A number of verbs in the Spanish language undergo a stem change in the present tense form. There are three categories of stem changing verbs and dozens of verbs in each of the three categories. These verbs must be memorized individually. Below are examples of each.
Read more 25 Jun 2013
Grammar Tips: Stem Changing Verbs
Every language has some way of showing the function of nouns and pronouns within a given sentence. Some languages, such as modern English, rely heavily on word order and prepositions whereas other languages rely on declensions. Declensions are the changes that occur to the endings of articles, pronouns, possessives, adjectives, nouns etc. to show their function in a given sentence. (Changes that occur to verbs are called conjugations).
Read more 30 Apr 2013
Grammar Tips: Ser vs. Estar
Spanish is unique in that it has two verbs which mean ‘to be’. One must memorize which one to use for each situation. The verb ser describes the essence of something. Although everything changes with time, ser is used to describe qualities that do not normally change overnight. The verb estar is mainly concerned with location and temporary states of being. It also functions as an auxiliary verb in Spanish.
Read more 18 Apr 2013
Grammar Tips: Spanish Compound Nouns
Spanish and English generally do not create compound nouns in the same way. Examples of compound nouns in English include: open-heart, breakwater, basketball. English features adjective + noun (blackboard), verb + noun (breakwater) or noun + noun (football) combinations. English also frequently hyphenates words. The Spanish language has few hyphenated words as generally they are only used in cases of adjective + adjective or noun + noun combinations in which both elements are of equal importance, as in relaciones sino-estadounidenses (Chinese-US relations).
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Unlike English, German uses a variety of prepositions to express ‘to’ with verbs of motion. What follows is a concise study guide to this tricky aspect of German grammar.
Read more 05 Mar 2013
Grammar Tips: German Compound Nouns
One unique feature of the German language is its ability to create extremely long compound nouns. While this can seem daunting at first, it’s simply a matter of breaking down the noun into its component parts to understand its meaning.
Read moreCertain daily expressions in Spanish and German use the verb ‘have’ in a figurative sense. Below is a list of common expressions in which both Spanish and German function in this manner. As these expressions do not always translate literally into English, they are best memorized.
Read moreMany students struggle with the differences between muy/mucho and bueno/bien. At least part of the blame lies in English, as its speakers have come to use adjectives as adverbs in everyday speech. For example:
Question: “How are you?” Answer: “I’m good, thanks.”
When asking how someone is doing you are asking for their state of being. Therefore an adverb should be used in the answer as it is modifying the verb ‘to be.’ However, in English we generally respond using an adjective. The same exchange in Spanish is as follows:
Question: “¿Cómo estás?” Answer: “Estoy bien, gracias.”
Read more 18 Jul 2012
Grammar Tips: Spanish use of the personal a
In Spanish, the preposition a is placed in front of a noun or pronoun that refers to a specific person or persons functioning as the direct object of the sentence. Remember, the direct object is that which receives the action of the verb directly.
For example, in the following sentence Sandra is the subject and Miguel is the direct object.
Sandra sees Miguel. Sandra vee a Miguel.
Read more 04 Jul 2012
Grammar Tips: Idiomatic Expressions
Idiomatic expressions or idioms are phrases that do not translate directly from one language to another and are often couched in the history and language of a specific culture. A good example of an idiom is, “it’s raining cats and dogs.” To a native English speaker it is obvious that people’s pets are not literally falling from the sky but to a learner of English this expression could be very confusing indeed!
Below are some useful idiomatic expressions. Integrating idioms into your everyday conversation is essential to achieving fluency in a foreign language.
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