Madrigals Magic Key to Spanish (69 page)

Copy the above material onto a card. Carry the card with you and glance at it whenever you have a chance.

las canastas

ithout exception, EVERY first person plural of EVERY verb in EVERY tense ends in “MOS.”

The present tense endings for the first person plural are:

AMOS for AR verbs
EMOS for ER verbs 
IMOS for IR verbs   

1. Cover up the two right-hand columns.
   
2. Remove “ar,” “er,” or “ir” from each infinitive in the left-hand column.
   
3. Add AMOS for “ar” verbs, EMOS for “er” verbs, IMOS for “ir” verbs (as in the center column on next page).
   
4. Translate (as in the right-hand column on next page).
   
5. Check your columns with those on next page.
   
6. Read the middle column in the book aloud, firmly stressing the heavy-type letters in the center column.
   

HABLAR,
to speak

VENDER,
to sell

VIVIR,
to live

Notice that the third man plural is formed by adding the letter “N” to the third man singular.

1. Cover up the two right-hand columns.
   
2. Add the letter “n” to the third man singular in the left-hand column (this converts it into a third man plural).
   
3. Translate.
   
4. Check your columns with the two right-hand columns below.
   
5. Read the first and third columns in the book aloud, firmly stressing the heavy-type letters.
   

THIRD MAN SINGULAR			THIRD MAN PLURAL
h a bla	you speak	h a blan	they speak
c o mpra	you buy	c o mpran	they buy
term i na	you finish	term i nan	they finish
trab a ja	you work	trab a jan	they work
vis i ta	you visit	vis i tan	they visit
inv i ta	you invite	inv i tan	they invite
c a nta	you sing	c a ntan	they sing