Shopping at the Market

23.1 Basic Sentences — Shopping at the Market

Carmen and Mrs. Harris are at the market, shopping from a list and navigating the various stalls.

Dialog

English	Spanish
What shall we buy?	¿Qué compramos, señora?
I have the list here. Meat, first.	Aquí traigo la lista. La carne primero.
Let’s go to a booth that I’m familiar with.	Vamos a un puesto que yo conozco.
Near there they sell fish, too.	Cerca de allí venden pescado, también.
Look how fresh the green vegetables are!	¡Mire qué verduras tan frescas!
Don’t you have to buy (any)?	¿No tiene que comprar?
Not today. I have plenty at home.	Hoy no. Tengo suficiente en casa.
Fruits, too?	¿Y frutas?
No, I don’t need any of them, either.	No, tampoco.
I need a dozen eggs.	Necesito una docena de huevos.
But where will I put them?	¿Pero dónde los pongo?
They’ll fit here in my bag.	Aquí en mi bolsa caben.
I hear them singing over there. What is it?	Oigo que cantan por ahí. ¿Qué es?
It must be a blind beggar. What else do you need to buy?	Debe ser un ciego. ¿Qué más necesita comprar?
Bread, butter, salt and pepper.	Pan, mantequilla, sal y pimienta.
And milk?	¿Y leche?
No, the milkman brings it to me.	No, me la lleva el lechero.
By the way, do you do your own cooking?	A propósito, ¿hace la comida usted misma?
Yes, I do it even though I must say it’s a chore.	Sí, yo la hago, aunque le digo que es una lata.

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23.10 Notes on the Basic Sentences

(1) The verb comprar, like its English counterpart “buy,” can and usually does take an object. But in Spanish, unlike English, if the object has already been mentioned in the immediate context of the utterance, the object need not be repeated in the form of an empty object-substitute like “any” as in the English translation of this sentence.

(2) Note that “dozen” is a modifier in English — “a dozen eggs” — but a noun in Spanish — una docena de huevos (a dozen of eggs).

(3) There is no close structural parallel between Spanish and English as regards the use of subordination of clause constructions: here “I hear them singing” is equated with “I hear that they are singing.”

(4) Note the meaning of “It must be…” which is, of course, “It probably is…” The Spanish, literally “It ought to be…” or “It must be…”, has exactly the same probability notion in it.

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23.2 Drills and Grammar

23.21.1 Present tense irregular verbs — Velar stem extensions

In certain irregular verbs a velar sound (/k/ or /g/) appears between the stem and ending of 1 sg forms. The velar sound /k/ follows a stem-final voiceless sound (usually /θ/), and the velar sound /g/ follows a stem-final voiced sound (usually /n, l/). Only -er/-ir verbs are involved, and the stem-final consonant is always preceded by a vowel.

Extension	Verb	1 sg form	Other forms (regular)
-k-	agradecer	agradezco	agradece, agradecen…
-k-	conocer	conozco	conoce, conocen…
-k-	parecer	parezco	parece, parecen…
-k-	pertenecer	pertenezco	pertenece, pertenecen…
-k-	traducir	traduzco	traduce, traducen…
-g-	valer	valgo	vale, valen…
-g-	poner	pongo	pone, ponen…
-g-	salir	salgo	sale, salen…

Translation drill

English	Spanish
I’m not acquainted with that district.	Yo no conozco ese barrio.
Do you know it?	¿Ud. lo conoce?
Is it worth while getting acquainted with it?	¿Vale la pena conocerlo?
I’m very grateful to you for it.	Se lo agradezco mucho.
I go out very little.	Yo salgo muy poco.
They go out every week.	Ellos salen todas las semanas.
Where do you put the ashtray?	¿Dónde pone Ud. el cenicero?
I put it there.	Lo pongo allí.
What do you think about it?	¿Qué le parece a Ud.?

23.21.2 Present tense irregular verbs — Mixed stem-vowel changing and velar extensions

A limited number of verbs have the irregularities of both the velar stem extensions and stem-vowel changes. The -g- extension takes precedence, and no other change occurs in the 1 sg form. In other forms where the stem is strong-stressed, the diphthongization e → ié occurs.

	tener	venir
yo	tengo	vengo
tú	tienes	vienes
él/Ud.	tiene	viene
nosotros	tenemos	venimos
ellos/Uds.	tienen	vienen

The verbs tener and venir are the important examples of this mixed pattern. Others are compound forms derived by adding some prefix, as con- in convenir.

Translation drill

English	Spanish
I have to go to the corner.	Tengo que ir a la esquina.
We have lots of dirty shirts.	Tenemos muchas camisas sucias.
Do you have to go to the laundry?	¿Tiene Ud. que ir a la lavandería?
He too has to go.	Él también tiene que ir.
I’m coming by car.	Yo vengo en carro.
They’re coming on foot.	Ellos vienen a pie.
Are you coming on foot?	¿Viene Ud. a pie?

23.21.3 Present tense irregular verbs — Miscellaneous: caer, traer, oír, hacer, decir, saber

These verbs combine mixed patterns of irregularity into unique combinations.

Palato-velar extension (-ig-): caer and traer each has the extension -ig- in their 1 sg forms (caigo, traigo). Oír has this same extension (oigo) plus a palatal extension -y- in the 2 fam and both 2-3 forms (oyes, oye, oyen).

Velar consonant change (θ → g): hacer and decir have the change in their 1 sg forms (hago, digo). Decir additionally has the stem vowel change e → í in 2 fam and both 2-3 forms (dices, dice, dicen).

Stem shortening: saber is irregular only in its 1 sg form, where the stem changes to sé- and takes no ending.

	caer	traer	oír	hacer	decir	saber
yo	caigo	traigo	oigo	hago	digo	sé
tú	caes	traes	oyes	haces	dices	sabes
él/Ud.	cae	trae	oye	hace	dice	sabe
nosotros	caemos	traemos	oímos	hacemos	decimos	sabemos
ellos/Uds.	caen	traen	oyen	hacen	dicen	saben

Though all these changes can be described by noting the individual modifications of each irregular form, it is usually more profitable for a student to use and memorize each irregular form as if it were a new vocabulary item, until the verb forms can be related through meaning and distribution rather than their variance from regular patterns.

Translation drill

English	Spanish
I don’t do the cooking at my house.	Yo no hago la comida en mi casa.
Who does it in yours?	¿Quién la hace en la suya?
My wife and I do it.	Mi esposa y yo la hacemos.
Neither he nor I bring the car.	Ni él ni yo traemos el carro.
I don’t bring it either.	Yo tampoco lo traigo.
They bring it once in a while.	Ellos lo traen de vez en cuando.
Do you all know my name?	¿Saben Uds. mi nombre?
We do know it.	Nosotros sí lo sabemos.
Do you know the lesson?	¿Sabe Ud. la lección?
I too know it.	Yo también la sé.
Do you all hear well?	¿Oyen Uds. bien?
We hear very well.	Nosotros oímos muy bien.
I hear everything very well.	Yo oigo todo muy bien.

23.21.4 Statement intonation patterns — Leavetakings

Leavetakings in Spanish characteristically end in a falling intonation pattern, unlike English. Using an English pattern for leavetakings in Spanish is both conspicuous and inappropriate. One of the most conspicuous errors that an English-speaking student can make is to impose an English rising intonation on Spanish goodbyes.

The common Spanish pattern /121↓/ exists in English as an abrupt, discourteous dismissal. It is therefore likely to be avoided by an English-speaking student in favor of a familiar pattern that doesn’t make an English speaker feel so uncomfortable. But appropriate patterns must be internalized.

Translation drill — Leavetakings

English	Spanish
See you tomorrow.	Hasta mañana.
See you later.	Hasta luego.
I’ll be seeing you.	Hasta la vista.
See you tonight.	Hasta la noche.
See you soon.	Hasta pronto.
See you Monday.	Hasta el lunes.
See you at seven.	Hasta las siete.
Glad to have met you.	Mucho gusto de conocerlo.
Glad to have seen you.	Mucho gusto de verlo.
Glad to have heard you.	Mucho gusto de oírlo.
Goodbye.	Adiós.
Good night.	Buenas noches.
Gotta go now.	Con permiso.

23.24 Review drill — The obligatory clause relator que

In Spanish, the clause relator que (“that”) is obligatory in subordinate clauses where English frequently omits it.

English	Spanish
I believe she’s American.	Creo que ella es americana.
I believe she doesn’t speak Spanish.	Creo que ella no habla español.
I believe she dances very well.	Creo que ella baila muy bien.
It seems to me he’s from the United States.	Me parece que él es de los Estados Unidos.
It seems to me he’s a pilot.	Me parece que él es piloto.
It seems to me he’s at the airport.	Me parece que él está en el aeropuerto.
It seems to me he’s not coming today.	Me parece que él no viene hoy.
She said she was at school.	Ella dijo que estaba en la escuela.
She said she was American.	Ella dijo que era americana.
She said she wasn’t coming.	Ella dijo que no venía.
She said she didn’t dance.	Ella dijo que no bailaba.

Note: The full drills and practice exercises are designed for oral work with the audio recordings. Open the Student Text PDF for the complete drill sets.

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23.4 Reading — ¿Quién Rompió los Platos?

The reading selection continues the evening at the Robinson home. The Fuentes are delighted to hear the two little girls conversing so well in Spanish, but the conversation is interrupted by their mother, who demands to know what they were doing in the kitchen at this hour. Ruth and Jane explain they were hungry and went to get some more of the delicious apple pie their mother had made. Virginia insists on knowing what they broke. After a tense silence, Jane confesses it was one of those ugly cups — and two plates. The sisters blame each other: Ruth says Jane was bothering her while she washed the dishes; Jane insists Ruth started it by calling her “gorda fea.” Virginia puts an end to the argument and sends them to bed immediately, warning that if they get up again, there will be no more television. The girls obediently say goodnight to everyone and leave the room.