Archive for May, 2009
Word origins: Chiste (joke) Posted by Adir on May 28, 2009
In the early days jokes were not told openly and, if there were people of the opposite sex present, they were told in whispers. To designate these stories, at first obscene ones, the word chiste was used, derived from the verb chistar. Chistar meant “to whisper, to speak in a low voice” or also “to…
Buying, en español – Part I Posted by Adir on May 26, 2009
When you walk into a store in a Spanish-speaking country, you will probably be greeted with an “Hola, ¿todo bien?, or “Hola, buenas.” This greeting requires no formal answer and a simple “hola” is enough. In Latin America, store prices do not include taxes. These are added at the cashier when paying and they add…
El Reservado – Spanish Talk Show Posted by Adir on May 21, 2009
These days I was thinking about my teen years, in the 90’s, when I had to ask my friends in the US to send video tapes of the newest Beverly Hills 90210 that hadn’t been aired in Brazil yet. Now Internet is here to help us all out with our learning in so many ways…
La Entrevista de Trabajo en Español – Job Interviews in Spanish Posted by Adir on May 18, 2009
Every job interview has core topics: general questions, strengths and weaknesses, education, professional development, among other. Here are some useful sentences for the ‘strengths’ part. ¿Cómo se relaciona su experiencia con este empleo en particular?– How does your experience relate to this job in particular? ¿Qué dos o tres grandes logros ilustran mejor sus puntos…
More meanings of common words Posted by Adir on May 14, 2009
Aqui están algunas palabras muy comunes en español con sus significados adicionales. Abandonar – to abandon. Abandonado = scruffy, sloppy (said of a person) Abusar – to abuse Abusar de la comida = to eat too much Acusar – to accuse Él acusaba cansancio. = He showed signs of tiredness. Tiene un acusado sentido del…
Los falsos amigos Posted by Adir on May 11, 2009
You’ve been studying Spanish for some time and you’ve definitely come across what we call ‘false friends’. These are tricky words that lead us to think about a meaning in Spanish that is similar to English but that’s not the case. Check out some examples, the first word is in Spanish with the translation in…
Real Spanish: Mexican dialogue Posted by Adir on May 7, 2009
If you’re tired of those old textbook dialogues here’s something for you: a real dialogue in Mexican Spanish with lots of interesting vocabulary. And remember, if you have any questions, write to us! Antonio: Ahorita vengo. María: ¿Adónde vas? Antonio: Voy a la farmacia. Necesito unas hojas de afeitar y un rastrillo nuevo. ¿Se te…