Informal commands and the subjunctive

The following song would be interesting to use in the classroom as it has two forms of the informal affirmative command, 1 form of a negative informal command, two forms of the present subjunctive, and one form of the past subjunctive. The textbook I used when I was teaching beginning Spanish, Dos Mundos, actually introduces commands and the present subjunctive around the same time. I wish I had come across this song then! I remember my students having difficulties distinguishing the two forms in terms of use (mostly-- What is the subjunctive? Is it a command?), as negative informal and formal commands have the same conjugation as the subjunctive. Contextualize this with banda music from Mexico!

OLVÍDAME - Juan Alvarez y su Norteño Banda

Olvídame sí ya no me quieres

Olvídame no dañes mi corazón

ya te enfade me ves, me rechazas

pa' que seguir fingiendo ya no hay amor

Te pido un beso y me das la espalda

quiero abrazarte y desapareces

inventas pleitos para marcharte

Sigo rogándote y más te creces

Olvídame, ignórame

acepto reclamos si amor algún día te ha hecho falta,

cambié mis modales para que me amaras,

fallo la estrategia de mi te burlabas,

llorando mis quejas tú me lastimabas.

Olvídame, ignórame

acepto derrota me marcho perdí la batalla

no quiero que sigas riéndote en mi cara,

llorando te pido aunque sufra mi alma,

Olvídame, Olvídame, Olvídame

Gramúsicamente in the literature: Cruz-Cruz 2005

Hola a todos~

I'd like to, every month or so, feature a citation where teaching L2 grammar with music is treated in the literature. Así que... if you think that you have been having too music using music in the classroom, that you can read about studies that were able to show a parallel between language gains and learning grammar through music/lyrics. Here goes the first. Although the age group is different than the focus of this blog (high school/college), I thought it was worth including none the less.

Maria Luisa Cruz-Cruz (2005). The Effects of Selected Music and Songs on Teaching Grammar and 

Vocabulary to Second-Grade English Language Learners. Dissertation Abstracts International: The Humanities and Social Sciences.

In her dissertation, Cruz-Cruz claims that listening to and participating in activities involving music has a positive effect on learner motivation and in lowering anxiety, which she describes as an opportune time for learning grammar and vocabulary. In her study, she used song to demonstrate focal grammar points and vocabulary to English learners (Spanish L1) over six months, comparing results with a control group who did not participate in music-oriented activities. Both groups received traditional presentations of the grammar. She found that the control group had a 10.9% gain, in comparison with 24.5% gain of the treatment group.

Using music to teach grammar-- in this case the benefits were significant. ¡Venga!

"If clauses" / "Cláusulas con si"

ENRIQUE IGLESIAS – Cuando me enamoro

I've come across the song "Cuando me enamoro" by Enrique Iglesias feat. Juan Luis Guerra, which has enough "cláusulas con si" to warrant using the song as an activity in class. As you'll see, it contains the following contructions, as well as a "non-prescriptive" use that employs both the conditional in the main clause and the subordinate clause (x1).

[Si + pretérito imperfecto del subjuntivo] + [condicional] (x2)

[Si + presente del indicativo] + [mandato] (x1)

Below are the lyrics with these structures highlighted. As an activity, I would take out the verb forms and replace them with a space. Students, after listening to the song once or twice, should then help you describe what types of if-clauses these are. The example with conditional used in both clauses can represent variation outside of prescriptivism.

Lyrics:

Si pudiera bajarte una estrella del cielo

Lo haría sin pensarlo dos veces

Porque te quiero

Y hasta un lucero

Y si tuviera el naufragio de un sentimiento

Sería un velero en la isla

De tus deseos, de tus deseos

Pero por dentro

Entiende que no puedo

Y a veces me pierdo

Cuando me enamoro

A veces desespero

Cuando me enamoro

Cuando menos me lo espero
Pero me enamoro

Se detiene el tiempo

Me viene el alma al cuerpo

Sonrío, cuando me enamoro

Si la luna sería tu premio

Yo juraría hacer cualquier cosa

Por ser su dueño, por ser tu dueño

Y si en tus sueños escuchas el llanto de mis lamentos

En tus sueños no sigas dormida

Que es verdadero, no es un sueño

Y me alegro

Que a veces al final

No encuentres un momento

Cuando me enamoro

A veces desespero

Cuando me enamoro

Cuando menos me lo espero
Pero me enamoro

Se detiene el tiempo

Me viene el alma al cuerpo

Sonrío, cuando me enamoro

Moving on to advanced grammar...

Hello all--

I am now teaching Spanish at the intermediate level, and hope to include more advanced grammar. However, I will continue to include grammar of all levels, as the songs come across my path :)

I did want to mention to readers that I am very open to having guest bloggers share songs that they use in their classrooms to teach whatever grammar point. So, please be in contact! I'd like this to be a communal project, as the more we add to it, the greater of a teaching resource it will be.

Rock on! Adelante.