in mining and railways by both the Americans and British while taking a cut of the earnings. In addition, the already wealthy landowners increased their landholdings leaving many campesinos (subsistence farmers) unable to make a living. These policies lead directly to the Mexican Revolution of 1910. In 1911, Díaz fled to France where he later died in 1915.

November 22, 2016
Further Learning: English Language Podcasts

What a great time to be learning English! There are so many apps, podcasts and other resources out there to help you. The most important things when learning a language are: speak as much as possible to native speakers, read as much as possible but make sure the books are appropriate for your level or you’ll get bored or frustrated and listen to as much material as you can in your target language.

For speaking, you should join your local meet up group at meetup.com. Just create a personal profile and then join all the English learning groups in your city. The more you get out there and mingle the better. Even if the other people are not native speakers it is still forcing you to speak your target language!

For reading, try reading short biographies, adolescent literature and shortened versions of famous American and British books. It is important to read frequently on a variety of topics to increase your vocabulary. The biggest challenge in learning English is the huge number of idioms and large vocabulary (over 1 million words ~ the largest vocabulary in the world!)

To help with your listening skills, you should be listening to podcasts at every opportunity such as while doing chores, walking or taking transit. Here are some suggestions for free podcasts all of which are available on iTunes:

Listen to English

English Class 101

Splendid Speaking

Voice of America Learning English

Business English Pod

Culips ESL Podcast

ESL Pod

All Ears English

Good luck!

October 18, 2016