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January 2006 Online Newsletter...sent every other month
Tips and information about learning Spanish and the people who speak it. Personal attention is what has made Language Link grow, and we value your contributions. Please send an email to the address above to remove if you do not want to receive our news. If you or a friend would like to be added to our list, email us at info@langlink.com.
What's in this edition
Online Lesson, Cocina Cooking, Culture Clips, Language Link's Latest, OJO (special deals), Rhythm & Book Blurbs, Been There, Loved That (reports from participants), Likeable Links
Online Lesson
Don’t be passive about the passive voice in Spanish!
When teachers use grammatical terms such as tense and voice, often students’ eyes glaze over, and their minds close. However, you can think of them as merely convenient labels, and they’re simply explained. Active voice is when you have a specific person actually doing an act. Example: Mary wrote the book. Passive voice is when you have a mystery subject or you have the agent (person doing the action) expressed with a “by”. The book was written in the 16th century (mystery subject here). The book was written by a Mexican author. (agent expressed here). How do these all play out in Spanish? In the one with the mystery subject, this is a form which is used a great deal. In English we substitute an all purpose “you” or “they” often when we don’t mean a specific person, as in, “You can get good food there” or “They speak Spanish in Costa Rica.” If you are British, you might say “One can eat well there.” In Spanish, which is often more formal than English, this type of thought is expressed more in a general way (think of the mystery actor). The little word se is used with the present tense as a substitute for the actor. There’s a trick to it though. The verb will either be third person singular or plural, depending on what follows the verb. You’ve seen many signs which say Se habla español. A perfect example of passive voice, Spanish is spoken (here). If there were two languages advertised, it would be Se hablan inglés y español. English and Spanish are spoken. Did you notice the difference in using habla (singular for one language) and hablan for two)?
This is used in past tense, too, when whoever did the action isn’t named. Se escribió el libro en el año 1920. (We have no idea who wrote the book and aren’t emphasizing that aspect.) Notice that the “subject” (in this case el libro) always comes after the verb, unlike the English word order.
The other use is very frequent in public situations. Rather than say the equivalent of where do I pay the bill, it is more common to say in Spanish, ¿Dónde se paga la cuenta? (Where does “one” pay the bill?) A handy phrase with this form is Se puede almost any infinitive. For example, ¿Se puede entrar? (Can one enter, or thought of informally as, Can I come in?)
The last use is when you have an agent named, but it's not the emphatic acting “doer”. An example: The book was illustrated by a Peruvian. This structure is a bit more complicated. In Spanish you use the preterite forms of the verb ser (mostly fue and fueron) combined with a past participle. Remember that past participles are usually the ado and ido forms of the infinitive, such as hablado (spoken) and comido (eaten). Watch out, as there are many irregular forms – particularly common ones like escrito, abierto. With these, the verb form matches the “subject” to be either singular or plural, and the past participle matches in singular or plural and in gender (masculine or feminine). Not as complicated as it sounds, it would go like this – El libro fue ilustrado por un peruano. But if it were plural, Los libros fueron ilustrados por un peruano.
If these seem complicated grammatically, the trick to using them is to find one good example which you would say frequently in your own conversations. Understand the concept, but use that one good, often repeated example, until it is comfortable to say and you’re not analyzing it. Once you’re there with your example, other variations of it will come into your head without all the slowdown which grammatical analysis causes in your speaking.
Cocina Cooking
Mexican Meatloaf - Mexican comfort food for a cold winter’s night - Serves 4
1 lb. lean ground sirloin, 16 oz. jar mild tomato salsa, 2 tsp. ground cumin, 1 C. frozen corn, 1 C. diced green pepper, 1 C. plain bread crumbs, salt and fresh ground pepper
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil. Mix beef, salsa, cumin, corn, peppers and bread crumbs together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Divide mixture into quarters. Shape into 4 loaves. Bake for 20 minutes.
Jalapeño Mashed Potatoes
2 lbs. potatoes (Yukon gold preferred), 2 tsp. olive oil, 1 C. chopped red onion, 4 crushed medium garlic cloves, 2 medium jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced, 4 T. sour cream, ½ C. chopped fresh cilantro, salt and fresh ground pepper
Wash potatoes and cut into 2 inch pieces. Place in large saucepan and add cold water to cover. Cover with lid and boil until potatoes are cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. While potatoes cook, heat olive oil over medium heat in skillet. Sauté onion, garlic and jalapeño pepper 10 minutes. Drain potatoes and mash or put in food processor. With a fork combine potatoes with onion mixture. Add sour cream and cilantro and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
Culture Clips
Once again I am being asked by friends why I love Mexico. Finding this hard to express, I come out with the particularly unladylike, “It has such great guts!” This response makes me ponder a day in Cuernavaca, Mexico, to reflect what I mean. My day begins as I am invigorated by a morning walk in what some describe as a climate of eternal spring. It’s no wonder this place has been a chosen vacation destination since the 10th century. The 5,000’ altitude creates that delicious morning and evening freshness, yet the day’s sun warms things up to make flowers bloom abundantly and to feel comfortably caressed by a tropical touch. After a breakfast of plátanos fritos I decide to head downtown. Many friends have admired a silver basket I have. It has the appearance of woven straw, although it’s of silver, and it’s in the shape of a tortilla basket. I love the náhuatl (language of the Aztecs) word for it, a chiquihuite. Just maybe I can find another one to bring back as a gift. The taxi driver and I have a nice chat on the way downtown. He’s a proud father and wants to tell me all about his children, and that’s always a reminder of the commonality of all peoples of the world. I step out of the taxi in front of the Palacio de Cortés. I’ll take a quick detour and go in for a few minutes. As I approach the front door, there is a glass encased tomb with a skeleton. It’s a reminder that this palace was built on the ruins of a Tlahuica temple, the original inhabitants of the area. The second king of Tenochtitlán (the great city of the Aztecs) married the daughter of the local Tlahuica leader, and from this union was born the great Moctezuma. The palace fortress was built by Cortés in 1529 and included a huge tract of land which was the entire present state of Morelos. What I love most inside is the beautiful mural by Diego Rivera. It depicts the conquest of Cuernavaca, as well as the history which followed. Old Diego imposed his own face on the body and headgear of Father Miguel Hidalgo, leader of the War of Independence from Spain in 1810, and his eyes really do follow you as you walk by! Also prominent is the famed white horse of Emiliano Zapata, revolutionary hero, and well portrayed by Marlon Brando in the movie Viva Zapata. I could stay here a long time, but I want to cover a little more ground. Only a few steps away is another of my favorite places, the Brady Museum. It’s on a street whose name needs all my concentration to say properly, Netzahualcoyotl, a great Aztec poet. Brady was a US flamboyant character who lived in Cuernavaca’s first bishop’s house, and he collected fabulous art. I love it that the museum directors have left his home completely intact and arranged just as he had it. His neon yellow living room walls are graced with a Frida Kahlo painting, among other high profile Mexican artists. I recall that one of her paintings recently was sold for several million dollars, and I speculate the financial worth of the one I’m seeing now. It’s time to move on, so I walk less than a block away to stroll through the Borda Gardens. The last time I was here I attended a lovely concert in the Sala Ponce, named after a composer of superb classical guitar pieces. Today I decide to have another look at the series of paintings depicting the whole history of Maximiliano and Carlota. He was of the Austrian Hapsburgs and was talked into coming to Mexico, as at that time (1800’s), some of the Mexican aristocrats decided they wanted a king-emperor figure. He didn’t last long before he was put before a firing squad, and his wife Carlota went insane. It’s quite a story, and made even more complex by the painting of his indigenous mistress, La India Bonita, coyly peeking out from behind a tree. I realize that in the short distance of a few blocks I’ve covered hundreds of years of history, all filled with fascinating characters. Although I still haven’t found my chiquihuite, it’s time to head back home. I have a dinner reservation for the evening in a restaurant which was the former home of Cantinflas, Mexico’s equivalent (only funnier!) to Charlie Chaplin with words. My dinner companions are Mexican friends including one who has a small taller (workshop) which makes mosaics from the locally manufactured Venetian glass tiles. This art has deep roots in Mexico. Another friend was a visiting Fulbright art professor in the U.S., and he always makes me see symbolism in everything around us. A tortilla is never just a tortilla to him…think cosmological significance of the circular shape of eternity. He conducts workshops in mural painting, Mexico’s great contribution to the art world. The menu is intriguing, and very Mexican in a contemporary way. This chef is definitely into the fresh ingredient and fusion culinary style. When that is combined with the centuries old food of Mexico, it’s quite sensational. Shall I have the crepas de cuitlacoche? It will give me bragging rights back in the US to say I’ve eaten corn fungus or smut, but it’s been considered a delicacy around here for centuries. In summary, it’s a wonderful day, filled with layers, intrigue, history, mystery, fascinating people, sights, sounds and tastes….and all those make up the “guts” that I love.
Often I feel I go to some distant region of the world to be reminded of who I really am. There is no mystery about why this should be so. Stripped of your ordinary surroundings, your friends, your daily routines, your refrigerator full of your food, your closet full of your clothes – with all this taken away, you are forced into direct experiences. That’s not always comfortable, but it is always invigorating. So travel has helped me to have direct experiences. And to know more about myself.– Michael Crichton, Travels
Language Link’s Latest
If you have teenagers in your house, please consider one of our summer programs for young people. This year we are offering programs in Spain, Costa Rica and Mexico. Also, we will soon be adding two more summer Surf and Spanish programs in Mexico and Costa Rica which are more like camps for teens, as they include residence stays instead of host families. There’s no better gift to give a child or grandchild than another language!
The summer season looks as though it will be particularly busy this year. In some programs we reach the point of waiting lists, especially in June and July. If you’re considering summer study, please don’t wait too long to register. We hate to tell you there’s no more room.
Many of you enjoyed talking and working with Christina Henderson, our Asst. Director. She has bid us adios for a position as a CPA.-to-be in Chicago, and we wish her well. Her replacement is Meredith Butler who has either visited or studied in our programs in Antigua, Quito, Oaxaca and Cuernavaca. Meredith has assisted in Language Link groups in both Ecuador and Mexico. She also brings a wealth of technical experience and higher education consulting to the position, and we are very excited to have her in the office.
OJO (Special Deals)
BE PAID TO TRAVEL: Have you ever thought about using your language skills conducting tours both internationally and locally? If you would like to consider this, check out the International Guide Academy's web site at http://www.bepaidtotravel.com If you do enroll in one of their courses, please let them know you are a Language Link graduate and they will give you a discount of US$100 off the tuition.
Wanting to study in Spain at a great price? To help promote Córdoba becoming the European Capital of Culture in 2016, the Academia Hispánica of Córdoba, Spain, has a special offer for February and March 2006. Two weeks of the intensive course (4 hours daily) and accommodation in a private room in a shared flat is only 400 euros or $493 US (a savings of 100 euros or $123 US). The city of Córdoba has been shortlisted as a candidate to receive this special designation. As well as recognizing a city’s existing cultural excellence, the program is designed to encourage cities to develop and innovate through participation in the cultural arena. It puts culture at the heart of city life and seeks inspiration to drive it forward. If Córdoba is elected, it will be both a recognition of the wealth of Córdoba’s cultural heritage, especially in its historical role as a melting pot of Arabic, Jewish and Christian cultures from the 8th – 12th centuries, as well as an impetus to make Córdoba a showcase for European culture. On our website see information on the school under Spain, then Córdoba, then the Academia Hispánica.
And even another opportunity in Spain! This offer is from an excellent school located in one of the so called “white villages”, a charming small town of 14,000, Vejer de la Frontera, set on the side of large hills which overlook the coast of Spain. If two people study together from now until March 10, the second person receives completely free accommodations in a shared student house. See information on our website under Spain, then Vejer de la Frontera, then La Janda.
Ongoing contest! We are still running our contest to Cuernavaca, Mexico, a grand opportunity! Enter your name through the contest box on our website. This prize is two free weeks of group classes (6 hours daily), as well as two weeks of a host family stay in a private room with two daily meals. The Spanish Language Institute is one of our highest rated schools. Buena suerte.
Rhythm & Book Blurbs
Purchase these selections easily through the Language Link Shop.
Music – It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and we’re all in the mood for romance. The Mexican Trio Los Panchos is the true essence of romantic music, with clearly sung lyrics and beautiful guitar. Just imagine the possibilities of Voy a apagar la luz. Try the album called Todo Panchos, and impress your special someone. It’s old music, but the emotions of love never change.
Books – Stories from Mexico: Historias de Mexico, by G. Barlow, W. Stivers, is an enjoyable way to increase your learning. There are 16 legends, drawn from 1500 years of Mexican history, and they are told both in English and Spanish, with end vocabulary lists in both languages. Many students of Spanish find this type of reading to be a superb way to increase their vocabulary and enhance their cultural knowledge at the same time.
Been There, Loved That
Cuernavaca, Mexico I visited SLI last year and it was GREAT!! I hope to be able to return again next summer. I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about the language and culture. - Robert Johnson, Omaha NE
Various locations I have had the good fortune to participate in your programs in Mexico, Costa Rica and Ecuador. I can think of no better way to study Spanish and learn about the culture and people. Lenor Armstrong Silver Spring MD
Teen Program in Tarragona, Spain (through IH Barcelona) I learned a lot, but I also had a lot of fun. The school is quite close to a) the center of town and all the shops and restaurants and b) the beach so those two areas were visited frequently. The best part, however was all the people I met. Unlike other programs friends went on, there was a huge amount of kids from other countries. It was amazing interacting with kids from other parts of the world. Sarah Schiller, Piedmont CA
Heredia and Sámara Beach, Costa Rica I learned so much... the professors were great and very helpful. My host family mother was Annia Sanchez. She’s my new best friend. – Lindsay Phillips, Sherman TX (with a group from Austin College)
Quito, Ecuador Thanks to the excellent program and teachers, I progressed rapidly and fulfilled my language learning goals. In six weeks I progressed from level one to level eight out of ten levels. I have already recommended this program to many people. Beth Thompson, Milwaukee WI
Antigua, Guatemala My Guatemalan experience was fulfilling, colorful and replete. I found Guatemala to be intriguing both geographically and historically…. Language Link has a diversified and honest product that is extremely well researched in every conceivable detail, sophisticated in its presentation and absolutely seamless in terms of logistics. I am so pleased that by chance several years ago a fellow student handed me one of your original brochures and that I followed through. I recommend your services without reservation or qualification to others interested in improving their linguistic skills. Charles Kordula, M.D., Woodcliff Lake NJ
Likeable Links
http://www.mexperience.com – pictures and a trip report on Cuernavaca
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~rjsalvad/scmfaq/scmfaq.html - culture and society of Mexico
http://lanic.utexas.edu/la/mexico/ - general information about Mexico, very comprehensive
http://www.arts-history.mx/ - a site of an excellent cultural magazine in Spanish
We hope you enjoyed our news. Please visit us at www.langlink.com. Or if you like a real voice, call us at 800.552.2051. We're on Central Time with office hours 9:00 to 5:00.
Kay G. Rafool, Exec. Director/Meredith Butler, Asst. Director, Language Link, P.O.B. 3006, Peoria, Illinois 61612 USA, Fax 309.692.2926 Worldwide 309.692.2961 Toll free 800.552.2051
info@langlink.com ¡Hasta luego!
