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    Pasado Mañana: When “Past” Actually Means the Future

    Pasado mañana

    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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    Fulano, Mengano and Zutano: The Mysterious and Funny Names of Nobody

    Fulano, Mengano, Zutano by Cinzano

    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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    Amanecer: much more than just “sunrise”

    amanecer

    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