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PITMAN'S COMMERCIAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

C. A. TOLEDANO

1917

PREFACE

With the best intention of justifying Messrs. PITMAN'S confidence in

entrusting me with the compilation of a Spanish Grammar to form part of

the series of "Commercial Grammars," I set to work to produce a book

which, while avoiding pedantry and the agglomeration of superfluous and

intricate rules which puzzle the student, should equally avoid falling

into the extreme of coarseness which debases the subject under study, or

the scrappiness resulting in gaps that perplex and discourage him. I

have tried to be brief and clear in the rules given.

The vocabulary has been chosen carefully, avoiding the artificiality of

too much commercial technology, but keeping constantly in view the

object of the Series, viz., to produce grammars specially suitable for

students preparing for a commercial career.

Whether I have succeeded in my efforts it is for the public to judge. I

can only say that, after more than twenty-five years' teaching of

Spanish in all its stages, privately, at the Manchester University and

in the large classes of our public Institutions, I have tried my best to

give the fruits of my experience to any interested young people who may

be eager to learn a language beautiful, noble, and most useful.

I do not claim to have reached perfection. I only trust the book, such

as it presents itself, will be of real help to the student.

C.A. TOLEDANO.

MANCHESTER, 1911.

COMMERCIAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

ALPHABET.

A (_a_) G (_ge_) M (_eme_) Rr (_erre_)

B (_be_) H (_hache_) N (_ene_) S (_ese_)

C (_ce_) I (_i_) (_ee_) T (_te_)

Ch (_che_) J (_jota_) O (_o_) U (_u_)

D (_de_) K (_ka_) P (_pe_) V (_ve_)

E (_e_) L (_ele_) Q (_cu_) X (_equis_)

F (_efe_) Ll (_elle_) R (_ere_) Y (_y griega_ or _ye_)

Z (_zeta_)

K (_ka_) and W (_doble ve_) are only found in foreign words

used in Spanish.

PRONUNCIATION OF VOWELS.

_a_ as English a in f_a_ther

_e_[1] " a " f_a_te[2]

_i_ " i " magaz_i_ne

_o_[1] " o " n_o_te[2]

_u_ " u " r_u_le

These five sounds _never_ vary, except that they are a little longer

when they are stressed and shorter when they are not, as Yo amo (I

love),[3] Amigo (friend), El cielo (heaven), Celeste (heavenly), Un

recibo (a receipt), Inters (interest), Yo como (I eat), Contar (to

count), Un buque (a ship), Una butaca (an armchair).

_Y_ is considered a vowel in the conjunction _y_ (and), and at the end

of a word, as Rey (king), Hoy (to-day).

[Footnote 1: _E_ and _o_ are sounded a little more open when they form

a diphthong with _i_ and when they precede _r_ followed by a consonant

or _r_ or _l_ final, as Fernando (Ferdinand), Un tercio (a third), El

tercer ao (the third year), Porfiar (to insist), Amor (love), Espaol

(Spanish).]

[Footnote 2: The _a_ and _o_ of "fate" and "note" are not _pure vowel

sounds_. In English the a is distinctly pronounced a-ee and o is

pronounced o-oo.

In Spanish the first part _only_ of the two sounds is permissible.]

[Footnote 3: The examples given with their English equivalents should be

learnt.

DIPHTHONGS AND TRIPHTHONGS.

There are no Diphthongs or Triphthongs in the English sense of two or

three vowels meeting in one syllable and blending into a different

sound, as "pause," "plough."

Every vowel is pronounced separately and each with its alphabetical

sound, only the two or three vowels occurring in one syllable are

pronounced rapidly, as Pausa (pause), Reino (kingdom), Cuenta (account),

Buey (ox).

_A, E_ and _O_ never form diphthongs together. They may form diphthongs

and triphthongs only in combination with _I_ and _U_.

CONSONANTS.

The Consonants are pronounced as in English with the following

exceptions:

B is pronounced much more lightly than in English, with no pressure of

the lips, as Libro (book), Brevedad (brevity).

C before _E_ and _I_--_th_ in "theatre," as La Cena (the supper), La

Cerveza (the beer). Otherwise pronounced _K_ as in English, as Caja

(case, box), Color (colour), Cbico (cubic).

Ch _always_ as _ch_ in "church" (never hard as in "monarch"), as

Chocolate (chocolate), Charla (prattle).

D at the end of a word or after a vowel is pronounced very softly and

lightly, with a tinge of _th_ in "they," as Madrid, Amado (loved),

Encarnado (red).

G before _E_ and _I_ is pronounced guttural, as El general (the

general), El giro (the draft, bill). This sound is equal to _ch_ in the

Scotch word "loch." In all other cases G is pronounced hard, as in the

English word "gay"; as Gato (cat), Gobierno (government), Gusto

(pleasure, taste).

H is a mute letter. (Although in Andalusia it is aspirated in certain

words.)

J is always guttural, as Juan (John), Jornalero (day labourer), Junio

(June), Reloj (watch, clock).

Ll--_ly_, stronger than _li_ in "pavilion," as Belleza (beauty), Folleto

(leaflet).

--ny, stronger than _ni_ in "pinion," as Nio (child), Caa (cane), El

otoo (autumn).

Q is only used before _ue_ and _ui_ (and the _u_ is then _mute_), as

Querido (dear, beloved), Yo quiero (I want).

R as in English, but it is always rolled, as Caro (dear, expensive),

Prdida (loss). At the beginning of a word or when preceded by a

consonant it is rolled more strongly, as La rosa (the rose), Deshonra

(dishonour).

Rr always rolled strongly, as Carro (cart), El ferrocarril (the

railway).

S always pronounced as _s_ in "soap," and never as in "as" or "sure."

T as in "tea," but never as _t_ in "nation." It must be pronounced

softly, not explosive, as Fortuna (fortune), Cuatro (four).

V is pronounced much more lightly than in English, as Vino (wine), Vivir

(to live). By the common people _V_ is often confounded with _B_, but

educated Spaniards will always make the proper distinction.

Y--Spanish _I_.

Z--_th_ in "theatre," as Zarazas (cotton prints), Zorra (fox).

NOTE.--In modern Spanish Z is not used before _E_ or _I_, its place

being supplied by _C_.

RULES ON PRONUNCIATION.

RULE I.--Every letter is pronounced. There are no mute letters as _b_ in

"lamb" or _n_ in "autumn."

EXCEPTIONS--_H_ is not sounded as already explained in the alphabet. _U_

is not sounded in the following syllables: _que, qui, gue_ and _gui_, as

Quedar (to remain), Quinta (villa), Guerra (war), guila (eagle), unless

the _u_ in _gue_ and _gui_ has the diaeresis, as Argir (to argue),

Vergenza (shame).

RULE II.--No consonant is doubled except C and N. _C_ is found doubled

in words like Acceder (to accede) when one _C_ is hard--_k_ and the

other soft--_th_.

_N_ is found doubled in words having the prefix _in_, as Innoble

(ignoble), Innavegable (unnavigable). Also in Perenne (perennial) and a

very few more words.

_Ll_ and _Rr_ are treated as single letters.

RULE III.--The _stress of the voice_ falls on the last syllable but one

in all words ending in a vowel or _S_ or _N_; otherwise it falls on the

last syllable, as Una factura (an invoice), Facturas (invoices), Hermano

(brother), Cartas (letters), Ellos tienen (they have), Azul (blue),

Abril (April), Labor (labour), Feliz (happy).

In diphthongs and triphthongs the stress is not on _i_ or _u_, but falls

on _a_, _e_ or _o_, as Reina (queen), Gracia (grace), Igual (equal),

Cielo (heaven).

When the diphthong is formed by _i_ and _u_ the last one bears the

stress, as Un viudo (a widower), La ciudad (the city), Luisa (Louise).

The numerous exceptions to the above rule are all marked by the written

accent (), as Factur (he invoiced), Escribir (he will write), Hblame

(speak to me), Ingls (English), Alemn (German), til (useful), Jvenes

(young men).

The stress of the voice should fall _distinctly_ on the proper syllable

according to the above rule, and the attention of the student must be

earnestly called to this very important point.

A word in the plural maintains the stress on the same syllable as in its

singular, as El ocano (the ocean), Ocanos (oceans), Clculo

(calculation), Clculos (calculations), Ingls (Englishman), Ingleses

(Englishmen); except Carcter (character), Caracteres (characters),

Rgimen (regime or rule), Regmenes (regimes or rules)--the latter

hardly ever used in the plural.

SIGNS.

The Written Accent.

The only accent in Spanish is (). It is used--

(1) To mark the exceptions to the _Rule of Stress_.

(2) To distinguish between two meanings of the same word, as El (the),

l (he); De (of), Que l d (that he may give); Se (3rd person reflexive

pronoun, "himself," etc.), Yo s (I know); Ms (more), Mas (but).

(3) In the following words established by use, as "" or "" (or),

"" (and), "" (to).[4]

(4) In some words when used interrogatively, as Quin? (who?), Qu?

(what?), Cul? (which?), Cyo? (whose?), Dnde? (where?).

(5) On _I_ and _U_ when they occur together with _A, E_ or _O_, the _I_

or _U_ not belonging to the same syllable, viz., not forming diphthong

with _A, E_ or _O_, as Filosofa (philosophy), El contina (he

continues).

(6) On _I_ following _U_ when the _I_ does not form a diphthong, but

stands as a separate syllable, as Concludo (concluded), Imbudo

(imbued).

(7) On ste (this), se and Aqul (that) when these words are stressed.

[Footnote 4: According to the last edition of the Grammar of the

Spanish Academy, these words may now be written without the accent.]

Crema (Diaeresis).

The diaeresis is placed over _u_ in "ge" and "gi" when the _u_ is to

be sounded.[5]

[Footnote 5: In poetry also to divide an ordinary diphthong into two

syllables for the sake of rhythm.]

Tilde.

The tilde (~) is used on the letter _N_ to turn it into __, as Maana

(morning) (in old Spanish spelt Mannana).

Notes of Interrogation and Exclamation.

These are used in Spanish both at the beginning and at the end of the

question or exclamation, as Qu quiere V.? (what do you want?),

Cuntos sufrimientos! (how much suffering!). Note that at the beginning

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: