To have a strong foundatoin in Spanish, always begin with the alphabet, pluralization rules, and accentuation rules. Here's a handy "Crash Course" in Spanish to master.
SPANISH CRASH COURSE –Part I – P R O N U N C I A T I O N
1. Alphabet:
a hache ene ese
be (larga) i (latina) eñe te
ce jota o u
che* ka pe ve corta
de ele cu doble ve, doble uve
e elle* ere equis
efe eme erre i griega
ge zeta
*Till 1994 these letters were considered separate letters in alphabet and had their own section in dictionaries.
2. Vowels: Each vowel has only ONE sound. A=ah E=eh I(Y) =ee O=oh U=oo
3. Consonants: Pronounce consonants as in English EXCEPT for these --
c – “s” sound before “i” and “e” h- always silent
g – “h” sound before “i” and “e” k & w – not used except in foreign words (kiwi, kilo)
qu- “k” sound before “i” and “e” j & x – “h” sound
ll- always “y” sound z- always “s” sound
ñ- “ny” sound (cañon=canyon) b & v – have the same sound, like English “b”
cu- English “qu” th – does not exist in Spanish (atlético, ateista, tema)
ju- “wh” sound (Juan) gu – hard “g” before “e” – soft before “a”
hu- “w” sound (chihuahua) gu + - English “gw” (Gwendolyn, penguin)
4. The schwa: OK in English, not OK in Spanish. A schwa is the sound of the 1st & last “A” in America – “uh” always on unaccented syllable. (elephant, helicopter) BE SURE – all Spanish “a’s” are pronounced “ah,” NOT “uh.”
5. Syllable stress rules:
Rule #1 – If the word ends with a vowel, N, or S – stress next to last syllable. (casa, examen, doctores)
Rule #2 – If the word ends with a consonant - stress last syllable. (señor, general, verdad)
Rule #3 – If the word has an accent mark - stress syllable with accent mark. (corazón, salvación, lápiz, Jesús, Espíritu Santo, jóvenes)
6. Dipthong (diptongo) – a combination of one strong vowel and one weak vowel used as one syllable. Strong: a, e, o Weak: i, u. Note: ___ & ___ are weak; everyone else is strong.
Examples: ai/ay – mayo, hay ia/familia
au - auténtico, Raul ua/iguana
ei/ey – reina, rey, veinte ie/bien
eu - Europa ue/bueno
oi/oy – voy, soy io/Dios
ou - uo/individuo
7. Plurals If word ends with vowel, add “s” (casa/casas) If word ends with consonant, add “es.”(señor/señores) If word ends with “z,” change “z” to “c,” then add “es.” (lápiz/lápices)
NOW, BEGIN LEARNING WORD FAMILIES. The Internet can help find vocabulary for medical, travel, construction, or horticultual word families. There's a handy glossary used in a 6th grade class. Based on Conrad J. Schmitt's book INTRODUCTION TO LANGUAGES. Found under used books on Internet. Old Spanish I & II textbooks are invaluable. Many on Internet.
EXCEPTIONS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
1. Feminine words ending with “o”
La mano (hand) ……… Perhaps a mother’s hand was 1st to touch you.
La foto (fotografía)…. Photograph La foco (focus) La piloto (Female pilot)
2. Masculine words ending with “a”
El día (day)
Those “M” Greek words ending in “a” because that was how the Greeks did masculine words.
el problema (problem) el poema (poem) el sistema (system) el idioma (language)
el drama (drama) el tema (theme) el mapa (map) el síntoma (symptom)
el diafragma (diaphragm) el programa(program) el clima (climate)
3. Masculine or feminine - Roles/occupations in life with “a”
Use “el” or “la”, depending on gender. Example: el/la policía (police officer)
dentista artista evangelista periodista (journalist) ateista (atheist)
4. Feminine words with the definite article “el”
Use “el” before these singular words beginning with a stressed first syllable of “a” or “ha,” but use “las” for plural, and use feminine adjectives. Reason: Because “el + a” rolls off the tongue easier than “la + a.”
Example: Singular/el agua pura (pure water) Plural/ las aguas puras (pure waters)
el hambre (hunger) el águila (eagle) el alma (soul) el arma (armor)
las hambres (hungers) las águilas (eagles) las almas (souls) las armas (weapons)
5. Those noun cognates ending with “tud” “tad” “dad” and “ción”/ “sión” are usually feminine.
actitud (attitude) gratitude (gratitude) libertad (liberty) realidad (reality)
salvación (salvation) división (division) eternidad (eternity)
6. Some ONE SYLLABLE words carry an accent mark to differentiate them from their twins with another meaning.
mi (my) ≠ mí (me, after a preposition) sé (I know) ≠ se (reflexive pronoun 3rd person)
te (you, object pronoun) ≠ té (tea) más (more) ≠ mas (“but,” usually in written works; example: el (the, masc.) ≠ él (he, subject pronoun) “No por los años que pasarán, mas por la eternidad.” "Not for the years of time alone, but for eternity.")
7. Just memorize gender of some words.
La cárcel /jail
Feminine with “e”: parte/part clase/class suerte/luck serie/series
Masculine with “e”: vinagre/vinegar tomate/tomato el café el restaurante
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Oración para recibir a Jesucristo:
Señor Jesucristo,
Gracias por amarme y por venir a la tierra para mostrarnos el camino. Creo que moriste para pagar por mi pecado y que resucitaste de entre los muertos para darme vida eternal. Quiero dejar mis pecados y poner mi fe en tí ahora mismo. Te ruego que vengas a mi vida para ser mi Salvador y Señor. Muéstrame cómo vivir y ayúdame a seguir en tus caminos. En tu nombre te lo pido.
¡Amen!
Prayer to receive Jesus Christ:
Lord Jesus Christ,
Thank you for loving me and for coming to the earth to show us the way. I believe that you died to pay for my sin and that you rose from the dead do give me eternal life. I want to leave behind my sins and place my faith in you right now. I ask that you come into my life to be my Savior and Lord. Show me how to live and help me to follow your ways. In your name I ask this.
Amen!
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