Spanish Grammar Review: Recent Episodes
Molly Martin, MD
In our Spanish Grammar lessons, we practice giving directions in Spanish within a hospital. In this post, I will review the essential questions, verbs, prepositional phrases, adverbs and places we learned in this series.
Asking for Directions Here is a list of all the different ways practiced asking for directions in the audio lessons: (I will use the USTED conjugation for this list. We also practice the tú conjugation in the audio lessons.)
- Disculpe. Perdone. (Excuse me.)
- ¿Me puede decir .... ? (Can you tell me...?)
- ¿Me podría decir...? (Could you tell me...?
- ¿Podría indicar me.... ? (Could you show me...?)
- ¿Cómo llego a....? (How do I get to...?)
- ¿Cómo se llega.... ? (How do you (does one) get to...?)
- ¿Sabe dónde está.... (Do you know where ____ is?)
- ¿Por dónde se va... (How do you (does one) go to ....?)
-
¿Por dónde voy....? (How do I go to .... ?) Notes:
-
Using the conditional of poder, PODRÍA, makesthe request more formal and polite, but is certainly not necessary.
- It is common to use the IMPERSONAL SE, as in questions #6 and #8, when asking for directions.
- Notice how we use the verb LLEGAR A to say "to get to." I remember when I used to stumble over how to say this in Spanish, until I realized it was simply LLEGAR! Common Verbs for Giving DirectionsDuring the exchanging we use the following verbs when asking and giving directions in the audio lesson, and we practice both the usted and tú conjugation of the verbs and their respective commands.
Whenappropriate,Iwillusethetúconjugationoftheverb.
SeguirSeguir can mean to follow or simply to go.
" Sigue este pasillo. " (Follow this hallway.)
" Sigue todo recto." (Go straight.)
LlegaraAs discussed above, LLEGAR is the Spanish equivalent of " to get to" in English. Note that we use the preposition " a" before the location to which we arrive. It is common to use the subjunctive of llegar when giving directions.
" Cuando llegues a.... " (When you get to... )
Doblar/GirarBoth are used in Spain and Latin America to say " to turn." My impression is that DOBLAR is
more common in Latin America and GIRAR is more common in Spain.
" Dobla a la izquierda. " (Turn left.)
PasarThis verb can be used to say " to pass" or to simply express movement, as in " to enter, to move, to
go, etc."
" Pasa adelante. “(Come in or go ahead.)
" Pasa por recepción." (Go through reception.)
" Pasarás la sala de urgencias a la izquierda." (You will pass the emergency room on your left.)
TomarOn the street you can simply say, " toma la segunda a la derecha" and it is understood that you are referring to the street.
" Toma la segunda (calle) a la derecha." (Take the second right.)
" Toma el segundo pasillo a la derecha." (Take the second hallway on your right.)
" Toma el ascensor o las escaleras." (Take the stairs or the elevators.)
" Toma la derecha." (Take a right.)
Subir
" Sube al cuarto piso." (Go up to the 4th floor.)
Bajar
" Baja al sótano." (Go down to the basement.)
Dar(se)lavuelta
" Da la vuelta y sigue derecho." (Turn around and go straight.)
Ver
" Verás los rótulos adelante." (You'll see the signs ahead.)
"¿Ves ese pasillo?" (Do you see that hallway? )
EntraraTo express entering a location you follow it with the preposition EN or A. Many Spanish
speakers prefer the preposition A as it sounds less redundant than EN.
" Entra al hospital." (Enter the hospital.)
Cruzar
" Cruza el puente. " (Cross the bridge.)
WhenYouNeedtoGetThereQuicklyTardarsemucho/pocoenllegar.(To take a long / short time to get there.)
¿Se tarda mucho en llegar? (Does it take a long time to get there? )
Se[indirectobjectpronoun]hacetarde.(___ running late. )
Se me hace tarde. (I am running late.)
Estáa[periodoftimeordistance].(It's ___ away.)
Está a dos horas de aquí. (It is two hours from here.)
PrepositionalPhrases,Adverbs&AdjectivesforGivingDirectionsWhenappropriate,Iwillusetheustedconjugationoftheverbintheexamplesbelow.
Aladerecha/izquierda(to the right/left)
" Doble a la derecha. " (Turn right.)
Amanoderecha/izquierda(on the right-hand/left-hand side)
" Verá la sala de recuperación a mano derecha." (You will see the recovery room on the righthand side.)
Cerca/lejos(close / far)
OJO: These are adverbs, so they do not change with the associated noun.
" El hospital está cerca." (The hospital is close.)
Mascercano(a)/lejano(a)(closest)
OJO: These are adjectives, they do change with the noun they modify.
" ¿Dónde están los baños más cercanos? " (Where are the closest bathrooms? )
(Todo)derecho/recto(straight)
"Siga todo recto." (Go straight.)
Alfinal,alfondo(at the end)
The phrase " al fondo" has varied uses, which we practice in the audio lessons.
"Está al fondo del pasillo a la derecha." (It's down the hall to your right.)
Enfrentede,frentea(in front of, across from)
"La sala de espera está enfrente de la recepción." (The waiting room is across from reception.)
Delantede(in front of)
Used to refer to the order of things on the same side of the hallway or street.
" Ella está delante de mi." (She's in front of me.)
Próximo(a),Siguiente(next)
Es la próxima puerta a la izquierda. (It's the next door on the left.)
Detrásde,Atrásde(behind)
"Los ascensores están detrás de usted." (The elevators are behind you.)
Adelante(ahead, forward)
"Verá las escaleras adelante." (You'll see the stairs ahead.)
Alavuelta(around the corner)
"Está a la vuelta." (It's around the corner.)
Entre(between)
"La salida está entre el ascensor y las escaleras." (The exit is between the elevator and the stairs.)
Alladode,juntoa(next to)
OJO: These are prepositions, so they do NOT change with the associated noun.
" La oficina de seguridad está al lado de la oficina de estacionamientos." (The security office is next to the parking office.)
A(la)mitadde(halfway, in the middle of)
" Lo verá a mitad del pasillo a la derecha." (You'll see it halfway down the hall on the right.)
En(el)mediode,enelcentrode(in the middle of)
"Las escaleras están en medio del vestíbulo." (The stairs are in the middle of the lobby.)
Sobre,encimade(over, above)
"Verá un letrero que dice 'Sala de Maternidad' sobre dos puertas grande." (You will see a sign
saying " Maternity Ward" over two large doors.)
PlacesandStructuresWithinaBuildingLarecepción (reception)
Elvestíbulo (lobby)
Lasala (room, lounge, hospital ward)
Lacafetería (cafeteria)
Elpasillo,elcorredor (hall, hallway)
Elpiso (floor)
Elsótano (basement)
Elascensor (elevator)
Lasescaleras (stairs)
Lapuerta (door)
Lasalida (exit)
Laentrada (entrance)
Losletreros,rótulos (signs)
Elpuente (bridge)
Laoficina (office)
Elestacionamiento (parking lot)
Nowit'syourturntopracticethisvocabularyandputittouseasyouinterpretaskingforandgivingdirectionsinSpanish.
In the premium audio lessons, we cover:* Common Verbs * Common Prepositions of Location and Direction * Structures Within a Building * Department within the Hospital
Listen to the free introductory lesson to this series.
Become a member! The post Do you know how to give directions in Spanish? appeared first on Doc Molly.
Do you know how to say Happy Holidays in Spanish? In this lesson, we practice saying Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and more in Spanish.
Watch the video version of this lesson on YouTube.
Sign up for our member lessons and get 25% off your subscription through New Year’s Day 2024.
- All Access Subscription (All our Medical Spanish + Spanish Grammar lessons)
- Premium Medical Subscription
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LEVEL – BEGINNER
Happy Holidays¡Felices Fiestas!
¡Felices Vacaciones!
Merry Christmas¡Feliz Navidad!
Happy New Year¡Feliz Año Nuevo!
I wish you a happy new year! Te deseo un próspero año nuevo.
Les deseo un próspero año nuevo.
Happy 2024!¡Feliz 2024!
If you like this podcast, please give us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! Así podemos llegar a más gente. ¡Gracias!
The post Say Happy Holidays in Spanish! appeared first on Doc Molly.
I am back with Rory Foster for an interactive lesson focused on discussing injuries in Spanish. This lesson builds upon one of Rory's lessons at Common Ground International. In this lesson, we practice talking about bruises, cuts, ruptures, breaks, tears, and sprains. We will first present a verb, a noun, and an adjective that all share the same root. Then, we will use this vocabulary in phrases as we discuss these different types of injuries.
A big shout out to La Comunidad's teachers, Nelly from Colombia, Gloria from Mexico, and Daniela from Mexico, for reviewing the phrases in this lesson.
*All Access or Premium Medical Members:* Access full show notes, download PDF, and take the quiz within the Spanish for Emergencies Course.
Premium Grammar Members: Download PDF.
LEVEL - INTERMEDIATE
Table of Contents* Moretones 3:54 * Quemaduras 6:21 * Cortadas 8:45 * Desgarros / Desgarres 10:25 * Roturas 13:22 * Torceduras 14:55 * Cierre 16:20 Before you go, don't forget to check out Common Ground International's Spanish Immersion Trips to Latin America!
Rory and I will continue our review of injuries in a member lesson on scrapes, dislocations, swelling, bites, stings, and more. Become a member, and get this lesson via our Premium Medical Spanish Podcast feed this weekend.
¡Gracias por escuchar!
The post Bruises, Cuts, Ruptures, Breaks, Tears, and Sprains appeared first on Doc Molly.
In today's episode, I interview Rory Foster of Common Ground International about their Medical Spanish Courses and Medical Spanish Immersion Trips to Latin America.
Common Ground International is an excellent resource for learning medical Spanish. They offer courses from beginner to advanced and Medical Spanish Immersion Trips to Ecuador and Costa Rica. Their Spanish Immersion Programs are for all levels and include:
- Spanish immersion classes
- Volunteer programs in the community
- Homestays with local families
- Weekend excursions
They just returned from their winter program in Costa Rica in February. On June 16, they travel to Ecuador to begin a 2-week program. On July 1st, they head to Costa Rica, where they offer a 6-week program. You can adjust the duration of your trip to your schedule. Learn more in the interview.
Join their informational session on Monday, March 20th @ 7 PM MT.
Gracias por escucharnos y volveremos pronto con una lección interactiva que hemos creado juntos.
Un abrazo,
Doc Molly
The post Interview with Rory Foster – Medical Spanish Immersion Trips! appeared first on Doc Molly.
In this lesson, we explore verbs with the body and learn when to use the pronominal (reflexive) vs the non-pronominal form of the verb.
While working on our latest series covering common orthopedic injuries in Spanish, I noticed how the verb to say, "I injured my knee," is pronominal: "Me lesioné la rodilla." Whereas the verb to say, "I bent my knee," is not: "Doblé la rodilla." So why is that? We learn this and more in this audio lesson. It’s a tricky subject, so I will try to make it clear through lots of examples.
All Access or Premium Medical Members: Access full show notes, download PDF, and take the quiz within the Spanish for Emergencies Course.
Spanish Grammar Members:Download PDF.
Le doy las gracias a Gloria Becerril por ayudarme con el español de esta lección. Click here to take classes with Gloria!
Table of Contents Unintentional Actions 1:34 * Reflexive Actions with a Part of the Body 3:09 * Deliberate Actions with Part of the Body 5:19 * Deliberate Actions with the Whole Body + Mover(se) 7:29 + Hacerse y Ponerse 9:21 + Ponerse 10:52 Related Lessons Verbs with the Body in Spanish – Intro * Movement Module of our Physical Therapy Course * Verbs with the Body - History and Exam Course (Member Lesson) * Reflexive Verbs in Spanish The post Pronominal vs Non–Pronominal Verbs appeared first on Doc Molly.
In this lesson, we practice using making an if-then hypothetical statement. We then practice making if-then statements reflect a likely possibility.
The post If-Then Statements in Spanish appeared first on Spanish by Doc Molly.
Quick Navigation Inherent CharacteristicSubjective, OpinionFollowing the exclamation “QUÉ”Quantity Hola! Me alegra mucho estar de vuelta. I am very happy to be back podcasting about Spanish grammar! My last grammar podcasts were in June, when we covered Spanish verbs with prepositions. In this lesson, we are going to learn why the adjective sometimes goes before the […]
The post Adjectives Before Nouns in Spanish appeared first on Spanish by Doc Molly.
Welcome to another lesson covering Spanish Verbs. In this Spanish grammar audio lesson, we practice using common Spanish verbs with prepositions. As with all my audio lessons, I invite you to speak Spanish with me. This lesson will focus on verbs with prepositions, followed by the infinitive of another verb. For example, Verbo + Preposición […]
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This episode is a rerun from my Medical Spanish Podcast. If you have already heard it there, I do have more to come for the Spanish Grammar Podcast. I will be back within the week to cover common verbs followed by prepositions. Ever wonder why people from Spanish-speaking countries have long names? Today’s episode is […]
The post How People Are Named in Guatemala (from Medical Spanish Podcast) appeared first on Spanish by Doc Molly.
In this audio lesson, we practice when to use the Spanish verbs TRAER and LLEVAR. TRAER is used to say "to bring" and LLEVAR is used to say "to bring" or "to take." Unlike their English counterparts, the Spanish verbs TRAER and LLEVAR imply a certain direction of movement. This can be a bit confusing for non-native Spanish speakers. Pero no pasa nada. After listening to this audio Spanish lesson packed with examples, you'll know exactly when to use TRAER and when to use LLEVAR.
The post The Spanish Verbs Traer and Llevar appeared first on Spanish by Doc Molly.
This free Spanish audio lesson introduces the "Giving Directions in Spanish" series at docmolly.com. As requested by Bien, a listener, we are going to practice giving directions in Spanish within a hospital. First, we will review the vocabulary. Then, we will put this vocabulary to use to give directions in Spanish. Normally we are speaking with […]
The post Giving Directions in Spanish Within a Hospital appeared first on Spanish by Doc Molly.
Do you know when to use POR vs PARA? Today’s podcast is a quiz on the Spanish prepositions POR y PARA. It kicks off a series of audio lessons that will cover these two prepositions at docmolly.com. Audio Quiz Want to learn more? Subscribe to the premium audio lessons at docmolly.com. This quiz introduces a […]
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Learn Grammar with the Medical Spanish Podcast This podcast reviews some of the grammar points covered during an interview I did for the Medical Spanish Podcast. I interviewed folk healer, Francisco Chavajay, while studying at the San Pedro Spanish School in Guatemala. The clinical dialogues and interviews presented in the Medical Spanish Podcast provide an effective […]
The post Spanish Grammar from Folk Medicine Interview appeared first on Spanish by Doc Molly.
Spanish Grammar Audio Quiz This is my first free podcast since September and my first free grammar podcast for over a year! As many of you know I host two podcasts: the Spanish Grammar Review and the Medical Spanish Podcast. In 2016, I finished up the premium series on the Subjunctive for the grammar podcast […]
The post Quedar y Quedarse – I am back with a quiz! appeared first on Spanish by Doc Molly.
Are you ready to take on some advanced Spanish grammar? This audio quiz reviews the material covered in the following premium audio lessons. Subjunctive 15 – Conditional (If… then… ) Statements About the Present Subjunctive 16 – Conditional Statements About the Past Subjunctive 17 – The Subjunctive Following “Como Si” Subjunctive 18 – The Subjunctive Following […]
The post Quiz #5 – The Subjunctive in Conditional Statements and More appeared first on Spanish by Doc Molly.
This audio lesson is a quiz on the use of the subjunctive in adverbial clauses. It reviews the material covered in the following premium lessons. Subjunctive 10 and 11 – Conjunctions that Require the Subjunctive (e.g. a menos que, con tal que) Subjunctive 12 and 13 – Adverbial Clauses of Time Subjunctive 14 – Adverbial […]
The post Quiz # 4 – The Subjunctive in Adverbial Clauses appeared first on Spanish by Doc Molly.
This podcast is a quiz that reviews the subjunctive in adjective clauses, covered in the premium podcasts: Subjunctive 7 and 8. A subordinate adjective clause describes a noun or pronoun in the main clause of a sentence. When it describes something KNOWN AND SPECIFIC, we use the INDICATIVE. When the subordinate adjective clause describes something […]
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Do you know when to use the subjunctive in Noun Clauses? If not, you’ve come to the right place. Learn to identify the noun clause in a sentence and then when to use the subjunctive vs the indicative within the noun clause. We cover this in depth in the Subjunctive series offered through the Spanish […]
The post Quiz #2 – The Subjunctive in Noun Clauses appeared first on Spanish by Doc Molly.
In the premium Spanish Grammar Review podcast, we have started a comprehensive review of the subjunctive. We have reviewed the conjugation of the subjunctive in it’s four tenses, and when to use each tense.– Present Subjunctive– Present Perfect Subjunctive– Imperfect Subjunctive– Pluperfect Subjunctive Continue Reading
The post Quiz # 1 – Choose the Correct Tense of the Subjunctive appeared first on Spanish by Doc Molly.
Learn the different uses of the Spanish verb ACABAR. In this audio lesson we practice using the verb ACABAR in different grammatical constructs to mean different things. ACABAR + DE + INFINITIVE = to have just done something Acabo de hablar con mamá. (I just spoke to mom.) Acabamos de comer. (We have just eaten.) […]
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In this audio lesson we practice phrases describing body language in Spanish. While reading in Spanish recently, I took note of several phrases describing gestures or body language, so I decided to make a podcast out of them. First, we’ll practice naming the gestures in Spanish and then we’ll use them in sentences. Common Gestures in […]
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Table of Contents Expressing the Duration of an Ongoing EventConstruction #1 using “hace…que”Construction #2 using “desde”Construction # 3 using “llevar”Using “hace que”Using “desde”Using “llevar”Want to learn more? Expressing the Duration of an Ongoing EventIn this audio lesson, we practice three different time expressions in Spanish to describe something that started in the past and continues […]
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Do you know when to use SER vs ESTAR? Some of you may remember my original Spanish Grammar Review podcast that I started in 2007. I took a break to focus on the Medical Spanish Podcast and resumed podcasting about Spanish grammar in June of 2012. In this first podcast of the “new” Spanish Grammar […]
The post SER vs ESTAR – Intro to the Spanish Grammar Review Podcast appeared first on Spanish by Doc Molly.