It is inevitable that you will use the verb tener which means 'to have', from quite an early stage of your Spanish studies as it is one of the most commonly used verbs in the Spanish language.It is a particularly useful verb as it is used not only to indicate possession but it is also used in a number of idiomatic expressions that indicate emotions or states of being.In English the verb 'to have' is used to describe possession but it can also be...more
Spanish Verb Conjugations, where should we start?Well, the first thing we should not do is presume that you know what a conjugation is, never mind Spanish verb conjugations, so here is a brief explanation or definition if you prefer.A conjugation, where linguistics is concerned, is the formation of a specific form of a verb, normally comprising of the stem of a verb and one of various different endings that when attached to the stem indicate the...more
When it comes to great opera tenors most people naturally think of Italy first and why shouldn't they, after all they have provided us with not only great composers of this genre of music such as Verdi, Puccini and Rossini but great voices as well such as Caruso, Di Stefano, Pavarotti and many others. The Spanish however have not provided us with such composers in the field of Opera as their tastes leans toward Zarzuela, which is basically a Spanish form of opera and it is from this music that many a fine voice has come to the world of not only Italian opera but music in general.Domingo is a fine example of a great Spanish tenor, as his voice combines both the strength required to sing such demanding roles as 'Siegfried' in Wagner's 'The Ring' as well as 'Othello' in Verdi's opera by the same name along with the sweetness to interpret the style known as bell canto in earlier works by Verdi and those of Donizetti. Domingo however is much more than a great voice as he perhaps was the first tenor ever to combine being a great singer along with being a great actor; him being able to put real life in to any role, which adds that extra dimension of drama in to any of the many roles he...more
In order to conjugate Spanish verbs correctly we need to understand what a verb is and what a conjugation is. My old teachers used to tell me that a verb is a doing word, and to be honest, it is the most straight-forward and accurate explanation of a verb I have ever heard, so I'm going to stick with it:A conjugation, on the other hand, is a little...more
A verb is a word that denotes an action or, as I was told at school, a 'doing' word. And all verbs are conjugated to a degree, the conjugation of verbs is needed in all languages to help identify who is performing a task or an action and when; Spanish conjugation is no different.In Spanish there are regular and irregular verbs.Regular verbs are...more
It happened many years ago, that I met a man from Barcelona at a bar in England whom I asked if he considered himself to be Spanish or Catalonian. At first this man seemed surprised by my question till I explained to him that I had always heard that certain groups in Spain considered themselves to be more from a certain region then the country.For instance that some in the Basque country felt themselves not to be Spanish but Basques only. I even mentioned how this seemed a bit odd to me, as I would never say when asked that I was not British but Scottish.Once I explained my question to this gentleman whose name was Jorge, he told me that the matter was not such an easy one. Yes, he did say he was Spanish and was proud of it but on the other hand he wanted it to be clear that his part of the country was of a different culture then the rest of Spain.For instance he mentioned how in Catalonia, the sport of bullfighting was not one that was practiced, given that it was not a part of their culture. This to the extent that there was not even a single bullfighting rink to be found in all of Catalonia.Jorge also went to include in his arguments that though Spanish was his native tongue,...more
To many an English speaking person trying to understand or learn the difference between the Spanish equivalents of to be which are ser and estar; might be a complicated manner specially since English unlike Spanish or Italian, has but one form.To be...more
In Spanish there are just two past tenses that the student needs to be concerned about, they are the preterite and the imperfect tenses.The Imperfect TenseThe imperfect tense is used to refer to actions in the past that occurred repeatedly such as,I...more
There is absolutely nothing wrong with looking for a free Spanish course to avoid paying for something you may not enjoy and eventually stop...money down the drain!There are a wide array of freely accessible learning material on the internet that...more
Any student of the Spanish language can tell you that learning about verbs and verb conjugation is the most confusing and challenging aspect of Spanish. Not only do you need to learn basic conjugation for regular verbs, there are also...more
Author: Sienna AllenRocket Spanish is an on line Spanish learning system. Does it really work?WHAT ARE THE COMPONENTS OF THE SYSTEM?Rocket Spanish is available as a set of CDs or as a download. It comes with videos, audio, and software games. ...more
Author: lucas bakerRocket Spanish is an on line Spanish learning system. Does it actually work?WHAT DO YOU GET WITH YOUR PURCHASE?Rocket Spanish is available as a set of CDs or as a download. The system consists of audio recordings, videos, and...more