Indefinite articles; cuánto?, mucho, poco

Transcripción

1 Indefinite articles; cuánto?, mucho, poco In English Indefinite articles introduce non-specific nouns. The indefinite articles for singular nouns are a and an. For plural nouns, the words some and a few are used. I need a backpack for school. Maria brings an eraser to class. I found some books. I still have a few exams left. To talk about the quantity of things, we use the question words how much (if you cannot count the noun) and how many (when the noun can be counted). How much homework is there? There is much/a lot of/little homework. How many books are there? There are many/a lot of/few books. A Underline the indefinite articles or quantity adjectives in the following sentences and circle the nouns they introduce. 1. We all have a hard test tomorrow. 2. There is little time to lose and much material to study. 3. How much paper do you need for the test?. Bart needs a lot of time to study. 5. Ricardo has many colored pens. 6. Monica wants a few black markers. 7. Andy has an eraser on the desk. 8. How many students will take the test? In Spanish The indefinite articles un and una are used to say a or an (or the number one) before a singular noun, while unos and unas are used to say some or a few before a plural noun. The form you use depends on the noun that follows: the indefinite article must agree with the noun in number and gender. Masculine Feminine SINGULAR un lápiz una carpeta PLURAL unos lápices unas carpetas Tengo unos zapatos y una regla. To talk about amounts or quantities, we use cuánto?, mucho, and poco, which also agree with the noun they describe in number and gender. Masculine Feminine SINGULAR Cuánto papel tienes? Cuánta tarea tienes? Tengo mucho/poco papel. Tengo mucha/poca tarea. PLURAL Cuántos lápices tienes? Cuántas carpetas tienes? Tengo muchos/pocos lápices. Tengo muchas/pocas carpetas. Copyright by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. 21

2 INDEFINITE ARTICLES; CUÁNTO?, MUCHO, POCO B Underline the indefinite articles or quantity adjectives in the following sentences and circle the nouns they introduce. Then, indicate whether the noun is singular (S) or plural (P), and masculine (M) or feminine (F). 1. Cuántas clases tienes? 2. Tengo unas materias fáciles. 3. Tienes poca tarea.. Necesitas muchos lápices. 5. Cuántos profesores tienes? 6. No quiero un cuaderno verde. 7. Martica necesita una calculadora. M F S P C Complete the following conversation with the correct form of the indefinite article (un, una, unos, unas), or a quantity word (cuánto, mucho, poco). Juan Cuántas cosas tienes en tu mochila? María Tengo (1) diccionario para (2) clase fácil. Juan Tienes (3) clases? María No, tengo () clases: sólo (only) dos. Juan Necesitas (5) útiles escolares? María Sí, necesito papel y (6) libros. Juan (7) papel necesitas? y (8) libros? María Necesito (9) cuadernos ( catorce!) Juan Tienes (10) lápices y reglas para la clase de arte? María Sí, tengo (11) lápices, y (12) regla. Juan También tengo (13) zapatos y (1) ropa: un montón! D Compare the translation of una in these sentences. a. Cuántas reglas tienes? Tengo una regla. (I only have one ruler.) b. Qué necesitas? Necesito una regla. (I need a ruler.) What do you notice about una in spite of the difference in meaning? Copyright by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. 22

3 Ir a with infinitives In English To talk about the near future, or what someone is going to do,we use a present tense form of the verb to be followed by going to and an infinitive.to be going to acts as an auxiliary verb. I am going to buy some clothes. We are going to study for the test this afternoon. Elizabeth is going to run for an hour. A Circle the subject and underline the form of be going to + infinitive in the following sentences. 1. We are going to plan our next vacation. 2. Edward is going to search the Internet. 3. My sisters are going to look into hotels.. My parents are going to pay for the whole thing. 5. You are going to come with us, right? 6. We are going to leave in three weeks. 7. I am going to have a great time. In Spanish To talk about what someone is or isn t going to do in the near future, use the present tense of ir with a followed by an infinitive. Qué vas a hacer? Voy a comer fruta. Van a salir ustedes? Sí, vamos a ir al cine. B Circle the subject, if it is given, and underline the form of ir a + infinitive in the following sentences. 1. Vamos a tener un examen mañana. 2. Cuándo van a estudiar ustedes? 3. Después de clases, vamos a practicar deportes.. Primero voy a nadar en la piscina. 5. Mi hermana va a montar en bicicleta. 6. Después, mi madre y yo vamos a preparar la comida. 7. Mis padres van a ver televisión. 8. Nosotras vamos a hacer la tarea. 9. Muchos estudiantes van a pasar el rato con sus libros. Copyright by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. 23

4 IR A WITH INFINITIVES C Complete the sentences expressing what the following people are going to do on each day of the week. 1. Esta semana, nosotros vamos a hacer muchas cosas. 2. El lunes, yo 3. El martes, mis amigos. El miércoles, tú 5. El jueves, todos nosotros 6. El viernes, mi mejor amiga 7. El fin de semana, mis amigos y yo 8. El sábado, la profesora 9. El domingo, mis padres y yo 10. La próxima semana, yo D Answer the following questions negatively. Use ir a + infinitive in your answer. 1. Practicas mucho español? No, pero voy a practicar mucho este fin de semana. 2. Traes muchos libros hoy? 3. Sabes mucho de arte?. Tu mejor amigo ve mucha televisión? 5. Tu hermana escribe muchas cartas? 6. Tú y tus amigos ponen muchas cosas en las mochilas? E Can ir a be followed by the verb ir itself? And by the verb venir? Write two sentences using these combinations, and write their English translation. Copyright by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. 2

5 Tag questions In English Certain words or phrases may be added at the end of a sentence to make it a question. These words or phrases, called tag questions, include isn t it, right, and don t you. You expect the answer to confirm what you were thinking. He is going to the movies tonight, right? The final game is tonight, isn t it? You know the truth, don t you? A Circle the tag questions in the following sentences. 1. You have a date for tomorrow, don t you?. 2. This chess board is yours, isn t it? 3. You re coming with us, right?. You locked the door, didn t you? 5. You are fifteen years old, aren t you? 6. Monica and Sebastian went to the supermarket, didn t they? 7. Martina is winning the game, isn t she? 8. We have to leave soon, don t we? In Spanish Tag questions may also be attached at the end of a sentence. The most common tag questions are no? and verdad? Verdad is used for questions that include the word no. La clase de matemáticas es interesante, verdad? Te gustan los videojuegos, no? B Circle the tag questions in the following sentences. 1. Te gusta la novela, verdad? 2. Tu madre es muy atlética, no? 3. Tienes seis clases, verdad?. Vas a comer con nosotras, no? 5. Quieres nadar en la piscina, no? 6. Necesitas muchas cosas para tus clases, verdad? 7. Este fin de semana hay partido de béisbol, no? 8. Pasado mañana vamos al concierto, verdad? Copyright by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. 25

6 TAG QUESTIONS C Change the following sentences to questions using tag questions. 1. Tú quieres ir al concierto en el auditorio. Tú quieres ir al concierto en el auditorio, verdad? 2. Vamos al partido de básquetbol. 3. Mi amiga va a ir a una clase de baile.. Quieren comer en un buen restaurante. 5. Hay muchos planes para el fin de semana. 6. Tu hermano no va a hacer ejercicio. 7. Practicamos deportes esta semana. 8. Tú no tienes clase de arte. 9. El arte es tu materia preferida. D Consider the pairs of sentences below. a. La química es fácil? Is chemistry easy? b. La química es fácil, verdad? Chemistry is easy, isn t it? How do tag questions change the tone of the question? Is there a difference in the sort of answer you would expect in each case? Copyright by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. 26