Words mostly about actions which can be conjugated to indicate person, number, tense, mood, etc.
4
votes
3answers
80 views
Why is there a “se” after the verb in “llevarse los libros a casa”?
The sentence comes from an exercise in my Spanish text book:
¿Pueden los lectores llevarse los libros a casa si quieren?
In the above sentence, there's a "se" after the verb "llevar". But I think ...
3
votes
2answers
61 views
How is the second person singular formed with rioplatense “vos”?
English
I learned my Spanish in Spain, some years ago. Now I am visiting Uruguay and Argentina and coming across the usage of the pronoun vos, and its corresponding different formation of the second ...
5
votes
3answers
79 views
Indicative and subjunctive after time constructions
I have a few questions regarding the use of some verbs after time constructions like "tan pronto como" or "en cuanto."
If I am saying....
Los domingos por la mañana vemos televisión. Tan pronto ...
3
votes
4answers
144 views
“El hijo del sol es yo” or “El hijo del sol soy yo”?
How to speak the sentence:
The son of the sun is me.
in Spanish? I thought about:
El hijo del sol es yo.
at first, but Google Translation translates the sentence into
El hijo del sol soy yo.
I ...
5
votes
2answers
88 views
¿Es válido decir “eso pasó ahorita”?
En Medellín (Colombia) se dice mucho "eso pasó ahorita", pero parecería ser que "ahora" o "ahorita" es más de futuro.
Ejemplo:
Ellos vienen ahora.
o
Ellos llegaron ahorita.
No suena bien.
...
1
vote
1answer
33 views
When using object pronouns, should I say “la van a ver a” or “la van a ver”?
If I have a question:
¿Quiénes van a ver a Luisa el domingo?
I can answer it someway like this, using object pronoun (I do not know if this is the right way to say that in English):
Los alumnos van ...
3
votes
1answer
64 views
Can I say “contestar las preguntas” instead of “contestar a las preguntas”?
In my spanish text book there is a sentence:
¿Tenéis que contestar a las preguntas de la profesora?
Since "contestar" can be followed directly by objects, why should we use a preposition "a" before ...
5
votes
2answers
270 views
Different words for “stop”
In English, we have a fairly generic verb "to stop" that can be used in many different contexts. For example:
Stop talking to me!
The driver saw the red light and stopped his car.
You really need to ...
4
votes
2answers
100 views
Do Spanish verbs have principal parts?
When I was studying Latin, I would learn the conjugation of each verb by memorizing its principal parts (for example, "amo, amare, amavi, amatus"). In Spanish, are there any principal parts of a verb ...
7
votes
2answers
97 views
Grammar of “¡A comer!”
I was recently staying with a Mexican family, and during lunch, the children (ages 8 and 5) were being rather unruly. The grandmother would command them: ¡A comer!
I have never heard a command in ...
4
votes
2answers
112 views
How can I recognize the conjugation of a verb from its infinitive?
According to this Wikipedia article, it is possible to recognize the conjugation of a Spanish verb from its infinitive. Is it possible to determine the conjugation of a verb (such as pedir, or tener, ...
1
vote
2answers
36 views
Find all forms of a verb, given one form of the verb
Is there any software that I can use to find all forms of a Spanish verb, given one form of the verb? I know of an online tool called Whitaker's Words that does this for Latin verbs, but I haven't yet ...
6
votes
3answers
173 views
What's the difference between “estar ansioso de” and “estar ansioso por”?
I know that both 'estar ansioso de' and 'estar ansioso por' mean to be excited for something or looking forward to it, but how do I decide which one to use? Do the two have slightly different ...
10
votes
2answers
209 views
Why does saber mean both “to know” and “to taste”?
Español
Cuando aprendía español, estaba muy confundido cuando aprendí que saber significa "to know" y "to taste". Los dos verbos en inglés me parecen muy diferentes. ¿Cómo puede ser esto? ¿Cuál es la ...
5
votes
3answers
162 views
What is the difference between “ser casado” and “estar casado”?
I have read that both ser and estar can be used with casado to give different connotations to the phrase "to be married." What exactly are the differences, and when would you use each verb?
10
votes
2answers
134 views
Traer and llevar - what is the reference point?
I always have problems concerning traer and llevar. I think I understand the general meaning:
Llevar means "to take", such as when an object is being taken (generally by you) to a place other than ...
8
votes
4answers
1k views
“ir a «infinitive»” vs. future tense
There are two ways to indicate a future action, ir a «infinitive» and the future tense. How do I decide which to use when? Is one form more common when spoken or in writing? Is there a regional ...
9
votes
5answers
265 views
Why do oler and saber take the preposition “a”?
As an English speaker learning Spanish, I was always a little confused that it smells and tastes "to" something rather than "of" something:
Huele a humo.
Sabe a ajo.
I would think of "a" as ...
1
vote
2answers
107 views
Etymology of “caber”. Why does it share conjugation with “saber”?
Español
¿Alguien me puede explicar por qué los verbos "saber" y "caber" tienen la misma conjugación?
No me sorprende que "saber" sea irregular, que es un verbo muy común, y en todo idioma los verbos ...
4
votes
1answer
114 views
Second person singluar imperative of a reflexive verb ending in a diphthong
The question is pretty much in the title. If I have the verb lavarse, I know to make the imperative I use lávate.
But what to do with a verb like afeitarse? Is it afeitate? My spellcheck thinks ...
3
votes
4answers
317 views
How do you use the “passive se” with a reflexive verb?
What is the rule for using the "passive se" (e.g. "¿Cómo se dice?") with a reflexive verb that involves another se pronoun? For example, how would you translate "One takes a shower (ducharse) ...
5
votes
1answer
173 views
¿Cuál es la diferencia entre comer y comerse?
¿Cuál es la diferencia entre el verbo normal comer y su forma reflexiva comerse? Si los significados son iguales, ¿cuál es la diferencia de connotación? Y, ¿se usa el reflexivo de la misma manera en ...
5
votes
4answers
241 views
What is the difference between “ser cierto” and “ser verdad”?
The English "to be true" can be translated to Spanish as either ser cierto or ser verdad. What is the difference between the two? When would you use one instead of the other?
4
votes
1answer
93 views
¿Cómo escribo el subjuntivo presente de 'adelgazar'?
Según del sitio conjugation.org, el subjuntivo presente del verbo adelgazar es:
yo adelgaze
tú adelgazes
él/usted adelgaze
nosotros adelgazemos
vosotros adelgazéis
ellos/ustedes ...
3
votes
2answers
266 views
When do you not conjugate verbs?
One of my homework assignments asks the following questions, and I'm wondering why the verbs aren't conjugated.
¿Vivir en el desierto o vivir en el centro de una ciudad grande?
¿Tener una ...
3
votes
0answers
56 views
Verbos en pasado que tienen una “s” extra al final [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
“s” final en tiempo pretérito: -aste(s), -iste(s)
He visto que en algunos países, especialmente centroamericanos, terminan los verbos en segunda persona ...
6
votes
2answers
79 views
Regional differences between escuchar and oír
In school I learned that escuchar was for the English "to listen to" and oír was "to hear." In Central America, however, I frequently heard escuchar being used for "to hear" (e.g. No te escucho ...
5
votes
7answers
254 views
Uso de “concernidos”
Hoy he escuchado la siguiente frase:
"Estamos muy concernidos por..."
Es la primera vez que escucho el verbo concernir usado y conjugado de esta manera, siempre se usa como "me/nos concierne..."
...
14
votes
4answers
1k views
“Está hecho de…” why not “es hecho de”?
I've seen "Está hecho de ..." used to mean "It's made of ...".
Why is the verb estar and not ser? Isn't this an adjective that's permanent and not going to change?
I can understand phrases like "la ...
17
votes
1answer
470 views
Preterit of ser and ir
Español
Pretérito de ser:
fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron
Pretérito de ir:
fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron
¿Cómo han evolucionado los verbos "ser" e "ir" para tener ...
3
votes
1answer
732 views
“pensando en ti” vs. “pensando de ti” vs. “pensándote”
When using the verb pensar to describe thinking about a person, there are at least three options:
Estoy pensando en ti.
Estoy pensando de ti.
Estoy pensándote.
What are the differences between ...
2
votes
1answer
108 views
Should I use preterit or imperfect to express something that used to happen repeatedly?
For example, if I wanted to say "They used to travel every day", which would I use:
Ellos viajaron cada día.
Ellos viajaban cada día.
0
votes
1answer
64 views
¿Es correcto “siempre quieren y terminan sometiendo”?
Encuentro en una novela que estoy leyendo el siguiente texto:
De entre todas las manías, sin duda la más habitual es hacer el amor
por las mañanas. A esa hora los hombres siempre quieren y ...
8
votes
2answers
208 views
Acordar or recordar? What's the correct use? ¿Cuál es el uso correcto?
Español
Comunmente escucho gente decir "¿oye, te acuerdas de esa película?", así como también escucho "¿oye, recuerdas esa película?."
Siempre he creído que la acción de un recuerdo viene del verbo ...
12
votes
6answers
276 views
No supo la respuesta
Why do people say things like:
Se lo pregunté, pero no supo la respuesta
Sabía seems more natural to me, and I've been told that either is fine, but I'm still a bit fuzzy on why somebody would ...
3
votes
4answers
311 views
Present subjunctive in vos form
What is the rule for conjugating verbs in the vos form in the present subjunctive? If it varies by region, what are the differences?
3
votes
2answers
62 views
No se acumulan vs No están acumulados
Ejemplo: Los permisos no se acumulan durante la configuración.
En inglés está bien dicho The permissions are not accumulated during the configuration, o por el contrario lo que estoy diciendo con ...
13
votes
5answers
270 views
When should I use the word 'yo' in a sentence where the verb conjugation already shows that I am the subject?
Early on while I was learning Spanish, my teachers would always make us use the pronoun 'yo' even if it was redundant:
Yo pienso que...
Yo quiero...
Yo hablo...
etc.
However, a more ...
16
votes
3answers
415 views
Ser and estar for location
The edge-cases of ser and estar still seem to get me. My understanding is that when speaking of a location, I should use estar.
La biblioteca está aquí.
However, a student I am tutoring had a ...
5
votes
2answers
125 views
Usage of “ver(se)” for “to seem/look” (te ves, se te ve, te veo, etc.)
The verb ver can be used in a few different constructions to convey how something looks or seems:
Te ves bonita.
Se te ve mal.
Te veo bien.
For the reflexive constructions, the WordReference entry ...
4
votes
1answer
142 views
Gusto variant of the verb gustar
When I thought I finally had it figured out... I was confronted with the following phrase which obviously must mean:
I liked the story of your friend.
Which for me logically translates to.
...
3
votes
3answers
144 views
Translation of “settling in”
In English, "to settle in" describes what someone does after moving in to a new place or returning from a long vacation:
I just got back, I'm still settling in.
We moved last week! It will be ...
5
votes
4answers
1k views
Is there a trick to remembering 'llevar' and 'traer'?
After years of living in a Spanish-speaking country, and speaking mostly only Spanish all day, I still struggle with 'llevar' and 'traer'. The rules are clear and all, but it is just very difficult to ...
4
votes
1answer
235 views
Why does “mostrar a” mean “to show” and not “to show to”?
Tengo una biblia bilingüe. En el 14 capítulo de Juan, cuenta así una conversación entre Jesús y uno de su discípulos:
--Señor-- dijo Felipe--, muéstranos al Padre y con eso nos basta.
...
3
votes
2answers
237 views
esperar: wait vs. hope vs. expect
The verb esperar (e.g. Estoy esperándolo.) can be used in at least three senses:
to wait for
to hope
to expect
In English, these all mean very different things:
I'm waiting for you to ...
2
votes
3answers
981 views
Ways to express “to get ready” or “to get dressed”
What verbs in Spanish are used to express the concept of "getting ready" or "getting dressed" (for example, before leaving the house to go out to dinner)? I've seen alistarse, arreglarse, prepararse, ...
7
votes
1answer
120 views
“Liking” a musician or other artist
The verb gustar, when used with people, conveys a romantic interest (e.g. Ella me gusta. -> I have a crush on her.). How then, can you convey that you like a musician's music or an artist's paintings, ...
6
votes
2answers
154 views
How would you express giving a command to yourself in Spanish?
As there is no singular first person imperative form for Spanish verbs (as far as I know), I was wondering whether there is an equivalent to the, possibly idiomatic, English expression of a person ...
3
votes
2answers
4k views
When is “me encanta” romantic?
I have heard that me gusta usually has a romantic connotation when referring to people (as opposed to just saying that you get along well with someone). What about me encanta? Does it always have ...
5
votes
2answers
304 views
“Iros” instead of “idos” (imperative of verb “ir”)
I have heard many times the use of the infinitive instead of the imperative in Spanish with the verb "ir". For example:
Si me queréis, irse* (Instead of: Si me queréis, váyanse) [Famous quote of ...
