The verb sobrar indicates that there is a surplus, more than enough, more than needed or wanted, or a quantity left over of something, whether this be money, time, tables, food or something else.
Spanish word of the week: sobrar Read Post »
Both ‘un gráfico’ (masculine) and ‘una gráfica’ (feminine) can be any kind of diagram showing information in visual form
Spanish words of the week: gráfico or gráfica? Read Post »
Castellano and español are both names for the language we call Spanish. The choice of one term or the other is rooted in history, politics, regional identity and usage.
Why do many Spanish speakers refer to Spanish as castellano? Read Post »
Faltar is a Spanish verb everyone needs, though it’s probably underused by non-native speakers. It often indicates that something or someone is absent, missing or in short supply.
Spanish word of the week: faltar Read Post »
Time for some more practical hints about Spanish usage through a comparison of two related words, with an opportunity for
Spanish words of the week: práctica or práctico? Read Post »
If you don’t already use it habitually, soler is a very useful Spanish verb worth bringing into your active vocabulary. In the present tense you use soler followed by an infinitive to talk about things you or others are in the habit of doing or usually do.
Spanish word of the week: soler Read Post »
Here we are again, hanging out another pair of Spanish words to air their differences in usage. Today’s duo are ‘colado’ and ‘colada’.
Spanish words of the week: colado or colada? Read Post »
Spanish has traditionally used the masculine plural as a default to refer to mixed groups of males and females. Even if there are 999 females in a group and one male, masculine plural takes precedence. This is because, while the masculine plural form may refer just to males, down the centuries it has also been used to denote all the members in the category.
Learning Spanish: How the language is evolving Read Post »
Have you ever tried to ask or explain in Spanish how long it takes or took to do something? Why are we asking this? Because there’s a key verb you need to know to talk about the time required for an action or process, and native speakers use it a lot – tardar.
Spanish word of the week: tardar Read Post »
