Saturday, February 10, 2024

Qué hora es?

Es la una (it's one o'clock)

Son las dos y veinte (it's 2:20)

Son las tres (it's three o'clock)

Son las seis (it's six o'clock)

Son las nueve y diez (it's 9:10)

Es la una menos diez (it's ten before one 12:50)

Son las ocho y media (it's half past eight 8:30)

Son las diez y media (it's ten thirty 10:30)

Son las cinco menos cuarto (it's a quarter before five 4:45)

de la mańana = in the morning

de la tarde = in the afternoon

de la noche = in the evening (at night)

Friday, February 9, 2024

Los días de la semana

lunes : Monday

martes: Tuesday

miércoles: Wednesday

jueves: Thursday

viernes: Friday

sábado: Saturday

domingo: Sunday


Did you notice that the days of the weeks are not capitalized and the week starts with Monday?

Use the article el before the days of the week to express on: el lunes = on Monday

Thursday, February 8, 2024

Describing animals

 El perro de Jaime se llama Osito porque es pequeño y negro.

(Jaime's dog is called Osito because he is small and black.)

Osito es un perro muy inteligente y cariñoso. (Osito is a very intelligent and affectionate dog.)

En general, los perros son animales muy inteligentes. (In general, the dogs are very intelligent animals.)

También son muy fieles. (They are also very loyal.)

Algunas personas creen que los gatos son más listos, pero Jaime no está de acuerdo. 

(Some people think that the cats are brighter, but Jaime does not agree.) 

Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Los animales domesticos

 el perro (dog)         los perros (dogs)

el gato (cat)

el pájaro (bird)

el pez (fish)            pez changes to peces in plural form. 


Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Using verbs to talk about others

 Raquel vive en los Angeles. Viaja a Espańa. 

(Raquel lives in Los Angeles. She is traveling to Spain.)

Raquel y el taxista preguntan a dos chicos dónde viven la Seńora Suarez y su familia. 

(Raquel and the taxi driver asks two kids where Mrs. Suarez and her family live.)

Sunday, February 4, 2024

Los números del 0 al 21

0 cero         

1 uno        

2 dos      

3 tres    

4 cuatro    

5 cinco    

6 seis        

7 siete    

8 ocho    

9 nueve    

10 diez    

11 once    

12 doce    

13 trece    

14 catorce    

15 quince    

16 dieciséis    

17 diecisiete    

18 dieciocho    

19 diecinueve    

20 veinte    

21 veintiuno

Uno is the number used in counting. Un is used before masculine nouns, una is used before feminine ones. Note how veintiuno is used before nouns: veintiún clientes, veintiuna oficinas. 

Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Expressing Possession

la familia de Fernando (Fernando's family)

la esposa de Ramón (Romón's wife)

su padre (his / her / their father)

sus hermanos (his / her / their brothers)

Sunday, January 28, 2024

Los Saludos

Hola (Hello) 

Buenos dias (Good morning)

Buenas tardes (Good afternoon)

Buenas noches (Good night or Good evening)

Friday, January 26, 2024

Los miembros de la familia

los padres (parent)

el padre / la madre (father / mother)

los hijos (children)

el hijo / la hija (son / daughter)

los hermanos (brothers and sisters)

el hermano / la hermana (brother / sister)

los tios  (uncles and aunts)

el tio / la tia (uncle / aunt)

esposos (spouses)

el esposo / la esposa (husband / wife)

Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Expressing is and are

Spanish equivalents of English is and are: es and son

Mi historia es muy important para la Familia Castillo. (My story is very important for the Castillo family) 

Juan es professor de literatura. (Juan is a literature professor) 

Dos personas en esta historia son importantes. (Two people in this story are important)

Saturday, January 20, 2024

Learn Spanish with Destinos

"Destinos" is a 52 episodes long tele-novela aimed to teach Spanish to English speakers. Each episode is about 25 minutes long and the videos are available online. The series are a co-production of WGBH Boston and Annenberg Media.  I will be sharing my notes from the series as I watch each episode and study on my own. If you are interested in learning Spanish, you can order the student workbook which has more activities which goes along with the TV show. Here is a short description of Destinos from Annenberg Learner website.

"Destinos teaches speaking, listening, and comprehension skills in Spanish. This telenovela, or Spanish soap opera, immerses students in everyday situations with native speakers and introduces the cultures, accents, and dialects of Mexico, Spain, Argentina, and Puerto Rico. Understanding of Spanish and appreciation of many Hispanic cultures increase as students become absorbed in the mysterious and entertaining story. Closed captioning in Spanish can be used as a teaching and literacy resource."

Tuesday, January 9, 2024

The Road Home (1999)

The Road Home (imdb rating 7.8) tells the story of a young man who goes back to his village after his father's death. The movie starts in black and white. Returning to his village on a cold winter day, this young man suddenly finds himself in the funeral preparations that his mother is trying to organize for his father. We soon learn that his father came to this village as a teacher many years ago and that he was very popular among the people of the village. His mother wants his father's last journey to be spectacular and befitting him. While the funeral preparations are continuing, the film suddenly takes us back to the past and the black and white image suddenly becomes colorful.

In the next segment of the movie, we witness the love story between a village teacher and a village girl. This story actually feels so familiar to us as we watch it, it's as if it's describing a small village in any part of the world. For example, the village teacher is welcomed by all the villagers at the entrance of the village, all the people join hands in building the school building, the villagers prepare a meal for the young teacher, and invite them to their homes for dinner, one by one.

Also, the love between two young people is so naive, so sincere. Although they have only met a few times, a great love blossoms between them. When the young teacher leaves the village for some political reasons, the young girl waits for months at the entrance of the village for the day the teacher would return. Because she stays in the cold for hours, she falls into bed and gets sick. At the end of the film, we return to the present day and the film becomes black and white again. The film ends with a magnificent funeral ceremony under the snow, on the backs of hundreds of people.

While watching these and similar movies, I am always surprised by how similar Eastern cultures are to each other. Actually, I must say that I am more than surprised. Because, as I sail towards different cultures, I see that we can have the same feelings and thoughts even if they are thousands of miles away from us. Imagine how close and similar the experiences in an ordinary village in China, which is governed by a regime quite different from ours, are to us. I believe in the benefits of such initiatives for different societies to better understand each other, and I recommend you not to miss this movie if you have the opportunity. The more information about the movie can be found here

How to start a blog in 2024?

In this article, we will go over the necessary steps to start and develop a blog from scratch. Creating a blog can be a satisfying endeavor that allows anyone to share their thoughts, areas of expertise, or life experiences with a broader audience. This step-by-step guide may help you get started:

Define Your Purpose and Niche: First and foremost, you need to identify your passion or area of expertise. This will allow you to determine your target audience and what value you can provide to them. If you are in the field of education, teachers may be your target audience and you may write blog posts related to daily lives of educators. You can also create blogs about your daily life experiences and anything you find important to share with others.

Choose a Blogging Platform: There are many options out there to start blogging, but you may consider popular platforms such as WordPress, Blogger, Medium, or Wix. Although each platform has its own features and benefits, you may choose one that aligns with your goals. Blogger is very east to set-up and user friendly so it may be a good choice for beginners. Unlike others, Blogger is completely free, and you don't have to worry about paying a monthly fee to keep your blog alive. WordPress provides endless opportunities but requires a bit of learning curve becoming comfortable with navigating the platform.

Select a Domain Name:

Although not required, it may be wise to choose a memorable and relevant domain name for your blog. Domian names costs as low as $10 a year and sometimes they offer deals if you buy them for multiple years. Blogger allows you to connect your blog to any domain easily. When you choose a domain name, make sure it reflects your blog's content and is easy to spell.

Set Up Hosting (if using WordPress, etc.):

If you choose to publish your blog on WordPress or some other platforms, you may need to select a hosting provider (e.g., Bluehost, SiteGround) and register your domain. With hosting, Blogger comes handy again since it offers free hosting on blogspot.com.

Design Your Blog:

A lot of readers pay attention to the design of a website when they're navigating. If it's not appealing to them, they will leave the site and do not come back again. Try to choose a clean and user-friendly design or theme. With Blogger, you may customize the layout, colors, and fonts to create a visually appealing site.

Create Essential Pages:

Blog sites are usually personal websites, and each user has a different way to represent themselves through these websites. If you are interested in connecting with your readers, consider developing essential pages such as an About Me page, Contact page, and a Privacy Policy page. These pages may not attract all of your visitors, but it will add a personal touch and allow readers to gain a better understanding of you and your goals.

Write High-Quality Content:

With the artificial intelligence technology, it has become much easier to create new content and write grammatically sound essays and articles. You may begin putting your thoughts into writing in seconds and then let an essay editor make edits or updates to your article. Start creating and publishing content that aligns with your blog's niche. Keep your focus on providing value to your audience, whether it's information, entertainment, or inspiration.

Optimize for SEO:

At the end of the day, you would like more readers to come visit your blog. This will not only make your voice heard but also allow you to connect with people who are thinking alike and would like to interact with you. Learning the basics of search engine optimization (SEO) may allow you to improve your blog's visibility on search engines. Blogger is a part of Google family, and its visibility is always high compared to others. All you have to do is to use relevant keywords, meta descriptions, and alt tags for images.

Promote Your Blog:

You have chosen a name for your blog, and you started posting a few articles. It's time to promote your blog to others so that they know it exists. Although search engines may bring some traffic to your blog, you may still need to let the word out to reach wider audiences. You can share your blog posts on social media platforms and engage with your audience and participate in relevant online communities. When doing that, don't forget to add your blog site in your signature or find a way to mention it.

Monetize (if desired):

It may sound impossible at first, but there are lots of people out there making a living by writing blog posts. This may not be your end goal but why not make some additional income if you are really good at it. Your blog may be helping others to improve themselves with your content so you can take that to the next level. Explore ways to monetize your blog, such as through affiliate marketing, sponsored content, or selling products/services.

Learn and Improve:

The world of blogging has changed tremendously over the past two decades. Try to stay updated on blogging trends and techniques. This will allow you to adapt quickly to changes which will bring additional traffic who are looking for these types of improvements. Always pay attention to analytics to understand your audience and find ways to improve your content. You may gain a solid base of followers quickly but stay open to accepting new ones to grow even more.

Stay Consistent:

As we previously mentioned, there are so many blog sites out there and many of them die after a certain period of time. Their authors either lose motivation or simply do not add new content anymore. In the world of blogging, the consistency is key. Make it your goal to regularly publishing new content to keep your audience engaged. If it's easier, establish a posting schedule that works for you.
Keep this in mind: Building a successful blog takes time and dedication. Be patient and stay committed to providing value to your readers.

(This article is written by a human being with the help of Artificial Intelligence).

Sunday, January 7, 2024

Bicycle Thieves (1948)

Bicycle Thieves (imbd rating 8.3) is an Italian masterpiece. It's filmed during those years when black and white movies were the only option. It is a masterpiece that takes us back to those years with its realistic narrative, makes us question our values about humanity and life, and surprises us especially with its final scene. 

It is a film that sheds light on a period by revealing both the economic and social life of post-war Italy in all its nakedness. Women carrying buckets of water from the street fountain, men waiting for work in the labor market, people pushing each other to get a seat in the bus line. This film, which moves very slowly and can be boring at times in today's fast pace, has an important place in the history of cinema due to the scenes it presents from the daily life.

Coming back to the movie, it tells the story of a man trying to find a job despite the impossibilities  mentioned above. Antonio, who needs a bicycle to work, starts to search for his bicycle when it is stolen, by mobilizing the people around him and turning the whole of Rome upside down. However, looking for a bicycle in a huge city will not be as easy as you think. The film is worth watching for its emphasis on human values, reminding us of the value of what we have, and, as I mentioned above, taking us to a period of Europe. More information about the movie can be found here.

Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Shape of the Moon (2004)

Although the producers of this movie are from the Netherlands, the story takes place in Indonesia. Its original name is "Stand van de Maan" and it has an imdb rating of 7.4. This documentary film reflects the daily life of a Christian family living in Indonesia, which has the world's largest Muslim population. This film gives viewers a very good idea of learning what it means to be a minority in a society where the majority religion is felt in every aspect of daily life. The film opens with anti-Bush slogans from a group marching against America in Jakarta. Then, the lens focuses on the prayers performed in the mosques and an old uncle who cannot control his tears while praying for Iraq.

In Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, religious motifs often come into play to help us understand how dominant or important religion is in daily life. For example, a young man collecting money on behalf of a mosque, a group marching at midnight chanting hymns, people praying collectively at the train station, a mosque imam explaining that a marriage other than a religious one will not be an official marriage. In addition to these, the announcement of food distribution to those left homeless in the neighborhood fire was made from mosques, the wedding was held in the mosque and announced to the surrounding area via loudspeakers. It is noteworthy that it shows how intertwined social life is.

After this picture becomes clear in our minds, the film invites us to become guests to a Christian family's house. A cross and a painting of Jesus and Mary on the wall can be the only indicators that the family is not Muslim. Apart from those, we witness the intertwining cultures such as entering a house without shoes and children kissing the hands of adults. The film (or documentary) continues with the family's eldest son converting to Islam so that he can marry a Muslim girl. The viewers witness the wedding ceremony which takes place afterwards, and remarkable scenes from the daily lives of ordinary people. 

As we get closer to the end, there are a few things we remember about Indonesia: The place of religious elements in people's daily lives as well as the poverty of the people and the fact that despite all of these struggles, life continues. So much so that we even witness people traveling on the roof of the trains because they cannot find a seat in the overcrowded trains. If you want to learn more about this country, the way they live and what is feels like to be a minority in a very religious country, I simply recommend you watch this movie.

Family Friendly International Movies

Image by  Gerd Altmann  from  Pixabay Ten years ago, it was very difficult to find suitable movies for school age children. Thanks to the gr...