Chapter 1

Getting a Jump Start in Spanish

IN THIS CHAPTER

Meeting others

Identifying the subject

Learning the basics: numbers, dates, and telling time

Whether you're a student, a traveler, a businessperson, or simply someone who wants to learn another language, you'll need and, indeed, want to know certain foreign language basics for most everyday situations. For example, it's essential that you address your peers, acquaintances, as well as total strangers in a socially acceptable manner. Can you greet those around you in a casual manner, or is being more formal the appropriate way to proceed? Some social interactions require that you arrange appointments and meetings, plan trips, consult schedules, or discuss financial transactions where numbers, dates, and telling time are crucial basics to know.

This chapter provides you not only with those Spanish basics but also with communicative exercises that will enable you to confidently express greetings and salutations, numbers, days of the week, months of the year, seasons, dates, and time for speaking and writing in Spanish.

Expressing Greetings and Salutations

The Spanish language clearly recognizes and requires that you use different levels of formality depending on whom you're addressing. You certainly wouldn't speak or write to a stranger, teacher, business acquaintance, customer, boss, or any person in a position of authority in the same way as you would to a family member, friend, or child. It's not just your tone of voice that matters; it's the words you use that make the difference. And in today's rapidly changing world, being inclusive and respectful of others is of paramount importance.

Use the following formal phrases when you want to meet and greet a stranger, someone you don't know very well, someone in a position of authority, or someone to whom you should show respect.

Buenos días.

Hello. Good morning.

Buenas tardes.

Good afternoon.

Buenas noches

Good evening.

Señor

Mister, sir.

Señorita

Miss, young woman.

Señora

Mrs. (or older unmarried woman)

Me llamo .

My name is .

¿Cómo se llama?

What is your name?

¿Cómo está?

How are you?

Muy bien.

Very well.

Así así.

So-so.

Regular.

Fair.

Mucho gusto.

Nice to meet you.

Es un placer.

It's a pleasure.

El gusto es mío.

The pleasure is mine.

Adiós.

Goodbye.

Hasta luego.

See you later.

Hasta mañana.

See you tomorrow.

Use the following informal phrases when you want to meet and greet a single friend, relative, child, and, of course, your beloved pet.

¡Hola!

Hi.

Me llamo .

My name is .

¿Cómo te llamas?

What's your name?

¿Cómo estás?

How are you?

¿Cómo te va?

How's it going?

¿Qué tal?

How are things?

¿Qué pasa?

What's going on?

¿Qué hay de nuevo?

What's new?

Nada de particular.

Nothing much.

Nos vemos.

See you later.

Hasta (muy) pronto.

See you (very) soon.

Hasta la vista.

Till the next time.

Que te vaya bien.

Have a good day.

Que tengas un buen día.

Have a good day.

Adiós./Chau.

Bye.

Should you be formal or more informal? Express what you would say to the people in the following circumstances. Sometimes, more than one response may be correct.

Q. You are walking home from school and meet a friend you haven't seen in a while. You greet this friend by saying .

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A. ¿Cómo te va? or ¿Qué tal? or ¿Qué pasa? or ¿Qué hay de nuevo? These particular friendly questions (all four of them) inquire about what your friend has been up to lately.

Now try the following, remembering to be polite or casual depending on whom you're addressing. ____________________________________________________

1 There's a new student in your class whom you want to get to know better. But first you have to find out more information, such as the person's name. You would ask .

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2 A new neighbor has moved in across the street. When you see him leaving for work in the morning, you would greet him by saying .

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3 You just came back from a long day away from home and your dog comes to greet you at the door. You would respond to her by saying .

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4 You are the new person on a job and you want to introduce yourself to your coworkers. You would say .

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5 You have an afternoon appointment at the doctor. When you enter the office, you would say .

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6 Recently, life has been pretty boring. When a friend asks you what's new, you would answer .

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7 It's the end of the workday and you see your boss, Mr. López, as you are leaving. As you walk out the door, you would say . ____________________________________________________

8 Your friend has been sneezing and coughing. You would say .

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9 After meeting a new colleague and exchanging initial pleasantries, you would say .

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10 You want to express to a certain friend that you are looking forward to seeing them again soon. You would say .

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Referring to Others Using Subject Pronouns

A pronoun is a part of speech used in place of a noun. Subject pronouns are followed by the verb expressing the main action in the sentence. (See Chapter 6 for more on verb conjugation.)

In English, you use subject pronouns all the time in place of, or to avoid, repeating subject nouns. It's much simpler to write, "They left," rather than "Mr. Anthony Bolavolunta and Miss Cleopatra Johnson left." The subject pronouns I, you, he, she, we, and they enable you to write clear, concise sentences. Subject nouns and pronouns alike are followed by the appropriate forms of the verbs expressing particular actions.

You don't use Spanish subject pronouns as frequently as their English counterparts, because a Spanish verb ending generally indicates the subject. You use Spanish subject pronouns, therefore, mainly to be polite, to emphasize or stress the subject, or to be perfectly clear as to who (or what) is acting as the subject of the sentence.

Meeting the subject pronouns

Just like in English, Spanish subject pronouns have a person (first, second, or third) and a number...