Learn a more polite way to give commands
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Dylan: Hola, hola a todos. Es Dylan, ¿cómo están? |
| Carlos: What’s going on? My name is Carlos - Spanish Present Indicative - “Would you give me directions?” In this lesson you will learn about present commands, with a focus on the verbs “dar”, “to give”, “ver”, “to see”, and “oír”, “to hear”. |
| Dylan: Commands, huh? |
| Carlos: Now, commands would not have to be the same connotation as Spanish as they do in English. |
| Dylan: Exactly. They aren’t seen as orders necessarily, although they can be. |
| Carlos: Well, we’re going to see an example today, of how one can give directions in an informal way, while still being polite. |
| Dylan: Who are we meaning? |
| Carlos: Mateo is lost and Ximena is giving him directions. |
| Dylan: Oh, I see where you’re going with this. So, she’s keeping it informal. |
| Carlos: Let’s listen to today’s conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| MATEO: Disculpe... ¿usted sabe dónde queda Barrio Amón? |
| JIMENA: Sí, usted sigue hasta el parque, luego 2 cuadras al sur… |
| MATEO: ¡Gracias! Es que busco el apartamento de un amigo. |
| JIMENA: ¡Espere!... en la esquina hay una tienda de zapatos... de ahí usted sigue directo. |
| MATEO: Wow.. OK, voy a apuntarlo mejor. |
| JIMENA: Luego, cruza la calle, y llega a la iglesia... ¡y ya está! |
| MATEO: Bueno, deséeme suerte. |
| MATEO: Excuse me...do you know where Barrio Amon is? |
| JIMENA: Yeah, ya' continue to the park, then two blocks south... |
| MATEO: Thanks! It's just that I'm looking for my friend's apartment. |
| JIMENA: Hold on! On the corner there's a shoe store...from there, you go straight. |
| MATEO: Wow…okay, I think it'd be better if I wrote this down. |
| JIMENA: Then, you cross the street, and you reach a church...and that's it! |
| MATEO: Okay, wish me luck. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Dylan: Wow, that’s like all directions in this country. There are no street names, no avenue names, nothing. From where the big tree is, go two blocks north. |
| Carlos: And you know what I loved about it when I heard the rumor that is so true? I don’t know if this is like in the Latin American countries, but “ticos” is so overtly polite. Even if they don’t know where you’re going, they’ll tell you directions. They’ll try. |
| Dylan: Oh, yeah. |
| Carlos: And they’ll direct in the wrong place. |
| Dylan: They’ll go out of their way. |
| Carlos: No, no, no, this way. No, no, this way. I know. This way. Right… |
| Dylan: Even if they’re not from that neighborhood. |
| Carlos: Yeah. |
| Dylan: They look at what you’ve written down and they’ll try to figure it out. |
| Carlos: Oh, right there, right there. You ask a taxi driver and… |
| Dylan: Oh, yeah. They always know. |
| Carlos: Oh, they always know. All right, let’s take a look at the vocabulary for the lesson. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Dylan: “Barrio”. |
| Carlos: “Neighborhood.” |
| Dylan: “Ba-rrio”, “barrio”. “Cuadra”. |
| Carlos: “Block.” |
| Dylan: “Cua-dra”, “cuadra”. “Esquina”. |
| Carlos: “Corner.” |
| Dylan: “Es-qui-na”, “esquina”. “Ahí”. |
| Carlos: “There”, “over there.” |
| Dylan: “A-hí”, “ahí”. “Cruzar”. |
| Carlos: “To cross.” |
| Dylan: “Cru-zar”, “cruzar”. “Sur”. |
| Carlos: “South”, “south wind.” |
| Dylan: “Sur”, “sur”. |
| Carlos: Ok, let’s take a closer look at the usage for some of the words in the phrases of this lesson. |
| VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE |
| Dylan: The first word we’re going to look at is “barrio”. |
| Carlos: “Barrio”. You know, I’ve done this word before. |
| Dylan: I know you have. But, tell me what it means for argument’s sake. |
| Carlos: Well, “barrio” means “neighborhood”. |
| Dylan: It’s one of those tell-tale words. |
| Carlos: ¿Qué quieres decir? |
| Dylan: It’s one of those words that when spoken, one is either exposed as a native speaker or not. |
| Carlos: Right, I’ve heard that. I mean, just this is the way I say it to the audience. “Barrio”, “barrio”, “barrio”, I can’t get it. |
| Dylan: Yeah, you know what I mean, huh? |
| Carlos: How would they? There aren’t any native speakers either. |
| Dylan: ¡Ahh, es verdad! |
| Carlos: You also use the word “barrio” and “neighborhood” differently in Spanish, don’t you? |
| Dylan: Well, you could say that. We generally use the masculine noun “barrio” followed by the name. |
| Carlos: Right. Like in the conversation, Mateo’s first line is: “Disculpa, ¿vos sabes dónde queda el barrio Amon?” |
| Dylan: “Excuse me, do you know where ‘barrio Amon’ is?” |
| Carlos: I think in English we just say: “Do you know where Amon is?” I mean I don’t think I can think of any situation where the “neighborhood” wasn’t specified. |
| Dylan: Now, that you mentioned it, me neither. We would never say that in L.A. |
| Carlos: ¿Cuál era tu barrio en L.A.? |
| Dylan: We lived in north Hollywood. And when we lived there I used to complain. “¡No hay parques en mi barrio!” |
| Carlos: “No parks in your neighborhood?” Well, that is one of my complaints in my current neighborhood. |
| Dylan: Yeah, well, at least that’s changed since I moved back to Costa Rica. But, you know, we have related words. |
| Carlos: Could we consider “vecino” a related word? |
| Dylan: Well, it’s linked in English, except in Spanish the word for “neighborhood”, “barrio” and the word for “neighbor”, “vecino” are easily associated in English. |
| Carlos: Not so much in Spanish. |
| Dylan: But our next word is associated with “barrio”. |
| Carlos: ¿Cuál es? |
| Dylan: The feminine noun “cuadra”, “block”. |
| Carlos: True. “Neighborhoods” and “blocks”. Like fingers and hand. |
| Dylan: Nice simile. |
| Carlos: Ah, I'm feeling creative today. |
| Dylan: But knowing the word “cuadra” will come in handy when you’re trying to ask directions. |
| Carlos: Now, do not get me started on directions. |
| Dylan: Ah, I won’t. But how does Ximena respond to Mateo’s question about “barrio Amon” ? |
| Carlos: “Sí, vos seguís hasta el parque, luego dos cuadras al sur”. |
| Dylan: “Yeah, you continue to the park, then two blocks south.” |
| Carlos: Well, we know they aren’t in Costa Rica. |
| Dylan: Why? They’re using landmarks. |
| Carlos: Yeah, but they would’ve said “metros”. And, just to let your audience know, “100 meters” or “100 metros” is roughly equivalent to a block. |
| Dylan: Ok then. Let’s say that I’m lost and I’m looking for Tico’s school. How would you direct me using “cuadras” and not “metros”? |
| Carlos: “La escuela de Tico está a una cuadra de aquí”. |
| Dylan: “Tico’s school is a block from here”. You know, now that I think about it, there’s a word for “block” that would be more recognizable to English speakers. |
| Carlos: ¿Y qué es eso? |
| Dylan: It’s a cognate. |
| Carlos: So, “bloque”? |
| Dylan: ¡Exacto!, el sustantivo masculino “bloque”. |
| Carlos: Oh, that one would have been easier than, you know, “cuadra”. |
| Dylan: Well, our next word is also related to “neighborhood” and “blocks”. |
| Carlos: What’s that, “house”, “casa”? |
| Dylan: No, “esquina”. |
| Carlos: A feminine noun, I assume. |
| Dylan: Yeah. |
| Carlos: ¿Y qué significa? |
| Dylan: “Corner.” |
| Carlos: Man, you weren’t lying. Anyone paying attention to this lesson will definitely easily find their way in a Spanish speaking country. |
| Dylan: Totally. Ximena makes sure he knows where he’s going, then she says “Espera. En la esquina hay una tienda de zapatos. De ahí vos seguís directo”. |
| Carlos: “Hold on. On the corner there’s a shoe store. From there you go straight.” Oh, you’re missing the corner with a shoe store. |
| Dylan: Para nada. |
| Carlos: So, like if you told me “el banco está enfrente de la esquina”. |
| Dylan: You would know that “the bank is in front of the corner”. |
| Carlos: Now, I’ve heard the verb “esquinar” before. |
| Dylan: Yeah, it means the former corner with, “be on the corner of”. |
| Carlos: That sounds easy enough. |
| Dylan: Ok, well. Now we’re moving on for the “neighborhood” words and going into one that has a little more broad application. |
| Carlos: Which? |
| Dylan: “Ahí”. |
| Carlos: Oh, man. |
| Dylan: ¿Qué? |
| Carlos: Esas palabras son difíciles. |
| Dylan: What do you mean? |
| Carlos: Well, first tell me what it means. |
| Dylan: “Ahí” is an adverb that means “there”. We just heard it in our example. |
| Carlos: “De ahí vos seguís directo”. “From there you go straight.” Right, but it is confusing. |
| Dylan: What is? |
| Carlos: With the related word, “allí”. |
| Dylan: Oh, “allí” is a synonym. Another adverb that means “there”. You could use either. |
| Carlos: So I could say “de allí vos seguís directo”. |
| Dylan: That’s right, Carlos, you got it. |
| Carlos: Bueno, eso me hace sentir mejor. |
| Dylan: Good. I’m glad. So if I said “ahí está mi prima”, “there is my cousin.” |
| Carlos: So, then I could also say “allí está mi prima”. |
| Dylan: Right. |
| Carlos: Ok, I’m comfortable enough to move on now. |
| Dylan: Sure. Our next word is a verb. “Cruzar”. |
| Carlos: “Cruzar”. And it means “to cross”, ¿verdad? |
| Dylan: Sí. Ximena is telling Mateo to cross when she says: “luego cruzás la calle y llegás a la iglesia y ya está”. |
| Carlos: “Then you cross the street and you reach a church and that’s it.” |
| Dylan: But think of a “cross” as associated with luck. |
| Carlos: ¿Qué? ”¿Cruzar los dedos?” |
| Dylan: Right, “to cross one’s finger”. |
| Carlos: I’m crossing my fingers right now. |
| Dylan: ¿Por qué? |
| Carlos: I don’t know. It’s never a bad idea, really. |
| Dylan: ¿Por qué? |
| Carlos: Could I also say “pasar”, “to pass”? |
| Dylan: Yeah. But that also depends on context. |
| Carlos: Always the context. |
| Dylan: Ok, ok. Let’s get to our next word, which is “direction to its core”. |
| Carlos: And what’s that? |
| Dylan: “Sur”. |
| Carlos: I got this, “south”. I learnt the directions really well when I moved to Costa Rica. |
| Dylan: ¿Y por qué? |
| Carlos: Porque vivía a 500 metros al sur del Banco Nacional San Pedro. |
| Dylan: Yeah, that does force you to learn. But how is it used in the conversation? |
| Carlos: Oh, didn’t we hear it already today? |
| Dylan: Does that mean we can hear it again? |
| Carlos: Ok. “Si vos seguís hasta al parque, luego dos cuadras al sur”. |
| Dylan: Yeah, you continue to the park then two blocks south. |
| Carlos: I know that you’re going to go to related words. I’ll just take care of them myself. |
| Dylan: Ok, go ahead Mr. Compass. |
| Carlos: “Norte, “North”, “Oeste”, “West”, and “Este”, “East”. |
| Dylan: Exactamente. Carlos, tengo una pregunta. |
| Carlos: Dime. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Dylan: Well, in your studies so far what have you learnt about the imperative? |
| Carlos: Commands? |
| Dylan: Sí. |
| Carlos: I learnt that they’re good to use. |
| Dylan: Ahh, ¿puedes ser un poco más específico? |
| Carlos: Well, if you use the Imperative form to request something, it’s a sign of advanced understanding of the language. |
| Dylan: ¿Cómo? |
| Carlos: Well, using informal commands, such as the present tense in the indicative mode, adds a new dimension to your speaking abilities. And from what I’ve seen, many locals appreciate the phrasing. |
| Dylan: For argument’s sake, could you explain that more? |
| Carlos: Sure. Suppose you’re a waiter and two foreigners who speak English are asking for hamburgers. |
| Dylan: Gringos and hamburgers, of course. |
| Carlos: Right. The first person says: Give me a hamburger. And the second person orders by saying: Would you give me a hamburger? |
| Dylan: Entonces los dos significan lo mismo. |
| Carlos: Exactly. But the latter seems a little more polite, while the former is a little more informal. |
| Dylan: We can transport these examples completely to a Spanish setting. |
| Carlos: Just like that? |
| Dylan: Well, there are some things that we have to remember. |
| Carlos: ¿Así de fácil? |
| Dylan: Just remember that the little things that we use in the present tense of the indicative mode can make a big difference in the way you understood and in your overall enjoyment of the language. |
| Carlos: Isn’t that the truth. |
| Dylan: Let’s talk of the example that we’re being in a restaurant and we’re talking about requests… Which one do you think we should use? |
| Carlos: “Dar”. Definitely “dar”, “to give”. |
| Dylan: So hit us with the conjugation. |
| Carlos: In the present tense, the indicative mood, “dar”, “to give”. “Doy, das, da, damos, dais, dan”. Algunos ejemplos... |
| Dylan: “Me das cinco minutos, por favor”. |
| Carlos: “Please, give me five minutes.” |
| Dylan: “Me das un café cortado y no lo demoras, ¿ya?” |
| Carlos: “Give me a cappuccino and don’t be long, ok?” |
| Dylan: See how we use the present tense of “dar”, “to give”? |
| Carlos: Right, I didn’t notice that we used to give a command. |
| Dylan: Yeah, now with the irregular verb “ver” we see something similar to what we saw with “dar”. |
| Carlos: Like what? |
| Dylan: With “ver” the stem is simply a V and the first person singular has an interesting form. |
| Carlos: Ok, you tell us what that form is and I tell you if it’s that interesting. |
| Dylan: Can you see the ending EO? Again with the verb “ver” in this tense and mood there are no accents on any of the forms. |
| Carlos: You know, that actually is kind of interesting. |
| Dylan: Bueno, entonces conjuga, a ver. |
| Carlos: “Veo”, “to see”. “Veo, ves, ve, vemos, veis, ven”. |
| Dylan: Finally, we have the verb “oír”, “to hear”. This verb is irregular and follows a distinct pattern in conjugation. |
| Carlos: Oh, that’s right. It does. |
| Dylan: It may seem difficult to recognize irregular verbs such as “oír”, “to hear”. |
| Carlos: But these are conjugations that you just have to write down and memorize. Infinitive “oír”, “to hear”. “Oigo, oyes, oye, oímos, oís, oyen”. |
| Dylan: Let’s take a closer look at how to use the verbs “dar”, “to give”, “ver”, “to see” and “oír”, “to hear” in the present tense of the indicative mood. |
| Carlos: Está bien. |
| Dylan: Let’s take a closer look at how to use the verb “dar” in the present tense of the indicative mood. |
| Carlos: To give commands, right? |
| Dylan: Now, the interesting thing about this verb is that its stem is simply the letter D and in the first person singular has that OY ending. |
| Carlos: Like “estar, estoy” and “ser, soy” and with “ir, voy”? |
| Dylan: Right. But we should also point out that there are no accents on the verb “dar” in this tense and mood. |
| Carlos: Muy bien. |
| Dylan: So instead of using the imperative mood by saying “Deme un café”, “Give me a coffee”, we use the present tense of the indicative mood and say: “Usted me da un café”, “Give me a coffee”. |
| Carlos: De nuevo el significado es el mismo, pero... |
| Dylan: The manner in which the order is conveyed is slightly less formal and demanding. It’s rather a polite request rather than a straight order. |
| Carlos: I like that. It’s always nice to be polite. |
Outro |
| Carlos: Alright, you know what, that just about does it today. |
| Dylan: ¡Nos vemos! |
| Carlos: ¡Chao! |
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