Nina Schmidt ~ Vancouver German and Spanish Lessons

Category: Grammar Tips

  • Grammar Tips: Stem Changing Verbs

    te quieroA 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

     

  • Grammar Tips: The German Case System Explained

    Grammar Tips: The German Case System Explained

    Foto Hintergrund

    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)

  • Grammar Tips: Ser vs. Estar

    Grammar Tips: Ser vs. Estar

    emotions

    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.

     

     

     

  • Grammar Tips: Spanish Compound Nouns

    1112637_coconut_2Spanish 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)

     

     

     

  • Grammar Tips: Expressing ‘to’ in German with verbs of motion

    Grammar Tips: Expressing ‘to’ in German with verbs of motion

    travelUnlike 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.

  • Grammar Tips: German Compound Nouns

    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

  • Grammar Tips: Special Expressions with ‘to have’

    Certain common expressions in both Spanish and German use the verb ‘to have’. Below is a list of common expressions in which Spanish and German function in this manner. As these expressions do not always translate literally into English, they are best memorized.

    Spanish expressions with the verb ‘tener’

    1. To ask how old someone is you say:

    ¿Cuántos años tienes?                      – ->  How many years do you have?

    Tengo 20 años.                                   – -> I have 20 years.

    2. To talk about pain in the body you say:

    ¿Tienes dolor de cabeza?                – -> Do you have pain of head?

    3. To talk about sensations:

    ¿Tienes frío/hambre?                      – -> Do you have cold/hunger?

    4. Idiomatic expressions:

    tener miedo de . . . . . .                    – -> to have fear of . . . . . .

    tener interés en . . . . . .                 – -> to have interest in . . . . . .

    tener ganas de . . . . . .                    – -> to feel like  . . . . . .

    tener razón                                       – -> to be correct

    tener prisa                                        – -> to be in a hurry

    tener celos                                        – -> to be jealous

    tener éxito                                        – -> to be successful

    tener suerte                                      – -> to be lucky

    tener lugar                                       – -> to take place

    tener  que                                          – -> to have to

    German expressions with the verb ‘haben’

    1. To talk about pain in the body you say:

    ¿Hast du Kopfschmerzen?           – -> Do you have a headache?

    2. To talk about sensations:

    ¿Hast du Hunger/Durst?             – -> Do you have hunger/thirst?

    3. Idiomatic expressions:

    haben Angst vor . . . . . .                – -> to have fear of . . . . . .

    haben Lust auf . . . . . .                   – -> to feel like  . . . . . .

    haben Interesse an . . . . . .          – -> to have interest in . . . . . .

    Recht haben                                     – -> to be correct

    Eile haben                                         – -> to be in a hurry

    Heimweh haben                             – -> to be homesick

    Glück haben                                     – -> to be lucky

     

  • Grammar Tips: Muy vs. Mucho and Bueno vs. Bien


    Many students struggle with the differences between muy/mucho and bueno/bien.  At least part of the blame lies in English, as its speakers have come to use adjectives as adverbs in everyday speech. For example:

    Question:  “How are you?”                                  Answer:    “I’m good, thanks.”

    When asking how someone is doing you are asking for their state of being. Therefore an adverb should be used in the answer as it is modifying the verb ‘to be.’ However, in English we generally respond using an adjective. The same exchange in Spanish is as follows:

    Question:  “¿Cómo estás?”                                  Answer:    “Estoy bien, gracias.”

    Spanish requires the speaker to be more sensitive to the uses of adjectives and adverbs. By internalizing the rules below you’ll be speaking proper Spanish in no time and perhaps your English will improve as well!

    Muy and Mucho

    1. Muy is an adverb and invariable in form. It translates into English as very.

    Example:     Es muy coloroso.

    2. Mucho can function as an adverb or limiting adjective. When functioning as an adverb it translates into English as a lot/ much and appears after the verb it modifies, unchanged in form.

    Example:     Hablo mucho.

    When used as an adjective, mucho translates into English as a lot (of)/many and appears before the noun and must agree in both number and gender: mucho/a (s)

    Example:    Tengo muchos amigos.

    You try: fill in the blanks with the correct form of muy or mucho.

    1. Ellas hablan ………… rápido.

    2. Ella corre ………… .

    3. Ellos tienen ………… problemas.

    4. Roberto cocina ………… bien.

    5. Estamos ………… tristes.

    Bueno and Bien

    1. Bien is an adverb and invariable in form. It translates into English as well.

    Example:     Estoy bien.

    2. Bueno is an adjective that can appear before or after the noun and must agree in both number and gender: bueno/a (s). It translates into English as good.

    Example:  Son buenas muchachas.

    When placed before a masculine singular noun it drops the final ‘o’.

    Example:  Es buen hombre.

    You try: fill in the blanks with the correct form of ‘bueno’ or ‘bien’.

    1. La familia está ………… .

    2. ¡Qué ………… día!

    3. Somos muy ………… amigos.

    4. Manuela baila ………… .

    5. Es una ………… mujer.

     

  • Grammar Tips: Spanish use of the personal a

    In Spanish, the preposition a is placed in front of a noun or pronoun that refers to a specific person or persons functioning as the direct object of the sentence. Remember, the direct object is that which receives the action of the verb directly.

    For example, in the following sentence Sandra is the subject and Miguel is the direct object.

    Sandra sees Miguel.                                                   Sandra vee a Miguel.

    This grammar aspect does not exist in English and is therefore difficult to use with regularity when first speaking Spanish.  Memorizing the rules below is useful and over time learners develop a feel for when to use it and when not to.

    Use the personal a in the following situations:

    1. When referring to a specific person or persons even if you do not know them.

    2. With words that represent people, such as: her (ella), someone (alguien), el grupo (the group)

    3. When referring to someone’s pet, a god or deceased persons.

    4. Before each person in a sentence in the position of a direct object.

    Example Sentences:

    I don’t know Mrs. Garcia.                                  “No conozco a la señora Garcia.”

    I visit Miguel and Juan.                                     “Yo visito a Miguel y a Juan.”

    Don’t use the personal a in the following situations:

    1. When referring to a nonspecific person or someone who may or may not exist.

    2. When referring to a wild or zoo animal.

    3. In most cases after the verb ‘tener.’

    Example Sentences:

    I need a new doctor.                                         “Necesito un nuevo doctor.”

    I have a son.                                                        “Tengo hijo.”

    Your turn. Which of the following sentences require the use of the personal a?

    1. Yo visito mucho ………. Paco.

    2. Tengo ………. tres primos.

    3. Compro………. el libro.

    4. Veo ………. alguien en la casa.

    5. Necesito ………. un nuevo novio.

     

  • Grammar Tips: Idiomatic Expressions

    Idiomatic expressions or idioms are phrases that do not translate directly from one language to another and are often couched in the history and language of a specific culture. A good example of an idiom is, “it’s raining cats and dogs.” To a native English speaker it is obvious that people’s pets are not literally falling from the sky but to a learner of English this expression could be very confusing indeed!

    Below are some useful idiomatic expressions. Integrating idioms into your everyday conversation is essential to achieving fluency in a foreign language.

    In Spanish:

    Me estás tomando el pelo.
    (You are taking me by the hair)
    You’re pulling my leg.

    Voy a consultarlo con la almohada.
    (I’m going to consult my pillow about it)
    I’m going to sleep on it.

    Siempre me da la lata.
    (He’s always giving me the can)
    He’s always bothering me.

    La entrevista va a ser pan comido.
    (The interview will be eaten bread)
    The interview will be a piece of cake.

    Aquí hay gato encerrado.
    (There is an enclosed cat here)
    Something here smells fishy.

    Cuesta un ojo de la cara.
    (It costs an eye off the face)
    It costs an arm and a leg.

    In German:

    Ich habe die Nase voll.
    (I have my nose full)
    I am fed up.

    Es ist mir Wurst.
    (It is sausage to me)
    I don’t care.

    Ich drücke dir die Daumen.
    (I will press my thumbs for you)
    I will keep my fingers crossed for you.

    Was ich nicht weiss, macht mich nicht heiß.
    (What I don’t know doesn’t make me hot)
    What I don’t know can’t hurt me.

    Nimmst du mich auf den Arm?
    (Are you taking me by the arm?)
    Are you pulling my leg?

    Das ist ein Hundewetter.
    (It is dog weather)
    It’s raining cats and dogs.

    If you have have had a funny experience with a foreign idiom visit my Facebook fan page to share or comment below!