Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Conventions Used in This Book 2
Foolish Assumptions 2
Icons Used in This Book 3
Where to Go from Here 4
Chapter 1: I Say It How? Speaking Spanish 5
You Already Know Some Spanish 6
Beware of false friends 6
Some crossover influence 7
Reciting Your ABC’s 8
Consonants 9
Vowels 16
The diphthongs 18
Pronunciation and Stress 19
Looking for stress, normally 20
Looking for accented vowels 20
Understanding accents on diphthongs 21
¡Punctuation Plus! 21
Some Basic Phrases to Know 21
Chapter 2: Grammar on a Diet: Just the Basics. 23
Sentence Construction 23
Verbs 24
Regular verbs 24
Irregular verbs 26
Extra verbs charts 27
Forming Questions 31
Pronouns in Hiding 32
That Whole Gender Thing 33
Make It Two (or More): Plurals 35
Telling Tales with Adjectives 36
It’s You, You Know: The Tu/Usted Issue 36
Chapter 3: Numerical Gumbo: Counting of All Kinds 39
1, 2, 3: Cardinal Numbers 39
Discovering Ordinal Numbers 41
Telling Time 42
You can tell time 42
But are you on time? 44
Days, Months, Seasons 45
What day is it? 45
Living month to month 47
Counting Your Money 48
Carrying cash 48
ATMs 49
Credit cards 51
Exchanging your dollars 52
Chapter 4: Making New Friends and Enjoying Small Talk 55
Hello! Greetings and Introductions 55
Formal introductions 55
Informal introductions 57
Small-Talk Verbs 58
Llamarse: Calling 58
Ser: Being 59
Estar: The second being 62
Hablar: Speaking 64
Trabajar: Working 67
Entender: Understanding 67
Vivir: Living 68
Small-talk apologies 69
Grand Inquisitor: Questions 70
A Rainy Day: Talking Weather 72
How Is Your Family? 73
Chapter 5: Enjoying a Drink and a Snack (or Meal!) 75
Getting the Table and Meal Basics 75
Three Verbs Used at the Table 76
To take and to drink: The verb tomar 77
For drinking only: The verb beber 77
For eating: The verb comer 78
At the Restaurant 79
What’s on the Menu? 81
The Bill, Please 85
Chapter 6: Shop ’Til You Drop 87
Heading Out on the Town 87
Browsing around 87
Getting around the store 88
Requesting color and size 89
Getting the right fit 91
Using the shopping verb: Comprar 92
Wearing and taking: The verb llevar 93
Shopping the Traditional Market 94
Shopping for food 94
Scoping out special items 98
Visiting the Supermarket 100
Bartering for Your Goods 100
Getting the Right Quantity 102
Comparing Better or Best 102
Chapter 7: Making Leisure a Top Priority. 105
Having a Good Time 105
Using the inviting verb invitar 106
Using the dancing verb bailar 107
Having a Good Time at Shows and Events 108
Screening the cinema 109
Enjoying a concert 109
Enjoying the Outdoors 111
Taking a walk 111
Watching the animals 112
Sports, Sports, Sports 114
The most popular ball game: Futbol 114
Beisbol: #2 116
The playing verb: Jugar 117
Chapter 8: When You Gotta Work 119
Picking Up the Phone 119
Opening lines 119
Leaving messages 121
Making a collect call 123
Outside the Office 123
Inside the Office 125
Getting a job 126
Scheduling and conducting a meeting 128
Using emplear: The hiring verb 131
Hacer: The doing, making verb 131
Packing a PC 133
Chapter 9: I Get Around: Transportation 135
On the Go: Transportation 135
Boarding the train 135
Hailing a taxi 137
Hopping a bus 137
Renting a car 138
Passing Passport Control 141
Transportation Verbs 146
The outgoing verb: Salir 146
Using the waiting verb: Esperar 147
Asking for Directions 148
¿Adonde vamos? Where do we go? 148
Mapping the place 149
Getting directions from locals 150
Understanding spatial directions 152
Here, there, and everywhere 153
Chapter 10: Laying Down Your Weary Head: House or Hotel? 155
Speaking of Houses 155
Some rental wisdom 156
Furnishing your house 159
Scoping Out the Hotel 160
Registering for a Room 164
Dormir: The Sleeping Verb 167
Despertar: The Waking Up Verb 169
Chapter 11: Dealing with Emergencies 171
Shouting for Help 171
Handling Health Problems 172
Helping out 173
Painful phrases for when it hurts 174
Telling where it hurts 176
Describing symptoms 177
Talking to the doctor 179
Visiting the dentist 180
Ensuring that you get your money back 182
Getting Help with Legal Problems 182
Being under arrest 183
Stick ’em up: Words to know when you’re robbed 183
Reporting to the police 184
Dealing with Car Emergencies 185
Chapter 12: Favorite Spanish Expressions. 189
¿Que tal? 189
¿Quiubo? 189
¿Que paso? 190
¿Como van las cosas? 190
¡Del uno! 190
¿Cuanto cuesta? 191
¿A cuanto? 191
¡Un asalto! 191
¡Una ganga! 191
¡Buen provecho! 192
¡Salud! 192
¡Buen viaje! 192
Chapter 13: Phrases That Make You Sound Like a Local 193
¡Esta es la mia! 193
¿Y eso con que se come? 194
Voy a ir de farra 194
Caer fatal 194
Nos divertimos en grande 195
Ver negro para 195
Paso sin pena ni gloria 195
¡Asi a secas! 196
¡La cosa va viento en popa! 196
Index 197
