Who Dat

I'm just a little bit confused around the use of the imperfect subjunctive in Spanish. In which situations is it used? Is it just hypothetical situations or are there other times when it should be used?

Any help is appreciated!

Many thanks!

I'm moving to San Francisco in June and I'm trying to sort out accommodation for the summer. I'm just wondering which neighbourhood would be best to live in in terms of rent/nightlife/jobs.

Any help would be appreciated!

I will be finished my degree course in university in two years time. I am studying English literature and Spanish, and I plan on spending some time living in the US, before I go back home and do a TEFL course so I can go to Argentina to teach English as a foreign language (living in Argentina permanently is my long-term aim). It's a long way off but my parents are worriers, and they would prefer if I started planning well in advance before making such a massive move. I plan on spending about two years in the US, however I don't know which state would be best to live in. I think I would like to live in or near a city, but I'm very unsure about where to travel to, and I also need to work, obviously.

I'm just brainstorming at the moment, so I'd be very grateful if you guys could maybe give me a few helpful suggestions of some nice, fun places to live! Thanks!

Just wondering how far it is walking.

I want to get a return ticket on the bus from Madrid to Barcelona, and back again. I'm just wondering if it's possible to pay for the ticket at the train station. I'm not Spanish, and my bank account takes 3-5 days to process money that I put into it, as I'm getting paid cash-in-hand. However, I don't have 3-5 days to get a ticket to get to Barcelona. The bus services within Spain are kinda confusing, so I'm just wondering if I am able to do this.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks!

Should you use the 'tu' form or the 'usted' form? I'm going to be au pairing in Spain, and I don't want to be too informal with the parents of the children, if I'm not supposed to be!

Thanks!!

Singular and plural of "you".

Thanks.

In my opinion, tonight's match between Barcelona and Real Madrid was just disgusting. Here we have top athletes, who are supposed to be role models for young people coming up, falling to the ground like they'd been shot when they're brushed against, abusing the referee, blatant cheating. Soccer has long has its problems, but tonight I think just sums up one of the worst nights of football I've ever seen. Let a fantastic goal by Messi (he's a little star, in fairness to the lad) be the one shining light. However, it is not going to mask the sheer ugliness of what went on there tonight. This was supposed to be an advertisement for football between two of the biggest and best teams in the game, and it just turned into an embarrassment.

God knows the English game has its problems with divers and the like, but I think we've really seen the dark side of La Liga tonight. I really do not think that Alex Ferguson would have behaved the way Mourinho did, and I do not think that a match would ever get as out of control as this in the Premier League. I'd be the first the chastise the Premier League, but I think tonight tops anything I've seen so far.

What do you all think?

I've never been an au pair before, so this will be my first time. I'm going to Spain, and I'm just feeling a little bit nervous about not bonding with the children, or not fitting in with the culture. Any tips on how I can make sure that everything goes well over there?

I have a keen interest in Middle Eastern culture and I am very eager to actually visit a Middle Eastern country. I understand that part of the world is going through a great deal of turmoil, so I'll obviously have to be careful about where I choose to go and be wise. An aunt of mine lived and worked in Saudi Arabia for thirty years and she advised me against going there. I am not overly enthusiastic about visiting Iran, Iraq or Afghanistan at the present time either.

Where would be the most accessible country for me to visit? I don't mind too much about the Islamic traditions (wearing a hijab is fine), but I don't want to really have to spend my days in a Burqa if I visit a country (they look a bit claustrophobic to me). So I'd like to go somewhere where I can respect the traditions without having to be too strict.

They've invited the royals from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Swaziland, Qatar and Kuwait (among others). I know it's because they're royals and they're supposed to invite other royals, but it seems a little hypocritical on William's part. The leaders of these countries have brutalized their own people and tried to stifle democracy. I thought he was all about human rights and having a conscience.

Realistically.

It doesn't seem like the horses actually enjoy it that much. A lot of horses have died in it, including two today. It all seems very demanding for the animals and is not done for any other purpose other than people wanting to bet and see who manages to stay on their feet (or even stay alive) on the way around the course. The fences are enormous, the amount they have to run is very long and it doesn't really seem as though the horses get much out of it. When the horse who won today got over the line, he looked like he was about to have a heart attack.

I've never really bothered with the National before, but I watched it today and I felt a little shocked.

If so, how was it? Did it help you in anyway?

The two wars don't seem that different. I do not believe that real concern for civilians is at the heart of the attack on Libya, and I don't believe that real concern for civilians was at the heart of the invasion of Iraq either. Both countries are oil-rich, predominantly Muslim and run by ruthless dictators. I don't really believe that the motivation behind the attack on Libya is any more noble than the real motivation behind the invasion of Iraq, and surely it's a big mistake on the part of the US to involve itself in yet another Middle Eastern country, further cementing their reputation as a meddler in Eastern affairs. The Libyan situation is a civil war after all, and nothing else. I don't really see the difference between what's happening in Libya and what's happened in Iraq thus far, so why do people so fervently oppose the Iraq war and then sing the praises of France, Britain and America when they bomb Libya?

So, it's getting closer to the end of the uni year, and I'm getting bogged down with work. I have two essays due this coming week, one on Wednesday and the second on Thursday and I haven't started either. I also have another assignment to hand in on Monday, a Spanish piece to prepare for Friday and an oral examination to prepare for, which is the week after next. My exams start in April, so I also have to get studying for the written examinations. I know what I have to do, but it just seems like so much that I don't know where to start, which makes it difficult to motivate myself. I usually end up leaving things to the last minute and getting unbelievably stressed, but I want to try and minimise it. Any help is appreciated on how I can sort out my workload and motivate myself t get started.

Thanks

xx

x

I reckon he's pretty awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSbZidsgMfw

Mine has to be the first line from Triumph by the Wu-Tang Clan.

Inspectah Deck:

'I bomb atomically, Socrates' philosophies and hypothoses can't define how I be droppin' these mockeries.'

That's got to be one of the best opening lines of any song.

What's your favourite?

So, I'm having a problem with iTunes. I have an iPod, but I haven't bothered getting Genius on it until now. So, I decided that I'd turn on Genius, but it says I have to create an iTunes account. So, I start creating it, I put in the username, password, my date of birth. I happen to be 20 years old and I put my date of birth in that proves this, and then it tells me that I haven't met the minimum age requirement. I go back to see what the minimum age requirement actually is and I see that is, in fact, 13. I have not lied about my age, I am actually 20. It's on my passport, my credit card, my ATM cards So, basically my question is, what the f*ck is up with iTunes?