Learning Spanish

Spanish word of the week: chimenea

23rd Dec 2020

This week’s Spanish word of the week is  la chimenea NOUN chimney; fireplace Una chimenea can mean either a chimney or a fireplace. The context will generally show which meaning is intended: Sale humo por la chimenea. There’s smoke coming out of the chimney. una hermosa perspectiva de tejados… Read More

Spanish word of the week: contento

16th Dec 2020

This week’s Spanish word of the week is contento ADJECTIVE happy; pleased When you are happy or pleased about something, contento is the word you need. It sounds like the English adjective content, but unlike the English is not formal. Remember that you use it with estar, and not… Read More

Spanish word of the week: venta

9th Dec 2020

This week’s Spanish word of the week is venta NOUN sale Venta is the noun from the verb vender, to sell, and refers to any action of selling something: Yo no tuve nada que ver en la venta del terreno. I had nothing to do with the sale of the land. Han… Read More

Spanish word of the week: fuerte

2nd Dec 2020

This week’s Spanish word of the week is fuerte ADJECTIVE strong; loud; intense Fuerte is very common in Spanish. The commonest words in any language tend to have very many meanings, and fuerte is no exception. Today we’re looking at three of its major meanings, strong, loud and… Read More

Spanish word of the week: sanidad

25th Nov 2020

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: miedo

18th Nov 2020

This week’s Spanish word of the week is el miedo NOUN fear Most of us have a fear of something, be it spiders, water, the dark, or whatever. Miedo is the word to convey that idea: su miedo infantil a la oscuridad his childish fear… Read More

Spanish word of the week: collar

11th Nov 2020

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: receta

4th Nov 2020

This week’s Spanish word of the week is la receta NOUN recipe; prescription The ‘false friend’ that we will be looking at today is receta. In English it means either recipe or prescription. Here are some examples to help you use it… Read More

Spanish word of the week: ojalá

28th Oct 2020

ojalá EXCLAMATION I hope; if only This is one of the many Spanish words which originate from Arabic (O Allah!). Originally it might have been used in fervent prayer, but now it means little more than I hope or the slightly more emotional if only. Don’t forget the upside… Read More