Berkshire Community College

Department of Languages

SPA 131.02 ~ Spanish for the Workplace for Law Enforcement I

Note:This is a 3-credit course.

Instructor: Lois B. Cooper
413.236.4615
/ / Office: Melville 223
Meets Conte 201B, MW: 2-3:15p

Spring Semester 2014

Study Guide ~ Formal Oral #2

Your Formal Oral #2 will cover Units 5-7 on these topics: Conducting a Routine Traffic Stop; Asking Age, Weight and Height; Asking Someone’s Date of Birth, pp. 17-26.

Unit 7 teaches telling time, the months of the year, the days of the week, asking someone’s date of birth. You will find very useful PowerPoint presentations at this link to help you practice and learn! You will also find a presentation to help you practice numbers at this link:

Naturally, to prepare you should listen to the transcripts for these units on the CD that accompanies your book and you should do the following activities that are coordinated with those units: Exercises 11-16, 18, 48 and 54.

You should be able to function in the scenarios on the following pages, using both formal and familiar forms of verbs. Notice the differences in people you may encounter in the field. Think about how your language will be different, depending on whom you are addressing: an adult male, an adult female, an adolescent male or female.

Your performance will be assessed according to the following criteria:

  • Fluidez (fluency): How easily do you get the words out of your mouth? Is your speech at a more or less conversational speed (neither too slow nor too fast)? Do you hesitate, looking for words? Do you stop, entirely? Do you make good eye contact as you would in an authentic interaction? Delivering your utterances naturally, fluidly, making good eye contact, not hesitating or stopping will guarantee you a strong grade on this component of your assessment.
  • Pronunciación (pronunciation): Can I understand what you are saying? Do you have the stress on the appropriate syllable of your words? Do you avoid anglicizing your pronunciation? (This would be to pronounce “shun” for the Spanish suffix “-ción,” for example.) If the answer to these questions is YES, you’ll do very well on this section of your assessment. (Do I expect a perfect Spanish accent? No, but I will look at how well I can understand what you’re saying.)
  • Exactitud (accuracy): Have you learned the words for these scenarios accurately? Do you respect Spanish, not English word order? Do you know how to ask a question? Do you know how to make a statement negative? Have you used the right word for the context? If you can answer YES to these questions as you practice, you can be certain to do well on this aspect of your assessment.

Master the expressions, below. Make sure all the sentences you use in our interaction are logical, in context.

From Exercise 10:

1. Go ahead/ Come in!

2. Wait! Wait in the car, Sir! Wait in the car, Juan!

3. Sign here! Sign here, Sir! Sign here, Juan!

4.Drive carefully! Drive carefully, Sir! Drive carefully, Juan!

5. Drop the gun! Drop the gun Sir! Drop the gun Juan!

6. Have a seat! Have a seat, Ma’am! Have a seat Juan!

7. Stop/ Pull over! Pull over, Sir! Stand up, Juan!

From Exercise 11:

  1. Good Afternoon, Sir.
  2. May I have your Driver's license, please?
  3. My driver's license is at home.
  4. .Do you know your driver's license number?
  5. Yes, it is A5961967
  6. Do you have any identification?
  7. Yes, here is my identification
  8. Wait here in the car, please.
  9. Here is your identification.
  10. Please sign here.
  11. Drive carefully.

From Exercise 12:

  1. Sir, do you understand English?
  2. Ma'am do you understand English?
  3. Miss, do you speak Spanish?
  4. Sir. do you have your driver's license?
  5. Juan, do you have car insurance?
  6. Juan, do you know your phone number?
  7. I don't speak Spanish.
  8. I don't have my driver's license.
  9. I don't understand English.
  10. I don't know my driver’s license number.

From Exercise 13:

Be able to say all the numbers from zero to 2014. I may show you a license number and you will have to read the number correctly.

Use the PowerPoints on learning numbers, especially telephone numbers, at this link:

From Exercise 14:

Know all the days of the week and months of the year. (You realize, now, I think, that the text materials are incorrect in that the days of the week and months of the year SHOULD be spelled with lowercase letters, but are spelled with uppercase letters.)

You know, too, that in Spanish-speaking countries, dates are written in the following way: day / month / year. In English, dates are written differently: month / day / year. Practice saying your birthday and many other dates according to Spanish conventions. There is a list of dates written according to American conventions, below. Practice saying them out loud, as Spanish speakers do.

  1. May 15, 1943
  2. September 23, 1923
  3. February 13, 1900
  4. April 12, 1832
  5. November 30, 1639
/
  1. October 19, 1496
  2. July 31, 1789
  3. January 2, 1555
  4. March 13, 1336
  5. June 17, 1786
/
  1. February 11, 1997
  2. April 16, 1986
  3. May 6, 1978
  4. November 14, 1964
  5. August 23, 2014

You might find the last slide at this link helpful to learn dates and to practice saying dates:

From Exercise 15:

Be able to ask these questions using both formal and familiar forms of the verbs.

  1. What is your date of birth, Ma’am (Juanito)?
  2. When were you born?
  3. What is the boy's/girl’s date of birth?
  4. When was the boy born?
  5. When was the victim / girl born?

FromExercise 16:

  1. How tall is the suspect? 6’2”
  2. How tall is the child? (4’5”)
  3. How tall is the suspect? (5’10”)
  4. How much does the suspect weigh? (195 pounds)
  5. How much does the woman weigh? (132 pounds)
  6. How old is the child? (5 yearsold)
  7. How old is the suspect? (43 yearsold)
  8. How old is the victim? (70 yearsold)
  9. Cuántos años tiene la niña? (2 years) (2 años)

From Exercise 18:

We will spend most of class on Monday, March 24 on telling time. For the oral, you will need to be able to tell time. I will provide you with a series of cards with times of day on them. I’ll say: ¿Quéhoraes? You will give the time using the proper conventions for telling time. You may want to practice learning time-telling by using second and third slides at this link:

Be able to ask someone what time it is: ¿Quéhoraes?

From Exercise 48:

This activity teaches you more about time expressions. Be able to produce the Spanish for these expressions.

  1. A month ago
  2. This month
  3. Last month
  4. Next month
/
  1. A year ago
  2. This year
  3. Last year
  4. Next year
/
  1. A week ago
  2. This week
  3. Last week
  4. Next week
/
  1. Today
  2. Yesterday
  3. Tomorrow
  4. Last night
  5. In the morning
  6. During the day

From Exercise 54:

Be able to use both formal and informal forms.

  1. You were driving at 80 mph.
  2. You were speeding.
  3. You didn’t stop at the light.
  4. You didn’t stopat the stop sign.
  5. You ran a red light.
  6. You made an illegal turn.
  7. Your driver’s license is suspended.
  8. Your registration is not current.
  9. You can’t drive.