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Híjole: the little Mexican exclamation that has many meanings
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If you’ve listened to Mexican Spanish for a while, you’ve probably heard a short, breathy sound that comes out on surprise, irritation, admiration or mild defeat. That little word is híjole (sometimes written hijole, sometimes híjoles), and it’s one of those automatic expressions that people use without thinking. The Real Academia defines híjole as a […] More
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in Spanish10 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, Table of Expressions, Translation, VocabularyGeneric Names of Animals in Spanish
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In Spanish, nouns have a gender: masculine or feminine. For students, it can be strange when animals are sometimes “he” or “she” by default. For example, in English we say the spider, and it can be male or female, but in Spanish it is always la araña (feminine). On the other hand, el pez, el […] More
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in SpanishOVNI
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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 SpanishNames of Some Jobs — Remake 2.0
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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 Culture, Grammar, Spanish, TranslationThe 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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El Burro
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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 Culture, Funny, Spanish, VocabularyFulano, Mengano and Zutano: The Mysterious and Funny Names of Nobody
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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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in Culture, VocabularyNew York City Bodegas
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Bodegas in New York City A bodega in New York City is a small convenience store usually found on street corners. The word “bodega” comes from Spanish and means “storeroom” or “wine cellar.” The people who work in or own a bodega are called bodegueros. History Started by Hispanic Immigrants: Bodegas were started by immigrants, […] More
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in Mexico, Translation, VocabularySome traffic signs in Spanish
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Traffic signs in Spanish-speaking countries. Traffic signs or señales de tráfico or señales de tránsito in Spanish are similar to international traffic signs, however, not all traffic signs are the same in all Spanish-speaking countries. Estacionarse means to park in Mexico and other Latin American countries, but in Spain, they say to aparcar. Estacionarse […] More