Unit 2: Lo básico
Unidad 2 : Lo básico
Unit 2 : The basics
I can introduce another person.
I know numbers 0-31 in Spanish.
I can provide my phone number in Spanish.
I can talk about the days of the week, months of the year and seasons.
I can give and ask for the time.
I can identify cognates in Spanish.
I can compare/contrast products, practices and perspectives of the U.S. and target culture.
Learning Targets: (click to jump to the skill)
Packet with Answers / Audio
Skill 1: Why Learn Spanish? / Where is Spanish Spoken?
With over 437 million native speakers, Spanish is the 2nd most spoken language in the world (Chinese is #1). It is easy to understand how there are so many people who speak Spanish when you take into account that Spanish is spoken in 22 different countries (including the United States), located on 4 different continents.
People in the United States learn Spanish for many reasons. Some reasons are:
Spanish is widely spoken in the USA
They know people who speak Spanish
They want to learn about other cultures
What is your reason for learning español?
Skill 2: I know what a cognate is & I can recognize them.
Cognates are words in Spanish and English that come from the linguistic root, so they are similar in both languages. Often times, there will be a slight spelling or pronunciation difference. But, if you come across a word that looks and/or sounds like an English word you know, there is a good chance that it is a cognate. These are words like:
patio = patio
clásico = classic
interesante = interesting
The great thing about cognates is that it immediately adds hundreds of words to your vocabulary that you don't have to spend time learning because you already know them in English!
Watch out!
Not every words that is similar between Spanish and English is a cognate. Spanish words that look or sound like English words, but that have a different meaning are called false friends. These are words like:
éxito = success
embarazada = pregnant
librería = bookstore
Skill 3: I can recite the alphabet.
Can you spell your name in Spanish?
What else can you spell in Spanish? A great way to practice the alphabet is to spell words and signs that you see around you on a daily basis. Try to spell 10 random words in Spanish every day until you can spell them all without looking at your notes.
What else can you spell in Spanish? A great way to practice the alphabet is to spell words and signs that you see around you on a daily basis. Try to spell 10 random words in Spanish every day until you can spell them all without looking at your notes.
Skill 4: I can count 0 to 1 million.
Numbers 0-30
Numbers 31-100
Numbers 100-1.000.000
Notas culturales
Phone numbers follow a different format and numbers are often split into pairs.
In general, the use of commas and decimals is reversed in Spanish. The number below would be written as 10,700 in the United States.
It has also become common place to put spaces in larger numbers, rather than any form of punctuation. So, instead of 10.700€ you may also see 10 700€.
Skill 5: I can greet people.
Greetings
Introductions
Formal vs. Informal
Think about how you might speak to an adult that you are meeting for the first time ever. Would you talk to them the same way that you would talk to your best friend? Odds are, probably not. The same is true in Spanish! Most Spanish-speakers speak formally with people that they don't know very well, and often speak informally with people that they know very well. The difference is very subtle in Spanish, and mainly consists of the word that you use to say "you" to the person you are speaking with. The word usted ("you") is used to talk to someone formally, while tú ("you") is informal.
Formal
Hola. ¿Cómo está usted? Me llamo Roberto. ¿Cómo se llama usted?
(Hello. How are you? My name is Roberto. What is your name?)
Informal
Hola. ¿Cómo estás tú? Me llamo Roberto. ¿Cómo te llamas tú?
(Hello. How are you? My name is Roberto. What is your name?)
Skill 6: I can talk about the time, date, and weather.
La hora
Telling time in Spanish is very similar to telling time in English. There are only a few small differences.
The question:
¿Qué hora es? = What time is it?
The answer:
Es la una. = It is one o'clock.
Son las dos. = It is two o'clock.
You use "es la..." only when you are saying that it is 1:00. For any other time, you will use "son las...". After you have said the hour, you will add minutes (using "y") for any time up until the half hour.
Es la una y cinco. = It is 1:05.
Son las tres y cuarto. = It is 3:15.
Son las diez y veintidós. = It is 10:22.
After the half hour, you will count up to the next hour and subtract minutes (using "menos").
Son las cinco menos veinticinco. = It is 4:35.
Son las nueve menos diecinueve. = It is 8:41.
Son las doce menos dos. = It is 11:58.
Lastly, you do not say "AM" or "PM" in Spanish. Instead, there are simple phrases that you tack on to the end of the time to tell what part of the day it is.
de la mañana = AM (in the morning)
de la tarde = PM (in the afternoon)
de la noche = PM (in the evening/night)
Your final product should look something like this:
Es la una y diez de la tarde. = It is 1:10 PM.
Son las seis y trece de la mañana. = It is 6:13 AM.
Son las ocho menos cuarto de la noche. = It is 7:45 PM.
La fecha
There is a set pattern for telling the date in Spanish. Once you memorize the pattern, it is just a matter of filling in the blanks. Here is the pattern:
Hoy es day, el date de month de year.
Now, here is an example date:
Hoy es miércoles, el dos de abril de 2018.
Days, Months, & Seasons
Notas culturales
In Spanish, you NEVER capitalize days or months in a sentence.
The date is always written in the order that it is said. This includes the abbreviated form.
Unlike the calendar that we are used to in the United States, the Spanish calendar begins on Monday (lunes) instead of Sunday (domingo).
El tiempo
The question:
¿Qué tiempo hace? = What's the weather like?
The possible answers:
Other answers:
Está despejado. = It's clear out.
Hace buen tiempo. = It's nice out.
Hace mal tiempo. = It's bad out.
Weather