Do Collective Nouns Take a Singular or Plural Verb?

I haven’t been able to dig up enough research but from what little I found, I culled the following. Bear in mind that this is an etic point of view.

With collective nouns, as with any parts of speech, it is the intent and meaning which the speaker wishes to convey that determines usage in a cultural context. E.g., in British English, ‘committee’ is traditionally plural; in American English, singular.

I may be wrong.

Spanish collective nouns are typically singular, much like in English.

Where there seems to be some inconsistency is when the speaker meant to refer to the members in a collective noun individually, (El reba?o de hembras deben integrarse en el de los machos), it takes a plural verb;
when the collective noun is taken in its entirety, it takes a singular verb.

Logic dictates that there are instances where referring to the individuals in the group would not make much common sense; e.g.” Un reba?o de nubes negras pasea por el cielo.”
In this case the verb is singular.

Where it is difficult (for me) is when the collective noun refers to people (la mitad de los cibernautas ser?n …), animate, or to inanimate objects associated with people (La mitad de las empresas … realizar? …). My inclination here is to use the plural IF I mean each of the individuals in the group; otherwise, singular.

In the last example,”Una docena de chicos se alimenta en el basura.”, may I argue thus: that ‘una docena’ is singular in meaning; therefore it takes a singluar verb. Were it ‘Dos docenas’ it is plural.

My conclusion on this is as follows; and I’ll be way out on a limb because I am speaking as an outsider of the Spanish culture.

Typically, collective nouns in Spanish are singular.

Common sense logic and the intended meaning dictate whether the collective noun takes a singular or a plural verb. Both singular and plural are correct, and are correct ONLY when it conveys truly what the speaker wants to say.

Then maybe, I’m way over my head.

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More on Distinguishing Between Ser and Estar

From the mailbox:

In ser vs. estar, my tutor has given me the following guideline:

One of the instances in which ser is used: With adjectives (like bueno or malo). El precio no es malo.

And one of the instances in which estar is used: With adverbs (like bien or mal). El precio no está mal.

Question 1: Is there merit to idea of using ser with adjectives and estar with adverbs?

Question 2: You have written an article entitled "Using Spanish Adjectives as Adverbs." But can the converse also be true? Can adverbs (like mal) function as adjectives?

Question 3: Which brings us to the most basic element of this confusion: Is "price" an "essential characteristic" (ser) or a "temporary condition" (estar)? Are there certain situations (like the price of something) which could go either way, which would then require the above distinction of adjectives vs. adverbs?

Great questions! The matter of ser vs. estar certainly can be a matter of confusion — and that's only partly because both words can be translated as "to be." In some situations, native speakers don't always carefully distinguish between them, and even when they do the difference isn't always readily translatable (such as when discussing marital status).

To answer your last question first, both estar and ser can be used with price. A quick web search suggests the following are used in increasing order of frequency to say "the price is good":

El precio es bueno.El precio está bueno.El precio está bien. (This is by far the most common.)

The same pattern is followed in expressing the opposite, with "El precio está mal" the overwhelming preference.

Your questions prompted me to put together a lesson detailing the use of estar as a way of expressing impressions that the speaker has of something. With that in mind, it's logical for estar to be the verb of choice here — usually, when you're talking about whether the price of something is good or bad, you're giving an impression rather than describing a quality that's inherent in something.

As to why the adverb bien is preferred over the adjective bueno, I can't really tell you except to say that bien and mal are commonly used with estar and are preferred over bueno and malo in a wide variety of circumstances. While under some circumstances está bien and está bueno are understood differently, I'm not aware of any way of predicting what those differences will be.

And now to answer your other questions:

1. Ser is almost always followed by a word or phrase that functions as an adjective or noun. It doesn't make sense to use ser with an adverb. Estar, on the other hand, can be followed by an adjective or adverb (or, if you're talking about mere existence, can stand alone).

2. While it is possible for some adjectives (e.g., claro and rápido) to function as adverbs, the reverse isn't true. In fairnesss, though, I must say that some grammarians would disagree with me. In a sentence such as "me siento bien" (I'm feeling good) or "huele mal" (it smells bad), some would see bien and mal as functioning as invariable adjectives. I don't, though. I see them as adverbs; it's just that estar and oler function differently than do their English counterparts.

I hope you find this helpful. Although such talk of grammar can ending up sounding arcane, as you learn and study Spanish you'll develop a feel for what "sounds right." Sometimes, that provides as good of a rule to follow as any.

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Why Add Me to a Simple Sentence?

From the mailbox:

I have a grammar question that I'd like to hear your thoughts on. I started attending a Spanish-speaking church a while back and I hear several greetings. Here are some of them:

Dios te bendiga.
Dios le bendiga.
Dios lo bendiga.
Dios me lo bendiga

I believe I understand what is going on grammatically on the first three but the last one I don't have a clue. I understand it to be a little more intimate sounding than the others but I have no idea what is going on grammatically. Can you share a few thoughts on that and if this type of construction is used in other places?

Thanks for the question! Although your question seems pretty simple, it actually touches on quite a few points of grammar. For first-year students who don't understand even your first sentence, I'll explain first what's happening grammatically in your first three examples, starting with the first, which is the simplest.

"Dios te bendiga" is a shorter way of saying "Que Dios te bendiga" (which you'll also sometimes hear). That, in turn, you can think of as a shorter way of saying something like "Quiero que Dios te bendiga" — literally translated, that would be something like "I want that God bless you." As explained in our lessons on translating "may" and indirect commands, the sentence structure of "que + noun + verb in the subjunctive mood" (the noun frequently comes after the verb) is a common way of saying that you'd like someone else to do something or for something to occur. For example, you could say something like "que duerma el bebé" to mean "may the baby sleep" or even "let the baby sleep."

In the example of "(que) Dios te bendiga," Dios (God) is the noun and bendiga is the present subjunctive form of irregularly conjugated bendecir (to bless). Finally, te is direct-object pronoun meaning "you."

The next two sentences — "(que) Dios le bendiga" and "(que) Dios lo bendiga — are grammatically the same. The difference is that they use more formal pronouns — le in an example of leísmo and lo. If you were female, la would be used instead.

Now, we'll finally get to the original question. If "(que) Dios lo bendiga" means "God bless you," what is the me doing in "(que) Dios me lo bendiga"? How does it change the meaning of the sentence?

The me here is an indirect-object pronoun meaning "me." Indirect objects are often used to indicate who is an indirect recipient of an action. In this case, lo is the direct object — it is lo or "you" that is being blessed, while the me (the speaker of the sentence) is an indirect beneficiary. If you were translating the sentence directly, you would say something like "May God bless you for me." Less literally, a translation could be something like "It would please me if God were to bless you." In real life, we don't have to translate that elaborately, so the me doesn't have to be translated. Just think of "Dios me lo bendiga" as another way of saying "May God bless you."

As to times when we would say something grammatically like that, it just isn't that common where we'd be speaking to someone and have occasion to use that person as an indirect object of a third party's action. But here's one example: You could say something like "Que ella me lo contacte a usted" (I've added the "a usted" for clarity) as a way of saying something like "I'll have her contact you for me."

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Where Does the Adverb Go?

RE: Your link: Where do adjectives go …

I’m lost here.

I think I understand the intent here. However, I translated your example (reproduced below) as:

“The cup fills with water;”

Your example: La taza llena de agua, the cup full of water; …

Instead, could I say this?

La taza, llenado de agua,; The cup, filled with water, …

Straying from the intent, may I say

La taza de aqua (the cupful of water)

Then, again, not trying to preserve the intent, may I say

La taza, de llena de agua,; The cup filled with water (the cup, full of water) …

Which is preferable please?

Thanks again for your help.

Thanks again.

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When To Shorten (Apocopate) Ciento

From the mailbox:

In the below, why isn't it cien instead of ciento?

[Taken from the email course "Dichos, refranes y citas"] Más vale el pájaro en mano que ciento volando.

(The sentence literally means "The bird in hand is worth more than 100 flying," the equivalent of the English proverb "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.")

You're right that ciento (the word for "hundred") is sometimes shortened to cien; that's a process known as apocopation, and the same thing can be done to a few other words, such as grande and primero. However, this shortening is done only before a noun, as in cien casas, or "100 houses," where casas is a noun, or before a noun phrase, as in las cien mejores canciones ("the 100 best songs").

In the sentence you gave, volando is not a noun — it's a verb form known as a gerund or present participle. Here, the gerund is used to indicate that the birds are in the process of performing an action — in this case flying. Ciento here, by the way, is functioning as a pronoun, and pronouns are never shortened through apocopation, only certain adjectives.

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Changes Proposed in Spanish Spelling

Some spelling changes may be coming to the Spanish language — and not everyone is happy about it.

According to articles recently appearing in BBC Mundo, El Universal of Mexico City, Bio-Bio La Radio of Chile, among numerous other sources, the proposed changes are subject to ratification later this month in Guadalajara, Mexico. The changes have become a hot topic of debate across the Spanish-speaking world, with critics claiming decrying the loss of the traditional rules. As one Twitter user, Ricardo Ortiz, put it today in the ongoing debate on that social network, "Aora ke la #RAE elimina reglas ansestrales dejemos de preokuparnos por la forma de eskrivir: todo sera correto en el futuro." Loosely translated: "Nou that the Academi iz gitting ridd of tradishonal rools lets kwit worying about hou to right: Awl wil be write in the fuchure."

Among the planned changes:

The ch and ll would no longer be considered separate letters of the alphabet, giving it 27 letters (the English alphabet plus ñ). The names of some letters would also be clarified or changed: B would become be, v would become uve, and y would become ye instead of i griega.Orthographic accents could be dropped in words such as sólo (alone) as an adverb, truhán (rogue) and guión (hyphen or movie script).Ex would be considered a prefix that can be attached to words: Thus "ex-president" would become expresidente rather than ex presidente. However, if ex refers to a two-or-more-word phrase, it would be retained separately: ex ministro de defensa (former defense minister). The same would go for pro and anti.Use of the q would be dropped in words of foreign origin: Iraq would become Irak (it's already spelled that way in some areas), quórum would become cuórum, and Qatar would become Catar.

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To learn Spanish Easy, get a learning Spanish audio learning programme

The best and fastest way to learn easy Spanish today is through an interactive learning audio program. There are several good available. Most have a completely digital version which can be downloaded from Internet. Most also have a physical CD or DVD and books that you can have delivered printed version.

The key here is to use a conversational approach. To learn the easy Spanish approach in the same way he learned English. Remember? When you first went to school to learn to read and write, could speak English quite well! How to learn?Children do not attend class to learn how to speak. How do do you?

Starting with a few basic words. Learn how to use these words by talk and interact with their parents. Gradually learn more words and begin to have more complex conversations.Interact with the demás.Aumentan their vocabularies. Get better and better in the...

Do the same with Castilian.Do not start with the books, beginning with learn Spanish audio.Learn a few basic words and phrases, and then build from ahí.No only memorize words, learn how to use them. Practice with ellos.Escuche carefully and get the correct pronunciation.

Try to not translate the inglés.Ir directly from thought to the way of expressing thought Spanish.

[In my first lesson in Spanish, hastily given before that I went for an important meeting in Mexico, I've learned: "Good morning" (good morning), "adios" (farewell), "thank you" (thank you), "please" (please), and "Dos margaritas please" (two daisies, please)!]Not much, but it is a start! (And never forgot! [...])

Most good 'learning courses Spanish Audio' (like Spanish Rocket and Spanish learning like Crazy) use excellent native speakers to teach to the sounds of speaking and pronunciation.This is very importante.El accent who learns cannot be better than his master.Not everyone who speaks Spanish talks Spanish GOOD.

Want a good teacher to avoid bad pronunciation aprendizaje.Este habits is one of the problems with learning in a classroom environment.What good is the accent of his instructor? don't ask him or her, get a native speaker of Spanish education to speak with the instructor and then tell you how good your accent is!

You can start with an "intensive course" of learn Spanish audio to learn concepts Basic. synergy, Spanish Spanish insurance offer downloadable courses for children up to $40! anyone of these give the basic concepts and vocabulary of 2 and 5,000 palabras.Usted could learn easy Spanish and have the framework for more information.

Complete as Spanish, Spanish Rocket learning as insane or Spanish FSI will cost $100 to $250 (depending on the number of levels you are going through) courses .Cualquiera these will give full conversational Spanish, a vocabulary of 4-8, 000 + words and the possibility to talk with anyone about almost any topic.

And with a downloadable interactive audio learning Spanish audio, program can rid of lessons to your iPod or other portable audio and listen and learn where and when want you! jogging, engine or on a plane to Acapulco!

For more information about learning Spanish audio programs and learn how to easily Spanish, follow the links below...

The best way to easy to learn and learn to speak like a native Spanish background use this link: easy learn Spanish
For more information on basic concepts of Spanish learning quickly, easily and economically, visit: Spanish learning audio program
Jorge Chávez has been an internet entrepreneur and marketer since 2002. began to learn Spanish, once was 30, is now bilingual English-Spanish. is monolingual, family, friends and clients who only speak Spanish and others who only speak English.

Spanish language - the best way to learn Spanish

If you're looking for the best way to learn Spanish, nor is looking forward to improve the basic Spanish you know or Spanish language is something that has been wanting to learn and was never return to it. Now, you have some time you are thinking seriously about decision of the Spanish language for one reason or another or might be the case that asks as part of their work or holiday under Mexico. No matter what the reason, you want to know the best way to learn Spanish.

The answer to what the best way to learn Spanish is - really depends on you. This sounds as a strikes back but think about it, every individual is different and the way the Spanish learning will be different. What seems more effective may not be the same for the next person you are trying to learn Spanish as well.By the fact that different people are more sensitive to different forms of learning makes sense that you find out what teaching methods more suits you, then you can focus on that specific form of aprendizaje.Una time has discovered the most effective way to learn to Spanish, the rest requires persistence and self-discipline.

You have to ask and be honest with yourself when it's the best way to learn Spanish, because only of consciousness-raising to get an idea of the teaching method is the best way to learn to Spanish.

Here we look at three different learning Spanish language learning methods.It is possible to find the best way to learn to Spanish for you is on the first attempt in three ways, especially if you have not experienced these methods in the práctica.Y according to the teaching, the effectiveness of each method can be dependent on the teacher that will teach you and how good you're self-disciplining yourself keep a schedule of possible aprendizaje.Es that if you combine these methods, you can get all the benefits of each method. Depends on you.

Learn in a classroom Spanish

Many people find the style of traditional classroom learning an attractive option because there is a Professor of Spanish indicating the class of other related individuals wishing to learn Spanish as well. The fact that a class is set to a particular time and place and means to meet new people is that he encourages you to participate and be part of a team. If you are the kind of person that is easier to learn as part of a group activity, and like the idea of being able to socialize, traditional classroom style learning is more for you, helping to keep you learning Spanish at a steady pace and where all you have to learn is planned, organized and delivered to you.All you have to do is be there on time, learn and make the necessary duties.

Learn Spanish independently

Of learning Spanish, passing the path independent study may be another attractive option especially for those who have little time to attend Spanish courses which are based on the classroom for work or family commitments that dictates that his time tend to be too hectic and unpredictable to ensure that you can attend classes in a given hour a week.The most common form and the best way to learn to Spanish independently by learning the Spanish language CD that can be easily heard in the car stereo or a playler MP3 when you are moving or waiting for the train or a period of time to go to the benefits of the independent study of learning style cama.Los Spanish is that you can listen to the same chapter again and again;and you can stop the CD when needed and start again when you can learn at their own pace Spanish; however, this method of learning requires that you yourself discipline to keep it.

Learn Spanish through immersion

Immersion learning style is becoming a popular choice as people are traveling more and desire to learn not only in Spain but in culture and the country where the language originated Spanish. immersion Spanish language usually involves living and possibly work in a Spanish speaking country and learning to Spanish of daily interactions with supposed to be able to see the Spanish television nativos.Por speakers, Spanish soap operas and movies only help reinforce your learning.

You need to find out what style of learning is most effective to find out the best way to learn to Spanish and there is nothing wrong with the combination of different methods or through other methods, as one-to-one tuition. good luck with learn Spanish!

Penny Roberts writes about numerous temas.Uno which is on various aspects of the trip as Krakow, Spain and Spanish the language on the first page break.

[http://www.thefirstleap.com]

Why not have your child learn Spanish?

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There are many reasons for wanting your children to learn Spanish. We want to help you find resources that will help you with Spanish for Kids.

Some parents think of the intellectual stimulation that learning a language provides. They think that they can give their children a an additional intellectual challenge in a painless way. Researcher in London, England have determined that learning a second language boosts brain power which remains throughout life.

Other people are interested in preparing their children for life in today's world where it is important to know more than one language. This is even more important in our hemisphere where it becomes increasingly valuable to know Spanish.

Learning a language can be a source of pride and self esteem for the child who is fortunate enough to be exposed to learning outside of the classroom.

There are some parents who are concerned that their children grow up respecting the different heritages that surround them. Concerned that the nativist tradition of United States history is always present, many parents, not of a Spanish Speaking background, choose to prepare their children to accept and embrace the Hispanic culture they live alongside of.

Whatever your reason for wanting your children to learn Spanish, this site will provide resources to help you. You will find suggestions and experiences of others who share your interest; you will find songs and stories in Spanish that will enthuse your children with their learning task. A list of links to related sites will lead you to other resources. And you will find that the books you need for yourself and your children have been located and placed at your disposition.

So, in general terms parents can fall into one of three groups:

1. those who know NO Spanish;

2. those who know enough to read, even poorly;

3. and those who can model correct pronunciation for their children.

Whether or not the parents know Spanish will determine their strategy for exposing their children to the language. Obviously, parents who do not know the language well will not have native pronunciation.

If their children learn to read Spanish, they may not have the proper pronunciation. This is a tough issue. Some might say that pronunciation is not important for children. However, why not try to expose them to the correct values of the Spanish sounds. Parents should work on their own pronunciation to model as correctly as possible for their kids.

Nevertheless, the value of the parents' involvement in reading and singing in Spanish with their children more than outweighs the disadvantage of the child hearing their poor pronunciation. Much of the damage can be remedied by having the child listen to as much Spanish spoken by native speakers as possible.

Parents should make sure their children HEAR a lot of good Spanish but obviously those parents who know no Spanish will be more dependent on recordings for their children to listen to. Try to find some good audio resources. Besides the tapes and CDs you might buy or take out of the library don't forget the radio and TV. All parents should expose their children to ask much passive listening of Spanish that they can. In most places there are Spanish language radio stations. TV programs from the Univision y Telemundo networks are very widespread.

All of the above boils down to three tactics that are valid for all kinds of parents and all kinds of kids of all ages and level of Spanish...

1. Listening: Everyone should keep the Spanish radio on as much as possible. Keep the radio or TV on while the child is doing other things. It has to be the sea of sound that they swim in while they are beginning their study of Spanish. The child doesn't have to concentrate on it; they will not be listening to try to understand. After a while they won't even hear the radio but it will be affecting them. Little by little they will begin to anticipate the rhythm of the language, even before they understand they words. They will also begin to recognize certain words.

2. Fun Drills: Those parents who know some Spanish can try to run through all the permutations of the new expressions that the child learns. For example, suppose your child just learned to say. "Pedro tiene cuatro años" rather than translating from the English incorrectly, "Pedro es cuatro". Now to make this new element of the language stick, you should go on substituting different ages and the names of different people. The child will soon be able to say comfortably, "María tiene cuatro años." "Juan tiene ocho años." "Yo tengo tres años." "¿Cuántos años tienes tú?" There are many examples of these drills in most language courses but the parent can generate them herself.

3. Support: Don't correct their Spanish when they speak. Don't interrupt the flow of their conversation. Don't make their speaking Spanish to be another homework assignment. It should be something special, even something "secret" in your family. Kids like the mystery and intrigue of having something special of their own. Their speaking Spanish should be a joyful, non-threatening experience. If they make mistakes in their grammar, correct their errors by using the same expression correctly a few minutes after. Don't come right back at them with the correct form or they will begin to feel conscious of their expression and choke off their freedom of expression.

also...

Learn The ABCs in Spanish? YES! If your child is coming up on kindergarten age, you have a wonderful opportunity to teach him or her how to read in Spanish BEFORE they learn the alphabet in English! Why? I will be brief, hoping that you will catch the direction of my thought (and my practice, with both my children and my grandson!) Spanish is completely regular. They can learn the vowels in one sitting. This is how Spanish Speaking kids learn: from "abecedarios", the same as English Speaking children used to learn from primers.

You can start the child reading the simple words like Mami, comida, mesa, Papi, muñeca, carro, etc. If your child learns to read (even if only simple words) Spanish first, in effect you are giving them a great head start. Basically you are giving them phonics without having to buy any expensive program. You can do them no harm because, they will have a basis of the sounds that DO hold up for English; they will have achieved the satisfaction and boost to their confidence by your enthusiastic affirmation of the achievement when they read "Mami y Papi" and other simple phrases. As they progress in English they will still have to deal with the irregularities of this language. However, they will have learned the consonants by applying them to completely foolproof regular vowels.

I am very convinced of the value of this method. I have no scientific proof, just intuition and my own experience. To work, you have to teach the child to read the alphabet in Spanish BEFORE they begin to learn in English. If they are already learning in English, it will confuse them. But if you get there FIRST, you will do them a great favor! So... Click here for Alphabet tools for kids in Spanish. After clicking, look to the top right of the page you land on, and click on the yellow tab "Alphabet" to see a bunch of alphabet resources for you to choose from.

The author, Frank Gerace, Ph.D, has worked in communication and education projects in Latin America. He has taught in public and private universities in Peru and Bolivia. Currently he teaches English to immigrant adults at an important branch of CUNY, the City University of New York. His website is http://www.BooksLibros.com/SpanishForNinos.htm.

He has another site with advice and resources for parents who want to learn Spanish themselves at: http://www.inglesparalatinos.com/SpanishCourses.htm