Spanish Study Guide - 3A (2)
Vocabulary
La catedral - Cathedral
La oficina de correos - Post office
El monumento - Monument
El apartamento - Apartment
La estación de autobuses - Bus station
La estación del tren - Train station
La estación del metro - Metro station
El aeropuerto - Airport
El puente - Bridge
La carretera - Road
La iglesia - Church
La cuadra - Block (in terms of place/location)
La torre - Tower
(Dar) direcciones - (To give) directions
Parar - Tp stop
El policía/la policía - Police
La alcaldía/el ayuntamiento - City hall
La autopista - Highway
La comisaría/la estación de policía - Police station
El estacionamiento/el parqueadero - Parking lot
La estatua - Statue
La mezquita - Mosque
El paso de peatones - Crosswalk
El semáforo - Traffic light
La sinagoga - Synagogue
El templo - Temple
La zapatería - Shoe store
La florería - Flower shop
La papelería - Stationery store
La heladería - Ice cream parlor
La frutería - Fruit shop
La panadería - Bakery
La carnicería - Butcher shop
La dulcería - Candy store
La enchilada - Enchilada
El taco - Taco
La tortilla - Tortilla
La ferretería - Hardware store
La joyería - Jewelry store
La juguetería - Toy store
La mueblería - Furniture store
La pastelería - Cake shop
La tintorería/la lavandería - Dry cleaners
Grammar - Informal Affirmative Commands
In Spanish, commands can be informal or formal/ singular or plural/ and affirmative or negative
Informal commands used when you address a person as tú or vosotros
Tú commands (singular) use the present tense of él/ella form, to make a command
Visita la catedral - Visit the cathedral
Notice how visita is in the él/ella form, but the command is talking to “you”
Aprende a ir en metro - Learn to ride the subway.
Escribe un blog sobre el viaje - Write a blog about the trip
Irregular verbs which need a spelling change/verbs with changes in their stem in the present tense usually require the same change when using them in an informal affirmative command
Consigue información por Internet - Get information on the Internet
Envía el paquete en la oficina de correos - Send the package at the post office
Vuelve a México - Come back to Mexico
A few irregular verbs also have irregularities in the tú command form
decir - di
ir - ve
salir - sal
tener - ten
hacer - haz
poner - pon
ser - sé
venir - ven
Reflexive complements and objects pronouns are always attached to the end of the verb
Dime la verdad - Tell me the truth
If this were a normal present tense verb, the complement me would be attached before the verb
However, since this is a command it is attached directly to the end of the verb
This rule would apply for both reflexive and indirect or direct object pronouns
If there is a verb with more than one syllable, the verb requires an accent mark (usually on second vowel)
This keeps the sound the same, so the accent would go on the letter which always needs to be accentuated
Siéntate aquí - Sit down here
Notice how the accent mark is added to the e in siéntate, to preserve the same sound even when the pronoun is added
When you use two object pronouns on the same verb, remember that indirect object pronouns will always go before anything
Préstamelo por un día - Lend it to me for a day
Grammar - Formal and Plural Commands
Formal and plural commands are used on people you address as usted, or ustedes
Usted and ustedes are both the formal ways of saying “you” or “you all”
To form the singular usted command for an affirmative formal command, you take the yo form of a present tense verb
Using the yo form, you take off the -o of the form at the end, and replace it with
-e replaces for an -ar verb
-a replaces for -er and -ir ending verbs
For an ustedes (the plural) command, you simply add the letter -n to the singular (usted) command, which you already changed
If a verb is irregular, or they have a stem change in their yo form, you would most likely have that same change in the formal command
Remember to use usted or ustedes after you say your formal command
Example: Compre Ud.
The table below shows the steps to get each command form.
The following examples show how to use the commands:
Compre (Compren) en esta panadería - Buy at this bakery
Coma (Coman) en la taquería - Eat at the taco stand
Viva (Vivan) en el centro - Live downtown
Duerma (Duerman) bien - Sleep well
Vuelva (Vuelvan) mañana - Come back tomorrow
Pida (Pidan) información - Ask for information
Some verbs have irregular formal and plural commands
Since object and reflexive pronouns are attached to the end of affirmative formal commands, you might need to add an accent to keep the pronunciation: dígame Ud. (tell me), escríbanlas Uds. (write them), levántense Uds. (get up)
Grammar - Nosotros Commands
A nosotros command basically means “Let’s (do something)”, as it suggests that others do some activity with you
You form it by replacing the present tense yo form of the verb with, -emos for most -ar ending verbs, and -amos for most -er and -ir verbs
-Ar and -er ending verbs don’t have a stem change in the nosotros command, but -ir ending verbs use the stem change that uses the second letter shown in a parenthesis after an infinitive
Basically if you had a verb like divertir and it had (ie, i), for the nosotros command you would add the ‘i’ stem change for the nosotros command form
Notice how since cerrar and volver, even though they have a stem change, they didn’t change in the nosotros command form, because they are -ar and -er ending verbs
However, the second stem change in the parenthesis, ‘i’, was used for divertir, because it’s the second one in the parentheses, and used on an -ir ending verb
The affirmative nosotros command for ir is: vamos (let’s go)
Reflexive complements and object pronouns follow and are attached to the affirmative nosotros commands
Although, when you combine a direct object pronoun with the indirect object pronoun ‘se’, or for reflexive verbs, you would drop the -s in -emos or -amos before adding the pronouns
¿Cuándo vamos a cerrar el almacén? - Cerrémoslo a las ocho de la noche.
But:
¿Vamos a prepararles los tacos a ellas? - Sí. Preparémoselos.
¿Cuándo podemos sentarnos a comer? - Sentémonos en quince minutos.
Notice how in the 2 examples above, since there was both an indirect object and reflexive or direct object pronoun attached, you dropped the -s at the end, after -emos or -amos
The nosotros command can also be interchangeable with the future tense formula “Vamos a (+ infinitive)
Remember that this is only for nosotros, and if you’re using ‘vamos’ in that specific future tense sentence
Vamos a comer en este restaurante. - Comamos en este restaurante.
Notice how the first sentence says, let’s go eat in the restaurant using the “Vamos a (+ infinitive)” formula
The second sentence uses a nosotros command to replace that
Culture
Small Church on a Large Pyramid
A Spanish church on an Aztec pyramid? It seems rare to see two different types of construction from two different cultures. But what happened in Cholula, Mexico, is not unusual if we think it is a product of the interaction between people and cities. The construction of the Cholula pyramid probably began in 300 BC as a ceremonial center. During the next thousand years, different indigenous cultures that inhabited the city of Cholula expanded the pyramid until the Aztecs made it the largest pyramid in volume in the world. When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in this area, they built a church at the top of the pyramid to announce that the Catholic religion was the dominant religion. That church on the great Pyramid of Cholula is called the Church of Our Lady of Remedies. It was the first of the many churches in that city today. Tragically, two of the beautiful white domes of the church were destroyed in the great earthquake of 2017. In Cholula, we can see 159 churches, all built near indigenous temples. The interaction of people with the city made Cholula an interesting combination of pre-Hispanic and European culture.
Products
In the interior of the Pyramid of Cholula were found beautiful works of indigenous art, created 1800 years ago maasd. One example is the drinkers' Mural. This painting illustrates a religious ceremony in which Aztecs share drinks to thank their gods. By making the murals, the interaction of the indigenous people with their city served to decorate the public buildings and tell stories of daily life.
A Big City on a Dry Lake
Throughout history, man's interaction with cities grew populations but also changed the environment. This is the story of a city on the water and a dry lake. In AD 1300, the Aztecs founded the city of Tenochtitlan on an island in the center of Lake Texcoco. When the Spanish conquistadors arrived on this island, capital of the Aztec empire, in 1519, they observed a complex city, with streets, houses, public buildings and temples. What surprised them most was the large number of water channels on the island. The Aztecs made those canals to receive water from the lake and be able to use it in the crops. They also built dams to contain water. The Spanish conquerors took possession of Tenochtitlan and founded Mexico City there. By making Spanish constructions, they destroyed many indigenous constructions and also the dams, which caused frequent flooding in the city. For that reason, the Spaniards created a drainage system that ultimately ended up removing the water from the lake, making it a dry lake. Today, the center of the great Mexico City, called El Zocalo, is exactly above what Tenochtitlán was. The buildings in central Mexico cover what was once the most important lake in the Aztec civilization.
Parkour in Mexico
In Mexico there are beings that pass at full speed, that climb walls and that jump like monkeys. But...there are no trees! They are not real monkeys either! They are "urban monkeys", the new species of cities. These urban monkeys are people who practice parkour. Parkour is an urban sport, also known as the "art of displacement". It consists of overcoming obstacles in the way, jumping, swinging and contorting to get from one point to another in the most efficient and elegant way, like true acrobats. It is necessary to have a good physical perspective and a great deal of concentration. Parkour originated in France but is very popular in many cities in Mexico. In Mexico City's Historic Center, on Madero Street, urban monkeys jump the fences that border the street every day, making acrobatics that entertain passers-by. The same occurs in the paredones of the Palace of Fine Arts, the Naucalli Park and Chapultepec, in other areas of the capital and other cities. Also in other cities, such as Chihuahua, Queretaro, Guadalajara, Monterrey and Tabasco have special parkour training areas where urban monkeys gather to perfect their art. It's the perfect physical interaction between people and the city!
Extension
Active cities are the new trend in Mexico. They are communities that promote (promote) physical activity taking advantage of (making the most of) public spaces, in order to combat sedentarism and at the same time interact with the city. Popular urban sports include parkour, skateboard, roller and bike. Also fashionable is rappelling, which consists of descending a rope that comes down from a high-rise building. And for the classics, street football is still a passion. All of these sports show that you don't have to leave town to stay active.
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