Chemistry Science Projects

Chemistry Science ProjectsA project within a classroom is the best way to help students learn more about science. With the addition of some Chemistry Science Projects, science classes can enhance their teaching techniques and applications of various topics.Student interaction is the key for classroom science projects. Students need to be engaged in the project, not merely following instructions from the teacher. Sometimes, the project can take the form of science experiments, using only common laboratory tools, and at other times the student will need to conduct experiments on their own.The majority of chemistry projects require a student to mix up small amounts of substances in order to get an accurate representation of what their compounds might look like when properly mixed. Other projects are more complex, requiring the student to mix one substance and then observe how that substance reacts with others to see if there are any differences between the effects.Often, science teacher s will develop Chemistry Science Projects by introducing students to different chemicals, experimenting on them together, and then determining which are more difficult to work with. Then, they teach students how to use common laboratory equipment, such as glassware, to mix their compounds to make it easier to determine their exact effects.To make Chemistry Science Projects more fun, the student can also experiment with different substances. If you have a mixture of two substances, and then add one more, then you will know if one is more reactive than the other. It is also important to note that different substances react differently with each other; so, by doing a few experiments, the student can determine what reactions take place and what substances will cause the best effects.Student Chemistry can also be used to boost math skills by combining physical science projects with the chemical. By combining Math and Chemistry, the student can obtain a better understanding of how the two fields fit together and can also use the information in making a more complete chemical equation.Another thing about Chemistry Science Projects is that you will often see a high level of creativity in the projects. Of course, it is important that the student uses the chemicals correctly in order to determine their effects, but at the same time, the student must be creative enough to come up with interesting ways to combine the chemicals. Also, any experiment needs to be recorded so that it can be viewed in the proper context.Student Chemistry Science Projects should be taken seriously and not taken too lightly. Don't be afraid to change the project to suit the skills of the student, but remember that it's a good idea to get the student involved and learn more about the chemical's effects, even if you're not sure exactly how the student will be able to demonstrate it in the experiment.

4 Ways For Students to Stay Motivated in February

4 Ways For Students to Stay Motivated in February 4 ways to Stay Motivated in February When students come back from winter break, they are often lacking in motivation and struggle to get back on track academically. Students have been focusing on school for several months yet still have months to go before they reach the end of the school year. February also brings colder temperatures often making students tired and uninterested in general. However, there are a few things students can do to stay motivated during the winter months and help them maintain high grades while setting goals for the future dont wait until you fall behind in your classes, book your private Irvine tutor today. 1. Set short-term goals Long-term goals are always helpful but, if students are struggling to work towards something they wont reap the benefits from until next year, its a good idea to set some short-term goals. Rather than getting an A in a particular class, they could focus on getting an A on one particular assignment or improving their grade by 5 or 10 points. Students can also set goals unrelated to grades such as working to improve their intro sentences in English class or memorizing important formulas in math class. Its easier to stay motivated with short-term goals because students can reach them faster and stay positive about their immediate academic situation. 2. Keep an eye on the big picture In addition to viewing things in the short-term, students are encouraged to keep an eye on the big picture. For students in high school, this might be applying to college while for younger students it might be finishing the third grade or adjusting to the middle school environment. Its important for students to see that their immediate actions affect their overall situation and that every effort they make can add positively to their academic future. Many tasks dont have an immediate reward, so its important that either parents or tutors remind students that theyre working towards something great (READ: Irvine Tutor Tips: Improve Your Study Skills This Winter). 3. Get organizational help Another way to help students stay on track in February is to get some organizational help from a one-on-one tutor. Assignments can easily become overwhelming, especially when students are starting all new classes as part of a new semester. If students can sit down with their Orange County tutor and write out a calendar for when assignments are due and work together to figure out about how much time it will take to complete each assignment, school will become less overwhelming. Tutors can also work with students to break up long assignments into smaller parts, making it easier to focus on. 4. Make studying more fun One reason students become apathetic about learning in the middle of the school year is that they see it as only hard work and not much fun. If studying can be a fun social activity students are more likely to participate. Although each student will have challenging topics they need to focus on in an environment with no distractions, many subjects can be studied in a group environment. Working with friends and peers help students stay positive about learning and enjoy a little bit of social time in between. Students can also encourage each other to push through difficult chapters or topics and help each other out based on their strengths and weaknesses. A great way to stay focused during the winter months is to work with a private Irvine academic tutor from TutorNerds. Call us today for more information. All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us write.

Use A Peer Tutoring PDF To Help Your Kindergarten Students Learn

Use A Peer Tutoring PDF To Help Your Kindergarten Students LearnLearning by reading works well for children in kindergarten. This is the time when they are still learning how to read and when it is important to help them develop their skills and increase their vocabulary. The best way to do this is through a study guide that shows you step-by-step how to read. A PDF learning guide is the ideal choice for this purpose.One of the reasons for using peer tutoring is to provide children with opportunities to learn how to do something well. This can be as simple as creating a word search and adding the answers to a word search, or as complex as learning how to proofread an essay. Because kids are able to work together in groups, they will enjoy working with others to achieve the common goal. In the case of an essay, they will learn how to find and organize information and format it for the essay to be successful. This can help students in advanced levels of study and can help them to make progress.An online PDF resource is also a good way to show a teacher how to present a subject matter. You can show how to use color codes or different levels of spelling. You can show how to present complicated information to your students in easy to understand terms and you can review what you have shown to them in class to make sure you have covered everything and more.Reading by the age of four can mean a lot to a child. Children who have learned how to read and have taken part in peer tutoring will find that reading by the age of six is important to them. This is the time when they should be learning to read everything, including complex stories, that are presented to them. This can help them to have an ability to comprehend anything and everything, helping them to have a strong foundation to learn about new subjects.An online PDF guide can help students improve their reading skills. Students will be able to make the most of their peers and increase their vocabulary. They will a lso be able to focus on one subject while enjoying the learning process. They will not need to be distracted and make a list of words that they want to work on.Another benefit of using a PDF resource is that they are easy to use and will help you get to know your students better. When you take part in reading by the age of four, you will have a clearer idea of what to expect from them. When you use the right resources, you will be able to see how much they have improved and to what extent.If you find that the materials you have chosen for your kindergarten class are confusing, you might want to use a PDF to give them a clearer understanding of the content. The resource will help you understand what your students have learned and help you to identify where there needs to be improvement. Using the correct resources can really enhance your efforts in helping your students to reach their full potential. When you can give them the tools that they need to develop their capabilities, they will love to learn with you.

Physical Chemistry, 10th Edition - A Good Textbook to Learn Chemistry

Physical Chemistry, 10th Edition - A Good Textbook to Learn ChemistryThere is a strong debate over whether the Physical Chemistry 10th Edition is 'bad'good'. As a matter of fact, people are still debating the same question in the light of the new version of the Biology System, which includes many updates and new content. But the fact is that this is not just another revision of the Physical Chemistry textbooks.On the contrary, this book is considered to be one of the best books in the field of Chemistry. While this is certainly true, it is not just another edition of an old version. The physical chemistry textbook goes back in time to the 1820s and goes to the present day.For those who do not know, the new edition was only recently released. It represents the most recent state of knowledge and incorporates the latest technology that has become available since then. One of the most important features of this book is that it has the power to introduce concepts at any level to the stude nt of chemistry.This helps you grasp things much faster as compared to other textbook or practice problem solutions. It also enables the student to recall the concepts at any level of study in order to complete the problems. Another feature is that the question papers have been revised and extensively reviewed. There is no doubt that these are the major reasons why the physical chemistry 10th edition has been acclaimed by so many students around the world.Even if the new edition does not come with the same power as the previous editions of the textbook, it still provides you with all the vital ingredients that will enable you to be successful in your studies. The introduction of the units in the new edition has also made things more systematic.So, if you are a chemistry student who is looking for an important text, the physical chemistry 10th edition might be the right choice for you. To answer the question whether it is 'bad'good', the answer is really a bit difficult to say.To be more precise, this is like a more advanced and elementary textbook. However, it is certainly more advantageous than the last edition because of the immense coverage of the concepts and their application.

Animal Cell

Animal Cell Animal cell: An animal cell is known as a form of eukaryotic cell that makes up many tissues in animals. Animal cells are distinct from other eukaryotes, most notably plant cells, as they lack cell walls and chloroplasts. They also have smaller vacuoles. Due to the lack of a cell wall, animal cells can adopt a variety of shapes. A phagocytic cell can even engulf other structures. These cells are of eukaryotic origin and their nucleus is double membrane bound. They also have their DNA within the nucleus unlike the case of Prokaryotic cells. Additionally, they consist of membrane bound cell organelles present in the cytoplasm, and certain cellular structures which are required to carry out basic cellular operations. Cell organelles are involved in wide range of cell activities like production of enzymes or hormones in order to generate energy. Anatomy of animal cell Plasma Membrane: It is a thin, selectively permeable membrane which covers the cytoplasm and is involves and cellular transport. Ribosomes: These are large ribonucleoproteins consisting of RNAs and proteins, ubiquitous in all animal cells, which translate the genetic information stored in the messenger RNA into polypeptides. Endoplasmic Reticulum: It is the largest single membrane bound intracellular compartment. It is an extensive network of closed and flattened membrane-bound structure involved in protein synthesis and post translational protein modification. Golgi complex: It is a single membrane bound organelle and part of endomembrane system. It consists of five to eight flattened membrane bound sacs called the cisternae. The Golgi apparatus is often considered the distribution and shipping department for the cells chemical products. Lysosomes: These are membrane enclosed compartments filled with hydrolytic enzymes that are used for the controlled intracellular digestion of macromolecules. They contain 40 different types of hydrolytic enzymes including proteases, glycosidases, lipases, phospholipases, phosphatases and sulfatases. Mitochondria: It is an energy converting organelle which is present virtually in all eukaryotic cells. They are the sites of aerobic respiration. They produce cellular energy in the form of ATP, hence they are called power house of the cell. Peroxisomes: It is a single membrane bound small organelle present in an animal cell. A major oxidative reaction carried out in peroxisomes is the -oxidation. -oxidation in mammalian cells occur both in mitochondria and peroxisomes. Microtubules: These are hollow, cylindrical structure, present in animal cells and play crucial role in the determination of cell shape and cellular motility. Cilia and Flagella: Eukaryotic flagella and motile cilia have a specialized arrangement of microtubules which are remarkably similar in their organization. A flagellum possesses a central bundle of microtubule called the axoneme, in which nine outer doublet microtubules surround a central pair of singlet microtubules (9+2 arrangement). Centriole: It is a barrel shaped polarized structure made up of microtubules. Centrioles are present in most of the animal cells, called MTOC (microtubule-organizing center). They participate in the process of cell division. Nucleus: The nucleus is the controlling center of eukaryotic cell. It contains most of the genetic material of the cell. It further consists of the following parts: Nuclear envelope: It consists of two concentric membranes called the inner and outer nuclear membrane. The outer membrane is continuous with ER. In contrast the inner membrane carries unique proteins that are specific to the nucleus. The nuclear envelope contains nuclear pores for transport of macromolecules between the cytoplasm and nucleus. Nucleolus: It is a non- membrane bound dynamic body which disappears in the late prophase and reappears in the telophase stage of cell division. It consists of rRNA genes in the form of partly condensed chromatin and ribosomal precursor particles. Chromatin and chromosomes: A chromatin is an organized structure of DNA and protein that is found in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells. It contains a single dsDNA in coiled and condensed form. The difference between chromatin and chromosomes is that chromatin is less condensed and extended DNA while chromosomes are highly condensed DNA. The extent of chromatin condensation varies during the life cycle of cells. The light staining, less condensed portions are termed as euchromatin while the darkly stained portions are termed heterochromatin. Animal cell organization: Animal body comprised of trillions of cells. In humans, there are numerous types of animal cells performing different functions. For example, neurons participate in the cell to cell signaling of electrical impulses, red blood cells play role in oxygen transport to various organs and tissues of the body. Different organs have cells specific to their functions like hepatic cells of liver are involved in detoxification while kidney cells are involved in urine filtration.

The Best Cooking Shows in the UK

The Best Cooking Shows in the UK Learning to Cook by Watching TV ChaptersDinner DateRamsay’s Kitchen NightmaresFood UnwrappedMasterChefThe Great British Bake OffCome Dine With MeSaturday Kitchen“If an architect makes a mistake, he grows ivy to cover it. If a doctor makes a mistake, he covers it with soil. If a cook makes a mistake, he covers it with some sauce and says it is a new recipe.” - Paul BocuseSince the 1950s, there’s been plenty of cooking shows. That said, modern cooking shows are far from what they were in the 1950s.  For almost half a century, chefs on the small screen would just explain a recipe and you’d follow along at home. Recipes aren't really the focal point of cooking shows as they’ve shifted towards competitive cooking, reality TV, and celebrity.This is why shows like MasterChef and the Great British Bake Off are so popular. Millions of people tune into each episode.So which are the most popular cooking shows at the moment? Which are still going and which are finished?In this article, we're going to look at some o f the most popular cooking shows in the UK. While there's plenty of stuff in the US on the Food Network and shows like Top Chef, Iron Chef, and no lack of famous celebrity chefs, we're going to look at the UK's most popular TV cooking shows. GiovanniCooking Teacher 4.83 (12) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors HalimaCooking Teacher £12/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors HakimCooking Teacher 5.00 (5) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors VincenzoCooking Teacher £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GinellaCooking Teacher £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ArronCooking Teacher 5.00 (2) £9/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JoshuaCooking Teacher 5.00 (5) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors FlickCooking Teacher 5.00 (1) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsDinner DateThe conceptAs you can probably guess from the name, this show involves people going on a dinner date. The contestant, either a man or a woman, goes o n dates at three people's houses on three different nights and at the end, has to choose which of them they will go on a date with at a restaurant.The winner of the dinner date gets to go on a proper date. (Source: Free-Photos)First episode: 9 August 2010Number of seasons: 10Presenter: Charlotte Hudson (2010-2012), Natalie Casey (2014-)Network: ITV, ITVBeFind out more about the world of cooking.Ramsay’s Kitchen NightmaresThe conceptIn this show, the chef Gordon Ramsay helped struggling restaurants. He doesn’t hesitate to bluntly state the errors being made by the chefs, waiters, and management.The American version of the show, Kitchen Nightmares (Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA in the UK), started broadcasting in 2007 and helped turned Gordon Ramsay into a global superstar.The show also led to international versions in 24 different countries (including the American version with Ramsay himself).Interestingly, in the first ever episode, Ramsay failed to fix a failing restaurant in Yorkshire. In fact, by the end of the episode, the owner has decided to close the restaurant and focus on the upstairs bar.First show: 27 April 2004.Number of seasons: 7Number of episodes: 36Presenter: Gordon RamsayNetwork: Channel 4.Thanks to Superprof, join in a great cooking class London or anywhere in the UK.Food UnwrappedThe conceptThis show covers how food is produced and was first aired on 10 September 2012. It's based on the TV series Food CIA.If you want to know about the ingredients that your cookbook calls for, this show could be an interesting one.First show: 10 September 2012.Presenters: Matt Tebbutt, Kate Quilton, Jimmy Doherty, Helen Lawal, Kiran Jethwa, James Watt, Martin Dickie.Network: Channel 4.The show is available to watch on Channel 4's All 4 streaming service. GiovanniCooking Teacher 4.83 (12) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors HalimaCooking Teacher £12/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors HakimCooking Teacher 5.00 (5) £50/h1st lesson free! Discover all our tutors VincenzoCooking Teacher £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GinellaCooking Teacher £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ArronCooking Teacher 5.00 (2) £9/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JoshuaCooking Teacher 5.00 (5) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors FlickCooking Teacher 5.00 (1) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsMasterChefThe conceptMasterChef is a cooking competition. It’s for those who like to cook and has amateur chefs vying for the top prize.On Masterchef, contestants are expected to master a variety of cooking techniques. (Source: Free-Photos)After the auditions, the chosen competitors go through challenges with the hope of winning the MasterChef trophy.There are multiple types of tests that contestants are faced with: the market test, the calling card, the invention test, the impression test, the ingredients test, the passion test, the choice test, the palate test.Broadcast dates: 1990-2001 (origi nal run), 2005-2007 (as MasterChef goes large), 2008-present (revived series).Number of seasons: 11 (original), 14 (revived)Presenter: Loyd Grossman (season 1-10), Gary Rhodes (season 11), Gregg Wallace and John Torode (revival).Network: BBC1 and BBC2.Related Shows:Junior MasterChefCelebrity MasterChefThe Great British Bake OffThe conceptThis, as the name suggests, The Great British Bake Off (although it's called The Great British Baking Show in the US and Canada) is all about pastry, cakes, and baking. It’s a competition for amateur bakers to prove they’re the best at baking. There are various challenges that they’re subjected to.When it comes to the Bake Off, it's just you and the dough! (Source: Pexels)In earlier seasons, there were 10 contestants but this was later changed to 12.Funnily enough, the winner gets nothing but a cake stand and flowers.Thanks to the show, there's been an increase in baking in the UK but it's also been subject to some controversy. The Smeg fridge s used in the show came under criticism for product promotion, something which isn't allowed on BBC shows.In the fifth series, Iain Watters' Baked Alaska was shown to have not set after having been removed from the freezer by another contestant, Diana Beard. This results in Watters throwing his Baked Alaska into the bin and many thought Beard had sabotaged the dessert. However, it was later revealed that the Baked Alaska had never set and Diana had only momentarily removed it from the freezer.Mel and Sue, the show's original hosts on the BBC also received complaints for their use of innuendo and “smutty remarks”. That said, the presentation style was also very popular among many viewers.If you love biscuits, tarts, pies, scones, buns, or shortbread, this show has the best British baking has to offer.First show: 17 August 2010Number of seasons: 9Presenter: Mel Giedroyc, Sue Perkins, Sandi Toksvig, Noel FieldingNetwork: BBC Two (2010-2013), BBC One (2014-2016), Channel 4 (2017-)Ju dges:  Mary Berry, Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith.WinnersSeason 1: Edd KimberSeason 2: Joanne WheatleySeason 3: John WhaiteSeason 4: Frances QuinnSeason 5: Nancy BirtwhistleSeason 6: Nadiya HussainSeason 7: Candice Brown. Season 8: Sophie Faldo. Season 9: Rahul Mandal.Related Shows:Junior Bake OffThe Big Family Cooking ShowdownBake Off: The ProfessionalsThe Great Pottery Throw DownThe Great British Sewing BeeDiscover the most popular dishes in the UK.Come Dine With MeThe conceptCome Dine With Me has 5 different contestants trying to host the perfect dinner party.  The dinner, entertainment, and host will all be judged and given a score by their guests at the end of the evening.On Come Dine With Me, you have to host the best dinner party. (Source: PublicDomainPictures)Usually, the host will cook a meal with several courses with savoury starters and mains and some sweet pudding, desserts, or treats to finish. Once the meal is over, they tend to start the night's entertainment before judgi ng the host on the taxi ride home.The winner after 5 dinner parties will be given £1,000.First show: 31 January 2005.Number of seasons: 41Narrated by: Dave Lamb.Network: Channel 4.Worst score: 7 out of 40.Discover the greatest chefs to have ever lived.Saturday KitchenThe conceptSaturday Kitchen is a show that mainly broadcasts on the BBC. The show has the main host chef, two guest chefs, and a celebrity guest.The chefs will cook food and chat to one another and footage is used from the BBC archives to fill in the time between the dishes being prepared.The show has a number of featured including the omelette challenge, where guests are challenged to cook an omelette as quickly as they can. In fact, Theo Randall, having completed an omelette in 14.76 seconds, holds the Guinness World Record for the feat.First show: 14 April 2001Presenters: Gregg Wallace (2002-2003), Antony Worrall Thompson (2003-2006), James Martin (2006-2016), Matt Tebbutt (2016-).Network: BBC Two (2002-2006), BBC O ne (2006-)In addition to these shows, there are also plenty of great cooking shows from across the pond and on Netflix. Whether you want to be a better baker, perfect your pastries, be crowned king of cheesecake, or just improve your food, watching cooking shows is probably a good idea.So which is your favourite cooking show?If you'd like to learn more about how to cook, you should consider enlisting the help of a private tutor on Superprof. You can get three different types of private tutorials: face-to-face tutorials, online tutorials, and group tutorials.Face-to-face tutorials are usually the most expensive per hour but are also the most cost-effective since you're employing a tutor to create tailored lessons to you and your learning style. Additionally, you'll have someone on hand to correct any mistakes and make sure you don't pick up bad cooking habits.Online tutorials are usually cheaper since they don't have travel costs to worry about, allowing them to offer a more competit ive rate for their lessons. As long as you both have a decent internet connection, webcams, and a programme such as Skype, you can enjoy online tutorials.While you won't enjoy as much one-on-one time with your tutor in a group tutorial, you can save a lot of money by sharing the cost of the tutor's time with the other students in attendance.Each type has its advantages and disadvantages so it's up to you to decide which works for your learning objectives and your budget!

50 Fascinating Facts About the Spanish Language [Infographic]

50 Fascinating Facts About the Spanish Language [Infographic] Suzy S. Calling all linguaphiles, trivia buffs, students, teachers, and  world travelers you probably already know that a countrys language carries many clues about its history, culture, and values. Understanding the intricacies can often make it easier to learn a language,  also, since youll likely recognize patterns, or how certain language relate to each other. The Spanish language in particular is really cool to learn about, as youll see in this post! We  got help from our tutors to compile a list of a whopping 50 interesting facts about the language of Spain, as a way to test your own knowledge. But first, a few FAQs you should definitely know Where is Spanish used? When you think about Spanish speakers, you likely think about Spain and Mexico. But actually, Spanish is the offical language for more than 20 countries including Cuba, Argentina, Chile, and Nicaragua. Its also worth noting that its not the ONLY language spoken in Spain. Other official languages of Spain are Galician, Basque,  and Catalan. Who else speaks Spanish? Its no wonder that many students, business professionals, and travelers choose to learn Spanish its estimated that almost 400 million people worldwide speak the language! Moreover, being bilingual has tons of benefits. Not only that, but its becoming one of the most widely-spoken second languages in the world. Ok, now test your knowledge! The infographic below showcases the most interesting facts we found. See how many of them you already know, and then scroll down to learn even more about the Spanish language! Share this Image On Your Site pstrongPlease include attribution to TakeLessons.com with this graphic./strong/pbr /br / pa href=https://takelessons.com/blog/language-of-Spain-z03img src=https://takelessons.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Interesting-Facts-About-the-Spanish-Language.jpg alt=50 Fascinating Facts About the Spanish Language width=720px border=0 //a/pbr /br / p Spanish Grammar Syntax If taken literally, the word la persona (person) is feminine, even though it may refer to a man or a woman.[1] Nouns that end in -a are usually feminine, but if they start with an a, they take the masculine article el to avoid the combination of the two same vowels (i.e. Spanish speakers say el alma instead of la alma). Still, the word remains being feminine.[2] Many words have completely different meanings depending on what syllable is stressed. For example,  la mamá  (stressed on the second syllable: the mother), la mama (stressed on the first syllable: the breast). Spanish has two different verbs that mean “to be” in English: ser and estar. The first one is for permanent states (such as personality features of a person;  Yo soy alto [I am tall]) and the second one is for temporary states (such as the location of something; Yo estoy en casa [I am at home]). Even though nouns ending in -o are usually masculine, la mano  is a feminine word. Many nouns are spelled the same but change meanings if theyre used with a different grammatical gender. For example, el cometa (the comet) and la cometa (the kite); el cura (the Catholic priest) and la cura (the cure); el pendiente (the earring) and la pendiente (the slope).[3] Different from English, Spanish has a relatively free word order, and variations of the Subject-Verb-Object order occur much more often than in English. For example, the sentence “Juan wrote a book” can be said like Juan escribió el libro,” “El libro escribió Juan,” “Escribió Juan el libro,” and even “Juan el libro escribió,” or “El libro, Juan escribió” for some literary effect.[4] In most parts of the Spanish-speaking world, theres a familiar-informal 2nd person singular pronoun (usually tú) and a formal 2nd person singular pronoun for unknown, older, or important people (usted). In the Rioplatense variety, the pronoun tú is never used; vos is used instead as the informal-familiar 2nd person singular. In some other countries, such as Ecuador, both tú and vos coexist, but the second one has a social connotation and is considered a highly uneducated (and even lowly) way of addressing others.[5] Exclamations and questions in Spanish need to begin with an “opening” exclamation mark ( ¡) or question mark ( ¿). These punctuation marks do not exist in other languages, except some minority languages in Spain. Considering the three moods (Indicative, Subjunctive, and Imperative), there are 17 tenses in Spanish.[6] Spanish has two different versions of the imperfect subjunctive that coexist in modern Spanish (Pretérito Imperfecto del subjuntivo), one with -ra endings and one with -se. Most native speakers use either form interchangeably. For instance, the words amara or amase ([if I] loved). Spanish Pronunciation Spanish is a very phonetic language. If you know how a word is spelled, you can surely know how its pronounced. If you know how a word is pronounced, you cannot be sure of how its spelled. Letters b and v sound the same in Standard Modern Spanish (this simplification took place between the 15th and 17th century). Between vowel sounds, theyre pronounced like a soft b, in which the lips don’t touch. This last sound doesnt exist in English.[7] Until the early 18th century, the letter x was used to represent the x sound, like  the Scottish word loch. After that, it was replaced with the letter j to represent the same sound. For example, the word caja (box) used to be spelled like caxa.[8] The letter c, when it appears before the letters e and i, is pronounced differently by speakers in Latin America and Spain. The former  pronounce it like an s,  whereas the latter pronounce it like th in “the.” There are plenty of homophones (words that sound the same but are spelled differently) in Spanish that cause native speakers difficulties in learning how to write. Popular examples are hacia (towards) and Asia (Asia), and hola  (hello) and ola (wave). Even though the letters y and ll sound slightly different in most parts of Spain and Latin America, in Rioplatense Spanish, the variety spoken in the most populated areas of Argentina and Uruguay sound like “sh” in English. For example, baya (berry) and valla (fence) sound like bah-shah. Despite being one of the most common words in the language, the word yo (I) can be pronounced in at least four different ways depending on the location of the speaker. The letter y can behave as a consonant at the beginning of syllables (onset), or as a vowel at the ending of syllables (nucleus).  For example, yo (y is a consonant), hoy (y has a vowel sound).[9] Spanish  Vocabulary There are words in Spanish that cannot be translated in one word in English. An example is empalagarse (to feel sick because of too much sweetness in food, but also figuratively, as in romantic situations).[10] Another word that cannot be translated in one word is sobremesa (after-dinner conversation).[11] Around 8% of Spanish vocabulary is of Arabic origin.[12] Within numerous expressions of casual Spanish conversation, there often exists a strong likeness to Arabic expression. Probably most well-known is the interjection ¡Ojalá!, which is derived from the phrase law šá lláh, meaning “if Allah wills [it].[13] There are 30,500 words that contain all of the vowels (a, e, i, o, u).[14] New verbs can be easily created by adding the suffix -ear at the end of the words. This is how modern technology-related words have been invented from English words; for example, escanear (to scan)[15]  and tuitear (to send tweets).[16] A very common phrase in Spanish thats literally translated into holding someones hair (tomarle el pelo a alguien) means to mock someone with false compliments or promises.[17] In Argentina, theres a group of slang words called vesre. They come from the Spanish word for reverse (revés)  after moving around a few letters. Just as the word vesre, other words are made by switching around letters. These words are now so common in Argentina that they may be used more than the “real” word. For example, garpar (Standard Spanish: pagar, English: to pay) or toga (Standard Spanish: gato, English: cat).[18] Many English words have been adapted to Spanish in the 20th century and have become everyday vocabulary. For instance, fútbol (football), suéter (sweater), pulover (pullover), and overol (overall).[19] There are two phrases in Spanish that can be translated to “I love you”: Te amo and te quiero. The first one is said between lovers or closely-related family members. The second one is mostly friendly and typically not romantic. There isn’t a verb in Spanish that can be literally translated to “like.” Me gusta la pizza can be literally translated to the approximation: “The pizza is pleasing to me.” English and Spanish share plenty of similarly-written words that don’t mean the same. Theyre called false friends and learners of Spanish should be aware of them to avoid difficulties. For example, embarazada means pregnant in English and not embarrassed. The Language of Spain Culture and History Spanish is the 2nd most-spoken language as mother tongue. The number of speakers of Spanish as a first language is almost 399 million.[20] The language with the highest number of native speakers is Chinese with 1.2 billion people.[21] Spanish is the 3rd most-used language on the Internet, with 256.8 million users.[22] The use of Spanish on the Internet has grown 1,312.4% from 2000 to 2015.[23] Spanish is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.[24] Spanish is the official language in 22 countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, México, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay, and Venezuela.[25] Spanish is expected to be the first language of 50% of the population of the United States within 50 years.[26] Theres a Spanish-based creole language spoken in the Philippines called Chabacano (poor taste, vulgar). Its the sole and most extensive Spanish-based creole language that still exists in Asia or Oceania.[27] Based on estimates from Census data, the Hispanic population in the US will grow to 132.8 million in 2050. People who speak Spanish may call it español (meaning: it comes from Spain), or castellano (meaning: it  comes from Castilla, Spain), and many people use both words interchangeably.[29] In 1492, the same year when Columbus arrived in America, the first grammar of Spanish was published by Elio Antonio de Nebrija.[30] Spanish was the major diplomatic language until the 18th  century.[31] In 1713, the Real Academia Española was founded. It established authoritative criteria for the sanctioning of neologisms (newly coined words) and the incorporation of international words. Spanish grammar was formalized during this period.[32] In present-day Spanish, September may be spelled septiembre or setiembre. However, the latter is considered a vulgar or informal version of the earlier one because of the dropping of sounds. Contrary to popular belief, the word setiembre is the “originally Spanish” word, since until the 17th century there was no agreement in spelling and the p was not pronounced.[33] Some words that begin with f in other Romance languages, begin with “h” in Spanish. This makes such difference a unique development for the Spanish language. For example, ferrum (Latin: iron) and hierro (Spanish: iron); falar (Portuguese: to speak) and hablar (Spanish: to speak); figlio and fumo (Italian: son and smoke)  and hijo and humo (Spanish: son and smoke).[34] The letter ñ is the only Spanish letter of Spanish origins.[35] Beginning in about the 12th century, Spanish scribes (whose job it was to copy documents by hand) used the tilde placed over letters to indicate that a letter was doubled. This resulted in the Latin word annus to be spelled año in Spanish.[36] The first written records in Spanish are the Glosas Emilianenses and they date back to 964 A.C.[37] The first Literary piece that was fully written in Spanish was “El Cantar de Mio Cid,” which dates back to the 13th century and whose author is unknown.[38] Sources [1] http://www.wordreference.com/es/en/translation.asp?spen=persona [2]  http://www.spanishgrammargenius.com/why_do_i_use_masculine_article_with_feminine_word.htm [3] http://spanish.about.com/od/nouns/a/double_gendered.htm [4] http://spanish.about.com/od/sentencestructure/a/word-order-in-spanish.htm [5] http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/86107/Ennis.pdf [6] http://www.rae.es/diccionario-panhispanico-de-dudas/apendices/modelos-de-conjugacion-verbal [7] Lapesa, R. (1981). Historia de la lengua española (9th ed.). Madrid: Gredos. pp. 422. [8] Lapesa, R. (1981). Historia de la lengua española (9th ed.). Madrid: Gredos. pp. 423. [9] http://clas.mq.edu.au/speech/phonetics/phonology/syllable/syll_structure.html [10] http://www.wordreference.com/es/en/translation.asp?spen=empalagar [11] http://www.wordreference.com/es/en/translation.asp?spen=sobremesa [12] http://people.math.sc.edu/rorabaug/docs/ArabicInfluence.pdf [13] http://people.math.sc.edu/rorabaug/docs/ArabicInfluence.pdf [14] http://www.solosequenosenada.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/palabras_con_todas_las_vocales_sin_qu_ni_gu.txt [15] http://dle.rae.es/?id=G9JTupB [16] http://dle.rae.es/?id=asr6h3K [17] http://lema.rae.es/drae/srv/search?id=9sxZRrtuiDXX2EHANeeY [18] http://www.speakinglatino.com/argentine-slang-in-reverse-vesre/ [19] Lapesa, R. (1981). Historia de la lengua española (9th ed.). Madrid: Gredos. pp. 458. [20] http://www.ethnologue.com/language/spa [21] http://www.ethnologue.com/language/zho [22] http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats7.htm [23] http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats7.htm [24] http://www.un.org/en/sections/about-un/official-languages/ [25] http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/countries_by_languages.htm [26] http://artsandscience.usask.ca/languages/languages/spanish/ [27]  https://www.academia.edu/5922616/Chabacano_The_Case_of_Philippine_Creole_Spanish_in_Cavite [28] http://www.census.gov/data/tables/2013/demo/2009-2013-lang-tables.html [29] http://www.wordreference.com/es/en/translation.asp?spen=castellano [30] http://www.optimnem.co.uk/learning/spanish/language-history.php [31] http://www.optimnem.co.uk/learning/spanish/language-history.php [32] http://www.optimnem.co.uk/learning/spanish/language-history.php [33] Lapesa, R. (1981). Historia de la lengua española (9th ed.). Madrid: Gredos. pp. 390. [34] http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/staff/letchfoa/comparison/comparison2 [35] http://spanish.about.com/cs/historyofspanish/f/tilde_origins.htm [36] http://spanish.about.com/cs/historyofspanish/f/tilde_origins.htm [37] http://www.mecd.gob.es/dctm/ministerio/educacion/actividad-internacional/consejerias/reino-unido/tecla/2005/mayo/20-05-05b.pdf?documentId=0901e72b80b7eb9c [38] http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/portales/cantar_de_mio_cid/ Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher