Class Videos
Class 1
Additional Class Notes (A1)
hola = hello, hi
ola = wave (like from the ocean)
they are pronounced the same
olas altas (in Puerto Vallarta) = tall waves
remember that H's are silent in Spanish
and J's sound like an English H.
Every noun in Spanish has a gender.
La mesa (feminine) = the table
El libro (masculine) = the book
Buenos Días = Good Morning
Goods Days (Literal)
If it was actually Good morning it would be...
Buena mañana. But this does not exist.
Buenos Aires, Argentina = Goods Airs, Argentina
Tarde = afternoon
Tarde = late
Temprano = early
Buenas Noches is how we say
good evening and goodnight in Spanish.
noche = night
Not all nouns end in O or A
Tarde and Noche are examples.
Most nouns do end in O or A
95% of the time
if something ends in O
it is masculine.
The = El
Ex. El Libro = The book
95% of the time
if something ends in A
it is feminine.
The = La
Ex. La mesa = The table
La Naranja = The orange
Naranja = Orange (the color)
La Ciudad de Los Vientos
The Windy City
The City of the Winds
Soy de la ciudad de los vientos
I am from the Windy City
I am from the city of the winds
Two words for Banana
La Banana
El Plátano
Fried Plantains = Plátanos Fritos
French Fries = Papas Fritas
Fried Chicken = Pollo Frito
The Gender and Plurality of the adjective has to match the gender and plurality of the noun.
Ex. Pollo Frito = Fried Chicken
Ex. Fried Potatoes (French Fries) = Papas Fritas
Papas a la Francesa = French Fries
This is another word though
papas fritas is more common.
El camino = The way, the walk, the path
Sometimes words have multiple meanings.
La Bendición = The Blessing
A word that is used way more commonly in Latin America as people are giving their blessing more
Ex. Blessing a newborn child
Give a shoulder shrug on accents
to give the word a "pop" in the accented place.
El Gato = The Cat
La Gata = The Cat
But some words don't shift like that
Ex. El Poeta = The Poet
La Poeta = The Poet
There is no word Poeto
Another example...
El Músico = The musician
La Músico = The musician
The word Música means Music
Alma = Soul
Some women are named Alma
Perra is a female dog
So just like in English
It can be a BAD WORD
B****!
The double rr is important
La Perra = The dog (female)
La Pera = The pear
Hijo = Son
Hija = Daughter
Pronounced eee-ha, eee-ho (phonetic)
My daughter said...
Me duele mi "legla" = My leg hurts (me)
leg = pierna
She made Spanglish!
leg + pierna = legla (made up word)
Remember that language evolves
and you are a part of that evolution!
Rulebreakers (Gender Benders)
Remember that 5% of nouns break gender rules
ex. la mano, la radio, el alma
How unfair!!
We started with a rule-breaking gender bender
El día = The day
It is masculine even though it ends in "A"
Because the gender of the adjective has to match
the gender of the noun, that is why it cannot be...
Buenas Días (wrong)
and has to be
Buenos Días
la persona es buena = the person is good
does not matter the gender of the person
what matters is that persona is a feminine word
el estómago está lleno = the stomach is full
the gender of the word full (lleno) is masculine because the stomach (el estómago) is masculine.
mañana has two meanings
morning
and
tomorrow
mañana en la mañana = tomorrow in the morning
mañana en la mañana = tomorrow morning
huevo = egg
hueso = bone
hueco = gap
jamón = ham
joyería = jewelry
jonrón = homerun (my favorite word!)
Great Job! See you in Class 2
