Spanish 1/Family & Celebrations

Chapter 10 (Family & Celebrations)

Family members

abuelos - grandparents
abuelo - grandfather
abuela - grandmother
nietos - grandchildren
nieto - grandson
nieta - granddaughter
esposo - husband
esposa - wife
hermanos - siblings, brothers
hermano - brother
hermana - sister
hermanastro - stepbrother
hermanastra - stepsister
hijos - children, sons
hijo - son
hija - daughter
hijastro - stepson
hijastra - stepdaughter
padres - parents
padre (papá) - father
parientes - relatives
madre (mamá) - mother
padrastro - stepfather
madrastra - stepmother
yernos - children-in-law, sons-in-law
nuera - daughter-in-law
yerno - son-in-law
suegros - parents-in-law
suegro - father-in-law
suegra - mother-in-law
cuñados - siblings-in-law, brothers-in-law
cuñado - brother-in-law
cuñada - sister-in-law
primos - cousins
primo - male cousin
prima - female cousin
tíos - uncles & aunts, uncles
tío - uncle
tía - aunts

Note: Spanish-speaking people use papá and mamá when calling their own parents. Spanish-speakers also use the suffixes -ito or -ita to show affection, for example almost all Spanish speakers call their grandparents, abuelito and abuelita to show affection.

Age

¿Cuántos años tiene(n) ... ? - How old is/are ... ?
Tiene(n) ... años. - He/She is/They are ... (years old)
mayor - older
menor - younger

People

persona - person

Pets

mascota(s) - pets
gato - cat
perro - dog

To talk about what someone enjoys

(a + person) le gusta(n) - he/she likes. A Juan le gusta nadar.
(a + person) le encanta(n) - he/she loves. A Juanita le encanta bailar.

Note: The a placed before the person's name is called the personal a and is used to respect that person when talking.

Verbs to describe parties

abrir - to open
celebrar - to celebrate
decorar - to decorate
decoraciones - decorations
hacer un video - to videotape
video - video
observar- to observe
preparar - to prepare
sacar fotos - to take pictures
foto - photo
romper- to break

Items at a party

cámara - camera
cumpleaños - birthday
¡Feliz cumpleaños! - Happy birthday!
dulces - candy
flor - flower
globo - balloon
luz - light
papel picado/papelillo - cut-paper decorations
las velas - candles
pastel - cake
piñata - piñata
regalo - gift, present

Other words

que - that
quién - who
sólo - only

Tener (to have)

In Spanish, the word tener means to have. Like ir and jugar it conjugates irregularly, and like jugar, its stem changes when conjugated except in the nosotros(as) and vosotros(as) forms, e becomes ie. Tener is also unique because the yo conjugation is irregular from all the others (Tener is not unique in this respect, i.e poner - yo pongo).

tengo - I have
tienes - you have (singular)
tiene - he/she has
tenemos - we have
tenéis - you have (plural)
tienen - they have

Note: Did you remember that usted (Ud.) and ustedes (Uds.) use the 3rd person conjugation form?

Possessive adjectives

Possessive adjectives talk about the ownership of something. They are similar to other adjectives in Spanish that must agree with number and gender.

mi(s) - my
tu(s) - your
su(s) - your (formal), his, her, its
nuestro(s), -a(s) - our
vuestro(s), -a(s) - your (plural)
su(s) - your (plural/formal), their

Vocabulario adicional

bisabuelo - great-grandfather
bisabuela - great-grandmother
bisnieto - great-grandson
bisnieta - great-granddaughter
sobrino - nephew
sobrina - niece
hijo(a) único(a) - only child
conejillo de Indias - guinea pig
conejo - rabbit
gerbo - gerbil
hámster - hamster
hurón - ferret
loro - parrot
pez - fish
serpiente - snake
tortuga - turtle

Note: Use el pez to refer to an alive fish and pescado to refer to a dead fish. La pez means solvent, turpentine, pitch.

Cultural Insight (Papel picado)

Papel picado is the Mexican art of papercutting into elaborate designs. The designs are commonly cut from tissue paper using a guide and small chisels, creating as many as forty banners at a time. Common themes includes birds, floral designs, and skeletons. They are commonly displayed for Easter, Christmas, and the Day of the Dead, as well as during weddings, quinceañeras and christenings. Papel picado can also be made by folding the tissue paper and using small, sharp scissors.

Country Focus (Costa Rica)

Costa Rica (Spanish: Costa Rica) is a republic in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the east-southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, and the Caribbean Sea to the east. Costa Rica was the first country in the world to constitutionally abolish its army. Among Latin American countries, Costa Rica ranks 6th in terms of the 2009 Human Development Index, and 54th worldwide. Costa Rica is ranked 5th in the world in terms of the 2008 Environmental Performance Index, up from the 15th place in 2006. In 2007 the government of Costa Rica stated that they want to be the first country to become carbon neutral by 2021. Costa Rica is home to a rich variety of plants and animals. While the country has only about 0.1% of the world's landmass, it contains 5% of the world's biodiversity.

Costa Rica boasts a varied history. Costa Rica was the point where the Mesoamerican and South American native cultures met. The northwest of the country, the Nicoya peninsula, was the southernmost point of Nahuatl cultural influence when the Spanish conquerors (conquistadores) came in the sixteenth century. The center and southern portions of the country had Chibcha influences.

Factbox:

-Official Languages: Spanish

-Other Languages: English, Native American languages, English Creole languages

-Capital: San José

-Government: Democracy

-Area: 51,100 sq km (19,730 sq mi) (129th)

-Population: 4,468,000 (118th)

-Religion: Christianity (Catholic 76.3%, Protestant 14.4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%) 92.4%, Non-religious 3.2%, Buddhism 2.34%, other (Judaism, Islam, Animism, Bahá'i, Hindu) 2.06%

-Human Development: 0.854 (54th, HIGH)

-Independence: September 15, 1821

-Currency: Costa Rican colón