Nina Schmidt ~ Vancouver German and Spanish Lessons

Author: Learn With Nina

Grammar Tips: Stem Changing Verbs

A number of verbs in the Spanish language undergo a stem change in the present tense form. There are three categories of stem changing verbs and dozens of verbs in each of the three categories. These verbs must be memorized individually. Below are examples of each.

1. dormir-to sleep (o-ue)

duermo                  dormimos*                  *note: ‘nosotros’ is not changed

duermes                  x

duerme                  duermen

Other verbs that have the same change include:

volver -to return, encontrar-to find, poder-to be able to, recordar- to remember

*There is one unique verb in the Spanish language ‘jugar’ which means to play games and sports. This is the only verb which undergoes a u-ue stem change. For example, Yo juego al golf.

2. querer-to want, to like, to love (e-ie)

quiero                           queremos

quieres x

quiere                           quieren

Other verbs that have the same change include:

pensar (en) -to think (about), comenzar (a)-to begin (to) , cerrar- to close, entender- to understand

3. pedir-to ask for, to request (e-i)

pido                           pedimos

pides                           x

pide                           piden

Other verbs that have the same change include:

servir-to serve, repetir-to repeat

June 25, 2013
Cultural Corner: Tapas and Sangria

Tapas are a type of food popular in Spain. People in Spain eat differently and at different hours than those in North America. Generally breakfast is very light consisting of only a coffee with milk and perhaps a churro, a cylindrical deep-fried pastry similar to a doughnut. Lunch is served around midday and is often followed by a siesta, a midday nap. Siestas help people to avoid working in the extreme heat found throughout Spain in the summer months and in the South most of the year. Many stores are closed during this time and as dinner is served very late by our standards, (9 PM or later) tapas serve as a holdover.

Tapas are served in bars and restaurants between the hours of four and six in the afternoon. The expression comes from the Spanish verb ‘tapar’ which means “to cover.” As open air food in hot climes is often subject to insects landing upon it, proprietors took to covering the food to protect it. Served on small plates perfect for sharing among friends, tapas commonly consist of olives, nuts, french bread, shrimp, chorizo (a spicy sausage), octopus, pickled onions and more! Spanish restaurants are creative in their tapas and some get a reputation for specializing in a specific kind. For some ideas on how to make your own tapas visit here.

The most common beverage served with tapas is sangria, or sangría in Spanish, an alcoholic beverage made with a mixture of red wine, carbonated water or soda, and fruit juice. It also features sliced citrus fruits such as lemons and oranges. Commonly a dash of rum or other liquor is added along with a handful of ice cubes. Outside of Spain sangria is particularly popular in the summer months as it is refreshing but it can be ordered year-round in Spanish restaurants. The name originates from the Spanish word for blood, sangre, due to its rich red colour. For a great sangria recipe click here.

June 12, 2013
Grammar Tips: The German Case System Explained

Every language has some way of showing the function of nouns and pronouns within a given sentence. Some languages, such as modern English, rely heavily on word order and prepositions whereas other languages rely on declensions. Declensions are the changes that occur to the endings of articles, pronouns, possessives, adjectives, nouns etc. to show their function in a given sentence. (Changes that occur to verbs are called conjugations).

Declensions in Modern English

Modern English has retained declensions mostly in pronouns only. Look what happens to the word “he” as it goes through its three manifestations for English as its function in the sentence changes from subject, to object to possessive.

1. He is a pilot. ‘He’ as subject-the person/thing doing the action

2. I see him. ‘Him’ as object-the person/thing receiving the action

3. His friend is here. ‘His’ showing possession

Declensions in Modern German

German features one extra case to distinguish direct from indirect objects. Indirect objects receive an action indirectly; it shows to/for whom something is done. English relies on word order or prepositions to make this distinction.

Therefore, German has four cases in total each of which has been given a Latin name: subject = nominative case, direct object = accusative case, indirect object = dative case, possessive = genitive case.

1. Er ist Pilot. ‘Er’ as subject of the sentence. = nominative

2. Ich sehe ihn. ‘Ihn’ as direct object = accusative

3. Ich gebe es ihm. ‘Ihm’ as indirect object = dative

4. Das Ei des Mannes. ‘Des Mannes’ as the possessor = genitive

The advantage of the case system found in German is more flexibility with word order:

Ich sehe ihn./Ihn sehe ich. = I see him.

Objects of Prepositions:

In German, nouns and pronouns can also become objects of specific prepositions forcing them into the accusative, dative or genitive case (the nominative does not have any prepositions) depending upon the preposition used. One must memorize with which case each of the prepositions is associated.

1. Ich lebe ohne einen Hund. = Accusative

2. Ich lebe mit einem Hund. = Dative

List of Prepositions by Case:

Accusative

durch (through), entlang (along), ohne (without), um (around, at), gegen (against), für (for)

Dative

aus (from), ausser (except), bei (at, near), mit (with), nach (after), seit (since, for), von (from, by), zu (to), gegenüber (across from)

Two-Way

These prepositions may be used with either the accusative or the dative case. The accusative is used if there is motion from point A to B whereas the dative is used if there is no motion, or motion within a restricted area i.e. pacing back and forth.

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)

Genitive

trotz (despite), während (during), wegen (because of), (an)statt (instead of)

May 27, 2013
Biographies: Eva Perón

Eva Perón was born María Eva Duarte in 1919 in a small village in Argentina. Her early life was difficult because her mother was the mistress of her already married father. During her life, he failed to recognize her as his legitimate daughter. From a young age, Eva was interested in dancing, acting and modeling and at 16 she moved on her own to the capital city of Buenos Aires. It was her dream to be a cinema star. She was a very attractive young woman and was soon turning heads in the capital city. She received work immediately and began traveling in the upper social circles of the city shortly thereafter.

In 1943, Eva met an ambitious politician by the name of Juan Perón at a party. They had a two-year courtship and married in 1945. Eva was a guiding force behind his election campaign to become president in 1946. Given her poor childhood, she had a strong connection to the working classes. She was also a very charismatic speaker. The two of them were very popular and due to her diminutive size she became known as Evita or ‘little Eva’ by the people. During her time as first lady she helped women in Argentina obtain the right to vote in 1947. She also created many social foundations to combat poverty, help orphaned children, the elderly and single mothers as this cause was close to her heart.

It should be mentioned that Eva had her detractors as well. Some decried her to be a hypocrite as while she was doing all of this charity work she was well known for her excesses. Having grown up poor, she very much enjoyed the privileges that came along with her newfound status. She wore very expensive clothes and was known for having an enormous jewelry collection.

During Perón’s second campaign for presidency in 1951, Eva became very ill with ovarian cancer. By a cruel twist of fate, the president’s first wife had also died of this cancer. In a desperate attempt to save her life, the president flew in specialists and Evita was one of the first people in South America to receive the then new treatment of chemotherapy. Unfortunately, the tumor had been discovered too late and she died the following year.

Throughout the final months of her life she campaigned tirelessly by her husband’s side, knowing that her image would help her husband win reelection. Upon her death, there was an outpouring of emotion from the Argentinian public. In order to immortalize her image, Perón hired a doctor who began to embalm her body in her final days so that by the time the cancer had claimed her she would be completely preserved and would not suffer any decomposition.

After her death, Perón was thrown out of government and had to flee the country leaving behind her body. A lot of controversy surrounds what happened to the body over the next few months and years. For a time it was stored in various places in Argentina and eventually made its way to Italy before finally being returned to Buenos Aires many years later. Today her final resting place is the Duarte family crypt in La Recoleta, a well-known cemetery in Buenos Aires. Many tourists and locals visit her to every day especially on the days commemorating her birth and death.

The well-known song, “Don’t Cry for me Argentina” was immortalized by Madonna’s performance in the 1996 film Evita. To see the performance click here. The film is a musical which outlines Eva’s life with Perón.

May 19, 2013
Grammar Tips: Ser vs. Estar

Spanish is unique in that it has two verbs which mean ‘to be’. One must memorize which one to use for each situation. The verb ser describes the essence of something. Although everything changes with time, ser is used to describe qualities that do not normally change overnight. The verb estar is mainly concerned with location and temporary states of being. It also functions as an auxiliary verb in Spanish.

Sometimes both verbs are correct, with a different meaning:

Estoy feliz. = I am happy (now).

Soy feliz. = I am happy (generally).

Ser

1. States nationality and origin

2. Used for profession including students

3. Describes personality

4. Describes characteristic appearance

5. Used for materials ‘made of’

6. Used as an identifier

7. Used to show relationships

8. Used to identify possession

9. Used with date and time

10. Used to explain where events take place

11. Used for generalizations

Estar

1. Expresses temporary conditions and emotions

2. Used for location

3. Used for impressions, sensory reactions

4. Used as an auxiliary verb with the gerund

5. Used to express results of actions

Other Ways to Express ‘to Be’

1. Tener is used in certain expressions ie. tengo hambre

2. Hay expresses ‘there is/are.’

3. Hacer is used to describe the weather.

Ser and Estar Practice

Paco and Rosa are friends who have run into each other on the street. Please read the dialogue and give the reason for each use of ser and estar.

Paco: ¿Cómo estás (1)?

Rosa: Bien. ¿Qué haces hoy?

Paco: Tengo mi clase de inglés.

Rosa: ¿Cuándo?

Paco: La clase es (2) a las tres.

Rosa: ¿De dónde es (3) tu profesor?

Paco: De Inglaterra.

Rosa: ¿Dónde es (4) la clase?

Paco: Es en mi oficina.

Rosa: ¿Estámos (5) cerca de tu oficina?

Paco: No, pero tengo un auto hoy.

Rosa: ¿Es (6) nuevo?

Paco: Sí. Es nuevo, negro y caro.

Rosa: ¿Es (7) tu auto?

Paco: No, es de mi esposa. Mi auto está (8) roto (broken). Mi mecánico está (9) reparando el auto ahora.

Rosa: ¡Qué horrible! Los mecánicos son (10) todos muy caros.

April 30, 2013
Grammar Tips: Spanish Compound Nouns

Spanish and English generally do not create compound nouns in the same way. Examples of compound nouns in English include: open-heart, breakwater, basketball. English features adjective + noun (blackboard), verb + noun (breakwater) or noun + noun (football) combinations. English also frequently hyphenates words. The Spanish language has few hyphenated words as generally they are only used in cases of adjective + adjective or noun + noun combinations in which both elements are of equal importance, as in relaciones sino-estadounidenses (Chinese-US relations).

To avoid the use of hyphens, Spanish often uses phrases in place of single words, such tigre que come hombres (man-eating tiger). For the majority of its translations for the equivalent of English compound nouns, Spanish relies on the preposition ‘de’ to function as a bridge between words, such as the following word for iceberg: la montaña de hielo (que flota en los mares del norte) = the mountain of ice (that floats in the seas of the North).

Specially constructed compound nouns

An interesting subcategory of compound nouns in Spanish exists in which the third person singular of the present tense of the verb is coupled with a plural noun. These nouns are nearly always masculine in gender and form the plural by simply changing the article. As in the word for can opener, singular: el abrelatas, plural: los abrelatas. Some of these specially designed compounds are for items around the house, tools and parts of the car while others are more figurative and even humorous. Here is a sampling:

abrelatas — can opener (it opens cans)

calentalibros — bookworm (he/she warms books)

comecocos — something that confuses or brainwashes (it eats coconuts)

cuidaniños — babysitter (he/she cares for children)

cumpleaños — birthday (it fulfills years)

espantapájaros — scarecrow (it scares birds)

lavaplatos — dishwasher (it washes dishes)

matafuegos — fire extinguisher (it kills fires)

matasanos — medical quack (he/she kills healthy people)

parabrisas — windshield (it stops breezes)

parachoques — bumper (it stops crashes)

paraguas* — umbrella (it stops water) *the extra ‘a’ has been dropped

picapleitos — shyster lawyer (he/she encourages lawsuits)

quitamotas — flatterer (he/she removes defects)

quitasol — sunshade (it removes the sun)

rascacielos — skyscraper (it scratches skies)

rompecabezas — puzzle (it breaks heads)

salvavidas — lifeguard, various safety devices (it saves lives)

tragamonedas — slot machine, vending machine (it swallows coins)

April 18, 2013
Grammar Tips: Expressing ‘to’ in German with verbs of motion

Unlike English, German uses a variety of prepositions to express ‘to’ with verbs of motion. What follows is a concise study guide to this tricky aspect of German grammar.

A. With geographic place names

When traveling to a geographic place name, use the preposition nach. This includes: countries, cities, towns, etc.

I am flying to Germany. Ich fliege nach Deutschland.

*Exception: if the place name is preceded by an article. This includes: die Schweiz, der Libanon, die Türkei, der Jemen, die USA (Plural), der Iran, die Niederlande (Plural), der Irak etc.

I am flying to Switzerland. Ich fliege in die Schweiz.

B. With places around town:

With places around town, either the preposition ‘in’ is used in the accusative case, or the proposition ‘zu’ is used in the dative case. Contractions are commonly employed.

I am going to the market. Ich gehe in den or zum (zu+dem) Markt.

C. Idiomatic usages

The following examples are idiomatic in nature and must simply be memorized:

I am going to the bank/post office. Ich gehe auf die Bank/Post.

I am going home. Ich gehe nach Hause.

We are driving to the coast. Wir fahren an die Küste.

March 20, 2013
Grammar Tips: German Compound Nouns

One unique feature of the German language is its ability to create extremely long compound nouns. While this can seem daunting at first, it’s simply a matter of breaking down the noun into its component parts to understand its meaning. For example, Busfahrerin (Bus + fahrer + in). The first word here shows the mode of transport, the second the action (fahren = to drive), and finally the female suffix (-in) shows the gender of the driver.

German compound nouns can take one of numerous formats:

1. nouns only: der Milchmann

2. adjective + noun: die Großmutter

3. verb stem + noun: die Waschmaschine

4. Preposition + noun: die Vorlesung

Learning to interpret compound nouns:

Here is an example of a long compound noun in German:

das Fussballweltmeisterschaftsqualifikationsspiel

1. To start, it’s helpful to break up the word into its component parts:

das Fuss-ball-welt-meister-schaft-s*-qualifikations-spiel (*sometimes an extra letter is inserted for ease of pronunciation)

2. Now let us translate the independent parts:

foot-ball-world-master-ship-qualification-game

3. Now let us translate into English:

World Cup soccer qualifying game!

4. Now try to translate the following compound nouns into English:

die Blumentopferde

die Gutenachtgeschichte

die Rufnummernanzeige

der Organspenderausweis

March 5, 2013
Book Review: Found in Translation

As a Spanish and German language instructor I am sometimes asked to do translation work. However, I am not qualified as a translator or interpreter and must carefully explain this to my clients. They are sometimes confused as they don’t understand why if someone can speak two languages they cannot simply translate between them. The answer to this question is explained in the wonderfully written Found in Translation co-authored by Nataly Kelly, a Spanish-English translator and Jost Zetzsche a German-English interpreter.

What most people do not understand is that to become a translator or interpreter one must understand all the varied nuances between two languages so as not to commit any mistakes. Training takes many years of both schooling and “living the language.” Found in Translation is full of anecdotes of what can happen when an unqualified person attempts to translate or interpret.

When I first started learning Spanish 17 years ago I remember coming across words which seemed to be the same in both languages but in fact had very different meanings. Anyone who has studied a language has found themselves on the wrong side of these “false friends.” Kelly details one such example in Chapter 1 in a side note titled Embarrassed to be Embarazada. I always get a good chuckle from my beginner Spanish students when I explain that the Spanish expression “estoy embarazada” has very little to do with being embarrassed but rather being pregnant!

I particularly enjoyed chapter 5, Partaking in Pleasures and Delighting the Senses in Translation. One part of this chapter gives hilarious examples of when companies get international brand names very wrong; so wrong that they are unsellable in English-speaking countries. Some examples given include the following: a Polish juice named Fart, a sports drink in the Czech Republic named Erektus, and a soft drink from Ghana called Pee Cola. For your eating pleasure you will find the Chinese snack food Only Puke, Prick, a Brazilian potato chips brand and Shitto which is apparently the name given to a spicy pepper sauce. I think it’s fair to say that these companies did not invest in proper translation!

An overarching theme of the book is how translators and interpreters often go unnoticed and underappreciated. Even I was surprised at many of the ways translation affects our everyday life without us even being aware of it. Translation is crucial for healthcare, the justice system, scientific advancements, politics and even love stories to reach their potential. I have heard Nataly Kelly speak on one of my favorite language podcasts PRI’s The World in Words where she very eloquently explained how she has a brief window into a very intimate moment in a person’s life and then she is gone often without knowing the outcome. This rang especially true when she described her experiences interpreting 911 calls.

In sum, Found in Translation is a wonderful read that can be enjoyed by language service professionals, students of language or just those curious about this profession. The book contains an extensive notes section with excellent resources for those in the interpreting and translation fields as well as an extensive index to cross reference specific interests.

February 26, 2013
Further Learning: Interesting Facts about the Spanish Language
It’s always an advantage when learning a new language to know a bit about its history and relevance in the modern world. Here are some interesting facts about the Spanish language:
1. Spanish and English are roughly tied for second place after Mandarin for the number of native speakers in the world at around 335-340 million individuals. Spanish accomplishes this in roughly half the number of countries as English, with 21 versus 42 in which Spanish and English are the official or co-official language.
2. The mother language of Spanish, and indeed all Romance languages, (i.e. Italian, Romanian, Spanish, Catalan) is Latin. Modern Spanish formed in the late 14th century in the region of Spain known as Castile. It is for this reason that Spanish may also be referred to as castellano.
3. Spanish has undergone far less changes than English in last 500 years. Therefore, fluent speakers of modern Spanish have little trouble reading the literature of Cervantes. Cervantes was the author of Don Quixote, arguably the first modern novel, and a contemporary of Shakespeare. English readers on the other hand generally need footnotes to interpret works by Shakespeare.
4. As English and Spanish are both Indo-European languages with a strong influence from Latin they share a lot of similar vocabulary allowing English speakers to learn Spanish with relative ease. Some of the largest differences between the two languages include: the existence of gender in Spanish for all nouns, Spanish having a more expansive number of verb tenses and the relatively common use of the subjunctive mood in the Spanish language.
5. While English has borrowed words in from numerous languages around the world it is Arabic that has had the greatest influence on Spanish, aside from Latin. Roughly 3000-4000 words have made their way into the Spanish language. Most of this occurred during the years between 711-1492 when Arabic people were in control of the greater part of the Iberian Peninsula, home to the countries of Portugal and Spain. Some of these words have also filtered down into the English language. For example, the Spanish word for cotton is algodón. Once you know that ‘al’ represents the word for ‘the’ in Arabic and isolate ‘godón’ you can start to see the connection to the word ‘cotton.’
6. While Spanish is originally from Spain, the number of native speakers in Latin America is now roughly 3 times that of modern-day Spain. Minor differences between the languages are found in vocabulary and idiomatic expressions but there are also some major differences. First off, most speakers of Spain speak with a lisp forming the sound of ‘th’ when pronouncing the letter ‘z’ and the letter combinations ‘ce’ and ‘ci.’ (Much less commonly, some regions also lisp the letter ‘s’). Secondly, speakers in Spain distinguish between informality and formality when addressing more than one person at a time by using vosotros for informal “you all” and ustedes for the formal. In Latin America, the latter is used for both.
February 18, 2013