Spanish Vocab | Cultural Lingo Flashcards
When saying “You all…” if you are in Latin America would you use ustedes or vosotros/vosotras?
If you’re in Latin America, use ustedes for everything.
Pronoun Region Formality Gender
Vosotros Spain Informal Male/Mixed Group
Vosotras Spain Informal Female Only
Ustedes Latin America/Spain Formal (Spain) or Universal (Latin America) Gender Neutral
When saying “You all…” if you are in Spain would you use ustedes or vosotros/vosotras?
If you’re in Spain, use vosotros/vosotras for informal groups and ustedes for formal ones.
Pronoun Region Formality Gender
Vosotros Spain Informal Male/Mixed Group
Vosotras Spain Informal Female Only
Ustedes Latin America/Spain Formal (Spain) or Universal (Latin America) Gender Neutral
As far as regional usage, when is Vosotros/Vosotras primarily used?
Used primarily in Spain (except for some regions like the Canary Islands and parts of Andalusia).
T/F | The informal/plural form of “you all” in Spain is ustedes?
FALSE
Informal/plural form of “you all” in Spain is Vosotros/Vosotras. The use of ustedes is mostly in latin america but can be used in a formal context in Spain.
When do you use Yo rompí and Me rompí?
Yo rompí (without me) is used when breaking something external. Ex: “Rompí el vaso.” → “I broke the glass.”
“me rompí” is used to indicate “I broke (something on myself)”, specifically in cases where the verb reflects a reflexive action or injury involving the speaker. Ex: “Me rompí la pierna.” → “I broke my leg.”
T/F | In Spanish, body parts are not directly possessed (e.g., “my leg”)
TRUE
In Spanish, body parts are not directly possessed (e.g., “my leg”), so instead of saying “rompí mi pierna” (I broke my leg), you say “me rompí la pierna” (literally: I broke myself the leg). The reflexive pronoun me indicates the action affects the speaker directly.
In Spanish, every word has a stressed syllable, and accent marks are used to do what?
Accent marks show where the stress falls if it does not follow standard rules.
What is the rule for stressing a syllable without an accent mark when you emphasize the second-to-last syllable?
Words ending in a vowel, “n,” or “s”: Stress falls on the second-to-last syllable.
Examples: casa (CA-sa), joven (JO-ven), lunes (LU-nes).
What is the rule for stressing a syllable without an accent mark when you emphasize the last syllable?
Words ending in any other consonant: Stress falls on the last syllable.
Examples: comer (co-MER), papel (pa-PEL).
What are accent marks in spanish called and where do they appear?
Accent marks in Spanish (tildes) are essential for proper spelling, pronunciation, and meaning.
They appear over vowels (á, é, í, ó, ú) and serve specific functions.
How would you say café or lápiz when there is an accent mark?
If a word’s stress does not follow these natural patterns, an accent mark is used to indicate the correct stress.
Examples:
café (ca-FÉ) → Stress is on the last syllable, even though it ends in a vowel.
lápiz (LÁ-piz) → Stress is on the second-to-last syllable, even though it ends in a consonant other than “n” or “s.”
T/F | Accent marks can distinguish words that are spelled the same but have different meanings or grammatical roles.
TRUE
Examples:
tú (you) vs. tu (your).
sí (yes) vs. si (if).
él (he) vs. el (the).
más (more) vs. mas (but).
T/F | Words used in questions or exclamations sometimes carry an accent mark when embedded in a sentence.
FALSE
Words used in questions or exclamations ALWAYS carry an accent mark, even when embedded in a sentence.
Examples:
¿Qué hora es? (What time is it?)
¡Qué sorpresa! (What a surprise!)
¿Cómo estás? (How are you?)
Dime cuándo llegas. (Tell me when you arrive.)
Certain words always have an accent due to their spelling, regardless of stress rules, what are some of them?
Examples:
día (day), país (country), río (river), tío (uncle).
