Archive for 'Spanish Vocabulary'
Foreign Words in Spanish Posted by Adir on Nov 19, 2009
Spanish has borrowed words from many other languages, and that is one of the reasons why it is such a colorful language. Here’s a list of some foreign words (extranjerismos) with their equivalent Spanish expressions. Baby-sitter – niñera, canguro Best-seller – superventas Blackout – apagón Buffet – bufé Cassette – (cinta) casete Chantilly – nata…
Giving directions Posted by Adir on Nov 9, 2009
Here are some very useful sentences for giving directions in Spanish. Siga todo recto … – Go straight ahead … Doble a la derecha … – Turn right … Doble a la izquierda … – Turn left … Entre en la 1ª sala … – Go into the first room … Baje la escalera ……
Slang much? Posted by Adir on Oct 22, 2009
¡Huy! It’s very hard to talk about slang in Spanish. Do you know why? Just imagine how many differences can be found in US English alone. The same thing happens with Spanish, but in almost 20 countries. So here’s the deal: I found some very cool websites with Spanish slang from lots of countries. If…
Word origins: terapéutica, jerga e indigente Posted by Adir on Oct 16, 2009
Terapéutica was first found in Spanish from 1555 on, when it appeared in Dioscórides, by Andrés de Laguna. The word terapéutica was taken by Laguna from vulgar Latin therapeutica, -orum (medicine treaties) and from Greek therapeutikós (the occupation of a service man who had to take care of someone, deriving from therapein). In Spanish, this…
Vocabulario: Los Cubiertos Posted by Adir on Oct 12, 2009
Here’s a list for words related to cutlery and setting the table. Click on the link below to listen to the pronunciation. los-cubiertos el cuchillo – knife el mantel – tablecloth el palillo de dientes, el escarbadientes – toothpick el platito para el pan – bread plate el plato – plate el plato para el…
Business Spanish Posted by Adir on Sep 29, 2009
According to Ed Brodow in the book Negotiate with Confidence, Americans do business in a hurry. The following sentences will show businesspeople some ways to establish rapport, induce the other part to open first, explore the needs of the client, and then resist the first offer. Bien, en primer lugar … – Well, first of…
Cuéntame todo. Posted by Adir on Sep 24, 2009
The verb contar has several meanings. Check them out! 1. to count (to add up) Ella quiere perder peso sin contar calorías. – She wants to lose weight without counting calories. 2. to tell (a story) ¿Le contaste la historia a tu hermano? – Did you tell your brother the story? No se lo cuente…