Reference · module 35
Reading the news
Everything this module explains, on one page.
How a headline works
Read a headline without stumbling.
- A headline uses the present for something that has happened: El Gobierno aprueba la ley. It happened yesterday.
- Verbs get dropped: Detenidos tres hombres en Madrid. The participle carries the whole sentence.
- The ser passive lives here more than anywhere: El acuerdo fue firmado ayer. Elsewhere Spanish would say Firmaron el acuerdo.
The mistake you are about to make
El Gobierno aprobó la ley. (заголовок)
El Gobierno aprueba la ley.
It happened yesterday, so the past looks honest. A headline uses the present.
Society and economy
Follow an article about how things are going.
- el paro, el sueldo mínimo, la vivienda, la sanidad, los impuestos, la deuda. Six words cover most of a domestic story.
- Rising and falling: subir, bajar, aumentar, descender, crecer, caer. The nouns are la subida, la bajada, el aumento.
- Percentages take un: un diez por ciento. And the comparison is respecto al año pasado.
The mistake you are about to make
El paro sube diez por ciento.
El paro sube un diez por ciento.
"Rises by ten per cent" has no article. Spanish percentages take un.
Environment and technology
Discuss the subjects that fill the news.
- el cambio climático, el medio ambiente, los residuos, las energías renovables, la contaminación.
- la red, los datos, la nube, el usuario, la inteligencia artificial, la privacidad.
- To link cause to effect: provocar, suponer, conllevar, dar lugar a. All four are commoner in writing than causar.
The mistake you are about to make
La contaminación provoca a problemas.
La contaminación provoca problemas.
The personal a has become a habit and attaches to any object. It is only for people.
Taking part in a debate
Argue a position and answer an objection.
- Concede first: Estoy de acuerdo en parte, pero. Entiendo lo que dices, aunque. Refusing outright ends the conversation.
- Ask for grounds: ¿En qué te basas? ¿De dónde sacas eso? The second is blunter and belongs among friends.
- To close: Habrá que verlo. Cada uno tiene su opinión. Neither claims a victory, and both end it politely.
The mistake you are about to make
No.
Entiendo lo que dices, aunque…
A flat no ends the conversation. Acknowledge the other view first, then disagree.