Spanish General Information

Question 1

Define:

Spain

Answer 1

a Spanish-speaking country in Europe

its “tooth fairy” is a mouse named “Ratoncito Pérez”

Spanish: España

Question 2

Define:

Mexico

Answer 2

a Spanish-speaking country in North America

it’s the birthplace of chocolate

Spanish: México

Question 3

Define:

Guatemala

Answer 3

a Spanish-speaking country in Central America

co-founder of Duolingo, Luis von Ahn, is from Guatemala

Spanish: República de Guatemala

Question 4

Define:

Honduras

Answer 4

a Spanish-speaking country in Central America

Christopher Columbus named the land “Honduras” (meaning “great depths” i

Spanish: Honduras

Question 5

Define:

El Salvador

Answer 5

a Spanish-speaking country in Central America

translates to “The Savior” in Spanish

Spanish: El Salvador

Question 6

Define:

Nicaragua

Answer 6

a Spanish-speaking country in Central America

aka the “Land of Lakes and Volcanoes”

Spanish: Nicaragua

Question 7

Define:

Costa Rica

Answer 7

a Spanish-speaking country in Central America

aka “Hummingbird Capital,” boasting its 52 species of hummingbirds

Spanish: Costa Rica

Question 8

Define:

Panama

Answer 8

a Central american Spanish-speaking country

it’s national animal is the Golden Frog

Spanish: Panamá

Question 9

Define:

Equatorial Guinea

Answer 9

a Spanish-Speaking country in Africa

is the only African country where Spanish is the official language

Spanish: Guinea Ecuatorial

Question 10

Define:

Colombia

Answer 10

a Spanish-Speaking country in South America

is one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth

Spanish: Colombia

Question 11

Define:

Venezuela

Answer 11

a Spanish-Speaking country in South America

is home to the Capybara, the largest rodent species

Spanish: Venezuela

Question 12

Define:

Ecuador

Answer 12

a Spanish-Speaking country in South America

it sits directly on the Earth’s equator hence the name “Ecuador”

Spanish: Ecuador

Question 13

Define:

Peru

Answer 13

a Spanish-Speaking country in South America

it houses a large portion of the world’s alpaca population

Spanish: Perú

Question 14

Define:

Chile

Answer 14

a Spanish-Speaking country in South America

is the second longest country in the world

Spanish: Chile

Question 15

Define:

Paraguay

Answer 15

a Spanish-Speaking country in South America

doors are often left open, so visitors clap, instead of knocking

Spanish: Paraguay

Question 16

Define:

Bolivia

Answer 16

a Spanish-speaking country in South America

has the world’s largest salt flat

Spanish: Bolivia

Question 17

Define:

Argentina

Answer 17

a Spanish-speaking country in South America

its name come from the Laten word “argentum” (silver)

Spanish: la Argentina

Question 18

Define:

Uruguay

Answer 18

a Spanish-speaking country in South America

it has free education!

Spanish: Uruguay

Question 19

Define:

Cuba

Answer 19

a Spanish-speaking country in the Caribbeans

it has the largest flamingo colonies in the western hemisphere

Spanish: Cuba

Question 20

Define:

The Dominican Republic

Answer 20

a Spanish-speaking country in the Caribbeans

the only place where you can find the blue gemstone Larimar

Spanish: La Republica Dominicana

Question 21

Define:

Puerto Rico

Answer 21

a Spanish-speaking territory of the U.S.

has bioluminescent beaches

Spanish: Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico

Question 22

Collectively, how many countries are spanish-speaking in the Americas, Europe, & Africa?

Answer 22

15

Question 23

Define:

Brazil

Answer 23

a country in South America that is predominantly spanish-speaking (speaks Portuguese which is similar to Spanish)

the only predominantly spanish-speaking country in south america

Spanish: Brasil

Question 24

Answer:

How many letters are in the Spanish alphabet?

Answer 24

29

3 more letters than English alphabet: ll, rr, and ñ

Question 25

Answer:

What is a general rule to know which letter is accented in a word?

Answer 25

Spoken letters that are said with emphasis are usually accented

Question 26

Answer:

How is “h” pronounced when used at the beginning of a word?

Answer 26

“h” is silent

e.g. Hugo (ooh-go)

Question 27

How is “j” pronounced when used in a word?

Answer 27

ha

e.g. Juan (hoowahn)

Question 28

Answer:

What are the three main uses of accents in Spanish?

Answer 28

1. Emphasis (where to raise your voice)
2. Verb Tenses (which tense a word is in)
3. Word Meanings (e.g. esta vs está)

Question 29

Answer:

What are the 2 types of accents in Spanish?

Answer 29

1. Acute (an accent used over vowels)
2. Virglilla (an accent used over “n”)

e.g. “á” and “ñ”

Question 30

Define:

Cognate

Answer 30

2 similar looking words between languages that have the SAME MEANINGS

e.g. teléfono = telephone

You should memorize cognates instead of assuming because false cognates exist.

Question 31

Define:

False Cognate

Answer 31

2 similar looking words between languages that have the DIFFERENT MEANINGS

e.g. éxito = success (it sounds like “exit” though)

Question 32

Answer:

What are the 2 general gender rules in Spanish?

Answer 32

1. Masculine nouns and adjectives usually end in “-o”
2. Feminine nouns and adjectives usually end in “-a”

There are loads of exceptions to these rules.

Question 33

Answer:

Why is Spanish considered a gendered language?

Answer 33

Every noun, adjective, & article has a gender

A noun’s gender NEVER changes.

Question 34

Answer:

What is the general rule for gender and number in sentences?

Answer 34

Adjectives & articles must agree with the gender & number of the sentence’s subject

“number” refers to singular or plural

Question 35

Answer:

Usually, are adjectives placed before or after the noun?

Answer 35

After

e.g. el carro rojo –> The car red –> The red car

Question 36

Answer:

What are the general rules to make things plural in Spanish?

Answer 36

1. if the word ends in a vowel, add “-s”
2. if the word ends in a consonant, add “-es”
3. if the word ends in “-z”, replace “-z” with “-ces”

Question 37

Answer:

What 2 nouns form the basis of formality?

Answer 37

1. tú = you (informal; most common pronoun)
2. usted = you (formal)