Lección

¡Vamos! Beginner "A"

STEP FOUR

¿es usted normal?

When you want to find out what someone is like, you could ask him or her:

¿Es usted normal?
(Are you normal?)
Sí, soy normal.
(Yes, I’m normal.)
No, no soy normal.
(No, I’m not normal.)

¿Es usted popular?
(Are you popular?)
Sí, soy popular.
(Yes, I’m popular.)
No, no soy popular.
(No, I’m not popular.)

¿Es usted interesante?
(Are you interesting?)
Sí, soy interesante.
(Yes, I’m interesting.)
No, no soy interesante.
(No, I’m not interesting.)

You can also ask someone to tell you what someone else is like. Here are some possible questions you might ask:

¿Es generoso su amigo?
(Is your friend generous?)
Sí, mi amigo es generoso.
(Yes, my friend is generous.)
No, mi amigo no es generoso.
(No, my friend is not generous.)

¿Es sincera su amiga?
(Is your friend sincere?)
Sí, mi amiga es sincera.
(Yes, my friend is sincere.)
No, mi amiga no es sincera.
(No, my friend isnot sincere.)

¿Cómo es su amiga?
(What is your friend like?)
Mi amiga es generosa y popular.
(My friend is generous and popular.)
Mi amiga es fantástica.
(My friend is fantastic.)

Adjectives that end in “o” when describing a male change to “a” when describing a female.

¿Es muy diplomático su padre?
Sí, mi padre es muy diplomático.
No, mi padre no es muy diplomático.

¿Es muy diplomática su madre?
Sí, mi madre es muy diplomática.
No, mi madre no es muy diplomática.

The adjectives used so far in this section should sound quite familiar to an English speaker (normal, popular, interesante, generoso, sincero, fantástico, diplomático). It is because these words are cognates — they come from the same Latin roots — that they are easily recognizable. They look and sound quite similar to many English words you know. Here are some other Spanish adjectives whose meanings you could probably guess instantly:

PRÁCTICA DE PRONUNCIACIÓN

m

n

ñ

Here are three more consonants:

m

This letter is pronounced just as in English. The Spanish “m” sounds like the “m” in the word “mouse.”

mapa, Madrid, Miami, malo, cama, imposible, masa, limpia, mitología, maestro

n

This letter is always pronounced just as in English. The Spanish “n” sounds like the “n” in the word “night.”

hermano, piano, nata, Candela, Nicaragua, norte, chimenea, cementerio

ñ

This letter is not found in the English alphabet. However, the same sound exists in English. The “ñ” is just like the “ny” in “canyon” or the “ni” in “onion.”