Countdown to Spanish (Countdown Series): Learn to Communicate in 24 Hours / Edition 1

by Gail Stein

Overview

Master Spanish in just one day

When time is of the essence, trust Countdown to Spanish to help readers master the language quickly and effectively. Organized into 24 units—each of which is designed to take no more than one hour to study—this self-instruction book presents material in a "countdown" fashion, from Hour 24 all the way down to 0, allowing learners to gauge their progress along the way.

Beginning with a basic introduction of grammar and vocabulary fundamentals, the units move quickly to practical conversational skills for both vacation and business travelers. Upon completion of the guide—the equivalent of just one day—readers eager to apply their newly honed language skills will be able to communicate in a variety of everyday, real-world situations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780071414234
Publisher:	McGraw Hill LLC
Publication date:	08/20/2003
Series:	Countdown Series
Edition description:	BILINGUAL
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.85(d)

About the Author

Gail Stein is a dedicated language instructor who has taught in New York City public schools for more than 30 years. She has written numerous books on language self-instruction.

Table of Contents

	Introduction	xiii
	24:00 Focusing on Pronunciation	1
	Master These Skills	1
	Perfecting Your Pronunciation	2
	Stress	2
	Accents	2
	Vowels	3
	Diphthongs	4
	Consonants	5
	Having the Right Tools	9
	A Final Suggestion	9
	Time's Up!	10
	23:00 Recognizing and Using Nouns	11
	Master These Skills	11
	Gender	12
	Noun Markers	12
	Nouns	17
	Cognates	22
	Time's Up!	26
	22:00 Working with Present-Tense Verbs	27
	Master These Skills	27
	Subject Nouns and Pronouns	28
	Regular Verbs	29
	Shoe Verbs	35
	Irregular Verbs	39
	Uses of the Present Tense	43
	The Present Progressive	44
	Time's Up!	45
	21:00 The Past Tense (The Preterit)	47
	Master These Skills	47
	Forming the Preterit	48
	The Present Perfect Tense	51
	The Preterit Perfect	53
	The Imperfect	53
	The Pluperfect	54
	The Preterit Versus the Imperfect	54
	Time's Up!	57
	20:00 Back to the Future: Speaking Conditionally	59
	Master These Skills	59
	The Future	60
	The Future Tense of Regular Verbs	60
	The Future Tense of Irregular Verbs	61
	The Future Perfect	62
	The Conditional	63
	The Perfect Conditional	64
	Time's Up!	65
	19:00 Adding Adjectives and Adverbs	67
	Master These Skills	67
	Making Adjectives Feminine	68
	Making Adjectives Plural	70
	Position of Adjectives	71
	Using Ser and Estar with Adjectives	74
	Adverbs	77
	Adjectives Versus Adverbs	77
	Position of Adverbs	80
	Time's Up!	80
	18:00 Making Acquaintances	81
	Master These Skills	81
	Greetings and Good-Byes	82
	Reflexive Verbs	83
	Origins	87
	Nationalities	89
	The Family	90
	Showing Possession	91
	Time's Up!	94
	17:00 Fielding Invitations and Other Questions	95
	Master These Skills	95
	Verbs for Invitations	96
	Prepositions	97
	Places	100
	Prepositional Pronouns	101
	Extending an Invitation	102
	Accepting an Invitation	103
	Refusing an Invitation	103
	Expressing Indecision and Indifference	104
	No	104
	Time's Up!	106
	16:00 Making Plans	107
	Master These Skills	107
	Cardinal Numbers	108
	Ordinal Numbers	110
	Days, Months, and Seasons	111
	Dates	112
	Telling Time	114
	Time's Up!	118
	15:00 Using Spanish Around the Home	119
	Master These Skills	119
	House and Home	120
	Chores	121
	Stores	121
	Deber (to Have to)	122
	Tener Que	123
	Hay Que + Infinitive	124
	Understanding and Forming the Present Subjunctive	124
	The Imperfect Subjunctive	129
	The Perfect and Pluperfect Subjunctive	130
	Offering Encouragement	131
	Time's Up!	132
	14:00 Offering Ideas and Issuing Commands	133
	Master These Skills	133
	Making Proposals	134
	Commands	134
	Getting There	139
	Using Idioms	140
	Positive Reinforcement	141
	Complaints	142
	Time's Up!	142
	13:00 Asking Questions	143
	Master These Skills	143
	Asking Yes/No Questions	144
	Information Questions	145
	Hay	149
	Asking for Directions	149
	Asking for a Price	150
	Questioning New Acquaintances	150
	Lack of Communication	151
	Time's Up!	152
	12:00 Answering Questions	153
	Master These Skills	153
	Answering Yes	154
	Answering No	154
	Negative Expressions	157
	Pero Versus Sino	158
	Answering Information Questions	158
	On the Phone	162
	Time's Up!	164
	11:00 Seeking Help	165
	Master These Skills	165
	Getting Help Anywhere	166
	At the Post Office	166
	At the Hair Salon	167
	At the Dry Cleaner's	168
	Repairs and More Repairs	168
	At the Optician's	169
	At the Camera Shop	169
	At the Jeweler's	170
	Special Services and Needs	171
	Time's Up!	172
	10:00 Expressing Positive Opinions	173
	Master These Skills	173
	Making Suggestions	174
	Leisure Activities	174
	Demonstrative Pronouns	176
	Object Pronouns	178
	Using Accents	183
	Positive Feelings	183
	Using the Subjunctive to Express Emotions and Feelings	184
	Time's Up!	185
	09:00 Planning Outdoor Activities	187
	Master These Skills	187
	Sports	188
	The Weather	190
	Expressing Negative Opinions	191
	Expressing Indifference	191
	Using the Subjunctive with Expressions of Doubt	192
	Using the Subjunctive After Impersonal Expressions	192
	Contrary-to-Fact Conditions	194
	Sequence of Tenses of the Subjunctive	194
	Time's Up!	195
	08:00 Making Comparisons	197
	Master These Skills	197
	Animals	198
	In the Classroom	198
	Comparisons of Inequality	199
	Comparisons of Equality	206
	The Absolute Superlative	207
	Comparative and Superlative Expressions	208
	The Subjunctive After Superlative Expressions	208
	Time's Up!	209
	07:00 Meeting Your Needs on the Road and Elsewhere	211
	Master These Skills	211
	Hotel Accommodations and Amenities	212
	Exclamations	213
	The Subjunctive in Third Person Commands	214
	The Subjunctive After Conjunctions	214
	The Subjunctive in Relative Clauses	217
	Relative Pronouns	217
	Time's Up!	220
	06:00 Speaking of Food	221
	Master These Skills	221
	Quantities	222
	Nouns of Quantity	223
	Eating Establishments	224
	Foods	224
	Table Settings	230
	Restaurant Etiquette	231
	Dietary Restrictions	231
	Problems	232
	Time's Up!	233
	05:00 Medical Needs	235
	Master These Skills	235
	At the Pharmacy	236
	Prepositional Modifiers	237
	Parts of the Body	238
	Medical Problems	239
	At the Doctor's	240
	Time's Up!	242
	04:00 Clothing Needs	243
	Master These Skills	243
	Clothing	244
	Sizes	245
	Alterations	246
	Problems	247
	Colors	248
	Fabrics	250
	The Neuter Lo	250
	Patterns	250
	Sales	251
	Making a Purchase	251
	Getting Measured	251
	Time's Up!	252
	03:00 Taking Care of Travel Needs	253
	Master These Skills	253
	At the Airport	254
	At the Train Station	256
	Travel by Car	256
	The Passive Voice	260
	Time's Up!	260
	02:00 Managing Your Money	261
	Master These Skills	261
	At the Bank	262
	The Stock Market	264
	Present Participles	265
	Perfect Participles	266
	Time's Up!	267
	01:00 The Language of Business	269
	Master These Skills	269
	Stationery Needs	270
	Photocopies	270
	Faxes	271
	Computers	271
	Conducting Business	273
	Prepositions Before Infinitives	274
	Time's Up!	276
	00:00 The Final Countdown	277
	Answer Key	283
Appendix A	24 Important Words and Phrases	295
Appendix B	Verb Glossary	299
	Index	307