Must Know High School Basic Spanish

Introduction
The Flashcard App—with Audio!
1 Pronouncing Spanish
Patterns of Spanish Sounds
Using Accent Marks—¿Sí o no?
Running Words Together
2 Being Friendly
Saying Hello
Meeting New People
Welcoming New People
Being Polite at a Meal
Celebrating
Being Polite
Emergencies
Saying Goodbye
3 Developing a Spanish Vocabulary
Noun Cognates
Adjective Cognates
Verb Cognates
Adverb Cognates
4 Identifying People
Possessives
Ser, the Verb That Tells Who People Are
Subject Pronouns
Asking Questions
DIÁLOGO Chicos nuevos
Identifying People by Nationality
Identifying People by Ethnicity
Identifying People by Sexual Orientation
Identifying People by Religion
Learning Where People Are From
Using de
DIÁLOGO Profesores de español
5 Talking About Family
Tú: Another Word for “you” When Talking to Friends and Family
The Plural of “you”
“We are”
“They are”
Making Nouns Plural
Possessives—Singular and Plural
Talking About Two or More Relatives
DIÁLOGO Apellidos
LECTURA La familia Martínez
6 Talking About Jobs
What Do You Do?
Jobs and Professions
DIÁLOGO Médicos
Showing Possession with de
Making Jobs More Specific with de
Y and también—Together
Ni and tampoco
Showing Contrast with pero
LECTURA Nuestros vecinos y sus trabajos
7 Describing People
Descriptive Adjectives
Describing People Using the Indefinite Articles un, una, unos, unas
Showing the Strength of an Adjective
Making Comparisons
Superlatives
Tener, a Verb Used to Describe Parts of the Body
The Numbers 0–29
Indicating Age with tener
DIÁLOGO Vecinos nuevos
LECTURA Mi compañera de cuarto
8 Identifying and Describing Things
Common Things in Our Lives
Things We Use on a Daily Basis
In the Classroom
In the Office
Around the House
Things Found Outside
Using Long-Form Possessives
Describing Things with Adjectives
Describing Things by Size
Describing Things by Shape
Describing Things by Color
Describing Things by Other Qualities
Describing Things with Nouns
Describing What Things Are Made Of
Describing Things by Category
DIÁLOGO Regalos
LECTURA Modos de transporte
DIÁLOGO En una tienda de ropa
9 “It,” Counting to Infinity, and Abstract Nouns
Using Direct Object Pronouns
Numbers from 30 Up
DIÁLOGO Conversación entre un maestro y la directora de la escuela
Abstract Nouns
LECTURA Lo más importante en la vida
10 Times, Dates, and Events
Telling Time
The Days of the Week
The Calendar
LECTURA ¿De qué signo eres?
Events—What, When, and Where
DIÁLOGO Invitación
Using ir: Going to an Event
11 How People Feel, the State of Things, and the Weather
Talking About How Someone Feels
Adverbs That Describe Conditions
Adjectives That Describe Conditions
Making Adjectives Weaker or Stronger
Using tener: When Something Is Wrong with Someone
DIÁLOGO ¡Mi pobre mamá!
Describing the Condition of Places and Things
LECTURA Estamos nerviosos
Reporting the Weather
DIÁLOGO Visita a Argentina
12 Indicating Location
Indicating Location with estar
DIÁLOGO Prueba de geografía
Indicating “in,” “on,” and “at” with Spanish en
Places Where You Can Be
Other Prepositions That Show Location
LECTURA Mi dormitorio
Indicating Location Using con
DIÁLOGO Muchacho perdido
13 Describing Facts and Common Activities
The Infinitive
-ar Verbs
Conjugating -ar Verbs in el tiempo presente
Asking Yes/No Questions with -ar Verbs
Asking What Someone Does on a Regular Basis
Asking for Information with -ar Verbs
Using Adverbs to Tell How Things Are Done
DIÁLOGO La vida de una estudiante
Using Stem-Changing -ar Verbs
-er Verbs
Conjugating -er Verbs in el tiempo presente
Using Stem-Changing -er Verbs
Other Common Stem-Changing -er Verbs
DIÁLOGO Estar en forma
Some Useful -er Verbs That Have Irregular yo Forms
Other Verbs Whose Infinitives End in -cer
Verbs Whose Infinitives End in -ger
-ir Verbs
Conjugating -ir Verbs in el tiempo presente
The Verb salir, an -ir Verb with an Irregular yo Form
Using Stem-Changing -ir Verbs
DIÁLOGO Un consejo
The Verbs decir (i) and venir (ie)—Two Stem-Changing -ir Verbs with Irregular yo Forms
Verbs Whose Infinitives End in -uir
The Verb oír
The Verb elegir—and Other Verbs Whose Infinitives End in -gir
Verbs Whose Infinitives End in -cir
14 Describing Actions Toward People and Things
Verbs That Cannot Take a Direct Object Noun or Pronoun
Verbs Used with Direct Object Nouns and Pronouns
Direct Objects That Are Things
Placement of Direct Object Pronouns
Direct Objects That Are People
More Practice with Direct Objects
LECTURA Mejores amigos
DIÁLOGO Ayuda con la tarea
15 Speaking Reflexively and Impersonally
Infinitives That Include -se
Common Verbs That Take Reflexive Pronouns— and How to Translate Them into English
LECTURA Rutina diaria
DIÁLOGO De vacaciones
Reciprocal Verbs: How to Say “each other” in Spanish
The Impersonal se
16 Giving, Showing, and Telling
Indirect Object Pronouns
Giving: The Verb dar
LECTURA Dictados
Showing and Telling: The Verbs mostrar and decir
Asking and Answering Questions
DIÁLOGO ¡Feliz cumpleaños!
Direct and Indirect Objects Together
LECTURA Bailes latinos
DIÁLOGO Hermanos unidos
17 Expressing Feelings
Two Common Ways to Express Your Feelings
Customizing verbos psicológicos for Singular and Plural Subjects
Talking About Activities That You Enjoy—or Not!
DIÁLOGO Actividades favoritas
LECTURA A cada uno lo suyo (“To each his own”)
18 Describing Activities in Progress
Expressing “now”
Forming the Gerund in Spanish
The tiempo presente progresivo: estar + Gerund
DIÁLOGO Conversación por teléfono
Indicating How Long an Activity Has Been Going On
Indicating How Long Since Something Happened: hace
Indicating the Start of an Action That Is Still Going On: desde
DIÁLOGO ¡Qué buena idea!
Indicating a First-Time Action
LECTURA Estudiar demasiado
19 Describing Intentions and Plans
Asking a Favor
Offering a Favor
Talking About Scheduled Events
Expressing “going to”
The Verb pensar (ie)
Using Reflexive, Direct, and Indirect Object Pronouns to Discuss Plans
DIÁLOGO Amigo enfermo
LECTURA Descanso
20 Explaining Our Reasons
Saying What You Want to Do: querer
Alternatives to querer
Saying What You Can Do: saber and poder
Expressing Necessity: deber and tener que
DIÁLOGO Amigos y hermanitas
Verbs with Object Pronouns
LECTURA Mi futuro
“To have just done”
Answer Key

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You know that moment when you feel as though a lightning bolt has hit you because you finally get something? That’s how this book will make you react. (We hope!) Each chapter makes sure that what you really need to know is clear right off the bat and sees to it that you build on this knowledge. Where other books ask you to memorize stuff, we’re going to show you the must know ideas that will guide you toward success in Spanish. You will start each chapter learning what the must know ideas behind a Spanish subject are, and these concepts will help you with your classwork and on exams.


Dive into this book and find:


•   250+ practice questions that mirror what you will find in your classwork and on exams
•   A bonus app with 100+ flashcards that will reinforce what you’ve learned
•   Extensive examples that drive home essential concepts
•   An easy-access setup that allows you to jump in and out of subjects
•   Spanish topics aligned to national and state education standards
•   Special help for more challenging Spanish subjects, including irregular verbs, indefinite pronouns, and ser versus estar


We’re confident that the must know ideas in this book will have you trying out your new Spanish skills in no time—or at least in a reasonable amount of time!