The Rojas Spanish Way

I stumbled on to a Spanish site that Spanish students would find very helpful. It’s called www.rojasspanish.com. There, you can sign up for classes and tutoring, listen to podcast, watch videos, or read and respond to their blog at http://rojasspanish.wordpress.com. I enjoy reading blogs more than anything, partly because I have dial-up internet connect, which makes it difficult for me to enjoy podcasts and videos.
This site has a different approach to learning Spanish. Luis Rojas believes that context is important. I believe it’s important as well. But I also believe that knowing the rules is important. That’s why I think doing both strategies is more efficient when learning ANY other language.

Brandon Simpson,
Author of “Demystifying Spanish Grammar”

Do I use para or por?

The Spanish prepositions “para” and “por” can both translate as “for,” but they cannot be used interchangeably. If both can be used in any given sentence, the meaning of the sentence shanges as well.

Para
1.Destination (movement towards)
Viajo para España.-I’m traveling to Spain.
2.Deadline
La tarea es para lunes.-The homework is due on Monday.
3.Recipient
Tengo algo para ti.-I have something for you.
4.Purpose
Tengo que estudiar para aprovar el examen.-I have to study in order to pass the exam.

Por
1.Movement through
Viajo por España.-I’m traveling through Spain.
2.Duration
Estudié por dos horas.-I studied for two hours.
3.Replacement
Pagué diez dólares por este libro.
4.Reason
La clase fue cancelada por la tormenta de nieve.-Class was cancele because of the snow storm.

There are more uses to “para” and “por” than just these examples, but these cover the most frequent uses. To learn more, check out my book Demystifying Spanish Grammar.

Brandon Simpson

The Dreaded Spanish Subjunctive

The most difficult thing to learn in Spanish grammar is the subjunctive mood. The Spanish subjunctive is one of the most difficult ones I’ve studied; the Portuguese subjunctive is slightly more difficult, but the French subjunctive is much easier.

But like all difficult grammatical concepts, it only takes practice and a clear organized approach to learning it. Having said that, my advice is to avoid short explanations of the subjunctive that you may find in several grammar books. I advise you to find lengthy explanations. I recommend you read the chapter on the subjunctive in Benjamin Butt’s book A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish. His book devotes over forty pages to the subjunctive. This book would be better for very advanced students. For a shorter explanation of the subjunctive, read my book Demystifying Spanish Grammar. In it, you will learn the following acronym that I use to teach the subjunctive: DINNER.

Doubt/Uncertainty
Influence
Non-existence
Negating Certain Verbs
Emotional Reactions
Required Conjuctions

Brandon Simpson

Do I use the imperfect or the preterit?

As Spanish students start to learn past tenses in Spanish, they will have to learn the difference between the imperfect and the preterit. Although these two tenses confuse many students (partly because of unclear explanations in books), they are not as difficult as they think. In English, we have verb tenses that correspond to both of these. To learn the distinction between the imperfect and the preterit, use the following acronyms: HIDE for the imperfect and STARS for the preterit.

Habitual actions (used to + verb)
Incomplete actions (was/were + ing form)
Descriptions in the past
Emotions/feelings (most of the time, one uses the imperfect)

Sudden Occurrence
Time limit/complete action
Action that disrupts the action of imperfect verb
Reaction/result
Series of distinct events or instances

This is just an abbreviated version of the explanation in my book, Demystifying Spanish Grammar.

Brandon Simpson

Do I use ser or estar?

Spanish students must learn the distinction between the two verbs, ser and estar. Both of these mean to be, but they cannot be used interchangeably. When I tutor students, I use the following acronyms: JETCO for ser, and LET for estar.

Jobs/Identification Statements
Event location
Telling time
Characteristics
Origin/Nationality

Location (not events)
Emotions
Temporary feelings

There is more to ser and estar than just this. To learn more, check out my new book, Demystifying Spanish Grammar.

Brandon Simpson

Outskirts Press Authors!!!

Outskirts Press authors unite!!!

 

If there any Outskirts Press authors active on MySpace, they should join my group here. Right now, we only have 42 members. I’m hoping that number will push to 100, and possibly even 1,000. Please join. If you’re already a member, invite others to join.

 

You don’t have to have published a book with Outskirts Press to join either. You can join even if you’re only considering it. The other members will be more than happy to help you.

 

Brandon Simpson,

“Learning Foreign Languages: Everything You Need To Know”

“If You Ain’t Got No Grammer…”

“Demystifying Spanish Grammar: Clarifying the Written Accents, Ser/Estar, Para/Por, Imperfect/Preterit, and the Dreaded Spanish Subjunctive” (Coming Soon!!!)

Big Ego

I’ve been accused of having a big ego on MySpace because I mention my book. I mention my book where it is relevant. I definitely don’t have a big ego. The same person told me that I needed to calm down. I learned from Steve Weber’s book to never write in anger. Always take sides on an opinion, but never write in anger.

 

Brandon Simpson

 

Click <a href=”http://brandonwsimpson.blogspot.com/2008/02/learning-foreign-languages-everything.html”>here</a&gt; to read my book “Learning Foreign Languages: Everything You Need To Know” free.

 (I mention my book here because it’s my own blog.)

Jim Cramer, Mad Money, Conan O’Brien

I saw Jim Cramer on Conan O’Brien the other night. I think I’d watch his show just to see him go “crazy.” It was funny to see him take medication out of his pocket and to hear him speak about how cheap he is.

 

Brandon Simpson

 

Click <a href=”http://brandonwsimpson.blogspot.com/2008/02/learning-foreign-languages-everything.html”>here</a&gt; to read my book “Learning Foreign Languages: Everything You Need To Know” free.

Smallvile-Season 7

This season of Smallville hasn’t been that great. The episodes didn’t start getting interesting until the episode where Bizarro took Clark’s place. Then the episode “Persona” came. I loved it because my favorite Smallville villain returned: Milton Fine.

 

I just finished watching the latest episode, “Fracture.” I love the episodes that deal with the mind, i.e. “Splinter,” “Labyrinth.”

 

Brandon Simpson

 

Click <a href=”http://brandonwsimpson.blogspot.com/2008/02/learning-foreign-languages-everything.html”>here</a&gt; to read my book “Learning Foreign Languages: Everything You Need To Know” free.

Milton Fine, aka Brainiac

I was glad to see Fine return to Smallville. However, when I first heard that he was going to return, I thought, “How?” And then the writers cooked up a brilliant idea: have him regenerate from the ashes of his own hardrive/power box. In that episode, we again see him using his superior intelligence to manipulate both Clark and Bizarro. And we also get to see him use his shape-shifting ability when he posed as Lionel. I was wondering what the purpose of Dax-Ur was until I saw his episode. Apparently, he was the creator of Brainiac. In season 5, Fine’s mission was to release Zod from the Phantom Zone. I wonder if he’ll try to do the same thing again. 

Brandon Simpson,

Author of “Learning Foreign Languages: Everything You Need To Know”