Chapter 4A-Study Guide/All Lecture Notes
The next two tests (chapters 4A and 4B) will consist of 30 scantron questions for 90 points and 1
oral question for 10 points (I will not be asking questions 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 9 nor 12). We will focus
on more recent questions that you are less familiar with and that are more likely to cause you
problems on the final. I feel sure everyone knows how to answer “What is your name?” and all
other easy questions from the first test of the year. However if you are doing the oral question
extra credit work, you must do all of them because they will be included in the final exam which
is written instead of oral and being more familiar with the spelling is imperative.
♥ Gramática: Ir-To Go
The verb ‘ir’ means to go and is an irregular verb. You must memorize the forms and as always
use the correct form to create agreement between the subject and verb. The conjugation of ‘ir’ in
the present tense is as follows.
Singular Forms:
yo voy – I go (I do go, I am going)
tú vas – you go (informal, singular)
él va – he goes
ella va – she goes
usted va – you go (formal, singular)
Plural Forms:
nosotros vamos – we go (masculine or mixed group)
nosotras vamos – we go (feminine group)
REMEMBER WHEN YOU USE NOSOTROS, YOU MUST BE IN THE GROUP; WE
INCLUDES ME.
ellos van – they go (masculine or mixed group)
ellas van – they go (feminine group)
ustedes van – you go (plural you; covers all levels of formality-informal group, formal group or
mixed formal and informal)
All of the extraneous information (formal, feminine, etc.) above regarding subject pronouns are
things you should have learned in chapter 2A. These will be on the final exam and used
throughout Spanish II, so do yourself a favor and learn these little, easy words now (i.e. yo, tú,
ustedes, etc.)
The verb ir and all of its forms are often followed by ‘a’ which means to as in I am going to....
Notice the interrogative word in this chapter ¿adónde? meaning ‘to where or where to’. Vamos
or vámonos means let’s go.
If you are doing the vocabulary extra credit work, you must include ‘ir’ and all its forms.
♥ Gramática: Syntax for forming questions and interrogative vocabulary
The following interrogative words must be included in the vocabulary extra credit work.
Only a few of these words are new vocabulary. Notice all interrogative words carry an accent
mark. You may see the same word without an accent mark which indicates it is not asking a
question and may change the meaning of the word. Remember accent marks are part of spelling
and can change meaning. For example: ¿qué-what? or que-that or than (used in statements);
¿dónde-where? or donde-where. Sometimes the translation to English is the same and
sometimes it is not. ‘¿Dónde-Where?’ would be used to ask a question such as, “Where do you
live?” ‘Donde-Where’ without an accent mark would be used in a statement such as, “I know
where he lives.” So cool; at least to me and other cool people!
What? - ¿Qué?
How? What? - ¿Cómo?
Who or Whom? – ¿Quién?
Con quién? - ¿With whom?
Where? - ¿Dónde?
(To) Where or Where to? - ¿Adónde?
From where? – De dónde?
Which? What? - ¿Cúal?
Why? – Por qué?
When? – Cuándo?
How much? - ¿Cuánto? or ¿Cuánta?
How many? - ¿Cuántos? or ¿Cuantas?
Syntax, as you know, refers to how one orders the words in sentences or phrases in order to be
understood. You have learned that adjectives often come after the noun or nouns they modify.
You also know sometimes they come before the noun which can change the meaning of the
word: un chico pobre-a poor boy (a boy who has no money; lives in poverty) or un pobre
chico-a poor boy (as in poor little boy, you fell, come here and let mommy kiss the boo boo.)
You have seen and used questions since the first day in Spanish class, but you probably have not
thought much about the syntax involved. You have spent more focus on answering the questions
rather than forming them. In this chapter we will focus on different ways to form questions
using appropriate syntax.
Remember our discussions about how English will use forms of the verb to do as an auxiliary
verb to make questions, but Spanish does not. Spanish most often simply inverts the
subject/verb order to form a question.
You speak Spanish.
Do you speak Spanish?
Tú hablas español.
¿Hablas (tú) español?
When an interrogative word is needed, the syntax usually follows this formula:
Interrogative word + verb + subject (which may be understood by verb form) + other words
What do you do in order to maintain your health?
¿Qué haces tú para mantener la salud?
What do you drink for breakfast?
¿Qué bebes tú en el desayuno?
In what hour do you have Spanish class? (a little different take on it)
¿En qué hora tienes (tú) la clase de español?
Where do you (all) go afer classes?
¿Adónde van ustedes después de las clases?
Questions are often formed in both English and Spanish by simply using intonation which refers
to the rise and fall of one’s voice. This occurs when a statement ends with a rise in your voice
and a question mark. Try this out; the statements using only intonation to form questions are in
bold letters: Ms. O’Neil is dumb? Are you kidding me? Of course she’s not. Ms. O’Neil is
old? Are you crazy? Of course she’s not.
♥ Pronunciación: Syllable Stress and Accent Marks
It is so easy in Spanish to know which syllable is stressed in a word; whereas in English if you
have never heard the word, you must look it up in the dictionary to be sure of the pronunciation
and syllable stress. There are 3 simple rules in Spanish. You do not need to know all the rules
regarding how syllables are divided to help you with your pronunciation now. However one
main useful difference is in English we tend to prefer ending syllables on a consonant sound
when possible while Spanish prefers ending syllables with a vowel sound.
1. When a word ends in a vowel, an N or an S, the next to the last syllable (penultimate or
penúltima) is stressed.
Examples: hablo, ha/blo, ha blo; hablan, ha/blan, ha blan; hablamos, ha/bla/mos, ha bla mos;
igualmente, i/gual/men/te, i gual men te.
2. When a word ends in any consonant other than N or S the stress falls on the last syllable
(ultimate, última).
Examples: all infinitives such as habl/ar, com/par/tir, di/bu/jar, le/er, and other words such as
pa/pel
3. If the word does not follow rule 1 or 2, they put an accent mark over the stressed
syllable to show you where the word stress falls.
Examples: lá/piz, ar/tís/ti/co, ca/fé
♥ Pronunciación: Dipthongs/diptongos (you do not have to know this; it is just additional
information for those who wish to expand their knowledge and improve their
pronunciation.
We talked about dipthongs (diptongos) earlier in the year when we were learning the vowel
sounds. Perhaps now it will have more meaning for you as your understanding has developed.
The strong vowels are: A, E, and O.
The weak vowels are: i, u and sometimes y.
When separating syllables, two strong vowels that come together split into two seperate
syllables; leer, le/er.
Two weak vowels or a stong and weak vowel together form a dipthong in English and Spanish
which means they simply blend into one slightly longer sound in the same syllable: muy, bien,
jue/go, e/scue/la, al/muer/zo, lue/go.
♥ Pronunciación: The job of accent marks (you do not have to know this; it is just
additional information for those who wish to expand their knowledge and improve their
pronunciation.
Accent marks do three things.
1. They tell us that the word does not follow the normal syllable stress rules, so we need to stress
it where the accent mark is placed; sábado, música, miér/co/les, etc.
2. They tell us the word has a different meaning; tú-you, tu-your, qué-what, que-that, sí-yes,
si-if. Unlike English: C, see, sea
3. They tell us to make a weak vowel strong so that the vowels will be separated into different
syllables
instead of forming a dipthong; dí/a, ju/dí/as, pa/ís-country as in a nation, rí/o-river
As I have said many times, Spanish phonetic rules are ingenious. Once you learn the few simple
and consistent rules, you can spell and read almost any words perfectly even if you have never
heard the word and have no idea what it means. Unlike English; I read every day. I even read
yesterday. I love the color red.
♥ Cultura: La plaza, El zócalo, El parque
In the Spanish speaking world most towns and cities have a main square which is usually
referred to as la plaza in many countries or el zócalo in Mexico. These are very popular places
for people to gather and hang out regardless of age. In the plaza you may find shops, street
vendors, street performers, benches, playgrounds, etc. Also in Spanish and English speaking
countries large cities often have many squares and neighborhood parks. These parks are where
people go to read, relax and play. I’m sure you have heard of Central Park in New York. When
you live in a city, it is not common to have a yard. Therefore a neighborhood park is important
for children to have a place within walking distance to go to for play and outdoor activities. Also
public transportation is virtually available in all areas (cities, towns and villages) throughout the
Spanish speaking world which makes it much easier for young people to go where they wish to
meet up with friends (no need for a driver’s license or waiting on an adult to take you).
Sports clubs and gyms are extremely important in the Spanish speaking world. We have already
learned that sports are not usually part of the school system. Most schools focus only an
academic curriculum leaving athletics up to the outside community. Therefore these clubs and
gyms are more like country clubs here or little league organizations. They range from extremely
expensive clubs (like most polo clubs) to more moderately priced ones, but all carry
membership fees, and the members must supply their own equipment. Of course, some kids just
get together to play sports like you would a ‘pick up’ game. However if you wanted to be
involved in a team sport, you would have to pay and belong to a private organization.
Movies are extremely popular and a big part of a teenager’s social life in the Spanish speaking
world. Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Venezuela have large, important film
industries. One huge difference for many teens in the Spanish speaking countires is that movies
from all over the world are popular including films from the U.S. Therefore teens will go to
watch movies in many languages. These films may be dubbed or have subtitles. It is considered
important to know what art is out there beyond your borders. In Mexico and now in many
theatres here, you can get your popcorn with hot sauce instead of butter.
You will read about San Juan (Saint John), Puerto Rico. Remember Puerto Rico is part of the
United States. Puerto Ricans vote for the president and are considered U.S. citizens.
The oldest permanent European settlement in the U.S. is St. Augustine, Florida which was
established by Spain in 1565. This is 55 years before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. For
more than two centuries after that, the Spanish and Mexico, owned or controlled a large part of
what is now considered the U.S. This included California, Nevada, Colorado, Florida, Arizona,
Utah, Texas, New Mexico, Montana, and more. Most of these state names are Spanish words:
Arizona-Arid Zone, Montana-Montaña-Mountain, Colorado-red and in clay red, Nevada-snow
covered. Santa Fe-means sacred faith, San José-refers to Saint Joseph, as is Mary and Joseph,
Santa Cruz-Sacred or Holy Cross. Many of the Spanish names of cities and places have
Christian origins because the majority of hispanics are Christian, and it is reflected in the culture.
You will need to read and take your own notes about the following:
El quitasol-p. 170
Old San Juan-pp. 186 & 187 (information I have not included above)
Andean music-p. 189
The United States-pp. 192 & 193 (information I have not included above)
♥ New Comprehensive Questions for 4A
*27. ¿Adónde vas tú para hacer ejercicio?
Yo voy al parque. Yo voy al gimnasio. Etc.
*28. ¿Adónde van tus amigos y tú los fines de semana?
Nosotros vamos al cine. Nosotros vamos al centro comercial. Nosotras vamos a la iglesia. Etc.
*29. ¿De dónde eres tú?
Yo soy de Georgia. Yo soy de Mexico. Yo soy de Rockmart. Etc.
*30. ¿Qué haces tú en tu tiempo libre?
Yo corro. Yo voy al cine para ver películas. Me quedo en casa. Yo voy al parque con mis
amigos. Yo voy al gimnasio. Yo voy a la playa. Etc.
All of the above was brought to you by Ms. O’Neil. She spent several hours Saturday morning,
April 12th painstakingly and meticulously preparing this for your enjoyment, convienence and
assured success in class. Don’t waste her time or yours, por favor. Use it to your advantage.