PRELIM REVIEWER

FLANG
M1:
Alphabet and Pronunciation
• Spanish uses the Latin alphabet with 27 letters: a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, ñ, o, p,
q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z.
• The letter "ñ" (eñe) is unique to Spanish.
• Pronunciation is relatively phonetic; most letters are pronounced consistently.
 Spain: The Castilian dialect is considered standard. Features include the use of "vosotros" for
the informal plural "you" and the "ceceo" pronunciation of "c" and "z" as a "th" sound.
 Latin America: Variations include the use of "ustedes" instead of "vosotros" and different slang
and colloquial expressions. For example, in Argentina and Uruguay, "vos" is used instead of "tú"
for informal "you".
 Spanish is a vibrant and widely spoken language with a rich history and cultural significance.
Whether for travel, business, or personal enrichment, learning Spanish opens up a world of
opportunities and connections.

M2:
1 Consonants
• Spanish has a relatively simple consonant system compared to some other languages.
Key consonants include:
1. Stops: /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, /g/
• Examples: peso, beso, todo, día, casa, gato
2. Nasals: /m/, /n/, /ɲ/
• Examples: mesa, noche, niño
3. Fricatives: /f/, /θ/, /s/, /ʃ/, /x/, /h/
• Examples: flor, ciudad (in Spain), sol, llave (in some regions), jamón, hola (in some
regions)
4. Affricates: /tʃ/
• Example: chico
5. Liquids:
Lateral: /l/
• Example: luz
6. Rhotic: /r/ (trill) and /ɾ/ (tap)
• Examples: carro, caro
2. Vowels
• Spanish has five pure vowels:
1. Front: /i/ (high), /e/ (mid)
• Examples: si, bebe
2. Central: /a/ (low)
• Example: casa
3. Back: /u/ (high), /o/ (mid)
• Examples: luna, sol
3. Diphthongs and Triphthongs
• Spanish commonly uses diphthongs (combinations of two vowels within the same
syllable) and triphthongs (combinations of three vowels within the same syllable):
1. Diphthongs:
• Examples: aire, euro, uia
2. Triphthongs:
• Example: buey

4. Stress and Intonation

5. Phonological Processes
Spanish undergoes several phonological processes, including:
• Assimilation: Sounds becoming more like adjacent sounds. For example, /n/ in "un beso"
may be pronounced as [m] before [b].
• Elision: Omission of sounds, often seen in casual speech. For example, "para" may
become "pa'".
• Lenition: Weakening of consonants, such as the reduction of /d/ in "poder" to [ð].

6. Regional Variations
Spanish phonetics varies across different regions. Some notable variations include:
• Spain: Use of the "theta" sound /θ/ for 'c' before 'e' or 'i', and for 'z' (e.g., "cinco" as
[ˈθinko]).
• Latin America: Most regions use /s/ instead (e.g., "cinco" as [ˈsinko]).
• Caribbean: Dropping of final /s/ (e.g., "estás" as [eˈta]).
• Argentina and Uruguay: Use of /ʃ/ or /ʒ/ for 'll' and 'y' (e.g., "llave" as [ˈʃaβe]).

M3:
1. Definite Articles (The)
• Singular: el (masculine), la (feminine)
• Plural: los (masculine), las (feminine)
2. Indefinite Articles (A/An, Some)
• Singular: un (masculine), una (feminine)
• Plural: unos (masculine), unas (feminine)
Nouns
Ending:
"-o" are masculine
"-a" are feminine
Examples:
• Masculine: el libro (the book), un perro (a dog)
• Feminine: la mesa (the table), una casa (a house)
Adjectives
ending in "-o" change to "-a" for feminine forms, and those ending in other letters generally,
stay the same but still change for number.
Examples:
Masculine Singular: un coche rojo (a red car)
Feminine Singular: una casa roja (a red house)
Masculine Plural: unos coches rojos (some red cars)
Feminine Plural: unas casas rojas (some red houses)

Verbs
Verbs in Spanish are conjugated according to the subject and the tense. Here are examples of
regular verb conjugation in the present tense for the three types of verb endings (-ar, -er, -ir).
Hablar (to speak) - AR Verb
Yo hablo (I speak)
Tú hablas (You speak)
Él/Ella/Usted habla (He/She/You speak)
Nosotros/Nosotras hablamos (We speak)
Vosotros/Vosotras habláis (You all speak)
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes hablan (They/You all speak)
Comer (to eat) - ER Verb
Yo como (I eat)
Tú comes (You eat)
Él/Ella/Usted come (He/She/You eat)
Nosotros/Nosotras comemos (We eat)
Vosotros/Vosotras coméis (You all eat)
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes comen (They/You all eat)
Vivir (to live) - IR Verb
Yo vivo (I live)
Tú vives (You live)
Él/Ella/Usted vive (He/She/You live)
Nosotros/Nosotras vivimos (We live)
Vosotros/Vosotras vivís (You all live)
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes viven (They/You all live)

Pronouns
Subject Pronouns
Yo (I)
Tú (You - informal)
Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You - formal)
Nosotros/Nosotras (We)
Vosotros/Vosotras (You all - informal, used in Spain)
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes (They/You all - formal)

Object Pronouns
Me (me)
Te (you - informal)
Lo/La (him/her/it/you - formal)
Nos (us)
Os (you all - informal, used in Spain)
Los/Las (them/you all - formal)
Examples:
Juan me llama. (Juan calls me.)

 ¿Hablas inglés? (Do you speak English?)

Negation
To make a sentence negative, place "no" before the verb.
Examples:
No hablo español. (I do not speak Spanish.)
No como carne. (I do not eat meat.)

M4:
 Hola - Hello
 Hola, ¿cómo estás? (Hello, how are you?)
 Buenos días - good morning
 Buenos días, ¿cómo te fue ayer? (Good morning, how did it go yesterday?)
 Buenas tardes - good afternoon
 Buenas tardes, ¿puedo ayudarte? (Good afternoon, can I help you?)
 Buenas noches - good evening / Good night
 Buenas noches, nos vemos mañana. (Good night, see you tomorrow.)
 ¿Cómo estás? - How are you? (informal)
 Hola, ¿cómo estás? (Hello, how are you?)
 ¿Cómo está usted? - How are you? (formal)
 Buenos días, ¿cómo está usted? (Good morning, how are you?)
 ¿Qué tal? - How’s it going? / What’s up?
 ¿Qué pasa? - What’s happening? / What’s up?
 ¿Cómo te va? - How’s it going?
 Buenas tardes, ¿cómo te va? (Good afternoon, how’s it going?)
 Bien, gracias - Fine, thank you
 Bien, gracias. ¿Y tú? (Fine, thank you. And you?)
 Muy bien, gracias. (Very well, thank you.)
 Así así / Más o menos - So-so / More or less
 Así así, he tenido un día largo. (So-so, I’ve had a long day.)
 Mal – Bad
 Mal, estoy enfermo. (Bad, I am sick.)
 Regular - Okay / So-so
 Adiós – Goodbye
 Adiós, hasta luego. (Goodbye, see you later.)
 Hasta luego - See you later
 Hasta luego, Juan. (See you later, Juan.)
 Hasta mañana - See you tomorrow
 Buenas noches, hasta mañana. (Good night, see you tomorrow.)
 Nos vemos - See you
 Nos vemos, cuídate. (See you, take care.)
 Chao – Bye
 Chao, hasta la próxima. (Bye, until next time.)
 Hasta pronto - See you soon
 Hasta pronto, amigo. (See you soon, friend.)
 Por favor – Please
 ¿Puedes ayudarme, por favor? (Can you help me, please?)
 Gracias - Thank you
 Gracias por tu ayuda. (Thank you for your help.)
 De nada - You’re welcome
 Gracias. - De nada. (Thank you. - You’re welcome.)
 Perdón - Excuse me / Sorry
 Disculpe, señor, ¿puedo pasar? (Excuse me, sir, may I pass?)