I. Tira cómica

In this tira cómica, you will meet Ana and follow her as she greets and meets friends and acquaintances at home and on her university campus.

II. ¿Te fijaste que…? La cortesía en el mundo hispano

La cantidad de saludos y despedidas

Conexión cultural: La cantidad de saludos y despedidas

Proper greetings and good-byes are extremely important in the cultures of the Hispanic world. While it’s not necessary to greet every stranger on, say, a crowded city bus, in private and semiprivate spaces, it is a social norm to greet those you see, even if you are not closely acquainted. Notice how Ana takes the time to greet her neighbor as she leaves her house as well as to introduce herself to her classmate as she sits down. Particularly (but not exclusively) in Latin America, politeness and courtesy are highly valued, and the way you greet (or don’t) greet) someone will likely be an important step in getting your relationship off on the right foot! Greetings do not have to be complicated; many times a simple hola (hello) or buenos días (good morning) is enough. The objective is to acknowledge people around you or near you, as this is a sign of respect.

The same is true for closing a conversation or leaving a private or semiprivate space. It is just as important to say good-bye as it is to say hello to demonstrate respect and courtesy to the individuals in your environment. Following that same idea, Spanish speakers often layer good-byes, using multiple phrases to let their conversational partner know that they will be leaving. Sometimes the conversation continues on for several minutes after the initial good-bye!

¿Formal o informal? El uso de tú y usted

Conexión cultural: El uso de tú y usted

Just like in English, Spanish has both formal and informal registers, or forms of address. In English, those differences are evident in the words one chooses to use to greet and address someone. Whereas you might nod and say “What’s up, man?” to your close friend, you would likely choose a more formal expression and form of address when speaking to your professor or the university president (perhaps “Good morning, Dr. Sánchez”). Spanish has those same differences, plus distinct personal pronouns and verb forms for a formal “you” (usted and ustedes) and an informal “you” (tú and vosotros).

The use of formal and informal registers varies according to national culture in the Hispanic world. Whereas the majority, if not all, of the countries use the formal register in a professional environment, there are slight variations in its use in informal social settings. Some countries like Mexico, Honduras, and Costa Rica use the formal register (usted) to address older family members as a sign of respect. In Spain the informal register (tú and vosotros) is commonly used with all family members and friends. Countries like El Salvador, Honduras, and Argentina use a different pronoun, vos, instead of tú to address someone informally. A good rule to follow is to address people older than you and people you do not know using a formal register and people your own age or younger with an informal register (tú and vosotros), with the exception of professional situations. If you are unsure, you can always just ask how the person prefers to be addressed.

It is important to consider different types of situations and determine the type of register that you would need to use.

Los besos

Conexión cultural: Los besos

In Spanish-speaking cultures, it is very common to meet, greet, and often say good-bye to family members, peers, and new friends of similar social standing with a kiss on the cheek (or one on each cheek!). Depending on the level of familiarity and closeness between the two people, it can be an actual kiss or more of a gesture of a kiss, in which two people lean in and touch cheeks.

There is quite a lot of variation depending on national culture. In Spain, Paraguay, and sometimes Venezuela, you give and receive a kiss on each cheek. However, in many Latin American countries like Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, Colombia, and Guatemala, it is common to give one kiss on the right cheek. Gender also plays an important role in the type of greeting given. It is customary for two women or a man and a woman to greet with a kiss or two, depending on the local culture. However, between two men, the kiss is generally substituted for a warm handshake or hug. Argentina and Uruguay are exceptions, since in these countries, the kiss on the cheek between two men is a frequent occurrence. Furthermore, it is important to consider the type of situation in which the greeting takes place. In most informal social situations, a kiss on the cheek (or two) is appropriate and expected. In a business relationship or other formal situation, it is more appropriate to extend your hand. This is also the case in a transactional interaction such as shopping or other service-industry encounters, where these forms of physical touch are abnormal and would likely be viewed as inappropriately intimate. Lastly, when engaging in one or two cheek kisses for greetings, meetings, and good-byes, there is a specific protocol to follow. Namely, you always move to the left of the person you are greeting and put your right cheek on their right cheek.

III. Ampliación: La diversidad hispana

IV. Vocabulario

V. Video entrevistas

VI. Gramática

1-A. The verb form hay

The verb form hay is the impersonal form of the verb haber, which means “to be” or “to have.” Hay means “there is” and “there are,” and it is used to indicate the presence of people, things, places, and so on.

See the following examples:

Hay unos estudiantes en la clase. (There are some students in the class.)	Hay una estudiante en la biblioteca. (There is a student in the library.)
Hay un perro dálmata. (There is a dalmatian dog.)	Hay unos chicos en el parque con una guitarra. (There are some young people in the park with a guitar.)

The verb form hay can also be used to ask questions. Its meaning then changes to “Is there…?” and “Are there…?”

See the following examples:

	—¿Hay una biblioteca en tu universidad? (Is there a library in your university?) —Sí, hay una biblioteca grande. (Yes, there is a big library.)
	—¿Hay una computadora en la mochila? (Is there a computer in your backpack?) —No, no hay una computadora. Hay muchos libros en la mochila. (No, there is not a computer. There are many books in the backpack.)

1-B. Cardinal numbers

Cardinal numbers like one, two, three, and four are used to indicate quantity in both English and Spanish.

Numbers zero through thirty

The number uno agrees in gender with the noun it modifies. It drops the -o before a masculine noun and adds an -a before a feminine noun. This also applies to numbers that end in -uno like veintiuno.

Un libro

Una mochila

Veintiún libros

Notice the accent mark over the u in veintiún to stress the sound.

Veintiuna mochilas

Notice that the feminine form does not add the accent mark.

Also note that numbers zero through thirty are only one word.

In Spanish, just like in English, these numbers are placed before nouns.

Examples:

Hay tres libros.

Hay cuatro estudiantes.

Actividad 1.25. ¿Cuántos hay?

Look at the image and answer the questions indicating the quantity in each image.

Modelo

¿Cuántos vehículos hay?

Hay siete vehículos.

1-C. Gender and number of nouns

The gender of nouns

In English, the gender of a noun is generally not indicated, and therefore, there is no need to modify a noun to show that it is masculine or feminine. Spanish, on the other hand, does make this distinction. All nouns are either masculine or feminine. There are several “rules” that help us identify the gender of nouns.

1. Most nouns that end in -o are generally masculine. Masculine nouns that end in -o can be made feminine by dropping the -o and adding -a.
2. Most nouns that end in -a are feminine.
3. Most nouns that end in -ción, -sión, -ez, -tud, -dad, and -tad are feminine.
4. Most nouns that end in -ma, -pa, -ta, -aje, and -or will be masculine.

There are exceptions to these rules like the following:

• There are some nouns that end in -a that are masculine, such as día and sofá.
• There are some nouns that end in -o that are feminine, such as mano, moto, and foto.
• There are also nouns that only have one form for the masculine and for the feminine. In order to indicate gender, an article (el, la, un, una) must be used. Example: el estudiante (masculine noun); la estudiante (feminine noun).

It is recommended that as you learn a new word, you also memorize its gender, since the gender of nouns that end in other consonants or vowels cannot be determined just by looking at them.

The number of nouns

The number of a noun can be singular or plural. That is to say, the number indicates whether you are talking about one item or multiple ones. In English, a singular noun can be made plural by adding -s to the singular form.

Examples:

boy—boys

house—houses

book—books

In Spanish, there are also rules that indicate how to turn a singular noun into a plural one.

• If the noun ends in a vowel, then add -s to the end.

Examples:

chico—chicos

vecina—vecinas

perro—perros

estudiante—estudiantes

• If the noun ends in a consonant, add -es to the end.

Examples:

universidad—universidades

papel—papeles

flor—flores

• If the nouns ends in -z, the z then changes to c.

Example:

lápiz—lápices

feliz—felices

1-D. Definite and indefinite articles

Definite articles (the) and indefinite articles (a and an) are words that are generally placed before nouns. They indicate whether the identity of the noun is known or specified (definite) or unknown or unspecified (indefinite). For example, if you say “I’m going to the game,” by using the, you are referring to a specific game that has already been introduced into the conversation or is so well known that the person you are speaking with will automatically know which game you are talking about. If you say “I’m going to a game,” then it might be any game, and the person you are speaking to likely does not know which specific game you are talking about.

In Spanish, there are also definite and indefinite articles, and they serve the same purpose—that is, indicating whether the specific identity of the object is known to the individuals being spoken to. However, while in English there is only one definite (the) and two indefinite articles (a and an), in Spanish there are four definite (el, la, los, and las) and four indefinite (un, una, unos, and unas) articles. The reason there are four is because they have to agree in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) with the noun they modify. For plural indefinite articles in English, the word some is often used, as in “I need some new clothes.”

Take a look at the examples below and consider why the definite or indefinite article is used in each case.

(Two friends talking) Are you going to the store?—¿Vas a la tienda?

(Two friends talking) Do you want to play a game?—¿Quieres jugar un juego?

(Professor to students) Take out the book.—Saquen el libro.

(Student to bookstore employee) I need a good book.—Necesito un buen libro.

The definite articles are:

For example:

El chico Chico is a masculine noun and it is singular (there is only one). Therefore, the definite article used must agree in gender and number with the noun and must be also masculine and singular: el.	La chica Chica is a feminine noun and it is singular (there is only one). Therefore, the definite article used must agree in gender and number with the noun and must be also feminine and singular: la.
Los chicos Chicos is a masculine noun and it is plural (there are two boys). Therefore, the definite article used must agree in gender and number with the noun and must be also masculine and plural: los.	Las chicas Chicas is a feminine noun and it is plural (there are two girls). Therefore, the definite article used must agree in gender and number with the noun and must be also feminine and plural: las.

1-E. Indefinite articles

As mentioned above, indefinite articles are used when the specific identity of the object is either unknown to the speaker or listener or not yet specified. See the following examples of the use of indefinite articles:

Do you want to go to a restaurant?—¿Quieres ir a un restaurante?

I need a new shirt.—Necesito una camisa nueva.

I plan to watch some movies this weekend.—Pienso mirar unas películas este fin de semana.

Do you need some markers?—¿Necesitas unos marcadores?

For example:

Libro is masculine noun.

Mochila is a feminine noun.

Un libro Libro is a masculine noun and it is singular (there is one book). Therefore, the indefinite article used must agree in gender and number with the noun and must be also masculine and singular: un.	Una mochila Mochila is a feminine noun and it is singular (there is one backpack). Therefore, the indefinite article used must agree in gender and number with the noun and must be also feminine and singular: una.
Unos libros Libros is a masculine noun and it is plural (there are two books). Therefore, the indefinite article used must agree in gender and number with the noun and must be also masculine and plural: unos.	Unas mochilas Mochilas is a feminine noun and it is plural (there are many backpacks). Therefore, the indefinite article used must agree in gender and number with the noun and must be also feminine and plural: unas.