Profe Juanita, Ayudame por favor: If you notice phrases I use that perhaps accomplish what I am trying to say, but don't say it in a way that a native speaker might say a similar idea I appreciate those opportunities to train my brain to think like a native speaker. I also tend to use a lot of false cognates and I really learn from situations where I am corrected after using one.
GOALS - I am always trying to be more naturally aware of the need to use the subjunctive. I especially struggle with past subjunctive. I think I need to try to increase the rate of my speech. I slow down and make sure I think of the correct way to say things, but I think it might help just to speak naturally and let the errors occur so I can possible obtain a different perspective on what things I need to improve upon.
GRAMMAR - I said mucha gente no comprenden, but I wasn't sure if this should trigger the use of subjunctive (similar to the situation where someone says something like "I am looking for a person that ____"
VOCABULARY/GRAMMAR - I was trying to say a lot of work goes into making a soup. I tried to circumlocute by saying a lot of effort is required. I don't know how I should say this more effectively in Spanish.
VOCABULARY - I said vivir una vida fresca when I was trying to describe how they keep things fresh/new in their lives. I wasn't sure if there was a more appropriate word to describe freshness in this way.
GRAMMAR - I think I should have said nunca habian jugado golf instead of han jugado. I was saying that they do new things outside, even if they HAVEN't done them before, then went to the example of golf where they HADN't done that specific thing before, but now have.
GRAMMAR - Minor slip. I said ustedes instead of ellos. I do that quite a bit for some reason because I don't use ellos/ellas as much as Ustedes and it uses the same conjugation.
GRAMMAR - I said "mientras aprendi esas cosas", but I'm not sure if I should have used the imperfect tense. I was trying to say "While I learned those things". I could have been in a state of learning which didn't require preterite, but in English it was not as distinguishable for me to ID which tense to use.
GRAMMAR - I was trying to say "My personality changed" when I said "Para mi cambió", but I am not sure if I should have been using the impersonal se or maybe "la cambió". I lose sight of when to use the impersonal se in the situations where its use is less obviously necessary to me.
VOCABULARY - I was trying to say I like to help people who possibly can't help themselves without some assistance to get themselves out of an unfortunate circumstance. I know "su propio" is "your own", but I didn't know how to say "Themselves". It looks like I should have used "ellos mismos", but I am still not 100% confident on that.
VOCABULARY - I was trying to say that personality is who you are at your core. I could not think of an alternate word to circumlocute the vocabulary lapse so I said corazon. I then felt like I was being confusing to my partner. The word for core is "centro", but I still wonder if there is a better word for it to describe who someone is "on the inside".
TEXT TYPE - Did not meet - I was trying to describe personality as the state of being a person is in when they are doing the things they want to do, without the distractions of obligations. This is a common issue for me, where I don't really know how I want to explain it in English, so the Spanish explanation naturally falls short.
TEXT TYPE - Met expectations for Text Type - I think I am becoming very fluid in my ability to describe my day and various events that have happened to me in the past. I am comfortable switching between preterite and imperfect for the most part. I did slip up and use an English word after I started rolling.
Your current browser isn't compatible with SoundCloud.
Please download one of our supported browsers.
Need help?
Comment by Juanita
Tal vez este artículo te ayude con el "se" universal y cuando usarlo: https://baselang.com/blog/advanced-grammar/the-impersonal-se-in-spanish/
Comment by Joe Capps
Profe Juanita, Ayudame por favor: If you notice phrases I use that perhaps accomplish what I am trying to say, but don't say it in a way that a native speaker might say a similar idea I appreciate those opportunities to train my brain to think like a native speaker. I also tend to use a lot of false cognates and I really learn from situations where I am corrected after using one.
Comment by Joe Capps
GOALS - I am always trying to be more naturally aware of the need to use the subjunctive. I especially struggle with past subjunctive. I think I need to try to increase the rate of my speech. I slow down and make sure I think of the correct way to say things, but I think it might help just to speak naturally and let the errors occur so I can possible obtain a different perspective on what things I need to improve upon.
Comment by Joe Capps
GRAMMAR - I said mucha gente no comprenden, but I wasn't sure if this should trigger the use of subjunctive (similar to the situation where someone says something like "I am looking for a person that ____"
Comment by Joe Capps
VOCABULARY/GRAMMAR - I was trying to say a lot of work goes into making a soup. I tried to circumlocute by saying a lot of effort is required. I don't know how I should say this more effectively in Spanish.
Comment by Joe Capps
VOCABULARY - I said vivir una vida fresca when I was trying to describe how they keep things fresh/new in their lives. I wasn't sure if there was a more appropriate word to describe freshness in this way.
Comment by Joe Capps
GRAMMAR - I think I should have said nunca habian jugado golf instead of han jugado. I was saying that they do new things outside, even if they HAVEN't done them before, then went to the example of golf where they HADN't done that specific thing before, but now have.
Comment by Joe Capps
GRAMMAR - Minor slip. I said ustedes instead of ellos. I do that quite a bit for some reason because I don't use ellos/ellas as much as Ustedes and it uses the same conjugation.
Comment by Joe Capps
GRAMMAR - I said "mientras aprendi esas cosas", but I'm not sure if I should have used the imperfect tense. I was trying to say "While I learned those things". I could have been in a state of learning which didn't require preterite, but in English it was not as distinguishable for me to ID which tense to use.
Comment by Joe Capps
GRAMMAR - I was trying to say "My personality changed" when I said "Para mi cambió", but I am not sure if I should have been using the impersonal se or maybe "la cambió". I lose sight of when to use the impersonal se in the situations where its use is less obviously necessary to me.
Comment by Joe Capps
VOCABULARY - I was trying to say I like to help people who possibly can't help themselves without some assistance to get themselves out of an unfortunate circumstance. I know "su propio" is "your own", but I didn't know how to say "Themselves". It looks like I should have used "ellos mismos", but I am still not 100% confident on that.
Comment by Joe Capps
VOCABULARY - I was trying to say that personality is who you are at your core. I could not think of an alternate word to circumlocute the vocabulary lapse so I said corazon. I then felt like I was being confusing to my partner. The word for core is "centro", but I still wonder if there is a better word for it to describe who someone is "on the inside".
Comment by Joe Capps
TEXT TYPE - Did not meet - I was trying to describe personality as the state of being a person is in when they are doing the things they want to do, without the distractions of obligations. This is a common issue for me, where I don't really know how I want to explain it in English, so the Spanish explanation naturally falls short.
Comment by Joe Capps
TEXT TYPE - Met expectations for Text Type - I think I am becoming very fluid in my ability to describe my day and various events that have happened to me in the past. I am comfortable switching between preterite and imperfect for the most part. I did slip up and use an English word after I started rolling.