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The ¡Hola Amigos! Newsletter

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 Spanish

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Volume I Number  5                                                                                 May 2007

¡Hola! y ¿Cómo estás? 

More Way to Say “I Am” from

Sherri’s Southern School of Spanish

¡Hola Folks, You All, Youse Guys!

Now, last newsletter we talked about the two main “to be” verbs, “ser” and “estar”. (See www.Brownkatz.com for archived issues if you missed it!) They’re the ones the books usually list as “I am”, “you are”, “he/she/it is” “we are”, “you are”, “they are”. And they work for a lotta’ things, but here are some exceptions…

“Tener” to have or to be

I am hungry.                          Tengo hambre.             Or     Yo tengo hambre

You are thirsty.                      Tienes sed.                             Tú tienes sed.

She is 29 years old.                Tiene veintinueve años.        Ella tiene 

                                                                                                veintinueve                                                                                                 años.

You are tired.                         Tiene sueño.                           Usted tiene sueño.

We are cold.                           Tenemos frio.                         Nosotros tenemos frio.

They are hot.                          Tienen calor.                          Ellos tienen calor.

  “Tener” is usually translated as “to have”, so in Spanish, you say “I have hunger” instead of “I am hungry”. You also “have Fill in the blank/as many as you’re willing to claim  years” (your age). “Tener” is used in certain expressions, such as those above, to express age, physical condition, or sensations.

 You can also use “tener” to be right or wrong, to be lucky or unlucky, to be afraid, to be careful, and to be successful.

 I am right.                              Tengo razón.                 Or     Yo tengo razón.

You are wrong.                        No tienes razón.                    Tú no tienes razón.

 

He is lucky.                               Tiene suerte.                          Él tiene suerte.

You are not lucky.                    No tiene suerte.                     Ud. no tiene suerte.

                                                           

We are afraid of spiders.                                   Tenemos miedo a las arañas.

They are afraid of flying.                                   Tienen miedo de ir en avión.

 You need to be careful on the rocks.           Necesita tener cuidado en las rocas.

 Jessica is successful in her businesses.   Jessica tiene éxito en sus negocios.

 And don’t forget that “tener” can also be used to mean “to have” as used in English such as…

 Daisy Mae has a headache.                              María* tiene dolor de cabeza.

My cat has five toes.                                           Mi gata tiene cinco dedos.

 *Don’t even try to translate Daisy Mae, María will do just fine.

 Anyway, you know guys, peoples, gente, I was gonna’ talk about one other

verb to say “I am”, but I think this is enough to digest at one meal. So,

¡Basta!  

If I’ve confused you demasiado  email me your questions or ask me next

class and I’ll be happy to try to unconfuse you. I would also like to have your

stories and experiences about learning, speaking, practicing Spanish to

share with others to inspire, illustrate, or just plain amuse. Remember we’re

laughing with you, as we’re all in the same boat. Here’s one that illustrates

just how polite some people are…many thanks to Cathy for sharing.

 Thanks for Your Phone Call!

 One evening, about an hour before our Conversational Spanish class, I received a phone call.  When I heard the Spanish accent in her voice, I responded, “Hello, Veronica!”  (It sounded like my new friend that just moved to Lakeland from Peru.)  “Hey, I have Spanish tonight and we had homework.  Let me read you my assignment…Now where is it?”  I just went on talking as I looked for my assignment.  I was so excited that she had called me and that I had someone to practice with before class.  I began reading my assignment, “Me llamo Cathy.  Tengo una familia grande, con un esposo, Charles, dos hijos y dos hijas.”  My friend helped me pronounce “hijos” and “hijas” correctly.  I went on to tell about my parents, brothers & sister, and “tengo nueve sobrinas y siete sobrinos.” (9 nieces & 7 nephews).  When I read my last sentence, I noticed my friend was losing interest.  “Me abuelo tiene noventa y tres anos..”  I asked her what I had said, and she asked me to repeat it.  It was after I had repeated it a third time, and she had helped me with the pronunciation of “años,” that she told me I had said that my grandfather was 93 years old.  She complemented me on my efforts and then broke the news to me…”I am sorry.  I have dialed the wrong number.  I am not Veronica.  My name is Jackie.”

Cathy Asbridge

April 2007 

So again, gracias Cathy, gracias Veronica and especially Jackie, wherever

you are!

¡Hasta luego!

¡Gracias!

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Sherri Brownkatz

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