Spanish Strategies

Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA)

I'm looking for a strategy that someone has used successfully to learn a specific grammar form. Moods Subjunctive Imperfect subjunctive Conditional Conditional perfect and pluperfect subjunctive Commands Pronouns Relative pronouns Simultaneous use of direct and indirect object pronouns Direct and indirect object pronouns in affirmative and negative tú commands Reflexive pronouns in present perfect constructions Tenses / Aspect Preterite Imperfect Preterite vs. imperfect Ser and estar Por vs. para Gender / Agreement Gender of nouns Gender and number agreement Other Demonstrative adjectives Lo + adjective Hacer and desde in time expressions Negative words Superlatives I'm looking for strategies that match my learning style and that can apply to various grammar forms. Auditory Rhymes Songs and chants Talking to native speakers Visual Color coding Decision maps Drawings / Mental images Note cards Playing with verbs Quasi-math formulas Quick grammar references Kinesthetic Physical behaviors Writing it over Memory aids Acronyms Initials as a vehicle for mnemonics Phrases as memory aids Phrases as vehicles for syntax Cognitive English sentences with Spanish syntax English sentences with Spanish words inserted Focusing on meaning Learning material as a chunk Learning grammar by explaining it Using archetypical sentences Using L1 to keep forms and functions straight Context-based Making associations Observing use in context Other Avoiding avoidance Combining perceptual modes What's the reason for using one strategy or another? Spanish grammar sites Glossary

Archetypal sentences in context

Susan builds upon her previous knowledge that one tú command ends in -s and the other doesn’t. In order to remember whether the affirmative or the negative tú command ends in –s, she recalls a situation when she was in a park in Spain and she heard a father say no lo hagas ‘don’t do that’ to his son. Susan knew he was using a negative tú command, so then she realized that the negative tú commands are the ones that end in -s.

Susan also remembered that people often said ven aquí ‘come here’ to their dogs. By recalling this sentence she remembers that affirmative tú commands don’t end in -s and Susan is able to remember the irregular form of the verb venir.

I'm looking for a strategy that someone has used successfully to learn a specific grammar form.

I'm looking for strategies that match my learning style and that can apply to various grammar forms.

Archetypal sentences in context