Lección 3.1

Lección 3.1

Comida y Celebraciones (Food and Celebrations)
Image of Mexican Food and/or Mexican Celebration. It would be great if there was an image of people eating at a public place during El día de los Muertos.
In this chapter you will continue building your foundation in Spanish by communicating in a restaurant setting and talking about food, in general, which is very important to the culture. In order to be able to express what you would like to eat or order, you will investigate stem or root changing verbs which appear in important verbs like ‘querer’ (to want), ‘poder’ (to be able to), and ‘pedir’ (to order). You will be memorizing prepositions in Spanish so that you can tell people where you are or where a restaurant is located. You will be studying the verbs ‘tener’ (to have) and ‘venir’ (to come) which are essential for expressing yourself in Spanish. You will conjugate verbs with irregular ‘yo’ forms that will allow you to communicate what you might bring to a celebration or how much something costs. You will also identify the different uses of the verbs ‘Saber’ (to know) and ‘Conocer’ (to know) which have the same meanings but are used in different contexts. This will allow you to be able to communicate the things that you know how to do and things that you know in more depth. You will be able to list the months and seasons of the year as well as weather conditions in order to communicate when something is taking place. You will also be counting from 30-100 which will help when going out and celebrating.
By the end of this chapter, you’ll be able to start ordering food in a restaurant, describe weather and dates and appreciate some cultural celebrations in Mexico. You’re not just learning the language, you’re experiencing the culture. ¡Buen provecho y a celebrar!
It would be nice to have images of food and labeling certain food items.

Vocabulary content on flash cards

Los Vegetables-Vegetables
La Cebolla- onion
La zanahoria-carrot
El tomate-tomate
La lechuga-lettuce
El pepino-cucumber
La papa/La patata-potato
El maíz-corn
El pimiento-bell pepper
El brócoli-broccoli
La espinaca-spinach
La calabaza-pumpkin/squash
El apio-celery
La berenjena-eggplant
El ajo-garlic
La alcachofa-artichoke
El repollo-cabbage
Las Frutas-fruits
La manzana-apple
La naranja-orange
El plátano-banana
La uva-grape
La fresa-strawberry
La piña-pineapple
El mango-mango
La sandía-watermelon
La pera-pear
La cereza/La guinda-cherry
El durazno/el melocotón-peach
La lima-lime
El limón-lemon
La granada-pomegranate
La papaya-papaya
El kiwi-kiwi
La ciruela-plum
El aguacate-avocado
La frambuesa-rasberry
Las Carnes-meats
El pollo-chicken
La carne de res-beef
El cerdo-pork
El cordero-lamb
El pavo-turkey
El jamón-ham
El chorizo-spicy sausage
La salchicha-hot dog
El conejo-rabbit
El pato-duck
Los Mariscos-seafood
El pescado-fish
El camarón/la gamba-shrimp
La langosta-lobster
El pulpo-octopus
El calamar-squid
Las almejas-clams
Los mejillones-mussels
La ostra-oyster
El atún-tuna
La sardina-sardine
El bacalao-cod
El arenque-Herring
Las Especias-spices
La sal-salt
La pimienta-pepper
El orégano-oregano
La canela-cinnamon
El cilantro-cilantro
El romero-Rosemary
La albahaca-basil
La menta-mint
La cúrcuma-tumeric
El laurel-Bay leaf
El tomillo-thyme
El jengibre-ginger
El azafrán-saffron
Lácteos-Dairy
La leche-milk
El queso-cheese
La mantequilla-butter
La nata-cream
El yogur-yogurt
El requesón-cottage cheese
Postres-desserts
El pastel-cake
La tarta-pie
El flan-flan (caramel custard)
El helado-ice cream
Los buñuelos-Fried dough pastries
La galleta-cookie
El arroz con leche-rice pudding
La sopaipilla-fried dough

Picture Words
Onion La Cebolla
Carrot La zanahoria
Potato La patata
Lettuce La lechuga
Apple La manzana
Orange La naranja
Strawberry La fresa
Pear La pera
Rasberry La frambuesa
Chicken El pollo
Turkey El pavo
Beef La carne de res
Pork El cerdo
Fish El pescado
Shrimp El camarón
Clams Las almejas
Mussels Los mejillones
Octopus El pulpo
Salt La sal
Milk La leche
Cheese El queso
Butter La mantequilla
Cake El pastel
Cookie La galleta

Stem-Changing Verbs in the Present Tense
In Spanish, most verbs follow regular patterns when conjugated, but some verbs don’t and are considered irregular. One type of irregular verb is called a stem-changing verb. These verbs have a change in their stem (or root) when conjugated. It is important to note that the stem-change will not occur in the subject pronouns ‘nosotros’ and ‘vosotros’ but will occur for the other subject pronouns. The most common stem changes are ‘e > ie’, ‘o> ue’ and ‘e>i’. It is important to memorize these verbs because they are important in common, everyday conversation especially when talking about basic actions like eating, shopping and going places.
The first set of stem-changing verbs are e>ie
Recomendar-to recommend Querer-to want, to love Preferir- to prefer Sugerir-to suggest
Pensar-to think Entender- to understand Sentir-to feel, to regret Cerrar-to close
Perder-to lose Comenzar-to beging, to start Mentir-to lie Encender-to turn on/to light
Convertir-to convert Defender-to defend Empezar-to begin, to start

Let’s learn how to conjugate stem (root)- changing verbs using the verb ‘querer’. The first step is to figure out which vowel is going to take the stem change.
Leave the verb in the infinitive when deciding which vowel is taking the stem change. Then count two syllabus from the end of the verb back. The syllabic break down of ‘Querer’ is ‘Quer-er’.
‘Quer- er’

Now that you have found the penultimate syllable, by counting two syllables back from the end of verb in its infinitive form, you can confidently know that the ‘e’ in ‘Quer’ is taking the stem change.
After you find the vowel that is taking the stem change, remove the –‘er’ to find the stem, ‘Quer’, in this instance. Now, conjugate ‘quer’, with the regular endings always applying the stem change except in the subject pronouns ‘nosotros’ (and vosotros).
Querer-to want
Yo Quiero Nosotros Queremos
Tú Quiere Vosotros Queréis
Usted Quiere Ustedes Quieren
Él Quiere Ellos Quieren
Ella Quiere Ellas Quieren

It is important to note that when using ‘e>ie’ stem-changing ‘-ir’ verbs such as pedir, preferer, mentir, in the present progressive, the stem changes from e>i. For example, ‘estoy pidiendo’, ‘ellos están mintiendo’, ‘nosotros estamos prefiriendo’.

The second set of stem-changing verbs are ‘o>ue’.
Almorzar-to lunch Probar- to try, to taste Costar-to cost Poder- to be able, can
Volver-to return Encontrar-to find Devolver-to return Recordar-to remember
Contar-to count Dormir-to sleep Morir-to die Mostrar-to show
Resolver-to solve Rogar-to beg, to plead Mover-to move Soñar-to dream
Colgar-to hang Morder-to bite Sonar-to ring, to sound Comprobar-to compar

Let’s conjugate ‘o>ue’ stem(root)- changing verbs using the verb ‘probar’. The first step is to figure out which vowel is going to take the stem change.
Like with the ‘e>ie’ stem change, leave the verb in the infinitive when deciding which vowel is taking the stem change. Then count two syllable back from the end of the verb. The syllabic break down of ‘probar’ is ‘Pro-bar’.
‘Pro- bar’

Now that you have found the penultimate syllable, by counting two syllables back from the end of verb in its infinitive form, you can confidently know that the ‘o’ in ‘pro’ is taking the stem change.
After you find the vowel that is taking the stem change, remove the –‘ar’ to find the stem, ‘Pro’, in this instance. Now, conjugate ‘Pro’, with the regular endings always applying the stem change except in the subject pronouns ‘nosotros’ (and vosotros).
Probar-to try, to taste, to test
Yo Pruebo Nosotros Probamos
Tú Pruebas Vosotros Probáis
Usted Prueba Ustedes Prueban
Él Prueba Ellos Prueban
Ella Prueba Ellas Prueban

It is important to note that, in the present progressive, the ‘-ir’ verbs, ‘dormir’ and ‘morir’ will take a o>u stem change. For example, ‘yo estoy durmiendo’ or ‘ellos están durmiendo’.

The third set of stem-changing verbs is ‘e>I’
Pedir-to ask for/to order (in a restaurant) Servir-to serve Repetir-to repeat Vestir-to dress
Despedir-to say good-bye Sonreir-to smile Medir-to measure Freír-to fry
Competir-to compete

Let’s conjugate ‘e>I’ stem(root)- changing verbs using the verb ‘pedir’. The first step is to figure out which vowel is going to take the stem change.
Like with the ‘e>ie’ and ‘o>ue’ stem changes, leave the verb in the infinitive when deciding which vowel is taking the stem change. Then count two syllable back from the end of the verb. The syllabic break down of ‘pedir’ is ‘Pe-dir’.
‘Pe – dir’

Now that you have found the penultimate syllable, by counting two syllables back from the end of verb in its infinitive form, you can confidently know that the ‘e’ in ‘pe’ is taking the stem change.
After you find the vowel that is taking the stem change, remove the –‘ir’ to find the stem, ‘Ped’, in this instance. Now, conjugate ‘Ped’, with the regular endings always applying the stem change except in the subject pronouns ‘nosotros’ (and vosotros).
Pedir-to ask, to order in a restaurant
Yo Pido Nosotros Pedimos
Tú Pides Vosotros Pedís
Usted Pide Ustedes Piden
Él Pide Ellos Piden
Ella Pide Ellas Piden

It is important to note that only ‘-ir’ verbs follow this stem-change pattern.
It is also important to note that in verbs such as ‘querer’, ‘preferer’, ‘sugerir’, ‘comenzar’, ‘recomendar’, ‘empezar’ and ‘poder’, once you conjugate these verbs in a sentence, normally, the next verb will remain in the infinitive. For example, ‘Yo quiero bailar’ (I want to dance). In this sentence, the verb ‘querer’ is conjugated and the verb, ‘bailar’ remains in the infinitive. Another example is ‘Yo prefiero comprar comida’ (I prefer to buy food). In this example, the verb ‘preferir’ is conjugated while the verb ‘comprar’ remains in the infinitive form. A third example, ‘Ella sugiere pedir las quesadillas en el restaurante’ (She suggests to order the quesadillas in the restaurant). In this example, the verb ‘sugerir’ is conjugated while the verb ‘pedir’ stays in the infinitive form.

Prepositions in Spanish
Prepositions are used in everyday conversation, just as they are in English. Prepositions are small words that help us connect other words in a sentence. They help us understand location, time and movement. Without them, our sentences would be confusing or incomplete. Below is a list of prepositions that are helpful to know when beginning to learn how to speak Spanish.
It is important to note that when using ‘con’ and expressing ‘with me’ or ‘with you’, it is important to say, ‘conmigo’ (with me) and ‘contigo’ (with you).
A-to Al lado-next to Cerca -close to, near Lejos -far from
Debajo – under Encima-on top Detrás-behind Delante-in front
Entre-between En-in, on, at Hacia-toward Desde-from, since
Sobre-over, about Contra-against Antes-before Después-after
Durante-during Hasta-until Desde-since Por-because of, through, by
Para-for, in order to Sin-without Con-with Según-according to
De-of A pesar de- in spite of A la derecha-to the right A la izquierda-to the left