These Spanish Proficiency Exercises at the University of Texas web site look very interesting. They include more than 80 different topics at 4 levels of proficiency. Here is their description of the material:

Spanish Proficiency Exercises is a compilation of brief video clips in which native speakers of Spanish from various locations throughout Latin America and Spain demonstrate various language tasks. The objective of the exercises is to provide students of Spanish with the necessary tools to be able to talk about the same topics in Spanish. In order to do, this Spanish Proficiency Exercises contains five major components. First, there is a simplified video clip. This simplified version is scripted, the native speakers talks slower, and he or she uses simpler words and less slang. Second, there are video clips of native speakers who also perform the proficiency tasks. These clips are not scripted. What the native speakers say is what they really said. Some may talk fast, others talk slow, and some have specific regional dialects.

Third, to help perform the same task, we provide a Spanish/English glossary of vocabulary words that students may need in order to talk about the topic. Fourth, we also provide sample sentences that one may want to use in order to talk about the topic. Finally, we offer a brief, mini-grammar explanation on some grammar principle that is related to the proficiency topic. After reviewing the simplified version, the vocabulary, the phrases, the grammar, and the video clips of the native speakers, we believe that students will be more prepared to perform the same proficiency tasks.

The gray menu bar at the top of each page contains proficiency topics, divided by level of difficulty: Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced, Superior. Click on any of these levels to see a list of topics. Then click on any of the specific topics to see the video clips, vocabulary lists, phrases lists, and mini-grammar explanations.

A site index offers a comprehensive list of website components — including video podcasts and a topical grammar index.

This appears to be something I can use to sharpen my listening skills since it includes the audio as well as the transcripts and speakers are from different Spanish speaking countries.

I have been trying to learn Spanish for a number of years. Problem is I am not accountable to anyone. Nobody checks up on me and I really have no way to measure my progress. I am hoping that I can keep track of my progress on this blog.

I will also be able to keep track of resources I find and document if they were helpful or not, or possibly note that I will want to come back later and use the material after I progress more in my understanding.

I am sure this will grow along with me and hopefully become a resource for others who are learning Spanish.

Any post dated before this one was moved from somewhere else to this blog to bring together, in one place, what I am doing to learn Spanish.

Well, I have once again been lax in my learning, but, as stated earlier, I am hoping that this blog will help motivate me to work on my Spanish.

SuperMemo:

• Cards: 4930
• Nouns: 975
• Verbs: 214
• Progress: I let this slack, so when I started up again last week there were 2400 cards waiting for review! I have worked that down to 1100 over the last couple days, but I need to start adding some new words from my ‘texts’ below.

Practical Grammar:

• Done: Chapter 9, Vocabulary to SuperMemo
• ToDo: Remainer of Chapter 9 entered into SuperMemo

Platiquemos:

Audio Work

• Level 1: Unit 6: 11 lessons
• Level 2: Empty
• Level 3: Unit 3: 3 lessons, Unit 5: 6 lessons
• Level 4: Unit 3: 1 lesson, Unit 4: 4 lessons, Unit 5: 4 lessons

Text Work

• Progress: Unit 5 exercises are in SuperMemo
• ToDo: Unit 6 exercises need to be put into SuperMemo.

LIYC Spanish:

Audio work

• Progress: Listening to Level 2 Disk 1 this week in the car

Text work

• Progress: Lesson 18, Shops, entered into SuperMemo
• ToDo: Enter 2 more lessons into SuperMemo

Madrigal Magic Key:

• Progress: Lesson 6 entered into SuperMemo
• ToDo: Enter 2 more lessons into SuperMemo

My evaluation:

• Must not get distracted.
• Picking this up again after being idle for over 2 months has really hurt.

I have installed the .mp3 files or Platiquemos Unit 6 on my Palm and have added 330 new ‘cards’ into Supermemo from the lesson. Luckily there was little typing since Platiquemos includes a .pdf of the lesson which allows me to transfer the text to an editor where I format the prompts and responses for Supermemo.

Supermemo will spread these cards out over the next couple days for review but still it means I am further behind, although I have managed to get the number of cards needing to be reviewed to under 1000. Hopefully I will be able to bring that down to 0 by the end of the week.

I have been working on my Spanish fairly regularly. Here is where things stand right now:

SuperMemo:

• Cards: 5468
• Nouns: 996
• Verbs: 222
• Progress: Currently have about 300 cards to review each day.

Practical Grammar:

• Done: Chapter 9, Entire unit is in SuperMemo
• ToDo: Learn use of Direct and Indirect Objects so I can move on to Unit 10

Platiquemos:

Audio Work

• Listening to CDs of the Lessons in the car while I drive.

Text Work

• Progress: Unit 6 exercises are in SuperMemo
• ToDo: Unit 7 will be put into SuperMemo next.

Madrigal Magic Key:

• Progress: Still just up to lesson 6 into SuperMemo
• ToDo: Enter 2 more lessons into SuperMemo

LIYC Spanish:

• I am going to shelf this and focus on the above items.

My evaluation:

• Moving along pretty well. The current grammar portion of Practical Spanish Grammar is going to take much of my attention.

Practical Spanish Grammar pg 151

I think I remember my High School English class lessons on indirect objects, but just to be sure I did a quick search and here is what I find:

Indirect Object

An indirect object, if used, always comes between the verb and the direct object. It tells to whom or for whom the action of the verb is done and who is receiving the direct object. So, an indirect object is acts as a prepositional phrase in which the preposition is not stated but is understood. If a preposition is used, then the word becomes the object of that preposition rather than an indirect object.

According to the lesson, English only has a few verbs that take an indirect object, whereas in Spanish any verb can take an indirect object with a wide range of meanings.

Rules

• If a noun functions as the indirect object it must be preceded by the preposition a
  Usted dio el libro a su amiga.
• If a noun functions as the indirect object one often adds the corresponding indirect object pronoun le or les to anticipate the noun.
  Usted le dio el libro a su amiga.
• Object of the preposition pronouns can be add to make the indirect object more emphatic, but cannot replace the indirect object.
  Usted le dio el libro or Usted le dio el libro a él but not Usted dio el libro a él
• Indirect object pronoun always precedes the direct object, whether before or after the verb.
• If both the indirect and direct object pronouns are 3rd person, the indirect object changes from le/les to se.
  Usted se lo dio instead of Usted le lo dio

This all seems rather strait forward till you see it working in practice. A bunch of se, le, lo, la, te, etcs strung in pairs and it gets confusing to find the references for the pronouns, at least in my feeble brain. Hopefully as I work through the practice exercises it will become more and more familiar. I also hope to find some lessons on the internet that will help as well.

Practical Spanish Grammar pg 155

I am dividing this grammar lesson into two parts because I need to study them separately. The second part is PSG 9 - Grammar IIb - Accidental & Unplanned Occurrences

The sentence El libro me gusta means I like the book even though literally it might be translated The book is pleasing to me. Libro is the subject¹ and the verb, gusta, must agree with it. If we change libro to libros then we must change the verb to the third person plural, gustan.

This grammatical construction does not exist in English. These Indirect Object Pronoun Verbs only have 3rd person singular or plural subjects so are never conjugated in first or second person forms and they always take an indirect object such as Me in the above sentence. They remind me of reflexive verbs in that gustar could almost be memorized as gustarle to remind one that the indirect object is required.

Here are some of the verbs that follow the same pattern as gustar include:

• agradar - to like, to please
• apetecer - to like (food, drink)
• convenir - to be suitable, to be convenient
• doler - to hurt, to ache
• encantar - to like
• enfadar - to make mad
• faltar - to miss, to lack
• hacer gracia - to be funny to someone
• importar - to matter, to be important
• interesar - to interest
• irritar - to irritate
• molestar - to bother, to annoy
• ocurrir - to happen, to occur
• parecer - to seem, to look like
• pasar - to happen, to be the matter with
• sobrar - to be left (over)
• valer la pena - to be worthwhile

According to Gramática y Ortografía, these verbs imply that “something” (subject) influences (verb) someone (indirect object). These verbs can be recognized because

they imply an emotional response from the indirect object. The indirect object either likes or dislikes in some way the subject. If it bothers you, then we can say that you dislike it, and viceversa.

PSG also mentions that some of these verbs can be conjugated normally and, when they are, they have a different sense to them. Convenir means to be suitable or to be convenient when constructed in the 3rd person along with the indirect object. When it is conjugated any other way it means to agree

The lesson over at Learn Spanish has some good examples and exercises to help work out the details of this ‘odd’ construction.

Practical Spanish Grammar pg 155

I divided this grammar lesson into two parts because I need to study them separately. The first part is PSG 9 - Grammar IIa - Indirect Object Pronoun Verbs like Gustar. As I was putting this post together I realized how the two are related.

When talking about an action that is or was not planned, especially if it was unwanted or was unpleasant, the reflexive pronoun se is used (similar to how we use Se habla español) followed by an indirect object pronoun, 3rd person verb, and then the sentence subject. This construction is for things that “just happen”, such as forgetting, falling, dropping, and breaking.

So instead of saying, “I dropped her teapot!”, even in English we may say “The teapot slipped out of my hands!” According to Dr. Lemon’s Grammar Notes:

The difference in the second sentences is an emphasis on the lack of intent or responsibility. We are stressing that this was a totally unexpected event that did not involve any deliberate action on our part. In Spanish we use Se with certain verbs reflexively to convey this idea. We conjugate them in the third person singular or plural - much like Gustar type verbs - since we aren’t actually doing the action: Rather, it is something happening to us.

This construction indicates that the action was unintentional and, since the ‘actor’ is only referenced by an indirect object pronoun, this construction gives the sense that the ‘actor’ is not to blame - he or she had nothing to do with the accident.

Se le cayó la pluma. would mean: He dropped the pen (The pen got dropped by him).
Without the indirect object pronoun,
Se cayó la pluma. would mean: The pen fell.

I also note that from all the examples in PSG and online it appears that the peterite tense is used most all the time for this construction.

Practical Spanish Grammar pg 159

Finally a verb tense I can memorize! If only all the tenses were this easy!

Notes:

• Most stems are not irregular
• -ar verbs add -aba…
• -er and -ir verbs add -ía…
• Only ir, ser, and ver are irregular in the imperfect
• There are no stem changing verbs in the imperfect
• The accent in the ending -ía in all conjugations breaks up the dipthong
• An accent is used in the 1st person plural to keep the accent off the ‘amos’ ending
• -er and -ir verbs are identical in the first- and third-person singular forms. A pronoun or subject noun is used before the verb if context doesn’t indicate who is performing the action.

According to About.com Spanish Language the imperfect indicative is used:

• To tell of past habitual or repeated actions — Iba a la tienda. (I used to go to the store.) Leíamos los libros. (We would read the books.) Lavaban los manos. (They would wash their hands.) Escribía muchas cartas. (I wrote many letters.)
• To describe a condition, mental state, or state of being from the past — Había una casa aquí. (There used to be a house here.) Era estúpido. (He was stupid.) No te conocía. (I didn’t know you.) Quería estar feliz. (He wanted to be happy.) Tenía frío. (He was cold.)
• To describe an action that occurred over an unspecified time — Lavaban los manos. (They were washing their hands.) Cuando José tocaba el piano, María comía. (While José was playing the piano, María was eating.)
• To indicate time or age in the past — Era la una de la tarde. (It was 1 p.m.) Tenía 43 años. (She was 43 years old.)
• Background — The imperfect indicative is frequently used to provide the background for an event that is described using the preterite. Era [imperfect] la una de la tarde cuando comió [preterite]. (It was 1 p.m. when she ate.) Yo escribía [imperfect] cuando llegaste [preterite]. (I was writing when you arrived.)

I had to do an update. I finally got my SuperMemo worked down to zero cards for review! Whoot! Here is where things stand right now:

SuperMemo:

Progress: Finally have it worked down to zero cards. I peaked and 155 will show up tomorrow for review. That is definitely manageable.

Practical Grammar:

• Done: Chapter 10, Vocabulary is in SuperMemo
• ToDo: Enter vocabulary exercises into SuperMemo and begin working on grammar lessons

Platiquemos:

Audio Work

• Listening to CDs of the Lessons in the car while I drive.

Text Work

• Progress: Still just have lessons up through 6 in SuperMemo
• ToDo: Unit 7 still needs to be put into SuperMemo next.

Madrigal Magic Key:

• Progress: Still just up to lesson 6 into SuperMemo
• ToDo: Enter 2 more lessons into SuperMemo

My evaluation:

• Glad (as you can tell) to get SuperMemo caught up. Need to work on advancing in Platiquemos and Madrigal.

The book, Spanish Among Amigos - Phrasebook, by Nuria Agulló is subtitled “Conversations for the Socially Adventurous”. I noticed it in the list of new books at my local library and decided to check it out.

From the Back Cover

Shake it up in Spanish with a little help from your friends

Looking to break the ice in Barcelona? Flirt in Fajardo? If you want to connect with Spanish speakers, then get in on the conversation with your instant amigas, Pepa and Pili, and experience the real-world rhythm of everyday Spanish. Join the party and learn hundreds of expressions with their formal, informal, and “downtown” variations including tips on how and when to use them.

So, if you want to mingle in Madrid, then you’ll want to know how to say…
¿Eres de Madrid? Are you from Madrid?
¿Estudias o trabajas? Are you studying or working?
¿Te importa si me siento aquí? Do you mind if I sit here?
¿Estás libre esta tarde? Are you free this afternoon?

This is not a regular textbook, rather it is designed to add some spice to your vocabulary. Adding spice means you have the basics down. This book would be good for someone who feels they are fairly fluent but need to escape from the stilted language of most Spanish textbooks. You learn not only ready-to-go phrases, but also will get some grammar pointers, learn about Spanish culture, and tips on blunders to avoid when using idioms and slang.

At this point my Spanish is not good enough to benefit from this book and it may also be ‘too young’ for me. Even in English, a 40+ year-old guy should not try to sound like he is 19.

Demonstrative Adjectives

Demonstrative Adjectives are a special kind of ‘limiting’ adjective that modifies the nouns location in time or space:

I liked those things we had yesterday.

I liked those things over there.

The English demonstratives are unusual in that there are different words for the single and plural form of the modifier as is common in Spanish:

this & these

that & those

In English there are two modifiers; one for near items, this and another for far items, that. Spanish has three modifiers, one set for items near the speaker, este, a second for items near the listener, ese, and a third for items not near either the speaker or listener, aquel (maybe equivalent to the English yonder?). These distinctions plus the three distinct gender forms gives Spanish 15 forms of the modifier compared to the 4 in English.

It is interesting that the singular ‘neuter’ form uses the -o ending that usually marks an adjective as ‘male’.

Demonstrative Pronouns

Whereas the demonstrative adjectives above modify a noun by identifying which ‘thing’ you are talking about, demonstrative pronouns replace the noun altogether just like any other pronoun. In this form the Spanish demonstrative always takes an accent on the penultimate (2nd to last) syllable. This accent does not change the pronunciation since this is also the syllable that would naturally be accented but are used merely to distinguish adjectives and pronouns. (Such accents are known as orthographic accents.)

These books are cheaper than those.

Estos libros son mas baratos que ésos.

In English the singular form in not readily used as a pronoun so ‘one’ is added to replace the noun but is not needed in Spanish.

This book is cheaper than that one.

Este libro es mas barato que ése.

In Spanish the neuter form is almost always used as a pronoun since there are no neuter nouns for it to modify.

Qué es éso?

Practical Spanish Grammar pg 116

I understand direct objects pretty well from high school. A direct object is the noun or pronoun that the verb directly acts upon, completing the meaning of the verb. And the Spanish usage seemed a little more complicated, but not unmanageable, that is until you start mixing in indirect object pronouns and reflexive pronouns.

In English the direct object nouns and pronouns always follow the verb. In Spanish, the direct object pronoun precedes the conjugated verb but may either precede or follow an infinitive verb or present participle (the form of the verb that ends in -ndo, often the equivalent of English verbs that end in “-ing”). The direct object follows an affirmative command but always precedes a negative command. When following the verbs, the direct object is always attached to it, forming one word.

Usted me entiende. (You understand me.)

Quiero verte. = Te quiero ver. (I want to see you.)

Estoy ayudándote = Te estoy ayudando (I am helping you.)

¡Dígame! (Tell me!)

Personal & Impersonal Direct Objects

In Spanish, if the direct object is a person or personified object the preposition a precedes the direct object.

Veo la casa. (I see the house.)

Veo a la niña. (I see the girl.)

If the person is indefinite, the a is omitted, “depersonalizing” the direct object and treating it more like a thing.

Veo al médico. ( I see the doctor.)

Necesito médico. (I need medical help.)

Practical Spanish Grammar - pg 119

What is a reflexive verb? I honestly had no idea before beginning to learn Spanish. The object of a reflexive verb is the same person or thing as the subject. We have them in English but I don’t think they are ever called out as such, we just use them ‘reflexively’.

Robert sees himself. - this is reflexive - Roberto se ve.

Robert sees her. - this is not reflexive - Roberto la ve.

In English the reflexive is many times used only for emphasis. For example you could say, Did you wash? or Did you wash yourself? but in Spanish the reflexive verb lavarse is required, Te lavaste?

In English the reflexive pronoun always follows the verb and is formed by adding -self and -selves. But in Spanish, just like direct and indirect object pronouns, reflexive pronouns can only precede a conjugated verb but they can be attached to the end of an infinitive.

Yo me voy a lavar. (I am going to wash myself.)

Yo voy a lavarme. (I am going to wash myself.)

Se is the reflexive pronoun for all third-person subjects, both singular and plural. Only context can differentiate.

Ella se divierte. (She amuses herself.)

Ellos se divierten. (They amuse themselves.)

Note: With the addition of the reflexive pronoun, we have seen that some verbs, such as lavar (to wash), take on a reflexive meaning, lavarse (to wash oneself). With other verbs, such as ir (to go), the reflexive form, irse (to go away), have a different, non-reflexive meaning. And still other verbs, such as jactarse (to boast), only have a reflexive forms.