Learn Spanish In A Hurry: Grasp the Basics of Espanol Pronto!

209 Pages·2006·3.32 MB·English

by  Julie Gutin

GRASP
THE BASICS OF
espaiiol
PRONTO!
Julie Gutin
GRASP
THE BASICS OF
espaiiol
PRONTO!
Julie Gutin
.4
Adams Media
Avon, Massachusetts
Copyright ©2006, F+W Publications, IDC.
All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced
in any focm without permission from the publisher; exceptions are
made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.
Published by
Adams Media, an F+W Publications Clllqlany
57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322. U.S.A.
www.adanr.wnedia.com
ISBN 10: 1-59869-086-8
ISBN 13: 978-1-59869-086-6
Printed in the United States of America.
JIHGFEDC
Library of CIBlgn!SS Cataloging-in-Publication Data
available from the publisher
This publ.ication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative
information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with
the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal,
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assistance is required, the services of a clllqletent professional person
should be sought.
-From a Deciaration of Principles jointly adopted by a
Committee of the American Bar Association and a
Committee of Publishers and Associations
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distin
guish their product are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations
appear in this book and Adams Media was aware of a trademark claim,
the designations have been printed with initial capital letters.
Contains portions of material adapted and abridged from The Everyt~
Spanish Grammar Book by Julie Gutin, ©2005, F+W Publ.ications, IDC.;
The Everything* Spaniah Wlro Book by Laura K. Lawless, ©2004, F+W
Publ.ications, Inc.; and The Everyt~ Spaniah PhtrMe Book by Cari
Luna, ©2004, F+ W Publications, Inc.
Thill book is aWJ.iloble at qllll1ltity disco1111ts for bulle purchases.
For information, please caU 1-lKXJ-289..(}}63.
Contents
Introduction ............................................ vii
01/ Beginning Spanish ................................... 1
Learn Your ABCs .........................................1
Showing Stress ..........................................6
Counting Off ............................................8
For the Nth Time ........................................1 1
The Structure of aS panish Word ...........................1 1
02/ Building Your Vocabulary ............................ 28
What Time Is It? ........................................2 8
Time of Day ............................................2 9
Days oftheWeek, Months ofthe Year ..................... .30
How's the \flleather? .................................... .31
Physical Characteristics ................................. .32
Family Relations ....................................... .34
Back to School. ........................................ .36
Getting Around ........................................ .38
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[ iv] Learn Spanish in aH urry
Where Am I? .......................................... .42
Transportation ......................................... .44
Time to Eat! ........................................... .4 7
Food Shopping .........................................6 1
03/ Grammar .......................................... 63
Blueprint of aS entence ..................................6 4
Parts of Speech .........................................6 5
In Agreement ......................................... .75
Verb Conjugation ...................................... .77
Four Types of Verbs ......................................8 0
Present Tense ...........................................8 4
Simple Past (Preterite) ...................................8 4
The Imperfect Tense .....................................8 5
Future and Conditional ...................................8 6
In the Mood to Command ................................8 7
The Subjunctive Mood ...................................8 9
Progressive Tenses and Moods ............................9 1
Perfect Tenses and Moods ................................9 2
04/ Pronunciation and Writing ........................... 93
Dont Overcapitalize .....................................9 3
The Rules of Punctuation .................................9 6
When in Doubt-Look It Up .............................9 7
Composing aL etter. ....................................1 00
05/ Putting ltlogether ................................. 103
I Have aQ uestion ......................................1 03
Yes, No, or Maybe ......................................1 05
Contents [ v1
Question \fllords ........................................1 06
Practice Makes Perfect ..................................1 11
06/ Useful Words and Phrases ........................... 112
In Flight ..............................................1 12
Navigating the Airport ..................................1 14
Declaring Your Belongings ...............................1 15
Staying at aH otel ......................................1 17
Running Errands .......................................1 19
Eating Out ............................................1 24
Looking for aJ ob .......................................1 25
Surfing the 'Neb .......................................1 28
Appendix A: English to Spanish Dictionary ................1 29
Appendix B: Spanish to English Dictionary ................1 61
Appendix C: Verb Tables ................................1 81
Index ................................................1 95

Introduction
So YOU'D LIKE to learn Spanish, and you need to do
it fast. Maybe you've already booked a trip to sunny
Dominican Republic or can't wait to explore the
ancient Mayan cities of Peru. Maybe you just got a
gig teaching English in Costa Rica or learning how to
dance flamenco in Spain. Or maybe you just got a new
job and knowing some Spanish would be a big help.
Whatever your needs are, you are in a hurry. But can
you really learn Spanish this quickly?
The good news is that, yes, you can. But it's going
to take some effort. This book will help you take that
first and crucial step-it'll give you all the basics you
need to figure out the key concepts of Spanish gram
mar and get you started with building up your Spanish
vocabulary. Use it as you would a map, to get you ori
ented and headed in the right direction, and you'll be
on your way to mastering the Spanish language.
Remember-you can't get lazy! To learn Spanish,
you'll need lots of practice. Fortunately, the oppor
tunities are everywhere. Tum on the television-you
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[viii] Learn Spanish in aH urry
may have a Spanish-speaking channel or two to
choose from. Start with a soccer game, then move on
to national news, and one day you'll be comfortable
enough to watch a telenovela about a beautiful young
woman and her tragic destiny. For lunch, skip the
burger joint and head to a taco shop-you can order
your burrito con polio and chat up the server in Span
ish. Pick up the local Spanish-language newspaper
and start with the headlines. Then see if you can find
an international pen pal to practice your Spanish writ
ing. The opportunities for practice are endless!
The most important thing to remember is, keep it
going! Language acquisition takes some effort, but it's
well worth it. So keep reading, and you'll be speaking
Spanish in no time!
01/ Beginning Spanish
WHERE oo YOU start when you want to learn Spanish
in a hurry? The alphabet, of course! You cannot start
forming words without understanding the building
blocks! When children are beginning to speak Eng
lish, one of the first things they learn is the Alpha
bet Song to learn about letters, and Spanish is no
different.
Learn Your ABCs
If you remember the English alphabet, learning the
Spanish version will be a snap: Because the Span
ish alphabet is almost identical, all you have to do is
memorize the pronunciation of each letter.
Pronunciation
The basics of Spanish pronunciation aren't dif
ficult to master--only a few sounds don't have an
equivalent in English. And learning to read is much
easier, too, because Spanish is written as it's spoken.
For example, in Spanish the vowel letter A is always
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