Michel Thomas Spanish Vocabulary Builder+ CDs

": Introduction: How this course came about, what it does and does not include, how it works, and how it is both faithful to and expands upon the Michel Thomas Language Courses : COURSE SEGMENT 1: WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW : 1. Introduction; ""-ible"" to ""-ible"" : > possible - posible (one stingy ""s""); horrible - horrible; etc. : 2. ""-able"" to ""able"" : > probable - probable; acceptable - aceptable; etc. : 3. ""-AR"" verbs to ""-able"" : Remove the ""-AR"" and add ""-able"" : > dudar (to doubt) to dudable (doubtful); soportar (to bear) to soportable (bearable); tolerar (to tolerate) to tolerable; etc. : 4. Add ""in"" to make a negative word : > evitable (avoidable) to inevitable (inevitable; unavoidable); tolerable to intolerable; etc. : Diminutive ""-ito"" : > hijo (son) to hijito (affectionate, little boy); : > Juan to Juanito (nickname). : > besar (to kiss) to besable (kissable) : 5. "" -ER verbs to ""ible"" : > creer (to believe) to creíble (believable); vender (to sell) to vendible (sellable); etc. : "" - IR verbs to ""-ible"" : > definir (to define) to definible (definable) : ""-ible"" to ""-ible"" : > flexible to flexible; compatible to compatible; etc. : 6. "" - ant"" to ""-ante"" : > important to importante; restaurant to restaurante; etc. : ""-AR"" verbs to ""-ante"" : >participar (to participate) to participante (participant); alarmar (to alarm) to alarmante (alarming); etc. : 7. ""-ent to ""-ente"" : > different to diferente (one stingy ""f""); evident to evidente; incompetent to incompetente; etc. : 8. ""-tion"" to ""-ción"" : > condition to condición; attention to atención; formation to formación; etc. : 9. ""-sion"" to ""-sión"" : > impression to impresión (one stingy ""s""); decision to decisión; mission to misión (one stingy ""s""); etc. : 10. ""ence"" to ""encia"" : > influence to influencia; difference to diferencia (one stingy ""f''); preference to preferencia; etc. : 11. Words that look feminine but are masculine : > the problem to el problema; the map to el mapa; the climate to el clima; etc. : ""-ance"" to ""-ancia"" : > importance to importancia; elegance to elegancia; intolerance to intolerancia; etc. : 12. ""-ly"" to ""-mente"" : automatically to automáticamente; naturally to naturalmente; personally to personalmente; etc. : Use ""realmente"" for actually. : 13. ""-ary"" to ""-ario"" : > vocabulary to vocabulario; necessary to necesario (one stingy ""s""); contrary to contrario; etc. : 14. ""-ive"" to ""-ivo"" : > exclusive to exclusivo; positive to positivo; constructive to constructivo; etc. : 15. ""-ute"" to ""-uto"" : >absolute to absoluto; substitute to substituto; institute to instituto; etc. : ""-ous"" to ""-oso"" : > famous to famoso; etc. : 16. ""-ical"" to ""-ico"" : > practical to prático; basic to básico; magic to ""mágico""; etc. : Require an accent over stressed syllable. : 17. ""-ent"" to ""-ento"" : > talent to talento; moment to momento; : ""-t"" or ""-it"" to ""-to"" : > honest to honesto; Robert to Roberto; credit to crédito; etc. : ""-ic"" to ""-ico"" : > dramatic to dramático; automatic to automático; ironic to irónico; etc. : Require an accent over the stressed syllable. : 18. ""-ure"" to ""-ura"" : - temperature to temperatura; literature to literatura; culture to cultura; etc. : 19. ""-tude"" to ""-tud"" : > aptitude to aptitud; altitude to altitud; gratitude to gratitude; etc. : 20. ""-ity"" to ""-dad"" : > possibility to posibilidad (one stingy ""s''); humanity to humanidad; infinity to infinidad; etc. : 21. ""-ist"" to ""-ista"" : > artist to artista; dentist to dentista; optimist to optimista; etc. : 22. ""-y"" to ""ía"" : > irony to ironía; astronomy to astronomía; philosophy to filosofía (phonetic ph - f); etc. : Require an accent over the stressed syllable. : 23. ""-in"" or ""-ine"" to ""-ina"" : > aspirin to aspirina; discipline to disciplina; gasoline to gasolina; etc. : ""-ice"" to ""ina"" : > office to oficina (one stingy ""f"") : 24. ""-id"" to ""-ido"" : > solid to sólido; valid to válido; timid to tímido; etc. : Require an accent over the stressed syllable. : 25. ""-ism"" to ""-ismo"" : > organism to organismo; capitalism to capitalismo; heroism to heroismo; etc. : "" -ure"" to ""-uro"" : > future to futuro. : COURSE SEGMENT 2: MORE STRUCTURE: MORE VERBS AND HOW TO USE THEM : 1. ""-AR"" ""Good Guy"" Regular Verbs : >evitar (to avoid); tentar (to tempt); usar (to use); inventar (to invent); mencionar (to mention); formar (to form); gastar (to spend) : Using ""gustarse"" - ""It is pleasing..."" ""It pleases me, you, us, them..."" : Using ""debería"" to express ""should"" : More ""-AR"" ""Good Guys"" : > gritar (to shout); ganar (to earn; to win) : Wing tense endings: ""-AR"" Track and The Other Track : aba; abas, aba; ábamos, aban : ía, ías, ía, íamos, ían : 2. Inventing ""-AR"" Verbs Using ""-tion"" Words in English. Just remove the ""tion"" and add an ""r"". : > invitation to invitar (to invite); justification to justificar (to justify); etc. : More ""-AR"" ""Good Guys"" : olvidarse (to forget); cenar (to dine); imaginar (to imagine); admirar (to admire); instalar (to install); adorar (to adore); considerar (to consider); acusar (to accuse); inspirar (to inspire); clasificar (to classify); estudiar (to study); consolar (to : 3. More ""-AR"" ""Good Guys"" : > negociar (to negotiate) : Using ""si fuera"" for ""If I were..."" plus the conditional tense (-ría; rías; ríamos; rían) : > Si fuera más joven, compraría un apartamento en Mallorca. (If I were younger, I would buy an apartment in Mallorca.) : When ""would"" refers to the past. : > Cuando era un hombre rico, compraba un coche nuevo todos los años. (When I was a rich man, I WOULD buy a new car every year.) : 4. More ""-AR"" ""Good Guys"" : > limpiar (to clean); llamar (to phone; to call); gastar (to spend); mirarse (to look at); prestar (to lend); besar (to kiss) : In Spanish, you spell it like it sounds. : > tocar (to touch) in command tense, ""toque"", etc. : > atacar (to attack) in command tense, ""ataque"", etc. : 5. ""Good Guys"" from the Other Track: ""-ER"" and ""-IR"" : beber (to drink); aprender (to learn); comprender (to understand); entender (to understand); responder (to respond; to answer); escribir (to write) : 6. Reflexive Verbs - When the Subject and Object are the Same: Think ""...self"" : > esconderse (to hide oneself); despertarse (to wake up; to wake oneself up); sentarse (to sit down; to sit oneself down); levantarse (to get up or stand up; to get oneself up) lavarse (to wash oneself); casarse (to get married); vestirse (to get dress : The Impersonal ""One"" : > Se come bien aquí. (One eats well here.) : The Passive Voice: When the Subject is Acted Upon : > El museo se abre todos los días. (The museum is opened every day.) : 7. More practice with ""-ER"" verbs and reflexives. : > prometer (to promise); poder (to be able to); responder (to respond; to answer); caber (to fit into); llover (to rain); ofrecer (to offer); : > protegerse (to protect oneself); defenderse (to defend oneself) : 8. More ""-ER"" Verbs : > deber (should, ought to); vender (to sell) : ""GO GO to GA GA"" Verb : > valer (to be worth); valer la pena (to be worth it) Ex. valgo to valga in command tense. : Using ""sino"" to express ""but rather"" : No soy rico sino pobre. (I am not rich, but rather poor.) : 9. More ""-ER"" Verbs : > temer (to fear); toser to cough); creer (to believe); crecer (to grow); reconocer (to recognize); meter (to place or put) : 10. Some ""-IR"" Verbs : > admitir (to admit); insistir en (insist on); invadir (to invade); omitir (to omit); decidir (to decide); sufrir (to suffer); recibir (to receive); cubrir (to cover) describir (to describe); abrir (to open); huir (to flee); permitir (to permit); prohi : 11. Some more ""-IR"" Verbs : In Spanish you spell it like it sounds. : > destruir (to destroy) I destroy = destruyo; command tense = destruya; construir (to construct) I construct = contruyo; command tense = construya; incluir (to include) : I conclude = concluyo; command tense = concluya. : 12. Some more ""-IR"" Verbs : ""Cuzco"" Verb: traducir (to translate) I translate = traduzco; command tense = traduzca : Some ""-IR"" Verbs with spelling changes in the ""DOT"" Tense : traducir to traduje; tradujiste; tradujo; tradujimos; tradujeron; producir (to produce) to produje, produjiste, produjo; produjimos; produjeron : 13. Some more ""-IR' Verbs : subir a (to climb up; to board a tren, etc.) : (Also used for ""to raise your voice"" or subir la voz.) : More practice with ""-IR"" Verbs : salir (to go out; to leave); salir con (to go out with); sufrir (to suffer) : 14. Verbs that ""cave in"" from ""e"" to ""ie"" : > perder (to lose) pierdo; pierdes; pierde; perdemos (does NOT ""cave in""); pierden : Command tense: pierda, pierdas, pierda; perdamos (does NOT ""cave in""); pierdan : Following this pattern: negar (to negate); pensar (to think); cerrar (to close) : The ""right now in the process of doing"" ""e"" to ""i"" : mentir (to tell a lie) to mintiendo; pedir (to ask) to pidiendo : 15. Verbs that ""cave in"" from ""o"" or ""u"" to ""ue"" : poder (to be able to) puedo, puedes; puede, podemos (does NOT ""cave in""); pierden : Command tense: perida, pierdas; pierda; perdamos (does NOT ""cave in""); pierdan : Following this pattern: costar (to cost); volver (to come; to return); acostarse (to lie down); acordarse con (to agree with) : 16. More verbs that ""cave in"" from ""o"" or ""u"" to ""ue : mostrar (to show); jugar (to play) : 17. Verbs that go from ""e"" to ""i"" : vestirse (to get dressed; to dress oneself) to me visto, te vistes; se viste; nos vestimos (does NOT ""cave in""); se visten : Following this pattern: servir (to serve); repetir (to repeat) : Command tense: me vista; te vistas; se vista; nos vistamos; se vistan : The ""right now in the moment of doing"" ""e"" to ""i"" = vistiéndose; mintiendo; pidiendo; sirviendo; repitiendo : 18. Expressions that trigger the command tense. : Let's = hablar to hablemos; comer to comamos; sufrir to suframos : Positive command: pronouns AFTER the verb : > Dígamelo. (Tell it to me.); Póngalos aquí.(Put them here.) : 19. Expressions that trigger the Command Tense : Whenever you want someone else to do something : > querer que (to want that); preferir que (to prefer that); proponer que (to propose that); permitir que (to permit that); es necesario que (it is necessary that) : Expressing emotion : > temer que (to fear that); alegrarse de que (to be glad that); ser riículo que (to be ridiculous that); sentir que (to be sorry that); Es lástima que (It's a shame that...); ser bueno/malo que (to be good or bad that) : Expressing Doubt, denial or unreality : > dudar que (to doubt that); ser imposible que (to be impossible that); ser improbable que (to be improbable that) : 20. More practice with expressions that trigger the Command Tense : > querer que (to want that); dudar que (to doubt that); alegrarse de que (to be glad that) : COURSE SEGMENT 3: Everyday Expressions and Useful Bits and Pieces : 1. Verb-plus expressions: acabar de (to have finished, to have just finished) : Followed by the ""to"" form of the verb. : 2. More verb-plus expressions: dejar de (to finish, to stop doing something) : volver a (to return to; to return to doing something) : aprovecharse de (to take advantage of) : These verb-plus expressions are followed by the ""to"" form of the verb in examples such as these: Volvió a comerlo. (He returned to eating it.); Deben hacerlo. (They ought to do it.). : 3. More verb-plus expressions: cambiar de (to change, to change your mind) : contar con (to count on) : darse cuenta de (to realize, to notice) : estar de acuerdo con (to agree with) : 4. More verb-plus expressions. : querer decir (to mean) : valer la pena (to be worth it) : 5. HACER in time expressions. : > Lo comí hace una hora. (I ate it an hour ago.); Hace mucho tiempo lo hizo. (He did it a long time ago.); Hacía dos años que Juan vivía en España. (Juan had been living in Spain for two years.); etc. : 6. HACER in weather expressions. : > Hace frío. (It's cold); ""Hace calor."" (It's hot.); Hace viento. (It's windy.), etc. : Some other uses of HACER. : hacer un viaje (to take a trip) : hacer una pregunta (to ask a question) : hacer daño (to harm) : 7. Expressions using TENER. : tener que (to have to; to have to do something) Followed by the ""to"" form of the verb. : tener frío (to be cold) : tener calor (to be warm) : tener sed (to be thirsty) : tener hambre (to be hungry) : tener suerte (to be lucky) : tener cuidado (to be careful) : tener sueño (to be sleepy) : tener prisa (to be in a hurry) : tener razón (to be correct) : tener la culpa (to be to blame) : tener ganas de (to desire to do something; to be in the mood for) : 8. More expressions using TENER. : tener X años. (to be X years old) : tener lugar (to take place) : tener paciencia (to be patient) : tener lógica (to make sense) : tener remedio (to have a solution) : 9. Uses of PARA. : to a destination; for a person; in order to; to or toward a location or goal; expressing deadlines : Words used to ask questions. : 'Cuándo? (When?); 'Cuánto/a? 'Cuántos/as? (How much; how many?) : 'Cómo? (How?) : 'Dónde? (Where?) : 'Quién(es) (Who?) : 'Cuál(es? (Which one?; which ones?) : Days of the week. (See Glossary) : 10. Using Time Expressions : antes de (before) : después de (after) : More days of the week. : Seasons of the year. : Months of the year. : 11. Telling time. : Es la una. (It's one o'clock.) : Son las dos. (It's two o'clock.) : Son las cuatro y cuarto. (It's four fifteen.) : Son las cinco y media. (It's five thirty.) : Time of day. (See Glossary) : Numbers (See Glossary) : 12. More uses of PARA. : Compared with others in a category. (Para un joven... (For a young person...) : Purpose, what an object or objects are used for : To study to be - Estudiar para : In order to : 13. Uses of POR. : In exchange for : per (e.g., per hour) : 14. More uses of POR. : through a place or space : duration of time : Some expressions using POR. : por ahora (for now) : por eso (because of that; therefore) : 15. More uses of POR. : Some more expressions using POR. : ¡ Por Dios! (For Heavens sake!) : por ahora (for now) : por eso (because of that; therefore) : por ejemplo (for example) : por fin (at last; finally) : por lo visto (apparently) : More uses of POR. : by (agent of doing) : on behalf of; in place of another person : 16. More uses of POR. : to go for, to fetch something or someone : Choosing between PARA and POR to convey different meanings. : 17. Expressions using LO. : lo bueno (the good thing) : lo malo (the bad thing) : lo útil (the useful thing) : lo hecho (the done thing; that which is done) : lo necesario (the necessary thing) : lo importante (the important thing) : lo mío (mine; that which is mine) : lo suyo (lo tuyo) (yours; that which is yours) : 18. Uses of SER. : to describe a rather permanent condition of being : to define something : to show possession (es de...) : 19. More Practice with SER. : to describe the colour of something : to express where someone is from; origin or nationality : to describe someone's profession : 20. Uses of ESTAR. : to describe a temporary condition or state of being : to use with ""-ando"" and ""-iendo"" to describe actions that right now, at this moment, one is in the process of doing (e.g., estoy hablando - I am right now speaking) : to describe location : Choosing between SER and ESTAR to convey different meanings. : Using SER to express the passive voice (e.g. when the subject is being acted upon) : 21. More practice choosing between SER and ESTAR to convey different meanings. : being ill vs. being an invalid : being handsome vs. looking good right now : 22. Using Double Negatives in Spanish : something vs. nothing : someone vs. no one or nobody : sometimes vs. never : any vs. none : Expressions using negatives. : me neither (ni yo tampoco) : by no means; No way! (¡De ningún modo! ¡De ninguna manera!) : neither...nor (ni...ni) : either...or (o...o) : 23. Making comparisons. : más...menos (more...less) : mejor...peor (better...worse) : lo mejor...lo peor (the best...the worst) mayor/menor: (older/younger) : 24. Using opposites to build vocabulary. : bueno/malo (good/bad) : fácil/difícil (easy/difficult) : pequeño/grande (small/large) : entrada/salida (entry/exit) : 25. Adding ""-in"" and ""-des"" to transform words into their opposites. : feliz/infeliz (happy to unhappy) : agradable/desagradable (pleasant/unpleasant) : 26. Some more useful, everyday expressions. : sin embargo (without a doubt) : cada una de (each one of) : a ver (let's see...) : Expressions describing location or where things are. : dentro de (inside) : cerca de ...lejos de (near...far) : behind (detrás de) : 27. More ways to express location. : encima de (on top of) : debajo de (under; underneath) : Some more useful, everyday expressions. : al menos; por lo menos (at least) : Concluding remarks and suggestions for further practice."