Jun. 29, 2008 -
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Jun. 8, 2008 - Las Rompecabezas - Puzzles!
We all know that learning can be much more effective if it is a little fun! Why not try reinforcing a vocab list or flashcard vocab by making a crossword or word search puzzle?
Here is a fantastic site that will automatically generate puzzles for you. Many thanks to the creator of this site! I made two puzzles using color vocab just to demonstrate. Here is my word search:
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morado marron rojo verde anaranjado amarillo gris azul negro blanco |
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And check out my crossword puzzle!
Los Colores
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Jun. 3, 2008 - Un viaje a las Cavernas de Carlsbad. A trip to Carlsbad Caverns.
Fuimos a las Cavernas de Carlsbad. ¡Qué divertido! We went to Carldbad Caverns. What fun!
Vimos estalactitas y estalagmitas. We saw stalactites and stalagmites.
Las estalactitas van desde el techo hacia abajo. Stalactites go from the ceiling down.
Las estalagmitas van desde el suelo hacia arriba. The stalagmites go from the floor up.
Son animales nocturnos. They are nocturnal animals.
Pasan la noche volando y comiendo miles de insectos. The spend the night flying and eating thousands of insects.
Peuden ver, pero no muy bien. Dependen más de ecolocalización. They can see, but not well. They depend more on their echolocation.
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May. 20, 2008 - Field Trip! ‘Vamos a la playa! Let's go to the beach.
Because I have spring fever...
Vamos a la costa de Perú. We are going to the Peruvian coast.
Hay surferos en el mar hoy. There are surfers in the water today.
Les gustan jugar a futbal en la playa. They like to play soccer at the beach.
¡Qué rico! Vamos a comer ceviche en un cafe cerca de la playa. Yum! We are going to eat ceviche in a cafe near the beach.
Cultural note: Ceviche. Legend has it that ceviche was invented by Peruvian fisherman as an easy meal out at sea. Slice some onion, squeeze some citrus, and throw in some hot ají peppers for some jazz, and you have a basic ceviche. It can include any seafood: whitefish, conch, shrimp, scallops, you name it. Other yummy addition options include cilantro, carrots, garlic, celery, ginger, tomatoes, and lettuce. There are a million variations! In Perú, ceviche is typically served with corn on the cob or french fries. A yummy variation is french fries make with sweet potatoes. In the picture above there is also a snack similar to what we might call "corn nuts". Here is a basic ceviche recipe. Improvise to your heart's content! Ceviche has become popular throughout Latin America, and can even be found on many restaurant menus here in the states. It is a cool treat on a hot day! I'll take mine with shrimp please....
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May. 15, 2008 - Los olores
NOUN + huele + bien/mal - _______ smells good/bad
NOUN + huelen + bien/mal - ________ smells good/bad
To ask whether something smells good, use this formula:
¿Huele bien el/la + noun? - Does the ______ smell good?
¿Huelen bien los/las + plural noun? - Do the ______ smell good?
Let's give it a try!
¿Huelen bien los flores? Sí, los flores huelen bien.
¿Huele bien la pizza? Sí, la pizza huele bien.
¿Huele bien el jabón? Sí, el jabón huele bien.
¿Huelen bien los zorillos? ¡No, los zorillos no huelen bien! Los zorillos huelen mal.
You can even make this more emphatic by saying: ¡Los zorillos no huelen nada bien! (Literally - Skunks don't smell the least bit good!)
Another way to say it: ¡Los zorillos huelen feo! (Literally, skunks smell ugly)
¿Huelen bien las galletas? ¡Síiiiiiiiiiii, las galletas huelen muy (very) bien!
Blogging makes me hungry for some reason.....
P.S. This topic naturally ties into your flash cards! Select cards that depict anything that you can smell (from a flower, to bread, to a foot - yuck!) and practice plugging this formula in to talk about how things smell.
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May. 13, 2008 - En busca de extraterrestres en Roswell
Fuimos a Roswell en busca de estraterrestres. We went to Roswell in search of extraterrestrials.
¡Mira! ¡Una pista! Look! A clue!
¿Es un OVNI? Is this a UFO?
Los extraterrestres beben Coca-Cola. Extraterrestrials drink Coka-Cola.
¿Es un extraterrestre? No, es un pavo. Is this an extraterrestrial? No, it's a turkey.
¿Son extraterrestres? No, son niños. Are they extraterrestrials? No, they're kids.
Los extraterrestres son de todos colores y tamaños. Extraterrestrials are all colors and sizes.
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Apr. 29, 2008 - Canta una canciσn - Sing a song!
If I were more proactive and categorized my blog entries, this might go under the heading: "Showing your age". Maybe this will be more of a sentimental journey for us adults than a meaningful experience for the kids, but let's give it a try! And many thanks to Patricia P. whose question to me prompted this blog entry. 
Many years ago on Sesame Street, they featured a song written by Joe Raposo and made popular by The Carpenters, entitled "Sing". In the last verse, a child sings an echo in Spanish. Here are the lyrics and audio:
Sing
Sing a song
Sing out loud
Sing out strong
Sing of good things, not bad
Sing of happy, not sad
Sing
Sing a song
Make it simple
To last your whole life long
Don't worry that it's not good enough
For anyone else to hear
Sing
Sing a song
La la la la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la
Sing
Sing a song
Sing out loud
Sing out strong
Sing of good things, not bad
Sing of happy, not sad
Sing
Sing a song
Make it simple
To last your whole life long
Don't worry that it's not good enough
For anyone else to hear
Sing
Sing a song
Sing (Canta)
Sing a song (Canta una cancion)
Sing out loud (Canta en voz alto)
Sing out strong (Canta fuerte)
Sing of good things, not bad (Cosas buenas, no malos)
Sing of happy, not sad (Alegre, no triste)
Sing (Canta)
Sing a song (Canta una cancion)
Make it simple to last your whole life long (Todo la vida)
Don't worry that it's not good enough for anyone else to hear
Just sing (Canta)
Sing a song (Canta una cancion)
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Apr. 24, 2008 - ‘Es la primavera! It's spring!
Las flores están floreciendo. The flowers are blooming.
Las abejas están zumbando. The bees are buzzing.
¡Las mariposas están por todos lados! The butterflies are everywhere!
Los perros están corriendo en el parque. The dogs are running in the park.
Las niñas están saltando. The girls are jumping.
Los niños están corriendo y jugando. The kids are running and playing.
El sol está brillando. The sun is shining.¡Nos encanta la primavera! We love the spring!
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Apr. 21, 2008 - Field trip - Segovia, Spain
Can you imagine what it would be like to live in a UN World Heritage site? The old town in Segovia won this honor due to the impressive Roman aqueduct that still carries water. My children and I were recently studying the Romans, and discovered that this is one of the finest remaining examples of a Roman aqueduct.
Another amazing site in the area is the Alcazar castle. Construction began in the 11th century, and it reached the form we see it in today in the 1500s.
Also built in the golden age of the 1500's was the Cathedral of Segovia. It is considered by some to be the last great Gothic Cathedral built in Europe.
The old city is surrounded by a wall, built and maintained since the 8th century.
After a lovely day of walking through twisted alleys, visiting monuments, castles and churches, let's stop in a cafe and enjoy some hot chocolate to finish off our day.
For more information and pictures of this amazing city, visit this site.
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Apr. 17, 2008 - Tϊ or Usted, that is the question!
There are two principle ways to say you in Spanish: tú and usted. Please note that usted is frequently abbreviated Ud. It is used in the plural form as ustedes or the abbreviation Uds. In most of the Spanish speaking world, Uds. serves as the plural of the tú form as well.
So what is the difference between these two forms? When do you use one and not the other? Simply put, tú is an informal form, and Ud. is more formal.
Once upon a time, every Spanish student was told to just use the Ud. form with everyone, and switch to tú when given permission. There is actually a verb in Spanish for using tú with one another: tutearse. You might be asked, "Vamos a tutearnos, ¿no?" (Let's just use tú, ok?). Or... "¿Por qué no me digas tú, está bien? (Why don't you just call me tú, ok?). The system of waiting for permission to say tú will certainly keep you out of trouble. It will also keep you sounding like a Spanish student.
Another rule of thumb that is more realistic is to call someone tú if they are someone you would normally call by first name. Someone that you would address with a title or call Mr. or Mrs. would be Ud. If you meet someone in a social situation, and they are roughly your age or younger, you are safe to use tú. Talking to a minister, professor, or the doctor? Start with Ud. Have your kids respectfully address adults with Ud. , but feel free to use tú with most kids. Tú is safe for your family members. Interestingly, the internet has become a great equalizer, and in chat rooms or message boards, tú is commonly used for everyone.
Another note about the tú and Ud. dilema... think about how our society is getting progressively more informal and casual. The same thing is happening in the Spanish speaking world. Senior citizens will call almost everyone, even their best friends, by the Ud. form. They use tú only with family and little kids.
Exceptions? Well there are many. In Spain, the plural form of tú is vosotros. You will also find this form in many Bible translations, and classic literature and poetry. As you advance in Spanish, it is well worth familiarizing yourself with this form. If you plan to travel to Spain, it is essential. Despite its familiar connotation, it is popular and in widespread use. If you were to say something like, "You Spaniards are such nice people!" it would sound more friendly with vosotros than with Uds. Read more about vosotros here.
Vos is another exception that can be found in Argentina, Uruguay, parts of Colombia, the highlands of Honduras, and other places I am probably neglecting to mention. Vos is used in these countries instead of tú, and sometimes is an all-purpose substitute for Ud. as well. It has its own verb endings. People who use vos will understand you if you address them with the tú or Ud. form, so don't worry about not being understood. If you plan to travel to an area that uses vos, it is worth familiarizing yourself with it. Read more about the use of vos here.
A little confusing at first? Take comfort in the fact that most Spanish speakers are pretty forgiving of any error, and understand that you are trying to learn the language. ¡Vale la pena! - It's worth it!
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Apr. 14, 2008 - Anyone for a tengo?
- Tengo - I have
- Tienes - you have
- Tiene - he or she have (this is also the formal "you" form)
- Tenemos - we have
- Tienen - They have. You (plural) have
- yo - I
- tú - you
- él, ella - he, she
- nosotros - we
- ellos, ellas - they
- Ustedes - you plural
- Tengo una naranja - I have an orange.
- Tengo un perro - I have a dog.
- Tengo los pantalones - I have the pants.
- Tengo la muñeca - I have the doll.
- ¿Tienes la manzana? Sí, tengo la manzana. - Do you have the apple? Yes, I have the apple.
- ¿Tienes un gato? No, no tengo un gato. - Do you have a cat? No, I don't have a cat.
- ¿Tienes la muñeca? Sí, tengo la muñeca. - Do you have the doll? Yes, I have the doll.
- ¿Tienes un carro? Sí, tengo un carro. - Do you have a car? Yes, I have a car.
- Tienen una casa bonita - They have a pretty house.
- Tenemos un carro azul - We have a blue car.
- Ella tiene una manzana roja - She has a red apple.
- Él tiene un gato negro - He has a black cat.
- Tenemos un sofa verde - We have a green sofa.
- Tengo frío - I am cold (I have cold)
- Tenemos hambre - We are hungry (I have hunger)
- Ella tiene sueño - She is sleepy (get it?)
- Él tiene calor - He is hot/warm.
- Tienes razón - You're right.
- ¡Ten cuidado! - Be careful! (that is the command form)
- Tengo prisa - I am in a hurry.
- Ella no tiene razón - She is wrong.
- Tienen miedo - They are scared.
- Él tiene 9 años - He is nine years old.
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Apr. 10, 2008 - I know my Redeemer Lives/Yo sι que vive mi Redentor - Nicole C. Mullen
I was just in the mood to hear this song, so I looked it up on youtube. Little did I know she starts it out be singing in Spanish! Ok, this puppy is going on my Amazon Wish List.... Thank you Nicole for sharing your gift with the world.
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Apr. 1, 2008 - Me duelen los oidos
Ok, I have been one of those MIA bloggers for over a week! Pues, es que me duelen los oídos. In other words, my ears hurt. But life goes on, and it occurred to me that you can still get sick while speaking Spanish, so why not offer an entry dealing with this favorite topic?
- Estoy enfermo/a - I am sick. Remember that -o is the masculine ending and -a is the feminine ending. By sheer genetics, I would say Estoy enferma.
- Está enfermo/a - He or she is sick. Once again, the masculine or feminine endings need to correspond.
- Me duele - something hurts me. Usually this is followed by a singular body part, such as: me duele el brazo, me duele la cabeza, me duele el ojo.
- Me duelen - same as above, but this time you use it with a plural body part, such as: me duelen las piernas, me duelen los pies.
Ok, vamos al médico (let's go to the doctor) and say what hurts....
Practice with these formulas: Me duele ___________ or Me duelen ________
- los pies - the feet
- el brazo - the arm
- los ojos - the eyes
- el oído - the ear (internal)
- la oreja - the ear (external)
- el estómago - the stomach
- la rodialla - the knee
- el diente - the tooth
- las piernas - the legs
**Good questions! An HSB friend asked me how we say: I hope you're feeling better soon. That would be: ¡Espero que te repongas pronto! And thanks for the well wishes!
Her other question is about this: ñ¡¿áéíóú You can teach your keyboard to speak Spanish too.
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Mar. 25, 2008 - The Chilean National Anthem
In this video, a young girl sings the Chilean National Anthem at a New Year's celebration. There is only one small technical problem: Chile is one of the few nations that does not have an official anthem. This song, however, is regarded by most chilenos to be their anthem.
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Mar. 19, 2008 - Cristo Ha Resucitado - Christ has Risen
¡Feliz Pascua de la Resurrección! Happy Easter! The following is a hymn originally written by Charles Wesley. It also enjoys popularity in its Spanish translation, and will be sung all across the Spanish speaking world this Domingo de Pascua/Easter Sunday. It is known in Spanish as Cristo Ha Resucitado - Christ has Risen.
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Mar. 19, 2008 - ‘Yo sν puedo! Yes I can!
The basic formula for saying "I can...." is to say Yo puedo.... However, the pronoun I/yo is built into your verb ending, so it is actually a little redundant in Spanish to always use the Yo. (except when you want to make an emphasis, such as I did in this entry title) So here is our formula.....
Puedo + an unconjugated verb = I can (verb) . A simple no in front of puedo makes the sentence negative. Examples:
- Puedo patinar - I can skate.
-
Puedo cocinar - I can cook.
- Puedo leer - I can read.
- No puedo volar - I can't fly.
- Puedo saltar - I can jump.
- Puedo correr - I can run.
- Puedo jugar - I can play.
The possibilities are endless! Think about things you want to say you can do, and look them up to plug into your sentences.
Y tú.....¿qué puedes hacer? And you.... what can you do?
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Mar. 16, 2008 - Field Trip! Semana Santa
Semana Santa is Holy Week, one of the largest celebrations you will see in any Spanish-speaking country. Beginning today Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday), and going to Easter (la Pascua) schools and businesses come to a halt while people celebrate with processions, worship, and feasts. Let's take a little trip and peek in one some of these celebrations Here, we join a Domingo de Ramos celebration in Perú....
Still hungry? Here is the fantastic Cooking Diva blog, with some beautiful recipe ideas to celebrate! Yummmm... I think I gained 5 pounds just posting that!
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Mar. 15, 2008 - The Mexican National Anthem
Here is the National Anthem of Mexico. It truly reflects the pride so many Mexicans have in their nation and history. The lyrics are written in Spanish and English so that you can follow along.
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Mar. 13, 2008 - A resource well worth looking into!
Loralin, a homeschool buddy from FIAR, introduced me to a great resource for free online Spanish lessons! It is called Live Mocha. Thanks Loralin!
IMs and online friends are a key feature of the site. This is the reason children are not permitted, and teens (or anyone else for that matter!) need to proceed with care. I tested out all the features before offering my recommendation, so here is my two cents: Everyone on the site that I "talked" to was appropriate, respectful, focused on learning, and encouraging. Of course people are people, and abuse of the system is possible. This site does allow you to report any inappropriate emails or IMs.
When you are online working on the lessons, IMs will pop up as people look for others to practice with. You can always refuse an IM. You don't have to add any friends, and you don't have to accept any friendship offers from anyone else. I took the plunge, and everyone has been fine so far. But I don't want to recommend the site without letting you know...
The lessons themselves were great. I was so amazed that this stuff is FREE! One user said that the setup is similar to Rosetta Stone, in which you have pictures, and hear a native speaker saying phrases related to the scenes. I read somewhere on the site that it will eventually become a fee-based site. Get in and give it a go while it is still free! This site will be especially useful to parents who wish to teach Spanish to their kids, but need to get up to speed themselves.
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Mar. 7, 2008 - Stress!!!
So which syllable do you put the accent on when sounding out a Spanish word that is new to you? A fellow Spanish geek (and I mean that in the best possible way) and I discussed just that this week. Ok, so.... do you want the long and complicated list of rules with every subtle nuance and crazy exception, or do you want the quick and easy to remember version? Yea, I thought so. First, gaze upon this cute lizard. You'll see why in a moment.
- día - DÍ-a
- Córdoba - CÓR-do-ba
- común - co-MÚN
- inglés - ing-LÉS
- joven - JO-ven
- mesa - ME-sa
- semejante - se-me-JAN-te
- enero - en-ER-o
- ciudad - ci-u-DAD
- comer - com-ER
- hotel - ho-TEL
- actriz - ac-TRIZ
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Mar. 6, 2008 - The Spanish National Anthem
Here is the lovely and dignified National Anthem (Himno) of Spain. Want to sing along? Oops, sorry, there are no words! Literally, they can't agree on what they want it to say, so all efforts to put words to this anthem have been ditched.
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Mar. 4, 2008 - Wordless Wednesday
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Mar. 4, 2008 - ΏDσnde estα? Parte dos...backing up a bit.
Case in point: my own three children. My middle child is always the first to understand the concept. Never mind that she is not the oldest, I just think she is the one who will truly have more of a knack for picking up the language. The eldest tries to answer a ¿dónde está? question by putting dónde in the answer. The youngest repeats whatever I say. He doesn't understand that he needs to respond. Maybe at his age repeating is a good place to start, and to gear my efforts for him. Maybe all this makes me sound like a homeschooler who just crawled out from under a rock, but I am learning from my kids, and tweaking my approach to them every day.
That having been said, here is what we ended up doing... I introduce the phrase ¿dónde está......?, and explained that if there is more than one of something, we say ¿dónde están...? I will then ask the ¿dónde está....? questions, and the kids responded by pointing to the object! It looked like this:
- ¿Dónde está la lámpera? - child points to lamp
- ¿Dónde está la mesa? - child points to table
- ¿Dónde están las uvas? - child points to bananas...oops, no sweetie, those are the platanos, the uvas are here....
- ¿Dónde está el conejo? - Child points to the rabbit and then gets distracted playing with him and Spanish time is OVER!
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Mar. 1, 2008 - ΏDσnde estα......?
One fun way to plug in vocab you have learned, and practice making sentences, is to ask where things are. Two new words will help us accomplish this. ¿dónde? is how you ask "where?" in Spanish. The verb that goes with statements or questions about location is estar. We've already talked on this blog about the verb ser being one way to say "is" ; estar is the other. Think of estar as the real estate verb: location, location, location!
So here is our formula for asking location: ¿Dónde + está + el/la + singular noun?
And for a plural noun: ¿Dónde + están + los/las + plural noun?
Let's give this a try using vocab from our Flash Kids Spanish Flash Cards
- ¿Dónde está el carro?
- ¿Dónde están las calcetines?
- ¿Dónde está la niña?
- ¿Dónde están los platos?
- aquí - here, as in right here
- acá - here, in this general area
- ahí (sometimes allí - pronounced the same) - there, where you are
- allá - there, where neither of us are
Ok, how about "there"? Ahí refers to the "there" where the person you are talking to is located, whether it is across the room, or a thousand miles of phone line. In a sentence like, "What is the weather like there?", we would use ahí. To refer to a "there" where neither you nor the person you are talking with is located, you will use allá. Say we are talking about Sydney, Australia, and someone says "The famous Sydney Opera House is there". We would use allá. (Based on blog tracking, we have had just a peek on this blog from Australia. So if you are peeking again, and you are in Sydney, that last example doesn't apply to you mate!)
Ok, enough explanations.... once you are familiar with these formulas you can make a little game out of it. Here is how: divide into two groups, and use your flash cards or household objects that you know the names for in Spanish. Put a few cards/items with one team, a few with another, and a few in a third location where nobody is. Take turns asking where the card/item is located. The other team answers using:
- Está aquí - it is here
- Están aquí - they are here
- Está ahí - it is there (where you are)
- Están ahí - they are there (where you are)
- Está allá - it is there (where neither of us are)
- Están allá - they are there (where neither of us are)
- ¿Dónde están las uvas? - Están allá
- ¿Dónde está la llave? - Está aquí
- ¿Dónde está el perro? - Está ahí
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Feb. 26, 2008 - If you are interested in Rosetta Stone...
**Editing to add a note/bummer: Rosetta Stone is discontinuing its library program. Libraries that offer the program have yearly contracts, and they will not be renewed when they expire this year. If you are thinking of using the program at the library I linked, please contact them first and see when it will expire to decide if the expense is worth it to you. Sorry!
Interested in Rosetta Stone, but don't want to cough up the $dinero$ ? Here is how you get it for $35...
Go to this site and sign up for their internet library card. In the Database section, there is a Rosetta Stone program that you can use. Unlike the software that you use at home, this program does not track the progress of individual users. However, this is the best way to give it a try and see if it is a good fit for you. If it turns out that several people in your family will use it for more than one year, then you will want to spring for the software package.
For your $35, it is well worth it to dig around on this site for other great resources that they have available!
*Note: I have never used Rosetta Stone, although I have looked it over. I do not feel that I have enough information on it to actually review or recommend it. My purpose in posting this link is because so many people have asked me about Rosetta Stone, and I have heard good things from others about the quality of the program.
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Feb. 26, 2008 - Basic Greetings
Professor Jason is back with a lesson about basic greetings in Spanish. By the way, I discovered his set of helpful videos on youtube, and I encourage you to take a look at them. Bravo to Professor Jason for making this resource available free to everyone!
Here are the greetings that he teaches in this lesson:
- hola - hi/hello
- buenos días - good morning
- buenas tardes - good afternoon
- buenas noches - good evening/night
- ¿qué tal? - how are you?
- ¿cómo estás? - how are you?
- ¿cómo te va? - how's it going
- ¿cómo te llamas? - what is your name?
- ¿de dónde eres? - where are you