Saludos y despedidas. Some of what we learn in Spanish will be the word-for-word equivalent of English, but many expressions are quite different from what we say in English. You will have to pay particular attention to these differences.

The first four expressions in the Entremeses are all quite literal, except that the words for day, afternoon, and evening are plural in Spanish. Notice also that the word for good takes different endings depending on the word that follows. More on that later.

hola = hello
buen = good
día = day
tarde = afternoon
noche = evening or night

Notice, however, that many of the other expressions in this section do not have word-for-word equivalents. I will comment on these differences as we encounter them.

¿Cómo estás? = How are you?

¿cómo? = how
estás = you are --- Actually, the word for you isn't there, but an -as or -es verb ending tells us that it's a you form. Verb endings are much more important in Spanish than in English and require special attention.

¿Qué tal? ---This expression is not literal. In fact, the question word

¿qué? = what? and
tal = such. It doesn't make much sense literally, does it?

There are numerous expressions like this in which the meaning of the expression has little to do with the actual meanings of the words used.

¿Cómo te va? --- This one is closer to a literal meaning.

¿cómo? = how?
te = you
va = It goes.

Muy bien, gracias. ¿Y tú? --- This one is word-for-word.

Muy = very
bien = well, fine
gracias = thanks
y = and
tú = you

adiós = good-bye

Hasta mañana. Ah. This one is interesting. There is nothing here meaning either see or you.

hasta = until
mañana = tomorrow

Nos vemos. Another interesting one. The -mos verb ending tells us that it's the we form of the verb.

Nos = us, ourselves
vemos = We see.

You should be getting the idea. You just can't count on Spanish being the word-for-word equivalent of English. You have to get used to "equivalent expressions". Knowing what something means literally, however, might help you to understand the meaning of the expression.

For example, in the Presentaciones section on page 2, the Spanish expression for What's our name? doesn't have words that me either what's, your, or name. Spanish speakers are asking literally How do you call yourself?

¿Cómo te llamas?

¿cómo? = how?
te = you, yourself
llamas = you call (Again, the -as ending tells us that it's the you form of the verb.)

The answer, then, is not literally My name is … but I call myself … .

Me llamo …

me = me, myself
llamo = I call. (The -o an -oy endings indicate the I form of the verb.)

Mi nombre es …

This expression is literal.

mi = my
nombre = name
es = is

Soy

The word for I is not included here because the -oy ending always indicates that the subject is I.

Y tú. ¿Cómo te llamas?

Mucho gusto.

These is nothing here that means either you or meet. Literally, it means much pleasure.

Mucho = much
gusto = pleasure

¿De dónde eres? = Where are you from?

De = from, of
dónde = where
eres = you are Again, the -es and -as verbs endings indicate the tú form of the verb.

Soy de = I am from … Very literal, here.

Rearrange the sentences so that the conversations will be as follows. Then practice translating these conversations from English to Spanish.

A.

Hello. I'm Elena. And you?
Pleased to meet you. My name is Esteban.
How are you, Esteban?
Very well, thanks. And you?
I am fine, thanks.

B.