In Spanish you add an a before most direct objects that are people. So, for example, in English where you would say, “I saw Juan,” in Spanish you would say, Vi a Juan. The
In Spanish Verb Tenses, author Dorothy Richmond seems to be trying to start a Romance language war. In a provocative chapter on stem-changing verbs, which are verbs like almorzar (to eat lunch), morir (to…
I have been re-making my way through Pimsleur Italian Plus (lessons 91-100). I have to be careful, when doing Pimsleur, not to turn my ankle in the potholes that are accumulating in an intersection I cross frequently at 73rd and…
Yesterday I came across the word for “tool” in French. It is outil. Look at the Filled-In Potholes! I Texted a Complaint and They Filled Them Right Up! I have learned and relearned that word before, but I…
In Italian, you can’t separate your prepositions and pronouns. As Daniela Gobetti, author of Italian Pronouns and Prepositions points out, in Italian you would say, “Per chi stai comprando quel regalo?” In English, you could say, “Who…
Reviewing (and Forgetting) Spanish at a Neighborhood Cafe I am getting confused about how to say “will be” in multiple languages. For example, as in “What will be, will be.” Spanish, Italian, and French are very similar. They converge. Or…
Now we are at Brandt’s 25th college reunion in Williamstown, Massachusetts. We graduated from college the same year, but in different parts of the same state. In a break between reunion activities, I found Tunnel City Coffee to be…
As I have mentioned, I teach grammar, business writing, and e-mail etiquette for corporate clients through Syntaxis, the company I have with my husband. My very favorite of all is the grammar. I am pretty sure I could teach grammar…
Some months ago I said on this blog that I was going to quit coffee altogether. I did not quit coffee altogether. In fact, I did rather the opposite. The employees at the coffee shop I frequent began looking…
Two days ago I bought an iPad. Since then I have used it to read newspapers in four languages. I’m talking about the ones I am currently reviewing: Spanish, French, German, and Italian. It has been fabulous, and fun. …
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