tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20644854710333780522024-02-20T18:00:21.415-05:00Spanish Teachers at edufireEnrique Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13877917401975195101noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2064485471033378052.post-43142381990662655932010-03-20T13:33:00.000-04:002010-03-20T13:34:13.485-04:00Frases, refranes, dichos y diretes!De tal palo, tal astillaEnrique Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13877917401975195101noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2064485471033378052.post-75571878391321804842010-01-24T23:28:00.005-05:002010-01-28T10:33:27.101-05:00Nuestra clase de literaturaAs we head into the final week of our literature class, I've been thinking about the work we've looked at.<br /><br />We started with <em><strong>Máscaras Mexicanas</strong></em>, an essay in <em><strong>El laberinto de la soledad</strong></em> by the brilliant Mexican writer, Octavio Paz. My suggestion. Uh oh. Bad choice. Was the essay out of date? Were we in over our heads? Ni modo, time to move on...<br /><br />Next we read the short story, <em><strong>Después del almuerzo, </strong></em>by Julio Cortázar of Argentina. Better for us, I think. We were intrigued by the nonspecific 'lo' the narrator speaks of in the story -- did it refer to a person, an object, a pet? Interesting treatment of shame, responsibility, adolescence. This is a writer I want to know more about.<br /><br />Mario Benedetti of Uruguay was next on the list. His story, <strong><em>La noche de los feos</em></strong>, is a tale of two young people who think of themselves as outcasts because of their appearance but find solace in one another.<br /><br /><em><strong>El árbol de oro</strong></em>, by the Spanish author Ana María Matute, is written, very convincingly, in the voice of a child; we were shocked by its ghostly conclusion.<br /><br />Then we chose two stories by the great Colombian, Gabriel García Márquez. The first, <strong><em>Ladrón</em></strong> <strong><em>de sábado</em></strong>, was a sly and clever, although slight tale of two people who find themselves attracted to one another under the most unlikely circumstances.<br /><br />The second, <strong><em>Sólo vine a hablar por teléfono</em></strong>, tells the story of a young Mexicana, María, living in Spain during Franco's regime. Her car breaks down, she is stranded in the rain, and is grateful when a rundown bus stops to give her a lift. But in this rather macabre and disturbing account, nothing is what it seems... We disagreed about whether Maria's sufferings were the result of deliberate malice; we did agree that prejudice and false assumptions led to enormous misery in this story and that the story itself may be read as a political allegory.<br /> <br />Thanks, Enrique, for teaching this class. And thank you Lauren and Lynne for hanging out with me in the classroom and sharing your awesome Spanish ability. It's been a pleasure!NovelaMavenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12990028700278795104noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2064485471033378052.post-72108627920851705332010-01-19T19:55:00.001-05:002010-01-19T19:55:32.903-05:00Online Learning<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gfMngsPGW0I&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gfMngsPGW0I&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Enrique Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13877917401975195101noreply@blogger.com74tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2064485471033378052.post-44717371425149597832010-01-09T18:16:00.001-05:002010-01-09T18:17:55.091-05:00Spanish Classes at edufireCheck the Spanish Classes at edufire http://edufire.com/classes/spanishEnrique Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13877917401975195101noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2064485471033378052.post-590580069609579812010-01-05T00:06:00.001-05:002010-01-05T00:07:38.201-05:00La sonrisa es la distancia más corta entre dos personas :)Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584044565323396306noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2064485471033378052.post-2259209402927684232009-12-30T11:56:00.000-05:002009-12-30T11:57:08.649-05:00<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Qué sea un año lleno de amor, paz, salud, & prosperidad! Feliz Año Nuevo a Todos!</p>Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584044565323396306noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2064485471033378052.post-91820849179358548582009-12-19T00:40:00.001-05:002009-12-19T00:40:43.189-05:00Frases Filosoficas<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-peeiDv1S9k&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-peeiDv1S9k&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Enrique Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13877917401975195101noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2064485471033378052.post-30060779905089578122009-12-19T00:30:00.001-05:002009-12-19T00:31:45.650-05:00Un poco de inspiración<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8Fn3f4ilcII&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8Fn3f4ilcII&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Enrique Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13877917401975195101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2064485471033378052.post-77357031542067324682009-12-17T11:53:00.001-05:002009-12-17T11:54:21.251-05:00Chiste del dia.…Chiste….Chiste….<br /><br />Esta un borrachito tirado en la acera frente a una cantina. En eso pasa una señorita. El borrachito dice <strong>hic hic VIEJA FEA </strong>y la señorita responde <strong>Viejo borracho </strong>y el borrachito le grita otra vez <strong>hic hic…..pero a mi se me quita mañana…hic</strong>…..jajaEnrique Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13877917401975195101noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2064485471033378052.post-30923514245677707442009-12-07T14:13:00.001-05:002009-12-07T14:14:39.350-05:00Frases, Dichos, RefranesQue significa para ustedes la frase <strong>"Alma Gemela"</strong>Enrique Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13877917401975195101noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2064485471033378052.post-88072324932236710692009-11-30T18:41:00.000-05:002009-11-30T18:42:04.557-05:00Ojos que no ven. Corazon que no siente.Que opinan de esto? Ojos que no ven. Corazon que no siente.Enrique Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13877917401975195101noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2064485471033378052.post-11670095732534367622009-11-29T14:09:00.000-05:002009-11-29T14:10:03.749-05:00Special Holiday RatesSpecial Holiday Rates on my English and Spanish Classes. http://edufire.com/users/27...Enrique Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13877917401975195101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2064485471033378052.post-50894848067549180172009-11-28T16:58:00.001-05:002009-11-28T16:58:55.232-05:00My PodcastMy introduction<br /><br />http://eckates.mypodcast.com/index.htmlEnrique Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13877917401975195101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2064485471033378052.post-83025973714830161872009-11-25T22:53:00.000-05:002009-11-25T22:54:33.509-05:00Español Practico<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/b2uhrl3FT9g&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/b2uhrl3FT9g&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Enrique Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13877917401975195101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2064485471033378052.post-90456330418578298092009-11-25T22:48:00.000-05:002009-11-25T22:49:37.277-05:00Programa de Español Primera Parte<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FPN3Kci1dGU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FPN3Kci1dGU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Enrique Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13877917401975195101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2064485471033378052.post-75804039467997738322009-11-25T22:39:00.000-05:002009-11-25T22:40:58.654-05:00Programa de Español Primera Parte<div style="width:425px;text-align:left" id="__ss_2578357"><a style="font:14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;display:block;margin:12px 0 3px 0;text-decoration:underline;" href="http://www.slideshare.net/eckates/programa-de-espaol-primera-parte" title="Programa De EspañOl Primera Parte">Programa De EspañOl Primera Parte</a><object style="margin:0px" width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=programadeespaolprimeraparte-091124180847-phpapp02&stripped_title=programa-de-espaol-primera-parte" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><embed src="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=programadeespaolprimeraparte-091124180847-phpapp02&stripped_title=programa-de-espaol-primera-parte" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><div style="font-size:11px;font-family:tahoma,arial;height:26px;padding-top:2px;">View more <a style="text-decoration:underline;" href="http://www.slideshare.net/">presentations</a> from <a style="text-decoration:underline;" href="http://www.slideshare.net/eckates">Enrique Kates</a>.</div></div>Enrique Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13877917401975195101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2064485471033378052.post-38389254583386322162009-11-24T23:27:00.000-05:002009-11-24T23:28:17.828-05:00Hacer Caso OmisoHacer caso omiso = no haga caso a, no preste atención a, no tome en cuenta, pase por altoEnrique Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13877917401975195101noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2064485471033378052.post-52494934560040608262009-11-24T22:45:00.002-05:002009-11-24T23:30:00.420-05:00Spanish VideoCheck out this video <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RUdNUGwekLM&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RUdNUGwekLM&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Enrique Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13877917401975195101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2064485471033378052.post-17297569668470247412009-11-13T12:16:00.002-05:002009-11-18T01:44:19.658-05:00<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>Learning to Read in Spanish</b></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">This has been such a great adventure for me.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">I picked up my first novels in spanish a year ago. I began with a trilogy written for young adults by Isabelle Allende: Ciudad de las Bestias, El Reino del Dragon de Oro, and El Bosque de los Pigmeos. I also picked up a copy in English to use as a reference. </p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">I began by underlining all of the words that were unfamiliar to me and making notations and I was reaching for the dictionary constantly. It was a lot of work, but I had to start somewhere.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Here I am a year later, beginning to read novels written for adults. I am much more relaxed with my approach. Instead of looking up every unfamiliar word in the dictionary, I can now rely on understanding by context. The best part of all is that sometimes I forget that I am actually reading in a foreign language!</p>Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584044565323396306noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2064485471033378052.post-74561242306483570472009-11-13T10:17:00.005-05:002009-11-14T08:08:53.637-05:00The Art of Rationalization -- ¡Qué mandón eres tú!<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><em>or</em></span> <strong>Telenovelas teach you how to boss people around...</strong></span><br /><br />Have you ever noticed how much time they spend telling people what to do on telenovelas? If you enjoy pushing people around, why not learn how to be bossy (<em>mandón, mandona</em>) in Spanish?<br /><br /><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>¡Lárgate!</strong></span> <span style="color:#666666;">Get out of here! Leave!</span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">¡Lárgate de mi casa, infeliz!</span><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#000000;">¡No te vayas!</span></strong> (Opposite of above) <span style="color:#666666;">Don't leave!</span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">¡No te vayas! ¡Eres el amor de mi vida!</span><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#000000;">¡Ven aca!</span></strong> <span style="color:#666666;">Come here!</span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;"><strong><span style="color:#000000;">¡Ten cuidado!</span></strong> </span><span style="color:#666666;">Take care; be careful. </span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"><span style="color:#000000;">This is one of the friendlier</span> </span><span style="color:#000000;"><em>mandátos, </em>often said to children or to friends upon parting.</span><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#000000;">¡Cuídate mucho!</span></strong> <span style="color:#666666;">Take good care of yourself!</span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Similar to above but more affectionate. People use this in letters too.</span><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#000000;">¡Hazlo ya!</span></strong> <span style="color:#666666;">Do it now! Stop procrastinating :)</span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>¡Hazme caso!</strong> </span><span style="color:#666666;">Listen to me! Take my advice!</span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>¡Dime la verdad!</strong> </span><span style="color:#666666;">Tell me the truth!</span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>¡Cállate!</strong> </span><span style="color:#666666;">Be quiet! Shut up!</span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">I think <em>callarse</em> in Spanish is less harsh than <em>shut up</em> in English. What do you guys think?</span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>¡Dame un abrazo!</strong> </span><span style="color:#666666;">Give me a hug!</span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>¡Suéltame!</strong> </span><span style="color:#666666;">Let me go! Or if you are a fan of the old-fashioned melodrama-- Unhand me!</span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>¡No me toques!</strong> </span><span style="color:#666666;">Don't touch me!</span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>¡No te preocupes!</strong> </span><span style="color:#666666;">Don't worry!</span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>¡No te enojes!</strong> </span><span style="color:#666666;">Don't get mad! </span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>¡No te pongas así!</strong> </span><span style="color:#666666;">Don't be like that! (Often used interchangeably with <em>no te enojes</em>)</span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>¡No te pongas en ese plan!</strong> </span><span style="color:#666666;">Don't act like that! (Very similar to above)</span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>¡Olvídalo!</strong> </span><span style="color:#666666;">Forget it!</span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>¡Ayúdame!</strong> </span><span style="color:#666666;">Help me!</span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>¡Anímate!</strong> </span><span style="color:#666666;">Cheer up!</span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Note: All of these are in the second person singular (tú) form. Some are positive, some negative; some are regular, others irregular. The great thing is that they are such high-frequency expressions that you can learn them without worrying too much about the grammatical rules governing them. And that has always been my favorite way to learn!</span><br /><br />Next time: ¡Hablemos de groserías¡ <span style="color:#666666;">Let's talk about rude words!</span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"></span>NovelaMavenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12990028700278795104noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2064485471033378052.post-84309560367934329122009-11-07T22:37:00.000-05:002009-11-07T22:37:37.038-05:00Spanish Teachers at edufire: A fun way to learn/study (las Novelas)<a href="http://eduspanish.blogspot.com/2009/11/fun-way-to-learnstudy-las-novelas.html">Spanish Teachers at edufire: A fun way to learn/study (las Novelas)</a>Enrique Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13877917401975195101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2064485471033378052.post-50598684466179817582009-11-06T09:45:00.003-05:002009-11-06T11:13:51.334-05:00The Art of Rationalization<em>or</em> <strong><em>I watch telenovelas to improve my Spanish... ¡en serio!</em></strong><br /><strong>Part Two</strong><br /><strong></strong><br />Last time we met <em>la madrastra</em>, <em>el padrastro</em> and all the little <em>-astros. </em>This time we'll take a closer look at the <em>-astro</em> ending, itself. According to <em>A New Reference Grammar</em> (1), this is one of a handful of <strong>pejorative suffixes </strong>(including <em>-aco, -arraco, -acho, -uco, -ucho</em> and -<em>ejo</em>) that take an inoffensive word and turn it into an insult. A <em>casa</em>, for example, may or may not be a home; but a <em>casucha</em> is no place you'd want to live. And I doubt you'd choose to stay in a <em>hotelucho</em>.<br /><br />la casa: house<br />la casucha: pathetic little house<br />el hotel: hotel<br />el hotelucho: dingy hotel<br />el poeta: poet<br />el poetastro: poetaster<br /><br /><strong>Poetaster?</strong> <em>The American Heritage Dictionary</em> (2) defines this as: a writer of insignigicant, meretricious, or shoddy poetry [New Latin <em>poetaster</em>: <strong>Latin <em>poeta</em> + Latin <em>-aster</em>, pejorative suffix</strong>]<strong>.<br /></strong><br />In contrast, the prefix <em>step</em>-, as in <strong>stepmother</strong>, [from Old English <em>steop</em>-] is defined simply as "related by means of remarriage rather than by blood."<br /><br />Now as any speaker of modern English can attest, <em>step-</em> has acquired its own negative baggage, not surprising given the complicated real world relationship it represents. It can be shorthand for describing dysfunctional relationships outside of the family as well. But when we use the term metaphorically, we'll usually talk about <em>feeling like the <strong>neglected</strong> stepchild, </em>or <em>not wanting to play the part of the <strong>wicked</strong> stepmother.</em><br /><em></em><br />Let's take another look at <em>madrastra</em>. <em>Madre</em> + <em>-astra</em>. Not likely to be a term of endearment.<br />In fact it has the 'wicked' part of the '<em>wicked stepmother'</em> built right in. And even though my usually reliable <em>HarperCollins Diccionario</em> (3) defines <em>madrastra</em> as simply 'stepmother' and the online dictionary <em>wordreference.com</em> (4) concurs, here's what the Real Academia Española (5) has to say:<br /><br /><em><blockquote><em><strong>madrastra</strong></em>. Del despectivo de madre.<br />1. f. Mujer del padre respecto<br />de los hijos llevados por este al matrimonio.<br />2. (poco usada) Cosa que<br />incomoda o daña.<br /></blockquote></em><br />So the Royal Academy recognizes that the word is derived from a term of disparagement, although it is defined simply as 'stepmother.' It also cites a secondary, uncommon extension of usage: A thing which causes unease or which harms.<br /><br />How does this play out in the real world? When I was in Mexico several months ago, I used the word <em>madrastra</em> to refer to the new wife of a friend's widowed father and she corrected me. We usually say <em>madre postiza</em>, she explained. <em>Madrastra</em> sounded harsh and negative to her ear. <em>Madre postiza</em> was a lot nicer, a lot more polite.<br /><br />(Of course to my Anglo ear, <em>postiza</em> (false, artificial) doesn't sound all that great. It's the same word used to describe dentures (<em>dentadura postiza</em>); and used by itself as a noun, <em>postizo</em> means hairpiece. Go figure.)<br /><br />So here I am nearly five years later and I finally get it. (¡Ya me cayó el veinte!) Poor Maria's story was called <em>La Madrastra</em> not just to describe her relationship to her <em>hijastros</em> but to show how much she was disparaged and despised. <em>Me parte el alma sólo al pensar en eso.</em> (Although as we were to learn in <em>los últimos capítu</em>los, she was L<em>a Verdadera Madre y no La Madrastra.</em> But that, my friends, is a topic for another day!)<br /><br />Resources mentioned above:<br />1. Butt, J. & Benjamin, C., <em>A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish</em>, 4th ed. McGraw-Hill 2004. This isn't a textbook and isn't likely to help you very much if you are a beginner. But if you are an intermediate level student, this book is definitely your friend!<br />2. <em>The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language</em>, 4th ed. Houghton Mifflin 2000. This dictionary is the amateur etymologist's dream. It is the thorough and expert treatment of word origins that makes this dictionary stand out in a crowd.<br />3. <em>HarperCollins Spanish Unabridged Dictionary</em>. I have the 8th edition. published in 2005, but there are several earlier editions and a few more recent ones around. Just try looking up one of the 'super' verbs like <em>echar</em>, read the two and a half columns of entries and examples, and you'll understand why I like this book so much. Sadly, there is absolutely no information on word origins included.<br />4. <a href="http://www.wordreference.com/">http://www.wordreference.com/</a>. As great as this site is, just remember it doesn't have everything. But it is an amazing resource, especially when you are reading something online.<br />5. <a href="http://www.rae.es/rae.html">www.rae.es/rae.html</a>. This is the website of the Diccionario of the Real Academia Española. You can also access this site through wordreference.com.NovelaMavenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12990028700278795104noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2064485471033378052.post-25502906612088436792009-11-06T02:56:00.003-05:002009-11-06T03:10:57.733-05:00comentario - Saber vs ConocerHi!<br /><br />Well, I'm struggling with these words; thus, it cannot be that easy! ;) How do you say "I don't know this word?" Is a word a thing or is it a fact? There is a <a href="http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=1293112">discussion</a> on wordreference about this. Someone recommended: "no conozco esta palabra" but "no sé lo que quiere decir esta palabra".<br /><br />Then I suddenly realized that the difference is obvious for me because in German I would say "ich kenne dieses Wort nicht" but "ich weiß nicht, was dieses Wort bedeutet", i.e. there is a very similar between the German words "kennen" = "conocer" and "wissen" = "saber".<br /><br />So, I guess the difference is a lot easier to understand in German than in English. It's never bad to know more than one language. ;)<br /><br />MartinMartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02959903552471306591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2064485471033378052.post-7281848855509217932009-11-05T08:50:00.004-05:002009-11-06T11:25:14.686-05:00rezar y orar - comentario¡Gracias! No sabía lo de <strong><em>rezar</em></strong> y <strong><em>orar</em></strong>. Es interesante pero también es muy lógico, ¿no? <em>Rezar</em> viene del latín <em>recitare</em> (to read aloud, recite); <em>orar</em> viene del latín <em>orare</em> (to beg, ask for, pray, worship). Si quieres leer un poco más, <a href="http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=215748">aquí</a> tienes un hilo en wordreference sobre el tema.NovelaMavenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12990028700278795104noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2064485471033378052.post-27943874241857829142009-11-04T22:25:00.002-05:002009-11-04T22:44:37.218-05:00A fun way to learn/study (las Novelas)I enjoyed reading joyce post about the novelas as I was identifying with what she was describing. For me I was frustrating myself with learning this new second language spanish...everytime I thought I was making some progress I would listen to native speakers talking and could maybe pick out one or two words. I decided to watch and listen to the novelas and for me the talk was even faster then the maching gun fire that Joyce spoke about. I decided to put up the captions and began to read and suddenly what I have been learning in my edufire classes started to make sense. I know that verb, oh lo tengo= I have it lo comes before the conjugated verb, comprarlo oh lo is after the infinitive and he said it with force BUY IT. Now it's starting to make some sense when is my next class? Now I'm watching the novelas sitting by my computer with 3 windows open (dictionary,translator,conjugator) I am into the story I have more than a basic knowledge of whats going on, I am learning new verbs, phrases. I am having fun watching tv and really realizing that I am learning and studying at the same time. To be continuedTomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07570446738639192376noreply@blogger.com