Coffee Break Spanish - CBS 2.36 | Continuous tenses

Episode Date: March 4, 2011

We’re returning to another episode featuring María-José and Andrew this week in which María-José will ask the question ¿Qué estás haciendo? , 'What are you doing?'. We’re focusing on the present continuous tense. Please note that lesson 36 of Season 2 was originally known as lesson 236 of Coffee Break Spanish. We have renumbered the lessons of each season as lessons 1-40 to make things more simple for our listeners.This season of Coffee Break Spanish features a total of 40 lessons, all of which will be included in the podcast feed. Just stay subscribed to the podcast to enjoy each episode. If you’d like to benefit from video versions, lesson notes and bonus audio materials, you can access the premium version of Coffee Break Spanish in the Coffee Break Academy.Don’t forget to follow Coffee Break Spanish on Facebook where we post language activities, cultural points and review materials to help you practise your Spanish. Remember - a few minutes a day can help you build your confidence in the language. Access the Coffee Break Spanish Facebook page here.If you’d like to find out what goes on behind the scenes here at Coffee Break Languages, follow @coffeebreaklanguages on Instagram.You can also check out our Coffee Break Spanish Twitter page and the Coffee Break Languages YouTube channel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Good al-Eisdais. It's lesson 76 of Coffee Break Spanish. And in this lesson, we're introducing another aspect of grammar, and that is the continuous present tense using estar, plus a part of the verb called the gerund. Now, you've come across this already, but we've just not really explained it until now. Again, Maria Jose and Andrew feature in this episode, so I hope you enjoy it.

So once again, we're going to start by listening to a conversation, between Maria Jose and Andrew. In this week's conversation, they're talking about what they're currently doing. We'll let you hear the conversation now, and I'd let you to name at least two of the things which Andrew likes about Spain. Have a listen. Maria Jose, you can't come here a momentit-o? No, I'm in this moment. I'm going. I'll be, after to read this chapter.

What is saying? It's a book French. I have to learn it before to go to the university. What are you? I'm doing you.

I'm going to a card, but I want to ask something. You're writing in Spanish?

Yes, I'm doing a Michael, that is an friend English. He also is still

studying Spanish. For so I'm think in what I'm to

write to write. I want to say that all is a good, but in a manner more interesting. Could you say that you're going to be phenomenal? Passing the phenomenal means to have a good time. And also you can say that you're just doing of the life and the food and the babies and of the playa, of the juerga. Yes, exactly.

But, but you also that you are learning much Spanish

with your friend Spaniel that is very sympathetic, very amable

and very wapa? But what you're saying? You're talking don't

thank for the help I don't want to not

you don't me not but I go to

continue So Andrew has finally made his move with Maria Jose, but you'll have to wait until the next episode to find out what happens. Let's go back and think about the content of this dialogue. At the beginning of the conversation, Maria Jose is reading and Andrew interrupts her to ask for some help with the letter that he's writing in Spanish. Kara, did you pick up any of the things that Andrew says that he's enjoying about Spain? He said that he likes a fit. He likes the drinks. Yep. He likes the beechies. Yeah. And he likes partying. That's right.

Guerga. He mentioned La Juerga, which is of course the partying, the good fun and so on. We'll come back to all that later. I'm going to let you hear this dialogue again. And each time a particular construction appears, you'll hear that little sound we used last week.

This means that you've got to listen out for the construction and see if you can pick up anything about the way in which the words are used. There are words in most cases that you'll recognize and you'll probably follow what's happening. So have a listen again. Maria Jose, you can't come here a momentito? No, I'm going in this moment. I'm going.

I'll be next to learn this chapter. What is doing? It's a book French. I have to read it before to go to learn to the university. What you're doing? I am I am I am writing a card, but I want to ask you something. Is you writing in Spanish? Yes, I am I amying a Michael, that is an amigua English.

He also is studying Spanish. For that I am thinking in what I am going to write. I want to say that all is good, but in a way more interesting. Could you say that you're going to phenomenal? Passar the phenomenal means to have a good time. And also you can say

that you're just just doing the life and the food and the babies and of the playa, of the juerga. Yes, exactly. But there are to

say also that you're learning much Spanish with your a friend of Spaniola, that is very sympathetic, very amable.

And very wapa? But what you're saying? You're talking so things?

Well, thanks for the help. I want to not want to you

don't me molest it, but I'm going to continue reading. So,

Kara, can you tell me is there something that links all of those

examples which were indicated with the little bell sound.

Okay, when they were speaking, they were talking about something they were doing at the time, like they were reading or they were writing at that time. And the construction was something to do with Esther

with a bit of the verb with Ando or endo on the end. Almost perfect. Almost perfect. First of all, you're exactly right. It's all about what they are doing at the time, exactly at that moment. So, for example, Maria

Jose said, I'm leading I am reading. Okay. So really emphasising the fact that at this moment I am reading. And this is something that we've come across before in a number of situations, but we've never actually learned this construction. You mentioned that it's a part of estar, the verb to be, and the word that ends in Ando or endo. In actual fact, that's almost perfect, it ends in ando for ER verbs.

For example, Estoy pensando. I am thinking. Thinking, yep. Or for ER verbs, it ends in yendo, I-I-N-D-O. Y-end-O. Y-endo.

Okay, so, for example, I-Scribien-O-N-A-C-R-U-N-D. I'm-S-I-R-U-N-D. So, for A-R-V-R-V-E-N-D, so for A-R-R-V-E-R-N-D, which is actually called the gerund, okay, the G-E-R-N-D, you take off the AR of the infinitive and add ando, ando. So,

Ablaar becomes, ablando. What would Jugaar become? Jogando? Yeah, to play when you're talking about the piano. Tocando. Tocando, okay. Now, one thing you've got to be very careful of here, as soon as you start thinking that tocando means playing and ablando means speaking. you develop what is commonly known by teachers as gerunditis and you start saying oh i like speaking spanish me gusto hallo no no no no no you're not allowed to say that it makes no sense whatsoever how do you say i like speaking spanish me goesa bha bhaer spaniol abla using the infinitive because i like speaking spanish is the same as i like to speak spanish so in that situation you use

the infinitive. Don't suddenly start to use the gerund everywhere. The gerund is really only used in this particular situation where you are doing something at that moment. So the gerund is combined with a part of estar. And in this case, we were saying, for example, Estoy toocando el piano. I'm Tocaando Which would mean I am at this moment

Playing the piano Yeah, it's what you're doing right at this moment If you say Tocco el piano It could mean I play the piano As in I play the piano To please my great grandmother

Who likes listening to me Play the piano Or it could mean I'm playing the piano Just now Tocel Piano What you're doing Tocue el Piano

Okay. However, when you see I'm talking the piano, it means that right at this moment, the thing that you are doing is playing the piano. I'm talking the piano. I'm talking the piano. In this moment, at this moment, we're trying to Spanish. You can't repeat it, for favor.

in this moment we're learning Spanish yeah aprendiendo coming from A Prender

and notice with the ER verb we've taken off the ER and added I

E-N-D-O I-E-N-D-O Iendo Yendo Aprendianno Let's take the verb Abriar

means To open So how do you see at this moment I am opening the window? In this moment, abriending the window. Okay, now you've missed out something there. You've got the... Yeah.

I'm trying. I'm abriendo. In this moment, I'm trying to openo the ventana. So, Abriar becomes abriendo. Abriendo. So I'm already heard Escribier becoming

Escribieno So Andrew says I'm saying, he's writing a letter. He's writing a letter. I'm writing a letter. I'm describing a card. Perfecto. Okay, we'll be back in just a moment.

Now, if you'd like to get more out of your coffee break Spanish experience, then you can sign up for the full premium version of our course, and that includes video versions of our lessons, where you'll see the words and phrases on the screen of your device while you listen. There's also a set of lesson notes for every lesson with vocabulary and additional examples, and bonus audio. All of our premium courses are available at the Coffee Break Academy. That's at coffeebreakacademy.com. Okay, let's get on with the lesson. Okay, there are a few examples of this construction which are a little bit irregular.

For example, if we take the verb, de'i'er, which means to say, it becomes, Dicienda. Dicendo. Dicendo. Or in Latin America, Dissienda. Dissu. What is dicingo? What would that mean?

What would that mean? What are you saying? What are you saying? So, what are you saying? So, what you're saying in Spain? Or what you're saying in Latin America? This is what Maria Jose replies to Andrew's rather forward suggestion, that not only is she sympathica and amable, but very guapa. What does guapa mean?

Pretty. Pretty, yeah. So she says, but what are you saying? you're talking nonsense. Tonterias are silly things. Tonterias nonsense. So, you're talking nonsense.

Try to sing that. Estes about tonterias. Estes about tonterias. Uh-huh. Before we listen to the conversation again, I'd like to pick up on one of the phrases. In fact, the phrase that Maria Jose taught to Andrew to help him say that he's having a good time.

She said, passar lo phenomenal to have a good time passarlo phenomenal so we've got an infinitive there passar and the lo part obviously means it

so literally this means to pass it brilliantly passerlo phenomenal so let's put this into the preterate tense how would you say literally, I passed it brilliantly. I had a good time. Lo Pace phenomenal.

Lo Pace phenomenal. Very well. Lo Pace phenomenal in Canarias. I had a great time in the Canary Islands. Lo Pace phenomenal. Lo Pes phenomenal. And using another example, how would you say, I have had a great time using the perfect tense?

lo e pasado phenomenal phenomenal sorry that's it you're concentrating so hard on getting the right

verb there lo he pasto phenomenal now note there lo goes before the auxiliary

verb before the part of aver lo he pasto phenomenal

lo he passed phenomenal okay how would you say I will have a great

time okay we're going back to the future tense from a couple of weeks ago, I will have a great time. Boy a pasarlo. That's cheating, but you did get it right. Boy a passarlo phenomenal.

Boy a passarlo, the lo, sticking on to the end of passar. Boy to passarlo phenomenal. But in the pure future tense, it would be, you struggling? Lo passaria. Not quite, that's the condition. that in a minute. Lo passere. Phenomenal.

Lo passere phenomenal. Lo passere phenomenal. So that would be Passare, passaras, passera, passera, passrae passerais, passeran. They will have a great time. Lo passaran phenomenal in

Spain. They'll have a great time in Spain. Lo passeran phenomenal. Lo passeran phenomenal. And since you gave us it anyway, how would you say, I would have a great great time in the conditional tense.

Lo passaria phenomenal? No, this phenomenal can be replaced with bien, for example, lo passé very bien. That's obviously replacing it with very bien, but you get the idea. Lo pase very bien. Lo pese bien.

Lo pese very well. Lo pese very well. Lo he pasto very well. Lo have passed very well. So I've had a a good time, a very good time. And another word that's used with this construction certainly was in fashion in Spain quite recently

was the use of the word bomba. Bomba. Bomba literally means bomb, as in something that explodes. In English we say, I had a whale of a time. In Spanish, you say, I passed it bomb. Okay, so lo passe bomba.

Lo psae bomba. Pasado Bomba in Spain Lo have passed a bomba in Spain Very well So you've got Pasarlo bien Paso phenomenal

Paso Boomba three different examples Okay We're going to listen to the conversation again Once again Try and pick out all the

Estar plus gerent The continuous tenses The continuous present Tenses because we'll come to other tenses next time and also make sure

that you're understanding the conversation too For our premium subscribers, we'll be going through the whole conversation and taking it apart in this week's bonus podcast. Marie-Jose, can't come here a moment-it-o? No I'm in this moment. I'm going. I'll be going after to read this chapter.

What is you're reading? It's a book French. I have to read it before to go to university. What are you? I'm doing a letter. but I want to ask you something. Is you writing in Spanish? Yes, I'm going to write a Michael,

that is an amigua English. He also is studying Spanish. For that I'm thinking in what I'm going to write. I'm going to say that all right, but in a manner more interesting. Could you say that you're going to be phenomenal?

Passing the phenomenal means to have a good time and also you can say that you're just doing the life and the food and the and the babies and of the playa, of the juerga yes, exactly

but there's to say that you're learning much Spanish with your friend Spaniola that is very sympathetic, very amable very wapa

but what you're saying you're talking talking tontterias well, thanks for the Iuda, no I'd not want to

you'll Thank you. It's good, but I'll continue reading. And that's where we're going to leave it today

for this edition of Coffee Break Spanish. Thanks for joining us and we hope it's been useful. You can join

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