Hitting a brick wall with pronouns

[Esperar]

Mi gramática no es bien. ¿Puede se ayudarme? Espero estás correcto.

Basically, my grammar stinks, and I need help. I've been studying my Spanish books for 8 months, and still don't understand the grammar.

Things like this make me confused..

¿Puede hacerme un presupuesto?

Puede means, "can you" which is easy, but is hacerme a combination of two different words? I think it's a combination of hacer and me, but I'm not sure. If it is a combination of "hacer and me" can you put it as "me hacer" too?

I think the sentence translates to, "Can you give me an estimate?

Other things I struggle with are words like "lo" "se" "le." I have a small idea of why they are used, but I think I need it explained to me.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, even if it's just a link.

[Rusty]

You're asking questions about pronouns, which would be a good idea for the title. ;)

You named several different types of pronouns, but should focus on just a certain set at one time, until you feel confident that you know them.

In the example of hacerme, you're right; two words were combined - the infinitive hacer and the indirect object pronoun me. Learn what role the indirect object pronouns play, if you don't already know that. Then learn what the Spanish indirect object pronouns are.
Indirect object pronouns are suffixed to infinitives. But, when the verb is conjugated, they precede the verb. So, to answer your other question, me hacer is not correct.
The two verbs used in the sentence aid each other. The first is conjugated, but the second is not. Since the first is conjugated, it is quite alright to place the indirect object pronoun in front of it.
¿Me puede hacer un presupuesto? and
¿Puede hacerme un presupuesto? are identical questions.

The translation you gave of the sentence is correct.

There are tons of posts about the different pronouns used in Spanish here in these forums. Check them out and see if they answer your other questions. The more specific a question is, the better it can be answered. :)

[chileno]

Mi gramática no es bien. ¿Puede se ayudarme? Espero estás correcto.

Basically, my grammar stinks, and I need help. I've been studying my Spanish books for 8 months, and still don't understand the grammar.

Things like this make me confused..

¿Puede hacerme un presupuesto?

Puede means, "can you" which is easy, but is hacerme a combination of two different words? I think it's a combination of hacer and me, but I'm not sure. If it is a combination of "hacer and me" can you put it as "me hacer" too?

I think the sentence translates to, "Can you give me an estimate?

Other things I struggle with are words like "lo" "se" "le." I have a small idea of why they are used, but I think I need it explained to me.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, even if it's just a link.

Do you know your grammar? (English grammar)

[wafflestomp]

I hit a total wall with the pronouns just like you did... I know you're not a fan of it, but Rosetta Stone got me through it very well. I suggest you go through these pages:

First, go over reflexives:
http://www.studyspanish.com/lessons/reflexive1.htm
http://www.studyspanish.com/lessons/reflexive2.htm

Then, look at indirect object pronouns:

http://www.studyspanish.com/lessons/iopro1.htm
http://www.studyspanish.com/lessons/iopro2.htm
http://www.studyspanish.com/lessons/iopro3.htm

Finally, check out indirects and directs used together

http://www.studyspanish.com/lessons/iodopro.htm

Those all, and Rosetta Stone, really helped me get those pronouns. Like I said in another topic, you don't have to pay the Study Spanish premium course fee or whatever it is to get the best out of their site.

[Esperar]

Do you know your grammar? (English grammar)

Do you mean do I know about what terms such as "conjugations" mean, and so on? If so, no.

[Rusty]

In addition to verb conjugations, do you understand the difference between a direct object pronoun and an indirect object pronoun in English? That is what chileno is wondering.

[chileno]

Do you mean do I know about what terms such as "conjugations" mean, and so on? If so, no.

In addition to verb conjugations, do you understand the difference between a direct object pronoun and an indirect object pronoun in English? That is what chileno is wondering.

Exactly, and everything else.

I wanted to know if before starting Spanish grammar, you were familiar with these terms in English.

So, why start doing it in Spanish instead of English?

Better yet, why start at all, grammar that is?

Don't get me wrong, grammar has its place, but since you can manage yourself in your language, without the help of your language's grammar, you can accomplish the same thing in Spanish. Later, if you feel compelled to learn grammar, do so with your own language to later level Spanish grammar.

I know, it seems impossible, but I did it. The other way around.

I had to level English to the level of my Spanish, and you have to level Spanish to the level of your level in English.

[Esperar]

In addition to verb conjugations, do you understand the difference between a direct object pronoun and an indirect object pronoun in English? That is what chileno is wondering.


This is what I will be learning today, and then I will move on to Waffle's links.

I will also not be speaking anymore Spanish on this forum until I am confident I have got it right. :)

[Vikingo]

I will also not be speaking anymore Spanish on this forum until I am confident I have got it right. :)

Don't be so hard on yourself, the pronouns will probably hound you for years to come. Especially "se", and often whether to use "lo/la" (direct pronouns) or "le" (indirect) also.

But whatever the case, get interested in learning the grammar behind the Spanish that you read or hear - that will make everything easier when you're trying to formulate your own thoughts. (In short, don't believe anything Chileno tells you :p)

Good luck!

[Esperar]

I will still be posting on the forums, I really like it here, but I don't want to reenforce my mistakes. I am going to study even harder.

[chileno]

I will also not be speaking anymore Spanish on this forum until I am confident I have got it right. :)

That is not a good idea.

You have no way to know if you have (got) it right/got it right.

[Esperar]

Do you think I should speak a little, but try to correct the mistakes I have when I have them pointed out?

[Vikingo]

Hombre, no pasa nada. Todos cometemos errores, y sería bueno que nos los corregieran, ¿no es así?

I even had to think about the use of the pronouns in the sentences above, and I'm still not 100% sure that I got it right. See my point? If it's wrong, I can find a grammatical explanation, and if it's right, my understanding is reinforced (or reenforced? Hmm, some dictionaries say it's the same thing). The worst would be if my understanding never got tested in a real world scenario, right?

And btw, here you should of course listen to chileno too :)

[Esperar]

I understood what you wrote in Spanish, but I can't say if it's totally right or not. I will continue to try, anyway.

[chileno]

Do you think I should speak a little, but try to correct the mistakes I have when I have them pointed out?

Right.

That's what I have been saying all this time. :)

Get a novel in Spanish, something that you really like to read about, but a novel. Ideally one which you have already read in English and you know it is in Spanish. Thing is, you have to like the theme.

Get a couple of bilingual dictionaries, online is free.

Start by transcribing phrase by phrase from Spanish, then translate from Spanish to English, see the result and accommodate it to what you think it means in correct English. Notate the Spanish pronunciation and pronounce it (read out loud) the best you can according to your understanding. And so on and so forth.

If you were to translate "¿Cómo te llamas?"

Como = How

te = tea, you

llamas = flames, to call

Keep in mind that you have to be patient, especially looking for definitions.

According to your understanding of English and the words given (found by you) what could this question mean in English?

It takes a bit of time, at first (like everything else), but then you start to roll and there is no stopping later. Depends on you.

[pjt33]

llamas = flames, to call, llamas
¿Cómo has podido olvidar esa acepción? ;)

[Esperar]

I've been studying a lot today, and have learnt quite a bit.

Chileno, thanks for your advice. What I do right now is turn everything I use in to Spanish when I can. Youtube, Facebook, my video games, I change all of the options in to Spanish. I find this helps.

I will continue to study over and over until I get it!

[wafflestomp]

I will also not be speaking anymore Spanish on this forum until I am confident I have got it right. :)


I think that's a bad idea. That's how you learn, by trial and error. you should keep trying to learn it. I'll bet that half of what you learned here you wouldn't have learned because it was corrected in a sentence you wrote.

[Brandon]

I've been studying a lot today, and have learnt quite a bit.

Chileno, thanks for your advice. What I do right now is turn everything I use in to Spanish when I can. Youtube, Facebook, my video games, I change all of the options in to Spanish. I find this helps.

I will continue to study over and over until I get it!

I set my facebook etc. into Spanish and I find that it helps a lot just because you are constantly reading them because they are all so addicting. Make sure you look up what they translate too...

Por ejemplo:

Facebook:

Logout ---> Salir ---> To Leave
Poke Back ---> Devolver el toque ---> Return the touch

Little things like understanding this will help you be more successful in communication.

[Esperar]

I set my facebook etc. into Spanish and I find that it helps a lot just because you are constantly reading them because they are all so addicting. Make sure you look up what they translate too...

Por ejemplo:

Facebook:

Logout ---> Salir ---> To Leave
Poke Back ---> Devolver el toque ---> Return the touch

Little things like understanding this will help you be more successful in communication.


You can do this on this forum you know, there is a drop down to change the language at the bottom of the screen.