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    Por or Para, last minute refresher

    Let’s say that you are taking an exam about Para and Por tomorrow and you need something quick to remember the most important points, you don’t want to just blindly guess the answers. The use of “por” and “para” in Spanish is a bit tricky, but there are some general rules that, in many cases, […] More

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    Don Emilio Jellinek-Mercedes

    Mercedes Benz logo

    Several years ago, I put together a table about Spanish automobile-related vocabulary to show how it’s very different in Mexico and Spain. My theory was that cars came to the Spanish-speaking world simultaneously to Mexico via the United States, and Spain via France, and somehow there was not enough time to assimilate the new vocabulary […] More

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    OVNI

    OVNI. A lit flying saucer at night in the sky above a forest.

    OVNI looks strange at first sight, but it’s one of those acronyms that became a normal everyday word. In Spanish, OVNI stands for Objeto Volador No Identificado — literally Unidentified Flying Object (UFO in English). What’s interesting is that Spanish isn’t the only language to use OVNI. French, Italian, Portuguese, and Catalán all built the […] More

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    Names of Some Jobs — Remake 2.0

    Taquero by Alarmy. A man preparing an Al Pastor taco.

      This is an updated and expanded version of an older spanishNY.com post. If you’re learning Spanish, it helps to know both the formal profession names (doctor, abogado) and the local, informal words you’ll hear on the street, in markets, or at small businesses. Below is a large table with many job names, some of […] More

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    10 Expressions That Are Not so Easy to Figure Out. Barril sin Fondo

    A barrel with cash coming in, and out from the bottom.

    Spanish is full of phrases that don’t make sense if you just translate them word by word. Some are playful, some sarcastic, and some show everyday culture. Here is another batch of ten expressions with their real meaning in context. Spanish Expression Literal Translation Real Meaning Ahí muere (MX) There it dies “Let’s leave it […] More

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    El Monte de Piedad

    Monte de Piedad, a logo in white and red depicting its centuries-old Mexico City headquarters.

    When Spanish learners hear the expression llevar algo al Monte de Piedad, it can sound poetic, even mysterious. Literally, it means “to take something to the Mount of Mercy,” but in everyday Spanish it simply refers to pawning an item. This expression has deep roots, going all the way back to Renaissance Italy and the […] More

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    White and Black, Blanco y Negro

    A child watching black and white cartoons.

    Back in 2006, spanishNY.com published a small post about an interesting language phenomenon: Spanish and English often use the same pair of words — but in reverse order. Now, almost 20 years later, here’s a remake. Some of these pairs are so common we barely notice them anymore. Others are fun little surprises. Either way, […] More

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    10 Spanish Expressions That Are Not Easy to Figure Out. Ya me agarraron de su puerquito.

    Ya me agarraron de su puerquito

    Here is another batch of ten colloquial Spanish language expressions, their literal meaning, and their closest equivalent in English. Some are humorous, others are very informal, and a few can sound rude or pejorative — so learn them, but use them carefully or just recognize them when you hear them. Spanish Expression Literal Translation Natural […] More

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    The Many Faces of “Pues”: One Tiny Word, So Many Meanings

    Tá bueno pues

    If you have ever studied Spanish and thought you were starting to understand it, a little word like pues probably appeared and ruined your confidence. Dictionaries will tell you that pues means “since,” or “because,” or “then,” or “so,” and they are not wrong — but they are not fully right either. The truth is […] More

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    Some Words Derived from Animal Names

    Palomitas

      Spanish speakers love to stretch meanings, and animal names are a favorite starting point. Over time, many animal words have spawned new meanings, tools, nicknames, or even insults. They often confuse students because they don’t refer to the actual animal anymore. These are the most obvious examples, but I am sure there are many […] More

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