Focus on understanding days of the week, dates, months, and seasons in Spanish.
Importance of learning the cultural differences in calendars.
Days of the Week
In Hispanic cultures, the week starts on Monday (lunes), unlike the US where it starts on Sunday.
Days of the week in Spanish:
Lunes (Monday)
Martes (Tuesday)
Miércoles (Wednesday)
Jueves (Thursday)
Viernes (Friday)
Sábado (Saturday)
Domingo (Sunday)
A day (día) is 24 hours.
Understanding Dates
Typical month (mes) has 30 or 31 days, usually 4 weeks.
Questions and practice with days:
"¿Qué día es hoy?" (What day is today?)
Examples and practice with past, present, and future days.
Introduction to expressions like "ayer" (yesterday), "mañana" (tomorrow), "antayer" (day before yesterday), and "pasado mañana" (day after tomorrow).
Months of the Year
Months in Spanish:
Enero (January)
Febrero (February)
Marzo (March)
Abril (April)
Mayo (May)
Junio (June)
Julio (July)
Agosto (August)
Septiembre (September)
Octubre (October)
Noviembre (November)
Diciembre (December)
Note on the etymology and calendar order: Names like September (septiembre) and October (octubre) don't match their numerical order due to historical changes.
Telling Dates
Say the number of the day first, then the month (e.g., "es el doce de septiembre").
For the first of the month, use "el primero" (e.g., "es el primero de diciembre").
Seasons of the Year
Seasons in Spanish:
Verano (Summer): Junio, Julio, Agosto
Otoño (Autumn): Septiembre, Octubre, Noviembre
Invierno (Winter): Diciembre, Enero, Febrero
Primavera (Spring): Marzo, Abril, Mayo
Additional Notes
Cultural note: Cinco de Mayo is a minor holiday in Mexico, more celebrated in the U.S.
Understanding the history and cultural significance of the calendar can provide deeper insights into language learning.
Conclusion
Today's lecture covered foundational information on days, months, and seasons, key to understanding Spanish in a cultural context.