lesson 1.5

1. In the audio lesson 1.5 the words: 'por' y 'de' both mean- on. if they mean the same thing then when do I use each one? 2. In the same lesson Mauricio says:"yo soy doctor" wich means I I am(there is no a?) doctor whitch makes it sound like the person is stuttering... why say the word twice?

Tehila - In Spanish, the use of the pronouns yo, tu, el, ella, usted, nosotros, vosotros, ustedes, ellos and ellas are all used more for emphasis... they aren't necessary, because the form of the verb will tell you what the pronoun should be. For instance, take the verb ser. Ser is the verb "to be" and denotes permanent conditions (I am tall, he is Canadian, etc.) (yo) soy - (I) am (tu) eres - (you) are (ella) es - (she) is (nosotros) somos - (we) are (ustedes) son - (all of you) are See how the verb changes as you conjugate it? That's why the pronoun isn't necessary. So, in the statement "yo soy doctor" he's not saying "I" twice, he's just emphasizing that he is a doctor. When denoting one's profession in Spanish, there's no "a" (he's _a_ doctor) it's just the profession... the "a" is understood. Hope that clears it up a little for you!

Thank you! Loriann for your answer that clarified the second part of my question, but I still didn't get an answer to the first part.

so meny viewers and not a single one can answer my question?! I have alot more to ask but if it takes forever to get an answer each time ( if at all...) and since there is no one around me speaking spanish who could help me , I can't learn like this! I'm thinking seriusly of getting my mony back on this purchase.

Hey Tehila - Sorry I don't have an organized, well thought out reply for you right now, but I wanted to let you know that I'm not blowing you off. I've had family in town, and now I have a hurricane bearing down on me (I live between Orlando and Daytona Beach) so I'm a little more focused on what's going on with that. Let me formulate a really concise explanation, and I'll get it posted as soon as I can. Keep up your studies... don't quit!!

[quo]*Quote:* so meny viewers and not a single one can answer my question?! I[/quo] This is the mature of a forum. No one is obliged to answer your post. So, don't get angry. I read almost every post lately, but I don't answer any , simply because that takes time, which I don't have, and it takes committement to follow up, for which I don't have the knowledge. The same goes for most other readers who read your post and don't answer [quo]*Quote:* I have alot more to ask but ......... [/quo] The answers are usually in the course. So, maybe you should* simply read the course* one or two times before you start studying seriously [quo]*Quote:* but if it takes forever to get an answer each time [/quo] Many people just read all the time and answer never. That's the nature of the forum. [quo]*Quote:* and since there is no one around me speaking spanish who could help me [/quo] That's most unfortunate, but you are not alone. There are most probably only 5 ( five ) people in this whole country I live in who speak Spanish, but I managed to learn a lot by doing Rocket Spanish 1 and 2 over and over again and by listening to movies and songs......and them...take the dictionary or use online services. Yes , it's hard sometimes....! [quo]*Quote:* I can't learn like this![/quo][/quote] *Yes you can..........if I can.....you can* [quo]*Quote:* I'm thinking seriusly of getting my mony back on this purchase.[/quo] You may ask for your money back, but that is not getting the Spanish in your head. Next course you sign up with you will encounter __exactly the same problems__ Please, I wrote this in a good spirit, read it as such. Antonio

Hola tehila. I understand your wish to understand every point of grammar or vocabulary that you encounter, but I think you'll be much better off if you simply continue to move through the lessons (both the audio lessons and the excellent books that Rocket Spanish makes available in .pdf format on the members' page). You'll find that gradually you'll learn the answers to many of your questions. You may also find it helpful to have a book like _Búscalo: A Quick Reference Guide to Spanish Grammar and Usage_ to turn to for additional help. There are also a zillion resources on the Web devoted to helping people learn Spanish, such as __http://spanish.about.com/__. However, no course, no book, and no website can answer all your questions. If you stop and wait for answers to every question you have, you'll never learn Spanish. Just push ahead with the lessons, and if after a while you keep having the same question, you can try posting it here. Just keep in mind that most of the people here are learners with very limited time. If you feel you need someone to answer all your questions, I suggest you hire a Spanish tutor. That person will presumably have both the time and the knowledge to give you what you're looking for.