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Correct Your Spanish Blunders, 2nd Edition
Correct Your Spanish Blunders, 2nd Edition
Correct Your Spanish Blunders, 2nd Edition
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Correct Your Spanish Blunders, 2nd Edition

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A witty, fast-paced guide to eliminating those annoying and frustrating Spanish bloopers

Mixing genders, inverting subjects and objects, and trusting falsos amigos (a.k.a., false cognates) are just a few of the blunders English-speaking Spanish-language learners commonly make. In Correct Your Spanish Blunders, veteran Spanish teacher Jean Yates identifies these and other common trouble spots and clearly explains the reasons behind them. You will discover how grammar patterns of Spanish differ from those of English and why trying to translate word for word, structure for structure, from English, can lead to big trouble.

You will learn to break bad habits and correct your mistakes while developing a much more natural feel for Spanish language patterns­­ with the help of:

  • More than 1,000 highlighted examples of common blunders to avoid
  • A free app available on iTunes for interactive practice for obliterating those blunders
  • Numerous examples and practical exercises
  • Quick-reference panels for checking correct tense forms
  • A "Hall of Shame" compendium of bad errors to recognize and correct
LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 7, 2012
ISBN9780071773010
Correct Your Spanish Blunders, 2nd Edition

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    Correct Your Spanish Blunders, 2nd Edition - Jean Yates

    Copyright © 2013 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

    ISBN: 978-0-07-177301-0

    MHID:       0-07-177301-0

    The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: ISBN: 978-0-07-177300-3, MHID: 0-07-177300-2.

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    McGraw-Hill eBooks are available at special quantity discounts to use as premiums and sales promotions, or for use in corporate training programs. To contact a representative please e-mail us at bulksales@mcgraw-hill.com.

    TERMS OF USE

    This is a copyrighted work and The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (McGraw-Hill) and its licensors reserve all rights in and to the work. Use of this work is subject to these terms. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976 and the right to store and retrieve one copy of the work, you may not decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, reproduce, modify, create derivative works based upon, transmit, distribute, disseminate, sell, publish or sublicense the work or any part of it without McGraw-Hill’s prior consent. You may use the work for your own noncommercial and personal use; any other use of the work is strictly prohibited. Your right to use the work may be terminated if you fail to comply with these terms.

    THE WORK IS PROVIDED AS IS. McGRAW-HILL AND ITS LICENSORS MAKE NO GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES AS TO THE ACCURACY, ADEQUACY OR COMPLETENESS OF OR RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED FROM USING THE WORK, INCLUDING ANY INFORMATION THAT CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE WORK VIA HYPERLINK OR OTHERWISE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. McGraw-Hill and its licensors do not warrant or guarantee that the functions contained in the work will meet your requirements or that its operation will be uninterrupted or error free. Neither McGraw-Hill nor its licensors shall be liable to you or anyone else for any inaccuracy, error or omission, regardless of cause, in the work or for any damages resulting therefrom. McGraw-Hill has no responsibility for the content of any information accessed through the work. Under no circumstances shall McGraw-Hill and/or its licensors be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, consequential or similar damages that result from the use of or inability to use the work, even if any of them has been advised of the possibility of such damages. This limitation of liability shall apply to any claim or cause whatsoever whether such claim or cause arises in contract, tort or otherwise.

    CONTENTS

    Introduction

    PRONUNCIATION AND SPELLING

    Pronunciation

    Spelling

    Capitalization

    Punctuation

    GRAMMAR

    Nouns

    Numbers

    Noun Determiners

    Descriptive Adjectives

    Verbs

    The Infinitive

    Types of Verbs

    The Indicative Mood

    The Present Tense

    The Preterite Perfect Tense

    The Preterite Tense

    The Imperfect Tense

    The Pluperfect Tense

    The Future Tense

    The Future Perfect Tense

    The Conditional

    The Simple Conditional

    The Conditional Perfect

    The Subjunctive Mood

    The Present Subjunctive

    The Preterite Perfect Subjunctive

    The Imperfect Subjunctive

    The Pluperfect Subjunctive

    Reported Speech

    Subjects, Objects, and Their Pronouns

    Adverbs and Prepositions with Adverbial Functions

    Other Prepositions

    Conjunctions

    VOCABULARY

    Words

    Constructions

    Catch the Blunders

    Top Ten Blunders

    Answer Key

    Index of Spanish Words and Expressions

    Subject Index

    INTRODUCTION

    The purpose of this book is to identify the most common trouble spots for English speakers learning Spanish, to provide a basis for understanding why these trouble spots cause difficulties, and to offer guidance and practice for avoiding potential errors.

    Many errors commonly made by speakers and learners of a second language are caused by transferring the patterns of the native language to the language being learned. This happens in all aspects of language, from pronunciation to word formation to sentence structure. Following are some examples of problems English speakers have when learning Spanish.

    1. There are only a few sounds in Spanish that do not exist in English. Many sounds common to both languages, however, are represented by different letters in each language. For example, in certain situations the letter d in Spanish is pronounced like the th in the English brother. Also, English and Spanish have different pronunciation patterns for vowels, which can cause English speakers to mispronounce many words.

    2. Although there are some clues as to whether Spanish nouns are masculine or feminine, many nouns seem to defy regular patterns. English speakers must learn the gender of Spanish nouns and be careful to use the correct corresponding articles and pronouns.

    3. Although many Spanish words have cognates in English, there are also many false cognates, aptly called falsos amigos in Spanish. One example is sensible, an adjective in both languages; it means levelheaded in English but sensitive in Spanish.

    4. In many cases, one word in English has two or more noninterchangeable translations in Spanish. One example of this is the verb be in English, whose correspondents in Spanish are ser and estar, as well as other verbs used idiomatically. Another is the English for, which has several Spanish translations, among them, por and para.

    5. Particles, such as prepositions and conjunctions, have no one-for-one equivalents in both languages. For example, the Spanish preposition en can be translated into English as in, on, at, of, and about. Likewise, the translation of English on Sunday is el domingo, the Sunday.

    6. A more insidious type of falso amigo is encountered in the use of verb tenses. The present tense, for example, can be used identically in both languages for certain functions. It is, therefore, often assumed that the function of the present tense will be the same in all instances. Actually, the Spanish present tense can also be used for functions that are expressed in English in the present progressive, present perfect, past, and future tenses. Every verb tense, in fact, represents a potential trouble spot for English-speaking learners of Spanish.

    7. Information can be expressed one way in one language, and in a different way in the other. In English, for example, one says I am hungry, while in Spanish one says the equivalent of I have hunger. Likewise, the English I like ice cream is stated in Spanish as Ice cream appeals to me. Expressions of this type present more complications when their individual words are modified; for example, "I am very hungry is the equivalent of I have a lot of hunger." Again, the pitfall is transferring the English pattern to the Spanish.

    In this book you will find the reasons behind these and many other common but lesser-known blunders through explanations of how regular patterns of Spanish differ from those of English. You will be made aware of potential trouble spots and shown how to break bad habits and correct your own mistakes. Several examples are given for each topic, followed by exercises that test your understanding and help you avoid the pitfalls encountered when translating word for word, structure for structure, from English.

    Because individual words of a language are used in connection with other words, you will find that most topics are mentioned in more than one place. This repetition allows for cross-referencing and provides multiple examples of the most problematic structures. You will find that many of the lists are structured for sense and meaning; adverbs are listed in order of nunca never to siempre always, for example. Nouns are grouped by their endings, and verbs are grouped by usage. In addition, the comprehensive, detailed index at the back of the book serves as a guide to finding all the references to each topic. At the back of the book you will also find the answers to all the exercises. It is hoped that the materials presented here will help you improve your proficiency in Spanish and avoid the most common blunders.

    Suggestions for Using This Book

    The book is divided into three parts: Pronunciation and Spelling, Grammar, and Vocabulary. The largest section is Grammar, which identifies the various types of words according to traditional terminology. If you are unfamiliar with these terms, or if you find them more confusing than helpful, follow these suggestions:

      First look for the Avoid the Blunder headings in each section. Read the examples, then read the related explanation.

      Use the Index, rather than the Contents, to find what you are looking for.

      Check all the cross-references to a topic you are interested in to find more examples.

      Do the exercises on a separate sheet of paper, then check your answers in the Answer Key at the back of the book. If you have made mistakes, reread the pertinent sections, then do the exercises again.

    . These are words, phrases, and sentences that are unacceptable.

    The guidelines here are based on current standard usage in all countries where Spanish is the native language. However, be aware that language is constantly changing, that there are many different forms of expression, and that certain items identified here as blunders are accepted as standard usage in some areas. The biggest blunder of all would be to correct a native speaker, or to in any way imply that he or she doesn’t speak correct Spanish. Recognizing the differences you encounter in different places will enrich your Spanish and enable you to identify regional variations. The best way to learn a language is to listen to its native speakers and practice by communicating with them.

    Acknowledgments

    The author is indebted to her many teachers, colleagues, friends, and students, from whom she continues to learn. She especially appreciates the advice of Ligia Ochoa Sierra, and the help of Jeannette Walters Márquez and Luz Noemi Curet, who read the entire manuscript and provided many insightful comments and suggestions.

    PRONUNCIATION AND SPELLING

    PRONUNCIATION

    ONE-SYLLABLE VOWELS

    ONE-SYLLABLE VOWEL COMBINATIONS

    Any combination of a, e, or o with the letter i or u

    TWO-SYLLABLE VOWEL COMBINATIONS

    Combinations of a, e, or o with accented i or u

    Combinations that do not contain i or u and that have no accent mark

    Spanish Letters and Sounds

    Because the Spanish and English alphabets are so similar, it is important to keep in mind that the sounds represented by most letters in Spanish are different from the sounds they represent in English.

    Vowels

    Spanish vowel sounds are produced by first positioning the mouth correctly, then uttering the sound without moving the jaw.

    AVOID THE Blunder

    Do not pronounce a single vowel with two vowel sounds.

    Do not glide into an /ow/ sound: fino.

    Do not make a /yu/ sound: Cuba.

    kyuwba

    Unstressed vowels in English are usually pronounced with the mouth in a relaxed, almost-closed position, making them all sound something like uh. In Spanish, each vowel is pronounced clearly.

    AVOID THE Blunder

    row zuhs

    bway nuhz dee uhz

    Any combination of the vowels i or u with a, e, or o is pronounced as one syllable unless there is an accent mark over one of the vowels.

    Any combination of the vowels i or u with a, e, or o is pronounced as two syllables when there is an accent mark over either vowel.

    Any combination of the vowels a, e, or o is pronounced as two syllables. No accent mark is used.

    AVOID THE Blunder

    When a word ends with a vowel, and the following word starts with the same vowel, the vowel is pronounced only once.

    AVOID THE Blunder

    Ana | anda | al parque

    la casa de | Eduardo

    When a vowel is repeated within a word, however, like ee or oo, the vowels are pronounced as two syllables that glide together.

    AVOID THE Blunder

    Do not add a /y/ or /w/ sound, as you would in English.

    le yer

    co wor di nar

    Words are connected in a stream of speech, without a break between words.

    AVOID THE Blunder

    co mo | está | us ted

    va mos | a la pis cina | a na dar | un ra to

    Consonants

    The sounds /p/, /k/, and /t/ at the beginning of English words are followed by a puff of air. Do not produce this puff of air when pronouncing these sounds in Spanish.

    The sounds of the Spanish letters b, v, g, and d are similar to their English equivalents at the beginning of words. However, when these letters fall between two vowels, they are softer and may be lengthened.

    AVOID THE Blunder

    Do not use the English /d/ sound for the Spanish d in the middle or at the end of words. This sound is used for the Spanish r.

    Say the following words aloud, pronouncing d like the English th, and r like the English d.

    Remember that ll and y are consonants and are pronounced like the doubled y in say yes or the j in jar. They must be pronounced with force to avoid misunderstanding. For example, if the ll is not pronounced forcefully enough, a person might hear you say I love myself (me amo) rather than My name is (me llamo).

    AVOID THE Blunder

    The sound /r/ in Spanish is very different from the English /r/. To pronounce the English /r/, the lips are rounded, the top teeth are somewhat bared, and the tongue is suspended in the middle of the mouth without touching anything. To pronounce the Spanish /r/, keep your lips in a flat position and tap the tip of your tongue once on the ridge behind your top front teeth. The sound is like the d in the English body.

    Learn to make the trilled Spanish r by placing the tip of your tongue loosely on the ridge behind your top front teeth, then forcing air between the tongue and the ridge, causing it to flap rapidly and automatically. This takes practice, but it’s worth learning.

    The letter r before another consonant requires a half-trill.

    The letter r at the beginning of a word is fully trilled, as is the rr in the middle of a word.

    The Spanish s is pronounced like the s in sun, even in the middle or at the end of a word. It is never pronounced like the English z, as in the second s of Susan or at the end of a word.

    AVOID THE Blunder

    Pronounce the Spanish s (even in the middle or at the end of a word) like the s in sun.

    In Spanish, the only consonants that are doubled are l, r, and c; all of the doubled consonants represent sounds that are very different from the sounds of the single letters. (See the chart on pages 3–4.)

    A number of Spanish words have a single consonant where their English cognates have a double consonant.

    AVOID THE Blunder

    Do not use a double consonant in Spanish where it is used in the English cognate.

    SPELLING

    Consonants

    The sound /k/ is spelled with c before the vowels a, o, and u, and with qu before the vowels e and i.

    The sound /kw/ is always spelled cu.

    The sound /th/ (in Spain) and /s/ (in Latin America) is spelled with z before the vowels a, o, and u, and with c before the vowels e and i.

    The sound /g/ is spelled with g before the vowels a, o, and u, and with gu before the vowels e and i.

    The sound /gw/ is spelled gu before the vowels a and o, and before the vowels e and i.

    The stronger than /h/ sound (more guttural—from the throat—than the English h) is spelled with a j before the vowels a, e, i, o,

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