Spanish and English differ in that Spanish uses double or even triple negatives and the meaning stays negative. Once any one part of the sentence is in the negative the entire sentence must stay in the negative:

I do not know anybody at this party.                            No conozco a nadie en esta fiesta.

Nothing in the Spanish language can seem quite as confusing to English speakers as the subjunctive! It’s not surprising, as this is one area of grammar in which English and Spanish are very different. The use of the subjunctive in English is very limited and can often sound arcane or old-fashioned whereas it is a fundamental part of everyday Spanish being used in about 15% of everyday conversation. This is the highest among all modern romance languages (French, Italian, Portuguese etc.)

MOST IMPORTANTLY: The subjunctive is not a tense; it is a mood.

A tense expresses when something is occurring ie. present, past, future. The subjunctive is a mood. It shows the probability or likelihood of something occurring.

All verb tenses in Spanish are divided into the indicative or subjunctive mood. (There is a third mood, the imperative, used for commands)

Indicative: that which is known to be fact and true, habitual events

Subjunctive: that which is open to subjectivity, unknown future events.

Common Indicative mood conjugations: present tense, imperfect, preterit, future, present perfect, past perfect

Common Subjunctive mood conjugations: present subjunctive*, imperfect subjunctive, present perfect subjunctive

*Note: About 80% of the use of the subjunctive is in the present tense so that is our focus here.

Overall, there are less subjunctive mood conjugations than indicative. Over the centuries, many subjunctive conjugations have become obsolete or relegated to legal use only.

Now that we have put the subjunctive into context let’s start looking at some specific examples.

Examples of the use of the subjunctive in English:

Long live the King!                                (live replaces lives to show a wish)

Let there be light!                                   (be replaces is show a desire)

He insists the child stay put.               (stay replaces stays for a command)

May she rest in peace.                          (rest replaces rests to show a wish)

If I were you….                                       (were replaces am as it’s not real)

Examples of the subjunctive in Spanish:

As the use of the subjunctive is much more widespread in Spanish it is useful to have an acronym:

C ~ Conjunctions                                    (cuando, para que)

O ~ Ojalá                                                    (also: quizás etc.)

W ~ Wishes/Wants                                 (desear que, querer que)

R ~ Requests/Recommendations   (pedir que, insistir que)

I   ~ Impersonal Expressions            (es posible que, es probable que)

D ~ Doubts/Denial                               (Dudo que, no estoy seguro que)

E ~ Emotions                                           (me alegro que, estoy triste que)

Each category above (COW RIDE) has a long list of verbs or expressions associated with it that must be memorized! The general concept behind the subjunctive is always the same: someone/thing wishes/insists etc. for someone/thing else to behave in a certain way.

Rosa         quiere            que         su novio   trabaje    menos.

El padre   insiste            que         su hijo      estudie     hoy.

El posible                        que          ellos        trabajen    hoy.

Formation of the present subjunctive

Forming the present subjunctive is a two-step process:

-First find the ‘yo’ form of the present indicative: vivo, tengo etc.

-Then, drop the letter ‘o’ and replace it with the ‘opposite vowel.’ That is to say, if your verb is an –ir/-er verb you replace it with an ‘a’ and for –ar verbs you use an ‘e’. Examples:

Final notes:

As the first and third person share the same form, it is more common to see the use of the personal pronouns with the present subjunctive to avoid confusion.

Take heart, as the consistent and correct use of the subjunctive often takes years to develop as a non-native speaker of the Spanish language. The true and natural use of this mood means you have ‘arrived’ as a fluent speaker of the Spanish language.

What is a language?

A language is a system of communication used by a specific community. Nearly everyone speaks (or signs) at least one language. Speaking only one language, or monolingualism, is common in many parts of the English-speaking world such as North America, the UK and Australia. However, a much larger number of the world’s population live in countries where multiple languages are spoken throughout the day. For example people may have a home, community, religious, colonial, academic and/or business language. A lot of the challenges faced by monolingual learners of secondary languages is a result of two factors: little exposure to second or third languages in childhood, and a poor education in grammar instruction.

Are all languages similar?

Languages are similar in that they enable humans to communicate with each other. All languages are spoken (or signed) but not all languages are written. Languages change over generations so that a modern version of a language may be very different than an older version although the degree to which languages change depends on many factors and some people can read texts that are hundreds of years old with little difficulty.

Is my target language related to English?

Languages are grouped first by family, then group and branch similarly to plants or animals. For example, English is a member of the Indo-European language family that includes most languages spoken throughout Europe, India and Iran. Furthermore, there are nine sub-groupings one of which is the Germanic family. English belongs to the West Germanic branch which includes closely related languages such as Dutch and German. Spanish on the other hand belongs to a different subgrouping called Italic, of which the majority of the languages such as Spanish, Italian, Portuguese are referred to as Romance languages.

What are the similarities between English and my target language?

German and English share some similar grammar structures and vocabulary that go back several hundred years. Spanish and English share a lot of similar vocabulary owing to the fact that English borrowed many Latin words during the Middle Ages. The grammar between English and Spanish can, at times, be quite different.

How do people learn a language?

The most common and natural way to learn language is as a young child exposed to the language being used in your household and community. To learn to read and write you generally receive formal instruction. The second way to learn a language is through formal instruction. This is the way most people learn a second language as adolescents and adults. Sometimes the two methods can be combined whereas for example someone goes and lives abroad for a number of years and learns to speak by communicating with native speakers while simultaneously taking formal lessons. If you are unable to live among people speaking your target language, re-creating an immersion environment as much as possible is suggested.

When is the best time of day to learn?

This varies a lot. Some people learn best first thing in the morning when their mind is fresh while others thrive at the end of the day. Furthermore, people have different learning styles. Some people enjoy having background music while others need total silence. Experiment and see when and in what type of environment you learn best.

What is involved?

When developing a new skill such as a language it is important to revisit concepts and vocabulary repeatedly throughout the day in small increments of 10-20 minutes. Just like exercising your body, do a 2-3 minute warm-up by reviewing some older material and then challenge yourself. By consistently exposing your brain pathways to new vocabulary, sentence structure and grammar the language will start to feel more natural and less foreign.

How can I be successful?

Like many things in life, confidence and consistent effort are the key to your success! Making mistakes is a natural and necessary part of learning any language including your first language. Self-defeating thoughts, or berating yourself if you don’t do your homework is not helpful. Set realistic goals and stick to them. Also, remember to celebrate the milestones along the way.

What should my expectations be?

It is important to set realistic goals while learning a new language. Track your short, medium and long-term goals. With regular study, you can expect to hold a basic conversation within a few weeks and a more complex conversation within 3 months. By 6-9 months you should be ready to face most daily situations and express yourself in the present, future and past tenses. This level is called “conversationally fluent”. For native fluency the learning never ends!

Is it worth the effort?

Definitely! There are numerous benefits associated with learning an additional language. The obvious one is that you are able to communicate with new people in your personal or professional life. Secondly, you are also able to appreciate a new culture on a deeper level. Language learning is also good for your brain development and maintenance. The best news is the more languages you learn the easier it gets!

It seems that nothing frustrates learners of a foreign language more than idioms. Idioms are those phrases that cannot be translated directly from one language to another. They often involve turns of phrase, animals, colors or emotions in strange combinations! Here are some amusing idioms from various languages that, when translated directly, would make any foreigner to the language scratch their head.

He has been blue. = He has been sad.

He was caught red-handed. = He was caught in the act.

Por si las moscas (in case of flies!) = Just in case.

Andar como perros y gatos (walk like dogs and cats) = to always be arguing.

Das Blaue von Himmel versprechen (to promise the blue from the sky) = to promise someone the moon.

Tomaten auf den Augen haben (to have tomatoes on your eyes) = to be oblivious to what’s going on.

Beginning in January of this year, I began selling my self designed curriculum, readings and worksheets online through a wonderful forum called Teachers Pay Teachers.  I only discovered this website myself a couple of years ago and became an avid buyer. It was my New Year’s resolution for 2015 to sell my products on this website. It was a lot of work up front, but it is finally paying off. I have created an online community with teachers which has been a wonderful experience as being a solo teacher can sometimes be a lonely endeavour! Furthermore, there are a lot more Spanish teachers in the United States than there are in Canada. I am happy to report that I have received a lot of positive feedback on my products and my current and future students have also benefited from my online feedback as I continue to improve my course content. To access my online resources for teachers click here.

As a number of my clients are required to travel for work I have now regularly started offering lessons over Skype. While it may not be as ideal as face-to-face lessons, I have had a large degree of success with teaching people online and look forward to continuing to offer this option particularly for those people who live further out of the city or travel frequently.

Finally, just this month I have begun to create an online school for my courses! It is my intention to offer this for free to my existing clients for further practice at home where they may review lessons we covered in class together. This online platform will offer yet another avenue to pursue your language goals. I have just released my first course on German pronunciation and I look forward to continuing to work on my new online school in the coming months. For my new online school click here.

The word sombrero comes from the Spanish word for shade: sombra. Many people use the hat to protect themselves from the sun. The sombrero comes originally from Spain but the Mexicans have their own version with a very broad brim. Traditionally, ranchers used sombreros only for work but now they are worn on holidays by all.

The poncho is the traditional clothing South American indigenous people. A group called the Mapuche, who live in the south of Chile and Argentina, use it there in the cold and rainy periods. The traditional poncho is made of wool and keeps the wearer warm. It is similar to a blanket with a hole for the head and allows for free movement of the arms. The wool comes from four animals; the alpaca, llama, vicuna and guanaco, all similar to the camels. Nowadays, inexpensive plastic versions of the poncho are worn in North America in extreme rain.

Finally, the lesser known huipil is a blouse for women of Central America, especially those in Guatemala. Indigenous women still weave them today as their Mayan ancestors did 1000 years ago. The colors and designs show the community from which a woman originates. You can find images of beautiful handmade huipils By clicking here: 

During the 1910s Rivera was in Paris witnessing the emergence of a new art form called Cubism. Painters such as Pablo Picasso influenced his early work. Rivera returned to Mexico in 1921 and began a period of drawing large murals along with other notable artists such as José Orozco. Some of his murals depict scenes from Mexico’s 1910 revolution. They include simple figures combined with bold colors. Rivera also included Mayan and Aztec influences in his art. A number of his murals portray life in Mexico in the pre-Columbian era. Other works are more abstract and show urban landscapes, portraits and nature.

In 1929, Rivera married fellow artist and former student Frida Kahlo. Together they lived and worked in a house called “La casa azul” owing to its blue color. They were well known on the Mexican art scene and had many influential friends both in Mexico and abroad. Although their marriage was not always happy, Rivero was devastated when Frida Kahlo passed away. Rivera’s legacy is still felt today and many of his works can be found in Mexican and American museums today.

There are few things in the Spanish language more difficult for English speakers to get a grasp on than the subjunctive. One common fallacy is that students believe the subjunctive is a tense when in fact it is a mood. There are two moods in the Spanish-language: the indicative and subjunctive. The indicative mood is used to describe all that is concrete and habitual whereas the subjunctive describes that which is in any way hypothetical.

To learn to use the subjunctive one must look at the various situations in which it is used. In this blog we will focus on the uses of the subjunctive with verbs of influence, uncertainty, emotion and doubt.

In the sentence, “I hope that my brother prepares sushi,”  we find all the elements necessary to elicit the use of the subjunctive in the secondary clause:

1) one subject in the main clause (I) which is different than that of the secondary clause (my brother)

2) the use of the conjunction ‘que’

3) the use of a verb of influence (hope)

In simpler terms, just because I hope that something happens does not necessarily mean it will and this is reflected in Spanish by the use of the subjunctive mood in the secondary clause.

I hope that my brother prepares sushi.

Yo espero que mi hermano prepare sushi.

Other common verbs of influence:

desear – to desire

querer (e-ie) – to want

preferir (e-ie)  – to prefer

pedir (e-i) – to ask

prohibir – to forbid

persuadir – to persuade

rogar (o-ue) – to beg

aconsejar – to advise

insistir – to insist

exigir – to demand

mandar – to order

recomendar (e-ie) – to recommend

sugerir (e-i) – to suggest

impedir (e-i) – to prevent

Verbs of uncertainty, doubt and emotion are also triggers of the subjunctive.

I doubt Maria is working today.

Yo dudo que María trabaje hoy.

negar (e-ie) – to deny

temer – to fear

alegrarse de – to be happy

The expressions below are followed by the indicative in the affirmative but subjunctive in the negative!

no creer – to not believe

no estar convencido/a de – to not be convinced of

no estar seguro/a de – to not be sure of

no imaginarse – to not believe/imagine

no parecer – to not seem

no pensar (e-ie) – to not think

no suponer – to not suppose

Apocopation is a linguistic term given to the practice of shortening specific words when they precede certain other words. This occurs in Spanish with nine fairly common words.

Most commonly, certain words drop the final letter ‘o’ when they come before a masculine, singular noun.

uno (“a/one”): un libro (a book)

alguno (“some”): algún dinero (some money)

ninguno (“no/not one”): ningún gato (no cat)

bueno (“good”): el buen doctor  (the good doctor)

malo (“bad”): un mal hombre (a bad man)

primero (“first”): primer encuentro (first encounter)

tercero (“third”): tercer piso (third floor)

Variations on the pattern:

Grande: The singular grande is shortened to gran before a noun-whether it be male or female:  In that position, it usually means “great”: un gran hombre (a great man). However, grande is not apocopated when following más: la más grande casa (the greatest house)

Ciento: The word for one/a hundred is shortened before a noun or when used as part of a number: cien libros (100 books) or cien dólares (100 dollars). However, ciento it is not shortened within a number: ciento veinte mil dólares ($120,000).

Cualquiera: When used as an adjective, cualquiera (“any” in the sense of “whatever”) drops the final ‘a’ before a noun-whether it be male or female: cualquier día (whatever day).

Santo: The title for a saint is shortened before the names of most males: San Francisco (Saint Francis). However, it is not shortened if the name it precedes begins with Do- or To- (Santo Domingo)

1. venir: to come

We are coming at 5 o’clock.

Venimos a las 5 de la tarde.

2. viajar: to travel

She is traveling to Europe for the first time.

Ella viaja a Europa por primera vez.

3. visitar: to visit

I am visiting my parents on Sunday.

Visito a mis padres el domingo.

4. vivir: to live

My brother lives in Bolivia.

Mi hermano vive en Bolivia.

5. volar: to fly (stem change verb o-ue)

Are you flying to Barcelona?

¿Vuelas a Barcelona?

6. volver: to return (stem change verb o-ue)

Is he returning soon?

¿Vuelve pronto?

6. ir: to go (Note: although the infinitive does not have a ‘v,’ the conjugations do)

They are going to the church and I am going to the library.

Ellos van a la iglesia y yo voy a la biblioteca.