You tube videos about Spanish grammar topics

[Marianopolita]

If you find a good video about a Spanish grammar topic add it to this thread. This will be for knowledge sharing and learning. There are a wealth of videos online. Some are very good and can clarify a grammar point that you always wondered about or have difficulty understanding.

I will start with this one. The grammar topic is saber vs conocer. Both mean to know in English but in Spanish there are two verbs that have specific usage. The video has English subtitles and the teacher is a Colombian native. This recent video was posted three months ago.

-MP.

 

[Marianopolita]

I think it is safe to say verbs in Spanish are a challenge for learners whether it’s the tenses, the conjugation or correct usage. At the 6:54 mark of this video María talks about how to say you know how to xxx. An error I often hear from English speakers is the following:

Incorrect:

1) I know how to swim= English speaker = Sé como nadar. This is incorrect in Spanish. Como is not needed. That is a direct translation from English.

Correct:

2) I know how to swim= Sé nadar 👍

I always listen for this. I also notice this error a lot in areas where Spanish co-exists with English in large Spanish-speaking cities such as Miami and NYC. Spanish speakers don’t change your Spanish.


-MP.

 

[Marianopolita]

Mini quiz

Translate the following sentences using the correct verb saber or conocer (Please do not use a translator because you are not helping yourself learn)

Level= beginner

1. I do not know her
2. I know I am right
3. We do not know when he will arrive
4. I do not know
5. We know New York city well
6. I do not know anyone from Bolivia
7. Do you know (informal) how to drive?
8. Do they know how to cook?
9. You (informal) know that man
10. They know it is not easy


Buena suerte 🍀

 

[NanSanPedro]

Mini quiz

Translate the following sentences using the correct verb saber or conocer (Please do not use a translator because you are not helping yourself learn)

Level= beginner

1. I do not know her
2. I know I am right
3. We do not know when he will arrive
4. I do not know
5. We know New York city well
6. I do not know anyone from Bolivia
7. Do you know (informal) how to drive?
8. Do they know how to cook?
9. You (informal) know that man
10. They know it is not easy


Buena suerte 🍀

I did watch the vid, so here goes with no peeking:

1. no lo conozco
2. sé que tengo rezon
3. no sabemos cuando he will arrive. no sé arrive
4. no lo sé
5. conocemos nueva york muy bien.
6. no sé anyone de bolivia. no sé anyone.
7. sabes conducir?
8. saben cocinar?
9. conoces esto hombre?
10. saben que no es facil.

 

[Marianopolita]

I did watch the vid, so here goes with no peeking:

1. no lo conozco - 💡 No la conozco (I don't know her)
2. sé que tengo rezon 💡 razón
3. no sabemos cuando he will arrive. no sé arrive ❌ (No sabemos cuándo va a llegar)
4. no lo sé ✅ (or No sé is possible too)
5. conocemos nueva york muy bien. ✅ For grammatical correctness bien (the adverb) should come right after the verb Conocemos bien la ciudad de Nueva York
6. no sé anyone de bolivia. ❌ no sé anyone. 💡 Translation: No conozco a nadie de Bolivia
7. sabes conducir? ✅ or ¿Sabes manejar? -Manejar is common in Latin America
8. saben cocinar? ✅
9. conoces esto hombre? (BTW- this is a phrase is not a question) ❌ Conoces a ese hombre
10. saben que no es facil. ✅ (don't forget the accent on fácil)

Feliz sábado.

Thanks for being brave and doing the quiz.

You did well Nan! I know you are studying on your own. Good for you.


Regarding my corrections questions are welcome.


Cheers,

-MP.

 

[Marianopolita]

Here is a video about prepositions and how to use them. It is not exhaustive but certainly is a good mini review.

Level: Beginner
Language: Spanish with English subtitles
Practical application: Quiz at the end

 

[Marianopolita]

Ser and estar are traditionally challenging for beginners in Spanish. My suggestion is to continuously review the rules of grammar, if you hear one or the other used ask yourself why, and ask questions (to people who can explain the grammatical aspect) why one or the other was used. I will post two videos. Both are in English.

 

[Marianopolita]

 

[NanSanPedro]

The one thing I still can't wrap my brain around is why estar is used with muerto. It's memorized of course that way but I still fail to see the logic.

 

[Marianopolita]

You can test yourself here:

Ejercicios Verbo Ser y Estar worksheet

Liveworksheets transforms your traditional printable worksheets into self-correcting interactive exercises that the students can do online and send to the teacher.

www.liveworksheets.com

Buena suerte 🍀

 

[Marianopolita]

The one thing I still can't wrap my brain around is why estar is used with muerto. It's memorized of course that way but I still fail to see the logic.

Buenos días ☀️ Nan.


What have you been taught or what explanation was given?

 

[NanSanPedro]

Buenos días ☀️ Nan.


What have you been taught or what explanation was given?

I don't remember the reason but I thought ser was permanent and being dead seems quite permanent to me.

Saying Está muerto just doesn't make sense to me.

 

[Marianopolita]

I don't remember the reason but I thought ser was permanent and being dead seems quite permanent to me.

Saying Está muerto just doesn't make sense to me.

Some grammar points may seem illogical or difficult to grasp. This is one of them. I think what throws people off is defining concepts as temporary or permanent. Yes, death is permanent but that is not what governs the rule of usage. It is the change of state. Going from one state to another. You would definitely use estar. Está muerto. Saying es muerto makes no sense. That is why you also say está vivo which is the opposite of está muerto.

Using the Spanish Verb "Estar" With "Muerto"

It might seem that the verb "ser" should be used with "muerto." However, the correct verb to use is "estar." Here are two explanations of why.

www.thoughtco.com

 

[NanSanPedro]

Some grammar points may seem illogical or difficult to grasp. This is one of them. I think what throws people off is defining concepts as temporary or permanent. Yes, death is permanent but that is not what governs the rule of usage. It is the change of state. Going from one state to another. You would definitely use estar. Está muerto. Saying es muerto makes no sense. That is why you also say está vivo which is the opposite of está muerto.

Using the Spanish Verb "Estar" With "Muerto"

It might seem that the verb "ser" should be used with "muerto." However, the correct verb to use is "estar." Here are two explanations of why.

www.thoughtco.com

Thanks for taking the time to explain!

"Similarly, the use of estar generally suggests there has been a change. For example, tú eres feliz (you are happy) suggests the person is by nature happy, while tú estás feliz (you are happy) suggests that the person's happiness represents a change from a previous state."

Now that makes sense!!!

 

[Marianopolita]

Thanks for taking the time to explain!

No hay problema.

Does it make sense to you now?

 

[NanSanPedro]

No hay problema.

Does it make sense to you now?

Yes, see the edit above.

 

[Marianopolita]

One aspect I notice mostly on TV with Spanish speakers in the US adults and kids alike when they are talking about the weather and they want to say it’s cold. Most of the time I hear es frío. That is totally incorrect and is a direct translation from English. This is an example where one language impacts the other but only speakers who were born in the US and learn Spanish at home or in school. I listen and think - wow they are not even realizing how incorrect that is. It should should hace frío 🥶.

 

[Marianopolita]

Thanks for taking the time to explain!

"Similarly, the use of estar generally suggests there has been a change. For example, tú eres feliz (you are happy) suggests the person is by nature happy, while tú estás feliz (you are happy) suggests that the person's happiness represents a change from a previous state."

Now that makes sense!!!

Correct but people get it wrong too with using ser or estar feliz. I hear it all the time. You ask someone
cómo estás and they answer soy feliz 🤦‍♀️

 

[Marianopolita]

One aspect I notice mostly on TV with Spanish speakers in the US adults and kids alike when they are talking about the weather and they want to say it’s cold. Most of the time I hear es frío. That is totally incorrect and is a direct translation from English. This is an example where one language impacts the other but only speakers who were born in the US and learn Spanish at home or in school. I listen and think - wow they are not even realizing how incorrect that is. It should be hace frío 🥶.

Correction of typo….

 

[NanSanPedro]

Correction of typo….

That's exact

One aspect I notice mostly on TV with Spanish speakers in the US adults and kids alike when they are talking about the weather and they want to say it’s cold. Most of the time I hear es frío. That is totally incorrect and is a direct translation from English. This is an example where one language impacts the other but only speakers who were born in the US and learn Spanish at home or in school. I listen and think - wow they are not even realizing how incorrect that is. It should should hace frío 🥶.

That's exactly how I learned it. Hace frio, hace calor.