Don’t make a scene! Posted by Adir on Oct 2, 2009
From time to time most of us like to sit back, relax and watch junk TV. But we can use it to improve our listening in Spanish. I just found these videos from the show Casos de Familia (Family Affairs) but I won’t tell you what the caso is about, you have to check it…
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…
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…
Las Telenovelas Posted by Adir on Sep 11, 2009
Las Telenovelas Telenovelas are a big hit in Latin America and Brazil. Hundreds of them are produced every year, and stars go from telenovelas to Hollywood, like Mexican Salma Hayek and Brazilian heartthrob Rodrigo Santoro, who’s starred in Lost and some mainstream movies. Watching soap operas in Spanish is a very good way to improve…
¡Somos refraneros, sí señor! Posted by Adir on Sep 8, 2009
We know that refranes are popular sayings and that in Spanish there are lots of them so, instead of giving you guys a list with their English equivalents, today I’m going to give you the refrán and you will have to match it to its explanation, en español. Shall we give it a try? 1…