—¿A qué hora se abre el correo en el centro? Quiero comprar unos sellos y enviar* una carta. —Se abre a las nueve de la mañana y se cierra a las ocho de la noche.

Ayer cuidé a Carlota y a Paco por cinco horas. Fuimos a pie al zoológico. Nos quedamos allí hasta la una. Fue muy divertido. Luego regresamos a casa. Sus padres me pagaron por cuidarlos. Me gusta cuidar niños porque puedo ganar dinero. Es importante tener mi propio dinero.

A direct object tells who or what receives the action of the verb. Direct object pronouns A direct object tells who or what receives the action of the verb. Devolví el libro. I returned the book. (book is the direct object)

To avoid repeating a direct object noun, you Direct object pronouns To avoid repeating a direct object noun, you can replace it with a direct object pronoun. In English, him, her, and it are examples of direct object pronouns. You have already used the following direct object pronouns in Spanish:

Direct object pronouns

Direct object pronouns have the same gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) as the nouns they replace. They come right before the conjugated verb. ¿Devolviste los libros a la biblioteca? No, no los devolví. ¿Ayudaste a tu mamá en casa? Sí, la ayudé.

When an infinitive follows a verb, the direct Direct object pronouns When an infinitive follows a verb, the direct object pronoun can be placed before the conjugated verb or attached to the infinitive. ¿Sacaste el libro sobre Simón Bolívar? No, no lo pude sacar. o: No, no pude sacarlo.

Irregular preterite verbs: ir, ser In the preterite, the forms of ser are the same as the forms of ir. The context makes the meaning clear. El cantante Jon Secada fue a vivir a Miami, Florida, en 1970. The singer Jon Secada went to live in Miami, Florida, in 1970. Después fue estudiante en la Universidad de Miami. Later he was a student at the University of Miami.

Irregular preterite verbs: ir, ser Notice that these irregular preterite forms do not have any accents.

Irregular preterite verbs: ir, ser

Irregular preterite verbs: ir, ser

The preterite forms of tener, estar, and Irregular preterite verbs: hacer, tener, estar, poder The preterite forms of tener, estar, and poder follow a pattern similar to that of the verb hacer. Like hacer, these verbs do not have any accent marks in the preterite.

Irregular preterite verbs: hacer, tener, estar, poder

Irregular preterite verbs: hacer, tener, estar, poder

The written accent You already know the standard rules for stress and accent in Spanish. • When words end in a vowel, n, or s, the stress is on the next-to-last syllable. • When words end in a consonant (except n or s), the stress is on the last syllable. • Words that do not follow these patterns must have a written accent (called acento ortográfico or tilde). The accent indicates that you should place the stress on this syllable as you pronounce the word.

Listen to and say these examples: champú olvidó cómodo médico The written accent Listen to and say these examples: champú olvidó cómodo médico película patín jabón adiós demás césped fútbol lápiz

¡Compruébalo! Here are some new words The written accent ¡Compruébalo! Here are some new words that all require accent marks. Copy the words and, as you hear them pronounced, write the accent mark over the correct vowel. antropologo cajon carcel ejercito fosforo lucho nilon util tipico lider

Listen to and say the following refrán: The written accent Listen to and say the following refrán:

to talk about places in a community el banco el centro el consultorio la estación de servicio, pl. las estaciones de servicio la farmacia el supermercado bank downtown doctor’s / dentist’s office service station pharmacy supermarket

to talk about mail el buzón, pl. los buzones la carta echar una carta el correo enviar (i í) el sello la tarjeta mailbox letter to mail a letter post office to send stamp card

to talk about items in a sporting-goods store el equipo deportivo el palo de golf los patines la pelota la raqueta de tenis sports equipment golf club skates ball tennis racket

to talk about pharmacy products el cepillo de dientes el champú el jabón la pasta dental toothbrush shampoo soap toothpaste to make excuses se me olvidó I forgot

to talk about errands cerrar (e ie) cobrar un cheque cuidar a el dentista, la dentista devolver (o ue) (un libro) la gasolina to close to cash a check to take care of dentist to return (a book) gasoline

to talk about errands ir a pie llenar (el tanque) el médico, la médica sacar (un libro) se abre se cierra to go on foot to fill (the tank) doctor to take out, to check out (a book) opens closes

other useful words and expressions caramba casi ¡Cómo no! en seguida hasta por pronto Hasta pronto. quedarse todavía varios, -as good gracious almost Of course! right away until for (how long) soon See you soon. to stay still various, several

preterite of ir (to go) and ser (to be)

preterite of hacer, tener, estar, and poder