PHRASES
| Es importante tener a la mano una cámara de video para filmar los eventos más importantes de nuestras vidas. | It’s important to have a video camera to film the most important events in our lives. |
| Algunas cosas que merecen ser filmadas son los primeros pasos de los hijos, eventos familiares y situaciones naturales, como las tormentas de nieve. | Some things that deserve being filmed are your childrens’ first steps, family events and nature; like snowstorms. |
| Es bueno estar siempre alerta y preparado para capturar el momento con una cámara ya sea fotográfica o de video. | It’s good to always be alert and prepared to capture a moment with a camera�whether it be a photograph or a video. |
| Siempre es importante revisar que uno tiene lo necesario, como baterías, película o, en el caso de una cámara de video, cintas para grabar, micrófonos y un tripié. | It’s always important to make sure that one has all of the necessary parts, like batteries, film, or, in the case of a video camera, tapes with which to film, microphones, and a tripod. |
| En una emergencia, es posible comprar una cámara fotográfica desechable aunque no sea de gran calidad. | In an emergency you can buy a disposable camera even if it isn’t of the highest quality. |
| Las mejores cámaras de video son las Sony. | The best video cameras are Sony. |
| Yo quisiera poder filmar como lo hacen los cineastas profesionales. | I would like to be able to film like professional film makers. |
| Mis padres y yo filmamos a mis abuelos antes de que murieran. | My parents and I filmed my grandparents before they died. |
GRAMMAR
Expressing regrets about the past
In this task you will hear native Spanish speakers describe regrets about the past. In other words, they will express the idea of, “I should have…” There are several ways in which you will hear this idea expressed in Spanish:
| Debiera haber lavado el coche. | I should have washed the car. | |
| Debí haber hecho la tarea. | I should have done the homework. | |
| Hubiera prestado atención a mi papá. | I should have paid attention to my father. |
There are many factors that will determine which of these three constructions you should use. There are not only regional differences among the three, but there are differences in tone as well. Let’s look at how to construct each of these phrases:
The first example, which is the most formal of the three, uses the following formula:
debiera/debieras/debiera/debiéramos/debierais/debieran + haber + past participle
The second example uses a very standard construction which adheres to this pattern:
debí/debiste/debió/debimos/debisteis/debieron + haber + past participle
The third example, which is the least formal of the three, uses this formula:
hubiera/hubieras/hubiera/hubiéramos/hubierais/hubieran + past participle
