Intermediate

Prior to enrolling in courses at this language level, students must have completed or tested out of a minimum of two semesters (or three quarters) of college-level Spanish at their home university in the U.S.

Description:

The essential purpose of this course is to offer the students the necessary theoretical-practical elements that help them to know and exercise Spanish grammar. It requires previous knowledge of the most common grammatical structures in spoken and informally written Spanish. The knowledge of complete grammatical structures, the Spanish verbal system and the use of different prepositions of the language will be emphasized in this course, as well as the use of the normative and new vocabulary acquired in order to improve the student’s written composition.

Objectives:

Upon completing the course, the students will be able to:

1. Broaden their use of the Spanish language in the oral and written form in any communicative situation.
2. Correctly use the verbs “ser” and “estar”
3. Know the general verb tenses, preterite perfect and imperfect of the indicative mode, as well as all subjunctive tenses.
4. Improve their comprehension of the prepositional system in Spanish
5. Broaden their basic vocabulary
6. Know the normative rules of Spanish
7. Improve their compositions and written expression.

Contents:

Unit 1: Ser y Estar

1.1 Ser + nouns o pronouns.
1.2 Ser y estar + adjectives.
1.3 Ser y estar + nouns.
1.4 Ser y estar to indicate location or place.
1.5 Estar + present participle.
1.6 Ser y estar + past participle.
1.7 Other uses of ser y estar.

Unit II: Personal Pronouns.

2.1 Subject Pronouns.
2.2 Prepositional Pronouns
2.3 Indirect and Direct Object Pronouns
2.4 Reflexive Pronouns

Unit III: Verbs. (Uses in the Indicative Mode.)

3.1 The indefinite preterite of the Indicative Mode.
3.2 The imperfect preterite of the Indicative Mode.
3.3 The indefinite preterite vs. the imperfect preterite.
3.4 The preterite perfect of the Indicative Mode

Unit IV: Prepositions.

4.1 Simple prepositions.
4.2 Personal “A”.
4.3 Por y para.
4.4 Verb structure + preposición + noun.

Unit V: The Subjunctive.

5.1 General Concepts.
5.2 The subjunctive in subordinate prepositions.
5.2.1 Subordinate nouns.
5.2.2 The use of different modes of the Subjunctive.
5.2.3 Subjunctive vs. Indefinite.
5.2.4 Subordinate adjectives.
5.2.5 The Subjunctive after certain conjugations.

5.3 The Subjunctive in independent prepositions.
5.3.1 The expression of wishes and desires.
5.3.2 The expression of doubt.
5.3.3 Subordinate adverbs.

Unit VI: The Compound Sentence.

Sub theme: 6.1 Coordinated Prepositions.

6.1.1 Adverse coordination.
6.2.1 Disjunctive coordination.
6.3.1 La coordinación copulativa.

Sub theme: 6.2 Subordinate prepositions.

6.2.1 General characteristics.
6.2.2 Use of interprepositional links
6.2.3 Classification.
EVALUATION:

Exams Units Evaluated Percentage
Homework and participation 10%
Compositions 10%
Exam 1 Units I through III 20%
Exam 2 Units IV and V 25%
Final Exam All material 35%
TOTALS 100%

BIBLIOGRAFÍA:

Borrego J.; Asencio J. G. y Prieto E. (1986) El Subjuntivo: Valores y usos. Madrid: Sociedad General Española de Librería, S. A.

Busquets L. y Bonzi L. (1986) Tercera edición. Ejercicios Gramaticales Nivel Medio y Superior. Madrid: Sociedad General Española de Librería, S. A.

Canteli D.; Reynold, M. y John J. (1994) Repase y Escriba. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Haensch, G.; Puy Costa, M. y Scheneider, H. (1986) Español en vivo, Ejercicios prácticos de lengua española. Alemania: Max Hueber Verlag.

Iglesias, M. y Meiden, W. (1991) Spanish for Oral and Written Review. Cuarta edición. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Iglesias, M. (1991) Spanish for Oral and Written Review, Cuaderno de Ejercicios y Manual de Laboratorio. Cuarta edición. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Lunn, P. y De Cesaris, J. (1992) Investigación de gramática. Boston: Heinle & Heinle Publishers.