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2 Spanish questions | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Questions About Your Target Languages |  | |
| patuco Diglot Moderator Gibraltar Joined 7017 days ago 3795 posts - 4268 votes  Speaks: Spanish, English* Personal Language Map | Message 9 of 18 23 November 2005 at 6:22am | IP Logged | |||||
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Just a stab in the dark here but maybe the requirement for the "a" is when you are using the pronouns or not (grammar, don't you just love it!).
For example...
In English you can say: "Did you like it?" OR "Liked it?"
Exactly right! 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Peix Newbie United Kingdom Joined 6964 days ago 6 posts - 6 votes | Message 10 of 18 23 November 2005 at 7:21am | IP Logged | |||||
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About the use of the "a": I'll give an example. In one of the sentences you gave, "A nosotros nos gustó", the "a nosotros" is only used to emphasise or clarify that it's "us" who like it. So here, just saying "Nos gustó" would give the same meaning, but without that emphasis or clarification.
If you actually want to specify who it is who likes something (that is, you want to use a noun rather than a pronoun), you have to use "a". That's why "A mi esposo le gustó" couldn't be said any other way: simply saying "Le gustó" would mean "He liked it" without saying who "he" was. As a side note, it is always compulsory to use an object pronoun (le, me, nos, etc.) with the verb "gustar". "A mi esposo gustó" doesn't make sense. About "una buena idea": as ymapazagain and patuco have said, "bueno" tends to come before the noun, unlike most other adjectives. "Una idea buena" might be used to emphasise "buena" (for example if you mean a good idea as opposed to a bad idea) but it's certainly less usual. Hope that helps. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| ymapazagain Senior Member Australia myspace.com/amywiles Joined 6961 days ago 504 posts - 538 votes Speaks: English* Studies: SpanishB2 | Message 11 of 18 23 November 2005 at 8:01am | IP Logged | |||||
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I´m not using pimsleur, or any other method! I´m working my way through the grammar on studySpanish.com and living with a family in Madrid (working as an aupair :S). I build my vocab as I come across it and when I have questions I have the family to ask and to help me with my speach and comprehension.
I also don´t understand the use of buen as opposed to bueno and I am having trouble finding an answer on the internet so it would be great if someone could solve this one for us! 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| tuffy Triglot Senior Member Netherlands Joined 7036 days ago 1394 posts - 1412 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English, German Studies: Spanish | Message 12 of 18 23 November 2005 at 8:15am | IP Logged | |||||
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Very clear explanation Peix, thanks!
Nice ymapazagain, that's the best way to learn it: in the country itself! I wish I could do that, surround myself completely with Spanish. But hopefully later :) Did you go to Spain without any knowledge of Spanish? very brave :) I have looked it up on the web and found it now: Buen is the short form of bueno when it goes before the noun, this is called apócope: Es un hombre bueno = Es un buen hombre. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| ymapazagain Senior Member Australia myspace.com/amywiles Joined 6961 days ago 504 posts - 538 votes Speaks: English* Studies: SpanishB2 | Message 13 of 18 23 November 2005 at 8:30am | IP Logged | |||||
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I came to spain with VERY little Spanish. I could say hola and order a batido de chocolate, but not much more! It´s best to throw yourself in the deep end I think!
Thanks for finding out about buen. Big help! 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| tuffy Triglot Senior Member Netherlands Joined 7036 days ago 1394 posts - 1412 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English, German Studies: Spanish | Message 14 of 18 23 November 2005 at 9:50am | IP Logged | |||||
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What is most helpful to you: learning the grammar from that website or actually talking and hearing Spanish every day? I mean: how important/necessary is grammar you think? I try to focus on speaking and listening more at the moment. And it does help me to move through the lessons quicker now and I even get better in understanding when I worry a little less about the how's and why's and simply listen and speak :)
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| ymapazagain Senior Member Australia myspace.com/amywiles Joined 6961 days ago 504 posts - 538 votes Speaks: English* Studies: SpanishB2 | Message 15 of 18 23 November 2005 at 5:11pm | IP Logged | |||||
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Hmmm...that´s a tough one. I really think that they´re equally important. I find once I grasp a concept when it comes to grammar my understanding (listening and reading) progresses quite dramatically. I think once you get past the basic ´can i reserve a room´ stage the grammar does become vital. Just the placement of a pronoun in a sentance affects the entire meaning! Without the knowlege of this grammar I find myself understanding most of the words but still not getting a thorough sense of the meaning. After you learn the grammar you can watch television or listen to people talk and you actually learn more (without having to look it up in a dictionary) because it becomes easier to fill in the gaps.
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| tuffy Triglot Senior Member Netherlands Joined 7036 days ago 1394 posts - 1412 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English, German Studies: Spanish | Message 16 of 18 24 November 2005 at 4:23pm | IP Logged | |||||
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One final thing I don't understand, I heard the folowing:
"No conozco a su esposa, ni sus hijos" Why is there a personal a in front of his wife but not in front of his children? 1 person has voted this message useful |
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