Spanish 2/Chapter 7 (Childhood)
Chapter 7 (Childhood)
editToys
edit- bloques - blocks
- colección - collection
- cuerda - rope
- dinosaurio - dinosaur
- juguete - toy
- muñeca - doll
- muñeco - action figure
- oso de peluche - teddy bear
- tren eléctrico - electric train
- triciclo - tricycle
Animals
edit- pez - fish
- peces - multiple fish / fishes
- tortuga - turtle
Things to do
edit- coleccionar - to collect
- molestar - to bother
- pelearse - to fight
- saltar - to jump
Places
edit- guardería infantil - daycare center
- patio de recreo - playground
To explain actions
edit- de niño(a) - as a child
- de pequeño(a) - as a child
- de vez en cuando - once in a while
- mentir - to lie
- obedecer - to obey
- ofrecer - to offer
- permitir - to permit, to allow
- por lo general - in general
- portarse bien/mal - to behave well/badly
- todo el mundo - everyone
- vecino(a) - neighbor
- la verdad - truth
- ¿verdad? - Right?
Note: Mentir has a stem-change of e to ie. Obedecer and Ofrecer have a stem-change of c to zc.
To describe people
edit- bien educado(a) - well-behaved
- consentido(a) - spoiled
- desobediente - disobedient
- generoso(a) - generous
- obediente - obedient
- timido(a) - timid
- travieso(a) - naughty, mischievous
Other words
edit- moneda - coin
- mundo - world
Imperfect of ir
edit- iba - I used to go
- ibas - you used to go (singular)
- iba - he/she used to go
- íbamos - we use to go
- ibais - you used to go (plural)
- iban - they used to go
Note: Notice the accent mark on the nosotros form.
Imperfect of ser
edit- era - I used to be
- eras - you used to be (singular)
- era - he/she used to be
- éramos - we used to be
- erais - you used to be (plural)
- eran - they used to be
Note: Notice the accent mark on the nosotros form.
Imperfect of ver
edit- veía - I used to watch
- veías - you used to watch (singular)
- veía - he/she used to watch
- veíamos - we used to watch
- veíais - you used to watch (plural)
- veían - they used to watch
Note: Notice the accent mark on each form.
Imperfect tense: regular verbs
editAnother way to talk about the past is with the imperfect tense. Use the imperfect tense to talk about actions that happened repeatedly in the past.
Jugar
- jugaba - I used to play
- jugabas - you used to play (singular)
- jugaba - he/she used to play
- jugábamos - we used to play
- jugabais - you used to play (plural)
- jugaban - they used to play
Note: Notice the accent mark on the nosotros form.
Hacer
- hacía - I used to do
- hacías - you used to do (singular)
- hacía - he/she used to do
- hacíamos - we used to do
- hacíais - you used to do (plural)
- hacían - they used to do
Vivir
- vivía - I used to live
- vivías - you used live (singular)
- vivía - he/she used live
- vivíamos - we used live
- vivíais - you used live (plural)
- vivían - they used live
Note: Notice the accent mark on each ending.
In Spanish, you can omit the subject of the verb because the verb ending makes it claers who you are refering to.
ex. Vives en San Francisco. (The subject, tú is included in the verb ending.)
However, since the yo and Ud./él/ella forms are the same in the imperfect tense, speakers often use the subject pronouns to avoid confusion.
ex.. Patty tenía un coche rojo pero yo tenía uno azul.
Expressions such as generalmente, por lo general, a menudo, muchas veces, de vez en cuando, todos los días, and nunca can cause you to use the imperfect because they imply that something happened repeatedly in the past.
Indirect object pronouns
editRemember that an indirect object tells to whom or for whom an action is performed. Indirect object pronouns are used to replace or accompany an indirect object noun.
- me - me
- te - you (familiar)
- le - him, her, you (formal)
- nos - us
- os - you (familiar)
- les - them, you (formal)
ex. Nuestra escuela no nos permite beber refrescos en las clases. Sus abuelos siempre les daban regalos a los niños.
Because le and les have more than one meaning, you make the meaning clearer by adding a + name, noun, or pronoun.
ex. Lola siempre les decía la verdad a sus padres.
Like direct object pronouns and reflexive pronouns, indirect object pronouns are placed right before the verb or attached to the infinitive.
ex. Siempre le quería comprar dulces a su hija. (or) Siempre quería comprarle dulces a su hija.
Vocabulario adicional
editChildhood descriptions
edit- creativo(a) - creative
- inquieto(a) - restless
- juguetón, juguetona - playful
- mentiroso(a) - liar
- prudente - prudent, sensible
Playground
edit- cajón de arena - sandbox
- carrusel - merry-go-round
- columpio - swing
- subibaja - seesaw
- tobogán - slide
Animals
edit- águila - eagle
- conejo - rabbit
- cuervo - raven
- gallina - hen
- gallo - rooster
- oveja - sheep
- rana - frog
- toro - bull
- vaca - cow
- zorro(a) - fox
Cultural Insight (Canciones infantiles)
editEvery child likes to sing. In Spanish-speaking nations, there are numerous popular songs that children sing while playing with friends.
Many children’s songs are part of the culture and traditions of Latin America. Also, they are used to teach vocabulary, verb tenses, and traditions. Some of the songs that are transmitted through generations are:
- Los pollitos dicen
- Yo tengo una casita- Pica Pica
- La vaca lechera
- Cabeza, Hombros, Rodillas y Pies
- Cumpleaños Feliz / Sapo Verde
- Las Mañanitas
- Los Elefantes
- La Cucaracha
- La Rana debajo del Agua
- María Isabel
- Cielito Lindo
- El Rancho Grande