From fainting fits to “letting loose” and covering the macho’s eye Sometimes the most confusing Spanish expressions are the ones that sound “transparent” but actually mean something completely different. In this new set of ten, you’ll see fainting fits, party mode, money slang, and even a macho bull getting his eye covered. […] More
😋 Antojarse, Antojar, Antojársele, Antojitos ¡Cuando algo simplemente se te antoja! Have you ever suddenly craved something — like chocolate, tacos, or ice cream — and you weren’t even sure why? In Spanish, there’s one perfect verb for that feeling: ANTOJARSE. 💭 “Se me antojó un helado.” Literally: A craving for ice cream just […] More
Why Spanish, Italian, Korean and Russian Last Names Look So Different We usually think a “last name” is something simple: one family name, one family. But if you compare Spanish, Italian, Korean and Russian names, you see very different systems and very different numbers. Spoiler: different cultures found very different ways to answer the same […] More
How Mexicans use “mero”, “ya mero”, “aquí mero”, “el mero mero”, “yo mero” and more, plus the formal word “mero” and “meramente”. Mexican Spanish The word mero is small, but in Mexico it has a lot of personality. With just this word you can say things like “almost”, “right here”, “the main boss”, or “me, […] More
A small language story: from Klaxon (brand) to claxon (any car horn) in Spanish and many other languages. Words and brands In Spanish, many people say el claxon when they talk about the car horn. But at the beginning, Klaxon (with K) was the name of a brand of car horns, not a normal word […] More
“Esteee…” – The Spanish Word When You Don’t Know What to Say One of many little Spanish words people use when they are thinking, hesitating… or buying time. Real-life Spanish In English we say “uh,” “um,” “like…” when we need time to think. In Spanish we often say este… — and if we need more […] More
Spanish English Notes No importa que llueva si estoy cerca de ti Nara nara nana Nara nana nana It doesn’t matter if it rains if I am close to you No importa que + subjunctive (llueva) = “It doesn’t matter if…”. Subjunctive expresses possibility. Hey! Me paso el día molestándote Hey! I spend the whole […] More
Here are ten very common Spanish language expressions, many of them from Mexico. You will see their literal translation and what they really mean in natural English. Spanish expression Literal translation Colloquial English meaning pantalones de mezclilla (MX), pantalones vaqueros (España) mixed-fabric pants, denim pants jeans. In México, it’s very common to hear pantalón […] More
Why familiar words can confuse your ear even when you already know them One of the biggest surprises for Spanish students who speak English is this: sometimes a word looks exactly the same in both languages, but it sounds completely different. Your brain says “I know this word”, but your ear hears something else. This […] More
