POR vs. PARA

Hola amigos...

After a one month hiatus, I am back with a new Viper Spanish post.  Today, we look at the basic difference between "por" and "para."

PARA basically expresses:

1. Purpose:  ¿Para qué corres todos los días? (Why do you run every day?)

2. Destination:  Ya me fui para San Francisco. (I already left for San Francisco.)

3. Intended for:  Se usa el internet para buscar información.  (The internet is used to look for information.)

4. Sets a limit on time:  Hay que entregar el ensayo para el viernes.  (The essay must be turned in by Friday.)

5. Comparing while considering a fact:  Para una guitarrista, tocas bien el piano.  (For a guitarist,  you play the piano well.)

6. As for:  Para mi, está bien, pero para ella, no sé.  (For me, it's okay, but as for her, I don't know.)

POR expresses:

1. Along/through:  Entró por la puerta y salió por la ventana.  (He entered through the door and left through the window.)

2. Expresses periods of time:  Viví en Téjas por dos meses.  (I lived in Texas for two months.)

3. In exchange for:  Me cobró cincuenta dólares por su autógrafo.  (He charged me fifty bucks for his autograph.)

4. For, as the object of an errand:  Fui al mercado por leche.  (I went to the market for milk.)  [This is different than destination, which uses para, because the word after "for" is not the place of destination, rather the item that is going to be obtained.]

5. For the sake of/on behalf of:  Compré los discos por ti.  (I bought the CD's for you.)
                                      Escribí esta canción por mi país.  (I wrote this song for my country.)

6. Muliplication: Dos por cinco son diez.  (Two times five is ten.)

7. "Per":  Manejaba a 95 millas por hora cuando el policía me detuvo.  (I was driving at 95 miles per hour when the policeman stopped me.)


                                                                                            

Loan words Lesson #1

Today is a brief, fun and easy lesson.  We're going to learn some Spanish words that were borrowed from either English or French.  Words that are borrowed directly from another language are called "loan words."  It's a simple lessons since most of these words will be very familiar.  For example, to say "folklore" in Spanish, you simply say "el folclor."  Here's a list of more:

Original form:       Original Language:      Spanish word:
baseball             English                 el béisbol
basketball           English                 el básquetbol
beafsteak            English                 el bistec
boulevard            French                  el bulevar
camoufla             French                  el camuflaje
cocktail             French                  el coctel
champagne            French                  la champaña
chauffeur            French                  el chofer
goal                 English                 el gol
home run             English                 el jonrón
hippie               English                 el jipi
pyjamas              English                 la piyama
standard             English                 el estándar
tennis               English                 el tenis
watt                 English                 el vatio

Stay tuned for more loan word lessons!  And keep checking back every Friday for more great Spanish lessons and updates on viperspanish.com, which will be up and running soon!

Estar: Idiomatic Expressions

VIPERSPANISH: Twelve idiomatic expressions using the verb estar

In Spanish, there are two verbs which are translated as "to be."  Any one with an elementary knowledge of the language knows those verbs are "estar" and "ser."  Many future blogs will deal with these two verbs and their usage.  Today, we will learn a few idiomatic expressions that can be made using the verb "estar."  These are expressions that are commonly used in both languages, but students of the Spanish language have trouble with coming up with the Spanish equivalent.  The following list of verbs are created by using the verb estar followed by a few words to complete the expression

• To be fashionable - estar de moda
• To be dressed fashionably - estar a la moda
• To be in a good mood - estar de buen humor
• To be in a bad mood - estar de mal humor
• to be in agreement with - estar de acuerdo con
• to feel like - estar con ganas de 
• to be running behind - estar atrasado/a
• to be fed up with - estar harto/a
• to be on the right track - estar en lo cierto
• to have a mental blank - estar en blanco
• to be on vacation - estar de vacaciones
• to be back - estar de regreso

And there are twelve simple expressions that can be made with the verb estar.  Here are some sample sentences:

• No tengo tiempo, estoy atrasado.  -  I don't have time, I'm behind.
• Cada vez que lo veo, está de mal humor.  -  Every time I see him, he's in a bad mood.N
• No estamos de acuerdo con tus ideas.  - We do not agree with your ideas.
• Mírate, estás a la moda. -  Look at you, you're dressed fashionably.
• Mis amigos están con ganas de tomar alcohol.  -  My friends feel like drinking alcohol.

That's all for today!  Check back next Thursday for more Spanish lessons.  Have a great day!  Adiós... 

Imperfect vs. Preterit: Changes in meaning

Hola amigos.   This week, we are continuing to look at the differences between "el imperfecto" and "el pretérito."  If you read last week's blog, you'll recall that the imperfect is used more often to recall general periods of the past that did not have a clear beginning or end, or events that occurred routinely.  There were several other examples of when to use the tense as well.  The preterit, on the other hand, is used more often to refer to specific events that lasted a specific and clear amount of time.

 So, what happens when you use the wrong tense??  How can it change what you mean to say?  That's what we will look at today.  Take a look at the following sentences:

• Juan estuvo enfermo ayer.   (preterit)
• Juan estaba enfermo ayer.   (imperfect)

In the first, we see the preterit.  This tense, as explained last week, is used for events that had a beginning and an end, events that had outcomes, and specific events.   So, in the case of the first sentence, Juan was sick yesterday, but the sickness passed.  In other words, he is better now.

Juan estuvo enfermo ayer. = Juan was sick yesterday [but has recovered].

In the second sentence, Juan was sick yesterday, but the use of the imperfect does not indicate that there was an outcome.  It could be said by some one who knew that Juan was sick yesterday, but is not sure if he's better yet or not.

Juan estaba enfermo ayer. = Juan was sick yesterday. [He was sick at that time and there is no indication of his current condition.]

Here are other examples of how changing between the imperfect and preterit can change meaning:

• Yo quería comprar ese carro ayer.  I wanted to buy that car yesterday. [It was just a feeling I had yesterday.. I didn't actually try to buy it or anything; I just wanted to.]
• Yo quiso comprar ese carro ayer.  I wanted to buy that car yesterday. [And I actually did something about it and tried to; even if I didn't succeed.] 

• Edgar no quería correr ayer.  Edgar did not want to run yeseterday. [He did not feel like running.. but actually may have!  But he didn't want to.]
• Edgar no quiso correr ayer.  Edgar refused to run yesterday.  [Edgar absolutely did not want to and thus did not run yesterday.]

 Notice that when querer is used in the preterit, it is stronger and means either you really wanted and tried to do something or you absolutely did not to and refused.  When used with the imperfect, it just means you wanted to and does not specify much else.  The same applies to the verb poder:

• Ella podía arreglar mi aire condicionado.  She was capable of fixing my air conditioning. [She had the ability to]
• Ella pudo arreglar mi aire acondicionado.  She fixed my air conditioning.  [She was able to and did fix it]

Here are few more verbs that change meaning depending on the use of preterit or imperfect:

• Yo conocía a Carolina.  I used to know Carolina.  [At one time I knew this person]
• Yo conocí a Carolina.  I met Carolina.  [Perhaps recently I met this person]

• Yo sabía que Miguel iba a llegar tarde.  I knew that Mike was going to arrive late. [I knew, or strongly believed, that Mike was going to arrive late.]
• Yo sube que Miguel iba a llegar tarde.  I found out that Mike was going to arrive late.  [I recieved information beforehand that Mike was going to arrive late.]

• El presidente tenía que liberar el preso.  The president had to set the prisoner free.  [He was under obligation to do so.]
• El presidente tuvo que liberar el preso.  The president was compelled to set the prisoner free.  [He just had to do it.]

If you're advanced enough, try to translate these sentences into Spanish using the verb in brackets.  If you're not quite ready for that, try to decide if the verb in bold should use the preterit or the imperfect when translated to Spanish:

1. I refused to watch the movie. [querer]
2. He found out that the plane was going to arrive early. [saber]
3. I knew John when I was a kid. [conocer]
4. Harry met Sally last week. [conocer]
5. I wanted to help, but I was in Mexico. [querer]
6. We succeeded in fixing the car. [poder]

Imperfect vs. Preterit: Basic differences

It's time for some Spanish lesson blogs!  These blogs will not present lessons in a chronological order as if it were a Spanish learning program.  For that, you will have to wait until viperspanish.com is online.  Instead, these are sort of random lessons that target various levels.  However, if you're learning or want to learn Spanish, you will benefit from the majority of these blogs.

Today, we will look at one of the toughest concepts to grasp for English speakers.  Although the basic idea is fairly easy, there continue to be sentences and situations where even advanced Spanish speakers use the wrong tense.  What I'm talking about is what's called imperfect vs. preterit.

This blog will cover the basic differences between the two and how to know which to use.  If you haven't learned yet how to conjugate a verb into the imperfect or preterit, you can still read this lesson to get an idea when to use which for when you later do learn how to conjugate them.

For the most part, these blogs will assume you know the basics of English grammar (the difference between a verb and a noun, for example).  If you need to review these ideas, please visit http://www.engvid.com/basics-noun-verb-adjective-adverb.  Or google "Basic English Grammar."

In Spanish, there are two main ways to talk about the past when using a verb: imperfect (imperfecto) and the preterit (pretérito).  The verb hablar (to talk), for example, can be conjugated in the imperfect (yo hablaba, tú hablabas, él/ella/usted hablaba, nosotros hablábamas, ellos/ellas/ustedes hablaban) or in the preterit (yo hablé, tú hablaste, él/ella/usted habló, nosotros hablamos, ellos/ellas/ustedes hablaron).

The imperfect is used to...

• Refer to periods or stages (I used to live in the university. - Vivía en la universidad.)
• Describe past intentions (I was going to run today. - Yo iba a correr hoy.) 
• Describe an action that was in progress (I was talking to my mom. - Hablaba con mi mamá.)
• Routines or habits (I would wake up every morning at five o'clock. - Me despertaba cada mañana a las cinco.)
• Describe how one felt  (I felt sad and did not want to be there. - Me sentía triste y no quería estar allí.)
• Describe the setting (It was raining and cold that night. - Llovía y hacía frío esa noche.)

The preterit is used to...

• Relate non-routine events that happened once (I ate at an Italian restaurant that day. - Comí a un restaurante italiano ese día.)
• Refer to actions that interrupted another already in progress (...when suddenly you called. - ...cuando de repente llamaste.)
• Relate results or outcomes (I couldn't come because of the storm. - No pude venir debido a la tormenta.)
• React to specfic events (That job was really hard. - Ese trabajo fue muy difícil.)
• A sudden feeling (When I saw her, I felt so excited. - Al verla, me sentí tan emocionado.)
• Refer to events in the past that lasted a specific amount of time; in other words, they had a clear beginning and a clear end (I lived in México for two months. - Viví en México por dos meses.)

 This is a basic idea of when to use what. Although the concept seems not too hard, there are many times when it seems the rules conflict and that either one might work.  This is occasionally but not often the case.  Usually it is correct to use one or the other and although memorizing the rules and practicing writing them definitely helps, this is one of the concepts that takes some immersion to really master.  Try to choose which verb the following sentences would use if translated into Spanish, the imperfect or the preterit:

1. I lived in Hong Kong for five years.
2. When I was a kid, I would go hunting every weekend with my dad.
3. He couldn't make it to the game due to the weather.
4. When I saw my parents, I felt complete anger.
5. I was talking with my brother on the phone...
6. ...when suddenly the phone rang.

Next blog will continue on this subject by looking at the changes of meaning when a particular sentence changes the verb from imperfect to preterit and how it is important to choose the right one, or you may say something completely different. 

Welcome to the Viper Spanish Blog

Hola!

Welcome to the brand new Viper Spanish Blog!    

I will be hosting this blog for some free tips and lessons for English speakers who are interested in learning to speak, understand, read and write the wonderful language of Spanish.

I am a non-native speaker who learned on my own through years of study, immersion and constant practice.  I am now a fluent speaker of Spanish and have decided to create my own language learning method, which I call VIPER, standing for Vocabulary, Immersion, Pronunciation, Elements and Reading/Writing.  These five areas of study are keys in becoming a fluent speaker of any language.

The website will cover the VIPER method in much more detail.  In the meantime, however, feel free to check out the Viper Spanish Blog!  Hang out, click on a few links.. bookmark it.. and keep checking back regularly for tips on the Spanish language.  If you are interested in learning another language besides Spanish, keep an eye out because Viper Languages also has plans to develop programs for Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese and English for native Spanish speakers in the upcoming months.  We plan to expand to other languages, beyond these four, in the upcoming years.

Don't forget to leave a comment and contribute to chat about learning Spanish as well!  Stay tuned for your first lesson.. thanks for stopping by.

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