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Advanced Intermediate Spanish Podcast 1 – The Preterite in Spanish

Why the Preterite in Spanish?why scale-234596_1280

A recent study that was made that focused on the use of language showed that a typical conversation tends to fall into two categories:

We are either talking about the future or we are talking about the past.

Of course, we didn’t need a language study to tell us that, did we? However, with that in mind, doesn’t it seem reasonable then, that to be able to have a jolly good conversation in the Spanish language, you should be able to command the past tense, otherwise known as the Preterite in Spanish?

With that in mind and to help you to be truly at ease with this extremely important tense we have created this podcast and the supporting Helpsheets. Our aim is to help you understand, through simple demonstration, how to use the preterite past accurately and well.

We’ve heard many students complain to us that the preterite in Spanish is a difficult tense to master. This is probably because of its many irregular forms, yet, no matter how irregular it gets, it’s used so often that before long you’ll have it mastered.

How to get it locked into your mind.

We don’t know if you’ve noticed but nearly all novels are written in the past tense. They recount a story that has already happened. Thus, if you really want to grasp the past, then all you need to do is to start to read books in Spanish. Simple, easy to read novels such as: El niño del pijama de rayas. = The boy in the striped pyjamas. or, El curioso incidente del perro a media noche. = The curious incident of the dog at midnight.

Both of these books are readily available in Spanish and have been written from the perspective of a young person, which makes them a little easier to understand.

A great tool.

If you do decide to read a novel, however, expect it to challenge you at the start. Many of our students now use Kindles, etc. which have touch screen and built in translators/dictionaries. This saves you having to grab your dictionary every thirty seconds.

It’s this repetition and focus that will get the preterite in Spanish firmly imprinted on your brain so that you can start using it like a true native speaker.

Clearly, our ten minute podcast isn’t enough to do justice to the complexity of this tense and so we have compiled a wealth of additional information and guidance in our comprehensive help sheets. Not sure if you think they’ll help? Why not download our free Spanish worksheets and decide for yourself?

Saludos,

Gordon y Cynthia 🙂

Advanced Intermediate Podcast 2 – Possessive Pronouns in Spanish

Possessive Pronouns in Spanish.new homescale

Possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns in Spanish form such an intrinsic part of the language that it’s important that you make sense of them so that you can use them well and accurately. Not surprisingly, due to their complexity and to the multiple options that they present to the student, they are often used incorrectly. This more often than not causes for the listener what can only be described as, massive confusion!

Just so that you have clearly in your mind the difference between a possessive adjective and a possessive pronoun, here are some examples:

My house, your house, his house… these are Possessive Adjectives. That’s because they describe the house.

Mine, yours, his, hers…these are possessive pronouns and they stand alone without the need of the noun.

In this podcast we help guide you through the function and structure of these possessives and shed light on when you should use the illusive “my one” and “your one” and when, of course, you shouldn’t. Listen in as we go step by step through the options you have and why you would choose to use the adjective over the pronoun.

The good news is that these aren’t too dissimilar to English, so as a student, you probably already have a frame of reference with which you can grasp these concepts. The “less good” news is that given the multiple varieties of masculine and feminine, singular and plural, the Spanish pronouns and adjectives offer the student more of a challenge.

However, “no te preocupes” we can help you with that! The good thing about our podcasts is that they are not like a classroom situation in which your get to hear a piece of information only once. You are able to replay these over and over until you really get the whole picture, grasping the concepts that we offer you until something goes click. A far better way to learn, don’t you think? If you ever have a question that needs answering, remember that you can always contact us directly through this page, or through our Youtube site. We’ll always try to get back to you as quickly as we can.

Of course, as always we have compiled a wealth of additional information and guidance on the possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns in Spanish in our comprehensive help sheets. Not sure if you think they’ll help? Why not download the free Spanish help-sheets and decide for yourself.

Video for This Spanish Lesson

Audio for This Spanish Lesson

Advanced Intermediate 3 – Spanish Past Tense – Preterite and Imperfect

The Spanish Past Tense using the Preterite and Imperfect.

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to a professional story teller you will perhaps have noticed that one of their skills is that of being able to weave the story together through the clever use of all the various past tenses.

To some extent we are all story tellers in our own right. Most days of our lives we tell our friends and family of things that have happened to us. Of course, there are those of us who can tell a great story, and there are others who struggle to keep their audience’s attention.

Why is that?

A lot of the problems can depend on their choice of past tense. Have you ever listened to someone who uses the Preterite tense too much? They list action after action, event after event, like as though it was a policeman’s report.

Then there are those who favour the Imperfect tense and fill their story with so much description that they leave you longing for some action so you end up saying to them: “Just get on with the story, will you?”

The Spanish past tense is no different

The same applies in Spanish, of course. To tell a great story you need to be able to command the Preterite and the Imperfect Spanish past tense and to be able to weave them together to create an interesting and gripping story.

In this free Spanish podcast we incorporate the Preterite and the Imperfect into stories of our recent holiday experiences. As you listen in, pay attention to the way the Imperfect is used to set the scene, and how the Preterite then brings in the action. ¡Dispara!

Remember that you already do this quite naturally in your own language and you can do it too in Spanish. All you need to do is ‘dominar’ the Spanish past tense in a confident way. This is the first in many podcasts that deal with the past. So, sit back and enjoy it!

For all the additional information and guidance on this free Spanish podcast, then why not try our comprehensive Spanish help-sheets? We have even provided you some free ones to give you an idea of the wealth of information and help they contain. Why not try them out?

Video for This Spanish Lesson

Audio for This Spanish Lesson

Advanced Intermediate Free Spanish Podcast 4 – The Future

In this free Spanish podcast, we discuss talking about the future in the Spanish language.

There’s a strange phenomenon that often occurs when students of Spanish first learn what is called the Future Indicative (I will…). Suddenly, they begin to use it constantly, whenever they are talking about anything beyond the now!

The surprising thing is that, although the future indicative has a place in spoken Spanish, it really isn’t the most common way of talking about the future. In fact, would you believe that there are much more simple ways to do that, without having to wade your way through those complicated constructions?

What’s more, did you know that there were three futures in the Spanish language? If you didn’t, then you really need to listen in as we help you learn the way that real Spanish people use these three futures and which one is actually the most believable. You’ll be surprised!

If you like this free spanish podcast, why not consider utilising the wealth of additional information and guidance that can be found in the comprehensive Spanish worksheets designed specifically with you, our student. in mind. In them, you’ll find exercises and detailed guidance on so much more than we can squeeze into our ten minute video.

Video for This Spanish Lesson

Audio for This Spanish Lesson

Advanced Intermediate Spanish Podcast 5 – Commands in Spanish

Commands in Spanish — otherwise known as the imperative tense — are one of the most important aspects of the Spanish language. No matter where you are you will be faced with someone telling you what they want you to do in Spanish.

Don’t be shocked! They mean no offence. ☺

The truth is that the imperative is used constantly amongst Spanish speakers as they order each other around in a maelstrom of commands like: Listen! Eat up! Come here! Shut up! Sit! Go away! Look!, along with so many more other ways they have of telling people what to do.

Whatever happens in your learning journey, you absolutely must be able to use this tense correctly as well as understand all the nuances that it carries with it.

Listen in to us as we talk you through how to use commands in Spanish conversation. The truth is, if you want to sound like a true Spanish speaker, you must use them!

Así que…

¡Escucha y aprende!

For clear, concise additional information and guidance, take a look at our comprehensive Spanish help-sheets. You can find a free sample of them on our website. They’ve been specifically designed around the podcasts to provide you with a wealth of additional information and learning.

Video for This Spanish Lesson

Audio for This Spanish Lesson