Archive by Author
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…
Idioms with ‘agua’ Posted by Adir on May 4, 2009
Besides being one of the five basic elements, water (el agua) is the source of several interesting idioms in Spanish. Let’s check them out! Agua pasada no mueve molino. – It’s no use crying over spilled milk. Del agua mansa líbreme Dios, que de la brava me libro yo. – Still waters run deep. estar…
Expressions with “de” Posted by Adir on May 1, 2009
Let’s learn some expressions with the preposition “de”. Caer de pie – to be lucky (to land on one’s feet) Vivir del cuento – to live off someone else without working (usually what parents say to kids) Costar un ojo de la cara – to cost an arm and a leg Cruzarse de brazos –…
Wedding Anniversaries in Spanish Posted by Adir on Apr 27, 2009
Here you have a list of the traditional materials for wedding anniversary presents. This list has the materials for the first fifteen years of marriage, then for every five years until the 60th anniversary, and next for the 75th. Pay attention to the ordinal numbers in Spanish! 1º primero – el papel (paper) 2º segundo…
Another ‘cuando’… Posted by Adir on Apr 23, 2009
The most common word for ‘when’ is ‘cuando’, but you can also use the contraction ‘al’ (a + el) to indicate when something happens. Check out some examples: Hay error al enviar los mensajes por Outlook. – There is an error when you send messages using Outlook. Al enterarse de lo que había sucedido, se…
The suffix -ado/-ada Posted by Adir on Apr 20, 2009
The suffix –ado/-ada can mean “-ful” or “-load”. So, a “cucharada” is a “spoonful (cuchara = spoon). Let’s see some more examples. la barcada – boatload (el barco – boat) la brazada – armful (el brazo – arm); stroke (in swimming) la calderada – cauldron full (la caldera – cauldron, boiler) la camionada – truckload…