Discover Spanish, Lesson 15

¿Que hora es? - What time is it?

Es la una. - It's one o'clock.

Son las dos y veinte. - It's  two twenty.

Es el mediodia. - It's noon.

Es la medianoche. - It's midnight.

Es la una menos diez. - It's ten til one.

Son diez en punto. - It is ten on the dot.

Son las tres de la tarde. - It's three in the afternoon.

Son las ocho y media de la noche. - It's eight thirty in the evening.

Son las diez de la manana. - It's ten in the morning.

¿A que hora?  - At what time?

A la una. - At one o'clock.

¿A que hora es la fiesta? - What time is the party?

A las cinco. - At five o'clock.

¿Está listo? - Are you ready?

¡Vamanos! - Let's go!

Discover Spanish, Lesson #14

¡Más numeros!

Once - Eleven

Doce - Twelve

Trece - Thirteen

Catorce - Fourteen

Quince - Fifteen

Dieciseis - Sixteen

Diecisiete - Seventeen

Dieciocho - Eighteen

Diecinueve - Nineteen

Veinte - Twenty

Veintiuno - Twenty one

Veintidos - Twenty two

Veintitres - Twenty three

Veinticuatro - Twenty four

Veinticinco - Twenty five

Veintiseis - Twenty six

Veintisiete - Twenty seven

Veintiocho - Twenty eight

Veintinueve - Twenty nine

Treinta - Thirty

Treinta y uno - Thirty one

Cuarenta - Forty

Cuarenta y uno - Forty one

Cinquenta - Fifty

Cinquenta y uno - Fifty one

Sesenta - Sixty

Sesenta y uno - Sixty one

Setenta - Seventy

Setenta y uno - Seventy one

Ochenta - Eighty

Ochenta y uno - Eighty one

Noventa - Ninety

Noventa y uno - Ninety one

Cien - One hundred

Vocabulary/Spelling List #11

Charlatan - noun

a person who pretends or claims to have more knowledge or skill than he or she possesses; quack.

Cross - adjective

angry and annoyed; ill-humored; snappish

Erudite - adjective

characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly: an erudite professor; an erudite commentary.

Fecundity - noun

1. the quality of being fecund;  capacity, especially in female animals, of producing young in great numbers.

2. fruitfulness or fertility, as of the earth.

3. the capacity of abundant production: fecundity of imagination.

Frontispiece - noun

1. an illustrated leaf preceding the title page of a book.

2. Architecture . a façade, or a part or feature of a façade, often highlighted by ornamentation.

Gesticulate 

verb (used without object)

1. to make or use gestures,  especially in an animated or excited manner with or instead of speech.

verb (used with object)

2. to express by gesturing.

Inveigle - verb (used with object)

1. to entice, lure, or ensnare by flattery or artful talk or inducements (usually followed by into ): to inveigle a person into playing bridge.

2. to acquire, win, or obtain by beguiling talk or methods (usually followed by from  or away ): to inveigle a theater pass from a person.

Parry - 

verb (used with object)

1. to ward off (a thrust, stroke, weapon, etc.), as in fencing; avert.

2. to turn aside; evade or dodge: to parry an embarrassing question.

verb (used without object)

3. to parry a thrust, blow, etc.

noun

4. an act or instance of parrying, as in fencing.

5. a defensive movement in fencing.

Placid - adjective

pleasantly calm or peaceful; unruffled; tranquil; serenely quiet or undisturbed: placid waters.

Saturnine - adjective

1. sluggish in temperament; gloomy; taciturn.

2. suffering from lead poisoning, as a person.

3. due to absorption of lead, as bodily disorders.

Surreptitiously - adjective

1. obtained, done, made, etc., by stealth; secret or unauthorized; clandestine: a surreptitious glance.

2. acting in a stealthy way.

3. obtained by subreption; subreptitious.

Vapid - adjective

1. lacking or having lost life, sharpness, or flavor; insipid; flat: vapid tea.

2. without liveliness or spirit; dull or tedious: a vapid party; vapid conversation.

Vouchsafe 

verb (used with object)

1. to grant or give, as by favor, graciousness, or condescension: to vouchsafe a reply to a question.

2. to allow or permit, as by favor or graciousness: They vouchsafed his return to his own country.

verb (used without object)

3. to condescend; deign.

Discover Spanish - Lesson #13

Numbers

Cero - Zero
Uno - One
Dos - Two
Tres - Three
Cuatro - Four
Cinco - Five
Seis - Six
Siete - Seven
Ocho - Eight
Nueve - Nine
Diez - Ten

Numero - Number

¿Cuál es tú numero de teléfono?
¿Cuál es tú numero cellular?
Mi numero es el 426-3151.

Spelling/Vocabulary List #10

Bellow

verb (used without object)
1. to emit a hollow, loud, animal cry, as a bull or cow.
2. to roar; bawl: bellowing with rage.

verb (used with object)
3. to utter in a loud deep voice: He bellowed his command across the room.
4. an act or sound of bellowing.


Blight
noun

1. Plant Pathology
a. the rapid and extensive discoloration, wilting, and death of plant tissues.
b. a disease so characterized.
2. any cause of impairment, destruction, ruin, or frustration: Extravagance was the blight of the family.
3. the state or result of being blighted or deteriorated; dilapidation; decay: urban blight.

verb (used with object)
4. to cause to wither or decay; blast: Frost blighted the crops.
5. to destroy; ruin; frustrate: Illness blighted his hopes.

verb (used without object)
6. to suffer blight.

Brandish

verb (used with object)
1. to shake or wave, as a weapon; flourish: Brandishing his sword, he rode into battle.

noun
2. a flourish or waving, as of a weapon.

Copious - adjective
1. large in quantity or number; abundant; plentiful: copious amounts of food.
2. having or yielding an abundant supply: a copious larder; a copious harvest.
3. exhibiting abundance or fullness, as of thoughts or words.

Disgorge - verb (used with object)
1. to eject or throw out from the throat, mouth, or stomach; vomit forth.
2. to surrender or yield (something, especially something illicitly obtained).
3. to discharge forcefully or as a result of force.

Endeavor
verb (used without object)
1. to exert oneself to do or effect something; make an effort; strive: We must constantly endeavor if we are to succeed.

verb (used with object)
2. to attempt; try: He endeavors to keep things neat in his apartment.
3. Archaic . to attempt to achieve or gain.

noun
4. a strenuous effort; attempt.

Furtive - adjective
1. taken, done, used, etc., surreptitiously or by stealth; secret: a furtive glance.
2. sly; shifty: a furtive manner.

Ghastly
adjective
1. shockingly frightful or dreadful; horrible: a ghastly murder.
2. resembling a ghost, especially in being very pale: a ghastly look to his face.
3. terrible; very bad: a ghastly error.

adverb
4. Also, ghast·li·ly, ghast·i·ly. in a ghastly manner; horribly; terribly.
5. with a deathlike quality.

Havoc 
noun
1. great destruction or devastation; ruinous damage.

verb (used with object)
2. to work havoc upon; devastate.

verb (used without object)
3. to work havoc: The fire havocked throughout the house.

Idioms
4. cry havoc, to warn of danger or disaster.
5. play havoc with,
a. to create confusion or disorder in: The wind played havoc with the papers on the desk.
b. to destroy; ruin: The bad weather played havoc with our vacation plans.

Imbecile
noun
1. Informal . a dunce; blockhead; dolt.
2. Psychology . (no longer in technical use; considered offensive) a person of the second order in a former and discarded classification of mental retardation, above the level of idiocy, having a mental age of seven or eight years and an intelligence quotient of 25 to 50.

adjective
3. Informal . stupid; silly; absurd.
4. Usually Offensive . showing mental feebleness or incapacity.
5. Archaic . weak or feeble.

Loquacious - adjective
1. talking or tending to talk much or freely; talkative; chattering; babbling; garrulous: a loquacious dinner guest.
2. characterized by excessive talk; wordy: easily the most loquacious play of the season.

Parlance - noun
1. a way or manner of speaking; vernacular; idiom: legal parlance.
2. speech, especially a formal discussion or debate.
3. talk; parley.

Reticent - adjective
1. disposed to be silent or not to speak freely; reserved.
2. reluctant or restrained.


Tussock - noun
a tuft or clump of growing grass or the like.

Uncouth - adjective
1. awkward, clumsy, or unmannerly: uncouth behavior; an uncouth relative who embarrasses the family.
2. strange and ungraceful in appearance or form.
3. unusual or strange.

Discover Spanish - Lesson 12

Words Showing Location

Estar - To Be (temporary, location)

Yo estoy - I am

Tu estas - You (informal) are

El, Ella, Usted esta - He, She, You (formal) are

Nosotros estamos - We are

Vosotros estais - You (plural) are

Ellos, Ellas, Ustedes estan - They are

¿Donde esta Rebekah? - Where is Rebekah?

Yo estoy in mi casa. - I am in my house.

En - In or on

Delante de - in front

Detras de - behind

Debajo de - below/under

Al lado de - next to (to the side of)

¿Donde estan las sillas? - Where are the chairs?

¿Donde esta la silla? - Where is the chair?

La silla esta delante de la mesa.  The chair is in front of the table.

Las sillas estan al lado de la mesa. The chairs are next to the table.

Vocabulary/Spelling List #9

Automaton - noun

1. a mechanical figure or contrivance constructed to act as if by its own motive power; robot.

2. a person or animal that acts in a monotonous, routine manner, without active intelligence.

3. something capable of acting automatically or without an external motive force.

Banal - adjective

devoid of freshness or originality; hackneyed; trite

Besmirch - verb (used with object)

1. to soil; tarnish; discolor.

2. to detract from the honor or luster of

Heady - adjective

1. intoxicating: a heady wine.

2. affecting the mind or senses greatly: heady perfume.

3. exciting; exhilarating: the heady news of victory.

4. rashly impetuous: heady conduct.

5. violent; destructive: heady winds.

Hover - verb (used without object)

1. to hang fluttering or suspended in the air: The helicopter hovered over the building.

2. to keep lingering about; wait near at hand.

3. to remain in an uncertain or irresolute state; waver: to hover between life and death.

Morose - adjective

1. gloomily or sullenly ill-humored, as a person or mood.

2. characterized by or expressing gloom.

Noxious - adjective

1. harmful or injurious to health or physical well-being: noxious fumes.

2. morally harmful; corrupting; pernicious: a noxious plan to spread dissension.

Nuisance - noun

1. an obnoxious or annoying person, thing, condition, practice, etc.: a monthly meeting that was more nuisance than pleasure.

2. Law . something offensive or annoying to individuals or to the community, especially in violation of their legal rights.

Offal - noun

1. the parts of a butchered animal that are considered inedible by human beings; carrion.

2. the parts of a butchered animal removed in dressing; viscera.

3. refuse; rubbish; garbage.

Paraphernalia - noun

1. (sometimes used with a singular verb ) equipment, apparatus, or furnishing used in or necessary for a particular activity: a skier's paraphernalia.

2. (used with a plural verb ) personal belongings.

3. (used with a singular verb ) Law. the personal articles, apart from dower, reserved by law to a married woman.

Remonstrate - verb (used with object)

1. to say or plead in protest, objection, or disapproval.

2. Obsolete . to show.

Squelch - verb (used with object)

1. to strike or press with crushing force; crush down; squash.

2. to put down, suppress, or silence, as with a crushing retort or argument

Turgid - adjective

1. swollen; distended; tumid.

2. inflated, overblown, or pompous; bombastic: turgid language.

Zenith - noun

1. the point on the celestial sphere vertically above a given position or observer. Compare nadir.

2. a highest point or state; culmination.

Zephyr - noun

1. a gentle, mild breeze.

2. (initial capital letter) Literary. The west wind.

3. any of various things of fine, light quality, as fabric, yarn, etc.

Discover Spanish Lesson 11

This week, we're learning about pets!

¿Tienes una mascota?  Do you have a pet?

Si, tengo una tortuga.  Yes, I have a turtle.

Gato - cat

Perro - dog

Ratóncito - mouse

Pájaro - bird

Periquito - parakeet

Conejo - rabbit

Caballo - horse

Pez(peces) - Fish

Tener - to have

Tengo - I have

Tienes - You (informal) have

Tiene - You, he, she (formal) have

Tenemos - We have

Tenéis - You (plural) have

Tienen - They have

Spelling/Vocabulary List #8

Alacrity - noun
brisk and cheerful readiness

Archipelago - noun
a group of islands

Assail - verb
make a concerted or violent attack on

Conflagration - noun
an extensive fire that destroys a great deal of land or property

Dank - adjective
disagreeably damp, musty and typically cold

Diffident - adjective
modest or shy because of a lack of self-confidence

Doleful - adjective
expressing sorrow; mournful

Grist - noun
grain that is ground to make flour;
- malt crushed to make mash for brewing.
- figurative - useful material, especially to back up an argument

grist for the mill - useful experience, material or knowledge

Limpid - adjective
(of liquid) free of anything that darkens; completely clear
(of a person's eyes) unclouded; clear
(esp. of writing or music) clear and accessible or melodious

Quash - verb
reject or void, especially by legal procedure;
- put an end to; suppress

Nonplus -
verb
surprise and confuse (someone) so much that they are unsure how to react

noun
a state of being surprised and confused in this way.

Pandemonium - noun
wild and noisy disorder or confusion; uproar

Perturbed - verb [transitive]
make (someone) anxious or unsettled;
subject (a system, moving object or process) to an influence tending to alter its normal or regular state or path

Prowess - noun
skill or expertise in a particular activity or field; bravery in battle

Stave -
noun
1 a vertical post or plank in a building or other structure
2 MUSIC another term for staff
3 a verse or stanza of a poem

verb
1 break something by forcing it inward or piercing it roughly
2 avert or delay something bad or dangerous

Tessellate - verb [transitive]
decorate (a floor) with mosiacs
MATHEMATICS cover (a plane surface) by repeated use of a single shape, without gaps or overlapping.

Spanish Lesson #10 - Describing Family Members

¿Cómo es?/¿Cómo son? - What is he/she/it like?/What are they like?

Por ejemplo:

¿Cómo es tu madre? - What is your mother like?

Mi madre es bonita.  - My mother is pretty.

Mi padre es alto. - My father is tall.

Mis hermanos son bajos. - My brothers are short.

Bajo/a - short

Alto/a - tall

Feo/a - ugly

Simpático/a - nice

Tonto/a - silly/foolish

Inteligente - intelligent

Fuerte - strong

Débil - weak

Joven - young

Viejo/a - old

Muy - very

Bastante - quite; quite alot; enough:  El es bastante fuerte - He is quite strong.

Spelling/Vocabulary List #7

{Most of our words this week come from The Long Walk.}

Bustle -

verb (used without object)

1. to move or act with a great show of energy (often followed by about ).

2. to abound or teem with something; display an abundance ofsomething; teem (often followed by with).

verb (used with object)

3. to cause to bustle; hustle.

noun

4. thriving or energetic activity; stir; ferment.

Dainty - 

adjective

1. of delicate beauty; exquisite.

2. pleasing to the taste and, often, temptingly served or delicate.

3. of delicate discrimination or taste.

4. overly particular; finicky.

noun

5. something delicious to the taste; a delicacy.

Dour - adjective

1. sullen; gloomy.

2. severe; stern.

3. Scot. (of land): barren; rocky, infertile, or otherwise difficult or impossible to cultivate.

Farcical - adjective

1. pertaining to or of the nature of farce.

2. resembling farce; ludicrous; absurd.

Flotsam - noun

1. the part of the wreckage of a ship and its cargo found floating on the water.

2. material or refuse floating on water.

3. useless or unimportant items; odds and ends.

4. a vagrant, penniless population.

Gruel - noun

a light, usually thin, cooked cereal made by boiling meal, especially oatmeal, in water or milk.

Hillock - noun

a small hill.

Lorry - noun

1. Chiefly British . a motor truck, especially a large one.

2. any of various conveyances running on rails, as for transporting material in a mine or factory.

3. a long, low, horse-drawn wagon without sides.

Larch - noun

1. any coniferous tree of the genus Larix, yielding a tough durable wood.

2. the wood of such a tree.

Magnanimous - adjective

1. generous in forgiving an insult or injury; free from petty resentfulness or vindictiveness: to be magnanimous toward one's enemies.

2. high-minded; noble.

3. proceeding from or revealing generosity or nobility of mind, character, etc.

Palisade - 

noun

1. a fence of pales or stakes set firmly in the ground, as for enclosure or defense.

2. any of a number of pales or stakes pointed at the top and set firmly in the ground in a close row with others to form a defense.

3. Botany . palisade parenchyma.

4. palisades, a line of cliffs.

verb (used with object)

5.to furnish or fortify with a palisade.

Shrewd - adjective

1. astute or sharp in practical matters: a shrewd politician.

2. keen; piercing.

3. artful.

4. Archaic. malicious.

5. Obsolete. bad.

Tarpaulin - noun

1. a protective covering of canvas or other material waterproofed with tar, paint, or wax.

2. a hat, especially a sailor's, made of or covered with such material.

3. Rare. a sailor.

Temerity - noun

reckless boldness; rashness.

Spanish Lesson #9 - Family Members

madre/mamá - mother/mommy
padre/papá - father/daddy
hermano/a - brother/sister
hijo/a - son/daughter
abuelo/a - grandfather/mother
tio/a - uncle/aunt
primo/a - male cousin/female cousin

Por ejemplo:

¿Quien es el/ella? - Who is he/she?

El/ella es mi primo/prima.  He/she is my cousin.

Spanish Lesson #8 - The Rooms in a House

la cocina - the kitchen

el baño - the bathroom

el comedor - the dining room

la habitación - the room

el dormitorio - the bedroom

la sala - the living room

la ducha - the shower

la escalera - the stairs

el apartamento - the apartment 

¿Que es esto?  What is this?

Este es/esta es... - This is (masculine, feminine)

Spelling/Vocabulary List #6

{Our words for the next two weeks are taken from The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien.}

Flabbergasted - verb (used with object)
to overcome with surprise and bewilderment; astound

Laden

- adjective
burdened; loaded down

- verb (used with object)
to lade

Lavish

- adjective
1. expended, bestowed, or occurring in profusion: lavish spending.
2. using or giving in great amounts; prodigal (often fo. by of): lavish of his time; lavish of affection.


- verb (used with object)
3. to expend or give in great amounts or without limit: to lavish gifts on a person.


Outlandish - adjective

1. freakishly or grotesquely strange or odd, as appearance, dress, objects, ideas, or practices; bizarre.
2. having a foreign appearance.
3. remote from civilized area; out-of-the-way.
4. Archaic.  foreign; alien.

Pavilion

- noun

1. a light, usually open building used for shelter, concerts, exhibits, etc., as in a park or fair.
2. any of a number of separate or attached buildings forming a hospital or the like.
3. Architecture a projecting element of a facade, used especially at the center or at each end and usually treated so as to suggest a tower.
4. a tent, especially a large and elaborate one.
5.  a small, ornamental building in a garden.
6. Also called base. Jewelry. the part of a cut gem below the girdle.

- verb (used with object)

7. to shelter in or as if in a pavilion.
8. to furnish with pavilions.

Peculiar

- adjective

1. strange; queer; odd
2. uncommon; unusual
3. distinctive in nature or character from others.
4. belonging characteristically (usually fol. by to): an expression peculiar to Canadians.
5. belonging exclusively to some person, group, or thing: the peculiar properties of a drug
6. Astronomy designating a star or galaxy with special properties that deviates from others of its spectral type or galaxy class.

- noun

7. a property or privilege belonging exclusively or characteristically to a person.
8. British a particular parish or church that is exempted from the jurisdiction of the ordinary or bishop in whose diocese it lies and is governed by another.
9. peculiars.  Also called arbitraries.  British Printing.  special characters not generally included in standard type fonts, as phonetic symbols, mathematical symbols, etc.

Phalanx - noun

1. (in ancient Greece) a group of heavily armed infantry formed in ranks and files close and deep, with shields joined and long spears overlapping.
2. any body of troops in close array.
3. a number of individuals, especially persons united for a common purpose.
4. a compact or closely massed body of persons, animals, or things.
5. Military (cap.) a radar-controlled US Navy 20mm Gatling-type gun deployed on ships as a last line of defense against anti-ship cruise missiles.
6. (in Fourierism) a group of about 1800 persons, living together and holding their property in common.
7. Anatomy, Zoology  any of the bones of the fingers or toes.

Rune - noun

1. any of the characters of certain ancient alphabets, as of a script used for writing the Germanic languages, especially of Scandinavia and Britain, from c200 to c1200, or a script used for inscriptions in a Turkic language of the 6th to 8th centuries from the area near the Orkhon River in Mongolia.
2. something written or inscribed in such characters.
3. an aphorism, poem, or saying with mystical meaning or for use in casting a spell.

Scintillating - adjective

1. animated; vivacious; effervescent
2. witty; brilliantly clever

Spasm - noun

1. Pathology.  a sudden, abnormal, involuntary muscular contraction (tonic spasm) or of a series of alternating muscular contractions and relaxations (clonic spasm).
2. any sudden, brief spell of great energy, activity, feeling, etc.

Sundry

- adjective
1. various or diverse

- Idiom
2. all and sundry, everybody, collectively and individually: Free samples were given to all and sundry.

Unfurl - verb

(used with object)
1. to spread or shake out from a furled state, as a sail or a flag

(used without object)
2. to become unfurled

Vigor - noun

1. active strength or force.
2. healthy physical or mental energy or power; vitality.
3. energetic activity; energy; intensity.
4. force of healthy growth in any living matter or organism, as a plant.
5. active or effective force, especially legal validity.

Vulgar - adjective

1. characterized by ignorance of or lack of good breeding or taste.
2. indecent; obscene; lewd
3. crude; coarse; unrefined
4. of, pertaining to, or constituting the ordinary people in a society: the vulgar masses.
5. current, popular; common.
6. spoken by, or being in the language spoken by, the people generally; vernacular.
7. lacking in distinction, aesthetic value, or charm; banal; ordinary.