Summary: Gratitude & Leave Taking

In this unit you have learned the ins and outs of expressing gratitude and performing leave takings in Spanish. Just as a refresher, here is a summary of the basic points we have covered.

• Expressions of gratitude are very important in maintaining positive relationships. Numerous pragmatic strategies are used in Spanish to thank someone. Very often, two primary thanking strategies are used in conjunction with internal and external modifiers. The use of internal and external modifiers help make each expression of gratitude appropriate for the given context.

• Expressions of gratitude typically utilize more than one thanking strategy at a time. One important factor in determining the strategy choices used is the rank of imposition. The larger the favor or gift, the more complex the expression of gratitude tends to be.

• Leave takings are important for maintaining relationships. They often set the tone of the next interaction. Multiple, varied pragmatic strategies are typically used in leave takings and plans for future contact are often included.

• Telephone messages are a unique type of leave taking. Interesting differences have been found between telephone messages in English and Spanish.

• CLICK HERE to see the resources used to create this module.

Reflect on this module and complete the activities that follow.

List two things you have learned about expressing gratitude and performing leave takings in Spanish that you will apply to your use of the Spanish language.