Archive for 'Spanish Vocabulary'
To Become or Not to Become? Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 10, 2008
Spanish is widely known for having various ways of expressing some ideas. The verb “to become” is one of them. It takes many forms depending on several factors. Here are some uses: 1. If you want to indicate physical or emotional change, often involuntary, use ponerse. (Yo me pongo, yo me puse, yo me he…
Common Mexican Expressions Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 27, 2008
In this post we will learn some words and expressions typically used in Mexican Spanish in everyday speech . Let´s take a look at them: Agüitado – sad A poco no … – I bet you didn´t .. Fresa – snob person, high class person Güera – blond (for a girl) Escuincle/escuincla – boy, girl…
Refranes: Spanish Proverbs and Sayings Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 4, 2008
Today we will learn about “refranes” in Spanish. “Refranes” are sayings or proverbs and they are part of a country´s histoy and folklore. Below are some Spanish refranes, their correspondent in English and their literal translation. 1. El que no oye consejo no llega a viejo. (He who hears no advice will not reach an…
Homophones Posted by Transparent Language on Jan 10, 2008
[editor: Today we welcome a new contributor, Adir Ferreira to the Spanish Blog. Adir has many years experience teaching both English and Spanish; I am sure you will enjoy his helpful and thorough approach to language learning!] Homophones (from Greek homós ‘same’ y phoné ‘sound’) are words that have exactly the same sound (pronunciation) but…
Apenas Posted by Transparent Language on Jan 2, 2008
Apenas is an adverb frequently used in the Spanish language, and one that has a multiplicity of meanings and applications.It’s one of those words that require you to use the context to determine which meaning the speaker intends.My Spanish students would often complain about this phenomenon, until I reminded them how context-driven oral English…
The Meaning of “Ahorita” Posted by Transparent Language on Dec 18, 2007
I have learned a curious thing about the word ahorita since living in Mexico for a couple of years.It has two seemingly contradictory meanings: “right now” and “in a minute.” When I first studied abroad, I found that when my host mother asked my host sister to do something “ahorita,” she jumped to attention…
Lunfardo: Buenos Aires Slang Posted by Transparent Language on Nov 12, 2007
Argentina is largely a country of immigrants and is distinguished from its Latin American neighbors by its mainly European ethnic roots: according to the CIA’s World Fact Book, 97% of Argentines consider themselves to be of European origin. The majority of immigrants to Argentina, particularly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, hailed…