3 michel thomas spanish language builder

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SPANISHLANGUAGEBUILDER

Hodder ArnoldA ME MB ER OF TH E HO DD ER HE AD LI NE GR OU P

MT SPANISH BUIILDER (2006 Ed) 25/9/07 10:22 am Page 1


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To find out more, please get in touch with us

For general enquiries and for information about Michel Thomas:Call: 020 7873 6400 Fax: 020 7873 6325Email: [email protected] place an order:Call: 01235 400414 Fax: 01235 400454 Email: [email protected] can write to us at:Hodder Arnold, 338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BHwww.michelthomas.co.uk

Unauthorized copying of this booklet or the accompanying audio material isprohibited, and may amount to a criminal offence punishable by a fine and/orimprisonment.

First published in UK 2001 by Hodder Headline, 338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH.Copyright 2001 Thomas Keymaster Languages, LLC. All rights reserved.All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, withoutpermission in writing from the publisher or under licence from the Copyright Licensing Agency Limited. Further

details of such licences (for reprographic reproduction) may be obtained from the Copyright Licensing AgencyLimited, Saffron House, 610 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS, UK.

Typeset by Transet Limited, Coventry, England.Printed in Great BritainImpression 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2Year 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006ISBN 978 0 340 78971 1

Michel Thomas, 19142005

Michel Thomas, the internationally renownedlinguist and language teacher, who was awarded theSilver Star by the US Army for his bravery in theSecond World War, died of heart failure at his homein New York on 8th January 2005. He was 90.



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Introduction

Who was Michel Thomas?Michel Thomas was head of the Michel Thomas Language Centers andtaught languages for over fifty years, primarily in New York, Beverly Hills,and London. He was a graduate of the Department of Philology at the

University of Bordeaux, France, and studied psychology at the Sorbonne(Paris) and at the University of Vienna. However, it was his remarkable lifeexperiences that fuelled his passion for teaching languages*.

Michel spent most of his childhood in Germany and France. With the riseof Hitler, he began his years of escape and resistance. He spent two brutalyears in French concentration and slave labour camps, constantlythreatened by deportation to German death camps. He escaped and foughtfor the French Resistance, surviving capture, interrogation and torture.

Michels wartime experiences, particularly his torture by the Gestapo when hediscovered the ability to block out pain, made him aware of the untappedpotential of the human mind. However, it was his deeply held conviction that

the biggest weapon in maintaining a free society was education that drovehim to devote his life to probing the learning process. Michel moved to LosAngeles in 1947, and he set up a language institute in Beverly Hills. Over aperiod of fifty years, he developed a unique and revolutionary learningsystem that made him the worlds leading language teacher.

What is the Michel Thomas method?Over a period of fifty years, Michel Thomas developed and perfected aunique method of teaching languages**. In essence, he breaks a languagedown to its component parts and enables learners to reconstruct thelanguage themselves to form their own sentences, to say what they want,when they want. The experience of learning a language becomes so excitingand satisfying that it stimulates self-motivation and builds confidence.

*For a full account of his fascinating life, read Michel Thomas: The Test of Courage byChristopher Robbins, published by Hodder and Stoughton

**U.S. patent 6,565,358



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Who is the Spanish Language Builderfor?People who have already learned Spanish with Michel ThomasThe Language Builderdoes just what its name suggests: it builds on thelanguage Michel teaches in his Foundation (8-hour) and Advanced courses.It does this in two important and inseparable ways: by echoing theFoundation (8-hour) and Advanced courses to review key structures, whileat the same time presenting new idioms (which are heard and used all the

time in everyday Spanish but which are very rarely taught). This dualapproach means that you painlessly review what you have learned as yousimultaneously expand the range of your working and functional knowledgeof the language.

People who have learned Spanish using other methodsYou may have learned Spanish before and now want to brush it up for aholiday or business trip, or perhaps you are looking for a new approach tohelp with revision or to re-motivate you: either way, the Language Builderwill give you a real insight into how the language works and will boost yourconfidence to speak.

You may find that it takes a while to get used to Michels innovative way of

teaching it is certainly quite unlike any other method you will have comeacross but once you have experienced the excitement of painless learningyou will be hooked!

What does the pack contain?The pack comprises approximately two hours of recorded material plus a 48-page booklet. The recordings are available on CD or audio cassette andfeature Michel Thomas alone. To avoid wasting recording time, there are nopauses on the recordings, but you are strongly recommended to use thepause button on your player for maximum learning (see below). The bookletcontains the key words and phrases to help you with written Spanish, but you

do not need to use it at all if you just want to concentrate on improving yourspeaking and listening skills.

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How do I use the recordings? Relax!As far as possible, make yourself comfortable before playing the recordingsand try to let go of the tensions and anxieties traditionally associated withall learning.

Interact fully with the recordingsUse the pause button to stop the recording so that you have time to thinkout your translations. Then say the phrase or sentence out loud (or in awhisper, or in your head, if you are in a public place), before Michel does.This is essential. You do not learn by repetition but by thinking out thesentences yourself; it is by your own thought process that you truly learn.

Stop the recording whenever it suits youYou will notice that the recordings are not divided into lessons*** so it iseasy to stop wherever you want.

What level of language will I achieve?The recordings will give you a practical and functional use of the spokenlanguage. Michel Thomas teaches the everyday conversational language thatwill allow you to communicate in a wide variety of situations, empoweredby the ability to create your own sentences and use the language naturally.

How can I go on to improve further?Obviously, nothing compares with first-hand contact with native Spanishspeakers, but if this is not possible for you, and if you have mastered thelanguage in the Foundation (8-hour) and Advanced courses, Michelrecommends reading Spanish newspapers and magazines as one of the bestways to keep up and extend your language. Interviews are particularly good,as they reflect Spanish as it is actually being spoken, rather than the languagetaught in schools or textbooks. You could also try the Michel Thomas Method

Vocabulary courses. See the back of the booklet for details.

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***Tracking breaks have been inserted on the CDs: you may find it helpful to make anote of these (or the timings, if you have audio cassettes) in this booklet to help you getback immediately to where you left off or to review specific points



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Who has Michel Thomas taught?People came from all over the world to learn a foreign language with MichelThomas because his method works. His students, numbering in thethousands, included well-known people from the arts and from thecorporate, political and academic worlds. Michels list of clients included:

Celebrities: Emma Thompson, Woody Allen, Barbra Streisand, WarrenBeatty, Melanie Griffith, Eddie Izzard, Bob Dylan, Jean Marsh, Donald

Sutherland, Mrs George Harrison, Anne Bancroft, Mel Brooks, NastassjaKinski, Carl Reiner, Raquel Welch, Johnny Carson, Julie Andrews, IsabelleAdjani, Candice Bergen, Barbara Hershey, Priscilla Presley, Loretta Swit, TonyCurtis, Diana Ross, Herb Alpert, Angie Dickinson, Lucille Ball, Doris Day,Janet Leigh, Natalie Wood, Jayne Mansfield, Ann-Margaret, Yves Montand,Kim Novak, Otto Preminger, Max Von Sydow, Peter Sellers, Franois Truffaut,Sofia Coppola.

Diplomats, dignitaries and academics: US Ambassador to France, WalterCurley; US Ambassador to the UN, Joseph V. Reed; Cardinal JohnOConnor, Archbishop of New York; Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua,Archbishop of Philadelphia; Armand Hammer; Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of

York; Professor Herbert Morris, Dean of Humanities at UCLA; WarrenKeegan, Professor of Business at Pace University in New York; ProfessorWesley Posvar, President of the University of Pittsburgh.

Executives from the following corporations: AT&T International, Coca-Cola,Procter & Gamble, Chase Manhattan Bank, American Express, Merrill Lynch,New York Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Boeing Aircraft, GeneralElectric, Westinghouse Electric, Bank of America, Max Factor, RandCorporation, Bertelsmann Music Group-RCA, Veuve Clicquot Inc.,McDonalds Corporation, Rover, British Aerospace.

What do his students say?

Academy award winning director and actress, Emma Thompson (asquoted in the Guardian): The excitement of learning something new wasoverwhelming. Michel not only taught me Spanish, he opened my eyes to

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the possibilities of a completely different kind of learning. Michel forbids hisstudents to practise, or to try to remember. Michel takes the burden off thestudent and upon himself Learning Spanish with Michel was the mostextraordinary learning experience of my life it was unforgettable.

New York film-makerWoody Allen, (as quoted in USA Todayand BusinessLife): I am a poor student, particularly with languages. I had years ofSpanish in school and could never speak a word... (but) learning with

Michel: its like a kid who loves baseball and who just knows every ballplayer, every batting average, every statistic about the game. Theyvelearned it all effortlessly. Its the same with Michel. You learn a languageeffortlessly. It is amazing. (He)had me speaking French and I learned it ina way Ive never forgotten, and it was painless. A tremendous experience.

Customer feedbackI am writing to congratulate you on the highly original and successfullanguage courses by Michel Thomas; I am currently working on Germanand French while my daughter, at my suggestion, has bought the Italiancourse.

R Harris

I have now finished the eight cassette Italian course and would like to sayhow pleased I am with it. I am a scientist, with all my neurones in the sideof my brain that deals with understanding, and next to none on the sidethat deals with memory. This has meant my ability to retain vocabulary andlearn a language has been about as bad as it comes. Against all odds, theMichel Thomas course has left me with a real sense of achievement, and atremendous basis for further progress in learning Italian.

T A Whittingham

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9Recording 1Vamos a comenzar / We are going to startvamos a empezar

comenzamos / empezamos were going to start

empecemos lets start

Me gusta ... I like ...

Me gusta estar aqu I like to be here

Quiero hacerlo pero ... I want to do it but ...

lo har, lo har I will do it, he/she/you will do it

no lo har, no voy a hacerlo I wont do it, I wont do ithoy porque ... today because

... estoy muy ocupado ... Im very busy

... estoy demasiado ocupado ... ... Im too busy

... para hacerlo ... to do it

Tengo ganas de ... I feel like ...

Tengo ganas de hacerlo I feel like doing it

No tengo ganas de ir all I dont feel like going there

No tengo ganas de quedarme aqu I dont feel like staying here

Tengo ganas de salir I feel like going out

Me parece que ... It seems to me that, I think that ...

creo que ..., pienso que ... I believe that ..., I think that ...Me parece que ella no tiene It seems to me that she doesnt

ganas de ir all feel like going there

Estoy de acuerdo con usted I agree with you

De acuerdo OK, agreed

No estoy de acuerdo con l I dont agree with him

Cul es su opinin? What is your opinion?

Cul es tu opinin? What is your opinion?

Qu piensa? What do you think?

Qu piensas, Roberto?Qu piensan ustedes?

Me interesa It interests me

Me interesa mucho, muchsimo It interests me a lot, very much

Desafortunadamente no me interesa Unfortunately it doesnt interest me



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10Creo que ... I think that ...

Creo que l va a estar all ... I think that he will be there ...

... esta tarde ... this afternoon

Es demasiado tarde para hacerlo Its too late to do it

tarde means late as well as afternoon; es tarde is it is late

Creo que l va a estar aqu esta I think that he is going to be here

noche tonight

Veremos, vamos a ver We will see

No ser posible ... It wont be possible ...

... hacerlo as ... to do it like this, in this way

No lo creo I dont think so, I dont believe it

Seguro, seguramente sure, surely

Claro Of course

Naturalmente Naturally

Claro que estoy seguro Of course Im sure

Mira / Mire ... Look ...

... est sobre la mesa ... its on the table

Puede ponerlo, podra ponerlo ... Will / Can you put it, could you put it ...

... debajo de la mesa? ... under the table?

Es necesario ... It is necessary ...

Tenemos que ... We have to ...

Hay que ... One must ...

... ir all ... to go there

No es necesario / No It is not necessary to buy it ...hay que comprarlo ...

... porque es muy caro ... because it is very expensive

Necesito, lo necesito I need, I need it

No lo necesito ahora I dont need it now

Es todo lo que necesito It is all I need

Note the use oflo que in the middle of the sentence (literally all what I need)

Esto / Eso es todo lo que necesito This / That is all I need

Es todo lo que quiero It is all I want

Esto es todo lo que quiere? Is this all you want?

Quiero algo ms I want something else



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11Necesita algo ms? Do you need anything else?

No gracias, esto es todo No thank you, thats all

Puede mostrarme ...? Will you / Can you show me?

S, voy a mostrarle, le muestro Yes, Ill show you

PRESENT TENSE USED FOR FUTURE

mostrar means to showmuestro means I show, Ill show; le muestro, Ill show youThe future is often expressed by the present tense in Spanish

Puede / podra decirme ... Will you / Can you / Could you tell me ...... a qu hora va a estar listo? ... what time it is going to be ready?

... a qu hora estar listo? ... what time it will be ready ?

Voy a informarme I will find out(literally, inform myself)

Necesito cierta informacin I need certain information

Tengo que informarme I have to find out

Voy a decirle maana, le dir maana I will tell you tomorrow

poder means to be able; podr I will be able

No voy a poder, no podr ... I will not be able ...

... hacerlo ... to do it

No podr venir con nosotros He will not be able to come with usNo va a poder venir con nosotros He isnt going to be able tocome with us

buscar means to look for

Lo busco, lo estoy buscando ... I am looking for it ...

... pero no puedo encontrarlo ... but I cant find it

Tiene algo para m? Do you have something for me?

No, no tengo nada No, I dont have anything,I have nothing

Ya no tengo ms I dont have it any longer, any more

Hay un mensaje para usted There is a message for you

Hay unos mensajes para usted There are some messages for you

Hay mensajes para m? Are there messages for me?Hay algn mensaje para m? Is there any message for me?

S, hay algunos Yes, there are some



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debo means I must, Im supposed to, I should

Qu debo hacer? is What should I do?Debo salir is I must go out

Cunto es? How much is it?

Cunto es esto / eso? How much is this / that?

Cunto cuesta? How much does it cost?

Cul es el precio? What is the price?

Cunto vale? How much is it worth?

No vale mucho Its not worth much

Cunto le debo? How much do I owe you?

Est muy bien Its fine, all right

Est bien as Its OK like this

Me parece que / creo que ... I think that ...

... va a decidir / decidir hacerlo ... he will decide to do it

Voy a hacerlo ... Im going to do it ...

... inmediatamente / ahora mismo ... immediately / right now

... en seguida ... right away

Quiero hacerlo I want to do it

Me gustara hacerlo I would like to do it

me gusta means I like, me gustara I would like

Me gustara saber ... I would like to know ...

... a qu hora ... ... at what time ...

... l puede / podr / podra ... ... he can / will be able to / could ...

... estar aqu ... be here

olvidar means to forget

No olvidar/ no voy a olvidar ... I will not forget ...

... decirle / darle ... to tell / to give you / him / her / them

... drselo ... to give it to you / him / her / them

Voy a drselo a usted Im going to give it to you

Tengo ganas de hacerlo ... I feel like doing it. ...

... pero no s si puedo hacerlo ahora ... but I dont know if I can do it now

No vale la pena ... Its not worth the trouble ...

... ir all ... to go there / going there



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Podemos ir all si quiere / si quieres We can go there if you want

Quiere / quieres venir conmigo? Do you want to come with me?

Me gustara ir con usted / contigo Id like to go with you

Le gustara / Te gustara venir Would you like to comeconmigo? with me?

S, claro que s / cmo no? Yes, of course / why not?

Me gustara mucho Id like to very much

Con mucho gusto With much pleasure

Gracias por su gentileza Thats nice of youDe acuerdo / Vale Agreed, OK

Esto / Eso me gusta This / That pleases me, I like it

Es una buena idea Its a good idea

Tiene razn You are right

Tiene toda la razn You are quite right

Tiene razn y estoy de acuerdo You are right and I agreecon usted with you

Me gusta quedarme aqu ... I like to stay / staying here ...

... porque estoy cansado ... because Im tired

Me gusta descansar I like to rest

Voy a descansar ... Im going to rest ...

... un poco / un rato ... for a little / for a while

... porque estoy muy cansado ... because Im very tired

Vale la pena ir a verlo esta noche? Is it worth going to see it tonight?

No, no vale la pena No, its not worth it

Es increble! Its incredible!

No lo creo I dont believe it

Es increble lo que me dice Its incredible what youre telling me

Es magnfico / extraordinario Its great / magnificent / extraordinary

Es excelente Its excellent

Esto es muy interesante This is very interesting

Me interesa mucho verlo It interests me a lot to see it

Estoy muy interesado I am very interestedMe interesa mucho ir a verlo Im very interested to go and see it

Ella es encantadora She is very charming, lovely, nice

Me gusta mucho ir all con usted I like very much to go there with you

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15Tengo ganas de ... I feel like ...

... ir al cine esta noche ... going to the cinema tonight

... para ver una pelcula ... (in order) to see a film, a picture

una pelcula interesante an interesting picture

Ella no tiene ganas de ir all She doesnt feel like going there ...

... esta noche, quizs maana ... tonight, perhaps tomorrow

Pienso salir / irme ... I think Ill leave / go away ...

... la semana que viene ... next week

... el mes que viene ... next month

... o en dos semanas ... or in two weeks

Quiero tenerlo I want to have it

Voy a comprarlo Im going to buy it

No voy a comprarlo porque ... Im not going to buy it because ...

... es demasiado caro ... its too expensive

... es muy caro ... its very expensive

No pienso comprarlo I dont plan to buy it

pensar to think is used for planningesperar to hope also means to expect

No tengo la intencin de comprarlo I dont intend to buy it

PRONUNCIATION OF LETTERCThe letter c followed byi ore is pronounced th in Castilian Spanish but s in other parts of theSpanish-speaking world. But beforea, o, u it is always k.Youll hearintenthin in Castilian Spanish, butintensin in many other parts of Spain and inLatin America. Another example:Barthelona andBarselona.

No tengo la intencin de hacerlo I dont intend to do it

ENGLISH WORDS ENDING IN -TIONLots of words ending in -tion in English end in -cin in Spanish.Other examples:condicin, reservacin, confirmacin, etc.

Pienso ir all con usted I plan to go there with you

Espero ir all con usted I expect / I hope to go there with you

Voy a tomarlo Im going to take it

Va a estar listo pronto It will be ready soonA qu hora ... At what time ...

... va a estar aqu? ... are you going to be here?



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16No tengo tiempo de hacerlo I dont have time to do it

No tiene tiempo de hacerlo He doesnt have time to do it

No tenemos tiempo de hacerlo We dont have time to do it

Cunto tiempo tiene? How much time do you have?

No s cundo ... I dont know when ...

... va a estar / estar listo ... it will be ready

Creo que ... I think ...

... va a estar / estar listo pronto ... it will be ready soon

abrir means to open;abro is I open, Im openingcerrar means to close; cierro is I close, Im closing

Debo abrir la ventana? Should I open the window?

Abro la ventana? Shall I open the window?

Cierro la puerta Im closing the door

Cierro la puerta? Shall I close the door?

ASKING QUESTIONS

All you have to do to change a statement (Im closing the door) into a question (Shall I close thedoor?) is to make it sound like a question, with the right inflexion in your voice. The order of thewords doesnt change.In written Spanish you put a question mark at the beginning as well as? at the end of thequestion.

Le espero Im waiting for you

Le espero? Shall I wait for you?

Le acompao? Shall I accompany you?

Voy / vengo con usted? Shall I go / come with you?

Le llamo ms tarde / maana Ill call you later / tomorrow

Le llamo ms tarde? Shall I call you later?

Salimos We are leaving

Salimos? Shall we leave?

Vamos a hacerlo We are going to do it

Qu vamos a hacer? What shall we do?

Yo s que no va a poder hacerlo I know he wont be able to do it

Tengo que ir a verlo I have to go and see it

Voy a ir a verlo I am going to see it

Iba a verlo He was going to see it

Iba a hacerlo I was going to do it



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17No iba a hacerlo He wasnt going to do it

No iba a decirle ... I wasnt going to tell you ...

... que iba a hacerlo para usted ... that I was going to do it for you

Iba a comprarlo I was going to buy it

No iba a encontrarlo I wasnt going to find it

l iba a estar aqu esta maana He was going to be herethis afternoon

No iba a esperar I wasnt going to wait

No iba a esperarle I wasnt going to wait for you

S, lo s, no lo s I know, I know it, I dont know it

No s dnde est I dont know where it is

No puedo encontrarlo I cant find it

Puede decirme dnde est? Can you tell me where it is?

Podra decirme? Could you / would you be ableto tell me?

Tengo que saberlo I have to know (it)

saber means to knows means I know; sabe, he/she knows, you know; sabes you know (informal); saben youknow, they know

Qu sabe? What do you know?

Por qu no lo sabes? Why dont you know (it)?(to a friend)

Nadie sabe dnde est Nobody knows where it is

Nadie puede encontrarlo Nobody can find it

saba means I knew, he/she knew, you knew; sabas is you knew (informal); saban youknew, they knew

Lo saba I knew (it)

No lo saba I didnt know (it)

No saba que usted iba a estar aqu I didnt know you were goingto be here

No iba a decirle ... I wasnt going to tell you ...

... que iba a comprarlo para usted ... that I was going to buy it for you

llegar means to arriveNo saba que ... I didnt know ...

... iba a llegar hoy ... you were going to arrive today

Yo saba que todo iba a estar listo I knew everything was goingto be ready



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18S que nunca ... I know that I never ...

... voy a poder / podr hacerlo as ... will be able to do it that way

Recording 2Qu hay? What is there?

Qu hay? can also mean Whats up?, Whats the matter?,Whats going on?

Qu hay para comer? What is there to eat?

Qu hay para beber? What is there to drink?

ofrecer means to offer

Puedo ofrecerle algo ... Can I offer you something ...

... para beber? ... to drink?

S, pero primero tengo que ... Yes, but first I have to ...

... hacer una llamada telefnica ... make a phone call

... llamar por telfono ... telephone

Y despus, voy a salir And afterwards Im going to leave

PRONUNCIATION OF THE LETTERZThe letterz is always th in Castilian and s elsewhere

la primera vez the first time

la segunda vez the second time

la tercera vez the third time

la prxima vez the next time

dos veces two times, twice

muchas veces many times

Voy a hacerlo muchas veces Im going to do it many times

No tengo ganas de hacerlo I dont feel like doing it

No tengo ganas de ir all solo I dont feel like going there alone

Voy a hacerlo Im going to do it

Iba a hacerlo I was going to do itNo saba que iba a estar aqu I didnt know you were going

to be here



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19If you need clarifiers, put them in!Addyo, t, l / ella, usted where necessary

Yo no saba que usted iba I didnt know you were goinga estar aqu to be here

l no saba que ella iba a He didnt know she was goingestar aqu to be here

No saba que iba a salir ... I didnt know you were goingto leave ...

... esta tarde ... this afternoon

Vamos a empezar ... We are going to start ...

... pronto / en seguida ... soon / right away

... inmediatamente ... immediately

Voy a esperar Im going to wait

Iba a esperar He was going to wait

No iba a esperar He wasnt going to wait

No saba ... I didnt know ...

... que iba a estar aqu ... ... that you were going to be here ...

... hoy / esta maana ... today / this morning

No saba ... I didnt know

... que iban a estar aqu ... that you were (all) going to be here

Generalmente ... Generally / usually ...

ENGLISH WORDS ENDING IN -LYThe ending -ly in English is usually -mente in Spanish.specially is especialmente

... no lo hago as ... I dont do it that way

SPECIAL = ESPECIAL

Words beginning sp-, st- or sc- in English usually startesp-, est- oresc- in Spanish: Spain isEspaa; student estudiante; school escuela.

ENGLISH WORDS ENDING -TYWords ending in-ty usually end in-tad or-dad in Spanish:especialidad; libertad; oportunidad; cualidad

Generalmente no me gusta hacerlo Generally I dont like doing itGeneralmente no voy all Generally I dont go there

A menudo Often

Frecuentemente Frequently

Casi nunca voy all I almost never go there



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20acabar means to finishacabo de + infinitive (to have just ...) is an easy way of expressing the past tense!

Acabo de ... I have just ...

Acabo de verlo I have just seen it

Acaba de salir He has just left

Acabo de llegar ... I have just arrived ...

... hace dos das ... two days ago

Acaba de llamarme ... He has just called me ...

... hace diez minutos ... ten minutes agoElla acaba de salir / de irse She has just gone out / left

Acabo de decirle I have just told you

Acabo de comprarlo I have just bought it

Acabo de hablar con l I have just spoken to him

Acaba de decirme He has just told me

volver means to come back, return

Voy a volver / Volver ... Ill come back ...

... en seguida / pronto ... right away / soon

Va a volver / Volver ... She will come back ...

... muy pronto / ms tarde ... very soon / later

Acaba de salir hace diez minutos ... She has just left ten minutes ago ...

... y va a volver / volver ms tarde ... and shell come back later

No tengo ganas de salir ahora ... I dont feel like going out now ...

... porque estoy muy ... because Im very tiredcansado / cansada

preferir means to prefer; prefiero I would rather ...

Prefiero ... I would rather / I would prefer to ...

... quedarme aqu ... stay here

Acabo de comprar un libro ... I have just bought a book ...

... que encuentro muy interesante ... that I find very interesting

Lo encuentro muy interesante I find it very interesting

Creo que es muy interesante I think it is very interesting

Hace diez minutos que le espero I have been waiting ten minutesfor you



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21To say how long you have been waiting, doing something, working etc. usehace (literally itmakes) + que + the present tense.

Cunto tiempo hace que ... How long ...

... est aqu en Madrid? ... have you been here in Madrid?

Quisiera/ Me gustara / Quiero I would like ...

... hablar con l ... to talk to him

... verlo ... to see it

No est all He isnt in / isnt there

A qu hora va a estar / estar aqu? What time will he be here?

Sabe a qu hora ... Do you know what time ...

... va a llegar / llegar / llega? ... he will arrive?

... va a volver / volver / vuelve? ... he will come back / return?

Puede / Podra decirme ... Can / Could you tell me ...

... a qu hora estar / va a estar aqu? ... what time he will be here?

irse means to leave, to go awaydejar means to leave (behind) and also to let (someone do something)

dejar la llave to leave the key

dejar un mensaje to leave a message

Puede dejarme trabajar? Can you let me work?

Me gustara dejar un mensaje Id like to leave a message

Puedo dejar un mensaje? Can I leave a message?

Puedo dejarle un mensaje? Can I leave you a message?

Puede / Podra decirme ... Can / Could you tell me ...?

Puede / Podra decirle ... Can / Could you tell him ...

... que le llamar ms tarde? ... that Ill call him later?

... que le llamar maana? ... that Ill call him tomorrow?

... que le llamar la semana que ... that Ill call him next week?

viene?

la prxima vez next time

THREE WORDS FORTIMEvez has the sense of one of a number of occasionstiempo is the general word for a period or passing of time

hora is the point of time marked on a clock

una vez, dos veces once, twice

tres, cuatro, cinco veces three, four, five times

seis, siete, ocho veces six, seven, eight times



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22nueve, diez veces nine, ten times

once, doce, trece veces eleven, twelve, thirteen times

catorce, quince veces fourteen, fifteen times

la primera vez the first time

Es la ltima vez Its the last time

expresar means to express, expresarse to express oneself

No s cmo expresarlo I dont know how to express itexactamente ... exactly ...

exacto (exact) becomesexactamente (exactly).Theo changes to a before adding-menteAnother example: seguro becomesseguramente

No s cmo decirlo exactamente ... I dont know how to say it exactly ...

... en espaol ... in Spanish

Cmo lo dice en espaol? How do you say it in Spanish?

Cmo se dice en espaol? How does one say it in Spanish?

SPECIAL USE OF SESe is frequently used to mean one or you , or to say somethingis done

Se habla espaol aqu One speaks Spanish here

Spanish is spoken here

escribir means to write

le escribo I write to you

Me escribe a menudo He writes to me often

... frecuentemente ... frequently

Cmo se escribe? How do you write it / spell it?

Puede escribirlo? Can you write it down?

Escrbalo, por favor Write it down, please

Se puede ... One can / It is possible / allowed ...

Se puede entrar aqu? Can one come in?

Se puede hacerlo? Can one do it?

Se puede pasar? Can one pass / come in?

Dnde se puede encontrarlo? Where can one find it?

Est seguro de esto? Are you sure about this?

absolutamente / totalmente absolutely / totally

S, estoy absolutamente seguro Yes, Im absolutely sure



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23Note that you sayseguro if you a man, segura if you are a woman

Lo s porque ... I know because ...

... acabo de leerlo ... ... Ive just read it ...

... en el peridico ... in the newspaper

... en el peridico de hoy ... in todays newspaper

Puede / Podra decirme dnde ... Can / Could you tell me where ...

... puedo encontrar un buen restaurante? ... I can find a good restaurant?

no muy lejos de aqu not very far from here

Est muy lejos Its very far, a long way

Est lejos de aqu? Is it far from here?

No, no est lejos de aqu No, its not far from here

Est cerca de aqu Its near here

Puede ir a pie You can walk

Puedo ir a pie? Can I walk?

Se puede ir a pie One can walk

Necesito un coche I need a car

In Spain a car is un coche, but in Mexico itsun carro

... para ir al restaurante ... to go to the restaurant

To rent a car in Spain isalquilar un coche but in Mexico its rentar un carro

Quisiera alquilar un coche Id like to hire a car

Dnde puedo alquilar un coche? Where can I hire a car?

Cunto es por da? How much is it per day?

Cunto cuesta ... How much does it cost ...

... por semana? ... per week?

... por mes? ... per month?

dnde? asks where someone or something is; a dnde? asks where someone is goingDnde est? butA dnde va?

Puede / Podra decirme ... Can you / Could you tell me ...

... a dnde ir ... ... where to go ...

... para encontrar lo que quiero? ... to find what I want?

... para encontrar lo que busco? ... to find what Im looking for?

Me gustara / Quisiera saber ... I would like to know ...

... lo que tengo que hacer ... ... what I have to do ...



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24... para obtener lo que quiero ... to get what I want

... para obtener lo que busco ... to get what Im looking for

hay que means one has to

Quiero saber ... I want to know ...

... lo que hay que hacer ... ... what one has to do ...

... para obtenerlo ... in order to obtain it

Me gustara saber ... I would like to know ...

... a dnde hay que ir ... ... where one has to go ...

... para obtenerlo / encontrarlo ... to have it / to find it

... para comprarlo ... to buy it

Puede darme una explicacin? Can you give me an explanation?

explicar means to explain; una explicacin is an explanationThis is an exception to the rule that most English words ending in-ation are identical in Spanish, with the ending-acin.However, remember that most do obey this rule: informacin, preparacin, reservacin, etc.Its also worth noting that the verbs associated with these nouns are all -ar verbs : informar,preparar, reservar

Puede explicarme dnde est? Can you tell me where it is?

Gracias Thank you

Le agradezco mucho I thank you very much

Realmente le agradezco mucho I really do thank you very much

Estoy enojado / enojada Im angry, annoyed

Estoy muy enojado / enojada Im very angry, annoyed

In Spain youll often hear:Estoy enfadado / enfadada, which also means Im annoyed, angry

Estoy furioso / furiosa Im furious

Me preocupa Im worried (literally, it preoccupies me)

Me preocupa mucho Im very worried

Me preocupa ver esto Im worried about seeing this

No me preocupa Im not worried

Estoy aburrido / aburrida Im bored

Estoy muy aburrido Im very bored

Est aburrido? Are you bored?

No me gusta estar aburrido I dont like being bored

Creo que ... / Me parece que ... I think ...

... todo est bien ... everything is all right



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25Voy a verlo una vez Im going to see it once

Voy a ir a verlo Im going to go and see it

No lo veo a menudo I dont see it often

Por lo menos ... At least ...

menos means less; ms o menos means more or less

... lo ver / voy a verlo una vez ... Ill see it once

temprano means early

Puede / puedes / pueden venir ... Can you come ...

... un poco ms temprano? ... a little earlier?

lleno means full; llenar is to fill up

Est muy lleno Its very full

Puede llenarlo? Can you fill it up?

limpio is clean; sucio is dirty

No est muy limpio Its not very clean

Est sucio Its dirty

Es perfecto Its perfect

Perfectamente Perfectly

calor is heat; fro is coldFor hot weather you sayhace calor (literally it makes heat)But a hot person saystengo calor (literally I have heat)

No me gusta el calor I dont like the heat

Hace calor / fro hoy Its hot / cold (weather)

Tengo calor / fro Im hot / cold

Tiene fro? Are you cold?

No puedo soportar el calor I cant stand the heat

hambre is hunger, sed is thirst

Tengo hambre Im hungry

Tengo que comer algo ... I have to eat something ...

... porque tengo hambre ... because Im hungryTengo sed Im thirsty

Tengo que beber algo ... I have to drink something ...

... porque tengo sed ... because Im thirsty



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26Pienso / Creo que puedo hacerlo ... I think I can do it ...

... yo mismo ... myself

mismo means self and also same; la misma cosa is the same thing; lo mismo is the same

Quiero lo mismo I want the same

Voy a tomar lo mismo Im going to take / have the same

No es lo mismo Its not the same

Estoy (muy) sorprendido Im (very) surprised

Me sorprende It surprises meNo me sorprende It doesnt surprise me

Esto / Eso no me sorprende This / That doesnt surprise me

traer means to bring; dar to give; mostrar to show

Puede traerme algo? Can / Will you bring me something?

Puede darme algo? Can you give me something?

Puede mostrarme algo? Can you show me something?

Puede mostrrmelo? Can you show it to me?

Note that the personalme (me) comes before the objectlo (it) and that they are joined togetherat the end of the infinitive

Puede trarmelo? Can you bring it to me?

Cundo puede trarmelo ... ? When can you bring it to me ...?... porque lo necesito y ... ... because I need it and ...

... tengo que tenerlo ... I have to have it

vivir is to live

Dnde vive / vives / viven? Where do you live?

Usted vive aqu? Do you live here?

saber is to know in the sense of knowing a fact or some general knowledgeconocer is to know in the sense of being acquainted with somebody or something

Sabe dnde est He knows where it is

Conozco ... I know ...

... la ciudad / el pas ... the city / the country

PERSONAL AConocer a ... is used for to know a person. Whenever the object of a verb is a person, not athing, you always inserta between the verb and the person



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27Voy a llamarle Im going to call / phone him

Voy a llamar a mi amigo Im going to call / phone my friend

querer means to want and also to love

Lo quiere He wants it

l quiere a su amiga He loves his girlfriend

Conozco la ciudad I know the city

Conozco a esta seora I know this lady

No conozco Madrid I dont know Madrid

No conozco a nadie I dont know anybody

Conoce esta ciudad? Do you know this city?

Conoce a esta seora? Do you know this lady?

Sabe dnde est? Do you know where it is?

Mi amigo viene aqu ... My friend comes here ...

... todos los das ... every day

Suele venir aqu He usually comes here

Suele hacerlo ... He usually does it ...

... casi todos los das ... almost every day

quizs, quiz means perhaps, maybe

Quizs no le gusta ... Perhaps you dont like ...

Quiz no le gustara ... Perhaps you wouldnt like ...

... quedarse aqu ... to stay here ...

... porque hay mucha gente ... because there are many people

la gente is people; tanto / tanta means so much, so many

Hay tanta gente aqu There are so many people here

Por mi parte ... For my part ...

... no voy a quedarme aqu ahora ... Im not going to stay here now

Hay mucho ruido Theres a lot of noise

hay is there is, there are ; haba there was, there were;habr there will be

Haba mucha gente aqu ayer There were many people hereyesterday

Habr mucha gente There will be many people

Haba demasiado ruido There was too much noise

Habr mucho ruido There will be a lot of noise



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28Habr mucho ms ruido ... There will be much more noise ...

Habr mucho menos ruido ... There will be much less noise ...

... aqu maana ... here tomorrow

Espero tener ... I hope to have ...

Espero que voy a tener ... I hope Ill have ...

... la oportunidad / la ocasin ... ... the opportunity ...

... de verlo ... of seeing it

Espero tener la ocasin ... I hope to have the opportunity ...

... de ver a mis amigos ... to see my friends

... de visitar a mis amigos ... to visit my friends

Note the use of the personala again

Voy a llamar a mi amigo ... Im going to phone my friend ...

... para saber si puede venir ... ... to find out if he can come ...

... con nosotros ... with us

vemos means we see;nos vemos we see each other ,we meet

A qu hora nos vemos What time shall we meetmaana? tomorrow?

A la misma hora At the same time

A las diez At ten oclockVamos a vernos / nos veremos ... We will meet ...

Nos vemos ... Well meet ...

... maana a la misma hora ... tomorrow at the same time

Ahora puedo hacerme entender ... Now I can make myself understood ...

... en espaol ... in Spanish

Me parece que es suficiente I think thats enough

Buena suerte! Good luck!

Le deseo buena suerte I wish you good luck

Adis, hasta luego Goodbye, until soon / until later

Buen viaje! Have a good journey!



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30 What other courses are available with Michel Thomas?The Language Builders take the form of a one-to-one lecture with MichelThomas, building on the words and phrases in his Foundation (8-hour)and Advanced courses. The courses provide confidence in pronunciation,increase your word-power and consolidate your knowledge in just two hours.

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