Frequent Doubts

1. Frequent Doubts Mrs. O. Pacheco Spanish Language Dept.

2. English vs Spanish • When learning a language, there are always more than a few aggravating issues that can cause speedbumps in the learning process. Don't feel like you're all alone in your frustration, however, as many of these issues tend to be the same for every student! • With our frequent grammar doubts section, we aim to resolve some of the language doubts that commonly arise amongst students learning Spanish. Check out the following pages for more: • Ser vsEstar • Saber vsConocer • PreguntarvsPedir • EntendervsComprender • OírvsEscuchar • Llevarvs Traer • Porvs Para • Perovs Sino • De vsDesde • Spanish False Friends (frequent mistranslations)

3. Verbs Saber and Conocer

4. Verbs Saber and Conocer As with the difficulties with verbs “ser” and “estar”, the verbs conocer and saber are equivalent to the English verb to know, but in Spanish, they have different meanings. Conocer implies to have a deep knowledge about someone, something or someplace. Saber denotes to be informed about an event, or about something that has happened to someone.

6. The verb Conocer offers two possibilities: It can be followed by preposition “a” to indicate it involves a person (Ella no conoce a mi madre), or a group of people (¿Quieren Uds. conocer a los artistas?). It can be followed by a place in which case preposition “a” does not follow (e.g., - Yo conozco Canadá muy bien. Nosotros no conocemos México).

7. Conocer • ‘Conocer’ means that you are familiar with: • an individual • a group of individuals • a program • a place • Mi padre no conoce a mi novio. • ¿Conoce usted a los chicos que viajan por Ecuador?yo les conozco, ellos son Maite, Inés, Alex y Javier, pero mi mamá no les conoce. • ¿Conoce usted a los amigos de su hermana? • Todos conocemos la Sociedad protectora de animales (SPCA), ¿verdad? • ¿Conocieron ellos el antiguo edificio de la Universidad de Alberta? • Ellos no van a conocer todos los países sudamericanos, ... sólo van a recorrer algunas ciudades de Ecuador. • Me gustaría conocer Isla de Pascua.

8. Hints for a correct use of the verb ‘conocer’ When it means to meet a person, it is followed by ‘a’. Ex: ¿Conoces a Martín? When it means to have been in a place and be familiar with such a place, it is followed by the place’s name (no personal ‘a’ is needed). Ella quiere conocer solamente Cuba, pero él quiere conocer también otros países del Caribe. Nosotros no quisimos conocer los países árabes, por miedo a los conflictos bélicos.

9. Saber • We use the verb ‘saber’ to denote someone’s skills or to denote that we have or seek information about something. • someone or something. • Ejemplos: • A) Ella sabe tocar el violin muy bien. • ¿Sabes nadar? No, no sé nadar ni flotar. • ¿Sabe cantar su mamá? Sí, ella sabe cantar. • Yo no supe qué comprarle a mi hermano para su cumpleaños. • Mi familia no sabe hablar español. • Mi padre sabe que mi hermano y yo estudiamos mucho. • Ellos no supieron que mi amiga tuvo un accidente. • ¿Supo usted que Carlos obtuvo una beca para estudiar inglés en Londres? • B) ¿Saben ustedes que en inglés el título de la película es Sea Inside y en español es Mar adentro? • Yo no sé si mi novio se va a graduar este año.

10. Hints for the correct use of the verb ‘saber’ • It can be followed by a ‘question word’: • qué, cuál, dónde, cómo, por qué, quién, para quién, a quién, con quién, cuándo, a qué hora, adónde, para dónde, por dónde, etc. • Saber’ can be followed by an infinitive. (‘Conocer’ is never followed by an infinitive.) • Yo no sé por dónde viajan los chicos: creo que viajan por el interior de Ecuador. Carmen sabe por qué su hermana rompió con su novio, pero los padres de ellas no saben.

11. Cont. ¿Sabes a qué hora es la reunión del centro de estudiantes? La profesora no sabe por qué los chicos no estudian como deben. ¿Sabe usted quién me llamó por teléfono? Ellos saben cocinar la paella española. ¿Sabe ella por dónde llegar a la universidad en Calgary? Tú no sabes cómo cambiar el neumático de tu coche, ¿no?

12. Summary (Saber vs. Conocer) Conocer means "to be familiar with, to be acquainted with”, while Saber means “to know a fact, information, data; to know how to do a skill". • Saber • We use Saber to express or describe what we know "how to do" by following it with an infinitive. Only Saber can be followed by an infinitive. • We use Saber only when talking about facts and information. We can use to it explain that we know the "what-when-how-why-who"s of situations and events. • Only Saber can be followed with que, qué, donde, dónde, si, cuándo [that, what?, where, where?, if, when?...] etc. These are words that introduce facts. • Don't forget that Saber has an irregular Yo form: Sé • Conocer • We use Conocer when we talk about someone we know or places we are familiar with. When we talk about "knowing" a person, we have to remember to use the Personal "a". • We also use Conocer to talk about general concepts or subjects: • Conozco la poesía del Siglo de Oro. • I'm familiar with Golden Age Poetry. • Ella quiere conocer tú país • She wants to visit (become familiar with) your country • Conocíamos sus actividades. • We were aware of (knew about) his activities.

13. Practice: True or False • Conocer means "to be familiar with, to be acquainted with”. • Saberis used when we talk about someone we know or places we are familiar with. • Only Saber can be followed by an infinitive. • We use Conocer to express or describe what we know "how to do" by following it with an infinitive. • We use Conocer to talk about general concepts or subjects • With Saber, when we talk about "knowing" a person, we have to remember to use the Personal "a". • Saber has an irregular Yo form • Conocer only used when talking about facts and information. • We can use Conocer to explain that we know the "what-when- how-why-who"s of situations and events. • Only Saber can be followed with que, qué, donde, dónde, si, cuándo [that, what?, where, where?, if, when?...] etc.

14. Verbs Pedir and Preguntar

15. Practica: Saber o Conocer (Present Tense) • Yo no _________ dónde vive Ramón. • ¿__________ tú a los padres de Ramón? • Jaime no _________ la ciudad de Los Ángeles. • Carmen ________ francés, pero no inglés. • Federico y yo no ________ a la estudiante nueva. • Yo __________ a la Señora Domínguez; es mi vecina. • Los estudiantes no ________ la respuesta a la pregunta. • ¿__________ tú la fecha de hoy?

16. Pedir vs. Preguntar • The same sort of situation exists with respect to the two Spanish verbs pedir and preguntar. They both mean "to ask" but they are not interchangeable. Fortunately, the rules for using them are a bit more straightforward: • Pedirto ask for, or request an object, service or favor • Pido más carne.I ask for more meat. • Pedimos ahora.We order now (ask for service). • Preguntarto ask a question, or request information • Pregunto qué hora es.I ask what time it is. • Preguntamos a qué hora sirven la cena.We ask what time they serve dinner.

17. When to use "PREGUNTAR" • To ASK a question, to request information, to ask about something • Me pregunta cuántos años tengo. (He asks me how old I am.) • Vamos a preguntarle. (We're going to ask her.) • Preguntar por su coche. (She asks about his car.)

18. When to use "PEDIR" • To ASK FOR something (an object, a favor, a service..) • Quiero pedir su número de telefono. (I want to ask for her phone number.) • Voy a pedir otra cerveza. (I'm going to ask for another beer.) • Quiero pedirte un favor. (I want to ask you for a favor.)

19. Tips: Pedir vs Preguntar • Pedir to ask for something, or request an object, service or favor (followed by a noun):  me pidió dinero (he asked me for money “ to give him”). • Preguntar to ask a question, or request information (followed by si, donde, cuando, de quien, a quéhora, etc.) • Pregunté a qué hora llega el tren (I asked what time does the train arrive). Me preguntó por el dinero (he asked me about the money “what have I done with it”).

20. 1. Did you ask your mama if you could go to the concert with us? 2. Which drink did you order? 3. My girlfriend asks too much of me. 4. An elderly lady asked me one time to help her put her groceries in her car. 5. She asked me if I was twenty-one when I bought the alcohol. 6. I just ask that you wipe your feet before coming inside. 7. I ordered two pairs of shoes from the Avon catalog. 8. Don’t worry. I asked if I could use it. 9. “Has she asked you about the other night?” asked Sandra. (2 answers) 10. The teacher asked to speak with me after class. 11. The guests asked the waitress for some more bread. 12. We asked the host where the bathroom was. 13. The father asked his children to be quiet. 14. The mother asked her children if they could be quiet. 15. The lawyer requested the information. Practica: Pedir o Preguntar

21. Pruebacorta/Quiz Saber vs. Conocer Pedir vs. Preguntar María _________ cuándo empieza la fiesta. Did you ask your mama if you could go to the concert with us? The lawyer requested the information. El chico le _________ a la chica ¿cuál es tu número de teléfono? Luis me _____ cuálfue la tarea de ayer. • Yo no _________ dónde vive Ramón. • Los estudiantes no ________ la respuesta a la pregunta. • Jaime no _________ la ciudad de Los Ángeles. • Federico y yo no ________ a la estudiante nueva. • Carmen ________ francés, pero no inglés.

22. Entender & Comprender

23. Entender vs. Comprender • The words entender and comprender both mean "to understand". They're largely considered to be synonyms and, in most cases, they are pretty interchangeable. However, in some contexts their meanings may differ slightly, just like the words "understand" and "comprehend" in English. • Entender can often be used over comprender in indicating a general understanding. Comprender, on the other hand, is sometimes used to highlight an understanding on a deeper level; to describe the comprehension of a concept, a situation, a purpose or the significance of something. • In simpler terms, some distinguish between the two by saying that you entender with your ears and comprender with your brain.

24. Examples • Entiendo las reglas del juego. I understand the rules of the game. • Ella quiere comprender el arte moderno. She wants to understand modern art.

25. Present tense

26. Practica • I don't understand this word. • No entiendo esta palabra. • I don't understand a single word of this book! • ¡No entiendo ni una sola palabra de este libro! • I understand why he feels that way. • Comprendo por qué se siente así. • I don't understand war. • No comprendo la guerra. • I understand my Spanish teacher sometimes. • Yo entiendo a mi maestra de Español aveces. • I understand whatyou are going through. • Yo comprendo por lo que estas pasando.

27. OírvsEscuchar

28. Oir vs Escuchar • As anyone in a typical relationship knows, there's a big difference between hearing and listening. For example, Jim hears Sarah say something but he decides not to listen to her request for him to take out the garbage. • Like in English, in Spanish there's a difference between oír(to hear) and escuchar (to listen to) that often gets a bit muddled by students learning Spanish as a foreign language. • Oír is the involuntary awareness of sound, while escuchar is the voluntary effort that one makes to actually pay attention and understand something or someone that you hear. When it comes down to it, you oír with your ears while you escuchar with your brain.

29. Oir vs Escuchar • Some few helpful examples are below which will help you distinguish the difference. • Oí unas voces en la calle. (I heard voices in the street.) • Escuchamos lo que decían las mujeres en la calle. (We listened to what the women in the street were saying.) • Oigo la radio pero no la estoy escuchando. (I hear the radio but I'm not listening to it.) • ¡No te oigo!(I can't hear you!) • ¡No te escucho!(I'm not listening to you!)

30. Similar terms for "escuchar (oír)" in English • oír {vb} = to hear {vb} • escuchar {vb} = to pay attention • escuchar {v.t.} = to listen {v.t.} • escuchar {vb} = to hark {vb} (to listen attentively) • escuchar a hurtadillas {vb} = to eavesdrop {vb} (to listen secretly to a private conversation.) • escuchar (un consejo) {vb} = to take {vb}

31. Conjugation(present/past) Oír Esuchar Escucho/escuché Escuchas/escuchaste Escucha/escuchó Escuchamos/escuchamos Escuchan/escucharon • Oigo/oí • Oyes/oiste • Oye/oyó • Oimos/oimos • Oyen/oyeron

32. Practice (Translate) • I love to listen to the sound of the wind. • Taking my mom’s advice helped me. • Can you hear me now? • If you pay attention you will understand. • I do not want to hear that noise. • When I am not feeling well I talk to my friend and she listens. • The students hear the teacher speak but do not listen to what she is saying. • I wish I could hear his voice again. • My neighbor was eavesdropping when we arrived late. • “Hark how the bells, sweet silver bells, all seem to say, throw cares away ...”

33. Llevar vs Traer

34. Llevar vs Traer • Llevar and traer are very similar words, in that both refer to moving objects from one location to another. However, there is a difference. Let’s keep reading for more info and a couple of helpful examples!

35. LLEVAR" - Rules, Uses & Examples • Llevar means "to take", such as when an object is being taken (generally by you) to a place other than where you are. • Le voy a llevar el libro. I'm going to take the book to him. (I have the book, and I'm going to take it elsewhere to give to someone else) • Llevo a mi novio a la fiesta. I'm taking my boyfriend to the party. (My boyfriend is here, and I'm taking him with me to the party.) • Te van a llevar las cervezas. They're going to take the beers to you. (They're here right now, but they are going to take the beers to you.)

36. "TRAER" - Rules, Uses & Examples • Traer means "to bring", such as when an object is being transported to the place where you are. He's bringing me the keys. • Me va a traer el libro. He's going to bring the book to me. (He has the book, and he's going to bring it to wherever I am.) • Mi novio trae unos amigos a la fiesta. My boyfriend is bringing some friends to the party. (My boyfriend is bringing some friends with him to the party that I'm already at.) • Trajeron las cervezas. They brought the beers. (The brought the beers with them to wherever we were at the time.)

37. Traer (2)

38. Llevar (3)

39. Practice (fill-in the blanks) • _____ estas flores a tu abuela, por favor. • _____ tus fotos para verlas hoy. • ¿Te van a _____ a un restaurante para tu aniversario? • _____ le tus papeles a el maestro. • Nosotros ________ a un amigo ayer para que lo conocieras, pero no estabas. • Por favor, _______me al banco, necesito depositar mi cheque.

40. Por vs Para

41. Por vs Para (prepositions) • One issue in Spanish that causes a lot of confusion is "por vs para". Both mean "for" in English, but they are not interchangeable. To know whether to use por or para, you basically have to think about what purpose the it will be serving. Below you will find the rules and uses for using por and for using para.

42. "POR" - Rules, Uses & Examples • In Spanish, we use the word "por" in the following ways: • to express movement along, through, around, by or aboutExample: Dimos una vuelta por la ciudad. (We took a walk through the city.) • to indicate some sort of exchangeGracias por el regalo. (Thank you for the present.)Te doy 20 euros por el collar. (I'll give you 20 euros for the necklace.) • to indicate a time or duration when something occursExample: Voy de vacaciones por 2 semanas. (I'm going on vacation for 2 weeks.) • to express the cause or reason for an action Example: Se engordó por falta de ejercicio. (He got fat for lack of exercise.) • to mean "in favor of", "on behalf of", "supporting"Example: Apuesta por el candidato demócrata. He supports the democratic candidate. • to express a means of transportationExample: Prefiero viajar por autobus. (I prefer to travel by bus.) • to express a means of communicationExample: Habló con su abuela por teléfono. (She spoke with her grandmother on the phone.) • to express a general time, meaning "during"Example: Me gusta tomar un café por la mañana. (I like to have a coffee in the morning.) • "estar por" meaning to be in the mood or inclined to do somethingExample: Estoy por ir al cine. (I'm in the mood for going to the movies.)

43. "PARA" - Rules, Uses & Examples • In Spanish, we use the word "para" in the following ways: • to indicate destinationExample: Voy para Nueva York. (I'm leaving for New York.) • to indicate an object's use or purpose Example: El plato es para la hamburguesa. (The plate is for the hamburger.) • to mean "in order to" or "for the purpose of" Example: Para hacer la tarta, hace falta 2 huevos. (To make the cake, you need 2 eggs) • to indicate a recipient or beneficiary Example: Este libro es para mi padre. (This book is for my father.) • to express a deadline or specific timeExample: Mi ensayo es para el viernes. (My essay is due on Friday.) • "estar para" to express an action that is about to be completedExample: Estamos para salir. (We are about to go out.)

44. Practice: Translate & ApplyPor or Para • We took a walk through the school campus. • Thank you for waiting for me. • This key is for my new house. • My research paper is due on Monday. • I like to have a nap in the afternoon. • To make the lasagna, you need a lot of cheese. • I'm in the mood for a walk at the park. • I'm going on a summer vacation for 2 months. • That dress is for my niece. • I am going to Puerto Rico in July. Online

45. Pero vs Sino (conjunctions) • A frequent error that English-speakers make is translating the English conjunction "but" into Spanish. Why? Well, the confusion lies in that there are two words in Spanish for "but": pero and sino. • English-speakers tend to use "pero" in all situations for which, in English, they would use "but". However, while both pero and sino are used to express contrasting ideas, they have a slightly different meaning and usage. • Let’s keep on reading and find out how to know which "but" to use!

46. PERO" - Rules, Uses & Examples • We use "pero" to join two contrasting idea when the second phrase does not negate the first. Instead, you can think of it as adding on to the first idea. See below: • No soy española, pero hablo bien el idioma.(I'm not Spanish, but I speak the language well.) • Hace frío, pero también hace sol. (It's cold out, but it's also sunny.) • Estudiar no es divertido, pero es necesario. (Studying isn't fun, but it's necessary.)

47. "SINO" - Rules, Uses & Examples • We use sino, on the other hand, is used generally in negative sentences in which the second phrase negates or corrects the first. The equivalent in English would be "but rather" or "but on the contrary". • Hoy no voy a estudiar biología, sino matemáticas. (Today I'm not going to study biology, but rather math.) • If "sino" separates two conjugated verbs, we use "sino que", such as in the following example: • No voy al cine sino que ceno con mis padres. (I'm not going to the movies but (rather) I'm eating dinner with my parents.) • When we want to translate "not only... but also...", we use the Spanish construction "no solo... sino también...". Note: if "sino" comes before a clause with a conjugated verb, we must use "sino que". Check out the examples below: • Mi amigo no sólo es guapo, sino también simpático. (My friend is not only handsome, but also nice.) • No sólo corro en el gimnasio sino que también levanto pesas.(Not only do I run in the gym, but I also lift weights.)

48. Practica (Pero vs. Sino) 1. No quiero salir, _______ quedarme en casa. 2. Tal vez no sea muy inteligente, ______ sé lo que quiero. 3. Diviértete, ______ ten cuidado. 4. No es fácil escribir, _____ vale la pena. 5. No vine a trabajar, ____ a descansar. 6. El cielo no es verde, _____ azul. 7. No puedo asistir al congreso, ______ voy a enviar mi ponencia. Online

49. ReflexiónTranslate & fill-in the blanks with the correct words (pero, sino, or sinoque): Yo quisiera escribirte algo no original, _______ me nazca del corazón…quisiera expresártelo con mis actos, pues muchas veces lo que decimos no va de acuerdo con los hechos, ____ es ahí donde fallo. -Silvia

50. De vs Desde