Spanish words - how to remember them

 Duolingo teaches Spanish as spoken in South America, but the Spanish of Mexico and Spain is very similar.

Let's look at some easy to recognize and remember words. I am learning on Duolingo. I have paid to get the version without advertising. I am learning for an hour or so every day, so it's worthwhile to be comfortable.

Spanish - English words

A

adios - goodbye.  archivo - file (in folders or archives). atletas - athletes.

B

barco - boat (embark on a boat)

C 

capital - capital. carro - car (remember to add o, not a but o, oh no, not my car). confortable - comfortable (change the m to n in Spanish)

Casada - married (a couple living in a casa or house together, casada con, married to/with)

D

 dias - days. diente - tooth (like the English word dentist, or dental floss, or dental work). dificil - difficult. durante - during.

E

 escuela - school. estadio - stadium.  excepto - except

F 

fotos - photos. fresco - fresh

frio - cold (like freezing)

G

 grupo - group

H

 helicoptero - helicopter. historia - history. hobby - hobby. hola - hello. horas - hours/time

I

 idea - idea invitadas - guests. invited people

J 

jirafa - giraffe. junio - June.

K 

(for borrowed words from other languages)

Karaoke - karaoke

kilo - kilo

kiwi - kiwi

L

 lago - lake. libro - book (think of library book)

M

 maestro - teacher. minutos - minutes. mojadas - wet (think of moist)

N

necessito - I need (think of it is necessary)

O

 opera - opera

P

 pasaporte - passport. pescado - fish (like pisces, the fish star sign in the zodiac). Plumas - feathers/plumes.

Q

quieto - still or calm

R

radio - radio.

rapido - fast.

reserva - reservation

rio - river.

roca - rock.

S

 sol - sun, like Costa del Sol, sunny south coast of Spain, soleado - sunny. |See the words beginning with e.)

T 

taxi - taxi. turista - tourist

U 

util - useful (like wartime WW2 utility furniture)

V 

vacio/vacias - empty (adjective similar to vacant, matching masculine or feminine and plural endings of nouns) . ventana - window (like the English words vent, ventilate)

visitar - to visit

W

 (for words borrowed from other languages)

web

whisky

X

 (For words borrowed from other languages) 

xilofono, accent on the first letter o to show the syllable to emphasize)

Y

 ya - already yo - I

Z

zona - zone. zoo - zoo.

Useful Websites on Spanish Letters and pronunciation

https://blog.duolingo.com/spanish-alphabet-pronunciation

https://quillbot.com/blog/word-finder/spanish-words-that-start-with-g/

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Fun Translating Italian Songs & Names

Verdi statue, Bussolo. Wikipedia.

 I thought I'd try a game to help learning Italian.

1 Translate some Italian song and opera names

2 Find some place names

3 Translate some family names

Songs and Operas

Operas

1 Opera 

La Bella Dormente Nel Bosco  The Sleeping Beauty In The Woods.

Il Medico E La Morte - The Doctor And Death (actually a jolly fantasy about a cobbler and a fairy)

 

La fiamma - the flame

A basso porto - at the lower harbour

2 Place Names

 Ponte vecchio in Florence means old bridge. The adjective comes second in Italian after the noun.

3 Family Names

 Giuseppe Verdi Verdi is green.

Italian - English

a - at

bella - beauty

bosco - woods

dormente - sleeping

e - and

fiamma - flame

il - the (masculine)

la - the (feminine)

medico - doctor

morte - death

nel - in the

ponte - bridge

porto - port/harbour

vecchio - old

verdi - green

English - Italian

a - a

and - e

beauty - bella

bridge - ponte

death - morte

doctor - medico

fame - fiamma

green - verdi

in the - nel

old - vecchio

port - porto

sleeping - dormente

the - la (feminine) il (masculine)

 woods - bosco

You can visit the house where Verdi lived.

Useful Websites

duolingo.com

wiki operas

Verdi museum

https://www.villaverdi.org/

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Tosca singing Rumania Rumania (Live) - do you like Romania, Yiddish, Italian opera singers?

Is travelling to Romania on your wishlist? Do you have fond memories of Romania, or Yiddish of Klezmer music? This lady sings amazingly. her name is Tosca Donatali. She is an Italian opera singer, here singing in Yiddish about nostalgia for the food, fun, flirting and drinking in Romania.

More about Romania, and other versions of this song celebrating Romania, in my other posts.

I looked up National Day, Romania. their national day, celebrating reunification with Transylvania, was December 1st.

Useful Websites

Romania

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romania

Italian singer Tosca Donati

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiziana_Tosca_Donati

Romanian Children's songs

https://www.mamalisa.com/?t=ec&c=15#google_vignette

Romanian National Day

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Union_Day

About the Author Angela Lansbury

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books including  Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time 

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

 Please share links to your favourite posts.

MUSIC MUSEUMS & MUSICIANS: from Amy Winehouse and the Albert Hall to Elvis, to Country, Classical, Handel and Pucchini

 Thomas R Machnitzki (thomas@machnitzki.com) - Own work

Graceland covered with snow. Memphis, Tennessee.

Music themed gate showing guitarist and musical notes. It is often worth going to a home to photograph it, even if you don't have the time and money to visit, or the location is closed. You might be impressed by the location, read and photograph a plaque outside about the famous person who lived there, or talk to other tourists about your mutual hero, or other places to visit in the vicinity connected with the famous person.

If you do get inside, however much you know about your favourite famous person, there is always more to learn.


The Jungle Room, Graceland, USA. Photo from Wik'pedia.

Here's a list of music museums for you and your family to visit. I have made it alphabetical and by country ro help you compile a bucket list for your travels.

The list is compiled by categories, including composers, singers, country, auditoriums and statues of singers and musicians. Some singers and songs are associated with landmarks (Blue skies over the white cliffs of Dover), or statues or graves or monuments of people best known as film stars or other categories. For example, Marilyn Monroe was known for much else besides singing Happy Birthday to President Kennedy in New York, and may be featured in waxworks museums, at Niagara and the Hollywood Heritage Museum.

The long, obscure word auditorium comes from the root words for ear and listening. Aural - related to the ear. (Oral is speaking as in oratory.) Audible means can be heard.

Statue of Stephen Foster removed because of objections to the banjo playing slave. Photo from Wikipedia. What a pity. I thought the happy banjo player was charming and the best part of the statue.

MUSIC CATEGORIES
1 Country and Western
2 Blues
3 Opera
4 Classical music
5 Folk
6 National
7 Ethnic

ETHNIC
National anthem and patriotic and classic composers.
National anthem lyricists.
Jewish
Amy Winehouse, Gershwin, Marilyn Monroe (converted for husband playwright Miller). See videos on Youtube of: Amy Winehouse and Yiddish songs such as Roumania.

Greece
Composer of the national anthem on a Greek island.



Sydney Opera House, Australia

AUSTRALIA
Sydney Opera House

FRANCE
Opera House, Paris

ITALY
Venona, open air opera
La Scala Opera House
Torre Del Lago, home of Puccini, statue outside.

Torre Del Lago, Italy, former home of Puccini, now a museum.

POLAND
Huge Chopin statue, landmark shown on tours of Warsaw.
Chopin House museum.

ROMANIA
See Youtube video of Yiddish drinking song Roumania by Aaron Lebedeff.

SWITZERLAND
Statue of Freddie Mercury in Montreux, and Museum devoted to him and his band, Queen.

Bernd Brägelmann - Bernd Brägelmann

Freddie Mercury Statue in Montreux, Switzerland. 

Amy Winehouse waxwork in Madame Tussaud's, London, England.

UK
Amy Winehouse in Madame Tussauds, Baker Street, London.
Amy Winehouse statue and trail and Jewish museum in Camden, London.
Handel museum in London.
Hendrix museum beside Handel Museum in London.
Handel's organ in Whitchurch Lane, Edgware, NW London, England.
Elgar Museum.

Handel and Hendrix museums on the upper floors of these two adjacent houses in London.

USA
Elvis, Graceland. Cars and guitars in many museums in the USA.
Hollywood Heritage Museum, Los Angeles.
Nashville (country music).
Dollywood.
Opryland.

FESTIVALS & MUSIC VENUES

UK
Royal Opera House Covent Garden
Sadlers Well
Festival Hall, South Bank Centre, London, England
Royal Albert Hall
Elgar Birthplace Museum

Elgar Birthplace Museum.

Elgar composed the music for Land of Hope and Glory which is played at Last night of the proms, in the Albert Hall in London, England.

EVENTS
New Year's Day concert broadcast from Vienna, Austria, on TV and radio in the UK.

Useful Websites
https://www.facebook.com/ScottishOpera
https://www.viennaconcerts.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giacomo_Puccini
https://handelhendrix.org/
https://www.dollywood.com/
Roumania Music only:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0agi_Gj2IEc

About the Author
Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, trainer specialising in public speaking and business English..

Funicular song, sung at Fellini Italian Restaurant in London

I had a wonderful evening at Fellini's opera night in London. During the interval for the main course buffet the opera singer, Davide Sorrentino, took a rest and we were serenaded by Vittorio. One of his songs which proved popular with the audience was Funicular.

I recorded the singing and worried about whether the song was in copyright. I looked it up and was amazed to find that it dates back to 1880, when it was composed for the first funicular.

Wikipedia says:
"Funiculì, Funiculà" (IPA: [funikuˈli ffunikuˈla]) is a famous Neapolitan song composed in 1880 by Luigi Denza to lyrics by Peppino Turco. It was written to commemorate the opening of the first funicular cable car on Mount Vesuvius. It was presented by Turco and Denza at the Piedigrotta festival the same year. The sheet music was published by Ricordi and sold over a million copies within a year.



Fellini restaurant and caffe has events through the year listed on their website and you will see posters or brochures outside the restaurant.

More details from

www.felliniacaffe.co.uk

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
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Opera, Neapolitan songs and One Bee Gee at Fellini Restaurant

Music, meal, drink and price
What a wonderful evening crammed with entertainment, for only £30 per person (plus pay if you order a bottle of wine and want to leave any tips). We had a three course meal. Starters, buffet style were the highlight. After some of the singing we had an interval for the main course. The price included a glass or red or white wine with the meal. After dessert, coffee or decaffeinado (decaff coffee and a small chocolate - like small wrapped Malteesa) and a Prosecco on the house to end with.

Entertainment
While waiting for our opera singer, we listened to and watched Vittorio singing Napolitan songs (from Naples).

Opera
During the meal we heard grand opera. The singer was Davide Sorrentino. He is not from Sorrento. He hails from Sicily - "It's beautiful," he said, and showed me pictures on his phone. Listening to him was like having Pavarotti in the room.

I recorded him singing La Donna e Mobile and several other songs.

During the main course interval, some more, light songs, from Vittorio, sometime in duet with Davide, 'Take me back to Sorrento', romantic songs, and a Country song pleased me.

Bee Gee
A third singer appeared, a surprise, diminutive singer, hailed as "one of the Bee Gees". I presume he is what is known as a tribute act.

His interaction with the audience was really amusing. He swayed around the tables singing to the ladies, "Will you still love me tomorrow". Once when one of the ladies joined in, he asked, "How about tonight!"

I nearly fell off my chair laughing.

The atmosphere was wonderful. By the end of the evening we were swaying, swinging our arms. The restaurant owner, Andrea Surace, was dancing with the customers.

What other events are planned? The restaurant is open New Year's Eve. See their website.

(More pictures of food and the singers and video in later posts.)
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
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Opera at Fellini Restaurant Nov 29 2016

Opera at the Italian restaurant, Fellini, named after the Italian film director. Italy is the home of opera.


£30 for the entertainment, buffet and a glass of wine.

See my other posts about Umbria in Italy.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Bad news and good news about learning Italian

I am learning Italian using the free website Duolingo.

Today's bad news is that 'in tavola' is not in the table but on the table. Imagine that the Italians don't have any tables with drawers. Nothing is in the table. It is on the table. Translating from Italian to English that makes sense. It is easy to work out.

So why do they say in, when we English speakers would say on? You have to imagine that the Italian waiter is a humorous chap who is teasing you. He says in tavola when he means on the table.

The good news is that so many Italian words seem familiar if you know Latin, French or Spanish.

In English we used Italian words in opera and music. I have listed a few.

Aria - song
concerto
duo - two
mezzo soprano
opera - literally the work, as in opus
palazzo - square (often the town centre)
pianoforte (literally soft loud)
solo - alone, a piece of music played by one person
soprano
viola - smaller than a violin
virtuoso - expert

Angela Lansbury

Researching Umbria in Italy - wine and honey

I am researching Umbria in Italy. What do I know about Italy? Anybody from England will understand why I am already predisposed towards everything Italian. The Italians brought us ice cream. We recognise the Italian language (ciao), Italian songs (que sera, sera) and opera (la donna e mobile - preferably sung by Pavarotti), Italian food (especially cannelloni), gelato, and espresso (dopio con panne - double espresso with cream), Italian wine (Prosecco and Asti). I am learning Italian with the help of a free online website, Duolingo.

Umbria
What are the cities which we already know? Assisi, associated with Francis of Assisi. Byron came here to see the history. He wrote a poem about a landmark on the area. Nowadays, add Perugia, the university town with a fine square.

Umbria is also a centre for training cooks and chefs. You can get pizza in almost every high street in England, indeed the world, but what is unique to Perugia. That is what I hope to find out.

What about the history? The Etruscans.

Looking back at my last post on Umbria I find a quick checklist:

My top visits in the region would be:
Etruscan gate and cemetery.
Perugia - many museums, central square and sites.
The medieval synagogue.
A castle.
A winery.

What to eat? Honey from Perugia in various flavours, especially lemon.
Orvieto wine.

umbriatourism.it
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Minsk, Marx, Chagall and Belorussia

When I think of Minsk and Belorussia I see Chagall's visions of idyllic flowers and calm cows and bedecked brides and villagers arm in arm, dancing through their simple happy lives in the nearby villages. And the cities, with their grand gold  domes and stately buildings, magical centres of learning and opera, and the humour. The stoic yokels and cultured writers.

That is the romantic view. But what can you see today? A street called Karla Marksa. Who would that be? But let's start with the museums.

Here's my wish list. M i n s k e r s (predictive text wants to replace with ministers) and tourists can enjoy about twenty museums including those in the list below:

Belarusian State Museum of the Great Patriotic War. (Alphabetically)
Museum of Ancient Belarusian Culture.
Museum of the History of Minsk.
Museum of Modern Fine Arts.
Museum of Nature and Ecology.
National Academic Bolshoi Theatre of Opera and Ballet. (Bolshoi means big.)
National Art Museum.
National History Museum.
State Museum of Theatre and Music.

Yakub Kolas Memorial Literature Museum.

Street Names
Regarding finding your way about and language, they seem to add the letter a onto everything which makes life easy. For example, The Museum of Nature (etc) is in Karla Marksa street. Ah. Karl Marx.
The State Literary Museum of Maxim Bogdanovich is in Maxima Bogdanovicha street. The State Literary Museum of Yanka Kuala is in Yanki Kupaly street.

Chagall
The Marc Chagall Museum is in Vitebsk. If you can't make it to Belorussia, or want to do a grand tour of Chagall sites in more than one country, there's a Chagall Museum in France. (See TripAdvisor.)

Vitebsk is also associated with the classic haunting tale of The Dybbuk, written by Ansky.

• S. Ansky (1863–1920), playwright, The Dybbuk
• Marc Chagall (1887–1985), artist

www.artmuseum.by
www.minsktourism.by
www.warmuseum.by
www.yakubkolus.by

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.