Visual Link Spanish(TM) Newsletter - Volume 6 Issue 19

Current # of Subscribers: 169,754

This issue:
1. Testimonial
2. Weekly Spanish Lesson - “Sentence Building I”
3. Words of the Week
4. Ask Dave Section - “Verb Module Preterite vs. Imperfect”
5. Culture Lesson - “Spanish Names Part I”
6. Responses to Past Newsletters

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Visual Link Spanish(TM) Testimonial –
=======================================

Hola Dave

Carlton from Jamaica here. I have received the complete course and
have been going along steadily. I never knew it would be so easy to
learn another language.

I work with Spanish people and tend to tune out whenever they are in
conversation around me, but now I am making a determined effort to
try and understand what they are saying. Even though I still do not
understand everything they say, I can now get the gist of what they
are saying. I am looking forward to completing the course and be
fully conversational.

Muchos Gracias - Carlton

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Weekly Spanish Lesson—Sentence Building
=========================================

This week’s lesson comes from the complete Visual Link Spanish™
course. Click below for a fun, interactive lesson on Sentence
Building.

To check it out, click here:
http://www.spanishprograms.com/learn/sentence_building.htm

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Words of the Week
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Taken from our complete CD-ROM course —–

Monday / yes / sí
Tuesday / no / no
Wednesday /or / o
Thursday / but / pero
Friday / to cook / cocinar
Saturday / meat / carne
Sunday / nothing / nada

Note: The differences between the words “¿Por qué?” and “porque” and
“¿Dónde?” and “¿Adónde?” are explained in the Complete Spanish
Program.

Click Here to login and access your free membership and lessons.
http://www.spanishprograms.com/login.phtml

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The Official “Ask Dave” Section —–
=====================================

Question

Dave,

First of all let me personally Thank You for taking the time to read
and answer emails. This means a lot to us all I am sure. Nothing like
seeing an answer to a question we all have maybe thought about but
had not asked. Thanks for making a program so simple and universal.
It takes some of the stress out of learning.

I now have a Good Question I believe. I know I can not be the only
one who wonders this but there are the 2 Different Past Verb Tenses
in Spanish. Is there an easy trick or maybe an easier way to
know/remember when to use either of the two?? I know one has to do
with feelings or emotions?? But from what I have learned before in
College I just never understood very well how to use the two. Any
help would be much appreciated.

Thanks again,

Jason

Lesson/Explanation

Hola Jason,

That is a great question. The textbooks used at school definitely
don’t make it easy to know the difference of when to use the two.
They call one “preterite” and the other “imperfect”.

In our verb module we have the “preterite” tense that we’ve nicknamed
the “spine” tense and the “imperfect” tense we’ve nicknamed the
“back” tense. (Lessons for the imperfect/back tense will be available
later this year.)

We have given the “Spine” tense its name because if you run your hand
from left to right across your back, you can feel where your spine
starts and stops. There is a definite beginning and ending point.

We have given the “Back” tense its name because as with your back,
there is not a definite beginning or ending point as compared to the
spine. Also, “Back” verbs set the “background” for a situation.

Examples:

Spine Verbs (Preterite):

I went / Fui

I ate it yesterday / Lo comí ayer

She opened a bank account / Abrió una cuenta bancaria

He didn’t hear her / No la oyó

With all these examples, there was an action that started and stopped
and is completed (like the example with the spine).

Back Verb Examples (Imperfect): (usually there are indicator words
like “used to”, “while”, “on Mondays”, “every week”, “sometimes”,
“frequently”, “often” - basically these are phrases that indicate
that something was done on a regular basis or it still may possibly
be going on)

- I used to run (no definite ending point - I still may be doing it)
- Yo corría

- She used to read a lot (no definite ending point - she still may be
doing it) - Leía mucho

- I ran a lot on Tuesdays - (no definite ending point - she still may
be doing it) - Corría mucho los martes

- She read sometimes - (she still may be reading sometimes) - Leía a
veces

Examples of back verbs setting a background:

While she was eating… / Mientras comía

As she was studying… / Mientras estubiaba

When I was running… / Cuando corría

Hopefully this helps.

Hasta luego,

Dave

===========================
Culture —– Spanish Names
===========================

I have heard it said that of all the words in a language, our own
first name is one of our most favorite and pleasing words to hear. We
all like to be called by our first name. Using first names is an
unwritten requirement of becoming good friends with someone. One of
the most uncomfortable situations for me was when I when to my
ten-year high school reunion and I couldn’t remember the first names
of people I had been friends with. It was also uncomfortable for them
when they couldn’t remember my name.

According to the National Public Registry of a Latin American
country, the names “María” and “José” are the most popular first
names in Spanish. They are followed by “Luz” (female name) and
“Juan”. It is thought that these names are the most popular due to
the religious nature of Latin Americans; both names are very
prominent in the Bible.

In English, there are some names that are still used but may be
considered somewhat outdated or maybe a little less common. A
specific name I’m thinking of is “Olga”. We don’t hear that name much
any more and it’s not on the “top ten” list of most popular names.
The interesting thing is that in Spanish, the name “Olga” is a
frequently heard name. It is not considered outdated and is fairly
common and well-liked.

Here are a couple of fun outdated names that most Latin American kids
wouldn’t want to be named. A few close Latin American friends told me
about these names. They are “Tiburcia” and “Anacleta”. They also have
a male counterpart: “Tiburcio” and “Anacleto”. Now that you have this
powerful and possibly dangerous information, you need to be careful.
I wouldn’t recommend going around calling people these names. There
are still people that have and use them that could get offended.

Next let’s take a look at a few crossover names from English to
Spanish. This is not an all-inclusive list and some of the crossover
names have been debated, but here they are:

Female Names——————–Male Names
Spanish / English—————Spanish / English

María / Mary——————–José / Joseph
Catalina / Katherine————Juan / John
Débora / Deborah—————-David / David
Elena / Helen——————-Adán / Adam
Blanca (means “white”)/ Blanch–Alejandro / Alexander
Esperanza / Hope—————-Alfredo / Alfred
Estela / Estelle—————-Andrés / Andrew
Eva / Eve———————–Benjamín / Benjamin
Inés / Agnes——————–Bernardo / Bernard
Leonor / Eleanor—————-Carlos / Charles
Margarita / Margaret————Ceaser / César (common Spanish name)
Marta / Martha——————Cristián / Christian
Matilde / Matilda—————Cristóbal / Christopher
Milagros / Miracles————-Santiago / James
Mónica / Monica—————–Eduardo / Edward
Natalia / Natalie—————Enrique / Henry
Noemi / Naomi——————-Estéban / Steven
Olimpia / Olympia—————Federico / Frederick
Perla / Pearl——————-Felipe / Phillip
Priscila / Priscilla————Geraldo / Gerald
Raquel / Rachel—————–Guillermo / William
Rebeca / Rebecca—————-Marcos / Mark
Rita / Rita———————Mateo / Matthew
Rosalina / Rosalyn————–Miguel / Michael
Rut / Ruth———————-Pablo / Paul
Sara / Sarah——————–Pedro / Peter
Silvia / Sylvia—————–Ramón or Raimundo / Raymond
Sofía / Sophie——————Ricardo / Richard
Susana / Susanna—————-Roberto / Robert
Teresa / Theresa—————-Tomás / Thomas
Verónica / Veronica————-Wilfredo / Wilfred
Viviana / Vivian—————-Víctor / Victor

Spanish Nicknames
Finally, we’ll take a look at some Spanish nicknames that people are
generally called because of their name. For example, I have an Uncle
Richard and everyone calls him “Dick”. Another English example is
when “Robert” is called “Bob”.

Spanish Nicknames

Spanish Name / Spanish Nickname

Adela (f) /Adelina
Ana (f) /Anita
Carlos (m) /Carlitos
Carla (f) / Carlota
David (m) / Davico
Rosario (f) / Charo
Consuelo (f) / Chelo
Jesús (m) -common Spanish name / Chucho
Concepeión (f) / Concha
Concha (f) / Conchita
Eva (f) / Evita
Gracia (f) / Graciela
Juana (f) / Juanita
Juan (m) / Juanito
Eduardo (m) / Lalo
Dolores (f) / Lola
Guadalupe (f) / Lupita
Manuel (m) / Manolo
Ignacio (m) / Nacho
Francicso (m) / Paco or Pancho
José (m) / Pepe or Pepito
Pilar (f) / Pili
Enrique (m) / Quique
Rosa (f) / Rosita
Sara (f) / Sarita
Margarita (f) / Margaret

Moral of the Story: Names are important in any language. If you
haven’t already, see if your name crosses over to Spanish. As always,
please e-mail us with interesting name stories.

Sneak peek at next week: “Spanish Names - Part II”

¡Hasta luego! (”Until later”)

David S. Clark — President / Director
Visual Link Spanish(TM)
Fun, Interactive Spanish Courses
http://www.spanishprograms.com
dave_c@spanishprograms.com

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Responses to Past Newsletters
=============================

Response #1

Hi David,

Just read the letter on someone’s experience in Latin America and
having lived 35 years abroad, found that so many of the countries
that I lived in and visited were inhabited by very generous people. I
lived 19 years in West Africa and learned how people should be with
others. In the smaller towns and villages people ate meals outside
and any person (known or stranger) who passed on foot or bicycle
during that time would be called over and invited to eat. Refusing to
do so would be seen as an insult. In the Middle East and North
Africa, people we had just met in the market place, would invite us
to their homes to dine with them. Many insisted on taking us in as
house guest because, we were visiting their Country. At times, moving
all members of their family to one room in order to give two very
grimy travelers a private room. You couldn’t refuse or pay for their
kindness, but a gift would be accepted. I must say that we were
camping and traveling by road, so we met many people. This was all
offered from their hearts, nothing false about it. We learned to not
admire anything someone owned. If you made the mistake of saying, “Oh
how beautiful!”, the object would immediately be given to you!
Refusing any of these gestures was not an option. What wonderful
customs for people of wealthier countries to consider

Love your courses

Gloria

Response #2

Dear Dave,

I visited the Dominican Republic back in August and stayed on a
resort on the east coast. My sisters and I befriended many locals and
they showed us their way of life and what the country was “really”
like. I am a totally different person now, because of it. In the
United States we show our wealth in many ways and waste so much.
Being over there truly opened my eyes. I never saw such happy people
who literally had nothing. No food, no clothing, and homes that
resembled a beat up shack made out of wood or sheet metal. These
people always have a smile on their face and will share with you
anything they have. By the end of the week, we had given away much of
our clothing, much of it being new. By the end of the week; none of
us wore our jewelry or the fine things we brought with us. We didn’t
want to. It no longer had the same meaning to us.

Each day I live my life now; I am constantly reminded of the happy
but poor people who became my dearest friends from the Dominican
Republic. I spend my money differently, I eat differently and I treat
people differently now. I totally agree with you that if people could
experience that side of life, there would be fewer problems and more
happiness.

Thank you for a beautiful article. It touched my heart and I hope it
will touch the hearts of others.

Dawn

Response #3

Hi Dave,

I can totally relate with your article on people not having enough
food in other parts of the world. I spend a lot of time in Honduras,
in fact over the last year and a half, I have been there as much as
in the U.S.

Since my first trip there, I now send money every month to various
families so they can feed their children. Each time I come back to
the states, it is a difficult transition. I view things so
differently now. There are things I choose to do without so others
can simply have food. It is indeed heartwrenching to see the children
who are so desperate for food.

Thank you for informing others of this problem.

Maria

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