Color…ish! Posted by Adir on Sep 22, 2008
Spanish has a particular way of saying the …ish suffix when referring to colors, like whiteish, greenish, blueish, greyish, etc. The adjectives are derived in several different ways. Check it out! Blanco (white) – blanquecino/blancuzco Rojo (red) – rojizo Azul (blue) – azuláceo/azulino Amarillo (yellow) – amarillento Negro (black) – negruzco Verde (green) – verdusco/verdoso…
By the way… Posted by Adir on Sep 19, 2008
The expressions “by the way” and “incidentally” are called afterthoughts or offhand remarks, and in Spanish there two ways of saying them: a propósito and por cierto. Examples: – Por cierto, ¿no estás estudiando para la prueba? (By the way, aren’t you studying for the test?) – Tienen que entregarme el resumen del libro para…
Greetings Posted by Adir on Sep 15, 2008
Hello, everybody! Let’s learn (or review) some of the most common greetings in Spanish: Hola – Hello, Hi Hola, aló, bueno, diga, dígame – Hello (on the telephone) Adiós – Goodbye/ Chao, Chau (informal, from italian “Ciao”) Hasta luego – See you later Hasta pronto – See you soon ¿Cómo estás? / ¿Cómo está? –…
Puerto Rican music Posted by Adir on Sep 11, 2008
Puerto Rico is well-known for its wide range of musical talent and has provided artists like Ricky Martin, Olga Tañón, Luis Fonsi, La India, and Chayanne, just to name a few. The bomba and the plena, the salsa, and the reggaetón are some of the music genres that take over the radio stations nowadays. The…
Mi vida loca Posted by Adir on Sep 8, 2008
I’m a helpless internet addict and as a teacher I’m always looking for alternatives to supplement my classes. While surfing the web, I came across this course, by BBC Online, called Mi Vida Loca. It’s a mystery series and it has tons of audio, video and explanations both in English and in Spanish. There are…
Ask away! Posted by Adir on Sep 5, 2008
“Ask” has several meanings in Spanish. They’re not interchangeable, and there are some subtle differences in meaning. Preguntar – “to ask a question” or “to ask about” something. Preguntó por ti en la fiesta. – He asked about you at the party. Pregunté si habían estudiado para la prueba. – I asked if they had…
Yo soy Betty, la Fea Posted by Adir on Sep 2, 2008
Yo soy Betty, la fea is the most successful telenovela in Colombia. It was written by Fernando Gaitán and produced by RCN Televisión between 1999 and 2001. The main character is Beatriz Aurora Pinzón Solano, who is not a very attractive woman but is incredibly intelligent and works for a fashion company called “Eco Moda”…