Reference — up to week 1

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Week 1 — Introductions, pronunciation & house vocab

phraseWhat's your name? (informal)¿Cómo te llamas?
HolaHello,,¿cómohowteyou (reflexive)llamasyou call yourself??YoIsoyamAleAle.

This is how your tutor Ale might ask your name.

phraseMy name is Dave.Me llamo Dave.
MeI (reflexive)llamocall myselfDaveDave,,yandsoyI amdefromMelbourneMelbourne.

Remember 'll' sounds like 'y' in 'yes' in most of Latin America, including Colombia.

verbTo be called (reflexive)Llamarse
MiMyesposawifeseshe (reflexive)llamacalls herselfRosaRosa.
👤me llamo👥nos llamamos

This is a reflexive verb, so it always uses a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos).

phraseWhat do you do for a living? (informal)¿A qué te dedicas?
¿A quéWhatteyou (reflexive)dedicasyou dedicate yourself,,DaveDave??SoyI amingenieroengineerdeofsoftwaresoftware.

A common way to ask about someone's profession.

verbTo workTrabajar
YoItrabajoworkcomoasingenieroengineerdeofsoftwaresoftwareeninMelbourneMelbourne.
👤trabajo👥trabajamos

This is a regular -AR verb, a good one to practice your first conjugations.

phraseI am from...Soy de...
SoyI amdefromMelbourneMelbourne,,AustraliaAustralia.

Use 'soy' (from 'ser') to state your origin or permanent characteristics.

verbTo liveVivir
VivoI liveeninMelbourneMelbourneconwithmimyparejapartner,,RosaRosa.
👤vivo👥vivimos

This is a regular -IR verb.

verbTo haveTener
TengoI havetreinta y cincothirty-fiveañosyears.
👤tengo👥tenemos

Tener is an irregular verb, especially in the 'yo' form. Use 'tener' for age.

phraseWhat do you like to do?¿Qué te gusta hacer?
AleAle,,¿quéwhatteto yougustapleaseshacerto doenintuyourtiempo librefree time??

A great way to ask about hobbies and interests.

phraseI like to cook.Me gusta cocinar.
MeTo megustapleasescocinarto cookyandjugarto playhockeyhockey.

Remember 'me gusta' literally means 'it pleases me'. You can add an infinitive verb or a noun after it.

phraseHow are you? / How's it going?¿Qué tal?
HolaHi,,DaveDave,,¿qué talhow's it going??¿Todo bienAll good??

A very common and informal greeting, similar to 'What's up?'

phraseHow are you? (informal)¿Cómo estás?
AleAle,,¿cómohowestásare youhoytoday??

This uses 'estar' for temporary states, like how you are feeling.

phraseVery well, and you?Muy bien, ¿y tú?
—¿Cómo estás?—How are you?—Muy bien—Very well,,¿y túand you??

A polite and common response to '¿Cómo estás?'

phraseI have a question.Tengo una pregunta.
AleAle,,tengoI haveunaapreguntaquestionsobreaboutlathepronunciaciónpronunciation.

Useful in class with Ale. Notice the 'ción' ending, which sounds like 'syohn'.

phraseWhat does... mean?¿Qué significa...?
AleAle,,¿quéwhatsignificameans'cobija''blanket'??

Another essential phrase for your Spanish lessons.

phraseHow do you say...?¿Cómo se dice...?
AleAle,,¿cómohowseitdiceis said'coffee''coffee'eninespañolSpanish??

This phrase is crucial for asking about new vocabulary.

vocabLast name, surnameEl apellido
¿CuálWhichesistuyourapellidolast name,,DaveDave??

In Spanish-speaking countries, people often have two last names.

vocabMarriedCasado/a
EstoyI amcasadomarriedconwithRosaRosa.

Remember adjectives like 'casado' change ending based on gender: 'casado' for male, 'casada' for female.

vocabBedLa cama
Me gustaI likemimycamabedcómodacomfortabledespués deafterunalargolongdíaday.

This word uses the 'CA' sound, like in 'car'.

vocabPillowLa almohada
NecesitoI needunaaalmohadapillowsuavesoftparatodormirsleepbienwell.

The 'h' in 'almohada' is silent, just like in 'hockey' in Spanish.

vocabRefrigeratorLa nevera
LaTheneverarefrigeratorestáisllenafulldeofcomidafoodparaforlathesemanaweek.

Also commonly called 'el refrigerador'.

vocabKnifeEl cuchillo
UsoI useunacuchilloknifeafiladosharpparatocortarcutlastheverdurasvegetables.

The 'ch' in 'cuchillo' sounds like 'ch' in 'cheese', and 'll' like 'y' in 'yes'.

vocabToiletEl inodoro
ElTheinodorotoiletestáiseninelthebañobathroom.

A basic but important piece of house vocabulary.

vocabComputerLa computadora
MiMycomputadoracomputeresisesencialessentialparaformimytrabajojobdeofingenieroengineer.

Also commonly called 'el ordenador', especially in Spain.

vocabCell phoneEl celular
SiempreAlwaystengoI havemimycelularcell phoneconmigowith me.

This word uses the 'CE' sound, which is like 'se' in 'sell' in Latin America.

vocabCarEl carro
VamosWe goatoMéxicoMexicoenin20262026,,¿iremoswill we goenbycarrocar??

In Spain, 'coche' is more common, but 'carro' is widely understood in Latin America.