Language Learners

Spanish word of the week: chimenea

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: 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

Learning ‘French for Kids with Paul Noble’ (#ad)

I’m not going to lie, I never really liked French. I always thought it was boring and useless and it would go in one ear and out the other. So, when my mum got me this course, I was very hesitant. I thought it would be like the many… 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

Asking about places to stay in English

Our last article showed you how you could tell people your name and how to say what you do. Moving the conversation further along, a simple way to ask for information about places to stay or live is to start your sentence with Is … ? Is it expensive?… Read More