An Easy Introduction to Spanish Conversation — Mariano Velázquez de la Cadena
AN EASY INTRODUCTION TO SPANISH CONVERSATION You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org . If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook. Title : An Easy Introduction to Spanish Conversation Author : Mariano Velázquez de la Cadena Release date : April 9, 2019 [eBook #59238] Language : English Other information and formats : www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/59238 Credits : Produced by Barbara Tozier, Paul Marshall, Bill Tozier and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net *** START OF PARTICULARLY DESIGNED FOR PERSONS WHO HAVE LITTLE TIME TO STUDY, OR ARE THEIR OWN INSTRUCTORS. By M. VELAZQUEZ DE LA CADENA , PROFESSOR OF THE SPANISH; EDITOR OF OLLENDORFF’S SPANISH GRAMMAR, NEW SPANISH READER, ETC. ETC. NEW YORK: D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, 549 & 551 BROADWAY. 1872. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1849, By D. APPLETON & COMPANY, In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York. AN EASY INTRODUCTION TO SPANISH CONVERSATION PREFACE. Multum in parvo is the object of this small book; in which the student will find all the elements necessary to enable him in a very short time to enter into a conversation on the most usual topics. For this purpose, and in order that he may understand the questions put, or the answers given to him, should they be expressed in words different in tense or number from those contained in the dialogues, and also to afford him the best means to vary them himself, it has been deemed expedient to prefix to the vocabularies a synopsis of the Spanish language. The learner is earnestly desired to study it attentively, so as to become perfectly familiar with the conjugation of the verbs; a thorough knowledge of which will render his progress easy, sure, and speedy. Persons unaccustomed to commit tasks to memory, will do well to begin by learning daily a set number (say five ) of nouns, adjectives, or verbs, and as many phrases as they can remember well; repeating always the English before the Spanish. Such exercise being steadily pursued for a month, the student will have acquired an aggregate of more than five hundred of the words most frequently used in common intercourse. This plan has been often tried, and its results have constantly exceeded the most sanguine expectations. Should the student wish to acquire a thorough knowledge of the Spanish, even without the assistance of a teacher, he may do so by studying Ollendorff’s New Method, by M. Velazquez and T. Simonné, published by D. Appleton & Co ., No. 443 Broadway . This work will also be found very useful for the younger classes of learners, as an introduction to Ollendorff , or any other Spanish grammar, as it contains in a few pages, and exhibits in the plainest manner, the elements necessary to enable them to make a very easy and rapid progress in the study of this language. New York , June 1st, 1849 . CONTENTS . PART I. A SYNOPSIS, ETC. PAGE The Letters 7 Accent 10 Noun—Number ib. Gender ib. Case 11 Augmentative and Diminutive Nouns ib. Adjectives 12 Comparative ib. Superlative 13 Pronouns 14 Verbs 16 Conjugation—Simple Tenses 17 “ Compound Tenses 23 Auxiliary Verbs 25 Idiomatical Tenses 27 Place of the Pronouns 28 Verbs affirmatively and negatively conjugated ib. Passive Verbs ib. Pronominal Verbs 29 Gerund 30 Verbs that alter their radical letters 31 Remarks on the Subjunctive ib. Participle 32 Verbs that have two Participles ib. Adverbs 33 Prepositions 34 Conjunctions 35 Interjections 36 Abbreviations ib. PART II. A VOCABULARY, ETC. The Numbers 37 Moneda corriente 39 Of Heaven and the Elements 40 The Weather and Seasons ib. Days of the Week and Months 41 Holy Days ib. Ecclesiastical Dignities ib. Eatables 42 Covering of the Table ib. For Fast Days—Fish 44 For the Dessert ib. Conditions of Man and Woman 46 Clothes and Articles for Dressing ib. Articles for Riding 47 Clothes for Ladies ib. Parts of the Human Body 48 The Five Senses—Ages 49 Qualities of the Body ib. Defects of the Body 50 Studying ib. Musical Instruments ib. Parts and Furniture of a House 51 What is found about the Chimney, in the Kitchen, and in the Cellar 52 The Servants of a House 53 What is found in and about the Door, and in the Stable 54 The Garden—Flowers, Trees, &c. 54 Temporal Dignities 55 Officers of War—The Army 56 Fortifications ib. Professions and Trades 57 Defects and Imperfections 58 Good Qualities—Diseases ib. Bird and Quadrupeds 59 The Country—The City 60 Colors—Metals 61 Commercial Terms ib. Collection of Verbs 63 PART III. DIALOGUES. I. Saluting, &c. 69 II. To pay a Visit 70 III. To dress one’s self 71 IV. The Tailor 72 V. To breakfast 73 VI. To speak Spanish 74 VII. Of the Weather 75 VIII. To write 76 IX. To buy 78 X. To inquire after News 79 XI. To inquire after any one 82 XII. For a journey 83 XIII. Supper and Lodgings 85 XIV. To reckon with the Landlord 86 XV. On a Voyage by Sea 87 XVI. On board of a Vessel 89 XVII. On a Journey in a Litter, or on Mules 90 XVIII. At the Dinner Table 92 PART IV. COMMERCIAL LETTERS, ETC. First Letter 95 Second Letter 96 An Invoice 97 Third and Fourth Letters 98 Letter of Recommendation 99 A Draft ib. Endorsement 100 Notes ib. EASY INTRODUCTION TO SPANISH CONVERSATION . PART I. A SYNOPSIS OF THE CASTILIAN LANGUAGE. PART I. A SYNOPSIS OF THE CASTILIAN LANGUAGE. THE LETTERS. The vowels are, a, e, i, o, u, y. Pronounce them, ah , ay , ee , oh , oo , ee . They have invariably the same sound, and must be fully and distinctly pronounced. The vowels are never silent, except u , in the syllables gue , gui , que , qui . When the u is to be sounded in them, it is marked with a diæresis (¨) over it; thus, argüir , ar-goo-ir. The syllables in which the consonants are pronounced differently from the English, are the following. The letters in italics under