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In this advanced level Spanish video lesson we will see more English/Spanish False Friends – “Falsos Amigos”. These are words in Spanish which have a very similar appearance or sound to an English word, but mean something completely different. These words can lead you to make all sorts of mistakes if you are not careful so I hope very much that you will find this lesson useful. This is the second video lesson on the topic.

Hola a todos!

¡Feliz año nuevo! Espero que hayáis pasado una fantástica navidad y que ahora estéis con mucha energía y ganas para perfeccionar vuestro español.

Hoy vamos a continuar viendo más falsos amigos. Os recuerdo, que los falsos amigos son dos palabras de dos idiomas diferentes que parece que tienen el mismo significado, ya que su apariencia es similar, pero que en realidad significan cosas diferentes.

Fútbol: En español, cuando hablamos de fútbol hablamos de soccer. El fútbol más popular en América es para nosotros el fútbol americano.

Fútil: Usamos esta palabra para referirnos a algo trivial o insignificante. Se puede confundir fácilmente con “futile” en inglés, pero esto en español es “ineficaz” o “inútil”.

Insolación: Es fácil confundir esta palabra con “insulation”, pero tienen significados completamente diferentes. “Insolación” es un “sunstroke” y el equivalente al inglés “insulation” es “aislamiento”.

Ganga: Una ganga no es “a gang” en inglés. Significa “a bargain”. “A gang” en español es una “pandilla”.

Inconsecuente: Se refiere a algo que es contradictorio. Algo “inconsequential” es algo “de poca importancia”.

Introducir: Significa “to introduce” en el sentido de “bring in a law”, “to begin”, “to place”… Por ejemplo “se introdujo la ley en 1982” Pero no se usa para “introduce someone”. En este caso usamos el verbo “presentar”. Por ejemplo: “Te presento a mi hermana”.

Largo: No significa “large”, significa “long”. Para decir “large” debes usar la palabra “grande”.

Minorista: Significa “retailer”, pero en un primer momento puedes pensar que significa “minority”. Para decir esto, debes usar la palabra “minoría”.

Molestar: Esta palabra no tiene ninguna connotación sexual en español. Significa simplemente “to bother” o “to annoy”. Si quieres decir “to molest” tendrás que usar el verbo “abusar sexualmente”.

Once: Esta palabra significa “eleven” en inglés. Al escribirse igual que la palabra “once” se puede confundir cuando estás leyendo en español. “To do something once” en español es hacer algo “una vez”.

Pretender: Se parece mucho al verbo “to pretend” en ingles, así que se puede confundir con este fácilmente. En español, pretender es intentar, “to try”. Para decir “To pretend” debes usar verbos como “fingir” o “simular”.

Rapista: Esta palabra no es muy común en español, pero no significa “rapist”. Un rapista es un “barbero” o un “peluquero”. “A rapist” es un “violador”.

Realizar: No significa “to realize”. Es “hacer”, “fabricar” “construir”. Por ejemplo, “El pago se ha realizado”. To realize en español es “darse cuenta”. Por ejemplo, “Me dí cuenta de que estaba equivocado”.

Recordar: Significa “to remember” o “to remind”. Para decir “to record” puedes usar el verbo “grabar” por ejemplo “Voy a grabar un vídeo”.

Ropa: Se parece mucho a la palabra “rope” en inglés. Pero “ropa” es “clothes” en inglés” y “rope” significa “cuerda” o “soga” en español.

Remover: Puedes pensar que “remover” significa “to remove”, pero no es así. “Remover” significa “to stir”. Por ejemplo, para hacer pan “tienes que remover bien la masa”. “To remove” en español es “quitar” o “sacar”.

Sano: No significa “sane”, sino “healthy”. Para decir que alguien está “sane” tienes que decir la expresión completa “está en su sano juicio”.

Sensible: Es normal pensar que “sensible” significa “sensible” en inglés, ya que se escribe de la misma forma. Pero no es así, “sensible” en español es “sensitive”. Y si quieres decir “sensible” debes decir “sensato”.

Sensiblemente: No significa “sensibly”, sino “perceptibly” o “appreciably”. Para decir “sensibly” puedes decir “sensatamente”, pero lo que se usa comúnmente es la expresión “con sensatez”.

Sopa: Esta palabra en un primer momento puedes pensar que significa “soap”, pero no, significa “soup”. “Soap” en español es “jabón”.

Suceso: Esta palabra no tiene nada que ver con el inglés “success”. “Success” es un “éxito”. Y un “suceso” es simplemente algo que pasa, algo que sucede, “an event” y a veces también se usa para un crimen “a crime”.

Tuna: “Tuna” en español no es un pescado. Puede significar dos cosas, un cáctus comestible o un grupo de estudiantes, normalmente universitarios, que forman un conjunto musical y cantan y van vestidos con mallas y capas. El pescado “tuna” es “atún” en español.

Espero que hayáis visto el anterior video sobre los falsos amigos. Si no, os recomiendo que lo veáis porque en él aparecen muchos más falsos amigos.

Y antes de terminar, me gustaría felicitaros por todo vuestro trabajo el año pasado. Este año vamos a trabajar más y seguro que vais a hablar, escribir, escuchar y leer en español perfectamente.

¡Feliz año nuevo y hasta la próxima clase!

As 2011 is already gone,  I think it would be a good idea to review what posts in our Transparent Spanish blog have been the most popular ones. Christmas topics, learning tips, cultural information and legends, and even different ways to chat people up! Here are our Top 10:

Las Posadas Songs

Posadas is a wonderful Mexican holiday that brings neighbors and friends together for nine festive nights of singing and eating. Beginning December 16th and continuing through Christmas Eve, Posadas reenact the experience of Joseph and Mary as they wandered from house to house, looking for shelter

Spanish Lesson Beginner 20 To need, to want, to prefer

Today we will look at three new, very useful, verbs: to need (“necesitar”), to want (“querer”) and to prefer (“preferir”). I will explain how you should form each of the verbs and how you can use them to make sentences.

At the airport: the check-in

Traveling is great, isn’t it? You get to meet people, be in places other than your regular city and learn a lot while traveling. So in this post I’m going to give you some useful expressions for when you’re at the check-in counter at the airport.

Problems using la, le, lo (laísmo, leísmo, loísmo)

When you are learning a language, you have to deal with correct grammar and vocabulary, but you also have to bear in mind its common usage. One main problem not only for Spanish learners but also for native speakers is the linguistic phenomenon known as “leísmo”, closely related to “loísmo, and laísmo”: they are variations from standard Spanish involving the third person object pronouns.

In order to avoid them, we have to bear in mind the form and function of these pronouns in Spanish…

Apenas

Apenas is an adverb frequently used in the Spanish language, and one that has a multiplicity of meanings and applications. It’s one of those words that require you to use the context to determine which meaning the speaker intends. My Spanish students would often complain about this phenomenon, until I reminded them how context-driven oral English is: just think of how confusing “two”, “too”, and “to” is! So, it is not my intention to confuse or frustrate you, but here are the four main meanings of the fickle yet utterly useful word apenas.

Columbus Day in the Spanish Speaking World

Given the importance of October 12th in Spanish history, perhaps it is surprising that Columbus Day was first celebrated in 1866 by the Italians of New York City, in honor of Columbus’ Italian heritage. It wasn’t until 1913 that the day was made an official celebration in Spain (and soon after in Latin America), as a way to commemorate the union of Spain with the peoples of the Americas, the forging of a new pan-Hispanic identity, and the spreading of the Spanish language. Generally, October 12th is considered a positive celebration of the mixing of peoples and cultures.

Learning tip: Attitude!

Well, I was thinking the other day and I came to the conclusion that one of the most important things when you set out to do something new is to have attitude. I mean, not a nasty attitude towards anything but a very positive and proactive attitude.

That takes a truckload of determination, patience, hard work and consistency. And let me tell you something: it feels awesome when things (language patterns) start falling into place and you see, in your head, how the language is built.

“La Llorona”, a Mexican legend

There are stories you hear when you are a child, and they scare you do death. In Spain we were always threatened with “El hombre del saco” (The man with a bag) or “El sacamantecas” to make you eat, vegetables in my case, or behave appropriately.

That must be the reason why I found this Mexican legend so interesting. “La Llorona” is the Spanish name for “The Weeping Woman”. Although this legend is originally from Mexico, there are several different versions in Spanish-speaking cultures in Central and South America. The basic story tells us about the ghostly apparition of a mysterious woman dressed in white, wandering at night and crying for her lost children: “Ayyy, mis hijos!” (Oh, my children!).

Pick-up lines in Spanish

This post goes for the ones who haven’t found their soul mate or only want to have some fun. ¿Me prestas una moneda? Tengo que llamar a mi madre y decirle que encontré el amor de mi vida. – Can I borrow a coin? I have to call my mom and tell her I’ve met the love of my life.
¿Tienes un novio? ¿No? ¿Quieres uno? – Do you have a boyfriend? No? Want one?
Sabes, chicas como tú dan a chicos como yo una razón para vivir. – You know, girls like you give guys like me a reason to live.

“Ser y estar”, jugando con frases hechas

I’m sure you have studied the differences between “ser” and “estar” tons of times, but as I see there are some friends asking about them these days both in our blog and the Transparent Spanish page, I think it’s a good idea to review them, now in a particular way: we are going to see how we use these verbs in some “frases hechas” (idioms).

- Estar de mala leche. To be in a bad mood

- Ser harina de otro costal. To be a horse of a different color

-No ser nada del otro jueves. To be no big deal

Happy New Year!

 

Hey, what’s up?

I took some days off during Christmas and New Years and I ended up watching an Argentinean movie, Un Cuento Chino (A Chinese Tale).

Un Cuento Chino tells the story of Roberto, owner of a hardware store, and a Chinese man called Jun. Roberto was sitting at a park when Jun is kicked out of a taxi and asks Roberto for help. Jun doesn’t speak a word of Spanish.

Jun is looking for his tapo (his father’s oldest brother), who is his only family member still alive. Roberto takes him in and helps Jun to look for his uncle. In the meantime, we find out that Roberto is grouchy, has strict living methods and doesn’t own a computer.

I won’t say any more so as not to spoil your fun, but I assure you it’s a very interesting movie. Below you will see the movie trailer (beware! Explicit language in Spanish).

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El 28 de Diciembre es un día en que debemos tener cuidado desde que nos levantamos, ya que se celebra el Día de los Santos Inocentes, y es muy probable que algún amigo o conocido intente gastarnos una broma. También debemos estar atentos para no prestar dinero, ya que pueden devolvérnoslo a través de esta cancioncilla:

“Herodes mandó a Pilatos,
Pilatos mandó a su gente,
Y el que presta en este día
Pasará por inocente.”

O la que más se usaba en mi casa: “Que los Santos Inocentes te lo paguen…” Lo que quiere decir que no nos van a devolver ni un duro.

Como para tantas otras fiestas, existen dos orígenes diferentes, uno religioso y otro pagano. El origen religioso recuerda la terrible matanza ordenada por Herodes para intentar asesinar al niño Jesús, al sentir su reinado amenazado. Pero resulta extraño relacionar este trágico acontecimiento con un día en que la broma y la tomadura de pelo imperan, y esto nos lleva a la segunda explicación. Durante la edad media, en los días previos al 31 de Diciembre, la gente dejaba un poco al margen sus labores, y se divertían gastando bromas, y asumiendo el papel de las autoridades políticas y religiosas. Esta fiesta, llamada la “fiesta de los locos”, sí parece más similar a la actual.

Inocentadas tradicionales son las de emitir  noticias en los medios de comunicación que resultan ser falsas; y en casa, cambiar el azúcar por la sal durante el desayuno, dar caramelos o bombones rellenos de ingredientes poco agradables, o andar por la calle o la oficina con un monigote blanco colgado a la espalda si alguno de tus compañeros de trabajo es lo suficientemente hábil para colocarlo sin que se note. Y vosotros, ¿tenéis alguna inocente víctima a quien gastar una broma? Ya me contaréis.

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We have to be very careful on the 28th of December since the moment we get up, because it is Feast of the Holy Innocents, and it is very likely that some friend or acquaintance tries to play a joke on us. We also have to be very careful not to lend money, as they can come back to us with this song:

” Herod sent Pilatus,
Pilatus sent his people,
And the one who lends in this day
Will pass for innocent. “

Or the one which was most used at home: “The Holy Innocents will pay you back…“ which means that they are not going to give you back a single coin.

As for so many other holidays, there are two different origins, the religious and the pagan one. The religious origin commemorates the terrible slaughter ordered by Herod to try to murder baby Jesus, as he felt his reign was threatened. But it seems a bit strange to relate this tragic event with one day in which jokes and the mockery prevail, and this leads us to the second explanation. During the middle ages, in the days before December 31st, people set aside their work, and they enjoyed themselves playing jokes, and assuming the role of the political and religious authorities. This holiday, named the “Feast of Fools”, seems to be more similar to the current one.

Traditional fools’ jokes are news broadcast in the mass media that turn out to be false; and at home, to swap the sugar and salt during breakfast, to give candies or chocolates with slightly unpleasant fillings, or to walk on the street or the office with a white paper doll hanging from your back if one of your workmates is skilful enough to put it there without you noticing it. And you, do you have any innocent victim to play a joke on? I hope you will tell me.

 

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¡Hola! ¿Qué tal?

I hope you are all enjoying your Christmas. I hope you are all relaxing with your loved ones and eating and drinking lots of lovely Christmas food and drink.

In this Spanish lesson we will see some Spanish Christmas greetings. These are really useful for when you want to write your Christmas cards, Christmas emails or texts to Spanish speaking friends. You will really impress them with these greetings and put a big smile on their face for the Christmas holidays. We will start with some of the most common and straightforward Christmas greetings such “Feliz Navidad” and “Feliz Año Nuevo” and then move on to some more complex greetings such as “Feliz Navidad y que se cumplan tus sueños en el próximo año” (Happy Christmas and may all your dreams come true in the coming year).

Typical Spanish Christmas greetings:

¡Feliz Navidad!: Happy Christmas!

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!: Happy New Year!

¡Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo!: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

¡Felices Fiestas!: Happy holidays!

Que pases/pase/paséis/pasen una Feliz Navidad/Feliz Año Nuevo: I hope you have…

Te/le/os/les deseo una Feliz Navidad/Feliz Año Nuevo: I wish you…

Te/le/os/les deseamos una Feliz Navidad/Feliz Año Nuevo: We wish you…

¡Mis mejores deseos para la Navidad y el Año Nuevo!: All my best wishes for Christmas and the New Year!

Feliz Navidad y que se cumplan tus/sus/vuestros sueños en el próximo año: Happy Christmas and may all your dreams come true in the coming year

Que tengas/tenga/tengáis/tengan una Navidad llena de amor, alegría y salud: I hope you have a Christmas full of love, happiness and good health

En Navidad y el Año Nuevo mucha alegría y felicidad: Joy and happiness for Christmas and the New Year

La bendición de Dios llevando paz en Navidad y para el Año Nuevo: God´s blessings and peace at Christmas and for the New Year

Un montón de diversión en Navidad y próspero Año Nuevo: Lots of fun at Christmas and a prosperous New Year

Que tu/su/vuestra Navidad sea maravillosa, blanca, alegre, tranquila y saludable: I hope that your Christmas is wonderful, white, joyful, peaceful and healthy

Feliz Navidad y muchos momentos felices en el año próximo: Merry Christmas and much happiness for the New Year

The Christmas holidays are a good time to take a break from work and studies, but they are also a really good time to practice your Spanish. Writing Christmas cards and emails to Spanish speaking friends is ideal practice and very rewarding. I hope that these Christmas greetings that we have learned today will help add a nice touch to your messages and that you have remembered everything else that we have been studying throughout the year. Christmas carols can be a great way of practising Spanish too. Most people are familar with the classic Christmas carols and it can be very interesting to compare the translations between the English and Spanish versions. If you are really brave you can try singing along to the Spanish versions. There are quite a few videos on YouTube with Spanish Christmas carols complete with their lyrics.

I would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. I will be back with many more intermediate level Spanish lessons next year and look forward to seeing you then!

¡Mis mejores deseos para la Navidad y el Año Nuevo! All my best wishes for Christmas and the New Year!

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