Spanish vs Castellano

Most people get confused with the fact that the Spanish language is refered to as Español or Castellano, check out this clip for a brief explanation:



And check out the Bueno, entonces... learn Spanish SALE here!

So this is goodbye...

Oh no! Today is the final Bueno, entonces... class...triste!

I have really enjoyed learning from the dvd, and I know my Spanish has come on ´leaps and bounds´as we say. Obviously I am by no means fluent now, but I can converse quite well, and understand ALOT more than before I started the course. The grammatical structures of Spanish still boggle me, but I do understand them, and my vocabulary is good- ok, so not perhaps not really GOOD, but decent, I no longer feel like a small mute child when surrounded by Spanish speakers!

So this final class of Bueno, entonces... was a telephone exchange between David and Jimena, both of whom were otherwise occupied with family activities- David attending a party at his parents house via webcam, to celebrate their non-divorce, and Jimena surrounded by concerned family after her break-up with Martin. Interesting that they still feel the class should go ahead. Although some useful new vocabulary was covered, for example language that can be heard in airports, I couldn´t help but suspect there was an ulterior motive behind the telephone call...

David was waiting for his neighbour to come around, and she was already almost an hour late. This is something i´m still trying to get used to in Argentina, the time issue. At home I always just to get to places pretty much on time, so when I arrived here I maintained my punctuality, but just ended up hanging around waiting, so, slowly but surely I am adapting to ArgenTIME and getting later, and later!

So finally, about half way through the class the truth behind the phone call revels itself...I feel I should ruin the suprise for future Bueno, entonces... viewers, BUT it is too exciting and suprising for me to keep to myself! Jimena want´s David to take her out! SHOCK SHOCK HORROR HORROR! Why has this exotic and beautiful Argentine succumbed to David´s kooky, offbeat ´charms´!? But perhaps i´m missing somthing? Anyway, today´s class could have been half the length if David wasn´t so obtuse and picked up on Jimena´s hints, but finally the penny drops, and they are going to go out!

Previously I said I wanted to see another series of Bueno, entonces... so I can learn the past tense, but now I want to watch how the relationship between these two develops, how exciting!

And now I am going out to celebrate finshing my course, and to practice my Spanish, because, no matter how many classes I take, the only way I will reeeallly learn is to practice practice practice!

Chau Palta!

Oh NO! Que triste! Martin The Lawyer has left Jimena. Obviously David is quick to offer consolation and ´useful´ advice, as well as offering his shoulder to cry on, so i´m sure Jimena will be ok!

But, ever the professional Jimena does not let her homelife interrupt the Bueno, entonces... class and she presses on...David wants to learn the past tense, and so do I to be honest, because although I am all for ´living for the now´ and looking to the future, rather than dwelling on the past, it is sometimes quite difficult not to be able to say ANYTHING at all about my former life! However, Jimena refuses, saying that the past tense is a level about the level we are at now, which, I suppose is fair enough, and it does mean I will have to wait (with baited breath, and no past life) for another series of Bueno, entonces...! I don´t know how other learn Spanish programmes, such as Rosetta Stone, work, but I suppose it is necessary to spread the learning out, rather than cram too much information into a short amount of time.

Entonces, El pasado es el pasado, and on with the now....This class covered language of vacations, and began with an outline of all the wonderful places on offer in Argentina. This really is a spectacular country, and although I have already been to many of the places mentioned, I am now filled with an urge to go back! If I was at home watching this dvd I would be simply bursting with excitement about coming to Argentina.....ah me encantar! From the montañas and lagos of Bariloche to the desiertos de sal in el Norte, a traveller in Argentina will be overwhelmed by beauty, and after this the Bueno, entonces... class, the traveller will also be able to discuss the sights!

An intersting little snippet of information (or should I say Folklore) I have learned in this class is the existence of Nahuelito, Patagonia´s own Loch Ness Monster- I´m glad I didn´t come across it then I was dipping my toes into the Lago Nahuel Huapi!

The vocabulary sections today included ´vocabulary of meat´not ideal for me, as a vegetarian, but for most visitors to Argentina, essential, as carne, carne and more carne will become part of the everyday diet. Talking of the vocabulary sections, our very own ´vocabulary couple´who were having a few problems throughout the series are back on, for sure...in fact, I wouldn´t be suprised if we do not hear from them for a while, I heard ´cama´mentioned in there!

On a final note, david mentioned today that he doesn´t enjoy seeing people playing sport on the beach, due to the, as he so delicately puts it, ´wobbling parts´, well David, all I can say is you obviously haven´t been to watch the footballers and volleyballers on Copacabana...

Una cama por favor?

Today´s class has been quite a long one, covering the vocabulary of hotels and ´alojamiento´ (lodging). I didn´t find the class very exciting, BUT the vocabulary covered is very important to anyone who is coming to South America to travel, so obviously it was a necassary subject to cover. Much of my inital stint of travelling was camping, so I am familiar with the vocabulary of camping, including ´carpa´ (tent) and ´bolsa de dormir´ (sleeping bag) and I am also familiar with the complaints about not sleeping very well!

Substantivos are covered again, nd this time it is ´substantivos que terminan en -idad´ and I find them pretty easy to get my head around. The process of turning an adjective into a noun is really easy in English- just add an ´ity´ and it is just as easy in Spanish when you are just adding ´idad´. Por ejemplo ´responsable´ becomes ´responsibilidad´...facile!

David and Jimena practice using role play, I also find this a really good way to learn, because practicing situations is a good way to instill vocabulary in my mind, but that is one problem with the Bueno, entonces... dvd being, well, a dvd...it is not possible to actually act out a role play with another human. I could do it as I walk down the street using the Buneo Entonces iPhone application (if I had one!) but I think I might get some funny looks!

Clase con resaca!

‘Resaca' is an important word for students of Spanish in Buenos Aires: meaning hangover. Since this is a city that never sleeps, and parties go on until all hours, it is likely that, at some point, the word resaca is going to pop up! And it has today, as David has come to the class with, what we would call in Spanglish, 'a stinking resaca' after his father arrived yesterday. David's father has arrived in Buenos Aires with the intended objective of winning his mother back- but this seems a bit unlikely if he is going to get drunk and hang around with David!

Today's class seemed to contain an awful lot of English, I guess David was not in the mood for Spanish, but why should we all suffer because of his excess!?

The main portion of today's Bueno, entonces... class was about learning to invite people out, so there was a small section dedicated to reviewing freetime activities and a section dedicated to how to make invitations. This would have been useful to me a few weeks ago, when I said to someone 'quieres bebida con mi?' which roughly translated to a neanderthal 'want drink with me?'; about as sexy as a few grunts really! If only I knew then how to say in a ladylike manner 'te gustaria una vino con migo?' perhaps the answer might have been 'si'!

The Prof. has finally popped up again, he has been getting scarcer, I suppose because we no longer need him so much, but he is useful to explain concepts clearly. Today's concept was TENER QUE, meaning 'to have to/ must', and a VERY useful example was 'tengo que comprar ese vestido' (I must buy that dress.)

'Substantivos', sounds like the name of a really cheesy pop group, but in fact is the name of the process that turns a verb into a noun, and in Spanish this is easily done when following this easy recipe: simply take a regular verb, any verb will do, add 'miento', put it in a hot oven and moments later out will come a noun. An example being the transformation of the verb ‘casar’ (marry) into 'casamiento’ (marriage); if only the actual event was that simple!

Well, now is my time for ‘freetime’ so chau chau, i’m off to earn myself a resaca too!

Te gusta la Kamasutra?

Much as it pains me to think of it, I must mention that David has started a Kamasutra course. Traditionally, I think the Kamasutra has very spiritual connections as well as being about attaining sexual gratification (see: acabar!), but I really don't think David has gone in with any such conceptions as his main objective is to prove to his neighbour that he is good in bed. But, suprise suprise! David claims 'ya se todo' (I already know eveything)- Yeah, right!

Jumping away from the thought of David in bed, today's class has covered the vocabulary of rooms and furniture. This seemed a bit similar to the class about renting and place descriptions, so perhaps they could have been amalgamated.

The two new, exciting and relatively easy grammatical concepts covered in today's Bueno, entonces... class have been posessive pronouns, and definite and indefinite articles.

Posessive prounouns, 'mio' (mine) 'tujo'(yours) and 'sujo' (his/hers) are fine, easy, lovely- it's just a case of remembering them.

Definite articles speak of something in particular, they are el, la, los and las...and guess what? in English we have just ONE word for Spanish's FOUR: 'the'.
Indefinite articles speak of something in general, por ejemplo, 'una mesa' (a table) and in English we use 'a/an'. facile! Overall today's class has been quite an easy one, I think perhaps some of these concepts could have been coverd earlier on in the Bueno, entonces... course, but then again, perhaps if they were I would not have found them so easy?! I do not know what order other 'learn Spanish programs', such as Rosetta Stone cover grammar in, but overall I think Bueno, entonces... does the classes in quite a good order, and does not overload each class with too many new concepts.

Love is in the air...

Ahhhh que bueno! the story behind today's class is of love and forgiveness, how heartening on this dreary day in Buenos Aires! It looks like David's dad wants his mum back (that will get her out of David's hair), and Martin the abogado (Jimena's sexy lawyer novio) was not straying, just escaping from her dreadful cooking....so the class covered some vocabulary of love and romance, for example cute little words like 'mimos' meaning cuddles! The class has also included some very useful phrases for maintaining a healthy relationship: particularly important for the male students is the phrase 'tenes razon' (meaning 'you're right': add 'bonita chica' to this and you might go someway towards being forgiven for whatever it was you did wrong chicos!)

I mentioned in a previous post the glimmering suggestion that there was something going on between the vocab teachers Emanuel and Laura. And after un poco detection work I think I have figured it out: there is a certain Diego involved, and although I think you should be watching Bueno, entonces... to find out for yourselves, I have dropped a hint when I mentioned love and forgiveness, although I don't think it's really as simple as a few vocabulary examples....

The second section of Bueno, entonces... today covered the future tense, having first re-capped the previous lesson that related to the future tense, Jimena then moves on to a new form, that of the LA = IR A INFINITIVO (to go + infinitive) which is actually quite easy, the simple structure being YO VOY A.....wherever you will go. I know I have mentioned this many times before, but one of my favourte things about using a learn spanish dvd such as Bueno, entonces... is that you can stop and rewind whenever it is necessary, but with this particular new concept I found it so clearly explained that I did not have go back and repeat any of the explanation. Perhaps I am getting better at understanding Spanish...or as Jimena says 'mejorando!'

The class also included the use of temporary markers when talking in the future tense, which seem to be an overly-complicated name for saying 'when' in the future, por ejemplo: 'en un rato' not, as both David and I thought 'in a rat' but in fact 'in a short while' (there's that useful but also confusing word association again!)

Bueno, ahora voy a mi cama, pero nos vemos manana!!

Besos