Spanish For Dummies, Enhanced Edition E-Book

Pedro Vázquez Bermejo

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fremdsprachen
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Seitenzahl: 329

Beschreibung

Whether you want to take up Spanish from scratch or brush up onyour existing skills, this practical, easy-to-follow guide is foryou! Inside you'll find helpful lessons, cultural facts, handyreferences and much more, including a Spanish-Englishmini-dictionary and common verb lists. Learn how to use your skillsin a variety of everyday contexts, and discover common expressions,important holidays and phrases that'll make you sound fluent.Complete with an audio CD that allows you to hear actual Spanishconversations by native Spanish speakers, Spanish ForDummies is your one-way ticket to speaking mainland Spanishwith confidence. Spanish For Dummies includes: Part I: Getting Started Chapter 1: You Already Know a Little Spanish Chapter 2: The Nitty Gritty: Basic Spanish Grammar Part II: Spanish in Action Chapter 3: Hola! Hello! Greetings and Introductions Chapter 4: Getting to Know You: Making Small Talk Chapter 5: Dining Out and Going to Market Chapter 6: Shopping Made Easy Chapter 7: Going Out on the Town Chapter 8: Enjoying Yourself: Recreation Chapter 9: Talking on the Phone Chapter 10: At the Office and Around the House Part III: Spanish on the Go Chapter 11: Money, Money, Money Chapter 12: Dónde Está? (Where Is It?): AskingDirections Chapter 13: Checking into a Hotel Chapter 14: Getting Around: Planes, Trains, Taxis, and More Chapter 15: Planning a Trip Chapter 16: Help! Handling Emergencies Part IV: The Part of Tens Chapter 17: Ten Ways to Speak Spanish Quickly Chapter 18: Ten Favourite Spanish Expressions Chapter 19: Ten Holidays to Remember Chapter 20: Ten Phrases That Make You Sound Fluent in Spanish Part V: Appendixes Appendix A: Spanish-English Mini Dictionary Appendix B: Spanish Verbs Appendix C: On the CD Appendix D: Spanish Facts Note: CD files are available to download after purchasing thee-Book version

Leseprobe

Spanish For Dummies®

Table of Contents

Introduction

What’s Special about Spanish?

About This Book

Why We Wrote This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organised

Part I: Getting Started

Part II: Spanish in Action

Part III: Spanish on the Go

Part IV: The Part of Tens

Part V: Appendixes

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I: Getting Started

Chapter 1: Realising that You Know a Little Spanish Already

Recognising the Spanish You Know Already

Watching out for false friends

Getting to know some crossover influences

Reciting Your ABCs

Checking out consonants

Finding out about vowels

Discovering diphthongs

Looking at Pronunciation and Stress

Searching for stress, normally

Spotting accented vowels

Understanding accents in diphthongs

¡Punctuation Plus!

Some Basic Phrases to Know

Chapter 2: Getting Down to the Nitty-Gritty: Basic Spanish Grammar

Constructing Simple Sentences

Forming Questions

Introducing Regular and Irregular Verbs

Regular verbs

Irregular verbs

Hiding Pronouns: Él or Ella?

Getting the Hang of that Whole Gender Thing

Appreciating articles

Adding adjectives

Counting Numbers

Getting to Know You: The Tú/Usted Issue

Part II: Spanish in Action

Chapter 3: ¡Hola! Hello! Greetings and Introductions

Greeting Formally or Informally

Using Names and Surnames

Discovering what’s in a name

Meeting the verb llamarse

Getting Introductions Right: Solemn and Social

Introducing yourself formally

Presenting yourself informally

Feeling Free to Be the Way You Are

Being permanent: ser

Conjugating ser (to be)

Saying adios to pronouns

Knowing a second ‘be’ for your bonnet: Estar

Speaking about Speaking: Hablar

Chapter 4: Getting to Know You: Making Small Talk

Using the Key Questions: Six Ws and Two Hs

Keeping an Eye on the Weather

Understanding the Verb Entender

Getting to Know People and Families

Living with Vivir: The Verb to Live

Discovering Diminutives

Chapter 5: Dining Out and Going to Market

¡Buen Provecho! Enjoy Your Meal!

Tackling table terms

Eating and drinking phrases

Using Three Verbs at the Table

Taking and drinking: The verb tomar

Drinking only: The verb beber

Tucking in: The verb comer

Eating Out: Trying Spanish Food at the Restaurant

Getting What You Want: The Verb Querer

Using the Shopping Verb: Comprar

Shopping Around: At the Market

Purchasing fresh fruit

Buying vegetables

Shopping for fish

Knowing the measures: Weight and volume

Calling into the Supermercado

Counting Numbers

Chapter 6: Shopping Made Easy

Hitting the Shops

Using the Verb Probar (To Try)

Creating a colourful you

Shopping for shirts and trousers

Checking fibres and fabrics

Wearing and Taking: The Verb Llevar

Making Comparisons: Good, Better, Best and More

Exaggerating: When Superlatives Fail

Shopping for Finer Objects

Shopping in Open-Air Markets

Rooting out typical market items: An affordable treasure trove

Bargaining at the open-air market

Buying glass, ceramics, silver and wood

Purchasing unique clothes

Searching out shoes and bags

Chapter 7: Organising a Night on the Town

Understanding that Timing Is Everything

Having a Good Time

Inviting and Being Invited: Invitar

Dancing the Night Away: Bailar

Enjoying Yourself at Shows and Events

Going to the cinema

Taking in a show

Visiting art galleries and museums

Laughing at a comedy show

Launching a book

Singing For Your Supper: Cantar

Chapter 8: Enjoying Yourself: Recreation

Venturing Outdoors: The Good and the Bad

Strolling Along: Pasear

Appreciating Trees and Plants

Searching Out Animals

Saying What You Like: Gustar

Becoming Active with Sport

Playing with the verb jugar

Enjoying the ‘beautiful game’: Fútbol

Zoning in on basketball

Serving up tennis

Getting on your bike

Splashing About: Nadar

Checking Out Chess

Booking in Some Reading Time: Leer

Scribbling Away: Escribir

Chapter 9: Talking on the Telephone

Starting Out with Your Opening Line

Dealing with ‘Porridge’ (When You Can’t Make Out the Words)

Thinking about ‘Spelling Out’

Calling on the Phone: Llamar

Spotting Phone-y Verbs: To Call, to Leave, and to Listen and Hear

You called? The past tense of llamar

Did you leave a message? The past tense of dejar

Have you heard? The past tense of escuchar

Chapter 10: Looking Around the Home and Office

Talking at Work and About Work

Considering the height of buildings

Conversing at work

Discovering Work-related Phrases and Idioms

Getting down to business with ‘Asunto’

Employing the hiring verb: Emplear

Doing and making: Hacer

Speaking about Houses and Homes

Gaining rental wisdom

Renting a home: Alquilar

Part III: Spanish on the Go

Chapter 11: Money, Money, Money

Cashing In With Some Basic Money Phrases

Operating Cash Machines

Wielding Your Credit Card

Using Traveller’s Cheques in Spain

Changing and Exchanging: Cambiar

Exchanging Your Pounds for Euros

Chapter 12: Asking Directions: ¿Dónde Está? (Where Is It?)

Asking the Question for Going Places: ¿Dónde?

Working Out Where to Go: ¿Dónde Vamos?

Orienting the Space Around You

Understanding Spatial Directions

Mapping the Place

Taking You Up: Subir

Lowering You Down: Bajar

Heading Here, There and Everywhere

Counting Ordinal Numbers

Knowing How Far To Go: Cerca and Lejos

Chapter 13: Checking into a Hotel

Checking Out the Hotel Before You Check in

Wondering About the Water

Sleeping Soundly: Dormir

Waking Up: Despertar

Being Possessive

Possessive adjectives

Possessive pronouns

Chapter 14: Getting Around: Planes, Trains, Taxis and More

Arriving in Spain

Dealing with the customs office

Registering your camera, computer and other expensive equipment

Finding a Train Station

Bringing and Carrying: Traer

Choosing Taxi or Bus

Addressing Driving Concerns

Carrying your driving licence

Reading road signs

Renting a Car

Preparing to drive

Hitting the road

Scheduling Issues: Running Late, Early or On Time

Using the Outgoing Verb: Salir

Employing the Waiting Verb: Esperar

Travelling Around in the City

Chapter 15: Planning a Trip

Making Travel Plans

Planning for the Weather

Timing Your Trip: Picking a month

Mastering Visas and Passports

Using the Verb to Go: Ir

Travelling into the simple future: Ir a viajar

Scheduling hours and minutes

Packing For Your Visit

Taking Along Your Computer

Chapter 16: Handling Emergencies

Shouting for Help

Handling Health Problems

Helping out: Using ayudar

Assisting yourself with reflexive pronouns

Expressing pain when you’re hurt

Telling where it hurts

Describing symptoms

Braving the dentist

‘Insuring’ that you get reimbursed

Getting Help with Legal Problems

Sticking ’em up

Reporting to the police

Using the Searching Verb: Buscar

Part IV: The Part of Tens

Chapter 17: Ten Ways to Speak Spanish Quickly

Visiting Spain

Mingling with Local Spanish Speakers

Listening to Radio, TV and the Internet

Renting a Film

Checking Out Your Library

Reading Lyrics and Liner Notes

Using Stickers

Saying It Again, Sam

Taking a Spanish Class

Finding Yourself a Tutor

Chapter 18: Ten (Plus Two) Favourite Spanish Expressions

¿Qué tal?

¿Cómo estás?

¿Qué pasa?

¿Cómo van las cosas?

¡De primera!

¿Cuánto cuesta?

¿Cómo dices?

¡Un atraco!

¡Una ganga!

¡Buen provecho!

¡Salud!

¡Buen viaje!

Chapter 19: Ten Holidays to Remember

Año Nuevo

La Feria de Sevilla

Las Fallas de Valencia

Carnaval

Semana Santa

Los San Fermines

Las Costas en Invierno

Los Paradores de Turismo en España

Taking a City Break

Planning Your Own Holiday

Chapter 20: Ten Phrases That Make You Sound Fluent in Spanish

¡Agarrar el toro por los cuernos!

¡Esta es la mía!

¿Y eso con qué se come?

Voy a ir de fiesta

Caer fatal

Nos divertimos en grande

Verselas negras para

Pasó sin pena ni gloria

¡Así a secas!

¡La cosa va viento en popa!

Part V: Appendixes

Appendix A: Spanish-English Mini-Dictionary

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

Y

Z

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

Y

Z

Appendix B: Spanish Verbs

Appendix C: About the CD

Appendix D: Spanish Facts

List of Audio and Video

Track 01 (6:44)

Track 02 (2:09)

Track 03 (0:47)

Track 04 (0:33)

Track 05 (0:40)

Track 06 (1:10)

Track 07 (1:24)

Track 08 (1:37)

Track 09 (1:12)

Track 10 (1:14)

Track 11 (2:26)

Track 12 (1:48)

Track 13 (1:40)

Track 14 (1:44)

Track 15 (2:24)

Track 16 (1:14)

Track 17 (1:46)

Track 18 (1:49)

Track 19 (1:17)

Track 20 (2:51)

Track 21 (2:01)

Track 22 (1:36)

Track 23 (1:53)

Track 24 (1:05)

Track 25 (1:21)

Track 26 (1:29)

Track 27 (1:27)

Track 28 (2:07)

Track 29 (2:08)

Track 30 (1:58)

Track 31 (1:08)

Track 32 (2:45)

Track 33 (1:54)

Track 34 (1:49)

Track 35 (1:27)

Track 36 (2:56)

Spanish For Dummies®

by Pedro Vázquez Bermejo and Susana Wald

Spanish For Dummies®

Published byJohn Wiley & Sons, Ltd

The Atrium Southern Gate Chichester West Sussex PO19 8SQ England

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Visit our Home Page on www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, Chichester, West Sussex, England

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, Chichester, West Sussex

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data: A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-0-470-68815-1

Printed and bound in Great Britain by TJ International, Padstow, Cornwall

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

About the Authors

Pedro Vázquez Bermejo is a leading Spanish communicator, teacher, translator and interpreter living in London. He was born in the Spanish region of Extremadura (the land of the Conquistadores!) and grew up in Madrid, before settling down in London.

After studying sociology at Madrid’s University Complutense in the late 1980s, Pedro developed a real passion for modern languages. He now specialises in teaching Spanish to all ages and levels of ability, from young multilingual children to retired enthusiastic academics. He holds both one-to-one and group sessions, including his innovative, absorbing and entertaining Spanish classes at the BBC headquarters in London.

The varied work Pedro has undertaken includes acting as a corporate interpreter and as a Spanish voiceover coordinator on educational interactive videos and multilingual historical role games. He is also a multilingual corporate image producer, and his work in this area has included producing some award-winning international corporate DVDs.

Pedro also holds a High Certificate in Foreign Commerce from the Chamber of Commerce of Madrid, and a masters degree in marketing and business administration.

Pedro is very personable and his excellent communication skills are imbued with warmth, humour and patience. He speaks in a standard Castilian Spanish accent, with pleasing and crystal-clear pronunciation. He also has a personal repertoire of Spanglish jokes and sayings, and is capable of ‘talking the hind legs off a donkey’ – try translating that into Spanish! He is never short of ideas for keeping the language (lengua in Spanish) rolling!

Susana Wald is a writer and a simultaneous and literary translator in Spanish, English, French and Hungarian. As a publisher, she has been working with books and authors for many years. She has been a teacher in Chile and Canada and has known the joy of learning from her students and their untiring enthusiasm and tolerance. She is also an artist and has had her work shown in many countries in North, Central and South America, and in Europe.

Authors’ Acknowledgements

My thanks go to everyone who has helped to keep my blood pressure down throughout the time I’ve spent working on this book (excluding English tea and Spanish coffee)! I can now relax and acknowledge the following:

I thank my always-admired publishers, Wiley, and specifically my charming and professional commissioning editor, Wejdan Ismail, for finding and selecting me for the ‘Spanish job’ and for her great support; thanks also to my development editor, Steve Edwards, for always being so patient and encouraging.

Thanks, also, to all my pupils – especially the kids for their inspiration and laughter. Their passion for exploring language and communication makes all my efforts worthwhile!

I also thank my adorable Dee and my own family members – my dad Gregorio, mum Felisa, auntie Use and beloved super-sister Carlota. I acknowledge the support to the cerebral side of things provided by my bilingual friend, Fiona Campbell, and thank José Luís Ruíz-Calero García-Gil from Madrid for his enviable command of Spanish writing skills and for his friendship. Last but not least, thanks of course go to our favourite companions on our weekend walks in the forests of Kent – Chessie (a gorgeous border collie señorita) and Lily (the most enchanting miniature cocker spaniel niña), both of whom can now bark in a useful and fashionable Spanish!

Pedro Vázquez Bermejo

I would like to thank Wiley for the splendid idea of publishing these truly novel books. My thanks go as well to Jean Antonin Billard, greatest amongst the greatest translators. I must also mention that I owe Juergen Lorenz the structure of the text, as well as his friendly help with its first birthpangs.

And I thank from the heart the unflagging editorial help of Kathy Cox, at Wiley, who kept my spirit from sinking at all times, as well as Tammy Castleman, Patricia Pan, Billie Williams and Kathleen Dobie, who contributed their excellent copy editing skills. Thanks and excuses are also due to my lifetime partner, Ludwig Zeller, who for months saw mostly the back of my head while my face was glued to the monitor of my computer. May we all have a happy life.

Susana Wald

Publisher’s Acknowledgements

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/.

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Commissioning, Editorial, and Media Development

Development Editor: Steve Edwards

Content Editor: Jo Theedom

Commissioning Editor: Wejdan Ismail

Assistant Editor: Jennifer Prytherch

Proofreader: Andy Finch

Technical Editor: Maria Violeta Millins Alarcón

Production Manager: Daniel Mersey

Cover Photos: © Gavin Hellier/JAI/Corbis

Cartoons: Ed McLachlan

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Lynsey Stanford

Layout and Graphics: Claudia Bell, Carl Byers, Christine Williams

Proofreaders: Melissa Cossell, John Greenough

Indexer: Valerie Haynes Perry

Introduction

As society becomes more international in nature, knowing how to say at least a few words in other languages becomes increasingly useful: low-cost airfares are making travel abroad a more realistic option, global business environments necessitate overseas travel or you just may have friends and neighbours who speak other languages.

Whatever your reason for acquiring some Spanish, this book can help. Spanish For Dummies gives you the skills you need for basic communication in Spanish. We’re not promising fluency here, but if you want to greet someone, purchase a ticket or order off a menu in Spanish, you need look no further than Spanish For Dummies.

What’s Special about Spanish?

Spanish is one of the great European languages, rich in heritage from more than nine centuries of existence. This language comes from the central region of Spain called Castilla(kahs-tee-yah) (Castile) and is also the language of much great literature.

The first European novel – as a matter of fact, the first novel in the modern sense – was written in Spanish by Miguel de Cervantes. You’ve probably heard about Don Quixote, the ‘enthusiastic visionary’. His adventures have even become part of the English language: the word quixotic describes someone with an odd, eccentric or utterly-regardless-of-material-interests attitude.