Mini Quiz Posted by Adir on Aug 7, 2009
OK, let’s see how much you know about the Spanish language itself. Take this little quiz and find out. 1 – Spanish and Castillian are: a) the same language; b) two very different languages; c) two very similar languages. 2 – Spanish is spoken as a first language in: a) only in Spain and America…
Pablo Neruda Posted by Adir on Aug 3, 2009
Pablo Neruda was born on July 12th 1904 in Parral, Chile and died on September 23rd 1973 in Santiago de Chile. His real name was Neftalí Reyes Basoalto and, besides being a poet, he was a translator and a diplomat. He won the Nobel Prize of Literature in 1971 and his writing has strongly influenced…
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 II Posted by Adir on Jul 27, 2009
Today we’ll have the second part of the vocabulary list for traveling. Check it out! La moto – motorcycle El muelle – pier, quay, wharf La parada – (bus) stop El pasajero – passenger El pasillo – corridor, aisle El paso a nivel (en Méx. el paso a desnivel) – grade crossing La pensión –…
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…
Pedro Navaja Posted by Adir on Jul 20, 2009
Remember that song, Mack the Knife, the 1958 classic performed by Bobby Darin? Well, Panamanian singer/songwriter Rubén Blades wrote one of his greatest hits, Pedro Navaja, based on Mack the Knife. It talks about a neighborhood thug who appears to die during a robbery (his song “Sorpresas” continues the story). Here’s some vocabulary so you…
Arithmetic Terms in Spanish Posted by Adir on Jul 17, 2009
Here are some useful arithmetic vocabulary terms in Spanish: Tres más dos son cinco. (Three plus two is five.) Cinco menos tres son dos. (Five minus three is two.) Tres por cuatro son doce. (Three times four is twelve.) Doce (dividido) entre cuatro son tres. (Twelve divided by four is three.) Doce dividido por cuatro…