Nina Schmidt ~ Vancouver German and Spanish Lessons

Tag: Grammar Tips

  • Grammar Tips: Commonly Confused Verbs in Spanish Part 2

    Grammar Tips: Commonly Confused Verbs in Spanish Part 2

    1289620_retro_airplaneNothing is more confusing for the beginner student of a language than words that look similar. Over the years I have seen students struggle with remembering the following verbs simply because they are common and all begin with a the letter ‘v’.  In addition, a large number of them also have to do with travel. Below is a complete list of these verbs along with some example sentences.

    1. venir: to come

    We are coming at 5 o’clock.

    Venimos a las 5 de la tarde.

    2. viajar: to travel

    She is traveling to Europe for the first time.

    Ella viaja a Europa por primera vez.

    3. visitar: to visit

    I am visiting my parents on Sunday.

    Visito a mis padres el domingo.

    4. vivir: to live

    My brother lives in Bolivia.

    Mi hermano vive en Bolivia.

    5. volar: to fly (stem change verb o-ue)

    Are you flying to Barcelona?

    ¿Vuelas a Barcelona?

    6. volver: to return (stem change verb o-ue)

    Is he returning soon?

    ¿Vuelve pronto?

    6. ir: to go (Note: although the infinitive does not have a ‘v,’ the conjugations do)

    They are going to the church and I am going to the library.

    Ellos van a la iglesia y yo voy a la biblioteca.

     

  • Grammar Tips: Commonly Confused Verbs in Spanish Part 1

    Grammar Tips: Commonly Confused Verbs in Spanish Part 1

    notion du temps Headman concept
    Nothing is more confusing for the beginner student of a language than words that look similar. Over the years I have seen students struggle with remembering the following verbs simply because they are common and all begin with a double ‘l’ combination.  Below is a complete list of these verbs along with some examples sentences.

    1. llegar: to arrive

    We are arriving at 5 o’clock.

    Llegamos a las cinco de la tarde.

    2. llevar: to bring someone somewhere, to wear

    I am bringing my father to the airport.

    Llevo a mi padre al aeropuerto.

    I am wearing my new hat today.

    Llevo mi nuevo sombrero hoy.

    Note: llevar can also be used in an idiomatic sense to express a length of time

    How many years have you been in Canada?

    ¿Cuántos años llevas en Canadá?

    3. llover: to rain (Note: stem-change verb, only used in the third person singular)

    It is raining a lot today.

    Llueve mucho hoy.

    4. llamar: to call (Note: this verb can also be used reflexively to express your name)

    I am calling my brother.

    Llamo a mi hermano.

    He is called Robert.

    Él se llama Roberto.

    5. llorar: to cry

    Amanda cries a lot.

    Amanda llora mucho.

    6. llenar: to fill (up)

    She is filling up the bathtub with water.

    Ella llena la bañera con agua.

     

     

  • 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: 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: 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: Determining Gender

     

    Both Spanish and German are gendered languages which means that inanimate objects are either male or female and in the case of German even neuter. However, gender in neither of these languages is totally arbitrary as in many cases the final letter or letters of the word can be a key indicator in determining its gender.  I strongly believe it is more effective to learn the following rules and their exceptions than it is to simply learn each word with its gender.

    Native speaking children of these languages learn to recognize the following gender patterns and then learn the exceptions through exposure to the language. Similarly, native English speaking children at first form the past tense by simply adding -ed to every verb. Over time however they learn that while that is the general pattern there are irregularities.

    Keeping in mind that the following are guidelines only and exceptions must be memorized independently, here are some useful tips for determining gender:

    For German:

    1. 45% of nouns are masculine, 35% feminine, and 20% neuter

    2. Gender is determined by the final word in a compound word combination:

    die Bahn = die Autobahn

    • Generally masculine endings:             –el, -el, -er, –ling, -ig, -ich, -or, -us
    • Generally feminine endings:               -e, -in, -ung, -schaft,  -heit, -keit, –ik, -tät, -tion
    • Generally neuter endings:                   -chen,-lein,-um,-ett,-o,-ment
    For Spanish:
    • Generally feminine endings:               -a, -ción ,-sión, -d , -umbre
    • Generally masculine endings:             -o, -or, -ón, -men
    • The following are also masculine:      months, numbers, languages