Madrigals Magic Key to Spanish (2 page)

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Words that are identical in Spanish and English. How to convert English words into Spanish words. How to form sentences. Lists of words that are similar or identical in Spanish and English. How to form Spanish words from English words that end in “al,” “ble,” “ic,” “ent,” and “ant.” Basic differences in spelling between Spanish and English.

How to form Spanish words from English words that end in “ist,” “ous,” and “ion.” The use of these words in sentences.

How to convert nouns that end in “ion” into verbs. How to form questions.

How to form Spanish words from English words that end in “ty.” Conversation using “tomé” (
I took
) and “tomó” (
you took
).

How to form Spanish words from English words that end in “ry” and “em.” Conversation using “visité” (
I visited
) and “invité” (
I invited
).

A simple way of converting English verbs into Spanish verbs. How to use these verbs in sentences.

Conversation using “hablé” (
I spoke, talked
). How to form Spanish words from English words that end in “ce” and “cy.”

An easy way to convert Spanish nouns you know into verbs. How to form questions in the past tense.

How to greet people. Conversation using “¿Cómo está?” (
How are? How is?
).

How to form Spanish words from English words that end in “in” or “ine.” Conversation using “compré” (
I bought
) and “compró” (
you bought
).

How to express future action. How to form Spanish words from English words that end in “ive.”

Further practice in expressing future action. Conversation using “trabajar” (
to work
). The days of the week.

Verbs that end in “er” and “ir.” Practice in
expressing future action with these verbs. How to form adverbs.

How to form the past tense singular of “er” and “ir” verbs. List of “er” and “ir” verbs that are similar to their English equivalents. How to form the plural of nouns.

Conversation using “leer” (
to read
). How to form Spanish words from English words that end in “cle” and “y.”

How to form the past tense plural of “ar” verbs. Conversation using “pasar” (
to pass, to spend time
).

Past tense plural of “er” and “ir” verbs. The months of the year.

How to form Spanish words from English words that end in “ct.” Conversation using “cantar” (
to sing
) and “oír” (
to hear
).

Conversation using “estar” (
to be
). How to form Spanish words from English words that end in “ure” and “ute.”

How to form the Spanish equivalents of English participles that end in “ing”—“singing,” “working,” etc.—and their use in conversation.

How to form the present tense singular of “ar” verbs. Conversation using these verbs.

How to form the present tense singular of “er” and “ir” verbs. Conversation using these verbs. Further practice with Spanish adjectives.

How to form the plural of the present tense.

A simple way to convert Spanish verbs into nouns. Conversation using “tuve” (
I had
) and “estuve” (
I was
).

Use of “ir” (to go) in the present and past tenses. Conversation using “hice” (
I did, made
) and “vine” (
I came
).

How to form the present perfect tense with the auxiliary “haber …” (
to have …
). Conversation using these verbs.

Spelling changes in verbs. The numbers.

Complete review of the most useful and important tenses of verbs. Further practice in using these verbs.

Verbs that have slight changes in the stem.

An easy way to learn irregular verbs. A list of the principal irregular verbs showing their similarity to each other. The present and past tenses of these verbs.

How to use
him, her,
and
you
in Spanish conversation.

Dialogues using
him, her,
and
you.

How to use
to him, to her, to you,
and
for him, for her, for you
in Spanish conversation.

Further practice in the use of
to him, to her, to you.
How to combine pronouns.

Practice using the irregular verbs in conversation.

Verbs which end in “cer.” How to use “me gusta” (
I like
) and “le gusta” (
you like
). A menu vocabulary.

How to use “me” (
myself
) and “se” (
yourself
).

How to say
I used to … you used to
 … in Spanish.

How to give commands in Spanish. List of frequently used commands.

How to express hope, fear, doubt, and desire in Spanish.

How to express past hopes, fears, doubts, and desires in Spanish. How to say
I would … you would
 … etc., in Spanish.

Stem-changing verbs I, II, III. Lists of all types of stem-changing verbs.

Irregular past participles. Verbs that end in “
uir.” Impersonal verbs. How to use the verb “deber” (
should, oughty must
). Passive voice. Negatives and double negatives.

The familiar form of address. Possessives. Diminutives. Stresses and accents.

el mono (the monkey)

t is very easy to build a large vocabulary of Spanish words. In fact, you already know thousands of English words that become Spanish words if you change them very slightly. These words fall into several large categories.

The first and easiest category is made up of words which end in “or.” These words are often identical in Spanish and English.

Remember: “el” means “the,” “un” means “a” or “an.”

the actor
= el actor;
an actor
= un actor

Next there is a category of words that end in “al.” These also are often identical in Spanish and English.

the animal
= el animal

Then comes a category of words that end in “ble.” These also are often identical in Spanish and English.

the cable
= el cable

A fourth large category is made up from those words that end in “ic” in English. To change them into Spanish simply add the letter “o.”

IC = ICO
the public
= el público