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Idioms game Posted by Adir on Oct 6, 2008
In our idioms posts I always give you the definition, an example or two and the translation, right? Today we’re going to do something different: you guys are going to have to match the expressions to their meaning, in Spanish! After a few days I’ll give you the right answer! Shall we go for it?…
¡Atole, pues! Posted by Adir on Oct 3, 2008
Have you ever had “atole”? Atole is a traditional cornstarch-based Mexican and Central American hot drink. Chocolate atole is known as champurrado and it’s typically accompanied with tamales (in Brazil they have pamonha). This drink includes masa (corn meal), water, piloncillo (small blocks or bricks of unrefined solid cane sugar, rapadura), cinnamon, vanilla and optional…
Feeling good? Posted by Adir on Sep 30, 2008
Hello everybody! Feeling good today? Well, I’m feeling wonderful posting a brand new tip so you can improve your Spanish. Talking about feelings, translating the verb to feel into Spanish can be a tricky business. Let’s check out how some common sentences with feel in English are translated into Spanish: 1. Feeling an emotion. Me…
Linguistic diversity in Spain Posted by Adir on Sep 25, 2008
Spanish is an official language spoken in Spain, but it’s not the only one. Spain has three other officially recognized languages, and around 25% of the country’s population use a language other than Spanish as their first language, although they are all fully proficient in Spanish as well. Here’s a brief look at those languages…
Color…ish! Posted by Adir on Sep 22, 2008
Spanish has a particular way of saying the …ish suffix when referring to colors, like whiteish, greenish, blueish, greyish, etc. The adjectives are derived in several different ways. Check it out! Blanco (white) – blanquecino/blancuzco Rojo (red) – rojizo Azul (blue) – azuláceo/azulino Amarillo (yellow) – amarillento Negro (black) – negruzco Verde (green) – verdusco/verdoso…
By the way… Posted by Adir on Sep 19, 2008
The expressions “by the way” and “incidentally” are called afterthoughts or offhand remarks, and in Spanish there two ways of saying them: a propósito and por cierto. Examples: – Por cierto, ¿no estás estudiando para la prueba? (By the way, aren’t you studying for the test?) – Tienen que entregarme el resumen del libro para…
Greetings Posted by Adir on Sep 15, 2008
Hello, everybody! Let’s learn (or review) some of the most common greetings in Spanish: Hola – Hello, Hi Hola, aló, bueno, diga, dígame – Hello (on the telephone) Adiós – Goodbye/ Chao, Chau (informal, from italian “Ciao”) Hasta luego – See you later Hasta pronto – See you soon ¿Cómo estás? / ¿Cómo está? –…