Learning Spanish

Spanish word of the week: sanidad

This week’s Spanish word of the week is la sanidad NOUN (public) health Though ultimately coming from the same root as English ‘sanity’, sanidad has a very different meaning. It refers to different aspects of  health: ¿Qué ofrecemos para resolver problemas que le importan a… Read More

Spanish word of the week: collar

This week’s Spanish word of the week is el collar NOUN necklace; collar Collar covers two different English concepts: necklace and collar (There are lots of words in Spanish which similarly cover more than one English concept): Llevaba un collar de rubíes imponente. She was… Read More

Spanish word of the week: charlatán

charlatán ADJECTIVE chatty If you translate charlatán as it sounds you might think someone described that way was a bit suspect. It can have the same meaning as in English, but it’s often used just to describe someone who talks a lot: Estaba charlatana y alegre. She was chatty… Read More

Spanish word of the week: despertar

despertar VERB to wake up Despertar means to wake … up, that is when you wake someone else up. In other words it’s transitive. Despiértame a las ocho, mamá. Wake me up at eight, mom. If you want to describe waking up of your own accord — in other… Read More

Spanish word of the week: pan

el pan NOUN bread; loaf pan integral wholeweat bread Compré dos panes. I bought two loaves. What do you think of when you think of bread? To many Spanish speakers, regular pan is a crusty loaf of what English speakers would call French bread. A chunk… Read More

Spanish word of the week: cien

cien ADJECTIVE, PRONOUN a hundred Cien is the shortened version of ciento and both mean a hundred. Which one you need to use depends on the words that come before or after. You use cien in front of a noun, as in the title of the famous… Read More

Learning Spanish: Common courtesies

Whether you’re visiting a Spanish-speaking country or even planning to live there, you’ll want to be able to chat to people and get to know them better. The nuts and bolts of conversations revolve around common courtesies. As in English, in Spanish there are several ways you can ask someone… Read More

¡Hola! Meeting and greeting in Spanish

Conversational Spanish In our next few blog articles, we’re going to be looking at some very common words and phrases which will help you to improve the Spanish you use on a day-to-day basis, making you sound more natural. Each blog article will look at a different area of conversation,… Read More

Understanding Spanish verb tenses

One of the most challenging parts of learning a foreign language is getting to grips with all the different verb tenses. Verb tenses explain when events happen, whether in the past, present or future. In this short article we will explain and provide some examples of the most common tenses… Read More