Expressions with “de”

Posted by adir ferreira
May
1
2009

Let’s learn some expressions with the preposition “de”.

Caer de pie – to be lucky (to land on one’s feet)
Vivir del cuento – to live off someone else without working (usually what parents say to kids)
Costar un ojo de la cara – to cost an arm and a leg
Cruzarse de brazos – to fold one’s arm, to be passive towards a situation
Dar el do de pecho – to do one’s very best
De bote en bote – packed, full of people
De golpe y porrazo – suddenly, all of a sudden
De grandes cenas están las sepulturas llenas. – Proverb used when people eat a lot during a meal, it literally means “Graves are filled with big meals.”
La casa de tócame Roque – bedlam, a big mess
lr de Herodes a Pilatos – to go from bad to worse
lr de la Ceca a la Meca – to search high and low, look everywhere for something
lr de puerta en puerta – to go door-to-door begging for something
Dejar algo de la mano – to abandon something
Quedarse de una pieza – to be dumbfounded
Salirse del tiesto – (of a shy person) to pluck up the courage to start doing and saying things
Tener cara de pocos amigos – not to look very friendly
Tener una lengua de víbora – to have a vicious tongue

See you next time!

 
Posted under Culture, Language, Spanish Language, Vocabulary
Tagged with , 		0 Comments | Post a Comment

Wedding Anniversaries in Spanish

Posted by adir ferreira
Apr
27
2009

Here you have a list of the traditional materials for wedding anniversary presents. This list has the materials for the first fifteen years of marriage, then for every five years until the 60th anniversary, and next for the 75th.

Pay attention to the ordinal numbers in Spanish!

1º primero - el papel (paper)
2º segundo - el algodón (cotton)
3º tercero - el cuero (leather)
4º cuarto - el lino (linen)
5º quinto - la madera (wood)
5º sexto - el hierro (iron)
7º séptimo - la lana / el cobre (wool / copper)
8º octavo - el bronce (bronze)
9º noveno - la cerámica (pottery)
10º décimo - el estaño (tin)
11º undécimo - el acero (steel)
12º duodécimo - la seda (silk)
13º decimotercero / décimo tercero - el encaje (lace)
14º decimocuarto / décimo cuarto - el marfil (ivory)
15º decimoquinto / décimo quinto - el cristal (glass)
20º vigésimo - la vajilla (crockery)
25º vigésimo quinto - la plata (silver)
30º trigésimo - la perla (pearl)
35º trigésimo quinto - el coral (coral)
40º cuadragésimo - el rubí (ruby)
45º cuadragésimo quinto - el zafiro (sapphire)
50º quincuagésimo - el oro (gold)
55º quincuagésimo quinto - la esmeralda (emerald)
60º sexagésimo - el diamante (diamond)
75º septuagésimo quinto - el platino (platinum)

Are these different in your country? If so, write and tell us!

 
Posted under Culture, Language, Spanish Language, Vocabulary
Tagged with 		0 Comments | Post a Comment

Another ‘cuando’…

Posted by adir ferreira
Apr
23
2009

The most common word for ‘when’ is ‘cuando’, but you can also use the contraction ‘al’ (a + el) to indicate when something happens.

Check out some examples:

Hay error al enviar los mensajes por Outlook. – There is an error when you send messages using Outlook.

Al enterarse de lo que había sucedido, se puso a llorar. – When she found out what had happened, she started crying.

Tiene Ud. que tomar las píldoras al amanecer y al acostarse. – You have to take your pills at dawn and when you go to bed.

Al escuchar el himno nacional, las personas quitaron el sombrero. – On hearing the national anthem, people took off their hats.

Al entrar en el aula, el maestro se dio cuenta de que había pocos alumnos. - As he walked into the classroom, the teacher realized there were few students.

Would you know how to say these sentences (if possible), using the word ‘cuando’? If so, write a comment!

 
Posted under Grammar, Language, Spanish Language
Tagged with 		4 Comments | Post a Comment

The suffix -ado/-ada

Posted by adir ferreira
Apr
20
2009

The suffix –ado/-ada can mean “-ful” or “-load”. So, a “cucharada” is a “spoonful (cuchara = spoon). Let’s see some more examples.

la barcada - boatload (el barco – boat)
la brazada - armful (el brazo – arm); stroke (in swimming)
la calderada - cauldron full (la caldera - cauldron, boiler)
la camionada - truckload (el camión – truck)
la carretada - wagonload (la carreta - wagon)
la carretillada - wheelbarrow load (la carretilla – wheelbarrow)
la cazolada - potful (el cazo – [cooking] pot, saucepan)
la hornada - oven full, “batch” (el horno – oven)
la lagarada - press full (el lagar – winepress)
la narigada - pinch of snuff (la nariz – nose)
la palada - shovelful (la pala – shovel)
la paletada - trowel full (la paleta – trowel)
la ponchada - punch bowl full, “loads” (el ponche – punch)
el puñado - fistful, handful (el puño – fist)
la sartenada - panful, skillet full (la sartén - frying pan, skillet)
la tonelada - ton, barrelful (el tonel – barrel)
la vagonada - boxcar full (el vagón – boxcar)
la zurronada - bagful (el zurrón - pouch, leather bag)

Nos vemos prontito!

 
Posted under Grammar, Language, Spanish Language, Vocabulary
Tagged with 		0 Comments | Post a Comment

Colombian Recipe - Ajiaco

Posted by adir ferreira
Apr
16
2009

Ajiaco is a potato soup from Colombia. It contains pieces of chicken, usually on the bone, large chunks of corn on the cob and two or three kinds of native potatoes, like papas criollas, sabanera and pastusa. It is seasoned with guasca, a kind of aromatic herb.

Here’s a recipe for ajiaco in Spanish with some vocabulary. Do you understand the instructions? Here are some verbs you need to know. Enjoy your meal.

Ablandar – to soften, to melt
Añadir, adicionar, agregar – to add
Cocinar – to cook
Colocar, poner – to put
Comenzar – to begin
Continuar – to keep (doing something)
Dejar – to leave
Enfriar – to cool off
Formar – to form
Guardar – to save, to put away
Llevar – to take, to carry, to bring
Retirar, sacar – to remove
Verificar – to check

LA RECETA:

Ingredientes:

3 gajos de cebolla larga
1 ramito de cilantro
2 pollos medianos despresados (4 libras)
15 tazas de agua
2 cubos de caldo de gallina
1 1/2 libras de papa sabanera, pelada y partida en rodajas delgadas.
1 libra de papa criolla gruesa y pelada
2 libras de papa pastusa, pelada y partida en rodajas gruesas.
1 1/2 tazas de hojas de guasca
7 mazorcas tiernas, pequeñas partidas a la mitad

Preparación:

1. En una olla grande con el agua se coloca la cebolla, el cilantro y el pollo, llévela a la estufa y ponga a hervir a fuego lento hasta que el pollo comience a ablandar, retire frecuentemente la espuma que se va formando.

2. Retire de la olla el cilantro y la cebolla, añada los cubos de caldo y pimienta al gusto. Adicione la papa sabanera, continúe la cocción a fuego medio durante 30 minutos. Cuando el pollo esté blando sáquelo de la olla, déjelo enfriar y guarde para más adelante.

3. Agregue la papa criolla y la pastusa, verifique la sazón. Siga cocinando hasta que las papas estén blandas, entonces adicione las hojas de guasca y las mazorcas. Cocine durante 15 minutos. Añada el pollo desmenuzado y cocine de 5 a 10 minutos más.

4. Sirva bien caliente y aparte presente crema de leche, alcaparras y ají para que cada uno se sirva al gusto.

Vocabulary

1. gajo de cebolla – a segment of onion
2. cilantro – coriander
3. pollo – chicken
4. caldo de galllina – chicken broth
5. pelada – peeled
6. rodajas delgadas – thin slices
7. hojas – leaves
8. mazorca – corncob

If you want to learn more about the vast Colombian food, check the website Comida Colombiana.

Now, if you’re more of a visual type, check out this video of the recipe being prepared:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3nxmfL8304

Nos vemos prontito.

 
Posted under Culture, Entertainment, Spanish Language, Vocabulary
Tagged with 		0 Comments | Post a Comment