Tamalada, 1990 (Carmen Lomas Garza)

Sobre el artista: Carmen Lomas Garza is a Mexican-American artist and illustrator. Her famous paintings reflect the traditions and life of Mexican families. She wants to honor her heritage by drawing scenes from daily life and popular culture that represent the richness of Latino culture.

Can you tell the difference between formal and informal or familiar situations?

Situaciones formales

1. María Martell: Buenos días, señor Ramirez.
   Diego Ramirez: Buenos días, señora Martell, ¿Cómo está?
   María Martell: Muy bien gracias, ¿Y usted?
   Diego Ramirez: Bastante bien, gracias. Hasta luego.
   María Martell: Adiós.
2. Lupe: Buenas tardes, profesor Banderas.
   Antonio Banderas: Hola, ¿Cómo se llama usted, señorita?
   Lupe: Me llamo Lupe García.
   Antonio Banderas: Mucho gusto.
   Lupe: Igualmente.
   Antonio Banderas: ¿Y usted, de dónde es?
   Lupe: Soy de México, ¿Y usted?
   Antonio Banderas: De España. Nos vemos pronto Lupe.
   Lupe: Sí profesor, Hasta luego.

Situaciones informales (familiares)

3. Carlos: Hola Patricia, ¿Qué tal?
Patricia: Hola Carlos, ¿Cómo estás?
Carlos: Muy bien, ¿Y tú?
Patricia: Más o menos. Nos vemos mañana, ¿sí?
Carlos: Bien. Nos vemos mañana. Adiós
Patricia: Chao.

4. Frida González: Hola, Me llamo Frida, ¿Y tú? ¿Cómo te llamas?
Pepe Flórez: Hola, Me llamo José, pero me puedes llamar Pepe (but you can call me Pepe).
Frida González: Encantada.
Pepe Flórez: Mucho gusto. ¿De dónde eres Frida?
Frida González: Soy de México, ¿Y tú?
Pepe Flórez: Yo soy de Chile.
Frida: ¡Qué bien!

ACTIVIDAD #1

Categorías. Saludos, despedidas y presentaciones.  Write whether the following words and phrases are saludos (greetings), despedidas (farewells),
or presentaciones (introductions).

¡Inténtalo!

1. ¿Cómo está usted?
2. Mucho gusto
3. Te presento a María
4. Hasta mañana
5. Buenas noches
6. ¿Qué hay de nuevo?

ACTIVIDAD #2

Saludos y despedidas. Complete the following phrases with the appropriate expression from the given list.

1. ¿Qué hay de nuevo?
2. ¿Cómo te llamas?
3. ¿Cómo está usted?
4. Mucho gusto
5. Adiós
6. Muchas gracias
7. ¿De dónde eres?
8. Le presento a mi amigo Jorge

¡Inténtalo!

ACTIVIDAD #3

Completar. Work with a partner to complete the following dialogues.

Ejemplo:

Estudiante 1: Buenos días, profesora Ramirez.
Estudiante 2: Buenos días clase.

1. Estudiante 1: Hola, ¿Qué tal?
   Estudiante 2:
2. Estudiante 1 : ¿Cómo te llamas?
   Estudiante 2:
3. Estudiante 1:
   Estudiante 2: Soy de Colombia.
4. Estudiante 1:
   Estudiante 2: Muy bien y ¿tú?
5. Estudiante 1: Hasta pronto
   Estudiante 2:

ACTIVIDAD #4

Traducir. WRITE-PAIR-SHARE. Translate the following words into Spanish, then pair with a partner and compare your answers.

ACTIVIDAD #5

Conversaciones. In groups of three, write five short conversations based on what the people in these pictures would say.

1

2 

3

4

5

ACTIVIDAD #6

Situaciones. It is the first day of class, and you are very excited to meet your new classmates in your SPA class! You decide to get to know TWO students who are sitting next to you. With a big smile:

• Say hi and introduce yourself
• Ask him/her what is his/her name
• Tell him/her that you are pleased to meet them
• Ask them where are they from?
• Say goodbye

Pronunciación

 The Spanish Alphabet – El Alfabeto (ABCdario)

There are 27 letters in the Spanish alphabet, including “ñ” and “rr.” All the letters are pronounced with the exception of the letter “h” which is silent before any vowel but pronounced when accompanying the letter “Ch.”

ACTIVIDAD #1

Please read out loud the following words, paying special attention to the vocalic sounds and stress. In case there is a written accent over the vowel, make more emphasis on that syllable:

ACTIVIDAD #2

¿Cómo te llamas? Practice spelling your name and last name, writing down the name of each letter:

Example: John    jota-o-ache-ene

Your last name (apellido): ______

Your name (nombre): _______

ACTIVIDAD #3

APODOS.  Here are the most common Spanish nicknames. Can you match them with the first name? Guess as many as you can before you check with a classmate or the internet.

ACTIVIDAD #4

La geografía. Fill in the blanks with the missing letter from the Latin American countries below. Then spell it out.

Adapted from: Libro Libre: Beginning Spanish CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

There are various factors that make the Spanish language differ from one region or country to another. Most of these variations occur in the vocabulary. Sometimes, there are specific words that may even change their meaning from country to country. The origins of these changes have to do with the influence of indigenous languages of the region or immigration. See the following examples:

Y ahora ustedes. . . Can you associate these words with the common name given in each country?

1. Colectivo (Arg.)                       ___tennis shoes
2. Cuate (Mex.)                            ___blonde
3. Zapatillas (Mex.)                     ___friend
4. Mono /a (Col.)                             ___public transportation
5. Pancho (Arg.)                          ___hot dog

A. Definitive

Spanish has four forms that are equivalent to the English definite article THE.  They identify specific persons, places, and things.

                             
el libro                               los libros                         la niña                    las niñas

B. Indefinitive

Spanish has four forms equivalent to the English indefinite article A, AN, and SOME. They refer to unspecified persons, places, and things.

              
un reloj                               unos relojes

C. The expression HAY can express both “THERE IS” and “THERE ARE.” Use ¿HAY…? To ask: Is there…? Or Are there…?. Use NO HAY to express “There is not…” or “there are not…”   HAY is always used with un, uno, una, unas.

Ejemplos:      

En la clase Hay una profesora.   There is one teacher in the class.
Hay un escritorio en la clase.      There is one desk in the class.

Spanish Indefinite Articles

A. GENDER: all nouns in Spanish are either masculine or feminine. Since English doesn´t have gendered nouns, it is easy to underestimate the importance of this concept in Spanish. When learning new nouns, always practice them with their gender.

Certain nouns clearly denote a male or a female.

  ACTIVIDAD #1

En la clase. Work with a partner to guess the gender (el or la) of the following words. Be prepared to share with the class and discuss the meaning of each word.

ACTIVIDAD #2

Write the appropriate definite article for each noun in the first column and an indefinite article for each noun in the second column.

¿el, la, los, las?                                                ¿un, una, unos, unas?

____ señora          ____ poema                  ____ libro         ____ computadoras

____ cuadro          ____ paredes                ____ pluma      ____ ciudad

____ lección          ____ fotos                     ____ mapa       ____ composición

____ clase             ____ universidad         ____ cuadernos    ____ reloj

¡Inténtalo!

ACTIVIDAD #3

Oraciones. Form a sentence using HAY,  the given words, and the correct article. Follow the example.

Ejemplo:   Profesora / clase                  Hay una profesora en la clase.

1. Estudiantes / universidad
2. Libros / mesa
3. Cuadernos / silla
4. Diccionarios / biblioteca
5. Señora / casa
6. Chico / clase
7. Bolígrafos / mochila

B. NUMBER (Singular and Plural)

If a word ends in a vowel (a, e, i, o, u), add -s        If a word ends in a consonant, add –es

When a word ends in –Z, change the –z by –c and add –es.

*NOTAS:

1. The masculine form is used when the plural refers to two or more nouns
of different genders.

Ejemplo:

      
el niño             +               la niña                =     los niños

2. If a word has an accent on the final syllable, the accent goes away
when pluralized.

Ejemplo:

La comunicación becomes  las comunicaciones
la lección becomes las lecciones

Making Nouns Plural

ACTIVIDAD #1

Cambiar. Change the following words to the corresponding plural.

1. El señor
2. El lápiz
3. La lección
4. La luz
5. La mujer
6. El libro
7. La estudiante

ACTIVIDAD #2

¿un, una, unos, unas? Write the indefinite article and the correspondent noun. Pay attention!  Some are plural.

1.______________       2. _______________      3. ________________

4. _____________   5.________________  6.__________________

ACTIVIDAD #3   ¿Qué hay en el escritorio?

ACTIVIDAD #4

¿Hay o no hay? Express in Spanish the following sentences.

1. There are two teachers.
2. There is a map.
3. ¿Is there a class?
4. There are some computers in the classroom.
5. ¿Are there children in the classroom?

Eleven through fifteen are different

Watch the pattern from 16-19: dieci + number

The -e in veinte changes to an “i” when connecting a 1-9 number.

From 30 to 99 things get easier: Thirty and one, thirty and two. . .thirty and nine. . .etc. This pattern continues until ninety and nine. However, when you pronounce them, it sounds like one word.

   ACTIVIDAD # 1

Los números de teléfono. Phone numbers. In the Spanish-speaking world, a common way to say phone numbers is to state the first number as a SINGLE DIGIT, and then state three DOUBLE-DIGIT numbers for the rest.

Completar. Write down the following telephone numbers in Spanish:

Ejemplo:   María: (480) 461-7859     4-80  4-61-78-59
cuatro-ochenta-   cuatro-sesenta y uno-setenta y ocho-cincuenta y nueve.

1. Arturo:  (480) 6-31-87-20

2. Pedro: (602) 7-40-21-18

3. Susana: (480) 9-12-56-67

4. Lalo:  (602) 1-76-12-99

5. Ana: (923) 4-25-11-34

6. Mi número de teléfono es. . .

ACTIVIDAD # 2

 ¿Cuántos hay?  Look at the pictures and write how many persons or things there are in the following drawings. Use HAY + number + noun

1._______________ 2.____________________ 3.________________  4._________________

ACTIVIDAD # 3

Los números. Write the number you hear.

Ejemplo:

a. 25__

b. _____

c. ____

d. ____

e.____

f. ____

¡Inténtalo!  

Now, write out the numbers to check your work.

ACTIVIDAD # 4

Use the pictures to fill in the blanks with the correct number in Spanish. Spell the number. If you need a written accent copy the letter from here: á é í ó ú

¡Inténtalo!  

ACTIVIDAD # 5

En la clase. With a partner, take turns asking and answering the following
questions.

Possible answers:

Hay ____________.

Sí hay ___________.       No, no hay _____________.

1. ¿Cuántos estudiantes hay en la clase?
2. ¿Cuántos profesores hay en la clase?
3. ¿Qué hay en tu (your) mochila?
4. ¿Hay niños en la clase?
5. ¿Cuántas mujeres hay?
6. ¿Hay hombres?
7. ¿Cuántas computadoras hay en la clase?

A. SUBJECT PRONOUNS (Los pronombres personales)

Before we start using verbs and constructing full sentences, we need to begin with personal pronouns which tell us WHO is doing the action in the sentence.

1. Subject pronouns often replace a subject noun and can be classified in several different ways: by the person (first, second, or third person), number (singular or plural), gender (male or female), and formality (formal or informal).
2. Subject pronouns can be used to replace a person’s name. However, many native speakers of Spanish rarely use them at all. This is because Spanish verb endings tell you who the subject is.
3. The English pronoun IT is not expressed as a subject in Spanish.

   Ejemplo:         What is it?          It is a book.
                               ¿Qué es?         Es un libro.

Video: Spanish Subject Pronouns

ACTIVIDAD # 1

Escribir. Replace the following people with the appropriate subject pronoun.

1. El señor y la señora Rodríguez
2. Mi amigo
3. Mi mamá y yo
4. Patricia y María
5. Los estudiantes

¡Inténtalo!  

ACTIVIDAD # 2

Seleccionar. Fill in the blanks with the subject pronoun you would use to address the following people and also when talking about them.

 Ejemplo:         Don Pedro

              Addressing him:     usted              Talking about him:    él

1. Las niñas

Addressing them: ______              Talking about them: ______

2. Mi profesor de español

Addressing him: _______              Talking about him: _______

3. José y Carmen

Addressing them: ______              Talking about them: ______

4. Mi hermana (my sister)

Addressing her: _______            Talking about her: _______

5. La doctora García

Addressing her: _______             Talking about her: _______

B. THE VERB SER

The verb SER in Spanish means “To Be” and is used to talk about the following*:

Profession

Origen (Ser followed by “de”)

Nationality

Descriptions ( Personality and Physical Characteristics)

*We will learn more uses for “Ser” in lesson 5.

Ser-To be

Ejemplos:

1. Profession = Yo soy enfermero  (I am a nurse)
2. Origin = Marta es de Uruguay.  (Marta is from Uruguay)
3. Nationality = Mis padres son chilenos. (My parents are Chilean)
4. Description = Mi hermano es alto y amable (My brother is tall and nice)

María es de Colombia. Ella es colombiana y es profesora de español.
Ella es responsable y muy independiente.

ACTIVIDAD # 1

Seleccionar. Select the appropriate form of SER to complete the following sentences.

1. Pedro (es, soy, somos) de México.
2. Los estudiantes (somos, son, es) muy inteligentes.
3. Mi mamá (son, eres, es) profesora de español.
4. Shakira (es, son, eres) colombiana.
5. ¿De dónde (son, es, eres) tú?

¡Inténtalo!

ACTIVITY # 2

Cambiar. Change the given sentences using the pronoun given and the appropriate conjugation of the verb SER.

Ejemplo:     Nosotros somos profesores.         Usted  ES profesor.

1.Usted es de España.                                  Ellos _____ ____  ________.

2.Nosotros somos estudiantes.                  Él  ____  _______________.

3. Yo soy estudiante.                                    Tú ________  _____________.

4. Ustedes son de México.                           Nosotros _______ ___  ______ .

5. Ella es enfermera.                                     Yo ______ _____________ .

6. Tú eres de Ecuador.                                  Ellas ______ ____ _________.

7. Ellos son americanos.                               Ustedes _____ ____________ .

ACTIVIDAD # 3

Descripciones. ¿Cómo eres?  (¿Cómo es usted?).  What are you like?  Indicate all the appropriate words to describe yourself and others.

1. Yo soy. . . . .   

______inteligente               ______pesimista            _______optimista
______ interesante             ______ cruel                  _______tolerante
______terrible                     _______ impaciente     _______?

2. Mi mejor amigo (a) (my best friend)  es. . .           

______inteligente               ______pesimista            _______optimista
______ interesante             ______ cruel                  _______tolerante
______terrible                     _______ impaciente     ______?

 ACTIVITY # 4  Write-Share

El origen. Answer the questions below about where these people are from. Don´t forget to use “de” after SER when talking about origin.

1. ¿De dónde eres?
2. ¿De dónde es tu (your) mamá?
3. ¿De dónde es tu papá?
4. ¿De dónde son tus abuelos (grandparents)?

ACTIVITY # 5

¡Hablemos! With a partner, take turns asking and answering the following questions:

ESTUDIANTE A

1. ¿De dónde eres?
2. ¿Eres estudiante?
3. Tus padres (parents) son estadounidenses?
4. ¿Tu mamá es simpática (nice)?
5. ¿Tu papá es doctor?

ESTUDIANTE B

1. ¿De dónde eres?
2. ¿Tu profesor (a) es de México?
3. ¿Tu mejor amigo (a) (best friend) es inteligente?
4. ¿Eres estudiante de portugués?
5. ¿Tu papá es americano?

ACTIVITY # 6:  Read-Write-Share  

First,  let’s meet the following people. Then, write information about yourself and share it with the class.

Hola, ¿Qué hay de nuevo? Me llamo Cristiano Ronaldo. Soy de Portugal y SOY futbolista profesional, ¡el mejor! (the best). ¡Chao!

¡Hola! Me llamo Shakira. SOY de Colombia. ¿Cuál es mi profesión? SOY cantante. ¡Hasta luego!

¿Qué tal, estudiantes de español? SOY Guillermo del Toro y SOY mexicano. SOY director de cine (film). Nos vemos en el capítulo 4.

It is your turn now.

__________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________.

Escritura: Composición 1- Información personal

Write a two-paragraph composition using the verb SER, and the vocabulary learned in lesson 1.

In the first paragraph,  in Spanish, tell a little about yourself, including:

• name
• where you are from
• nationality
• age
• profession or occupation
• TWO descriptors (personality)

In a second paragraph, talk about a member of your family or a friend, using the same information above.

Ejemplo:

Información personal

Me llamo Rosalba y (and) soy de Chile. Soy chilena y soy profesora de español en MCC.  Tengo 35 años. Soy generosa y muy (very) independiente.

Mi hermana (my sister) SE LLAMA yenni. Ella es de Chile también (also). Es chilena y es ama de casa (housewife). Ella tiene 30 años y es optimista y responsable.

**Note: use se llama + name to talk about someone else.

CULTURA: USA

Spanish is the third most studied and spoken language in the world. In the United States of America alone, Spanish is spoken by approximately  41 million native speakers and almost 12 million bilingual speakers. There are more Spanish speakers in the United States than in Spain or Colombia. The majority of speakers are from Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. The Southwest concentrates the most Spanish speakers of Mexican origin while New York and New Jersey have a large population of Puerto Rican descendants. In Florida, the largest community is of Cuban origin. Several other nationalities are also represented in these same areas.

Selena Quintanilla (1971-1995) was an award-winning Latin recording artist, known as the ‘Queen of Tejano Music,’ a Mexican music style that mixes other genres like country.

Press play to listen to the pronunciation of the reading in the paragraph written below.

César Chávez (1927-1993) nació (was born) en Yuma, Arizona.

Chávez es el fundador de la Unidad de los Trabajadores Agrícolas (United Farm Workers -UFW), sindicato (union) que busca mejorar las condiciones laborales de los jornaleros emigrantes, en su mayoría hispano.

Mediante (through) marchas, huelgas (strikes) y boicots obliga a los patrones a pagar salarios mejores y otros beneficios.

En 1970 César Chávez y Dolores Huerta (co-founder of UFW´s Union), adoptaron la frase ¨Sí se puede¨ durante 25 días de ayuna (25-day fast)  en Phoenix, Arizona. (to organize farm workers to demand fair wages and better working conditions.

Preguntas de Comprensión. After reading the short biography of César Chávez, check if the following statements are Verdadero (V) or  Falso (F)

1. César Chávez es de California. V        F
2. Chávez es el fundador de la UFW.  V        F
3. César Chávez busca mejorar las condiciones de los trabajadores (workers) V       F
4. Chávez usa la frase ¨Sí se puede¨ para inspirar a los trabajadores.  V      F

¡Inténtalo!

  Lectura: Saludos en los países hispanos

It is always nice to meet up with a friend. You can walk up to them, say hello, give them a high-five and ask them “what’s up?” Sounds easy enough. But what if that friend of yours lives in Mexico or South America or is originally from Mexico or South America? Should you shake hands, give them a kiss (or maybe two), wave, or give them the old high-five? The truth is greetings in other cultures can be very different. This is especially true in Latin American culture and if you aren’t prepared, you can find yourself in some very awkward and strange situations. In Latin America the way people greet each other can vary from region to region, but here are some basic tips to help you in most instances.

1. Relatives and Friends – In general, friends and relatives greet each other in Latin America with a kiss or a hug. When a male greets a female or a female greets another female here is what happens. They will gently touch both arms and move together until they are about six inches apart. Then they cock their heads, put their cheeks together, and make a light kissing sound. When a male greets another male, who is his relative or friend, it is customary for them just to approach each other and give each other a hug.
2. Casual Parties – When you are invited to someone’s home you can generally expect to be treated like a friend or relative. Be prepared for a kiss or a hug! If you are unsure at all about what to do when you are in someone’s home, the best thing to do is just follow the lead of your host. You can follow their body language and just do what they do. In some countries and regions, you may also be kissed twice – once on one cheek and once on the other cheek. If you are prepared to follow the lead of your host, you’ll do just fine!
3. Business – In most business situations and greetings, you can generally plan on shaking hands, unless they are a long-time acquaintance or relative. In this case, follow the “Relatives and Friends” guideline, but again, be sure to follow their lead.

ACTIVIDAD # 1

Answer the following questions based on the reading:

1. Describe how a male greets a female or a female greets another female in most Latin American countries.

2. What is the most appropriate greeting to use when you are invited to someone’s home?

3. What is the most common greeting in a business setting?

4. How do you greet your friends and relatives?

ACTIVIDAD # 2

Saludos. Role-play the following greetings with a partner. Include a verbal and non-verbal greeting, as appropriate.

1. Friends in Costa Rica

2. Business associates at a conference in Colombia

3. Relatives in México

4. Friends meeting in a restaurant

5. Meeting the hostess at a party