Read Madrigals Magic Key to Spanish Online
Authors: Margarita Madrigal
Tags: #Reference, #Language Arts & Disciplines
Madrigals Magic Key to Spanish (3 page)
| el Atlántico | democrático | elástico |
| el público | artístico | eléctrico |
| romántico | aristocrático | automático |
N
OTE
: In Spanish the accent never alters the sound of letters. Whenever a letter is accented, stress the letter firmly. Example: PU-bli-co.
Another large category is made up from those words which end in “ent” or “ant.” If you simply add the letter “e” to many of these, they magically become Spanish words.
ENT = ENTE
ANT = ANTE
the president
= el presidente;
important
= importante
| el presidente | excelente | conveniente |
| el accidente | importante | el elefante |
| el cliente | diferente | inteligente |
N
OTE
: Words that end in “ent” or “ant” are accented on the next to the last syllable. E
XAMPLE
: pre-si-DEN-te.
The letter “g” is pronounced “h” as in “hen” when it appears before “e” or “i.” E
XAMPLE
: “inteligente” is pronounced “intelihcnte.”
Now that you know all these words, let’s see how easy it is to put them into sentences. Just remember that:
“es” means “is” “no es” means “is not” “el” means “the” “un” means “a” or “an”
El actor es popular.
El tenor es romántico.
El presidente es diplomático.
El actor no es un animal.
El elefante es un animal.
El conductor no es insolente.
El doctor es inteligente.
El canal es importante.
El restaurante es excelente.
El criminal es terrible.
El cliente es importante.
El elefante es fantástico.
El cable es urgente.
El hotel es excelente.
N
OTE
: The letter “h” is always silent in Spanish: “hotel” is pronounced “otel.”
The sentences above can be made into questions by changing the word order. In Spanish you do not say, “Is the actor popular?” You must say, “Is popular the actor?”
EXAMPLES
:
¿Es popular el actor?
Is the actor popular?
¿Es romántico el tenor?
Is the tenor romantic?
¿Es diplomático el presidente?
Is the president diplomatic?
¿Es importante el canal?
Is the canal important?
| el, the | el mono, the monkey | es, is |
| un, a, an | el estudiante, the student | no es, is not |
| curioso, curious | en mi opinión, in my opinion | sí, yes |
| popular, popular | | |
| ay no, oh no | | |
¿Es popular el actor?
Is the actor popular?
Sí, el actor es popular.
¿Es terrible el profesor?
Is the professor terrible?
No, el profesor no es terrible. El profesor es excelente.
¿Es romántico el tenor?
Is the tenor romantic?
Sí, el tenor es romántico.
¿Es romántico el mono?
Is the monkey romantic?
Ay no, el mono no es romántico.
¿Es curioso el mono?
Is the monkey curious?
Sí, el mono es curioso.
¿Es inteligente el mono?
Sí, en mi opinión, el mono es inteligente.
¿Es fantástico el elefante?
Sí, en mi opiniAón, el elefante es fantástico.
¿Es inteligente el presidente?
Sí, el presidente es inteligente.
¿Es arrogante el profesor?
Ay no, el profesor no es arrogante. El profesor es tolerante.
¿Es impertinente el estudiante?
No, el estudiante no es impertinente
¿Es ignorante el estudiante?
No, el estudiante no es ignorante.
¿Es excelente el restaurante?
Sí, el restaurante es excelente.
¿Es urgente el cable?
Sí, el cable es urgente,
¿Es import ante el agente?
Sí, el agente es importante.
¿Es importante el cliente?
Sí, el cliente es importante.
“Es” means “is” and also “it is” or “it’s.”
EXAMPLES
:
| Es importante. | It’s important. |
| Es terrible. | It’s terrible. |
| Es natural. | It’s natural. |
| Es personal. | It’s personal. |
Practice the following expressions:
| Es posible. | Es diferente. |
| Es probable. | Es fantástico. |
| Es romántico. | Es ideal. |
| Es legal. | Es original. |
| Es horrible. | Es conveniente. |
| Es inevitable. | Es imposible. |
| Es automático. | Es evidente. |
| Es excelente. | Es elegante. |
“No es” means “is not” and also “it is not” or “it isn’t.”
EXAMPLES
:
| No es importante. | It isn’t important. |
| No es automático. | It isn’t automatic. |
| No es posible. | It isn’t possible. |
| No es urgente. | It isn’t urgent. |
You will find three columns of Spanish words below. Take words from Column 1, Column 2, and Column 3 and form complete sentences with them. For example, take “el actor” from Column 1, “es” from Column 2, and “popular” from Column 3. Put them together and they form the sentence “El actor es popular.” Other sample sentences:
El restaurante es excelente.
El cliente es importante.
El doctor no es terrible.
For practice, combine the words below in different ways to form as many sentences as you can. Just be sure to use words from each of the three columns in every sentence you form.
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
| el actor | es | popular |
| el doctor | no es | importante |
| el conductor | | inteligente |
| el profesor | | excelente |
| el inventor | | competente |
| el tenor | | romántico |
| el presidente | | democrático |
| el general | | diplomático |
| el accidente | | inevitable |
| el cable | | urgente |
| el agente | | paciente |
| el cliente | | ( patient ) |
| el paciente | | impaciente |
| ( the patient ) | | ( impatient ) |
| el permanente | | excepcional |
| el tractor | | ( exceptional ) |
| el elefante | | terrible |
| el mono | | formidable |
| el hotel | | fantástico |
| el restaurante | | curioso |
| el hospital | | horrible |
Translate the following sentences into Spanish. Write out each sentence in Spanish, using the columns above as a guide. After you have written out all the sentences check with the correct translations below this exercise.
- The actor is popular.
- The tenor is popular.
- The restaurant is excellent.
- The hotel is excellent.
- The doctor is intelligent.
- The cable is urgent.
- The hospital is excellent.
- The client is important.
- The conductor is patient.
- The general is important.
- The president is democratic.
- The inventor is intelligent.
- The general is diplomatic.
- The cable is important.
Check your sentences with the correct Spanish translations below.
- El actor es popular.
- El tenor es popular.
- El restaurante es excelente.
- El hotel es excelente.
- El doctor es inteligente.
- El cable es urgente.
- El hospital es excelente.
- El diente es importante.
- El conductor es paciente.
- El general es importante.
- El presidente es democrático.
- El inventor es inteligente.
- El general es diplomático.
- El cable es importante.
Basic differences in spelling between Spanish and English.
1. In Spanish “ph” becomes “f.”
PH = F
| ENGLISH | SPANISH |
| elephant | elefante |
| telephone | teléfono |
| phonetic | fonético |
| phonograph | fonógrafo |
2. In Spanish “th” becomes “t.”
TH = T
| ENGLISH | SPANISH |
| cathedral | catedral |
| author | autor |
| authentic | auténtico |
| methodist | metodista |
| catholic | católico |
3. The only letters that are doubled in Spanish are “l” and “r.”
DOUBLE ONLY L, R
All other letters, such as “ss, pp, mm, nn, tt, ff” (except “1,” “r”), which are doubled in English, become single letters in Spanish.
EXAMPLES
:
| ENGLISH | SPANISH |
| commission | comisión |
| apparent | aparente |
| annual | anual |
| attractive | atractivo |
| different | diferente |
You will find “cc” in Spanish but this is not a double “c.” Each “c” is pronounced separately since each belongs to a different syllable. The first “c” has a “k” sound and the second, an “s” sound.
correction
= corrección
The two “c’s” go into separate syllables in the following way:
correc–ción
instruc–ción
construc–ción
4. In Spanish “tion” always becomes “ción.”
TION = CIÓN
| ENGLISH | SPANISH |
| conven tion | conven ción |
| conven tional | conven cional |
Following are long lists of words that you get free, without toil or struggle, in your very first Spanish lesson. Go through the lists reading each word aloud. These words are wonderful because you don’t have to memorize them or even study them to any extent. By the time you have read the lists aloud you will have mastered the technique of making up words in each of the five different categories. For a complete explanation of stresses and accents see
this page
.
Words that end in “or” are often identical in Spanish and English.
the doctor
= el doctor
| actor | coautor | error | humor |
| agresor | ( coauthor ) | exterior | inferior |
| ardor | color | favor | inspector |
| autor | conductor | fervor | instructor |
| ( author ) | director | furor | interior |
| candor | doctor | honor | motor |
| censor | editor | horror | opresor |
| pastor | rumor | tractor | vapor |
| profesor | sector | tumor | ( steam ) |
| protector | superior | tutor | vigor |
| reflector | tenor | valor | |
Some words that end in “tor” in English end in “dor” in Spanish.
TOR = DOR
the senator
= el senador
| acelerador | dictador | generador | orador |
| colaborador | educador | investigador | radiador |
| creador | elevador | operador | ventilador |
Words that end in “al” are often identical in Spanish and English.
| abdominal | constitucional |
| accidental | ( constitutional ) |
| animal | continental |
| anual | convencional |
| arsenal | ( conventional ) |
| artificial | coral |
| beneficial | cordial |
| brutal | corral |
| canal | credencial |
| capital | criminal |
| cardinal | cristal |
| carnal | ( crystal ) |
| catedral | cultural |
| ( cathedral ) | decimal |
| central | dental |
| cereal | editorial |
| ceremonial | educacional |
| colonial | ( educational ) |
| colosal | electoral |
| ( colossal ) | elemental |
| comercial | emocional |
| condicional | ( emotional ) |
| ( conditional ) | episcopal |
| confidencial | esencial |
| ( confidential ) | ( essential ) |
| excepcional | imperial |
| ( exceptional ) | industrial |
| experimental | infernal |
| facial | informal |
| fatal | inicial |
| federal | ( initial ) |
| festival | instrumental |
| final | intelectual |
| formal | intencional |
| fraternal | ( intentional ) |
| frugal | internacional |
| fundamental | ( international ) |
| funeral | intestinal |
| general | irracional |
| gradual | ( irrational ) |
| gramatical | legal |
| ( grammatical ) | liberal |
| gutural | literal |
| horizontal | local |
| hospital | manual |
| ideal | material |
| ilegal | matrimonial |
| ( illegal ) | maternal |
| imparcial | medicinal |
| ( impartial ) | mental |
| met al | original |
| monumental | ornamental |
| moral | parcial |
| mortal | ( partial ) |
| municipal | pastoral |
| mural | paternal |
| musical | pedal |
| nacional | pedestal |
| ( national ) | personal |
| natural | plural |
| naval | portal |
| neutral | postal |
| normal | potencial |
| ocasional | ( potential ) |
| oficial | principal |
| oral | profesional |
| oriental | |
| provincial | sentimental |
| provisional | social |
| puntual | superficial |
| ( punctual ) | terminal |
| racial | total |
| racional | tradicional |
| ( rational ) | ( traditional ) |
| radical | trivial |
| regional | tropical |
| residencial | universal |
| ( residential ) | vertical |
| rival | visual |
| rural | vital |
| sensacional | vocal |
| ( sensational ) | jovial |
| sensual | judicial |