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in Culture, Grammar, Spanish, Translation
The Many Faces of “Pues”: One Tiny Word, So Many Meanings
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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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10 Spanish-language Expressions That Are Not Easy to Figure Out. Tres Doritos Después.
Everyday phrases that don’t translate directly Spanish is full of expressions that confuse students because the literal meaning does not match the actual usage. Some of them are playful, others are pejorative (so they are better learned than repeated), and a few are just Mexican. Here is a batch of ten more examples. Spanish expression […] More
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El Burro
In many Spanish-speaking countries, the word burro has many uses. It can mean donkey, it can mean a big burrito, or even a stubborn person. But in the school context, to ser burro / ser burra for female students, means something very specific: the least smart or the laziest student in the classroom. In other […] More
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in Spanish, Translation, Vocabulary
Pasado Mañana: When “Past” Actually Means the Future
For many English speakers learning Spanish, the phrase pasado mañana is one of those expressions that makes them stop and think: “Wait a second, why does it mean the day after tomorrow if pasado usually means past?” It looks like it should refer to something that already happened, but in Spanish it actually points to […] More
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in Culture, Funny, Spanish, Vocabulary
Fulano, Mengano and Zutano: The Mysterious and Funny Names of Nobody
If you study Spanish long enough, sooner or later you will hear the words Fulano, Mengano and Zutano. These names don’t really belong to anybody, but they are used to talk about a person without saying the real name, or when the name is not important. For example, someone can say “Fulano me dijo que…” […] More
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Carrazo 2.0: Spanish words that end with -azo
Almost 20 years ago we posted about -azo / -aza on SpanishNY. This is the updated version. In Spanish, this ending can mean bigger/awesome, or it can mean a hit/blow with something. There isn’t a perfect one-word match in English, so the best way is to learn it by examples. “Bigger / awesome” uses Spanish […] More
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Amanecer: much more than just “sunrise”
When English speakers learn Spanish, they are usually told that amanecer means sunrise. That is correct sometimes, but the truth is that in Spanish the word amanecer goes far beyond that. It is not only a noun, it is also a verb, and Spanish speakers use it in ways that simply do not exist in […] More
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in Grammar, Spanish, Translation, Vocabulary
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
