Lesson Conversation Topics

[Joseph]

We want to know what topics you'd like to hear us cover in upcoming lessons. This is your chance to really be heard. All you have to do is respond to this post, and not only will we take your suggestions into account as we plan our curriculum; but you'll also be eligible to win prizes. So, what kinds of topics are you interested in hearing in the upcoming lessons conversations?

[rodney]

I'd like to see a comprehensive lesson on diminutives. They are used extensively but I've never seen any thorough coverage of the subject.

It would be nice to know many of the more common ones, how to translate them, how they're used in everyday speech and more importantly, all the information necessary in order to use them correctly the same way a native speaker would.

[kmaher]

For my personal needs and interests, a discussion of the regional differences in business customs and expectations would be very useful, for example, the relative importance of dressing nicely and punctuality can vary widely.

Seems like a logical extension of the regional spanish series, my apologies if it's been covered already and I missed it. Not sure if our spanishpod101 profesores necessarily know the ins and outs of high powered business negotiations either.

Thanks
Kevin

[Joseph]

Kevin,

You can look for this topic to be covered in depth in the Upper Intermediate Series, with Kathy and Ana.

What kind of business in particular would you like the negotiation to pertain to?

Thanks for your input!

Joseph

[Joseph]

Hey Rodney,

Yeah, the "diminutive" is used all the time. I'll look into the tags we have for the lessons in which we've already covered this, just so that you can cross-reference them. The difficulty with the "diminutivo" is that there are many different forms, and the meaning of a word almost completely depends on its context. I'm trying to think of a systematic way to cover the topic...

In which series would you be interested in hearing this topic covered?

Good to hear from you!
Joseph

[rodney]

It doesn't really matter which series the diminutive lesson appears in to me, whatever makes the most sense.

I would also like to see a (very) comprehensive lesson on using Ser and Estar in the past tense. Specifically, when to use which one, and why. Sometimes the choice is clear, and other times I have a heck of a time figuring out which one to use and then trying to figure out if it changes the meaning of what I said.

Thanks!

[mariposa]

I would be interested in contemporary literature and music of both Spain and Latin America, politics, turistical attractions worth to be visited.
on the grammatical side:
-verbs with prepositions (like phrasal verbs in Englisch) por/para
-use of subjunctive vs. indicative mood
-direct/indirect speech
-more difficult quizzes in the premium section
-maybe preparing for language tests, like the DELE of Insituto Cervantes
-regional series for the intermediate content (I know it's a lot of work and you won't have to realize it all in the near future
- don't forget the the Europeans, maybe a Core curriculum lesson by a Spanish native speaker from the Iberian Peninsula in the future would be great

[cacevedo222]

Thanks for the suggestions! If you are interested in current politics, one lesson that might be useful in the Costa Rican series is the ongoing drama concerning CAFTA (The Central American Free Trade Agreement). Ticos are very independent and many feel the free trade agreement would not benefit the county but benefit the United States. If you travel in CR you will see "NO TLC" everywhere in Graffiti, that shows the overall attitude of many people in the country.