SOLT Spanish Module 1 Lesson 1
The Alphabet in
Context
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Objectives
Module 1 Lesson 1
At the end of
the lesson you will recognize and pronounce the alphabet of
the Spanish language. This way you will be able to become
acquainted with sounds that are similar and different than
your own native language. For this purpose you will:
1.
Identify the Alphabet
•
Recognize each
character of the alphabet
•
Identify the
name of each character of the alphabet
2.
Vowel Sounds
•
Recognize
vowels
•
Produce vowel
and diphthong sounds
•
Produce
vowel-consonant combinations
3.
Consonant Sounds
•
Pronounce
aspirated and un-aspirated consonant sounds
4.
Recognize Cognates
•
Identify
cognates
•
Pronounce
cognates
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Introduction
Module 1 Lesson 1
Language and
culture are inseparable. The culture serves as a home for
the language and also as a vehicle to transmit, preserve
and create language. As you learn about the Latin-American
world you will become acquainted not only with the language
patterns, but with some of the cultural patterns as well.
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Introduction
Module 1 Lesson 1
1.
Identify the Spanish Alphabet
In Spanish,
vowels and consonants always “sound” the same as opposed to
English. For example: consider the different sounds of “a”
in English, as in apple,
tomato,
and art.
Repeat, after
your instructor, the letters of the Spanish alphabet and
listen to how they sound in the words used as examples.
Letra
Nombre Ejemplo
(Letter) (Name) (Example)
A
a arte
B
be bomba
C
ce café
*Ch
che Chile
D
de dólar
E
e él
F
efe famoso
G
ge geografía
H
ache hola
I
i idea
J
jota japón
K
ka kilo
L
ele limón
*Ll
elle llama
M
eme mañana
N
ene numeroso
Ñ
eñe señor
O
o ópera
P
pe permiso
Q
cu Quito
R
ere tortilla
Rr
erre burro
S
ese sí
T
te tú
U
u Uruguay
V
ve victoria
W
doble u (doble ve) Washington
X
equis examen
Y
I griega yo
Z
zeta zapato
*There are 28 official letters. In 1994, the Spanish
Language Academy declared that ch
and
ll
are
no longer official letters.
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Introduction
Module 1 Lesson 1
2.
Vowel Sounds
Pair activity. The following pronunciation guide will help
you master the sounds of the Spanish language. Working with
a partner, repeat the vowel sounds and the word examples
according to the model. Refer to this guide regularly.
Spanish is often referred to as a “phonetic language”
because it is usually pronounced as it is written; only the
sounds are short, not extending into a second sound.
Also,
vowel and consonant
combinations are placed
together and create sounds in words pretty much as they do
in English. Repeat the following words after your
instructor.
A,
as in ah!casaamafamaE,
as in cafébebéneneesteI,
as
in machinesídifícilfinO,
as in nolocosolocomoU,
as in bluecunaculturauno
Spanish vowels
are short, clear and clipped; never drawn out, and their
sounds are basically invariable. In order to produce
accurate pronunciation of the Spanish vowels, the lips,
tongue, and jaw muscles must be considerably tense and in a
relatively constant position. Think of Spanish vowels as
pure sounds, the position of the mouth remaining the same
throughout the pronunciation of the vowel. They are
pronounced clearly even in unstressed positions, unlike
English vowels.
Diphthongs: a
diphthong is the union of a strong and a weak vowel, which
is pronounced as one syllable.
Weak Vowels: Strong Vowels
i
y u a e o
y
(and)hay
(there is /
there are)virrey
(viceroy)
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Introduction
Module 1 Lesson 1
3.
Produce vowel sounds
Pair activity.
Take turns pronouncing the vowels and the words used as
examples.
A
This
vowel
A is pronounced
as the English “A” in father.
grande ciudad
una nación calles
E
The
letter
E is always
pronounced "E" as in bet, test,
bless.
México América
que es el
I
Y and the
letter
I is always
pronounced "EE" as in greet,
beet.
(y
generally
when it stands alone or at the end of a word) is pronounced
as the English “I” in
police.
Chile Paraguay
y estoy continente
O
The
letter
O is always
pronounced "O" as in obey
(but without
the slightest
trace of a “U” sound. It is a clean, distinct “O“sound).
no colonia como nación México importante
U
The
letter
U is always
pronounced "OO" as in cool.
un Sudamérica
cultura algunos única
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Introduction
Module 1 Lesson 1
4.
Consonant Sounds
Listen to your
instructor’s explanation of the following pronunciation
key, and repeat the words used as examples.
Letter
B
1.
The letter
B is pronounced
"B"
as in bit.
Examples:
bonitos bellas barrios
However,
when the letter
B appears between
vowels it is pronounced very softly. In fact, the
B between vowels
is so soft that your lips hardly touch when you pronounce
it. Try pronouncing the word "abundancia" with a
soft
B.
Examples:
Colombia también habitantes
C 1. The
C before A, O, U
is hard as the “C” in can.
Examples:
América capital continente encuentra
2. The
C before E or I
is soft as the
C in
cent.
Examples:
nación centro ciudad principal veces
3.
CC is pronounced
"X." "Acción"
is pronounced "axion."
CH 1. As in
child.
Examples: muchacha mucho
D
1.
The letter
D is pronounced
"D" as in "do."
Examples: dedo
idioma
2. When the
D is the last
letter of a word or when it appears between
vowels, it is
pronounced as a soft TH.
Say the English word "the"
several times making the TH
very soft; then
say "ciudad," pronouncing both D's with the same
soft TH.
Examples:
elevada usted Estados Unidos de dos
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Introduction
Module 1 Lesson 1
F 1. This letter
is pronounced as
F in the English
word fool.
Examples:
edificio famoso fácil fábrica Felipe
G 1. The
G before A, O, U
is hard as in get.
Examples:
algo lengua agua pregunta algunas
2. The
G before “E” or
“I” is pronounced “H” as in hen.
"General" is
pronounced "Heneral."
Examples:
vegetación higiene trabajar José región
3.
GUE is pronounced
"GUE" as in guest.
4.
GUI is pronounced
"GEE" as in geese.
H 1. The
H is always
silent in Spanish. "Hotel" is pronounced "otel."
Examples: hay
hasta ahora historia higiene
J 1. The
J is pronounced
"H" as in hen.
Examples: juez
Javier
L
1.
The
L is pronounced
"L" as in let.
Examples:
Luis Chile la capital del los
LL 1. In some
parts of Spain and in other parts of the Spanish-speaking
world, “ll” is pronounced like the English y in
young.
In other parts of
the Spanish-speaking world, “ll” as well as the consonant
“y” are
pronounced like “s” in pleasure
and
at times like “j” in judge.
Examples:
caballo llevo yacer yugular yoyo
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Introduction
Module 1 Lesson 1
M
1.
M is pronounced
as “M” in the English word meet.
Examples: muy
mucho México llaman
N 1.
N is pronounced
like “n” in the English word never.
Examples: norte nación son un
Ñ
1.
The
Ñ is pronounced
"NY." "Cabaña" is pronounced "cabanya" and
"señor" is “senyor".
Examples:
montañas señor niños mañana
P 1.
P is pronounced
approximately like “P” in the English word
speak.
Examples: parte
país pero primitivas
Q 1. The
letter
Q when followed
by “UE” is pronounced "KE" as in kept.
Examples: que
queso
2. When
followed by “UI” is pronounced "KEE" as in
keen,
keep.
Examples: Quito
quiero
R
1.
The
R is slightly
trilled except when it is the first letter in a word, in
which case it is strongly trilled.
Examples:
diferentes rey pobres parques centro
RR 1.
RR is always
strongly trilled.
Examples:
ferrocarril Monterrey desarrollar
S
1.
This letter is pronounced like the “S” in the word
sea.
Examples:
país casi Sudamérica residencia señor
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Introduction
Module 1 Lesson 1
T 1. The
T is always
pronounced as the "TT" in attractive.
Examples: norte
continente parte también
Y 1. The
letter
Y is pronounced
"Y" as in yet.
2. However, when the letter
Y stands alone it
is pronounced "EE" as in
beet.
"Y" means "and" in Spanish.
Z
1.
The
Z is pronounced
"S" as in sent.
The rest of the letters are
pronounced as
they are in English, with only very slight variations. In
some parts of Spain the C
before E or I
is pronounced "H,” and the Z
is
always pronounced "TH".
5. Division of syllables
The division of
words into Syllables = Silabeo.
Not many of us are sure where to divide English words into
syllables. Spanish words may be divided more easily because
six rules may be applied to govern their division.
In general a syllable must contain a vowel. A syllable
can't contain a consonant by itself.
ca-sa ma-no
But it may contain one vowel and no
consonant.
le-o e-so
1. A consonant
between two vowels will form a sillable with the second
vowel.
ca-sa
i-de-a
A-mé-ri-ca
Mé-xi-co
*a-gra-da-ble
2.
Separate two consonants but do not leave a consonant by
itself.
*li-bro
can-ción par-te *gran-de
par-que
3. Do not separate adjacent strong and weak vowels or two
weak vowels.
fi-es-ta, it should be: fies-ta as in the following rule.
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Introduction
Module 1 Lesson 1
4. The
combination of these letters is generally divided after the
first consonant.
*siem-pre
*en-tre
*san-gre
*cen-tral
*in-dus-trial
5. Two adjacent
strong vowels form two separated syllables.
pa-se-o o-es-te mu-se-o *ma-es-tro
le-e
6.
Adjacent strong and weak vowels or two weak vowels normally
combine to
form a single syllable. This combination of
two vowels is called a diphthong.
Co-lom-bia
go-bier-no na-cio-nes es-ta-tua ciu-dad
*The r and the
l combine with certain consonants cannot be separated: bl,
cl, fl, gl, pl, br, cr, dr, fr, gr, pr, tr.
Exercise
1
Separating
into syllables
Pair activity.
Working with another student, separate the following words
into syllables.
1. gobierno
2. Colombia
3. nación
4. América
5. museo
6. industrial
7. parte
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Introduction
Module 1 Lesson 1
6. Stress/Accentuation
Pronounce the
stressed words with your instructor.
1. Words ending in a consonant, except -n or -s, are
stressed on the last syllable.
capital
nacional español metal hablar
2. Words ending
in a vowel or -n or -s are stressed on the next to the last
syllable
norte
continente naciones edificios mucho
3. Words whose
stress is not in conformity with these rules bear a written
accent on the
stressed vowel.
América
nación árbol público también
4.
In a combination of a strong and weak vowel or of two weak
vowels, the strong vowel
or the second of two weak vowel is normally stressed in an
accented syllable.
gobierno
tiempo viejo bien puerto
5.
In combinations of a strong and weak vowel, when the weak
vowel is stressed, there is
always a written accent which divides the two vowels into
separate syllables.
Otherwise, the combination becomes a diphthong of one
syllable with the stress on the
strong vowel.
país
río continúa frío hay fuerte
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Introduction
Module 1 Lesson 1
7.
Recognize cognates
It
is very easy to build a large vocabulary of Spanish words.
In fact, you already know a thousand English words that
became Spanish words if you change them very slightly.
Listen to the cognate rules and repeat the cognate examples
after your instructor.
Example:
1. Words which end in "OR."
These words are often identical in Spanish
and English:
el
docTOR
el
acTOR
Spanish words
ending in “OR”
carry stress on
the last syllable.
2.
Words that end in "AL."
These also are often identical in Spanish and English:
the
animAL
=
el animal
the
criminAL
=
el criminal
Stress the word
in the last syllable: el a-ni-mAL
el
cri-mi-nAL
el
ca-nAL
el
lo-cAL
3. Words that
end in "BLE"
These also are often identical in Spanish and English:
the caBLE
-
el caBLE
terriBLE
notaBLE
horriBLE
These words are
stressed on the next to the last syllable: Example:
no-TA-ble
4. Words that end in "IC"
in English.
To change them into Spanish simple add the letter
"O"
IC =
ICO.
the public = el
públicO
el
atlántico
romántico
automático
These words
take a written accent on the second-to-the last syllable.
pú-bli-co
au-to-má-ti-co
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Introduction
Module 1 Lesson 1
5. Words that
end in "ENT"
or "ANT."
If you simply add the letter "E"
to many of
these words, they become Spanish words:
ENT =
EntE el
accidente
ANT =
AntE el
cliente
the
president = el presidentE
important = importantE
Words that end
in “ENT”
or
“ANT”
are
stressed on the next to the last syllable.
Example: presidente
Words that end in "ENT"
or "ANT"
are accented on the next to the last syllable:
el acciDENte
exceLENte
6. Words that
end in "TOR"
in English change
TOR to
DOR and you will
have the
Spanish word:
TOR =
DOR
the senator =
el senaDor
acelerator =
aceleraDor
7. Words that
end in “TION”
in English change to “CION”
and the “o”
has an accent.
demonstration
=demostración
nation=nación
information=información
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Introduction
Module 1 Lesson 1
Exercise
2
Review
of cognate endings
Pair activity.
Working with a partner, alternate giving each other the
following type of cognate examples:
2 cognates ending in
TOR ______________
______________.
3 cognates ending in
CIÓN ______________
______________ ______________.
3 cognates ending in
ICO ______________
______________ ______________.
2 cognates ending in
DOR ______________
______________.
Exercise
3
Reading
Exercise:
Class activity. To practice pronunciation, each student
will read a sentence aloud. Your instructor will correct
the pronunciation if necessary.
CARACAS,
VENEZUELA
Caracas
es una ciudad muy interesante. En Caracas hay muchos
edificios modernos.
Hay hoteles,
teatros y restaurantes excelentes. Los museos de Caracas
son
extraordinarios. En los museos hay pinturas y estatuas
excelentes. Caracas es una ciudad
grande. Hay mucho tráfico. Hay autos, camiones, autobuses y
motocicletas. Hay
parques lindos
en Caracas. En los parques hay estatuas muy bonitas y
muchas flores
tropicales. En
los parques siempre hay muchos turistas norteamericanos.
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Introduction
Module 1 Lesson 1
Exercise
4
Introduction
review
Pair activity.
Compare your notes with a partner after completing the
exercise.
1. Spell your name.
2.
Pronounce your Spanish name.
3.
The instructor will dictate some words to you. Write them
in Spanish:
Exercise 5
Cognates
Pair activity.
Using cognates and “is”(es) and “the”(el), each of you
create short statements in Spanish and you read them aloud
to one another.
Example: El actor es popular. El doctor es
excelente.
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Grammar
Notes Module 1 Lesson 1
1.
Accents
Although
writing is not the emphasis of this course, you will notice
that the Spanish language has accents, which are either
stressed orally or they are written. Accents
give meaning to words. As you progress in the target
language you will observe and become familiar with them.
Some accented words you have learned as cognates in this
lesson are:
Repeat the following examples after your instructor.
bebé café sí vegetación acción nación
Note You will also
notice that question marks and exclamation marks come in
pairs in the Spanish language. It will be very helpful if
you just generally observe patterns of accent use, for
example: question words always have an
accent.
2.
Cognates
In the
introduction section, you were introduced to the concept of
cognates to learn about word-endings. COGNATES (cognados),
are words that are written in a similar way in both
languages and have similar meanings as well. The
word
“doctor” is a
cognate because it is written in the same way in English
and Spanish, they mean the same, and in this case they are
even pronounced in a similar way. You will not, at his
point be introduced to “false cognates”, which could prove
confusing because they appear similar in sound and
spelling, but have a totally different
meaning.
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Grammar
Notes Module 1 Lesson 1
Exercise
6
Group activity.
Working as a group, take turns repeating the cognates and
their similar translation.
Different
pronunciation Double to Single Consonant
Español Inglés
Español Inglés
anualannualprofesorprofessorcomunióncommuniongramaticalgrammaticalocasionaloccasionalAdd
one letter
accidenteaccidentpresidentepresidentpresentepresentinstanteinstantconstanteconstantimportanteimportanttelegramatelegram
emblemaemblemproblemaproblem
honorablehonorable
3.
Articles
Note The concept of
gender in words is unlike the way we refer to objects,
places or things in general in English, but it is important
to apply it at all times in the Spanish Language.
Number
and Gender agreement
In English, the
definite article remains the same, it always = (the). In
Spanish, it is very important to take into account; number
and gender agreement between articles, nouns and
adjectives. Because ALL nouns have gender, that determines
whether the article and the adjective that accompany the
noun are feminine or masculine.The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Grammar
Notes Module 1 Lesson 1
Exercise
7
The definite
and the indefinite articles are as follow: An example for
each is provided.
DEFINITE ARTICLE
(THE)INDEFINITE ARTICLE
(A, AN) (SOME)NOUNADJECTIVEel=masculine
singularun=masculine
singularniño
lindola=femenine
singularuna=femenine
singularniñalindalos=
masculine
pluralunos=masculine
pluralniñoslindoslas=femenine
singularunas=femenine
pluralniñaslindas
Note Generally
speaking, nouns that end with “a” are feminine and those
that end in “o” are masculine, but not ALL nouns end in
these two vowels, some end in “e,” like
“el
tomate,”
or
“la
representante,” and they may
be masculine or feminine nouns. Recognition of these will
come with practice.
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Grammar
Notes Module 1 Lesson 1
Exercise
8
Class activity.
Repeat the examples after your instructor. Most nouns
ending in “a”
are
generally feminine.
Examples:
la casala mamála hermanala sillala mesa
Nouns that end in “o”are
generally masculine.
Examples:
el teléfonoel
hermanoel talentoel asiento
Nouns that end in “e”
may
be masculine or feminine.
Examples:
el parquela
calle
Nouns, which refer to males, are masculine.
Examples:
el señorel
chicoel muchachoel niño
Nouns, which refer to females, are feminine.
Examples:
la señorala chicala muchachala niña
Exercise
9
Pair activity.
Take turns as you provide the correct article for the
following nouns. You don’t need to know the meaning, just
look at the ending.
_____1.
libro _____6. profesor
_____2. alumna _____7. dinero
_____3. amigo _____8. tienda
_____4. lección _____9. escuela
_____5. fruta _____10. campo
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Grammar
Notes Module 1 Lesson 1
4.
Plurals
Pair activity.
Working with a partner, alternate reading the rules of
plurals to each other and practice pronouncing the
following plural forms.
To form plurals
in Spanish, follow the following rules:
a)
“s”
is
added to nouns ending in an unstressed vowel.
camino
caminos
casa
casas
mesa
mesas
libro
libros
b)
“es”
is
added to words ending in a consonant.
canción
canciones
monitor
monitores
impresor
impresores
ángel
ángeles
c)
“es”
is
added to nouns with only one syllable wich end in
“s”.
Dios
dioses
mes
meses
d)
If the noun ends with the letter “z”,
change the “z”
to
“ces”.
voz
voces
raíz
raíces
fugaz
fugaces
e) If the noun
has more than one syllable and it ends in
“s”
DO
NOT CHANGE.
la
dosis
las
dosis
la crisis
las
crisis
el oasis
los
oasis
el análisis
los
análisis
Exercise
10
Pair
activity. Alternate converting the following nouns to a
plural form and then come up
with some phrases that include these words:
1. ciudad ____
4. base ____
2. novela ____ 5. chocolate ____
3. lección ____ 6. vacación ____
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Grammar
Notes Module 1 Lesson 1
5.
Sentence Structure with adjectives
Although there
are many similarities between English and Spanish, such as
the alphabet, the combination of word sounds and the use of
cognates, Spanish cannot be translated literally into
English, because there are differences in sentence
structure. The order or placement of words (parts of
speech) may vary in Spanish. For example, a beginning
Spanish student should always place the adjective after the
noun in Spanish to use the normal structure, but will, in
more advanced lessons, learn that sometimes the adjective
is used before the noun as in English in order to
emphasize, be dramatic or poetic.
Example:
adj. noun noun adj.
English = The
red rose. Spanish = La rosa roja
You may encounter later on, however, a poetic phrase such
as: The red rose of summer.
La roja rosa del verano.
Exercise
11
Pair activity.
Put the following articles, nouns, and adjectives, in the
same order as the previous example. Remember to match
number and gender with the definite and indefinite
articles.
Articles:
el
la los las un una unos unas
Nouns:
ángel ángeles
doctora doctoras
Adjectives:
importante
importantes elegante elegantes
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Grammar
Notes Module 1 Lesson 1
6.
Sentence structure with verbs
You may find a
closer translation when you add a verb, but you should be
aware, that Spanish is more flexible and the same thing can
be said using a different word order.
Example:
subj. verb adj. comp.. subj. verb adj.
comp
English = The
rose is red Spanish = La rosa es roja
OR IN A QUESTION
verb
subj.
adj. verb adj. subj.
Is the rose
red? ¿Es roja la rosa?
Exercise
12
Pair activity.
Using the same articles, nouns, and adjectives from the
previous exercise, plus the verb ser,
and then exchange with your partner short sentences like
the above word order example.
1.El ángel es
______________________. 2.Un ángel es
________________________.
3.¿Es importante el _________________? 4.¿Es elegante la
______________________?
5.Un doctor es _____________________. 6.Una doctora es
______________________.
In Spanish, you could also use the less common order of:
verb
subject adjective Or
adj. verb subject
Es la rosa roja
Roja es la rosa
OR IN A
QUESTION
verb
subject adjective Or
adj. verb subject
¿Es la rosa
roja? ¿Roja es la rosa?
These last two forms, however, are rarely used and not
necessary to learn at this level, but it is helpful to be
aware that the Spanish sentence structure allows for more
variation than English.
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Grammar
Notes Module 1 Lesson 1
7.
Sentence structure in the negative
Literal
translation can also prove to be a problem when the
negative is introduced. The word “no”
in
Spanish precedes the verb.
Example:
English: The rose
is not red. Spanish:
La rosa
no es roja.
Exercise
13
Pair activity.
Work with a classmate, and using the following cognates,
form negative sentences like the example.
1. El ángel no es__________________.
2. La doctora no es________________.
3._____________________importante.
4._____________________impresionante.
5._____________________interesante.
Exercise
14
Negatives forms in sentence structure
Pair activity. Continue with your partner, making sentences
in the negative form (no es) with the appropriate definite
or indefinite articles:
Example: Ricardo no es un hombre trabajador.
estudiante/inteligente música/emocionante
persona/fascinante
presidente/honorable museo/importante presente/constante
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Grammar
Notes Module 1 Lesson 1
8.
Questions and Exclamations
A) In Spanish
as in English, intonation as well as question marks can
change a statement into a question. Listen to your
instructor pronounce the following with the changes in
intonation, then repeat afterwards. Do the same with the
exclamations in example “B”.
Example:
Alejandra es profesora ¿Alejandra es profesora?
Alexandra
is a teacher Alexandra is a teacher?
B) In the case
of the words
Cuánta and
Qué, they can be
used as interrogatives or as words in an exclamation.
Example:
¿Cuánto
cuesta? How much
does it cost? Or ¡Cuánto
cuesta! How much it
costs!
¿Qué es
“divertido”? What is
“fun”? Or ¡Qué
divertido! What
fun!
C) Notice that the correct sentence structure in Spanish
follows the adjective after the noun word order for
exclamations as well, when using the words
“tan”
and
“más”,
which can be interpreted as “such a”, “what a”, “terribly”,
or “very,” and that Spanish flexibility allows for also
saying the same thing in the English word order version.
Example:
noun adj.
¡Qué rosa
tan bella! =
Such a
= What a beautiful rose!
What a
very beautiful rose!
terribly
¡Qué
rosa
más bella!
adj. noun adj. noun
Or as in the English word order: ¡Qué bella rosa! What a
beautiful rose!
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Grammar
Notes Module 1 Lesson 1
Interrogatives
words: All interrogatives words have a written accent mark.
You must memorize these.
¿QUÉ?
what?, which?
¿QUIÉN
(ES)? who?
¿CUÁL
(ES)? which?, which
one?, what?
¿DÓNDE?
where?
¿(A)
DÓNDE? where to?
¿(DE)
DÓNDE where from?
¿CÓMO?
how?
¿POR
QUÉ? why?
¿CUÁNDO?
when?
¿CUÁNTO(A)?
how
much?
¿CUÁNTOS
(AS)? how many?
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Grammar
Notes Module 1 Lesson 1
Exercise
15
Pair activity.
Working with a partner, underline the Spanish words that
correctly convey
the English.
1. (De dónde, A
dónde) Where
son
ustedes?
2. (Cuándo, Cuánto) How
much cuesta el
libro?
3. (Cuál, Qué) Which
períodico
quiere?
4. ( Cuántos, Cómo) How
many quiere usted?
5. (Por qué, Dónde) Why
estás aquí?
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Vocabulary
Module 1 Lesson 1
accidente
(el)accidentacción
(la)actionacelerador
(el)acceleratoractor
(el)actoragresivoaggressiveAméricaAmericaángel
(el)angelanimal
(el)animalanualannualartísticoartisticatlántico
(el)Atlanticautomáticoautomaticbebé
(el)babycable
(el)cablecafé
(el)coffeecámara
(la) cameracanal
elchannelcapital
(la)capitalcolor
(el)colorcómicocomicalcomunión
(la)communionconformistaconformistconservadorconservativeconstanteconstantcriminal
criminalcultura
(la)culturedemostración
(la) demonstrationdirector
(el)directordoctor
(el)doctoreltheemblema
(el)emblememocionanteexcitingenormeenormouserror
(el)errorexactoexactexamen
(el)examexcelenteexcellentfamosofamousfascinantefascinatingfavor
(el)favorThe
Alphabet in Context Spanish SOLT I
Vocabulary
Module 1 Lesson 1
generosogenerousgobierno
(el)governmenthumor
(el)humoridea
(la)ideaidioma
(el)languageimportanteimportantimpresionanteimpressiveinclinación
(la)inclinationindustrialindustrialinferiorinferiorinformación
(la)informationinmensoimmenseinstanteinstantinteligenteintelligentinteresanteinterestinglathe
(feminine)lasthe
(feminine, plural)liberalliberallosthe
(masculine, plural)mamá
(la)mothermetal
(el)metalMéxicoMexicomodernomodernmotor
(el)enginemuchomuchmuseo
(el)museummúsica
(la)musicnación
(la)nationnacionalnationalnerviosonervousnotablenotableocasionaloccasionalópera
(la)operaparque
(el)parkparte
(la)partpasivopassivepermiso
(el)permitpresente
(el)presentpresidente
(el)presidentprincipalmainThe
Alphabet in Context Spanish SOLT I
Vocabulary
Module 1 Lesson 1
problema
(el)problemprofesor
(el)professorpúblico
(el)publicradio
(la)radiorealistarealisticrománticoromanticrosa
(la) rosesecreto
(el)secretThe
Alphabet in Context Spanish SOLT I
Cultural
Notes Module 1 Lesson 1
1.
The Spanish Language
There are
approximately 3,000 recognized languages in use in the
world today. Of these, Spanish follows Chinese, English
Russian, and Hindu in the total number of people who speak
it. Spanish is truly a universal language. In 1981, it was
spoken by some four hundred million people and was the
official language of more than twenty free, independent and
sovereign nations, which make up, culturally and
spiritually, a true Hispanic community of nations. Spanish
is also spoken in the United States (including Puerto
Rico), Guam, the Philippines, Canada and Morocco. Spanish
is a member of the Romance language group and has two major
dialects: Andalusian and Castilian. These dialects
generally differ in pronunciation of the letter
combinations ce, ze, and za. Speakers of the Andalusian
dialect pronounce these combinations with an s sound, while
Castilian speakers of Spanish share a common linguistic
system and a common grammar.
Although inhabitants of the various provinces of Spain and
the various countries have slightly differing vocabularies
and pronunciation, and use different expressions, these
variations do not hamper communication. Most Spanish words
come from the Latin language (the language of the Roman
Empire). But because so many people speak Spanish in so
many places, the language quickly adopts new words and
borrows words from other languages, particularly Arabic,
English, and continental European languages such as French
and Italian. In the Caribbean region and in Central and
South America, indigenous languages have heavily influenced
Spanish. An organization called: The Royal Spanish Academy
of Language (La Real Academia Española) has branches in
countries where Spanish is spoken and establishes norms of
spelling and grammatical forms.
2.
The First Spanish Grammar
Antonio de
Nebrija was the first to reduce the multiplicity of oral
traditions on the Castilian peninsula and standardize the
Spanish language, first with a grammar and later with a
dictionary. Nebrija recognized that Queen Isabella of Spain
needed a national language if she was going to govern
rather than rule her subjects. Antonio de Nebrija wrote the
very first: Gramática de
la lengua castellana (Grammar of the
Castillian language) in Salamanca in 1492, at the same time
that Columbus sailed to America and the Jewish people who
would not convert to Catholicism were exiled from Spain.
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish
SOLT I
Application
Activities Module 1 Lesson 1
Activity
1
Listening
Pair activity.
Word boundaries in English are very strong. You can usually
hear the /s/ or the /k/ sounds at the end of a word. Word
endings tend to be weak in Spanish. How weak they are
depends on the dialect (variation of the language) rather
than for purely phonetic reasons. However, you can usually
hear the beginning sound more clearly. Listen to your
instructor read some words and write the beginning sound
you think you can hear.
1. _____ 10. _____ 19. _____
2. _____ 11. _____ 20. _____
3. _____ 12. _____
4. _____ 13. _____
5. _____ 14. _____
6. _____ 15. _____
7. _____ 16. _____
8. _____ 17. _____
9. _____ 18. _____
Activity
2
Social
Event
Class activity.
Spell each other’s names, changing partners as they
complete each spelling session. Circulate around the room
during this activity as if you were at a social gathering,
interacting with everyone in the room. In a notepad, write
the names of the people you meet.The Alphabet
in Context Spanish
SOLT I
Application
Activities Module 1 Lesson 1
Activity
3
Pronunciation
Class activity.
Listen to the poems and pay close attention to the
pronunciation. Listen and repeat aloud on your own the
following Spanish poem and tongue twisters. You will have
an opportunity to practice what you have learned about
sounds this far. Concentrate on pronunciation. The
instructor may call on few volunteers to read these poems
for the rest of the class.
SENSEMAYA
by
Nicolás Guillén (Excerpt)
SOUNDS: 'y' 'll'
¡Mayombé-bombé-mayombé!
Sensemayá, la culebra...
¡Mayombé-bombé-mayombé!
Sensemayá, no se mueve
¡Mayombé-bombé-mayombé!
Sensemayá, la culebra
¡Mayombé-bombé-mayombé!
Sensemayá, se murió.
Trabalenguas (tongue
twisters)
SOUNDS: 'rr'
1) Erre con
erre cigarro
Erre con erre
barril
Rápido corren los carros
Cargados de azúcar por el ferrocarril
2) Un carro
cargado de rocas
Iba por la
carretera haciendo
Carric, carrac, carric, carrac
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish
SOLT I
Application
Activities Module 1 Lesson 1
Activity
3 (Continued)
SOUNDS: 'tr'
En tres tristes
trastos de trigo,
Tres tristes tigres comían trigo,
Comían trigo,
Tres tristes tigres,
En tres tristes trastos de trigo.
Activity
4
Pronounced
accent stress
Class activity.
Pronounce these words after your teacher. The stressed
syllable is written in bold letters.
1. bandera2.
comida3.
triste4.
mapa5.
camisa6.
vestido7.
dinero8.
madera9.
morena10.mochila
Activity
5
Using
the dictionary
Class activity.
Look up words at random that do not have a written accent
mark and volunteer to read it to the class. Your instructor
will give feedback as to whether the word was pronounced
correctly by each student or not.
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish
SOLT I
Application
Activities Module 1 Lesson 1
Activity
6
Plurals
Pair activity.
Work with your partner to change the following words to the
plural form by adding “S” to the nouns and changing the
articles “The” to match the nouns in gender and number.
Refer to Exercise 4 in the Grammar Notes if necessary. The
instructor will call on students to give the plural
version.
SINGULAR
PLURAL
The
camera La cámara
____________
Good
Buena
____________
The sky
El
cielo
____________
The
scorpion El
alacrán
____________
Poisonous
Venenoso
____________
The bear El oso
____________
The student El
estudiante ____________
The nation La nación ____________
The actor El actor ____________
The animal El animal ____________
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish
SOLT I
Application
Activities Module 1 Lesson 1
Activity
7
Synonyms
Class activity.
Looking for similar meanings for these cognates,
students will
take turns going to the chalkboard to write a pair of
synonyms as soon as he or she finds one. One will come from
list
A and the
matching pair from list
B.
List
A List B
sección enorme
característica parte
tendencia atributo
talento inclinación
artístico habilidad
inmenso estético
Activity
8
Antonyms
Pair activity.
Help each other to match antonyms or opposites. There are
special books with antonyms and synonyms, which are of
great help for vocabulary expansion. Match the adjectives
in Column A with the adjectives in Column B.
Column
A Column B
cómico
tradicional
generoso realista
moderno pasivo/a
idealista serio
agresivo/a hipócrita
sincero envidioso
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish
SOLT I
Application
Activities Module 1 Lesson 1
Activity
9
Letters
that are different from English
Class activity.
Repeat after your instructor the pronunciation of the
following four letters in the Spanish alphabet that are
different from the English alphabet. Repeat as many times
as necessary, then repeat the words used as examples.
Ch Ll Ñ Rr
charro llamo
niño carro chico lloro año perro
Activity
10
Letters
that sound different from English
Class activity.
Pronounce the following letters after your instructor and
then the words used as examples.
B
V
G H J Z
The letters
b and
v sound the same
in Spanish = (a soft “b” formed with the lips barely
touching). It is not necessary in Spanish to differentiate
between the
b and the
v sounds as in
English.
burro vaca
aborto gendarme globo hombre jota ajuar
zorra azufre abominable
Activity
11
The
alphabet
Pair activity.
Fill in the missing letters of the Spanish alphabet and
compare with a classmate.
Abc__def__hi__k__
__ mn__opq__ __stuv__ __y__.
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish
SOLT I
Application
Activities Module 1 Lesson 1
Activity
12
Spelling
Pair activity.
Alternate spelling the following to each other.
1. Your first and last name
_________________________________________.
2. The name of
your city ___________________________________________.
3. The name of
your teacher ________________________________________.
4. The name of
your MOS __________________________________________.
5. The name of
your favorite dish ____________________________________.
Activity
13
Letters
Pair activity.
Take turns spelling the following with the Spanish letters
and see how quickly your classmates can recognize the words
or names.
a. your favorite movie
b. your
favorite restaurant
c. a popular
band
d. your middle
name
e. your
favorite show
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish
SOLT I
Application
Activities Module 1 Lesson 1
Activity
14
Listening
and spelling
Class activity.
Listen to your instructor. He will choose several letters
and he will say aloud the name of the letters. Your task is
to recognize the name of the letter in Spanish by writing
it in a piece of paper. At the end of the activity you will
compare answers with your classmates.
Activity
15
Pair activity.
Listen to the following words as your instructor reads
them. You will then identify the diphthong. Compare notes
with another classmate.
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish
SOLT I
Skill
Integration Module 1 Lesson 1
Activity
1
Definite
Articles: reading, writing, speaking
Pair activity.
Read each of the following words aloud to your partner,
taking turns with each word, and add the definite articles
in writing. Then give the plural forms to your partner.
Example:
Professor
El profesor, los profesores
1. profesora
2. casa
3. canción
4. ángel
5. mes
6. voz
7. dosis
8. análisis
9. raíz
10. libro
Activity
2
Indefinite
articles: reading, writing, speaking
Pair activity.
Repeat activity 1, replacing the definite articles with the
indefinite articles.
Activity
3
Cognate
review: listening, writing, speaking, comprehension
Class activity.
The whole class forms a circle. The first student gives the
one to his/her right a cognate. The student on the right
spells it for the next student on his/her right/ the next
student writes it down and hands it to the next student.
The last student on this sequence tells its meaning in
English. Repeat the full circle three times.
The Alphabet
in Context Spanish
SOLT I
Skill
Integration Module 1 Lesson 1
Activity
4
Cognates/antonyms:
reading, listening, identification.
Pair activity.
Taking turns with your partner, match the adjectives in the
first column with their antonyms in the second column. Tell
your partner the antonym of your cognate, then, have
him/her give you the meaning for both words.
1. sincero a. nervioso
2. inferior b. realista
3. agresivo c. hipócrita
4. liberal d. superior
5. individualista e. conservador
6. tranquilo f. pasivo
7. idealista g. conformista
Activity
5
Cognates: reading, listening, identification
Pair activity.
Take turns reading the following sentences with a partner.
Alternately complete them by choosing the appropriate
cognate from this list: The answers may vary.
paciente, eficiente, responsable, justo, prudente,
religioso, elegante
1. Usualmente
el presidente de una compañía es...
2. Una princesa es...
3. Un ministro es...
4. Una secretaria es...
5. Un maestro de niños es...The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Homework
Module 1 Lesson 1
Activity
1
Pronunciation
Practice the
pronunciation of the list of words below, one word at a
time.
1. cruz 6. jaula 11. diente 16. fuego 26. hombre 31. hambre
2. buitre 7. niño 12. torta 17. casa 27. treinta 32. Carlos
3. barco 8. imón 13. queso 18. cinta 28. mundo 33. libro
4. perro 9. llama 14. guerra 19. loro 29. naranja 34. boca
5. pero 10.lápiz 15. soldado 20. uva 30. manzana 35. poema
Activity
2
Pronunciation
recognition
Is it /r/ or
/rr/? Pronounce to yourself the following list, then write
the answer.
Example: ¿Is it
“r”, o is it “rr”?
RobertocarrilAlfredoRiveracristalinopredicadoarroyo
b) Is it /k/ or /s/? Pronounce after your instructor.
quesocuandocelebracariñodeclaraconsuladofecundo
c) Is it /h/ or
/g/? Pronounce after your instructor.
genioGuillermogirasolregeneraregateoindígenagustarThe
Alphabet in Context Spanish SOLT I
Homework
Module 1 Lesson 1
Activity
3
Cognates
Guess the
English equivalent of the following Spanish cognates:
Spanish English
Equivalent
seccióninmensotendenciaartísticomexicanomúsicodanzautilizar
Activity
4
Cognates
1. Make a list
of all the words you consider COGNATES in the following
paragraph:
2. Write its meaning next to each word.
3 Using your knowledge of cognates and vocabulary you have
acquired so far, predict in
English what the paragraph is about. When you are done,
compare notes with a
partner.
El
Presidente Clinton recibe una invitación del Príncipe de
Gales. Clinton está muy ocupado en un a visita a Africa.
Considera que la invitación es muy importante. Es necesario
hablar de Diana. Ella es la princesa más popular de
Inglaterra. La familia
Real es mágica por la existencia de los castillos, los
reyes y los príncipes que todavía viven allí. En el futuro
van a desaparecer.The Alphabet
in Context Spanish SOLT I
Homework
Module 1 Lesson 1
Activity
5
Definite
Articles
Pair activity.
Working with a partner, change the definite articles
(el,la, los, las) to the indefinite articles (un,una, unos,
unas).
a. la bomba
b. los dólares
c. el famoso
d. la idea
e. el kilo
f. los limones
g. el permiso
h. la victoria
i. los zapatos
j. el examen
Activity
6
Definite
Articles
Decide
alternately what definite articles you would use for the
following words and write them. Compare you answers with
your partner. Your instructor will then give you the
answers.
____ ama
____ casa
____ loco
____ cuna
____ nene
____ cultura
____ opera
____ permiso
____ tortilla
____ automóvil