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What’s the translation of “poner” Posted by Adir on Sep 12, 2011
Poner means basically to put or to place: Pedro puso una manzana en la cesta. – Pedro put an apple in the basket. Tus bromas me ponen de mal humor. – Your jokes put me in a bad mood. It can also mean to turn something on (appliances, etc.): Pon la lavadora en marcha. –…
Vocabulary: Work and Career (Part II) Posted by Adir on Sep 9, 2011
Today we’re having a look at the second part of the vocabulary used at the workplace. It’s not a very comprehensive list but it’s going to tide you over for the moment, ok? Click here to read Part I. dar preaviso – to give notice Renunciar a un puesto sin dar preaviso es una actitud…
Verbs with two past participles Posted by Adir on Sep 6, 2011
There are some verbs in Spanish that have two participles. The regular one (ending in -ado or -ido) forms los tiempos compuestos and the irregular one is often used as an adjective or an adverb. Let’s check out the most common ones: absorber (to absorb) – absorbido – absorto abstraer (to abstract) – abstraído – abstracto…
Vocabulary: Work and Career (Part I) Posted by Adir on Sep 1, 2011
Let’s check out some work and career related vocabulary in Spanish today. contratar / emplear – to hire Si la demanda se mantiene en alta, precisaremos contratar a un nuevo asistente. If demand keeps growing, we will need to hire a new assistant. En aquella empresa me emplearon por un año para realizar tareas contables…
Alternatives for the use of “coger” Posted by Adir on Aug 23, 2011
The verb coger has a somewhat vulgar meaning in some countries in Latin America so today I’m going to give you some other choices. 1. Esta fecha nos coge muy mal. (va) This date is not very good for us. 2. Este lugar coge muy lejos. (queda) This place is very far. 3. Nunca coge…
Perífrasis: dejar de Posted by Adir on Aug 22, 2011
The periphrasis dejar de has several uses in Spanish. The first use shows the end of an action or habit. Dejé de fumar el año pasado. I stopped smoking last year. He dejado de asistir a clase por falta de tiempo. I stopped going to class for lack of time / because I didn’t have…
Breaking the ice in Spanish Posted by Adir on Aug 19, 2011
Hey, there! How have you all been? There will come a time when you’re going to be in a social event and you will need to break the ice, romper el hielo, when talking to someone. Check out this dialog between Pablo and Ana, at a party: A: Qué calor, ¿no? (It sure is hot…