Phone etiquette in several Spanish-speaking countries? We use several different expressions to answer the phone, so when you travel or watch a foreign movie don’t be surprised. It’s not always as simple as hello. I think no other language has a particular way to answer the phone depending on the region. < This table is […] More
Not all Mexican citizens speak only Spanish. Besides the dozens of indigenous languages, in several areas of Mexico like Chihuahua, Campeche, Zacatecas, Quintana Roo, there are people who speak Plattdeutsch. There are different varieties of this language in Germany, Holland, Ukraine, Canada, Mexico. The one that is spoken in Mexico has a base of Prussian […] More
Here are 10 common random idioms you may have trouble with if you hear them for the first time: Expression Approximate literal translation (what you might think you actually heard) Explanation camión (Mexico) a truck? camion is a truck in Italian, French, Romanian, Portuguese, Spanish, etc. in Mexico, just in Mexico, they also call buses […] More
Cognates are words that have the same origin. If, in addition, these words have the same meaning, they are true cognates, but if the meanings are different then they are false cognates. Examples of true cognates are teléfono and telephone, auditorio and auditorium, obtener and obtain. Examples of false cognates are the typical example embarazada, […] More
Here are 10 common random idioms you may have trouble with if you hear them for the first time: Expression Approximate literal translation (what you might think you actually heard) Explanation ¿Cómo quieres que yo sepa? Lit: How do you want me to know? How do you expect me to know? la vía pública the […] More
These are the only irregular verbs in the future and conditional tenses. Only 12 of them (plus compounds). It’s worth learning them by heart. Future Verb (infinitive) 1st person singular meaning caber cabré I will fit in decir diré I will say, I will tell haber habré (future of hay) there will be. Future of […] More
Here are 10 common random idioms you may have trouble with if you hear them for the first time: Expression Approximate literal translation (what you might think you actually heard) Explanation pasado mañana past tomorrow, past morning the day after tomorrow, passing tomorrow el último grito the last scream? The last shout? the last […] More
Here are 10 common random idioms you may have trouble with if you hear them for the first time: Expression Approximate literal translation (what you might think you actually heard) Explanation tengo endendido I’ve got understood it’s my understanding seres queridos loved beings, wanted beings loved ones yo que tú I that you? if I […] More
Automobile vocabulary in Spanish. Talking about cars with people from another Spanish speaking countries is sometimes a big headache. The reason is that the vocabulary for this subject changes a bit from country to country for almost every element. In México, auto part names are often Spanglish words. Here are some examples: Mexico Spain […] More
It might surprise you that the current Spanish names for the 4 cardinal points come from English via French. North ⇒ norte (N) South ⇒ sur (S) East ⇒ este (E) West ⇒ oeste (O or W) All of them are masculine nouns. If Spanish cardinal point names are technically Spanglish, how did Spanish explorers […] More
Here are 10 common random idioms you may have trouble with if you hear them for the first time: Expression Approximate literal translation (what you might think you actually heard) Explanation ni loco, ni loca neither crazy no way. (Not even if I were crazy) ¿no que no? no that not?, not that not? not […] More
One of my students wanted me to watch the movie Rudo y Cursi together with him. He speaks Spanish very well, even better than many native speakers, but he wasn’t familiar with Mexican swearwords. That was the reason he couldn’t understand the movie the first time he saw it. I had no idea what was […] More
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