Correct Your Spanish Blunders, 2nd Edition

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CONTENTS

Introduction

PRONUNCIATION AND SPELLING

Pronunciation

Spelling

Capitalization

Punctuation

GRAMMAR

Nouns

Numbers

Noun Determiners

Descriptive Adjectives

Verbs

The Infinitive

Types of Verbs

The Indicative Mood

The Present Tense

The Preterite Perfect Tense

The Preterite Tense

The Imperfect Tense

The Pluperfect Tense

The Future Tense

The Future Perfect Tense

The Conditional

The Simple Conditional

The Conditional Perfect

The Subjunctive Mood

The Present Subjunctive

The Preterite Perfect Subjunctive

The Imperfect Subjunctive

The Pluperfect Subjunctive

Reported Speech

Subjects, Objects, and Their Pronouns

Adverbs and Prepositions with Adverbial Functions

Other Prepositions

Conjunctions

VOCABULARY

Words

Constructions

Catch the Blunders

Top Ten Blunders

Answer Key

Index of Spanish Words and Expressions

Subject Index

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this book is to identify the most common trouble spots for English speakers learning Spanish, to provide a basis for understanding why these trouble spots cause difficulties, and to offer guidance and practice for avoiding potential errors.

Many errors commonly made by speakers and learners of a second language are caused by transferring the patterns of the native language to the language being learned. This happens in all aspects of language, from pronunciation to word formation to sentence structure. Following are some examples of problems English speakers have when learning Spanish.

1. There are only a few sounds in Spanish that do not exist in English. Many sounds common to both languages, however, are represented by different letters in each language. For example, in certain situations the letter d in Spanish is pronounced like the th in the English brother. Also, English and Spanish have different pronunciation patterns for vowels, which can cause English speakers to mispronounce many words.

2. Although there are some clues as to whether Spanish nouns are masculine or feminine, many nouns seem to defy regular patterns. English speakers must learn the gender of Spanish nouns and be careful to use the correct corresponding articles and pronouns.

3. Although many Spanish words have cognates in English, there are also many false cognates, aptly called falsos amigos in Spanish. One example is sensible, an adjective in both languages; it means levelheaded in English but sensitive in Spanish.

4. In many cases, one word in English has two or more noninterchangeable translations in Spanish. One example of this is the verb be in English, whose correspondents in Spanish are ser and estar, as well as other verbs used idiomatically. Another is the English for, which has several Spanish translations, among them, por and para.

5. Particles, such as prepositions and conjunctions, have no one-for-one equivalents in both languages. For example, the Spanish preposition en can be translated into English as in, on, at, of, and about. Likewise, the translation of English on Sunday is el domingo, the Sunday.

6. A more insidious type of falso amigo is encountered in the use of verb tenses. The present tense, for example, can be used identically in both languages for certain functions. It is, therefore, often assumed that the function of the present tense will be the same in all instances. Actually, the Spanish present tense can also be used for functions that are expressed in English in the present progressive, present perfect, past, and future tenses. Every verb tense, in fact, represents a potential trouble spot for English-speaking learners of Spanish.

7. Information can be expressed one way in one language, and in a different way in the other. In English, for example, one says I am hungry, while in Spanish one says the equivalent of I have hunger. Likewise, the English I like ice cream is stated in Spanish as Ice cream appeals to me. Expressions of this type present more complications when their individual words are modified; for example, "I am very hungry is the equivalent of I have a lot of hunger." Again, the pitfall is transferring the English pattern to the Spanish.

In this book you will find the reasons behind these and many other common but lesser-known blunders through explanations of how regular patterns of Spanish differ from those of English. You will be made aware of potential trouble spots and shown how to break bad habits and correct your own mistakes. Several examples are given for each topic, followed by exercises that test your understanding and help you avoid the pitfalls encountered when translating word for word, structure for structure, from English.

Because individual words of a language are used in connection with other words, you will find that most topics are mentioned in more than one place. This repetition allows for cross-referencing and provides multiple examples of the most problematic structures. You will find that many of the lists are structured for sense and meaning; adverbs are listed in order of nunca never to siempre always, for example. Nouns are grouped by their endings, and verbs are grouped by usage. In addition, the comprehensive, detailed index at the back of the book serves as a guide to finding all the references to each topic. At the back of the book you will also find the answers to all the exercises. It is hoped that the materials presented here will help you improve your proficiency in Spanish and avoid the most common blunders.

Suggestions for Using This Book

The book is divided into three parts: Pronunciation and Spelling, Grammar, and Vocabulary. The largest section is Grammar, which identifies the various types of words according to traditional terminology. If you are unfamiliar with these terms, or if you find them more confusing than helpful, follow these suggestions:

  First look for the Avoid the Blunder headings in each section. Read the examples, then read the related explanation.

  Use the Index, rather than the Contents, to find what you are looking for.

  Check all the cross-references to a topic you are interested in to find more examples.

  Do the exercises on a separate sheet of paper, then check your answers in the Answer Key at the back of the book. If you have made mistakes, reread the pertinent sections, then do the exercises again.

. These are words, phrases, and sentences that are unacceptable.

The guidelines here are based on current standard usage in all countries where Spanish is the native language. However, be aware that language is constantly changing, that there are many different forms of expression, and that certain items identified here as blunders are accepted as standard usage in some areas. The biggest blunder of all would be to correct a native speaker, or to in any way imply that he or she doesn’t speak correct Spanish. Recognizing the differences you encounter in different places will enrich your Spanish and enable you to identify regional variations. The best way to learn a language is to listen to its native speakers and practice by communicating with them.

Acknowledgments

The author is indebted to her many teachers, colleagues, friends, and students, from whom she continues to learn. She especially appreciates the advice of Ligia Ochoa Sierra, and the help of Jeannette Walters Márquez and Luz Noemi Curet, who read the entire manuscript and provided many insightful comments and suggestions.

PRONUNCIATION AND SPELLING

PRONUNCIATION

ONE-SYLLABLE VOWELS

ONE-SYLLABLE VOWEL COMBINATIONS

Any combination of a, e, or o with the letter i or u

TWO-SYLLABLE VOWEL COMBINATIONS

Combinations of a, e, or o with accented i or u

Combinations that do not contain i or u and that have no accent mark

Spanish Letters and Sounds

Because the Spanish and English alphabets are so similar, it is important to keep in mind that the sounds represented by most letters in Spanish are different from the sounds they represent in English.

Vowels

Spanish vowel sounds are produced by first positioning the mouth correctly, then uttering the sound without moving the jaw.

AVOID THE Blunder

Do not pronounce a single vowel with two vowel sounds.

Do not glide into an /ow/ sound: fino.

Do not make a /yu/ sound: Cuba.

kyuwba

Unstressed vowels in English are usually pronounced with the mouth in a relaxed, almost-closed position, making them all sound something like uh. In Spanish, each vowel is pronounced clearly.

AVOID THE Blunder

row zuhs

bway nuhz dee uhz

Any combination of the vowels i or u with a, e, or o is pronounced as one syllable unless there is an accent mark over one of the vowels.

Any combination of the vowels i or u with a, e, or o is pronounced as two syllables when there is an accent mark over either vowel.

Any combination of the vowels a, e, or o is pronounced as two syllables. No accent mark is used.

AVOID THE Blunder

When a word ends with a vowel, and the following word starts with the same vowel, the vowel is pronounced only once.

AVOID THE Blunder

Ana | anda | al parque

la casa de | Eduardo

When a vowel is repeated within a word, however, like ee or oo, the vowels are pronounced as two syllables that glide together.

AVOID THE Blunder

Do not add a /y/ or /w/ sound, as you would in English.

le yer

co wor di nar

Words are connected in a stream of speech, without a break between words.

AVOID THE Blunder

co mo | está | us ted

va mos | a la pis cina | a na dar | un ra to

Consonants

The sounds /p/, /k/, and /t/ at the beginning of English words are followed by a puff of air. Do not produce this puff of air when pronouncing these sounds in Spanish.

The sounds of the Spanish letters b, v, g, and d are similar to their English equivalents at the beginning of words. However, when these letters fall between two vowels, they are softer and may be lengthened.

AVOID THE Blunder

Do not use the English /d/ sound for the Spanish d in the middle or at the end of words. This sound is used for the Spanish r.

Say the following words aloud, pronouncing d like the English th, and r like the English d.

Remember that ll and y are consonants and are pronounced like the doubled y in say yes or the j in jar. They must be pronounced with force to avoid misunderstanding. For example, if the ll is not pronounced forcefully enough, a person might hear you say I love myself (me amo) rather than My name is (me llamo).

AVOID THE Blunder

The sound /r/ in Spanish is very different from the English /r/. To pronounce the English /r/, the lips are rounded, the top teeth are somewhat bared, and the tongue is suspended in the middle of the mouth without touching anything. To pronounce the Spanish /r/, keep your lips in a flat position and tap the tip of your tongue once on the ridge behind your top front teeth. The sound is like the d in the English body.

Learn to make the trilled Spanish r by placing the tip of your tongue loosely on the ridge behind your top front teeth, then forcing air between the tongue and the ridge, causing it to flap rapidly and automatically. This takes practice, but it’s worth learning.

The letter r before another consonant requires a half-trill.

The letter r at the beginning of a word is fully trilled, as is the rr in the middle of a word.

The Spanish s is pronounced like the s in sun, even in the middle or at the end of a word. It is never pronounced like the English z, as in the second s of Susan or at the end of a word.

AVOID THE Blunder

Pronounce the Spanish s (even in the middle or at the end of a word) like the s in sun.

In Spanish, the only consonants that are doubled are l, r, and c; all of the doubled consonants represent sounds that are very different from the sounds of the single letters. (See the chart on pages 3–4.)

A number of Spanish words have a single consonant where their English cognates have a double consonant.

AVOID THE Blunder

Do not use a double consonant in Spanish where it is used in the English cognate.

SPELLING

Consonants

The sound /k/ is spelled with c before the vowels a, o, and u, and with qu before the vowels e and i.

The sound /kw/ is always spelled cu.

The sound /th/ (in Spain) and /s/ (in Latin America) is spelled with z before the vowels a, o, and u, and with c before the vowels e and i.

The sound /g/ is spelled with g before the vowels a, o, and u, and with gu before the vowels e and i.

The sound /gw/ is spelled gu before the vowels a and o, and gü before the vowels e and i.

The stronger than /h/ sound (more guttural—from the throat—than the English h) is spelled with a j before the vowels a, e, i, o,