My experience at IILM

Six months ago I arrived in India from Brazil. I remember everything since them, because every moment was magical and representative in my life. It was a challenge to leave my safe and stable life as a Software Engineer at IBM to come to India be a Spanish professor at IILM, but this challenge was what motivated me. 

When I arrive for the first class at IILM, I remember exactly the feeling of being nervous but when I look to the motivated and receptive faces of students, I realized that I was in the right place at the right time. The students show interest and dedication in learning a new language, and I was so happy in help them to learn Spanish.

first class, finished ✓

I am very grateful for the IILM to giving me this opportunity to live that experience. A special thanks for every student who was dedicated to classes and all professors and administrative staff who helped me in every moment that I needed.

I would like to share with you a video and few pictures:

Saraswati puja - Greater Noida

Cricket day - Greater Noida

After bingo class - Lodhi road

After bingo class - Greater Noida

First class - Lodhi road

With students at IILM Greater Noida

Class at IIL Greater Noida

Continue

Spanish Verbs Ser and Estar

Ser and estar can both be translated as "to be."

Notice that these two sentences can have different meanings in English.

The apple is green.
(Meaning the apple is not ripe.)

The apple is green.
(Meaning the color of the apple is green.)

The first case speaks of the condition of the apple. The apple is green because it has not yet ripened. When the condition of the apple changes, that is, when it has ripened, it will no longer be green, it will be ripe.

The second case speaks of the essential characteristics of the apple. The apple is green in color. This particular apple remains green even after it has ripened.

In English, the verb "to be" can be used to tell how something is (the condition) and what something is (the essence).

How is the apple?
It is unripe.

What color is the apple?
It is green.

In Spanish, a different verb is used to express "to be" depending on whether the speaker intends to address a condition or an essential quality.

La manzana está verde.
The apple is green. (condition)

La manzana es verde.
The apple is green. (essence)

To address condition, use estar. Estar is an irregular verb. It does not follow the standard rules of conjugation for regular -ar verbs.

yo	estoy
tu	estás
él, ella, Ud	está
nosotros[as]	estamos
vosotros[as]	estáis
ellos, ellas, Uds	están

To address an essential quality, use ser. Ser is also irregular.

yo	soy
tu	eres
él, ella, Ud	es
nosotros[as]	somos
vosotros[as]	sois
ellos, ellas, Uds	son

If you are talking about what something is, use ser; if you are talking about how something is, use estar.

What is she like?

She is quiet.

Use ser:

Ella es callada.

How is she acting?

She is being quiet.

Use estar:

Ella está callada

Uses of SER

• Used to express the hour, day, and date.

¿Qué hora es? (What time is it?)

Son las dos.  (It's two o'clock.)

¿Qué día es hoy? (What day is today?)

Hoy es lunes. (Today's Monday.)

¿Qué fecha es hoy?   (What's the date today?)

Es el cinco de mayo. (It's May fifth.)

• Used to express place of origin.

¿De dónde eres tú? (Where are you from?)

Soy de Colombia. (I'm from Colombia.)

• Used to express occupation.

¿Cuál es tu trabajo? (What do you do?)

Soy carpintero.  (I'm a carpenter.)

• Used to express nationality.

¿Es ella puertorriqueña? (Is she Puerto Rican?)

No, es guatemalteca.  (No, she's Guatemalan.)

• Used to express religious or political affiliation.

¿Son los García bautistas? (Are the Garcias Baptists?)

No, son católicos.  (No, they're Catholics.)

¿Es el gobierno socialista? (Is the government socialist?)

No, es comunista. (No, it's communist.)

• Used to express the material something is made of.

¿De qué material es la mesa? (What's the table made of?)

 Es de madera.  (It's made of wood.)

• Used to express possession.

¿De quién es la pluma? (Whose pen is it?)

Es de Emilio. (It's Emilio's.)

• Used to tell where an event is taking place.

La película es en el cine. (The movie is at the theatre.)

La fiesta es en el club Fantástico. (The party is in the Fantastic Club.)

• Used with adjectives to express essential qualities.

Miguel es un hombre sincero. (Mike is a sincere man.)

También es guapo. (He's also handsome.)

Uses of ESTAR

• Used to express geographic or physical locations.

¿Dónde estás? (Where are you?)

Estoy en el laboratorio. (I'm in the laboratory.)

¿Dónde está Chile? (Where's Chile?) 

Chile está en América del Sur. (Chile is in South America.)

• Used with adjectives to express a state or condition ("how" something is).

¿Cómo está la sopa? (How's the soup?)

La sopa está fría. (The soup is cold.)

¿Cómo estás tú? (How are you?)

Estoy muy bien, gracias. (I am very well, thanks.)

• Used with many idiomatic expressions. These are just a few.

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)

Continue

Vocabulary: Miembros de la família (Family members)

One of the questions you'll be asked when meet a Spanish person will concern your family. Here are the names for the most common relatives and some of the uncommon ones:

• padre: father
• madre: mother
• hermano: brother
• hermana: sister
• suegro: father-in-law
• suegra: mother-in-law
• cuñado: brother-in-law
• cuñada: sister-in-law
• esposo, marido: husband
• esposa, mujer: wife
• abuelo: grandfather
• abuela: grandmother
• bisabuelo: great-grandfather
• bisabuela: great-grandmother
• hijo: son
• hija: daughter
• nieto: grandson
• nieta: granddaughter
• bisnieto: great-grandson
• bisnieta: great-granddaughter
• tío: uncle
• tía: aunt
• primo: cousin (male)
• prima: cousin (female)
• sobrino: nephew
• sobrina: niece
• padrastro: stepfather
• madrastra: stepmother
• hijastro: stepson
• hijastra: stepdaughter
• hermanastro: stepbrother
• hermanastra: stepsister
• prometido, novio: fiance, boyfriend, groom
• prometida, novia: fiancee, girlfriend, bride
• compañero: male partner in a couple relationship
• compañera: female partner in a couple relationship
• padrino: godfather
• madrina: godmother
• ahijado: godson
• ahijada: goddaughter
• amigo: friend (male)
• amiga: friend (female)
• conocido: acquaintance (male)
• conocida: acquaintance (female)

Continue

Regular verbs

As in English, all Spanish verbs are either "regular" or "irregular". Look the last two letters of each verb.

hablar (to speak)
comer (to eat)
vivir (to live)

There are three categories of verbs:
-ar verbs
-er verbs
-ir verbs

All three categories are infinitives. Infinitives are the base form of the verb, equivalent in English to: to speak, to eat, to live, etc. In Spanish, all infinitives end in -ar, -er, or -ir.

Conjugating regular verbs

Easy! Simply drop the verb ending from the infinitive and then, add the apropriate present tense ending.

Regular verbs = Regular pattern (Need memorization).

Infinitive ending	Present tense ending
-ar	-o	-as	-a	-amos	-áis	-an
-er	-o	-es	-e	-emos	-éis	-en
-ir	-o	-es	-e	-imos	-ís	-en

Examples:

	Verbs
Person	cantar - to sing	beber - to drink	vivi - to live
yo	canto	bebo	vivo
tu	cantas	bebes	vives
él, ella, usted	canta	bebe	vive
nosotros [as]	cantamos	bebemos	vivimos
vosotros[as]	cantáis	bebéis	vivís
ellos, ellas, ustedes	cantan	deben	viven

Follow the common regular verbs in Spanish

Common Regular -ar Verbs

alquilar – to rent

entrar (en) – to enter (into)

necesitar – to need

amar – to love

enviar – to send

olvidar – to forget

andar – to walk

escuchar – to listen to

pagar – to pay for

ayudar – to help

esperar – to hope, to wait for

practicar – to practice

bailar – to dance

estudiar – to study

preguntar – to ask

buscar – to look for

firmar – to sign

preparar – to prepare

caminar – to walk

ganar – to win, earn

regresar – to return

cantar – to sing

gastar – to spend money

saludar – to greet

cocinar – to cook

hablar – to speak, to talk

tocar – to touch, to play an instrument

comprar – to buy

lavar – to wash

tomar – to take, to drink

contestar – to answer

llegar – to arrive

trabajar – to work

dejar – to allow, to leave

llevar – to wear, to carry

viajar – to travel

desear – to desire

mandar – to order

visitar – to visit

enseñar – to teach

mirar – to watch, to look at

Common Regular -er Verbs

aprender – to learn

creer – to believe

poseer – to possess, to own

beber – to drink

deber – to have to, to owe

prometer – to promise

comer – to eat

esconder – to hide

romper – to break

comprender – to understand

leer – to read

temer – to fear

correr – to run

meter en – to put into

vender – to sell

Common Regular -ir Verbs

abrir – to open

descubrir – to discover

permitir – to permit

admitir – to admit

discutir – to discuss

recibir – to receive

asistir a – to attend

escribir – to write

subir – to climb, to go up

cubrir – to cover

existir – to exist

sufrir – to suffer

decidir – to decide

omitir – to omit

unir – to unite

describir – to describe

partir – to divide

vivir – to live

Continue

Vocabulary - Numbers, seasons and time

Números, estaciones del año y tiempo

Números (numbers) 11-30 ( to see 1 - 10, click here)

21. veintiuno 22. veintidós 23. veintitrés 24. veinticuatro 25. veinticinco 26. veintiséis 27. veintisiete 28. veintiocho 29. veintinueve 30. treinta

21. veintiuno 22. veintidós 23. veintitrés 24. veinticuatro 25. veinticinco 26. veintiséis 27. veintisiete 28. veintiocho 29. veintinueve 30. treinta

Estaciones del año (seasons)

la primavera (spring)
el verano (summer)
el otoño (autum)
el invierno (winter)

Hablando el timpo / hora (speaking the time / hour)

The basic way of telling time in Spanish is use to the singular form of ser ( verb "to be"), which is es, for one o'clock and the plural form, son, for other times. Minutes can be stated simply by separating them from the hour using y (mean "and").

Es la una. (It is 1:00)
Es la una y cuatro. (It is 1:04)
Son las dos. (It is 2:00)
Son las tres. (It is 3:00)
Son las cinco y siete. (It is 5:07)
Son las seis y diez. (It is 6:10)
Son las diez y dieciocho. (It is 10:18)

To indicate the half hour, use the word media. Use the word cuarto to indicate the quarter hours.

Es la una y media. (It is 1:30)
Son las cinco y media. (It is 5:30)
Es la una y cuarto. (It is 1:15)
Son las tres y cuarto. (It is 3:15)

During the second half of each hour, you use the word menos to tell time , stating the number of minutes until the following hour.

Es la una menos doce. (It is 12:48) (It is twelve until one.)
Son las seis menos cinco. (It is 5:55) (It is six until five.)
Son las diez menos veinte. (It is 9:40) (It is twenty until ten.)
Son las nueve menos cuarto. (It is 8:45) (It is quarter until nine.)

To indicate time of day when using the 12-hour clock, use de la mañana before noon (mediodía), de la tarde between noon and early evening, and de la noche between then and midnight (medianoche).

Es medianoche. It's midnight.
Son las siete y cuarto de la mañana. It's 7:15 a.m. (It is 7:15 in the morning.)
Es mediodía. It's noon.
Son las cuatro menos cinco de la tarde. It's 3:55 p.m. (It is five before four in the afternoon.)
Son las ocho y media de la noche. It's 8:30 p.m. (It is eight and a half at night.)

 ¡ Muchas gracias!

Continue

Adjetivos - Adjectives

If you want to add your personal opinion or describe something, the adjectives are a perfect tool for you. That is, most often adjectives are used to describe a noun, or distinguish the noun from a group of similar objects. Adjective (as articles) have to agree with the nouns (gender and number).

GENDER - if the noun is feminine, the adjective must be feminine too.

E.g.

      la muchacha alta (the tall girl)

      el menino bonito (the handsome boy)

      la menina bonita (the beautiful girl)

NUMBER - if the noun is in plural, the adjective must be in plural too.
E.g.
      las muchachas altas (the tall girls)
      los meninos bonitos (the handsome boys)
      las meninas bonitas (the beautiful girls)

- Like nouns, most adjectives follow the general rule that masculine end with -o and feminine with -a, and pluralize with -s.

Masculine Singular	Feminine Singular	Masculine Plural	Feminine Plural	English
alto	alta	altos	altas	tall
barato	barata	baratos	baratas	cheap
aburrido	aburrida	aburridos	aburridas	bored
cariñoso	cariñosa	cariñoso	cariñosa	affectionate
caro	cara	caros	caras	expensive
delgado	delgada	delgados	delgadas	thin
divertido	divertida	divertidos	divertidas	fun

- Adjectives end in a consonant, -e or -ista usually don't have feminine, but have singular / plural form.

Singular     (Masculine or Feminine)	Plural        (Masculine or Feminine)	English
profesional	profesionales	professional
fácil	faciles	easy
difícil	difíciles	difficult
alegre	alegres	happy
fuerte	fuertes	strong
triste	tristes	sad
optimista	optimistas	optimistic
realista	realistas	realistic

- Collors have mix gender and no gender

Masculine Singular	Feminine Singular	Masculine Plural	Feminine Plural	English
amarillo	amarilla	amarillos	amarillas	yellow
anaranjado	anaranjada	anaranjados	abnaranjadas	orange
blanco	blanca	blancos	blancas	white
negro	negra	negros	negras	black
rojo	roja	rojos	rojas	red
rosado	rosada	rosados	rosadas	pink
azul	-	azules	-	blue
gris	-	grises	-	grey
marrón	-	marrones	-	brown
verde	-	verdes	-	green

Adjetivo posesivo - Possessive Adjective

When you want to say that a certain thong or group of things belongs to a particular person or group of people.

Subject Pronoun	Possessive Adjective
Yo (I)	mi / mis (my)
tú (you)	tu / tus (your)
él, ella, usted (he, she, you)	su / sus (his, her, hers, your)
nosotros / nosotras (we)	nuestro / nuestra                nuestros/nuestras (our)
vosotros / vosotras (you)	vuestro / vuestra                vuestros/vuestras (your)
ellos, ellas, ustedes (they, you)	su / sus (their, your)

E.g

     Es mi carro (It is my car)

     Son tus carros (They are your cars)

     Son sus libros (They are her books)

Continue

Días de la semana, meses y números (Days of the week, months and numbers)

Días de la semana - Days of the week

In Spanish-speaking countries, the week begins on Monday. Notice that the days of the week are not capitalized.

lunes (Monday)
martes (Tuesday)
miércoles (Wednesday)
jueves (Thursday)
viernes (Friday)
sábado (Saturday)
domingo (Sunday)

All days of the week are masculine

No trabajo el lunes (I don't work on Monday)
No trabajo los martes (I don't work on Tuesdays)
Hay una fiesta el jueves (There is a oarty on Wednesday)
Hay muchas fiestas los viernes (There are many parties on Fridays)

Days of the week ending with -s do not change form in the plural, only article change.

el lunes - los lunes
el jueves - los jueves
el domingo - los domingos (add -s)
el sábado - los sábados (add -s)

Use the verb ser to express the day. "es" is a conjugation of that verb.

¿Qué día es hoy? (What day is today)
Hoy es martes? (Today is Tuesday)
Mañana es lunes? (Tomorrow is Monday)

Meses del año - Months of the year

enero (January)

febrero (February)

marzo (March)

abril (April)

mayo (May)

junio (June)

julio (July)

agosto (August)

septiembre (September)

octubre (October)

noviembre (November)

diciembre (December)

To express "in a certain month" use the preposition "en"

Vamos a México en enero (We are going to México in January)

Números - Numbers

1. uno

2. dos

3. tres

4. cuatro

5. cinco

6. seis

7. siete

8. ocho

9. nueve

10. diez

The number "uno" change to "un" before a masculine noun

un cuaderno (one notebook)

un perro (one dog)

un chico (one boy)

The number "uno" change to "unq" before a feminine noun

una chica (one girl)

una cadera (one chair)

Continue