Unit 8 Lesson 4: Preguntas Flashcards
Here are two common characteristics of questions in Spanish:
They often begin with a word to indicate that what follows is a question, and they always start with an upside down question mark, ¿.
accents in question words
Note also that question words have accents. Generalmente, or generally, when the same words are used in statements, they do not have accents.
How is a question word pronounced
A question word is pronounced with a bit more emphasis than the same word used in a statement, just as in English
The question words, known as interrogatives, all have equivalents in English:
- qué: what
- por qué: why
- cuándo: when
- dónde: where
- cómo: how
- cuál, cuáles: which
- quién, quiénes: who
- cuánto, cuánta: how much
- cuántos, cuántas: how many
Several of these interrogatives can be preceded by prepositions:
a quién, or to whom, de quién, or of whom, de dónde, or from where, de qué, or of what, etc. In all of these phrases, the word de has the meaning of, but it can also be used to mean from in other case
¿Adónde?
¿Adónde?, or where to, is another example, but it has become such a common expression that over time it became one word.
verbs in caribbean spanish
In Caribbean Spanish, however, the tú is always included, but it is placed before the verb, not after:
¿Adónde tú vas? Where are you going?
What does it mean when tu is included
However, by including the subject tú in the question, the speaker expresses a slightly different meaning. The emphasis is on the person leaving rather than on the leaving itself.
In Spanish, the standard order for questions is verb-subject. Sometimes, the subject can move to a different place in the question. In the following example, either Spanish question is a grammatically valid way of expressing the English:
¿Cuándo va Pedro al mercado?
When is Pedro going to the market?
¿Cuándo va al mercado Pedro?
Differences in the meaning ofcamión
The word camión in Spanish usually refers to an 18-wheeler truck, but in México it means “bus.”
Differences in the menaing of padre (slang)
padre means father but it certian conext can mean cool/good
Differneces in the menaing of the word Revolú
Revolú in Puerto Rican Spanish means confusion. It doesn’t exist in Méxican Spanish.
Does one standard spanish exisit
ell, there does exist a sort of neutral, standard Spanish that is used for instruction purposes. But it is just that: neutral. It lacks flavor. It’s referred to as “newscaster Spanish.”
For example, you will hear the influence of indigenous languages in several varieties. What is Méxican Spanish strongly influnced by
Méxican Spanish, for example, is strongly influenced by Náhuatl, the language of the Aztecs.
Méxican Spanish, for example, is strongly influenced by Náhuatl, the language of the Aztecs. Elbaorate
You can hear this influence very strongly in the names of foods and plants. Generally, words that end in -ate, like chocolate, aguacate, and jitomate or words that end in -ote, like elote, or corn, come from Náhuatl.
As you travel to South America, that same corn will be called choclo, from the Quechua choccllo. Here are other regional words for corn:
- España: mazorca
- Colombia: maíz
- Venezuela: jojoto
Green beans are also known by a wide variety of names in Spanish:
- Perú: vainitas
- Argentina: chauchas
- Chile: porotos verdes
- México: ejotes
- España: habichuelas
Caribbean Spanish is influenced by the languages of the cultures with which it has come into contact:
British, Spanish, French, African, and, of course, United States English.
Cultivo una rosa blanca (I Cultivate a White Rose)
Cultivo una rosa blanca (I Cultivate a White Rose) is a song based on a poem by the nineteenth-century Cuban poet and national hero, José Martí. One composer who has set some stanzas of the poem to music is the Argentinian songwriter, Ángel Lasala.
Another song that is based on classic poetry is Guantanamera, or The Girl from Guantánamo, which Pete Seeger turned into an international hit
The lyrics are based on selections from the poetry collectionVersos sencillos, which means “simple verses,” by José Martí. As Martí is very significant to the Cuban people, the song has practically become that country’s national anthem.
Caminante no hay camino (Traveler, There is no Path)
Caminante no hay camino (Traveler, There is no Path) a classic poem by Antonio Machado, who was born in 1875 in Seville, Spain, was set to music by Spanish singer Joan Manuel Serrat from Barcelon
