Spanish 2/Chapter 3 (Daily Activities)

Chapter 3 (Daily Activities)

Getting Ready

acostarse - to go to bed
afeitarse - to shave
arreglarse - to fix
bañarse - to take a bath
cepillarse - to brush
cortarse el pelo - to cut one's hair
despertarse - to wake up
ducharse - to take a shower
levantarse - to get up
lavarse - to wash
pedir prestado(a) - to borrow
pintarse - to paint, to polish
ponerse - to put on
prepararse - to get ready
secarse - to dry
vestirse - to get dressed

Note: Acostarse has a stem change when conjugated (o to ue). Despertarse has a stemchange of (e to ie). Vestirse conjugates as (e to i).

Things needed to get ready

agua de colonia - cologne
anillo - ring
cepillo - brush
cinturón - belt
desodorante - deodorant
ducha - shower
gel - gel
joyas - jewelry
oro - gold
plata - silver
labios - lips
maquillaje - make-up
peine - comb
pelo - hair
salón de belleza - beauty salon
secador - blow dryer
toalla - towel
uñas - nails

Special events

audición - audition
boda - wedding
cita - date
concurso - contest
evento especial - special event

Feelings

entusiasmado(a) - excited
nervioso(a) - nervous
tranquilo(a) - calm
feliz - happy

Other useful words

antes de - before
cómodo(a) - comfortable
depende - it depends
elegante - elegant
lentamente - slowly
luego - then
por ejemplo - for example
rápidamente - quickly
te ves - you look

Reflexive verbs

To say that people do something to or for themselves, reflexive verbs are used. You know a verb is reflexive if its infinite form ends in se. The reflexive pronouns in Spanish are me, te, se, nos, and os. Each pronoun corresponds to a different subject. Here is the conjugation of the present-tense of the reflexive verb acostarse:

me acuesto - I go to bed
te acuestas - you go to bed (singular)
se acuesta - he/she goes to bed
nos acostamos - we go to bed
os acostáis - you go to bed (plural)
se acuestan - they go to bed

Ser (to be)

Ser is one form of "to be" in Spanish. Use ser to talk about:

what a person or thing is
what a person or thing is like
where a person or thing is from
what a thing is made of
to whom something belongs

Here is the conjugation of ser:

soy - I am
eres - you are (singular)
es - he/she is
somos - we are
sois - you are (plural)
son - they are

Here is the conjugation of ser in the preterit tense:

fui - I was
fuiste - you were (singular)
fue - he/she was
fuimos - we were
fuisteis - you were (plural)
fueron - they were

Estar (to be)

Estar is the other form of "to be" in Spanish. Use estar to talk about:

how a person or thing is at the moment
how someone feels
where a person or thing is located

Here is the conjugation of estar:

estoy - I am
estás - you are (singular)
está - he/she is
estamos - we are
estáis - you are (plural)
están - they are

Here is the conjugation of estar in the preterit tense:

estuve - I am
estuviste - you are (singular)
estuvo - he/she is
estuvimos - we are
estuvisteis - you are (plural)
estuvieron - they are

Possessive adjectives

Spanish possessive adjectives have a long form that follows the noun. These forms are often used for emphasis. Sometimes, possessive adjectives may be used without the noun. To clarify or emphasize possession, you can use de + a noun or pronoun instead of suyo.

mío(a, -os, -as) - mine
- el coche mío - my car / this car of mine
- ¿De quién es la mochila? Es mía. No, es de ella. - Whose backpack is this? It's mine. No, it's hers.
tuyo (a, -os, -as) - yours (singular/familiar)
suyo (a, -os, -as) - yours (singular/formal), his, hers, its
nuestro (a, -os, -as) - ours
vuestro (a, -os, -as) - yours (plural/familiar)
suyo (a, -os, -as) - yours (plural/formal), theirs

Vocabulario adicional

dientes - teeth
esmalte de uñas - nail polish
espuma de afeitar - shaving foam
fijador - hair spray
lápiz de labios - lipstick
loción - lotion
loción astringente - astringent
loción humectante - moisturizing lotion
loción para después de afeitarse - aftershave lotion
maquinilla de afeitar - razor
sombra de ojos - eye shadow

Cultural Insight (Ponchos)

Ponchos, also known in other places as: (Huipil y sarape) are the typical clothing worn in the altiplano, a plateau in the Andes Mountains between Bolivia and Peru. The poncho is also the traditional clothing of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Mexico, especially in the mountainous regions. Ponchos are usually made of the wool from llama, alpacas, or other animals.