Spanish 1-2 Lecture notes Page 1 of 13

WEEK ONE

UNIT THREE: DESCRIBING BUILDINGS/PLACES AND BOOKING INTO A HOTEL

UNIDAD TRES: DESCRIBIR EDIFICIOS/ SITIOS Y HACER RESERVAS

GRAMMAR:
VOCABULARY: La Casa y El Hogar (Spanish Two Years by Nassi/Levi pg 359-360)
o La casa – house
o El cuarto – room
o El alquiler – rent
o El apartamento – apartment
o El armario – wardrobe, closet
o El ascensor – elevator
o El balcón – balcony
o El césped – lawn
o La chimenea – fireplace
o La cocina – kitchen
o El comedor – dining room
o El contrato – lease
o El cuarto de baño – bathroom
o El desván – attic
o El dormitorio – bedroom
o El edificio de apartamentos – apartment house
o La escalera – stairs
o El estudio – study, den
o El fregadero – kitchen sink
o El garaje – garage
o La habitación – room
o El inquilino – tenant
o El jardín – garden
o La pared – wall
o El pasillo – hall
o El patio – patio
o El piso – floor, story
o La planta baja – ground floor
o El propietario – owner
o La puerta – door
o La sala – living room
o El sótano – basement
o El techo – ceiling, roof
o La terraza – terrace
o La ventana – window
o Los muebles – furniture
o Los aparatos domésticos – appliances

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o La alfombra – rug, carpet

o La almohada – pillow
o El armario – wardrobe, closet
o La aspiradora – vacuum cleaner
o El buró – night stand
o La butaca – armchair (upholstered)
o La cama – bed
o La cómoda/el tocador – dresser
o La computadora/el ordenador – computer
o El congelador – freezer
o La cortina – curtain
o El cuadro/la pintura – painting
o El espejo – mirror
o El estéreo – stereo
o La estufa – stove
o El horno – oven
o El horno de microondas – microwave oven
o La lámpara – lamp
o La lavadora – washing machine
o El lavaplatos – dishwasher
o El librero – bookcase
o La mesa – table
o El mueble – piece of furniture
o El piano – piano
o El refrigerador – refridgerator
o El reloj – clock
o El reloj despertador – alarm clock
o La secadora – clothes dryer
o La silla – chair
o El sillón – armchair
o El sofá – sofá
o El televisor – television set
o La videocasetera – VCR
o Para comprar una casa – Buying a house
 vender – to sell
 mudarse – to move house
 el detalle – detail
 las afueras – suburbs
 el barrio – district, neighbourhood
 un apartamento – apartment
 céntrico/a – central
 el piso – floor/Storey
 una urbanización – housing scheme/development
 el último/la última – the last one
 alguno/a/os/as – some
 la ventaja – advantage

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 además – besides
 caro/a – expensive
 económico – affordable
 actual – present/current
 construir – to build
 el dormitorio – bedroom
 la planta baja – ground floor
 la primera planta – first floor
 la vista – view
 el cuarto de baño – bathroom
 abajo – downstairs
 arriba – upstairs
 el salón – living room
 el comedor – dining room
 la cocina – kitchen
 abierto/a – open
 aparte – separate
 la habitación – room
 separado/a – separate
 el lavadero – laundry
 el garaje – garaje
 el estacionamiento/aparcamiento – parking
 el porche – veranda/porch
 la ventana – window
 la mudanza – house move
 el agente de mudanzas – removal man
 poner – to put
 los muebles – furniture
 el sofá – sofá
 la butaca – arm chair
 el microondas – microwave
 la nevera – fridge
 deber – to ought to, must
 la estufa/cocina de gas – stove
 el fregadero – sink
 la lavadora – washing machine
 el televisor – televisión set
 el aparato de música – music center
 el rincón – corner
 la escalera – stairs
 la cama individual – single bed
 la cama de matrimonio – double bed
 moderno – modern
 pequeño – small
 grande – big

 Abogado – lawyer, fees for a Spanish lawyer
 Administratrador de fincas – licensed property administrator

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 Agente de la Propiedad Inmobiliaria (API) – property agent

 Amortización – depreciation, redemption
 Arras/señal – down payment, deposit
 Aval – guarantee that the bank requests in order to approve the
application.
 Bungalow – 2 or 3 storey terrace house
 Caja de ahorros – savings bank
 Cargas – charges, burden
 Certificado registral – certifícate that demonstrates the debts of a
specific property
 Chalet – villa
 Comunidad de propietarios – community of property owners
 Contrata de compraventa – prívate property sales contract
 Documento privado – prívate document
 Documento público – public document
 Escritura – deed
 Escritura pública de compraventa – title deed
 Finca – estate
 Gestoría – firm that specializes in obtaining licenses, permits and
official authorization
 Hipoteca – mortgage
 Impuesto sobre bienes inmuebles – yearly property tax
 Impuesto sobre el incremento del Valor de los Terrenos – tax on the
increase of land value
 Inmobiliaria – estate agent
 IBI: Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles – Annual real estate tax
 Impuesto sobre el patrimonio – capital gains tax
 Incremento del patrimonio – capital gain
 Libre de cargas – free of charge
 Libro del edificio – the documents that the “promoter” must hand
over when finished with a building
 Licencia de obra – building permission/building permit
 Notario – notary
 Nota simple – certificate from Property Registry
 Obra nueva – document certifying a brand new bulding
 Oferta vinculante – bank document certifying the mortgage
conditions
 Pago en efectivo – cash payment
 Parcela – plot of land
 Piso – flat
 Poder – Power of Attorney
 Préstamo con techo – loan with a variable interests with a fixed
minimum and maximum
 Préstamo hipotecario – mortgage loan
 Plusvaila Municipal – capital gains tax on the sale of property
 Registro de la Propiedad – property ownership register
 Representante fiscal – official tax representative of foreigner
 Residencia (permiso) – residency (permit)

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 Se vende – for sale

 Seguro de amortización de préstamos – loan repayment insurance
 Seguro Multiriesgo Hogar – house insurance
 Tasación – independent valuation of property
 Terreno – plot of land
 Tipo de interés – rate of interest
 Título de propiedad – deeds stating ownership of property, date of
sale, etc.
 Valor Catastral – assessed value of property for tax purposes
ADJECTIVES
o Brick – el ladrillo/ el tabique
o Concrete – el hormigón
o Slab roof – el techo de losa
o Zinc roof – el techo de zinc
o Flat roof – la azotea
o Big house – casa grande
o Small – casa pequeña
o Split level house -
o Two family house – casa de dos familias
o Landscaping – el paisajismo
o Two car garage -
o Mortgage – la hipoteca
o Town house – la casa adosada
o Condominium – el condominio/el apartamento/el piso/el departamento
o Residential area – zona residencial
o Garrison – la guarnición
o Suburban – el/la aburguesado/a
o Metropolitan – el metropolitano
o Architecture (gothic, spanish) – la arquitectura (gótica, española)
o Pool/pool house – la piscina/ la casa de la piscina
o Den/man cave/ game room – el cuarto de estar(den for relaxing), el estudio
(den – study)/la cueva de hombre/la sala de juegos
o Painted vs unpainted – pintado/a vs lo que no está pintado/a
o Hotel vs motel vs inn vs bed & breakfast – el hotel vs el motel vs la
postada/la hosteria/el hostal vs una alojamiento y desayuno
o Hotel amenities – servicios del hotel
o Hotel suites – las suites del hotel

REVIEW
DATES
o The days of the week/los diás de la semana (Spanish Two Years by
Nassi/Levi pg 312)

 In Spanish, the week begins on Monday and unlike their English

counterparts they are not capitalised.

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 Monday – lunes
 Tuesday – martes
 Wednesday –miércoles
 Thursday – jueves
 Friday – viernes
 Saturday – sábado
 Sunday – domingo

 If you wanted to say “on” a particular day, use “el” for singular and
“los” for plural, to pluralise the names of the days of the week just
add “s”. Those that end in “s” remain unchanged.

o The months of the year/los meses del año (Spanish Two Years by Nassi/Levy
pg 312)

 In Spanish, the months of the year are not capitalised. And to

express “on” use “el”.
 January – enero
 February – febrero
 March –marzo
 April – abril
 May – mayo
 June – junio
 July – Julio
 August – agosto
 September – septiembre
 October – octubre
 November – noviembre
 December – diciembre

o ¿Cuál es la fecha de hoy? – What is today’s date

 Es el ________ de ____________ - It’s ____________
o ¿A cuántos estamos hoy? – What is today’s date
 Estamos a ____________ de _________ - It’s___________
o ¿Qué día es hoy? – What day is today?
 Es lunes o es miércoles. – it’s Monday or Tuesday
o ¿Cuando es tu (su) cumpleaños? – When is your birthday?
 Mi cumpleaños es ___________ - My birthday is _______
o ¿Cuál es tu (su) fecha de nacimiento? – What is your date of birth?
 Mi fecha de nacimiento es_____ - My date of birth is______ or just
give the date.
o ¿Cuál es tu (su) día favorito? – What is your favourite day?
 Mi día favorito es______________ porque______________. – My
favourite day is _________ because_____________.

o Only the first of the month is written as an ordinal number, the rest of the
days of the month are written as cardinal numbers.

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 Es el primero de febrero – It’s the first of February - VS-

 Es el dos de febrero –it’s the second of February

o The year in Spanish is not expressed in the hundreds like their English
equivalent. Therefore “nineteen hundred and fifteen” would be “mil
novecientos quince”.

o When writing out the date, the date is connected to the month by “de” and
the month is connected by “de” to the year. Therefore “September 12,
2015” would be “el doce de septiembre de dos mil quince”

o The word date in English is same whether it is referring to today’s date, a

date with someone or an appointment. However in Spanish, there are two
different words for one English word. Date as in today’s date is “fecha”; date
as in a date with someone or an appointment is “cita”. A meeting with
someone is “reunion”.

o Una dátil is the fruit “date”.

ADJECTIVE & NOUN AGREEMENT

o Nouns/Nombres:-
 Nouns can either be masculine or feminine in Spanish. Generally
speaking, nouns that end in “o” are masculine and those that end in
“a”, “d”, ión, or “z” are feminine.
 Examples:
o Libro (book), muchacho (boy), padre (father) are
Masculine
pluma (pen), muchacha (girl), madre
(mother), verdad (truth, fact), nación (nation), voz
(voice) are Feminine.
 Some nouns are neutral, i.e., neither masculine nor feminine:
 Adolescente (adolescent)
 Estudiante (student)
 Some exceptions to the rule:
 Mano (hand) y radio (radio) – Feminine
 Tranvia (street car), clima (climate, atmosphere), drama
(drama), idioma (language), problema (problema, trouble),
programa (programme, syllabus), mapa (map), poeta (poet)
– Masculine.

 If the noun ends in a consonant, you have to learn the gender

individually.
 Lápiz (pencil), papel (paper, role, document) – Masculine
 Flor (flower), sal (salt) – Feminine

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 Articles are usually placed before the noun and must correspond in
number and gender.

 Singular Masculine – el (the), un (a, an)

 Singular Feminine – la (the), una (a, an)
 Plural Masculine – los (the), unos (some)
 Plural Feminine – las (the), unas (some)

 When writing out a series of nouns the article has to be repeated

for each noun in the series.
 “Necesito comprar un cuaderno, un lápiz, una pluma y una
regla para la clase que tengo mañana. “

 When pluralising nouns, there are several changes to note:

 If the noun ends in a vowel, add “s” to pluralise it
o Libro  libros (books)
o Tarjeta  tarjetas (cards)
o Hombre  hombres (men, mankind)
o Clase  clases (classes)
 If the noun ends in a consonant, add “es”
o Professor  profesores (professors)
o Flor  flores (flowers)

 If the noun ends in “z”, then change “z” to “c” then add “es”
o Lápiz  lapices (pencils, crayon)
o Vez  veces (times)
 If the noun ends in “n” or “s”, then add “es” and either add
an accent or remove the accent.
o Joven  jóvenes (youths)
o Examen exámenes (exams)
o Francés franceses (french)
o Nación  naciones (nations)
 Exceptions:
 “países” need the accent to keep
the original stress in “país”.
 “Planes”, the plural of “plan”, does
not need an accent.

 If the noun ends in “s” and the final syllable is unstreesed in

the singular, will remain the same in the plural
o Paraguas  paraguas (umbrellas)
o El salvavidas  los salvavidas (life guards)
 NOT mes  meses (months)

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o Adjectives/Adjetivos:-
 Agree in gender and number with the nouns they describe.

 If the adjective ends in “o”, change it to “a” to form the feminine.

Most adjectives that end in a consonant, just add “a” to form the
feminine.

 Rico, rica --- rich, delicious, tasty, cute (in reference to a

child in Spain).
 Delgado, delgada --- skinny, thin, slender, slim, delicate,
fine
 Cómico, cómica --- funny, comical
 Español, española --- Spanish
 Alemán, alemana ---German
 Hablador, habladora ---talkative
 Trabajador, trabajadora --- hard working

 Some adjectives, especially those that end in “e” , are the same for
masculine and feminine.
 Difícil --- difficult
 Fuerte ---strong
 Amable --- nice, kind
 Inteligente ---intelligent
 Grande---big
 Estable --- stable
 Agrícola ---agricultural

 To pluralise adjectives add “s” if the singular ends in a vowel; “es”

if the singular ends in a consonant; “z” changes to “c” then add
“es” and add or drop accent mark after adding “es” to those that
end in “n” or “s”.
 Joven  jóvenes --- Young
 Portugués  portugueses --- portuguese
 Cortés  corteses --- polite

 The position of the adjective determines the meaning. Normally

they follow the noun.

 When in front of the noun, adjectives emphasise the

quality of the adjective or its inherent characteristics.
o Vi los pájaros, con sus coloridas plumas I saw
the birds, with their colourful feathers.

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o El verano me trae bonitos recuerdos  Summer

brings me beautiful memories.

 Some adjectives change meaning depending on their

position.

o Él fue un gran hombre  he was a great man

o Él fue un hombre grande  he was a big man

 Limiting adjectives precede the nouns. These include

numbers, possessive, demonstrative, adjectives of
quantity.

 If an adjective modifies two or three more nouns of different

gender, its masculine plural.

SER VS ESTAR
SER – to be ESTAR – to be

Classify and identify attributes that are Describe temporary states and locations.
permanent or lasting

Acronym: Acronym:

D – DESCRIPTION “what is he or she like?” – The
type of qualities that would both define a
person and not change (hair colour, tall/short,
fat/skinny, etc). This can either be a name or
physical description.
O – OCCUPATION. In Spanish cultures, careers
are seen as lifelong and more permanent. The
indefinite article is omitted when combining ser
and an occupation.
C – CHARACTERISTICS. “what is he or she like?”
– intelligent, friendly, romantic, etc.
T – TIME. Ser is used for time as it pertains to
days, dates and hours (this also includes date).
P - POSITION. This is the physical position or
posture that either a person or thing is in. “She is
seated or sitting down” “the book is on the
table”.
L - LOCATION. The location of either someone or
something that describes where the person or
thing is permanently, temporarily, actually and/or
conceptually.
A – ACTION. Used to describe an ongoing action
in the present progressive tense. “I am washing
dishes”*
C – CONDITION. Condition is both physical and
mental. “I am tired” “they are sick” (think also
about being in a particular state).

O – ORIGIN. In other words, either the place E – EMOTION. How someone is feeling at a
where someone is from or the material from particular moment. Emotions can change.

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which an item is made.

R – RELATIONSHIPS. The verb ser is used to
describe relationships. “she is my mother”, “he is
my boyfriend”, etc. (also think possession –
this is “this is my bag, it is mine”, “the bag
belongs to him, it is his”).
*To form the progressive tense, use ESTAR in
combination with the present participle (-ando, -
endo, -iendo)  -ing in English.
Idiomatic expressions:
- Estar de acuerdo – to be in
agreement
- Estar de pie – to be standing
- Estar en camino – to be on the
way
- Estar en las nubes – to daydream

WEEK NINE
FAQ
- BOOKING INTO A HOTEL
- the verb alojar from which we get alojamiento is used as if to “give someone a
place to stay”. For example, you are going into town for the weekend, you can
ask your friend ¿Puedes alojarme por el fin de semana? or you can tell
someone that you stayed in a hotel for the weekend. Me alojé en un hotel el fin
de semana pasado. The word “alojamiento” is therefore used in a more
general sense.
o What type of room would you like? - ¿Cuál habitación quisiera?
 A room with a single bed – una habitación con una cama
individual/sencilla
 A room with a double bed – una habitación con una cama
matrimonial/doble
 A room with two beds – una habitacion con dos camas
 Two rooms with a shared bathroom aka a suite
 With a balcony – con un balcón/una terraza
 With a view of the beach – con una vista de la playa
 With a private Jacuzzi – con un Jacuzzi/baño de burbujas
o For how many people? - ¿Para cuántas personas?
o Where is your hotel located? - ¿Dónde queda su hotel?
o Do you have any rooms available? - ¿Tiene habitaciones libres/disponibles?
o What are the amenities at your hotel? - ¿Cuáles son las instalaciones o los
servicios en su hotel?
o Is there an all inclusive package? - ¿Hay paquetes con todo incluido?
o Are children/pets allowed? - ¿Están permitidos los niños/las mascotas?
o How much does it cost? Per night? Per person? - ¿Cuánto cuesta/n? ¿para cada
noche? ¿Para cada persona?
o Is there a concierge? – ¿Hay un conserje?
o Is there valet parking? - ¿Hay servicio de aparcamiento?

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o What other attractions are nearby? - ¿Cuáles son las otras atracciones cerca de
aquí?
o What is the time for check in? check out? - ¿A qué hora tengo/tenemos que
registrar? ¿Tengo/tenemos que dejar?
o What types of payments do you accept? - ¿Cuales son los tipos de pago que
aceptan?
o How are you going to pay, cash or credit? - ¿Cómo va a pagar, efectivo o
crédito?
o Do you have a reservation? - ¿Tiene una reserva/una reservación?
o In whose name is the reservation? - ¿En qué nombre es la reserva?
o When did you make the reservation? - ¿Cuándo hace la reserva?
o Is breakfast/lunch/dinner included? - ¿Está incluido el desayuno/el almuerzo/la
cena?
o At what time do you serve breakfast/lunch/dinner? - ¿A qué hora sirve el
desayuno/el amuerzo/la cena?
- DESCRIBING YOUR HOME/IDEAL HOUSE
o What type of home do you live in? - ¿En qué tipo de casa vive(s)?
o How much is the rent? Mortgage? - ¿Cuánto paga(s) de alquiler? ¿de hipoteca?
o What type of community is it located in? - ¿En qué tipo de comunidad queda
su/tu casa?
o What public services are nearby? - ¿Cuáles son los servicios públicos que están
cerca de aquí?
o Where is it located? - ¿Dónde queda?
o Is it near the bus/train station? - ¿Está cerca de la parada/la estación de tren?
o How far is it from entertainment options? - ¿A cuántos kilómetros está de las
opciones de entretenimiento?
o What type of house is it? - ¿Qué tipo de casa está?
o What is it made of? - ¿De qué es fabricado? *****check translation
o What colour is your house? - ¿De qué color es su/tu casa?
o How many bedrooms/bathrooms? - ¿Cuántos dormitories/cuartos de baño
tiene?
o Do you have a pool/poolhouse? - ¿Tiene(s) una piscina/casa de piscina?
o What are the other rooms in your house? - ¿Cuales son los otros cuartos en
su/tu casa?

- DESCRIBING PLACES (BARRIO/COMUNIDAD/CIUDAD/ESCUELA)

o Barrio – neighbourhood
 Barrio latino – latin quarter
 Barrio chino – chinatown/red light district
 Los barrios bajos – “the rough parts of town”
 Barrio comercial – commercial district
 Barrio periférico – outlying district/suburbs
 Barrio residencial – residential area
 Mi barrio – my part of town/my neighbourhood
 Barrio brujo/barrio de chabolas/barrio miserias – shanty town
 Barrio de tolerancia – red light district

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 Barrio dormitorio – commuter suburb/dormitory suburb

 Barrio exterior – outer suburb
 Barrio Gótico – historic district (mainly Gothic architecture)
 Barrio obrero – working class district
 De barrio – local
 Tiendas de barrio – local shops/neighbourhood shops
 Cine de barrio – local cinema
o Comunidad – community
 Comunidad autónoma – autonomous region (Spain)
o Ciudad – city
 Ciudad natal – hometown
 Ciudad perdida – shanty town
 Ciudad satélite – satellite town
 Ciudad sanitaria – hospital complex
 Ciudad universitaria – university campus
o Escuela – school
o El campo – country

SAMPLE DIALOGUE

WEEK ELEVEN

ASSESSMENT #3: SKIT (Booking into a hotel/buying a

house)
WEEK FOURTEEN & FIFTEEN

FINAL EXAMS!!!!!

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