Spanish greetings matter just like they do in any country.
¿Cómo estás? ¿Cómo está? - How are you? It is a safe way to greet someone, but choose ¿Cómo estás? only if you know the person well or if the person is younger.
Hola, aló - If you are uncertain as to which form of the verb estar, just go for the Spanish version of "Hello".
¿Cómo su va? - an informal way to ask, how it is going.
¿Cómo va? - a shorter version.
Comment ça va? - the French version of ¿Cómo su va? pronounced much the same as the Spanish, except for the su and ça (sue and sah) .
¿Qué pasó? - slangier way to say, what's happening or what happened.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Así, ¡oh conciencia!, de nos todos se haces unos cobardes,
How do you say? - ¿Cómo se dice?
From Hamlet's soliloquy, by William Shakespeare.
Así, ¡oh conciencia!, de nos todos hace unos cobardes.
Se crió en una casa ...
How do you say, "He was raised in a house ...?"Se crió en una casa ...
He was raised in a house ... From the verb criar, meaning raised, brought up, kept.
Un otro expresión muy popular es, mi casa es su casa.
"My house is your house."
Literally, it means that everything I own is yours.
Un ejemplo más. Jon Secada was born in Cuba, but he was raised in Miami.
Jon Secada nació en Cuba, pero se crió en Miami.
Escucha la canción hit de Jon Secada, Otro día mas sin verte.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
How do you say "done" and "finished" in Spanish?
How do you say done and finished in Spanish?
Esperanza, the Spanish teacher, hopes someday that we will learn Spanish well enough to get from Madrid to Barcelona on our own. That is a challenge, because it means going from castilian or castellano to catalan. And if you don't know what that means, then you are not ready.
Before answering a student's question on translation, she always asks, "What is the context?" Good question because words change depending on the meaning that is to be conveyed. So, think before you answer a question.
It is a good rule in life.
If you want to say you are done with something, like homework, you would say, termine. If you want to say that something is done, like it is over forever, then you could say, terminado.
Finished and done are the same in Spanish. If you want to ask the question, "Are you finished?" Then use, "Terminaste?"
Then again, simplify life and use the French word fin or the Italian finito. You will sound worldly.
Esperanza, the Spanish teacher, hopes someday that we will learn Spanish well enough to get from Madrid to Barcelona on our own. That is a challenge, because it means going from castilian or castellano to catalan. And if you don't know what that means, then you are not ready.
Before answering a student's question on translation, she always asks, "What is the context?" Good question because words change depending on the meaning that is to be conveyed. So, think before you answer a question.
It is a good rule in life.
If you want to say you are done with something, like homework, you would say, termine. If you want to say that something is done, like it is over forever, then you could say, terminado.
Finished and done are the same in Spanish. If you want to ask the question, "Are you finished?" Then use, "Terminaste?"
Then again, simplify life and use the French word fin or the Italian finito. You will sound worldly.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Cual es la diferencia entre "entender" y "comprender" ?
Cual es la diferencia entre "entender" y "comprender" ?
Use entender, cuando tu puedas saber el significado de lo que otro esta hablando.
Comprender, es mas sobre el relacionado a los sentimientos o la materia.
Ejemplos
Comprendo que mi profesor es brillante, y yo comprendo física, pero no entiendo una palabra que lo dice, porque su español es pobre.
No entiendo, por favore repita.
No entiendo los hosts de la televisión en español porque hablan demasiado rápido.
Yo comprendo que se tiene a hablar español para lo aprender.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Gustar y encantar, querer y amar.
Gustar and Encantar
Whether you say me gusta o me encanta depends on how much you like something or someone.
Me gustan los peliculos, pero me encantaban Los Juegos del Hambre.
I like movies, but I loved The Hunger Games.
¿Te gustaban Los Juegos del Hambre?
Did you like The Hunger Games?
Use Me gusteria or me encantaria for a nice way of saying, I would like to or I would love to ... .
Me encantaría a ver Los Juegos del Hambre contigo / con usted.
I would love to go to see The Hunger Games with you.
I assume that we all know that gustar and encantar are verbs that requires an indirect object. That is why it is me instead of yo. Thus, the use of singular or plural depends on the number of objects liked or loved. In this case, movies and The Hunger Games are both plural.
Querer and Amar.
After you have been to the movies a few times with someone, maybe you have fallen head over hills in love. In that case, it is time to say Te quiero. After you have been together as a couple, then you can say, te amo.
Escucha a Amado mio - Luz Casal & Quatuor Ebene
Whether you say me gusta o me encanta depends on how much you like something or someone.
Me gustan los peliculos, pero me encantaban Los Juegos del Hambre.
I like movies, but I loved The Hunger Games.
¿Te gustaban Los Juegos del Hambre?
Did you like The Hunger Games?
Use Me gusteria or me encantaria for a nice way of saying, I would like to or I would love to ... .
Me encantaría a ver Los Juegos del Hambre contigo / con usted.
I would love to go to see The Hunger Games with you.
I assume that we all know that gustar and encantar are verbs that requires an indirect object. That is why it is me instead of yo. Thus, the use of singular or plural depends on the number of objects liked or loved. In this case, movies and The Hunger Games are both plural.
Querer and Amar.
After you have been to the movies a few times with someone, maybe you have fallen head over hills in love. In that case, it is time to say Te quiero. After you have been together as a couple, then you can say, te amo.
Escucha a Amado mio - Luz Casal & Quatuor Ebene
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Diversión
How do you say? - ¿Cómo se dice? - I had fun last night.
Start with the infinitive, divertirse. This is a reflexive verb, so we take the pronoun ending, change it to the appropriate reflexive pronoun and, put it before the verb. Second, since this is preterite (past tense) make the appropriate change.
Me divertí anoche. If you really had fun, say, Me divertí mucho anoche!
Suppose you had fun with someone special. Me divertí mucho anoche contigo!
me divierto - I am having fun
te diviertes - You are having fun
se divierte - He or she is having fun
nos divertimos - We are having fun
If it helps you to remember the verb, remember that English has a similar word for divertirse, diversion. English also has the noun divertisement, which means a diversion, amusement, or recreation.
For extra credit, how do you say, Are you enjoying yourself?
"¿Estás te divirtiendo?
Start with the infinitive, divertirse. This is a reflexive verb, so we take the pronoun ending, change it to the appropriate reflexive pronoun and, put it before the verb. Second, since this is preterite (past tense) make the appropriate change.
Me divertí anoche. If you really had fun, say, Me divertí mucho anoche!
Suppose you had fun with someone special. Me divertí mucho anoche contigo!
me divierto - I am having fun
te diviertes - You are having fun
se divierte - He or she is having fun
nos divertimos - We are having fun
If it helps you to remember the verb, remember that English has a similar word for divertirse, diversion. English also has the noun divertisement, which means a diversion, amusement, or recreation.
For extra credit, how do you say, Are you enjoying yourself?
"¿Estás te divirtiendo?
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