Spanglish in Cambridge: mayo 2016

Spanish Preposition:por and para

"Por" and "para" have a variety of meanings, and they are often confused because they can each be translated as "for."

Even though your trusty Spanish-English dictionary will list for as the definition of both por and para, their use goes well beyond the direct English translation. It’s all about context. Even in English, while we may use for in multiple instances, it can convey a different meaning.

Examples:
Estoy buscando aquel libro para ti. (I am looking for that book for you.)
Estoy buscando aquel libro por ti. (I am looking for that book for you.)

In the first sentence, I am looking for that book to give it to you. In the second sentence, I am looking for that book on your behalf (because you may be too busy to go to the bookstore).

It’s a subtle difference, but understanding this in English will help you understand when to use por and when to use para in Spanish.

To learn to use "por" and "para" correctly, you need to do two things:

Learn the rules for how por and para are used.
Memorize model sentences.

Basically:
por → cause
para → effect

"Por" has many uses, and so it is the more problematic of the two.

Motion/place: Caminan por las calles. (They walk through the streets.)
Means/manner: Lo envío por correo aéreo. (I’m sending it by air-mail.)
In exchange for/substitution: Voy a hacerlo por tí. (I’m going to do it for you.)
Duration of an action: Trabajo por una hora. (I’m working for an hour.)
Indefinite time period: Duerme por la tarde. (He sleeps in the afternoon.)
On behalf of: La firmo por Ud. (I am signing it on your behalf.)
Per: Me pagan por día. (They pay me per day.)
To express gratitude or apology: Gracias por la ayuda. (Thanks for the help.)
For multiplication and division: Dos por dos son cuatro. (Two times two equals four.)
For velocity, frequency and proportion. Voy al restaurante cinco veces por semana. (I go to the restaurant five times per week.)
Meaning "through," "along," "by" or "in the area of" Andamos por el parque.
(We walk through the park.)
When talking about exchange, including sales. Él me dio diez dólares por el libro.(He gave me ten dollars for the book.)
To mean "on behalf of," or "in favor of,". No voté por nadie. (I didn't vote for anyone.)
To express a length of time.Yo estudié por dos horas. (I studied for two hours.)
To express an undetermined, or general time, meaning "during". Se puede ver las estrellas por la noche. (One can see the stars during the night.)
For means of communication or transportation. Prefiero viajar por tren y hablar por teléfono. (I prefer to travel by train and speak by phone.)
In cases of mistaken identity, or meaning "to be seen as". Me tienen por loco. (They take me for crazy.)
To show the reason for an errand (with ir, venir, pasar, mandar, volver, and preguntar). Paso por ti a las ocho. (I'll come by for you at eight o'clock.)
When followed by an infinitive, to express an action that remains to be completed, use por + infinitive. La cena está por cocinar.(Dinner has yet to be cooked.)
To express cause or reason. El hombre murió por falta de agua. The man died for lack of water.
"estar por" means to be in the mood, or inclined to do something. Estoy por tomar café. (I'm in the mood for drinking coffee.)
In passive constructions. El libro fue escrito por Octavio Paz.(The book was written by Octavio Paz.)

"Para"

Destination/person: Esto es para Ud. (This is for you.)
Destination/place: Salimos para Madrid. (We are leaving for Madrid.)
A future time limit: Es para mañana. (It’s for tomorrow.)
Purpose/goal: Nado para divertirme. (I swim to have fun.)
Use/function: Es un cepillo para el pelo. (It’s a hair brush.)
Comparisons: Para su edad, lee bien. (For her age, she reads well.)
Opinion: Para mí es demasiado crudo. (For me it’s too rare.)

Exercice Para/Por
http://www.learnspanishfeelgood.com/prepositions-para-por1.html

Prepositions of place in English and Spanish

7 Tips for Learning Spanish Through Songs and Music

As mentioned above, we get songs stuck in our head all the time. If you listen to something long enough you will begin to recognize the beat, beginning notes and lyrics of the song. With repetition you will soon find yourself singing along almost without trying! However, in order to learn Spanish effectively, there are some tips and tricks to utilizing songs and music to your language-learning benefit.

Choose songs with clear pronunciation: If you find a song has lyrics that blend together or are hard to understand, consider picking a different song or reading the lyrics while you listen. For beginners, choosing simple songs with clear lyrics, choruses and verses will assist you in learning Spanish much better than more complicated songs.

Catchy beat: If the beat and rhythm does not catch your fancy when you listen to it, you probably will not want it stuck in your head. Songs that make you tap your foot and bob your head are the best!

Repeating chorus/verses: The best songs to learn Spanish are ones that have repeating phrases in the chorus or verses that contain the same lyrics. If you can recognize and remember the lyrics you will be able to sing it in your head with more accuracy!

A familiar song dubbed in Spanish: Learning completely new songs in Spanish can be difficult, so sometimes it is more than acceptable to take a familiar English song and find a Spanish version of it. You can do this for theme songs, your favorite songs, or listen to familiar artists who also sing in Spanish (like Shakira or Enrique Iglesias).

Regional Spanish music: Pick songs sung by artists from the Spanish region of the world whose dialect you are learning. Dialects across the Spanish-speaking world differ and can use different slang, so make it easy on yourself at least at the beginning!

Look up unknown words: It’s also helpful to look up words that you’re not familiar with, and to write them down and periodically review them.

Fuente: http://www.fluentu.com/spanish/blog/learn-spanish-through-songs-music/

Good sites to learn Spanish

1- Many interactives exercices, a very fun place to learn Spanish

Ver-taal

2- Freee Spanish audio and video brings you authentic, real Spanish conversations aboutreal-life topics, making you totally confident with your Spanish. Listen here, or on your iPod or mp3 player as Spanish podcasts. Choose your level to begin:
Notes in Spain

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Páginas

sábado, 28 de mayo de 2016

Listening English Exercices

Spoken English Leaning Video

Videos to learn Spanish on Youtube

Spanish Preposition:por and para

Prepositions of place in English and Spanish

7 Tips for Learning Spanish Through Songs and Music

Good sites to learn Spanish

Datos personales