Archive for 'Spanish Vocabulary'
Word Origins: placebo, domingo y ostra Posted by Adir on Sep 18, 2009
Placebo (same spelling in English and Spanish) is a harmless substance given to a sick person instead of medicine, without telling them it is not real. They’re often used in tests in which some people take real medicine and others take a placebo, so that doctors can compare the results to see if the real…
Verbs and Prepositions Posted by Adir on Sep 14, 2009
Verbs and other words change meaning when used with some prepositions. Let’s have a look at some of them. 1. deber Deber – have to, must (obligation) – Debes estudiar mucho para la prueba. (You have to study a lot for the test.) Deber de – must, should (probability) – Hoy no ha venido; debe…
Partes del Coche Posted by Adir on Aug 31, 2009
I had this great teacher and friend, Mariza Ribeiro, and she taught me a very valuable lesson. Learn a bit about everything, vocabulary-wise. So today we’re going to learn a bit about parts of the car. Check them out! Acelerador – gas pedal Asiento – seat Cambio de marchas – gear shift Embrague – clutch…
Prepositions and Art Posted by Adir on Aug 27, 2009
Let’s practice our prepositions with a little bit of art. Using this Van gogh’s painting from 1889, fill in the blanks with the following prepositions: ENCIMA DE / SOBRE A LA IZQUIERDA (DE) DELANTE (DE) / ENFRENTE BAJO / DEBAJO DE A LA DERECHA (DE) DETRÁS DE DENTRO DE CERCA (DE) ARRIBA / ENCIMA…
Describing People Posted by Adir on Aug 20, 2009
We use the verbs ser (to be), tener (to have) and llevar (here, to wear) to describe what people look like in Spanish. Take a look at these examples: Es alto (tall), bajo (short), feo (ugly), guapo (handsome), delgado (thin), gordo (fat), tonto (stupid), inteligente (intelligent), simpático (friendly), rubio (blond), pelirrojo (red-haired). Tiene los ojos…
Gentilicios de España Posted by Adir on Jul 31, 2009
Here are some gentilicios (demonyms: name of the inhabitants of a country, state or city) from Spain. They are used very frequently, and they it is not always easy to figure out what the city of origin is. Check them out! Salmantino, de Salamanca. Vallisoletano, de Valladolid. Vizcaíno, de Vizcaya Riojano, de La Rioja Jiennense…
Let’s Travel Part I Posted by Adir on Jul 24, 2009
Most of us like to travel and it gives us a great opportunity to get to know people, places and cultures. So today here’s the first part of the traveling vocabulary. This time I’ve included the articles so you can also learn the gender of each word. La aduana – customs El aeropuerto – airport…