Lección 2.3

Asking Questions in Spanish

Forming questions in Spanish is important for effective communication and information gathering. In Spanish, in order to write questions will have an inverted question mark ‘¿’ at the beginning of the question.

In order to ask questions that will have a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ answer, intonation is very important. The tone must rise at the end of the question. It is important to understand that unlike English, the words ‘do’ and ‘does’ do not exist in Spanish.

For example:

¿Tú Hablas español?	Do you speak Spanish?
¿Ustedes estudian los fines de semana?	Do you all study on the weekends?

Another way to ask ‘yes/no’ questions is to use the tag words: ¿Verdad?-truth and ¿No? at the end of a statement. It is important to use intonation with these tag words.

For example:

Tú Hablas español, ¿verdad?	You speak Spanish, right?
Ustedes estudian los fines de semana, ¿no?	You study on the weekends, right?

In order to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions, you can say ‘Sí’- yes or ‘No’-no. When answering in the negative you must use a double negative.

Tú Hablas español, ¿verdad?	No, yo no hablo español.	No, I do not speak Spanish.
Ustedes estudian los fines de semana, ¿no?	No, nosotros no estudiamos los fines de semana.	No, we do not study on the weekends.

In order to ask an open-ended question, there are question words similar to the questions words in English. Some question words in Spanish are:

¿Qué?	What?
¿Quién?	Who?
¿Dónde?	Where?
¿Adónde?	To where?
¿De dónde?	Of where?
¿Cuándo?	When?
¿Por qué?	Why?
¿Cómo?	How?
¿Quién?	Who?
¿Cuánto? ¿Cuánta? ¿Cuántos? ¿Cuántas?	How many?

In the case of the question: How many? The reason why there are four forms is because when using them, they must agree with what there are of. For example: ¿Cuántos libros? (How many books?), ¿Cuántas sillas? (How many chairs?).

 

Face 1	Face 2
¿Qué?	What?
¿Quién?	Who?
¿Dónde?	Where?
¿Adónde?	To where?
¿De dónde?	Of where?
¿Cuándo?	When?
¿Por qué?	Why?
¿Cómo?	How?
¿Quién?	Who?
¿Cuánto? ¿Cuánta? ¿Cuántos? ¿Cuántas?	How many?

In order to ask someone what they are doing, using verb ‘Hacer’ (to do) is necessary. It is an irregular verb, but it is widely used in daily conversations. Let’s conjugate the verb ‘hacer’.

Hacer-to do/to make

Yo	Hago	Nosotros	Hacemos
Tú	Haces	Vosotros	Hacéis
Usted	Hace	Ustedes	Hacen
Él	Hace	Ellos	Hacen
Ella	Hace	Ellas	Hacen

---

The Verb Gustar

The Spanish verb ‘gustar’ is commonly used to express likes or preferrences of dislikes, but its structure differs greatly from the English verb ‘to like’. In English, it is typical to say ‘I like books’. In Spanish, it is typical to say, ‘Books are pleasing to me’. The differences in the structure make it so that ‘who is liking’ and ‘what is being liked’ are inverted in a Spanish sentence compared to the typical sentence structure in English.

When using the verb gustar, if what is pleasing or not pleasing to you is singular, you use ‘gusta’. If what is pleasing or not pleasing to you is plural, you use ‘gustan’. If what is pleasing or not pleasing to you is a verb, ‘gusta is used and then the infinitive form of the verb is used.

When expressing that something is displeasing, a ‘no’ is added before the pronouns ‘me’, ‘te’, ‘le’, ‘nos’ and ‘les’. For example, ‘A él no le gustan la pizza’. Let’s take a look at the verb ‘gustar’.

A mí me gusta la comida de Puerto Rico I like the food of Puerto Rico	A mí me gustan las comidas de puerto rico I like the foods of Puerto rico.	A mí me gusta comer. I like to eat
A ti te gusta la comida de Cuba You like the food of Cuba.	A ti te gustan las comidas de Cuba. You like the foods of Cuba.	A ti te gusta comer. You like to eat
A usted no le gusta el libro. You like the book.	A usted no le gustan los libros. You like the books.	A usted no le gusta leer. You like to read
A él le gusta la ciudad (city). He like the city.	A él le gustan las ciudades de Puerto Rico. He likes the cities of Puerto Rico.	A él le gusta viajar. He likes to travel.
A nosotros nos gusta la playa (the beach). We like the beaches	A nosotros nos gustan las playas del caribe. We like the beaches of the Caribbean.	A nosotros nos gusta tomar el sol. We like to sunbathe.
A ustedes les gusta el poema de José Martí.	A ustedes les gustan los poemas de José Martí.	A ustedes les gusta leer la poesía.
A ellos les gusta la comida de Cuba.	A ellos les gustan las comidas de comida.	A ellos les gusta comer.
A ellas les gusta el tambor	A ellas les gustan los tambores	A ellas les gusta tocar el tambor.

*Please note that ‘A mí’, ‘A ti’, ‘A usted’, ‘A él’, ‘A ella’, ‘A nosotros’, ‘A ustedes’, ‘A ellos’, and ‘A ellas’ can be omitted. It is correct to say, ‘Nos gusta la playa’, ‘Nos gustan las playas del caribe’, ‘Nos gusta tomar el sol’. In order to make it a dislike, the ‘no’ is still added in the same place. For example, ‘No nos gusta la playa’, ‘no nos gustan las playas del caribe’, and ‘No nos gusta tomar el sol’.

Image	Verb
Two women reading	A Ellas les gusta la poesía (poetry) de Julia de Burgos
A man eating	A él le gusta la comida.
A group of men and women dancing	A ellos les gustan las canciones de Celia Cruz.
A woman playing the guitar	A ella le gusta tocar la guitarra.
A group of people looking at a painting	A nosotros nos gustan las pinturas en el museo.

---

---

---

Cultura: Cuba, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

The Caribbean is a region located in the tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It is made up of many islands and countries. Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico are three of the most well-known countries in the Caribbean. These islands share a rich history, with influences from indigenous cultures, Africa, Spain and the United States.

Cuba

Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean, located south of the the United States and east of Mexico. It’s capital is Havana (La Habana). Spanish is the official language. Cuba became independent from Spain in 1898 and later experienced a revolution in 1959, led by Fidel Castro and Ché Guevara.

Music is a key part of Cuban culture. Salsa, son, and mambo are popular genres world wide. Artists like Celia Cruz (Queen of Salsa) and Buena Vista Social Club are globally recognized. Cuban cuisine includes dishes like arroz con pollo (rice with chicken), lechon (roast pork) and tostones (fried green plantains).

Domincan Republic

The Dominican Republic is on the eastern side of the island of Hispaniola which is shares with Haiti. It’s capital is Santo Domingo and Spanish is the official language.

The Dominican Republic was the site of the first European colony in the Americas, founded by Christopher Colombus in 1492. It has a mix of Spanish, African and Indigenous Taíno influences.

Music is a que part of the culture. Merengue and bachata are the two most famous music genres from the Dominican Republic. Juan Luis Guerra and Aventura are two of the most famous artists. Domincan food often features rice, beans, and meat. A popular dish is mangu (mashed plantains), often served for breakfast. The country is also known for its baseball culture, with many top professional players coming from the Dominican Republic. Finally, the Dominican Republic has some of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean, such as Punta Cana.

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is an island located to the east of the Dominican Republic and to the west of the Virgin Islands. Its capital is San Juan. Spanish and English are the official languages but Spanish is the most widely spoken language.

Puerto Rico was a Spanish colony for over 400 years before becoming a U.S. territory in1898, after the Spanish-American war. It is home to the oldest colonial Spanish fort in the Americas, El Morro, located in San Juan. Puerto Rican culture is a blend of Spanish, African and Taíno influences.

Salsa music, which originated in Cuba, became especially popular in Puerto Rico. Other music genres like reggaeton, which started in 1990’s have made Puerto Rico a center for Latin music. Famous artists include Daddy Yankee, Bad Bunny and Marc Anthony. Puerto Rican food includes mofongo (mashed plantains), arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), and lechon (roast pork).

The Caribbean is a diverse and vibrant region with a rich mix of cultures, traditions and histories. Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico each contribute uniquely to Caribbean and global culture, especially through their music, food and history. By understanding the connections and differences between these three countries, students of Spanish can gain a greater appreciation for the language and for the culture of the Caribbean.

Passaporte 2: Cuba, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico

*Due to the situation with Covid-19, please pick an activity that keeps you safe from being in crowds and in situations that you do not feel comfortable with.

Please pick ONE option from ONE area to investigate from the options below and finish the assignment by creating a video entry.

The options listed below are suggestions. You may attend/research other areas or events of interest with instructor approval.

You may present in English or in Spanish.

• Caribbean Heritage
• Attend an exhibit, movie or event at the National Hispanic Cutlural Center in Albuquerque, Nuevo Mexicano Heritage Arts Museum in Santa Fe or the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology at the University of New Mexico that feature or highlight Caribbean heritage.
• Attend a festival or celebration that highlight Caribbean culture. Some examples are the AfroMundo Festival, Caribbean Celebration and the International Festival.
• Do a Chat GPT (or any Artificial Intelligence) search on the history of Cuba, the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico. Make sure that the information is accurate by investigating the sources. Then make a presentation over what you have learned.
• Eat at a Cuban, Dominican Republic or Puerto Rican restaurant. Then make a video presenting what you have learned from your experience. Compare the food with New Mexican/Mexican food.
• What a movie that deals with Cuban, Dominican Republicans or Puerto Ricans. For example, The Mambo Kings, West Side Story, La Fiesta del Chivo, Sugar, Los Menos Adelante, Buena Vista Social Club, Fresa y Chocolate, Cuba and the Cameramen, The Motorcycle Diaries, In the Time of the Butterflies. Then make a video presentation identifying the cultural differences and similarities that you noticed from your own culture.
• Attend a musical event, concert or theatrical production having to do or Cuba, Puerto Rico or Dominican Republic and make a video presentation about what you have learned.
• Pick a musical genre from the Caribbean. For example: Son Cubano, Salsa, Rumba, Mambo, Cha-cha-cha, Salsa, Reggaeton, Bomba, Plena, Música Jibara, Merengue, Bachata or Dembow. Then, and make a video presentation about what you have learned.
• Research someone famous from Cuba, Puerto Rico or the Domincan Republic such as a particular artist or a particular musician and make a video presentation of what you have learned.
• Research popular sports or favorite past times in Cuba, Puerto Rico or Dominican Republic and make a video presentation over what you have learned.
• Research Puerto Rican, Dominican Republico or Cuban authors, poets, playwrights etc. and make a video presentation over what you have learned.

 

Running Vocab list for Lección 2