Spanish is not a stranger
By Os
Today I’m gonna steal some phrases from a book named: “Madrigal’s Magic Key to Spanish”. It’s a good one, I recommend it 100% to those who want to learn and gain some confidence in Spanish; I hope Margarita Madrigal (the author) doesn’t mind…
At this moment you know several thousand Spanish words even if you have never seen or heard a Spanish word before. You are not aware of these words simply because they have not been pointed out to you. And today I’m gonna show you some of them…
¿Have you ever seen these Spanish words before?
popular, radio, actor, capital, conductor, ideal, animal, probable, flexible, hotel, cable, central.
¿Can you recognize any of these words?
Atlántico, restaurante, optimista, Pacífico, importante, dentista, dramático, presidente, artista, constructivo, permanente, confusión, atractivo, medicina, invitación.
If you can recognize even a few of these words, the Spanish language is yours for the taking. It is encouraging to know that you can identify thousands of Spanish words at sight and it is really exciting to discover that with some clues you will form these words and begin your “Adventure of learning Spanish” whenever you want.
Fasten your seatbelt. We’re gonna go for a ride…
Category I
Words which end in “or”. These words are often identical in Spanish and English.
The actor = El actor.
actor, doctor, tractor, interior, color, error, profesor, exterior, conductor, favor, inventor, superior…
Category II
Words that end in “al”. These also are often identical in both languages.
The animal = El animal.
animal, central, local, personal, criminal, commercial, musical, rural, canal, legal, natural, social…
Category III
Words which end in “ble”. These are often identical Spanish and English as well.
The cable = El cable.
cable, posible, formidable, noble, notable, flexible, probable, horrible, terrible, visible, honorable, inevitable…
Category IV
Words that end in “ic” in English. To change them into Spanish simply add the letter “o”.
IC = ICO.
The public = El público.
Atlántico, democrático, elástico, público, artístico, eléctrico, romántico, aristocrático, automático…
Category V
Words that end in “ent” or “ant”. If you simply add the letter “e”, they magically become Spanish.
ENT = ENTE.
ANT = ANTE.
presidente, excelente, conveniente, accidente, importante, elefante, cliente, diferente, inteligente…
Category VI
Words that end in “ist”. To change them into Spanish add the letter “a”.
IST = ISTA.
The pianist = El pianista.
optimista, oculista, artista, violinista, capitalista, novelista, dentista, comunista, pesimista…
Category VII
Convert many words that end in “ous” into Spanish by changing “ous” to “oso”.
OUS = OSO.
Famous = Famoso.
curioso, generoso, melodioso, delicioso, glorioso, religioso, famoso, ambicioso, furioso…
Category VIII
Words that end in “tion”. Change the “t” to “c” and put a little tilde (´) on top of the letter “o”.
TION = CIÓN
The action = La acción.
descripción, civilización, cooperación, admiración, circulación, distribución, anticipación, constitución, invitación…
Category IX
Convert many words that end in “ty” into Spanish by changing “ty” to “dad”.
TY = DAD.
The capacity = La capacidad.
universidad, electricidad, prosperidad, comunidad, humanidad, publicidad, dignidad, personalidad, variedad…
Category X
Convert many words that end in “ry” into Spanish by changing the “ry” to “rio”.
RY = RIO
The canary = El canario.
aniversario, extraordinario, imaginario, contrario, literario, itinerario, necesario, diccionario, involuntario…
Category XI
Some English words that end in “em” or ”am” can be converted into Spanish by adding the letter “a”.
EM = EMA
AM = AMA
problema, sistema, dilema, programa, telegrama…
Category XII
Some English words that end in “ce” or ”cy” can be converted into Spanish by changing “ce” or “cy” to “cia”.
CE = CIA
CY = CIA
distancia, agencia, importancia, emergencia, justicia, democracia, experiencia, urgencia…
Category XIII
Some words that end in “in” or “ine” in English end in “ina” in Spanish.
IN = INA
INE = INA
The gasoline = La gasolina.
medicina, vitamina, heroína, rutina, disciplina…
Category XIV
Many English words that end in “ive” can be converted into Spanish by changing “ive” to “ivo”.
IVE = IVO
Active = Activo.
pasivo, abusivo, creativo, nativo, agresivo, relativo, explosivo, negativo, positivo…
Category XV
Many English words that end in “ly” can be converted into Spanish by changing “ly” to “mente”. Sometimes it’s necessary to do a little adjustment (don’t worry about that).
LY = MENTE.
Principally = Principalmente.
completamente, rápidamente, absolutamente…
Release your seatbelt people. Let’s slow down…
Get some cards and copy the categories. Carry the cards with you, glance at them during your spare moments (on the bus, while you are waiting for people or queuing in a line, etc.); each time you look at them try to make up several words in each category aside from those that are already listed.
OS is a certified and experienced Spanish teacher. Call him… you can start to learn NOW. SPANISH PURAVIDA, [email protected], (506) 88-222-936, www.oscostarica.com