| Welcome
to Vol. 52 of the Spanish Online Newsletter! Part of the Spanish Learning Blog - your weekly lessons with mp3 files, as well as links to Spanish travel spots and more. I'm just finishing up my longest vacation since beginning my company nearly 4 years ago. I've enjoyed traveling around here in Alaska and even caught my first fish a few weeks ago. I hope many of you have enjoyed similar types of relaxation and good times this summer - ¡es una lástima que estamos llegando al final del verano!
One thing I wanted to touch on this week is the teaching style you'll find throughout my newsletters and websites, & why I teach this way. Basically you can sum up my style as "by teaching less, you learn more." I think it's important for students to remember that you don't need to learn every element of an entire grammar category before you begin using it. In fact, you often deter yourself from becoming comfortable with a new grammar concept if you feel that you can only use it after you've learned every single rule, etc. Don't worry about this. I think a few good examples can go a very long way with language teaching. Try to look for patterns rather than trying to memorize a ton of sentences & conjugations. Most importantly, keep in mind that practice is the only way to real fluency - so don't be shy about using each new thing you learn - even before you feel you have it down pat. When you learn a new concept (let's say a new tense of verbs) - try to find a few examples that you really understand - and use those words over and over again until you feel really comfortable. Then try to apply what you've learned to new vocabulary.
I'm not suggesting it's a good idea to only learn a few things & then stop there - but learning is much more natural when you don't try to overload yourself. Take it 1 or 2 new things at a time, and never forget that only by USING your Spanish will you really become fluent. You can find a couple more tips about learning Spanish here.
This week we examine the verb hacer, and some time expressions using this verb.
The Verb Hacer = to do or to make
Undoubtedly one of the most prevalent verbs in the Spanish language, getting comfortable with the variations of hacer will help bring your Spanish up a notch.
Time Expressions with Hacer
hace + (quantity of time) + que used to show how long it has been since an action took place, or since it has been taking place
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hace un año que no voy a la escuela
it's been a year since I haven't been going to school
hace 10 minutos que hablé por teléfono con mi esposo
I spoke to my husband on the phone 10 minutes ago
hace 2 años que vivo aquí
I've been living here for 2 years
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(present tense verb) + desde hace + (quantity of time) used to show how long it has been since an action took place, or since it has been taking place
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estudio italiano desde hace 5 años
I've been studying Italian for 5 years
¿vives en Nueva Yorque desde hace 2 años?
Have you been living in New York for 2 years?
trabajo en la compañia desde hace 10 años
I've been working at the company for 10 years |
Worksheet:
Hacer & Time Expressions Quiz: Hacer & Time Expressions
Hangman: The Verb Hacer
Hacer Practice Website: StudySpanish.com
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The alphabet
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