HOMEWORK: CARBÓN

CARBÓN HOMEWORK 1 (due at class 2)

Lesson 1: Masculine nouns

• Nouns that end in “-o” are usually Masculine. Examples: el libro (book), el sombrero (hat), el amigo (male friend).

Exceptions: la mano (hand), la foto (photo, short for “fotografía”), la moto (motorcycle, short for “motocicleta”).

• Can en in “-aje.” Examples: el mensaje (message), el paisaje (landscape), el garaje (garage).

• Can en in “-or.” Examples: el amor (love), el dolor (pain), el error (error).

Lesson 2: Feminine nouns

• Words ending in “-a” are usually feminine. Examples: la casa (house), la cama (bed), la mesa (table). Exceptions:

  • Words ending in "-ma" are masculine if Greek in origin and cognate. Examples: el problema (problem), el dilema (dilemma), el sistema (system).

  • Words ending in “-ta,” if cognate, are masculine can be masculine or feminine to reflect the gender of the person to whom they refer. Examples: el/la artista (artist), el/la dentista (dentist), el/la atleta (athlete).

• Other feminine endings:

  • “-ción” or “-sión.” Examples: la institución (institution), la educación (education), la pasión (passion)

  • “-dad” or “-tad.” Examples: la ciudad (city), la libertad (liberty), la comunidad (community)

  • “-tud.” Examples: la multitud (multitude), la exactitud (exactitud), la magnitud (magnitude)

Lesson 3: Definite Articles

Definite articles mean"the." In Spanish, the form they take gender and number of the noun to which they refer.

• Masculine singular: el libro (the book).

• Masculine plural: los libros (the books).

• Feminine singular: la casa (the house).

• Feminine plural: las casas (the houses).

Lesson 4: Indefinite Articles

Indefinite articles mean"a/an” or “some.” In Spanish, as with definite articles, the form they take gender and number of the noun to which they refer.

• Masculine singular: un libro (a book).

• Masculine plural: unos libros (some books).

• Feminine singular: una casa (a house).

• Feminine plural: unas casas (some houses).

Assignment 1

This is a standing assignment and applies to every week. Read a children's book in Spanish and bring it to class with things to say about it. Visit your local library. Or check out the online offerings here! (If you need assistance please contact us.)

Assignment 2

Write down a list of 12 nouns in Spanish. Of these 12 words:

• 3 should be masculine singular

• 3 should be masculine plural

• 3 should be feminine singular

• 3 should be feminine plural

Use simple, concrete words the meaning of which you should be able to convey to a partner without using English.

To the left of each noun, write the noun's corresponding DEFINITE article (el, la, los, las).

Assignment 3

Write another similar list with 12 new, different nouns with the same male/female/singular plural parameters. To the left of each noun on the second list, write the noun's corresponding INDEFINITE article (un, una, unos, unas).

CARBÓN HOMEWORK 2 (due at class 3)

Lesson: Demonstrative Adjectives (este, ese, aquel)

These are words used to distinguish one things from another, differentiate, or merely indicate what one is talking about. In English, they are “this,” “these,” “that,” and “those.”

THIS/THESE (things in one’s personal space)

• Masculine: este libro (this book), estos libros (these books)

• Feminine: esta casa (this house), estas casas (these houses)

THAT/THOSE (things outside of one’s personal space)

• Masculine: ese libro (that book), esos libros (those books)

• Feminine: esa casa (that house), esas casas (those houses)

NOTE: Unlike in English, in Spanish there are two THATs. If you find the notion of AQUEL (and its forms, below) confusing, rest assured that, at this stage in your Spanish acquisition, it's more important that you understand it when you hear it than know when to use it: you can get by without using it, but you WILL hear it.

THAT over there/THOSE over there (conveys distance)

• Masculine: aquel libro (that book over there), aquellos libros (those books over there)

• Feminine: aquella casa (that house over there), aquellas casas (those houses over there)

Assignment 1

Read a children's story book in Spanish and bring it to class tell a partner about it in Spanish. You can check out such books from your local library, or find them online.

Assignment 2

To practice the demonstrative adjectives from the lesson above, write 4 GROUPS of 3 SENTENCES, grouped by gender/number (masculine/singular, masculine/plural, feminine/singular, feminine/plural). Include spacial context to justify the use of each demonstrative adjective.

Example for masculine/singular group:

• Este libro, en mi mano, es rojo.

• Ese libro, en la cocina, es interesante.

• Aquel libro, en Jalisco, es viejo.

Not that the examples include context/justification (underlined) for why I am using este vs. ese vs. aquel, and the examples you write should as well. That is to say:

ESTE/ESTOS/ESTA/ESTAS: Show that the object is in your personal space (“en mi mano,” for example)

ESE/ESOS/ESA/ESAS: Show that the object is NOT in your personal space (“en la cocina,” for example)

AQUEL/AQUELLOS/AQUELLA/AQUELLAS: Show that the object is distant (“en Jalisco,” for example)

As always, choose vocabulary for your homework that is new to you.

CARBÓN HOMEWORK 3 (due at class 4)

Lesson 1: The verb SER (to be: identity and characteristics)

SER is used to express something's IDENTITY. It means "to be" in the sense of EXISTING and being identified as something.

CONJUGATION OF SER

USES OF SER

1. Identifying something as a noun. Example: ¿Qué es esto? Es un libro. (What is this? It’s a book.)

2. Characteristics. Example: El gato es negro. (The cat is black.)

3. Profession. Example: Ramón es doctor. (Ramón is a doctor.)

4. Religion. Example: Nosotros somos budistas. (We are Buddhist.)

5. Ideology. Example: Ellos son socialistas. (They are socialist.)

6. Nationality. Example: Tú eres italiano. (You are Italian.)

7. Geographic origin. Example: Soy de Nueva York. (I’m from New York.)

8. Material origin. Example: La silla es de metal. (The chair is metal.)

9. When telling time. Example: ¿Qué hora es? Son las ocho. (What time is is? It’s eight o’clock.)

Lesson 2: ESTAR (to be: condition and location)

ESTAR is used to express something's CONDITION or LOCATION. ESTAR means "to be" in the sense of being in a particular STATE or at a particular STATION (place).

CONJUGATION OF ESTAR

USES OF ESTAR

1. Physical condition. Example: Estoy enfermo. (I’m sick.)

2. Mental condition. Example: Ramón está aburrido. (Ramón is bored.)

3. Emotional condition. Example: Nosotros estamos tristes. (We are sad.)

4. Location. Example: ¿Dónde está Waldo? Waldo está en Nuevo México. (Where’s Waldo? Waldo is in New Mexico.)

5. Temperature of things. Example: La sopa está fría. (The soup is cold.)

SOME COMPARISONS OF SER AND ESTAR

Assignment 1

Read a children's story book in Spanish and bring it to class tell a partner about it in Spanish. You can check out such books from your local library, or find them online.

Assignment 2

Memorize the conjugation of SER and ESTAR.

Assignment 3

Write one original, creative sentence of your own as an example of each use of each verb. Total: 14 sentences. As always, DOUBLE SPACE, and use new vocabulary from the unit or elsewhere (move beyond “taco,” “casa,” and “sombrero”!)

CARBÓN HOMEWORK 4 (Due at class 5)

Lesson: The Present Progressive Tense

The Present Progressive is yet another use of ESTAR and is used to express an action that is actually in process. It a compound tense in which ESTAR serves as an auxiliary verb to another verb in its present participle form (which, in English, ends in “-ing”).

Examples:

• El profesor está explicando. (The professor is explaining.)

• Los estudiantes están escribiendo. (The students are writing.)

Note that ESTAR is conjugated as you'd expect based on the subject.

Also note the endings of the present participles:

• -ANDO (as in "explicando") is used with -AR verbs.

• -IENDO (as in "escribiendo") is used with -ER and -IR verbs.

There are some verbs with irregular present participles: the verb IR (to go) itself—its present participle is YENDO (going)—and those that end in -AER, -EER and -UIR. Their present participles end in -YENDO.

Examples:

• traer (to bring): trayendo (bringing)

• leer (to read): leyendo (reading)

• construir (to construct): construyendo (constructing)

Assignment 1

Read a children's story book in Spanish and bring it to class tell a partner about it in Spanish. You can check out such books from your local library, or find them online.

Assignment 2

Write a one-page, double-spaced narrative about a room in your house. Choose a few objects there and answer these questions:

• Where are things in relation to each other? (ESTAR)

• Where are they from? (SER)

• What do they look like? (SER)

• In what condition are they? (ESTAR)

• AND What is happening in the moment that you write? (present progressive: see lesson above)

Example:

En la cocina, el lavaplatos está a la derecha del horno. Es de Tacoma y es blanco. Es usado pero está como nueva. El gato está comiendo su comida a la izquierda de la refrigeradora. (In the kitchen, the dishwasher is to the right of the oven. It's from Tacoma and it's white. It's used but it's like new. The cat is eating its food to the left of the refrigerator.)

CARBÓN HOMEWORK 5 (due at class 6)

Lesson: Irregular verbs SABER, CONOCER, HACER

These are three very important and useful irregular verbs. They are irregular because the first person singular form (yo) does not follow the regular pattern of just dropping the infinitive ending and adding "o".

SABER - to know (information)

yo sé (I know) nosotros sabemos (we know)

tú sabes (you know, familiar)

él sabe (he knows) ellos saben (they know, masculine, mixed)

ella sabe (she knows) ellas saben (they know, feminine)

usted sabe (you know, formal) ustedes saben (you know, plural)

Example: Yo sé cuál es la capital de California. (I know what the capital of California is.)

CONOCER - to know (be familiar with people, places, and things)

yo conozco (I know) nosotros conocemos (we know)

tú conoces (you know, familiar)

él conoce (he knows) ellos conocen (they know, masculine, mixed)

ella conoce (she knows) ellas conocen (they know, feminine)

usted conoce (you knows, formal) ustedes conocen (you know, plural)

Example: Ella no conoce a Alberto. (She does not know Alberto.)

HACER - to make or to do

yo hago (I make) nosotros make (we speak)

tú haces (you make, familiar)

él hace (he makes) ellos hacen (they make, masculine, mixed)

ella hace (she makes) ellas hacen (they make, feminine)

usted hace (you makes, formal) ustedes hacen (you make, plural)

Assignment 1

Read a children's story book in Spanish and bring it to class tell a partner about it in Spanish. You can check out such books from your local library, or find them online.

Assignment 2

Write out the conjugation for these IRREGULAR VERBS (SABER, CONOCER, HACER) over and over (just like I did above, but without the English) until you can do it from memory without looking at another piece of paper on which they are already written.

Assignment 3

Practice the conjugations orally until you can recite them without looking.

Assignment 4

Write one, different, original sentence for each form of each verb (total: 15 original sentences). Use a dictionary of course and be creative. But keep them simple: don't use words that you'll have difficulty explaining to a partner without using English.

CARBÓN HOMEWORK 6 (due at class 7)

Lesson 1: Irregular verb DAR (to give)

Conjugation of DAR in the present indicative:

doy damos

das

da dan

NOTE: The preposition "a" is used when expressing the giving of something TO someone.

Example: Yo le doy el libro a Simón. (I give the book to Simón.) (Don't worry about the word "le" right now.)

Lesson 2: Irregular verb SALIR (to go out)

Conjugation of SALIR in the present indicative:

salgo salimos

sales

sale salen

NOTE: The preposition "de" is used when expressing WHERE someone is going out FROM.

Example: Yo salgo de la casa a las 7:00. (I go out of the house at 7:00.)

NOTE: The preposition "a" is used when expressing WHERE someone is going out TO.

Example: Cuando no queremos cocinar, salimos a un restaurante. (When we don't want to cook, we go out to a restaurant.)

Lesson 3: TRAER (to bring)

traigo traemos

traes

trae traen

NOTE: In Spanish, TRAER (to bring) is not to be confused with LLEVAR (to take). In English the two verbs are somewhat interchangeable. Not so in Spanish. TRAER is used ONLY from the perspective of someone who is AT the destination. NOT from the perspective of someone who is GOING TO BUT NOT YET AT the destination.

Examples:

• ¿Quién trae la limonada a nuestra fiesta? (Who is bringing the lemonade to our party?)

• ¡Miren lo que traigo! (Look what I bring!)

Versus

• ¿Qué llevo a la fiesta? (What do I bring [take] to the party?)

Lesson 4: PONER (to put)

pongo ponemos

pones

pone ponen

Example: Pongo el libro en la mesa. (I put the book on the table.)

Assignment 1

Read a children's story book in Spanish and bring it to class tell a partner about it in Spanish. You can check out such books from your local library, or find them online.

Assignment 2

Write out the conjugation for DAR, SALIR, TRAER and PONER. Do it over and over until you can do it from memory without looking at

another piece of paper on which they are already written.

Assignment 3

Practice the conjugations orally until you can recite them without looking.

Assignment 4

Write one original sentence using each form of each verb: that's 20 original sentences. Again, use a dictionary of course, and be creative. Again, keep them simple: don't use words that you'll have difficulty explaining to a partner without using English.

CARBÓN HOMEWORK 7 (due at class 8)

Lesson 1: Expressing Possession with "de"

There is no"apostrophe S" in Spanish. You can't say "Bob's tacos." You have to say "the tacos of Bob." You say it like this:"Los tacos de Bob." (Bob's tacos) Or "Los tacos son de Bob." (The tacos are Bob's.)

Lesson 2: Use of Articles with "de"

If the possessor is not stated as a proper noun (like Bob), it will usually have an article in front of it (un, el, etc.)

Examples:

• Los tacos son de la mujer.

• Las casas son de las mujeres.

• Los libros son de los hombres.

• Las mesas son del hombre.

Note that the last example features the contraction DEL, which is the combination of DE and EL.

Lesson 3: Use of Definite Articles with Titles

When using someone's title to refer to them (señor, doctor, etc.), there's a difference between when you address them directly and when you talk about them to someone else. When talking about them to someone else, you use a definite article in front of their title.

Examples:

• Hoy el señor Rodríguez no está aquí. (Today Mr. Rodriguez is not here.)

• ¿Dónde está la señora Ruíz? (Where is Mrs. Ruiz?)

When addressing someone directly, you don't use the article.

Examples:

• Hola señor Rodríguez. (Hello Mr. Rodríguez.)

• ¿Cómo está señora Ruiz? (How are you, Mrs. Ruiz?)

Assignment 1

Read a children's story book in Spanish and bring it to class tell a partner about it in Spanish. You can check out such books from your local library, or find them online.

Assignment 2

Write 12 sentences that state possession similar to those in Lesson 2. Write:

• 3 with de la

• 3 with de las

• 3 with de los

• 3 with del

The structure of each sentence should be as follows: noun 1, SER, de, definite article, noun 2

Example: Los zapatos son de la niña. (The shoes are the girl’s.)