Learn With Nina – Page 8 – Nina Schmidt ~ Vancouver German and Spanish Lessons

Grammar Tips: The Spanish Present Tense

The present tense in the Spanish language can be tricky for newcomers, as one finds more than a few irregular verbs that need to be memorized. It may be helpful to think of present tense verbs belonging to one of four categories in the present tense: regular, stem-changing, first-person irregular and totally irregular.

1. Examples of regular verb conjugations are as follows:

trabajar

trabajo,trabajas,trabaja,trabajamos, trabajan

escribir

escribo, escribes, escribe, escribimos. escriben

2. Stem-changing conjugations are as follows:

cerrar (e-ie) poder (o-ue) pedir (e-i)

cierro puedo pido

cierras puedes pides

cierra puede pide

cerramos podemos pedimos

cierran pueden piden

3. Common first-person irregular conjugations:

hacer = hago conocer = conozco

poner = pongo conducir = conduzco

4. Common totally irregular verb conjugations:

tener ser estar ir

tengo soy estoy voy

tienes eres estás vas

tiene es está va

tenemos somos estamos vamos

tienen son están van

The present tense in Spanish is very versatile. It can be used in the following situations:

1. To express a habitual action Trabajo mucho. I work a lot.

2. To express an ongoing action. Trabajo mucho. I am working a lot.

3. To express a future action. Trabajo pronto. I am working soon.

4. To ask yes/no questions. ¿Trabajas mucho? Do you work a lot?

April 28, 2014

Grammar Tips: Spanish Prepositions

Prepositions are small words usually found in front of a noun that help establish its relation to another word in the sentence. Examples of prepositions in English include: in, under, with, for etc. Spanish has three key prepositions to do with location: a, de, en.

A (to, towards)

A is used with verbs of motion expressing movement towards a destination.

They are going to Cuba. Van a Cuba.

I am walking towards the man. Camino al* hombre.

*When a is coupled with a masculine singular noun a contraction occurs (a + el = al)

De (of, from)

De is used with verbs of motion expressing movement from a destination.

I am arriving from Miami soon. Llego de Miami pronto.

I am from the north. Soy del* norte.

*When de is coupled with a masculine singular noun a contraction occurs (de + el = del)

En (in, on, at)

En is used with verbs expressing where something is located at a given time.

I live in Boston. Vivo en Boston.

We are on the plane. Estamos en el avión.

March 27, 2014

Grammar Tips: German Words Found in English

A number of German words have made their way into the English language. Some of them we accept as a matter of course as they have been around for a long time. Others, have come into English rather recently. While most words maintain the same or similar meaning some change their meaning slightly when transplanted from one language to another. For example, the word angst. Below you will find a list of common German words and phrases used in English.

Achtung! (careful/watch out)

die Angst (fear in German)

das Aspirin

der Dachshund (wiener dog)

der Doppelganger (a body double/look-alike)

der Ersatz (substitute)

das Fest (party in German ex. filmfest)

Gesundheit! (health: used when someone sneezes)

der Hamburger

kaput (broken/not working)

der Kindergarten

der Poltergeist

der Rucksack

die Schadenfreude (taking pleasure in someone else’s misfortune!)

verboten (not allowed/prohibited)

die Wanderlust

das Wunderkind

German Präfixes (prefixes) can also be used in English, particularly: über

He is überpatient with his wife. (This implies he is extremely or too patient with his wife)

For a longer list visit: http://german.about.com/library/blvoc_gerloan2.htm

February 18, 2014

Grammar Tips: Spanish Word Stress

Proper pronunciation is key to communicating in any language. Without proper pronunciation, it can become very difficult to make yourself understood. Review the guidelines below to better understand Spanish word syllabification and stress.

1. A syllable consists of at least one vowel sound and/or a vowel paired with one or two consonant sounds. (In the examples below the words are both Spanish and English)

animal: 3 syllables: a-ni-mal Argentina: 4 syllables: Ar-gen-ti-na

2a. Words that end in a consonant other than n or s are stressed on the last syllable.

a-zul

2b. Words that end in a vowel, n, or s are stressed on the second to last syllable.

li-bro

2c. Words whose accent falls on the third to last syllable always have an accent (tilde).

rápido

2d. Rarely, words are accented on the fourth, fifth, etc. to last syllable. These are limited to verbs with pronouns attached to them.

mí-ra-me-lo

3. Spanish features both weak and strong vowels. A, E, O are strong while I, U are weak.

This affects pronunciation as two strong vowels cannot be in the same syllable. Therefore, two strong vowels found next to each other belong to separate syllables whereas a combination of a weak and strong vowel, or two weak vowels create a diphthong or a gliding sound which results in a single syllable. In order to break this diphthong, an accent may be placed on one of the vowels.

ma-es-tro

puer-to

far-ma-cia

po-li-cí-a

January 22, 2014

Grammar Tips: English Words Found in German

Historically, German and English have shared a number of similar or even identically spelled words such as:

der Student, das Haus, die Maus, die Medizin

This is due to the fact that both languages stem from a common proto-Germanic language as well as the fact that they have imported words from the same languages such as French. Over time, these words have come to be part of each language without people giving much thought to it. However, in recent history a large number of English words have been adopted by German speakers, especially within the youth culture.

Many of these words are business and technology-related, but some of them are common words for referring to people, foods or even items around the house. This mixing has become so common it even has its own name: Denglish! While many older Germans lament the encroachment of English on their language, these words are a blessing for English speakers learning German!

For those loanwords that are nouns, learning the gender can be especially tricky as they do not fall into typical categories of gender assignment. Generally, however if the word is a replacement for a German word it will retain the same gender. For example, it is das Telefon, therefore it follows that it is das Smart Phone. Another hint is that words ending in -ing are always neuter, as are infinitives used as nouns in German. Compare: das Treffen = das Meeting

Here is a list of some common English words in the modern German language:

Nouns:

der Airbag

das Baby

das Bowling

der Bodybuilder

der Bestseller

das Catering

die Couch

das iPhone

der Loser

das Meeting

das Tshirt

Verbs:

babysitten

bloggen

downloaden

einchecken (to check in)

googlen

snowboarden

For an extensive list please check out this website.

What is your favourite English word that has migrated into modern German?

December 15, 2013

Further Learning: Arabic Influence on Spanish

Other than Latin, Arabic is the language with the greatest influence on the Spanish language. Arabic speakers entered the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal) in the year 711. Accompanied by Berbers, these Arabic speakers were pushing into Europe to spread the new faith of Islam that had been founded in 622. Within a few years, the majority of Spain was under Arab rule but the Arabic language and culture was always strongest in the South in the area known as Andalusia (al-Andalus).

In this region, a language sprang up which was a combination of Arabic and Vulgar Latin, the form of Spanish spoken in the region at the time. Vulgar Latin was the common speech of the people, in other words the language evolving from Latin into modern Spanish. The Arabs were in control of this region for the better part of seven centuries. During this time, there was a flourishing of education, the arts and sciences. Many texts were translated from classical Latin and Greek into Arabic and Vulgar Latin, giving people access to ancient learning for the first time in many centuries. There were great leaps in medicine, alchemy and the arts.

The Arab rulers were also very tolerant of both Christianity and Judaism and people were openly allowed to practice these faiths allowing for a collaboration of the intellectuals of the day. That said, the Arabs converted many Christian places of worship or other buildings into mosques, the most famous of which is the Alhambra. This magnificent building is located in Granada and pictured above. This era of religious tolerance came to an abrupt end in 1492 when Spain was once again under Spanish rule.

It is estimated that around 8% of modern Spanish words are of Arabic origin. However, the frequency of these words varies depending on the topic. For example, many scientific and agricultural words come from Arabic. Interestingly, in the Arabic language, al denotes the and therefore is featured as a prefix on many of the words. When translating Arabic into English a hyphen or space is often employed as in Al jazeera. However this practice is not used in Spanish and therefore in its truest sense the word the is doubled!

Here is a list of common Spanish words of Arabic origin:

aceite oil

aduana customs (at the border)

ajedrez chess

almuerzo lunch

alquiler rent

arroz rice

azúcar sugar

azul blue

hasta until

ojalá hopefully (may God grant)

November 20, 2013

Further Learning: How Fast Can You Learn a New Language?

New students often ask me: how long will it take for me to become fluent?

This is a very difficult question to answer. Many factors go into a person’s ability to learn a language. I often discuss how long it takes my average student to achieve certain milestones, such as being comfortable in everyday conversations, or being confident in a business setting.

After I work with clients for a few sessions and get to know their learning styles, I can answer this question with greater certainty. There are five key factors that I believe determine how fast someone can learn a new language:

1) Age – the younger you are when you start learning a new language, the easier learning will be.

Young children learn new languages effortlessly because the developing human brain is a sponge for language acquisition, particularly from birth until age 5. From ages 5 to 12, one can still pick up a language easily enough to be taken for a native speaker, which requires an in-depth understanding of the language’s grammar and vocabulary and the absence of an accent. (People speak with an accent when their mouths are so accustomed to making the sounds and cadences required by their mother tongue that they superimpose their mother tongue onto the new language. In linguistic terms this is known as “mother tongue influence” or MTI.)

2) Previous exposure to multiple languages – students who have benefitted from such exposure already understand that there are many ways to refer to the same item or concept.

Many of my monolingual students struggle to conceptualize the seemingly “other” or “strange” way people refer to something in their target language. This does not mean that you cannot achieve fluency without previous exposure to other languages, but such exposure is definitely a benefit, particularly when your target language is in the same language family. For example, a student may have been in French immersion as a child and is now attempting to learn Spanish.

3) Memory – having a good memory is an obvious time-saver.

Some people have been gifted with better memories than others. That said, there are many study techniques that you can adopt to help you memorize the vocabulary needed to communicate effectively in your target language. You can visit my two-part blog series on memory to get some further ideas.

4) Effort – some people don’t realize how much effort it takes to learn a new language as an adult.

Learning a language is like working out at the gym – consistent effort is rewarded. Ideally, a student of mine will study four days per weak, 30-60 minutes per session outside of classroom time.

5) Motivation – time and again in my career, I have seen people who may have been lacking in other respects achieve amazing results because of their motivation!

Strong motivation might come from a business opportunity, a personal challenge, or love. Some of my highest achieving clients have specific reasons for wanting to learn. They care deeply and are eager for results.

October 28, 2013

Further Learning: Interesting Facts about the German language

German is spoken by approximately 100 million people all over the world. It is an official language in: Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, Liechtenstein, Austria, Switzerland as well as provinces found in eastern France and northern Italy. German speakers have also emigrated to numerous other countries. Here are some more interesting facts about the German language:

There are around 200 modern dialects of German. These dialects, called Mundart in German, are regional and can be so different as to cause people to be unable to communicate with each other. Therefore, German speakers learn High German or Hochdeutsch in school. All newspapers are written in this standard German and this is also how business and politics is conducted.

The German alphabet features some interesting letters. The letters a, u and o can all add an umlaut (two dots above it) and create a new vowel sound. There is also the letter which looks somewhat like a B in English but is actually a double s. It has two names: eszett or scharfes s and looks like this: ß.

Until 1945 German was written with an old Gothic style script known as Faktura. This script was commonly used throughout Western Europe until the 17th century but continued in Germany until the end of WWII.

Finally, the German language allows for enormously long compound nouns. While these are definitely tongue twisters for newcomers to the language, they are also a lot of fun to learn. Here is one of my favourites: die Verschlimmbesserung. Defined as an intended improvement that makes things worse!

September 18, 2013

Cultural Corner: Latin Society

When studying a new language it is important to understand the culture that envelops and supports that language to truly understand it. North American society and Latin society have many similarities but also some differences. Below I will discuss two fundamental institutions in Latin society; family and church.

Latin society is a collective society. North American society is different, we are raised to be independent and to put our own opinions and goals ahead of those of the family as a whole. While many North Americans celebrate birthdays and other occasions only with friends or their romantic partner, Latin people celebrate an anniversary, birthday or wedding with the entire extended family. The concept of the nuclear family doesn’t really exist as it is common to live with, or very close to, extended family members such as grandparents, uncles and cousins. To this end, people often have closer relationships with their extended family members than are found in North America.

In addition to the family, the Catholic Church plays a relatively large role in the everyday lives of most Latin people. Many attend church regularly such as every Sunday or even every day. The church is not only a place to pray, but also serves as a basis for the community at large. All of life’s major milestones are tied to the church such as baptism, marriage and death.

The type of Catholicism found in Latin America differs from that found in Europe in countries such as Italy, Spain and France. When the Spaniards brought the Catholic faith to the New World around 500 years ago, it was adopted by the native indigenous peoples. However, they did not completely give up their own traditional beliefs but rather created a fusion of beliefs. Therefore, while many Latin Americas believe in Jesus Christ, they also have local patron saints they worship. Latin people are also quite superstitious and often adorn their homes and cars with small altars and good luck charms.

In Latin American society, as in North American society, most public holidays revolve around the main religious festivals: Christmas (Navidad), Easter (Pascua) and All Souls Day (El dia de los muertos). The occasions of Christmas and Easter offer time off of work and school in which to celebrate or commemorate a variety of rituals surrounding the holiday. Even individuals who are not practicing Catholics may take this as a time off to enjoy time with family.

August 19, 2013

Grammar Tips: Two-way Prepositions in German

Prepositions are important words in sentences as they show the relation between the words. Common prepositions in English include: with, in, for, to etc. One major difference between English and German grammar is that each preposition in the German language is associated with a specific case. Here we are looking at a specific subset of prepositions called two-way prepositions which can be used with either the accusative or dative case. The following is the complete list of nine two-way prepositions:

in (into, in) über (over, above)

an (to, onto, on) unter (under, below)

auf (onto, on) vor (in front of)

hinter (behind) zwischen (between)

neben (next to)

1. The accusative is used if there is clearly motion from point A to B. Generally verbs of motion fall into this category. Commonly used verbs include to go (gehen), to drive (fahren), to fly (fliegen), to fall (fallen) etc.

I’m going into the car. Ich gehe in das Auto.

I am driving into the city. Ich fahre in die Stadt.

2. The dative is used if there is no motion, or motion occurs in a circular pattern or restricted area wherein you come back to your starting point i.e. pacing back and forth, swimming laps, jumping on the spot.

I am in the car. Ich bin in dem Auto.

I am swimming in the pool. Ich schwimme in dem Becken.

3. Specific verbs are used in German to clearly show in what position something is placed. For example, if a book is placed flat on a table one would use a different verb than if it was placed upright in a shelf.

Accusative Dative

stellen (to place upright) stehen (to be placed upright)

legen (to place flat) liegen (to be placed flat)

setzen (to place sitting up) sitzen (to be seated)

stecken (to stick somewhere) stecken (to be stuck somewhere)

hängen (to hang up) hängen (to be hanging)

Examples:

I am placing the cup on the table. Ich stelle die Tasse auf den Tisch.

The cup is on the table. Die Tasse steht auf dem Tisch.

4. Wo is always used in the dative case as it shows where something is located whereas wohin indicates motion and is therefore used with the accusative case.

Where are you? Wo bist du?

Where are you going (to)? Wohin gehst du?

5. Certain prepositions may be contracted with definite articles in both the accusative and dative. While these contractions are not mandatory, they are certainly common in both speech and writing and should be memorized. Some examples follow:

Accusative Dative

auf + das = aufs in + dem = im

in + das = ins an + dem = am

July 16, 2013

Author: Learn With Nina