Introduction to the Spanish Grammar Guide

Hi.  My name is Thomas Febrey.  I have been a Spanish instructor for the last 25 years, both at the secondary and university levels.  I have a Bachelors degree in Spanish Liberal Arts and a Masters degree in Spanish Literature.  I studied at the University of Salamanca and served as a group supervisor at the Center for Bilingual Multicultural Studies in Cuernavaca, Mexico.  Having been a Spanish teacher for so many years,  I have come to understand what comes easily to students and what doesn't.  One problem, especially for college students, is the fact that material gets covered so fast that one doesn't really have time to assimilate what he or she is learning.  I am sure many students must wonder how nice it would be to have a handy resource that explains the variety of Spanish topics in a easy, clear, and thorough manner.  Well, here it is.  The purpose of this blog is to help you not only succeed, but to thrive as you endeavor to learn Spanish.  Some of these topics will be easy, some will be complex.  I promise to go through each and every one as clearly and completely as possible.

So here is my first piece of wisdom.  Learning vocabulary is very important.  With a deep vocabulary, you can understand quite a bit, even if you haven't mastered all the different verb inflections in Spanish.  The value of vocabulary should not be underestimated.  When your teacher gives you a list of words to learn, start working on it right away.  Flash cards are great because you can carry them around with you and test yourself throughout the day.  Whenever possible, put the Spanish word on one side of the card and a picture of what the word represents on the other.  The idea is to move away from the English word and have the Spanish word "take over" for it.  For instance, you might write el árbol on one side of a flash card, then draw a picture of a tree on the other.  Yes, it would be easier to write "the tree" on the other side, but your brain will assimilate the Spanish word faster if it is associated with an image, rather than another word.  Also, use the definite articles (el / la) with Spanish nouns.  Unlike English, all Spanish nouns have gender, so learning the article will help you to learn the noun's gender.

Next time we'll talk a little about subject pronouns.  ¡Hasta la próxima!