- 3 -All About You
In This Chapter
- Greetings and salutations
- Ser versus estar
- Professions
- Countries
- Family members
- Possession
- Tener
- Asking questions
The best way to learn a foreign language is to find a friend who is a sympathetic native speaker and then just jabber away. Talk about anything and everything that strikes your fancy. Ask to be helped and corrected. Don't be shy about using a dictionary or about asking for help with unfamiliar words. To develop a friendship, you have to talk about yourself and ask about your newfound friend. Don't be shy. Strike up a conversation using some or all of the following phrases as your opening lines:
| Spanish | Pronunciation | Meaning |
| Buenos días | bweh-nohs dee-yahs | Hello |
| Buenas tardes | bweh-nahs tahr-dehs | Good afternoon |
| Buenas noches | bweh-nahs noh-chehs | Good evening |
| Señor | seh-nyohr | Sir |
| Señorita | seh-nyoh-ree-tah | Miss |
| Señora | seh-nyoh-rah | Mrs. |
| Me llamo . . . | meh yah-moh | My name is . . . (I call myself) |
| ¿Cómo se llama? | koh-moh seh yah-mah | What is your name? |
| ¿Cómo está Ud.? | koh-moh ehs-tah oo-stehd | How are you? |
| Muy bien | mwee byehn | Very well |
| Regular | rreh-goo-lahr | So-so |
| Así, así | ah-see ah-see | So-so |
| Más o menos | mahs oh meh-nohs | So-so |
Most people love to talk about themselves. Engaging in a friendly conversation in which the other person can be the center of attention is always very pleasant. To ask and answer even the simplest questions in Spanish, you need to know the verbs that express "to be"--ser and estar. These verbs are irregular, and all of their forms must be memorized if you want to use them correctly.
| SER | ESTAR |
| yo soy (soy) | yo estoy (ehs-toy) |
| tú eres (eh-rehs) | tú estás (ehs-tahs) |
| él, ella, Ud. es (ehs) | él, ella, Ud. está (ehs-tah) |
| nosotros somos (soh-mohs) | nosotros estamos (ehs-tah-mohs) |
| vosotros sois (soys) | vosotros estáis (ehs-tahys) |
| ellos, ellas, Uds. son (sohn) | ellos, ellas, Uds. están (ehs-tahn) |
| 1. Expresses origin, nationality, or an inherent characteristic or condition of the subject: | 1. Expresses a temporary state or quality that will not change: |
| Yo soy de España.
I'm from Spain. | Yo estoy cansado.
I'm tired. |
| Yo soy americana.
I'm American. | |
| Yo soy alto.
I'm tall. | |
| 2. Identifies a subject or its traits that will probably remain the same for a long period of time: | 2. Expresses location: |
| Mi padre es doctor.
My father is a doctor. | El hotel está allá.
The hotel is there. |
| 3. Expresses times and dates: | 3. Forms the progressive tenses: |
| Son las tres.
It's 3 o'clock. | Estoy escuchando.
I'm listening. |
| Es el tres de mayo.
It's May 3. | |
| 4. Expresses possession: | |
| Es mi coche.
It's my car. | |
| Es de Marta.
It's Martha's. | |
| 5. Is used in impersonal expressions: | |
| Es necesario estudiar.
It's necessary to study. | |
And What's Your Line?
Now that you've mastered the verbs ser and estar, you can easily chat about yourself. Use Table 3.1 to refer to your profession.
Something Extra The present progressive tense is formed as follows:
1. Conjugate the verb estar to agree with the intended subject.
2. Use the -ing form of the verb that shows the action. For -ar verbs, drop -ar from the infinitive and add -ando. For -er and -ir verbs, drop -er or -ir from the infinitive and add -iendo.
Yo estoy cantando. Estamos comiendo. Están escribiendo.
I am singing. We are eating. They are writing.
Table 3.1 Professions
| Profession | Spanish | Pronunciation |
| accountant | contable (m. or f.) | kohn-tah-bleh |
| business man | hombre de negocios | ohm-breh deh neh-goh-see-yohs |
| dentist | dentista (m.) | dehn-tees-tah |
| doctor | doctor (m.) | dohk-tor |
| engineer | ingeniero | een-heh-nee-yeh-roh |
| firefighter | bombero | bohm-beh-roh |
| government employee | empleado del gobierno | ehm-pleh-yah-doh dehl goh-bee-yehr-noh |
| hairdresser | barbero | bahr-beh-roh |
| jeweler | joyero | hoh-yeh-roh |
| lawyer | abogado | ah-boh-gah-doh |
| nurse | enfermer | ehn-fehr-meh-roh |
| police officer | agente de policía (m.) | ah-hen-teh deh poh-lee-see-yah |
| postal worker | cartero | kahr-teh-roh |
| programmer | programador | proh-grah-mah-dohr |
| salesperson | vendedor | behn-deh-dohr |
| secretary | secretario | seh-kreh-tah-ree-yoh |
| student | estudiante (m. or f.) | ehs-too-dee-yahn-teh |
| teacher | profesor | proh-feh-sohr |
| waiter | camarero | kah-mah-reh-roh |
| waitress | camarera | kah-mah-reh-rah |
¡Cuidado! To make a profession feminine:
If the profession ends in -o, change the ending to -a.
If the profession ends in -or, add -a.
If the profession ends in -a or -e, no change is necessary.
Where Are You from?
Travelers usually are very curious to know where other travelers come from, especially if they detect a foreign accent. Faraway lands always seem so exotic and exciting, and people love to talk about their hometowns. Use the verb ser + de + the name of your country to say where you are from. Table 3.2 will help you express yourself quite easily.
Table 3.2 Countries Around the World
| Country | Spanish | Pronunciation |
| Belgium | Bélgica | behl-hee-kah |
| Canada | el Canadá | ehl kah-nah-dah |
| Denmark | Dinamarca | dee-nah-mahr-kah |
| Egypt | Egipto | eh-heep-toh |
| England | Inglaterra | een-glah-teh-rah |
| Finland | Finlandia | feen-lahn-dee-yah |
| France | Francia | frahn-see-yah |
| Germany | Alemania | ah-leh-mah-nee-yah |
| Greece | Grecia | greh-see-yah |
| Hungary | Hungría | oon-gree-yah |
| Ireland | Irlanda | eer-lahn-dah |
| Italy | Italia | ee-tahl-yah |
| Japan | el Japón | ehl hah-pohn |
| Morocco | el Marruecos | ehl mah-rroo-eh-kohs |
| Netherlands | los Países Bajos | lohs pah-yee-sehs bah-hohs |
| Norway | Noruega | nohr-oo-eh-gah |
| Poland | Polonia | poh-loh-nee-yah |
| Romania | Rumanía | rroo-mah-nee-yah |
| Russia | Rusia | rroo-see-yah |
| Scotland | Escocia | ehs-koh-see-yah |
| Spain | España | ehs-pah-nyah |
| Sweden | Suecia | soo-eh-see-yah |
| Switzerland | Suiza | soo-wee-sah |
| Tunisia | Túnez | too-nehs |
| Turkey | Turquía | toor-kee-yah |
| United States | los Estados Unidos | lohs ehs-tah-dohs oo-nee-dohs |
And Now for the Loved Ones
No introductory conversation is complete without opening your wallet and showing photos of those you hold near and dear to your heart. Surprisingly, many people enjoy these corny pictures of your family members. Use Table 3.3 to identify everyone correctly.
Table 3.3 Family Members
| Family Member | Pronunciation | Meaning |
| abuelo | ah-bweh-loh | grandfather |
| abuela | ah-bweh-lah | grandmother |
| padrino | pah-dree-noh | godfather |
| padrina | pah-dree-nah | godmother |
| padre | pah-dreh | father |
| madre | mah-dreh | mother |
| padastro | pah-dahs-troh | stepfather |
| padastra | pah-dahs-trah | stepmother |
| hijo | ee-hoh | son, child |
| hija | ee-hah | daughter |
| hermano | ehr-mah-noh | brother |
| hermana | ehr-mah-nah | sister |
| hermanastro | ehr-mah-nehs-troh | stepbrother |
| hermanastra | ehr-mah-nehs-trah | stepsister |
| primo | pree-moh | cousin |
| prima | pree-mah | cousin (female) |
| sobrino | soh-bree-noh | nephew |
| sobrina | soh-bree-nah | niece |
| tío | tee-yoh | uncle |
| tía | tee-yah | aunt |
| nieto | nee-yeh-toh | grandson |
| nieta | nee-yeh-tah | granddaughter |
| suegro | sweh-groh | father-in-law |
| suegra | sweh-grah | mother-in-law |
| yerno | yehr-noh | son-in-law |
| nuera | nweh-rah | daughter-in-law |
| cuñado | koo-nyah-doh | brother-in-law |
| cuñada | koo-nyah-dah | sister-in-law |
| novio | noh-bee-yoh | boyfriend |
| novia | noh-bee-yah | girlfriend |
Something Extra Here are some useful plurals and their spellings: Table 3.4 Plurals of Family Names
| Family Member | Pronunciation | Meaning |
| hijos | ee-hohs | children |
| padres | pah-drehs | parents |
| abuelos | ah-bweh-lohs | grandparents |
| suegros | sweh-grohs | in-laws |
| parientes | pah-ree-yehn-tehs | relatives |
| padrinos | pah-dree-nohs | godparents |
You Belong to Me
To show possession in English, we use 's or s' after a noun. There are no apostrophes in Spanish, however. To translate "Julio's mother" into Spanish, a speaker would have to say "the mother of Julio," which is "la madre de Julio." The preposition de means of and is used to express possession or relationship.
Possessive adjectives also can be used to show possession, as shown in Table 3.5.
Table 3.5 Possessive Adjectives
| Used Before Masculine Nouns | | Used Before Feminine Nouns | | |
| Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | English |
| mi | mis | mi | mis | my |
| tu | tus | tu | tus | your |
| su | sus | su | sus | his, her, your, its |
| nuestro | nuestros | nuestra | nuestras | ou |
| vuestro | vuestros | vuestra | vuestras | your |
| su | sus | su | sus | their |
¡Cuidado! A possessive adjective should agree with the item possessed not the possessor.
Es mi tía. Son mis hijos.
That's my aunt. They are my sons.
This Is What I Have
Perhaps you would like to discuss how many children you have or your age. You also might want to tell how you feel at a particular moment. The verb you will find most helpful in these situations is tener (to have). Like the verbs ser and estar, tener is an irregular verb. All its forms (as seen in Table 3.6) must be memorized.
Table 3.6 Conjugating Tener (to Have)
| Conjugated Form of Tener | Pronunciation | Meaning |
| Yo tengo | tehn-goh | I have |
| Tú tienes | tee-yeh-nehs | You have |
| Él, ella, Ud. tiene | tee-yeh-neh | He, she, one has |
| Nosotros tenemos | teh-neh-mohs | We have |
| Vosotros tenéis | teh-neh-yees | You have |
| Ellos, ellas, | tee-yeh-nehn | They have Uds. tienen |
Idioms with Tener
The idiomatic expressions in Table 3.7 are used quite frequently in everyday conversation.
Table 3.7 Idioms with Tener
| Idiom | Pronunciation | Expression |
| tener calor | teh-nehr kah-lohr | to be hot |
| tener dolor de | teh-nehr doh-lohr deh | to have an ache in |
| tener frío | teh-nehr free-yoh | to be cold |
| tener ganas de + infinitive | teh-nehr gah-nahs deh | to feel like |
| tener hambre | teh-nehr ahm-breh | to be hungry |
| tener miedo de | teh-nehr mee-yeh-doh deh | to be afraid of |
| tener ue + infinitive | teh-nehr keh | to have to |
| tener razón | teh-nehr rrah-sohn | to be right |
| tener sed | teh-nehr sehd | to be thirsty |
| tener sueño | teh-nehr sweh-nyoh | to be sleepy |
| tener . . . años | teh-nehr ah-nyohs | to be . . . years old |
¡Cuidado! Make sure to conjugate the verb when you use it in context.
Yo tengo veinte años.
I'm 20 years old.
Fast Forward I want to know all about you and my English is poor. Tell me as much as you can about yourself and your family in Spanish. I'm very nosy, so don't leave out any details. Practice what you want to say until it flows smoothly.
Asking Questions
If your Spanish is not quite as perfect as you'd like, you'll probably be content to ask people simple yes or no questions. Besides, that way you won't look too nosy.
Intonation
The easiest way to show that you are asking a question is simply to change your intonation by raising your voice at the end of the sentence.
¿Eres americano?
¡Cuidado! Spanish uses two question marks for every question. Put an upside down question mark at the beginning of the question and a standard one at the end.
Tags
Another simple way to ask a question is to add a tag such as ¿verdad?, ¿no?, or ¿está bien? to the end of a statement. These tags can mean really?, isn't that so?, is it?, isn't it?, are you?, aren't you, do you?, don't you?, all right? or OK?
Eres americano, ¿verdad? (¿no?, ¿está bien?)
You're American, right? (isn't that so?, aren't you?)
Inversion
Inversion means reversing the word order of the subject pronoun and the conjugated verb form.
¿Eres tú americano?
Getting the Scoop
If you're anything like me, a simple yes or no answer never suffices. You want to get the whole picture, and for that, you'll need the facts. Use the questions in Table 3.8 to get all the information you want.
Table 3.8 Information Questions
| Word/Phrase | Pronunciation | Meaning |
| adónde | ah-dohn-deh | to where |
| a qué hora | ah keh oh-rah | at what time |
| a quién | ah kee-yehn | to whom |
| a qué | ah keh | to what |
| con quién | kohn kee-yehn | with whom |
| con qué | kohn keh | with what |
| cuál | kwahl | which |
| de quién | deh kee-yehn | of, about, from whom |
| de qué | deh keh | of, about, from what |
| cuánto | kwahn-toh | how much, many |
| cómo | koh-moh | how |
| dónde | dohn-deh | where |
| de dónde | deh dohn-deh | from where |
| por qué | pohrkeh | why |
| cuándo | kwahn-doh | when |
| quién | kee-yehn | who, whom |
| qué | keh | what |
The easiest way to ask for information is to put the question word immediately before the verbal phrase or thought.
¿Con quién viaja Ud.? With whom are you traveling?
¿Qué? asks what? when referring to a description, a definition, or an explanation and asks which? when used before a noun.
¿Qué es esto? ¿Qué estás comiendo? ¿Qué programa miras?
What's that? What are you eating? Which program are you watching?
¿Cuál? and ¿Cuáles? generaly ask which? They ask what? before the verb ser (to be), except when asking for the definition of a word (when ¿qué? is used). They ask which (one)? before the preposition de.
¿Cuál es su nombre? ¿Cuáles quieres?
What's your name? Which (ones) do you want?
¿Cuál de los dos prefieres?
Which (one) of the two do you prefer?
In Spanish, all words that ask questions have accent marks. This distinguishes them from words that are spelled the same but that state information rather than asking for it.
¿Dónde vives? Yo no sé donde tú vives.
Where do you live? I don't know where you live.
Something Extra When followed by a noun, cuánto is used as an adjective and must agree in number and gender with the noun:
¿Cuánto dinero tienes? ¿Cuántas muchachas cantan? How much money How many girls are singing? do you have?
Fast Forward Now it's your turn to be nosy. Write down a list of questions you would like to ask me. I'm a very interesting person, and I have a large family.
