SUPERSTICIONS

1. A black cat walking towards you or gets in your way
BAD LUCK : While in Egypt it was believed that the cat was the reincarnation of the gods , centuries later, the Catholic Church regarded him as the reincarnation of the devil, so they were burned . The black was identified with the devil to be the color of the night . In most of Europe and North America is believed that a black cat brings bad luck if you move away from you , but good luck if you walk towards you.

2 . Hanging a horseshoe behind the door
GOOD LUCK : According to the Greeks , iron - shaped crescent - protected spells , so the shoe placed on the door prevented the entry of witches and evil. Traditionally it was believed that the shoes were granted luckier of donkeys , because they have seven holes, a magic number for excellence.

3 . A crooked or falling of the wall where is picture hanging
BAD LUCK : This idea has its origins in ancient Greece , where it was believed that if the portrait of a monarch or a celebrity fell to the ground suffering serious injury meant that he would die soon .

4. Spitting
GOOD LUCK : It is believed that prevents spitting evils. Pliny wrote in his Natural History : "It is surprising , but easily verifiable , that if someone has been beaten and spit once in the palm of the aggressor, the victim's pain is relieved when some increase strength . his blows spit on his hands before making any effort. " It is also said that this force could hit better the devil.

5. Igniting three cigarettes with the same match
BAD LUCK : It is believed that a war is not known precisely which , and sometimes speaks of the First World War , in other of the Spanish Civil War ... - three soldiers lit their cigarettes with the same match and the enemy first saw the flame , said in the second and shot on the third.

6. Putting a hat on the bed
BAD LUCK : Put a hat on the bed is omen, in Spain and Italy , that something bad will happen. This superstition has another meaning : it will be a blank mind . This belief probably comes from the symbolism of the hat, which represents the head and thoughts and is a symbol of personal identification.

7. Spilling salt
BAD LUCK : Its origin dates back to 3,500 BCE Since then believed that salt was incorruptible , why he became a symbol of friendship . Hence the belief that if you pull , the friendship will break. To counter this effect damn course , you should take a pinch of spilled salt over the left shoulder .

8. Breaking a mirror
BAD LUCK : It is said that brings the seven year curse. The mirror was a magical element of divination , so if it broke , it was not to show a frightening picture of the future . Seven years is the time it supposedly took to renew a body.

9. Shutdown a blow candles
GOOD LUCK : It was in the Low German Middle Ages where the idea of ​​putting on birthday cake candles emerged many years met as children plus one. To leave behind the completed years and move to the next , it must extinguish all the candles in one breath.

10. Saying " Jesus" or " bless you" when someone sneezes
GOOD LUCK : It is because sneezing was the beginning of many different diseases and so he asked God to eschew the danger of infection.
It is also said that it was to keep out the demon through the mouth.

11. Find a four leaf clover
GOOD LUCK : It is a sacred symbol for the Druids of the British Isles , already in 200 BC thought that he could see demons .
According to legend, when Eve was expelled from Paradise , four leaf clover took ; therefore, since it is believed that gives luck.

12. Carrying a rabbit's foot
GOOD LUCK : Its origin lies in the ancient belief that every people descended from an animal that could not be hunted or eaten . Surely, the Celts brought the belief that ours was the rabbit. Six centuries before Christ and was used as an amulet to ward off evil. In addition, the rabbit's foot was also a phallic symbol capable of fertile women.

13. Passing under a ladder
BAD LUCK : That's the way this triangle with the wall . It was once thought that all triangles were a sacred symbol , both the pyramids as the trilogy of the Holy Trinity and , therefore , was a sacrilege to pass under the arch .
It is believed that once they had passed , evil conjured fingers crossed , spitting on the stairs once or thrice after crossing . This superstition is also related to the gallows always had to use a ladder to place the rope and also to remove the body : death and the stairs were always very close. Another belief comes from the paintings of the crucifixion , in which contained a ladder under which Lucifer looked furiously how Jesus died to save mankind . Hence the custom of blessing himself to protect themselves from the fury of the Devil or repel the danger.

14. Place the pan upside down on the table or drop down
BAD LUCK : Bread is a staple food . Therefore there have been several superstitions that have generated in your way to do , cut it, eat it and offer it to others. Put it upside down is supposed to bring bad luck because it actually an offense to the body of Christ ; also , when it hits the ground it is customary to kiss and make three crosses to ward off misfortune.

15. Spilling wine
BAD LUCK : When you pour the wine on the table then you should apply a little of it over the forehead for good luck ; case of champagne then you have to touch it with the tips of your fingers and give it on the lobe of the ear to achieve eternal happiness. The cause of this belief may be that the fetus is the beginning of the earlobe . For this reason, when you're soaking in champagne wishing your life be surrounded by all kinds of happiness and joy. This frothy drink is also often break against ships at its launch this gesture to wish good luck on your journey.

16. Leaving open scissors
BAD LUCK : This instrument should remain closed when not in use because it attracts bad luck. If it falls to the ground and gets split ends pointing towards you , pick it up and put salt over your left shoulder to ward off evil spirits. In Greece it was believed that moira Atropos cut with scissors the thread of life , so somehow sharps drive targeted and are a symbol of sudden death.

17. Touching wood
GOOD LUCK : A possible origin has to do with the pieces that were kept of the Holy Cross . Another , from the United States, where 4,000 years ago the Indians worshiped the oak as the abode of the gods. This material also symbolizes the maternal protection and relieves the pressure .

18. Putting the bed with his feet toward the door
BAD LUCK : Comes the popular saying : " the dead always come out of the house feet first ."

19. Starting the day on the wrong foot
BAD LUCK : I alluded in Petronius ' Satyricon " bad luck going into a place with your left foot . In Spain it may have originated in Celtic tradition and the solar motion , always right. The negative effect is eliminated by crossing himself three times.

20. THUERSDAY y 13
BAD LUCK : Curse of the number thirteen is rooted in the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the twelve Apostles, in which he was betrayed .
It is believed that if thirteen people sit down to eat at the same table , one of them will die within a year .
The day of the week varies : in Spain , Mexico and Greece fears Tuesday and thirteen ; and in Anglo-Saxon countries and thirteen to Friday , because Friday was Jesus crucified.

Present Perfect

Notes:

1. The written lesson is below.
2. Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left.

The present perfect is formed by combining the auxiliary verb "has" or "have" with the past participle.

I have studied.
He has written a letter to María.
We have been stranded for six days.

Because the present perfect is a compound tense, two verbs are required: the main verb and the auxiliary verb.

I have studied.
(main verb: studied ; auxiliary verb: have)

He has written a letter to María.
(main verb: written ; auxiliary verb: has)

We have been stranded for six days.
(main verb: been ; auxiliary verb: have)

In Spanish, the present perfect tense is formed by using the present tense of the auxiliary verb "haber" with the past participle. Haber is conjugated as follows:

he
has
ha
hemos
habéis
han

You have already learned in a previous lesson that the past participle is formed by dropping the infinitive ending and adding either -ado or -ido. Remember, some past participles are irregular. The following examples all use the past participle for the verb "comer."

(yo) He comido.
I have eaten.

(tú) Has comido.
You have eaten.

(él) Ha comido.
He has eaten.

(nosotros) Hemos comido.
We have eaten.

(vosotros) Habéis comido.
You-all have eaten.

(ellos) Han comido.
They have eaten.

For a review of the formation of the past participle [click here].

When you studied the past participle, you practiced using it as an adjective. When used as an adjective, the past participle changes to agree with the noun it modifies. However, when used in the perfect tenses, the past participle never changes.

Past participle used as an adjective:
La cuenta está pagada.
The bill is paid.

Past participle used in the present perfect tense:
He pagado la cuenta.
I have paid the bill.

Here's a couple of more examples:

Past participle used as an adjective:
Las cuentas están pagadas.
The bills are paid.

Past participle used in the present perfect tense:
Juan ha pagado las cuentas.
Juan has paid the bills.

Note that when used to form the present perfect tense, only the base form (pagado) is used.

Let's look more carefully at the last example:

Juan ha pagado las cuentas.
Juan has paid the bills.

Notice that we use "ha" to agree with "Juan". We do NOT use "han" to agree with "cuentas." The auxiliary verb is conjugated for the subject of the sentence, not the object. Compare these two examples:

Juan ha pagado las cuentas.
Juan has paid the bills.

Juan y María han viajado a España.
Juan and Maria have traveled to Spain.

In the first example, we use "ha" because the subject of the sentence is "Juan." In the second example, we use "han" because the subject of the sentence is "Juan y María."

The present perfect tense is frequently used for past actions that continue into the present, or continue to affect the present.

He estado dos semanas en Madrid.
I have been in Madrid for two weeks.

Diego ha sido mi amigo por veinte años.
Diego has been my friend for 20 years.

IRREGULAR VERBS