Spanish Lesson Twenty-Seven: Family and Relationships

To The Readers:

Today is December 9, 2012! It's a great day to learn some Spanish. If you read last week's lesson, you learned about the formula Hay + Que +Inf. This formula is used when discussing what's necessary and prudent. If you're catching these lessons for the first time, I suggest starting with Lesson One: Learning A Little At A Time. It's an easy read and a great introduction to the Spanish language. Welcome back to those repeat visitors and let's learn something new. :)

Today's Goal: To learn and understand ways in which to discuss family and those important to your life. You will also be able to discuss the ages of said people.

There will be a great variety of vocabulary words as we continue on with our normal list of nouns, verbs, adjectives, and reflexive verbs to broaden our word selection. Also there will be two charts after the Warm-Up to give your words for Family, Friends, and Loved Ones. These words are pretty easy to remember. Just use those as references when reviewing. Also keep in mind, that there are a ton more words out there to be explored, just pick up a dictionary or search for it online.

Today's Tip: If you want to broaden your vocabulary even better, take a few words you don't know and try to incorporate them into your vocabulary. They don't have to be complicated, just new words to get used to. It's the same as if learning English. Give it a try. :)

Verbs

To Lead/To Conduct/To Drive: Conducir

To Confess: Confesar

To Know/To Be Acquainted With: Conocer

To Attain/To Get/To Obtain: Conseguir

To Constitute/To Make Up: Constituir

To Construct/To Build: Construir

To Count/To Relate/To Tell: Contar

Reflexive Verbs

To Get Married/To Marry: Casarse

To Take Care of Oneself: Cuidarse

To Devote Oneself: Dedicarse

To Have Breakfast: Desayunarse

To Take Leave Of, To Say Goodbye To: Despedirse

To Stretched Oneself: Desperezarse

To Wake Up Oneself: Despertarse

Nouns

Mountain: La Montaña

Valley: El Valle

Lake: El Lago

Coast: El Nivel Del Mar

Peak: El Pico

Mesa: La Meseta

Plain/Praire: La Llanura

Adjectives

Straight (hair): Liso

Curly (hair): Rizado

Frizzy (hair): Crespo

Long (hair): Largo

Blonde (hair): Rubio

I remember watching a video of Muzzy, an educational video for kids to learn foreign languages. Watch this Youtube sample... it might help you learn a few things. :) Muzzy is a cute kid's show and I actually watched a great deal of it earlier. It immerses you in the language. That is, of course, the best way to learn a new language. Think of other ways to learn throughout your week. You'll get there sooner or later!

This lesson is chocked full of goodies! If you've read your chart above you'll know that there are a plethora of words to describe relatives and friends. I did not include MANY words as to ensure that this lesson was a brief as possible. If you'd like to know how to say Brother in Law, Stepsister, Twin, etc. Take a look online at some other words you can use. Also Madre and Padre are very formal words and usually replaced with Máma and Pápa. Find your favorite word and use that. Now I remember learning these things early in Spanish I in highschool and it's generally coupled with the verb Tener which means "to have". It can also be used to discuss age and create other expressions. Here's some examples of using Tener. Conjugation Notes: Here.

Yo tengo dos primos. I have two cousins. Tener is used exactly for having something as in a possessive sense. It CANNOT be used as a helping verb as that function belongs to Haber which will be discussed in later lessons.

When discussing age, the verb Tener must be conjugated to reflect the subject just as it is when discussing what someone has. Conjugate the verb tener according to the subject, add the amount of years someone has (age), and add the word años at the end. Here is how to state and ask how old a person, relative, or loved one is.

Yo tengo dos años. I have two years (I am two years old). Think of age as a possession in how many years and you'll remember this. It's pretty simple right? What about asking someone... read this example.

¿Cuántos años tiene tu primo? How many years does your cousin have (How old is your cousin)? Simply ask how many years (conjugate for the subject) and add a noun or pronoun to specify who the person is. Leave off the noun or pronoun when the person is understood. Look at this conversation:

Jorge: Tengo uno primo. Se llama Matteo. I have one cousin. He calls himself (his name is) Matteo.

Aubrey: Lo entiendo. ¿Cuánto años tiene? I understand (it). How many years does he have (how old is he)?

Jorge: Tiene tres años. He has three years (he is three years old).

Tener is also used to create other expressions that use its function "to have". Take a look at these expressions created by tener.

Tener frío: To be (have) cold.

Tener calor: To be (have) hot.

Tener hambre: To be (have) hungry.

Tener sed: To be (have) thirsty.

Tener sueño: To be (have) sleepy.

Since I've already posted a video on last week's subject in a previous lesson, take tonight off and read a good book or watch a movie. Sometimes it's best to get your mind at ease. You might even reserve some energy for taking on a language challenge or doing a little work out of a practice book. Learning a new language is a part of life, you gotta do when you can. Also I want to let you all know that next week we will be learning about Discussing Your Future and how to express your goals and aspirations in life. That'll be fun right? I hope you all will enjoy that. ¡Adiós!