Tag Archives: spelling
The “whys” and “becauses” in Spanish Posted by Adir on Jun 21, 2010
In English we use why and because to ask for and give reasons for something. Spanish, however, has four ways of expressing cause and reason. Let’s check them out. 1. por qué – used in a direct or indirect question. ¿Por qué no fuiste a la fiesta anoche? (Why didn’t you go to the party…
Useful Abbreviations Posted by Adir on Jun 3, 2010
Here are some very useful abbreviations in written Spanish. Exca. – Excelencia Excmo. – Excelentísimo Ilmo. – Ilustrísimo P.PP. – Padre, Padres (religiosos) Sr., Srs. – señor, señores Sra., Sras. – señora, señoras Srta., Srtas. – señorita, señoritas U. / Ud., Uds. / Vd., Vds. – usted, ustedes a/c – a cargo de apto. –…
Las conjunciones O and U, Y and E Posted by Adir on Apr 1, 2010
O and U mean “or”, but their use follows some rules. 1. When O comes before words that start with an O or HO it must be replaced by U. plata u oro (silver or gold) minutos u horas (minutes or hours) 2. When O comes between numbers, we must replace it by Ó (with…
B or V? Posted by Adir on Nov 23, 2009
As it happens with G and J, the letters B and V are very similar and it’s usually not very easy to choose between them. So, another little test for you: fill in the blanks with B or V. Cara___ela (caravel) Cala___era (skull, skeleton) Llama___a (I/he/she was calling) I___a (I/he/she was going) Automó___il (automobile) A___obado…
G or J? Posted by Adir on Nov 12, 2009
Choosing between G or J in Spanish is not an easy task. So here’s a small test for you: fill in the blanks with G or J. ___enaro ___erardo ___erona ___erónima ___imnasia (gymnastics) A___enda (diary) Án___el (angel) Beren___ena (eggplant) Ciru___ano (surgeon) Ciru___ía (surgery) Co____er (to take) Co____o (I take) Co___ín (cushion) Cónyu___e (husband or wife)…
El acento ortográfico en español Posted by Adir on Aug 13, 2009
Let’s review the use of accents in Spanish words, en español. 1 – Palabras esdrújulas – Son las que tienen como sílaba tónica la antepenúltima (la tercera contando desde el final de la palabra). Ejemplos: pájaro, fábrica, bolígrafo, plátano, música, hispánico … Llevan acento (´) TODAS las esdrújulas: cáscara, índice, plástico, séptimo, física 2 –…
Using the letter G corrrectly. Posted by Adir on Jun 15, 2009
As posted earlier, choosing between the letters g and j in Spanish is no easy task, so here are some more tips to help you. Use g with: 1. words that start with: – gest-, gene- o geni-, except jenízaro (child born from parents of different nationalities) and jeniquén (a kind of plant): gesto –…