AUA CAMPUS UPDATE AUGUST 2017 IN THIS ISSUE
The Caribbean Tertiary Level Personnel Association Conference by Dr. Joy Cox
The American University of Antigua (AUA) hosted the 2017 Caribbean Tertiary Level Personnel Association (CTLPA) Conference on Fostering Student Engagement and Success through Professionalism, Innovation and Performance on June 14-16 at Halcyon Cove by Rex Resorts. The CTLPA is the first Student Services professional organization in the Caribbean. Individuals working in direct contact with students in areas such as counseling, academic advising, sports, examinations, admissions, distance education, clubs and societies, health services, career counseling and financial assistance can become change agents in creating an exciting culture of student centered institutions by joining the Caribbean Tertiary Level Personnel Association. The primary goal of the conference was to bring together student service practitioners as well as friends and partners of CTLPA from around the region to network and openly discuss the issues facing our region’s student service professionals. The conference commenced with a procession of flags from representative countries and a dynamic keynote address delivered by the Honorable Minister of Education, Youth and
Culture, Mr. Michael Browne. Mr. Browne was quite engaging and interesting. He related stories of his personal experiences while at university to demonstrate the value of student service personnel in tertiary level institutions. Following the Opening Ceremony, delegates were entertained by live steel pan music, followed by a welcome reception at the Warri Pier Restaurant in Dickenson’s Bay. There were twenty presenters and 43 delegates from the Caribbean and the United States in attendance.
AUA’S FIRST ANNUAL STAFF SPORTACULAR Team Bazilians Captain Clint Nathaniel and ViceCaptain Everet Williams accept the winning trophy from VP of Administration Mr. Vernon Solomon at the recent staff Sportacular.
Day two of the conference commenced with an address from the past president of the American College Student Personnel (ACPA), Ms. Donna Lee, who asked delegates to reform, rethink and recommit to the work ahead. Participants were further captivated by a diverse and dynamic group of speakers and panelists who provided in-depth, insightful theories and strategies for success on topics relating to peer mentor programs, career advising, academic advising, financing, transformational leadership and at-risk programs, to name a few.
AUA COLLABORATES WITH MINISTRY OF EDUCATION FOR TEACHER TRAINING Primary school teachers recently completed a 4week class in Classroom Management Techniques sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and presented by the American University of Antigua.
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Message from the Executive Dean physician had walked into the room. No such luck. Now this is not the first time a patient called me doctor, but this is the first time the patient was right! I was struck by how unprepared I was for that moment. I mean I had good education and training. I knew what to do, but I was totally unprepared for the overwhelming sense of responsibility that went along with that question.
Commencement Address AUACOM 2017 On June 1, 2017 American University of Antigua College of Medicine awarded Doctor of Medicine Degrees to 284 of our students. 88% of these graduates started residencies in July. It is a powerful experience to see that many new Doctors realize their dreams. Here is a synopsis of what I told them. Congratulations! You did it, you made it. You should be proud; I am sure your families are proud of you. Up until now it has basically been all about you. Your grades, your board scores, your interviews, your MATCH. I encourage you to fully get into feeling good about what you have done. Enjoy it, because things are about to change. I won’t speak for long, but listen carefully, because I am going to tell you the secret of a long, successful, and happy career in the profession of medicine. I will begin with a story. On July 1, 1981, my first day of internship (yes it was 36 years ago, long before many of you were born), I was sitting in the ER taking a history from an elderly woman with end stage COPD who narrowly escaped being put on the ventilator because of a severe bout of shortness of breath. In between rapid (34/min) breaths, and in a voice shaky with fear and perhaps as a side effect of the racemic epinephrine we gave her as an aerosol, she says to me “Doctor, please tell me, am I going to be OK?” I immediately looked over my shoulder thinking that perhaps my attending
The point is, that it’s not about you anymore. It’s about the patient. Patients come to us in fear, or in pain, sick and scared. They come hoping, that you will help them. They come expecting you to put their needs first. You see, that is what the oath you are going to take in a few minutes is all about. It basically says the patient’s needs are more important than yours. Now, none of us can do that right 100% of the time. However, I can tell you from my experience, that to the exact extent that you can do that; to put your patient’s welfare above everything else, to that exact extent you will reap the rewards of the greatest profession on earth. Unfortunately, my patient did not get to leave the hospital. She died from respiratory failure a few days later. She left me a gift however. She showed me the awesome, terrible, and wonderful responsibility of being called Doctor. So my fellow Doctors, my wish for you is that you have such a wakeup call. That you recognize, not in your head, but in your heart that it is not about you, not anymore. It’s about the patient. The practice of medicine is all about the patient, your patient. Remember this and you will never regret the struggle you had to get here. Best of luck on the next phase of your training.
Robert Mallin, MD Vice President for Academic Affairs & Executive Dean
CONTENTS BY
Message from the Executive Dean............. 2 Editor’s Note ............................................. 3 Medifacts .................................................. 3 The Caribbean Tertiary Level Personnel Association Conference ............................. 4 AUA Collaborates with the Ministry of Education for Teacher Training ................. 5 Caught on Camera .................................... 5 AUA Donate Books to Local Institutions .... 6 Fashion Insider .......................................... 7 Our Success Stories ................................... 8 What’s on in Antigua ................................. 9 Healthy Perspectives Update .................. 10 Esquina Española ..................................... 11
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Editor’s Note
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In addition, the small group setting which the new Med 1s will experience gives them an incomparable learning experience that is certainly not the norm for medical schools in the region. On the administrative side, the soon to be commissioned campus management system will provide welcomed assistance to our staff who are tasked with providing the very wide variety of services that are essential for the wellbeing of our students and the efficient management of the campus as a whole. Our administration, faculty and staff are to be admired and commended for their ability to acclimate to the demands of our phenomenally rapid growth over the past decade.
I am very excited to share this issue of the campus update with you especially because of the Our Success Stories feature on Pg. 9. It is always heartening to hear of our student successes and the article contributed by Jessica Romero (compiled with the assistance of others who prefer not to be mentioned), is especially heartwarming. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. The semester is just about to begin and once again we prepare to welcome a new batch of aspiring MD candidates to our hallowed halls. This time we are not only commencing a new semester with new students but also rolling out the much anticipated new curriculum aptly dubbed Curriculum Next by Vice President of Academics and Executive Dean Dr. Robert Mallin himself. A variety of changes accompany Curriculum Next in terms of physical expansion as well as the introduction of new technology, new systems and new teaching methods. On the academic side there is a gradual move from hard copy text books to eBooks and a fully digitized campus library. Newly registered Med 1 students will immediately reap the benefits of having the required textbooks literally in the palm of their hands on the device of their choosing. Having this technology will also allow course directors to create links to eBook chapters within PowerPoint presentations for ease of reference! How cool is that? No more searching for topics in tables of contents and indices! Another cool addition will be the long awaited audience response system (ARS) for classroom management which will be introduced at the start of the new semester as well as the recently commissioned BlackBoard Collaborate platform.
In other news, over the past few months our civic minded faculty and staff have continued to make headlines and valuable contributions to the Antiguan community. Of special mention is the recent collaboration with the Ministry of Education initiated by Dr. Joy McGehee, Dr. Deborah Russ and Ms. Sumita Balooja to provide ongoing teacher training in classroom management for primary school teachers. Please join me in congratulating these ladies on a job well done. Congratulations to the members of the newly installed Antigua and Barbuda Chapter of the Caribbean Tertiary Level Personnel Association (CTLPA) Tia Phillip, Dr. Deborah Russ, Dr. Aaron Phillips, Dr. Joy Cox, Brianne Schwartz, Dr. Sonya Ford, Dr. Trevor Ngorosha, and Dawn Roberts on their respective appointments. Dr. Cox is also the proud recipient of the President’s Special Award. To Marlon Destin and the EMTC team who placed AUA in the limelight once again during the June 1st to 7th observance of CPR Awareness Week and to the winners of the staff CPR challenge, Heather James, Lisa Francis and Adele Gamble, good job! Kudos also to Gaitri Ann Xavier and Candacesy Harry who were instrumental in AUA’s recent book donation to the Public Library, the Antigua State College and the Ministry of Agriculture. My sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to this quarter’s issue, special thanks to Sumita Balooja and Homer Jacobs for the great photography. In closing I want to extend a hearty welcome to the class of 2021, thank you for choosing AUA, I wish you every success during your journey towards becoming an MD.
Sharon Brusch
MEDIFACTS
Did you know? In Victorian times the majority of pharmacists, chemists and druggists (take your pick of what to call them as there was no official term for the profession prior to 1868) were highly skilled people with knowledge of how to prepare and dispense a wide range of drugs and treatments. This knowledge would likely have been gained 'on the job' through an apprenticeship system or by attending a training school such as the one run by the Pharmaceutical Society. However, not all people trading as pharmacists actually had any training in the subject. There was no legal requirement for pharmacists to be officially qualified and nothing to prevent anybody just setting up shop and selling dangerous medications and poisons to the unsuspecting public. The Pharmacy Act, 1868 changed this by requiring people to pass examinations and register with the Pharmaceutical Society in order to qualify as a pharmacist. The Act also restricted the right to sell certain drugs and poisons to registered pharmacists. The term "magic bullet" was coined by the German scientist Paul Ehrlich (1854 - 1915) to described a compound that would kill only a specifically targeted organism. Ehrlich made many significant contributions to science, but is remembered chiefly for his discovery of Salvarsan. Salvarsan was the first "magic bullet" introduced in 1910, it proved very effective in controlling syphilis, and remained the standard treatment for the disease until the discovery of antibiotics. In 1952, Jonas Salk first tested his vaccine for infantile paralysis (poliomyelitis) at that time a condition which affected tens of thousands every year. Prior to Salk's vaccine, poliomyelitis resulted in thousands of infant deaths every year, and permanently crippled tens of thousands more. Salk refused to patent his discovery, saying "would you patent sunlight? Would you patent air?" Salk continued virology research throughout his life, working on the cure for AIDS upon his death in 1995.
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The Caribbean Tertiary Level Personnel Association Conference (Continued from Page 1)
Participants were further captivated by a diverse and dynamic group of speakers and panelists who provided in-depth, insightful theories and strategies for success on topics relating to peer mentor programs, career advising, academic advising, financing, transformational leadership and at-risk programs, to name a few. Eight of the twelve AUA faculty and staff who attended the conference made presentations. Presenters provided actionable and practical tools of engagement for student services administrators and staff to become more effective in the on-going developmental efforts in their key functional area. Ms. Dawn Roberts received special mention for her report on Analyzing High Achievers at a Caribbean Medical School. CTLPA not only celebrated their 20th Anniversary during the conference but also launched the CTLPA Antigua and Barbuda Chapter of which Dr. Joy Cox is President. Dr. Cox introduced the newly installed executive committee to the members. These are Secretary – Dr. Aaron Phillip, Treasurer – Ms. Ravenn Gethers, Membership Coordinator – Dr. Nelda Ephraim, Public Relations Officer – Mrs. Brianne Schwartz, and Members-atLarge – Dr. Deborah Russ, Dr. Iris Saltiel, Ms. Dawn Roberts, Dr. Trevor Ngorosha, Dr. Sonya Ford, and Ms. Tia Phillip. The main focus of this Chapter is to uphold the CTLPA vision and continue the work of student services personnel in Antigua by hosting workshops, building membership, and promoting the Association locally. The final night closed with an Award Ceremony and cultural event. Dr. Cox received the President’s Special Award in appreciation of outstanding and dedicated service to CTLPA. During the cultural event delegates performed dance, songs, and music from their home countries. Tia Philip impressed the audience with her wonderful rendition of “Antigua” by Rupert Blaize.
The newly installed CTLPA Antigua and Barbuda Chapter. Left to right: Tia Phillip, Deborah Russ, Aaron Phillips, Nelda Ephraim, Joy Cox, Brianne Schwartz, Chandra Ragoonath (CTLPA President), Sonya Ford, Trevor Ngorosha, and Dawn Roberts.
Special thanks to Mr. Vernon Solomon, Ms. Sumita Balooja, Mrs. Brianne Schwartz, Ms. Desiree Roberts, Ms. Michelle Collins, Mr. Mario Lewis, Mr. Kadeem Joseph (Med 3 student) and all the wonderful faculty and administrative assistants in the Education Department for their support and assistance in organizing the conference, and making it the great success it was. For further details on CTLPA, please visit the website at http://www.myctlpa.org
Dr. Joy Cox receives the President’s Special Award from Ms. Donna Lee past president of the American College Student Personnel Association (ACPA)
The Honorable Minister of Education, Youth and Culture, Mr. Michael Browne delivered the opening address at the 2017 CTLPA Conference at the Rex Halcyon Resort
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AUA Collaborates with the Ministry of Education for Teacher Training by Dr. Joy McGehee
CAUGHT ON CAMERA
Proud winners of the CPR Staff Challenge Adele Gamble, Heather James & Lisa Francis
Dr. Joy McGehee pictured with some of the participants
Antigua primary school teachers recently completed a 4 week, 12-hour class in Classroom Management Techniques sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and presented by the American University of Antigua. Dr. Joy McGehee, Associate Professor at AUA, taught the class for approximately 20 general and special education primary school teachers. Participating schools included Greenbay, Villa, and Mary E. Pigott Primary Schools and the Adele School. Dr. McGehee holds a Ph.D. in Special Education and has 30 years of experience training teachers at the university level. Additionally, she has many years of experience as a special education teacher and supervisor in K-12 schools. The class focused on behavior management techniques which are known to build positive behaviors in students while eliminating undesirable behaviors. Each class participant was asked to develop a behavior intervention plan for changing undesirable behavior in one student and received a classroom management booklet. AUA donated approximately US$1,000 in behavior management supplies to the participating schools. Ms. Joy-Ann Harrigan, Education OfficerSpecial Needs in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology is collaborating with
AUA, Dr. McGehee and Ms. Sumita Balooja, AUA Public Relations Coordinator to plan a program of teacher training across several disciplines to include such topics as Differentiated Instruction, Curriculum Modification, Behavior Modification for Students with Special Needs, and Collaborating with Parents. AUA is proud to partner with the Ministry of Education in providing the best possible education to Antiguan families.
The EMT is hosted on Observer Radio during CPR Awareness Week
EMT Manager Marlon Destin gives a live CPR demonstration on the ABS TV Good Morning Antigua show
Dr. Deborah Russ interacts with the teachers
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AUA Donate Books to Local Institutions The Antigua State College, the Ministry of Agriculture, Land, Housing and the Environment along with the Public Library of Antigua and Barbuda were the recipients of a total of 1,059 assorted text books which were donated from the recently decommissioned AUA Bookstore. Also donated were CDs, DVDs and Nursing Assistants clipboards. The donation was made as part of AUA’s transition from hard copy texts to eBooks and a fully digitalized library. The initiative was spearheaded by Mrs. Gaitri Ann Xavier, Library Supervisor and Ms. Candacesy Harry, Library Assistant/Bookstore Manager.
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AUA CAMPUS UPDATE AUGUST 2017 | Issue 9
SUMMER EDITION So what’s new and trending this summer? Just about everything designed for relaxed comfort! Of course this makes it easy to transition from elegant office chic to after work cocktails in a snap.
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Fashion Insider Ideally your summer wardrobe should boast at least one fabulous swimsuit. There is something for everyone regardless of how modest or how daring you want to be. In fact, there are even chlorine resistant options designed to take you from the gym to the pool (or the sea). You can also wear your swimsuit top as a top! the one pictured here is available at Makai Antigua (#46 upstairs of Heritage Quay, St. Johns).
I also absolutely adore those pastel shorts, don’t you? They are great with a cotton T or polo and can even be worn to dinner at some restaurants if paired with a shirt and boat shoes. Here is a handy guide to your perfect fit.
For casual day wear - bandeau tops, ruffles, the bustier and the cold shoulder styles are all back! Distressed jeans seem to be here for the long haul so don’t retire yours just yet. Fitted dress shirts are the perfect complement for the lean dress pants and skinny neck ties that are the current rage.
When it comes to men’s fashion, I can’t resist thinking of the romper or rather the romphim but I’ll say no more! I am loving the fact that the ridiculously oversized jeans and shorts are long gone and men are embracing a more dapper image.
Late night on the town? A flirty summer frock or pretty top and cropped pants will make a statement and still keep you relatively cool.
My tip is: Dress for comfort, keep hydrated and remember that sunglasses and sunscreen are everyday essentials at this time of the year.
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Our Success Stories His parent’s careers and early exposure to his mother’s medical books, made life as a military physician especially appealing. “These things opened my eyes to how fully I could serve,” he says.
Major Alexander Austin, MD Class of 2011
A member of the Air Force’s 47th Medical Operations Squadron, Major Alexander Austin, MD, practices at Laughlin’s Family Health Clinic or “FHC.” The FHC is responsible for the care of 900 people and sees an average of 1820 patients a day, including many retired military personnel living in the area. Most medical specialists are located in San Antonio, so Major Austin often finds himself taking on a broader role than the average primary care physician might. “You have to shoulder a lot more responsibility and really know your way around the body, so you’re not just referring people without a good reason,” he says. Major Austin is not the first member of his family to join the Air Force either. Shortly after he was born in Brooklyn, New York, his father enlisted and moved the family to Nebraska for the first of what he estimates were 10 or 11 moves around the country. After 20 years serving with the armed forces, his father retired as a Coast Guard officer. At the age of 40, Major Austin’s mother joined the Air Force as a nurse and served four years at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, its national headquarters.
In high school, Major Austin participated in a program at Stony Brook University Hospital in New York that involved shadowing doctors. This experience reinforced his decision to study medicine. He went on to attend the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, graduating with a degree in biology in just three years, and then chose AUA, where he specialized in primary care. “I wanted something with that full scope, that full knowledge, where I’m doing everything or at least have exposure to everything.” At AUA, Major Austin had the opportunity to study with a dynamic group of students and professors from around the world, but what made his experience there most significant was meeting his wife Onica, who was working on campus at the time. She is currently earning her degree in healthcare management, and together, they have three children. Members of the 47th For After graduating from AUA, Major Austin felt ready to serve his country and signed up for active duty in the Air Force. According to Major Austin, serving as a doctor in the military has a lot of perks. He enjoys how the clinics are mostly free of the wrangling that goes on between physicians and insurers in the private sector. He also has the opportunity to transfer to different domestic and international locations every few years and participate in humanitarian aid missions. There is one perk, however, that comes with a little extra work; as a uniformed member of the military, he must exercise regularly with his squadron and meet physical training requirements that are tested yearly. “If I didn’t have that, I’d probably be fifty pounds heavier!”
Medical specialists in the Air Force are also required to complete Commissioned Officer Training (COT), which he describes as “almost a modified boot camp.” Major Austin also completed squadron officer school, a fiveweek program that focuses on leadership skills and managing large groups of people when resources are limited. Currently, he’s preparing to become a flight surgeon and taking a course in aerospace medicine, which involves flying lessons and studying how a pilot’s body is uniquely affected by flight. Down the road, Major Austin hopes to relocate to Guyana, where his parents and wife are originally from, and open a healthcare facility there. The path he has taken in his education and career has paved the way for him to realize this dream, but for now he’s very happy to live the military life and serve his country as a physician. “Helping out those in need, who also wear the uniform, is one of biggest commitments and sacrifices you can make.”
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What’s on in Antigua
Friday August 18th Empowerment-The Blueprint for Success: AUA Campus, classroom 5 from 5pm. A FREE empowerment seminar for women.
Friday August 18th Cocktails for a Cause: Touloulou Bar and Restaurant from 7pm. Enjoy cocktails, small bites and music from DJ Tanny. Your contribution of EC$75 (US$28) will help provide school supplies for girls in foster care. Tickets available on the TickeTing Events App.
Wednesday August 9th Pork Wednesdays: Touloulou Bar Restaurant. Get 10% off with your AUA ID!
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Friday August 11th Endless Summer: The Larder Restaurant from 5:30pm every Friday during the month of August. Light specials 2 for $10, Sushi & Saki Specials, Angostura Rum, Mojito Bar and more! Music by DJ Nez and Tanny. Thursday September 7th Angostura GCC 2018 Antigua local edition: Quin Farara Wines and Spirits Village Walk 10pm – 1am. The House of Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge!
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Healthy Perspectives Update by Michelle Collins
Thank you for your continued support. Please continue to like, share and give feedback on the Healthy Perspectives Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/auahealthyperspe ctives/
(l-r) Dr. Joy Cox, Mr. McKenzie and Dr. Reynolds Pictured with first time host Kadeem Joseph
The focus of the Healthy Perspectives (HP) team this semester has been to engage with the audience. The response has been positive thus far with a noticeable increase in likes and shares on our Facebook page. The most popular of the recent episodes were in the Interpersonal Violence and Sexual Assault (IVSA) series. In order to stay abreast of relevant topics, the HP team has made an effort to have each episode coincide with national calendar events, international awareness days or other notable events. In July and August 2017, the episodes will focus on topics such as the importance of staying hydrated and the effects of alcohol; another example is a feature soon to be aired with Dr. Jillia Bird on the current outbreak of Red Eye in Antigua. Dr. Bird continues to bring awareness to the local community about Glaucoma with the belief that education is the key to prevention. She has recently reported after visiting summer youth camps, that Autism, ADHD and lessened neurological development in youths appear to be on the rise. In September 2017, Healthy Perspectives will be expanding its reach through partnership with English Harbour Radio 93.5fm, short HP episode clips will be aired during their daily programming. Family FM will also be collaborating with Healthy Perspectives by sharing full episodes on a weekly basis.
Upcoming episodes include: AUA Student, David Riley, who will be imparting nutrition tips as well as cooking guidelines for persons living with Diabetes.
A series on Mental Health with a special focus on areas of anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicide, and ways in which to treat mental health naturally.
Interviews with the speakers Dr. Reynolds (founder) and Mr. McKenzie (president elect) of the recent Caribbean Tertiary Level Personnel Association conference, hosted for the first time by Med 3 student Kadeem Joseph.
Guest speaker for Global MD students, Dr. Stanley Lalta, Research fellow in the Faculty of Social Sciences from UWI, Trinidad speaks on the topic “How Health Economics Can Improve Health Care Delivery”.
Dr. Edda Hadeed, a familiar face on HP, is welcomed back to the program as she continues to create awareness of sickle cell and urges all Antiguans to know their status.
Dr. Jillia Bird (top) and Dr. Edda Hadeed speak with the show’s producer Mr. Vernon Solomon during recent episodes
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Esquina Española by Janet Ramsey
(tú) (él) (ella) (usted)
Comes Come Come Come
(vosotros) (ellos) (ellas) (ustedes)
Coméis Comen Comen Comen
And IR verbs are almost identical to ER verbs except for the Nosotros and Vosotros forms. You take off the IR ending and then add these endings: Vivir – To Live (yo) Vivo (nosotros) Vivimos (tú) Vives (vosotros) Vivís (él) Vive (ellos) Viven (ella) Vive (ellas) Viven (usted) Vive (ustedes) Viven
¡Buenos días a todos! I hope this finds you are in good spirits and raring to go. This Spanish Corner will deal with some of the things that we have looked at in previous Corners as well as using ER and IR verbs. First of all, let’s have a quick revision of what we have done in the past, just so we don’t lose sight of some of the basics. See if you can answer some of these questions and if you get a little stuck the answers will be at the bottom. 1. How do you greet people in the afternoon in Spanish? 2. How do ask someone their name in Spanish? 3. How do you tell someone your own name? 4. How do ask someone where he/she is from? 5. How would you tell someone where you are from? 6. How would you say “I am from the United States/Canada/Antigua/India”? 7. How do ask what time it is in Spanish? 8. How would you tell someone “it’s half past eleven”? 9. How would you say “it’s quarter past one”? 10. How would you ask someone “What time do you have class?” 11. How would you say “At two o’clock”? 12. How would you say “At 10 o’clock in the morning” 13. How would you say “in the afternoon” 14. How would you ask “Do you speak Spanish?” 15. How would you tell someone “I speak a little Spanish” If you can answer these questions correctly, then we can move on to ER and IR verbs. ER and IR verbs are conjugated much the same way as AR verbs but the endings are a little different. First of all, remove the ER ending and add the following verb endings to the stem to form the present tense: Singular Plural I (yo) O We (nosotros) EMOS You (tú) ES You (vosotros) ÉIS He (él) E They (ellos) EN She (ella) E They (ellas) EN You (f) (usted) E You (ustedes) EN So the verb ‘to eat’ COMER would be conjugated like this: Comer: (yo) Como (nosotros) Comemos
So for AR, ER and IR Verbs you use the following present tense endings: AR ER IR (yo) O O O (tú) AS ES ES (él) A E E (ella) A E E (usted) A E E (nosotros) AMOS EMOS IMOS (vosotros) ÁIS ÉIS ÍS (ellos) AN EN EN (ellas) AN EN EN (ustedes) AN EN EN These are the endings you should learn! Some of the more commonly used ER and IR verbs are: ER verbs IR verbs Aprender (a..) to learn (to) Abrir to open Beber to drink Asistir (a) to attend Comprender to understand Compartir to share Correr to run Escribir to write Creer to believe Recibir Deber must, should Leer to read Vender to sell These verbs follow the same pattern as Comer and Vivir. So now when you are doing an exercise in Spanish you should first look at the ending of the verb to see if it AR, ER or IR, then conjugate it according to the subject. If the subject is singular does it refer to I, you, he or she and is the form of you informal or formal? If it is plural does it refer to we (nosotros or someone and I), you (plural, vosotros, ustedes, or someone and tú or someone and usted) or to them (ellos, somone and somebody – John and Lucy or Ana and Simon). Practice conjugating a few of the verbs in the list and then compare them to COMER and VIVIR to make sure you have written them out correctly. Use the proposition ‘a’ before nouns following asistir and before infinitives following aprender: Mis amigos asisten a clases de baile My friends attend dance classes. Aprenden a bailar salsa. They are learning to dance salsa. For some verb drill practice try the following websites: http://www.mendycolbert.com/er_ir_pres_wksht.pdf https://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=regular-ar-er-irverb-quiz
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http://www.polk.k12.ga.us/userfiles/820/Classes/49227/ER%20IR%20ve rbs%20notes%20and%20practice.pdf http://www.polk.k12.ga.us/userfiles/820/Classes/49227/AR%20verbs% 20worksheet.pdf http://studyspanish.com/verbs/lessons/pireg This last website has lots of grammar and other things that will help you if you want to improve your knowledge of Spanish. If you are looking for some listening practice, try this: http://www.notesinspanish.com/spanish-audio/ it can be a bit fast, but listen to it a variety of times and don’t worry if you don’t understand everything, you won’t! Just listen for context and to help you develop an ear for Spanish. ¡Buena suerte Amigos!
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Answers to questions: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
Buenas tardes. ¿Cómo te llamas? Or if you are being polite ¿Cómo se llama usted? Me llamo X or you can just say Soy X (X being your name) ¿De dónde eres? Or formal form - ¿De dónde es usted? Soy de Inglaterra/India/Los Estados Unidos/Canadá/Antigua etc.. As above. ¿Qué hora es? Son las once y media Es la una y cuarto or Es la una y quince ¿A qué hora tienes clase? (more on TENER next time) A las dos. A las diez de la mañana. Por la tarde ¿Hablas español? Hablo un poco de español.