URLLesson Introduction
Feeding, burping, swaying, rocking, singing lullabies... Once you finally get that baby to sleep, the last thing you want is someone walking in and making noise! In this lesson, we'll hear how to shoosh someone in Spanish. Later, Liliana will tell us some fun ways to refer to kids in Mexico. Shh!
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jpvillanueva says
Hola, todos! We used estar in this lesson for the baby being asleep. Estar is only one of two ways to say to be (the other way is ser, it's for attributes that are seen as permanent). We use estar to describe states of being that are seen as temporary, or as the result of a change. For example dormido (asleep) is a temporary state of being; it's not a permanent attribute... hopefully! That's why we ask ¿Cómo estás? (how are you?) when we see each other. We can also ask ¿Cómo eres? when we want someone to describe their personal attributes (i.e., tall, fat, chronically lazy, stubborn, talented, good-looking, etc.). So here's the question of the day; we'll use estar: ¿Cómo está tu familia? How's your family? You can answer for the whole group, or you can answer for each member of your family. Extra points if you do it in Spanish!December 31, 2007
yardbird says
How do you choose which of two ways to describe someone being asleep? I know I can say "ella está dormido," meaning she's asleep. Or I can say "ella está dormiendo," meaning "she's sleeping." Now, I know these are both legitimate ways to say something, but is there any guide to which way to say it? In English, it's a pretty arbitrary choice. Don't make noise. The baby's asleep. Don't make nois. the baby's sleeping. Is it just as arbitrary in Spanish? Grácias. Y ¡Felíz año nuevo," otra véz! tui ,alseep,December 31, 2007
yardbird says
I meant to say "de nuevo," above, instead of otra vez. Just to show that I figured out the unique tone of that alternative for "again," implying more strongly that I'm jokingly saying "all over again, even though I did it already." As opposed to simply a deadpan "again." Oh well, Better late than never. Mejor tarde que nunca. Can you say that? I mean, do they say that? :-)December 31, 2007
kikuyu says
Feliz Ano Nuevo! Ya recibi la novidades que unas de mis hermanas esta embarazada. Toda mi familia esta muy contenta. (Is family plural or singular?) I just received the news that one of my sisters is pregnant. It is very exciting. My whole family is so happy.January 1, 2008
estibalitz says
Yes, we do Yardbird. We say: "Más vale tarde que nunca."January 1, 2008
estibalitz says
Mi familia está muy bien, gracias. ¿Y la tuya?January 1, 2008
luisita says
La mia tambien esta muy bien, gracias.January 1, 2008
npshirley says
Mi familia está bien. Tengo dos hijas. La mejor tiene viente seis años y la otra viente uno. Tenemos una navidad muy alegre. Me gusto mucho estes lecciones. Yo espero que tener un año muy bueno.January 1, 2008
rebound says
Me gustan las lecciones pero Yo necesito algo más advanzado. Puedo preguntar ¿cuando va a ser las lecciones el nivel advanzado?January 1, 2008
jpvillanueva says
rebound, Welcome to SpanishPod! Have you checked out the Intermediate or Upper Intermediate levels yet? If those are still too basic for you, we will soon have Advanced level lessons, which will have all the grammar of the intermediate lessons, plus idioms and expressions. Those lessons will be 100% in Spanish! Hope that helps!January 1, 2008
lilianamata says
Toda mi familia esta muy bien y contenta. Les deseo lo mejor para el 2008.January 2, 2008
estibalitz says
If you ask me: ¿Cómo estás Estibalitz? I would say: No muy bien, tengo un poco de catarro.January 3, 2008
beachhobo says
Hola, I am a newbe and though I know some vocab, hearing and understanding spanish is difficult at this stage. In the recording, near the end you give 3 new words/slang for children....could you spell them for me. I have looked all through the "Lesson" and cannot find any other reference.January 7, 2008
estibalitz says
beachhobo, The synomins for kids Liliana mentions on this lesson are: -bebé=baby -niño=kid -chico=boy -pequeño=little -mocoso=brat -chilpayate=kid -esqüincle=comes from the Nahuatl and means "skinny dog", which was the Aztec description for a pre-teen / early-teen.January 7, 2008
beachhobo says
Thank you estibalitz. In the lesson Liliana said that "chilpayate" was very regional...as in Mexico-I guess. What about mocoso and esquincle...are they common words in other Spanish speaking countries? Most of the Spanish spoken in my area would be from Cuba and Puerto Rico.January 8, 2008
estibalitz says
beachhobo, "esqüincle" is a regional word it´s used in Mexico. Whereas"mocoso" is a common word in Spain and in Latin America.January 8, 2008
lilianamata says
beachhobo Believe me if you use "chilpayate" you will impress people, because it is a very slangy word but also very regional with history behind it.January 8, 2008
taalibeen says
Gracias, ahora tengo una nueva frase que puedo decirles a mis hijos en español. "Oigan, no hagan ruido!"January 24, 2008
juana1 says
Hola a todos, Anoche en mi telenovela, una de la caracters llamada una otra una esquincle. Yo lo comprendo quizas aprendi este palabra ayer. Gracias Kindly correct any errors in my Spanish. ThanksJanuary 29, 2008
russhuntley says
May 19, 2008
Estabamos reirando el Domingo pasado, haciendo nombres para nuestros hijos...
La Gimotear..0La Boca...El Mucoso...mi buen chicito y muchos otros. Como se dice "Little Mouth" en Espanol? Espanol es muy divertido!!! ja ja :)
Hola, JP y Liliana,
Can you help me? How should I say "We were laughing last sunday"...should I use "Estabamus rierando" or "reiamos" or "reimos" or something altogether different. The same question with "hacer" I'm not to clear on the grammer.
Gracias
~Russ
donperigo says
May 19, 2008
Hi Russ
JP has promised us a "pa que sepas" on this very subject hopefully i can help until he gets in. here's my 2cents
estabamos reirando is the wrong way to go.
This may be complete twaddle but I'm pretty sure that when you want to say something along the lines of "we were laughing" you should ideally conjugate the thing you were doing (laughing) and not the fact that "you were"
The "when" can be handled perfectly happily by the new conjugated ending along with the "who"
re/ia/mos = laugh/was/us
Reir is an ir verb so it would never take an ando ending (used for ar verbs) the "ing" form for reir is riendo
everyone will tell you that you should reserve ando/iendo forms for actions that you are performing right at that moment. (and then they will ignore their own advice.) I believe that there are legitimate ways to use the ing" forms other than when refering to immediate present but i've yet to find out how.
I dont know why estabamos riendo is frowned upon but i suspect it is spanglish. understandable but awkward
Of course you would pick a verb with a reflexive counterpart. reír or reírse? I'm drawn to reírse because of the feeling that you were making yourselves laugh rather than laughing at an external thing which makes it
nos reíamos
thats what i'd use but I may well be wrong
russhuntley says
May 22, 2008
Gracias Donperigo
celiagarland says
September 17, 2008
If it is el esquincle and la esquincla, do I say el mocoso and la mocosa?
donperigo says
September 17, 2008
celiagarland you do indeed. follow this link thanks for the new word.