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10 Expressions That Are Not Easy to Figure Out. Desmadre
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The Spanish you hear on TV in the US is full of expressions that sound confusing for students because their literal meaning has little to do with the real intention. Sometimes these are very colorful, sometimes strong, sometimes playful. They are used every day, and even though they look difficult, once you know them, they […] More
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in Spanish
OVNI
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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in Spanish
Names of Some Jobs — Remake 2.0
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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in Spanish
White and Black, Blanco y Negro
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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in Culture, Grammar, Spanish, Translation
The Many Faces of “Pues”: One Tiny Word, So Many Meanings
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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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
Ser and Estar: Your Essential Spanish Guide
Learning Spanish can be a wonderful and challenging task. One of the most common difficulties for students is knowing when to use the verbs Ser and Estar. Both translate to “to be” in English, but they have very different uses in Spanish. Don’t worry, by the end of this post, you’ll have a clearer idea! […] 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
