How a word, phrase, or concept is used in the Spanish language.
20
votes
9answers
395 views
Any difference between aquí and acá
I've been taught that aquí and acá are completely interchangable.
From personal observation, acá seems to be used more often than aquí in the context of "I live down this road." Example:
Vivo ...
15
votes
6answers
426 views
“vaso de agua” or “vaso con agua”? Which is correct?
English
What's the correct way to express that something "serves as a container for something else"?
Example:
¿Quieres un vaso de/con agua?
Should we use de or con? Are both correct? Why?
If ...
14
votes
4answers
789 views
When to use “igual” and “lo mismo”?
English
I often get corrected when using either the word igual or mismo, and haven't really figured out when to use which yet.
What are the rules for when and how to use igual, and when and how to ...
13
votes
4answers
262 views
Does using “tío” imply a negative opinion?
I've seen the word tío used to mean "guy" or "bloke", but can't recall (in my admittedly limited experience) having seen it used to imply a positive opinion of someone.
If I refer to someone as "Ese ...
12
votes
4answers
1k views
What's the difference between “vamos” and “vámonos”?
Español
Cuando estaba estudiando Español, aprendí que "let's go" es "vamos," pero cuando fui a México, lo único que oído estaba "vámonos." Pregunté a una persona bilingüe allá, pero ella no supe la ...
11
votes
3answers
348 views
What is the difference between “personas” and “gente”?
I was translating a sentence for school en Español and I came across the word "people." I looked it up on Google Translate and it gave me "personas" and also "gente." What is the difference between ...
11
votes
1answer
265 views
When is “Te quiero” used to mean “I love you?”"
I can come up with three phrases to express affection:
Te adoro.
Te amo.
Te quiero.
The first two are fairly clear in intention. However, I have heard "Te quiero", which literally translates as "I ...
10
votes
7answers
415 views
Use of “Veni”? Is it a real word?
I was teaching a high school Spanish class, and a student (who was raised in Texas, but has Mexican relatives) told me that he has heard "veni" instead of "viene". I'd like to know if this is ...
10
votes
5answers
538 views
How do you say “I got you!” in spanish
If I threw a snowball (or dodgeball) at someone and it hit them, how would I say "I got you!" in spanish?
10
votes
3answers
1k views
How do you differentiate between walnuts and pecans in Spanish?
It recently occurred to me that the Spanish nuez can be translated to English as both "walnut" and "pecan." Is the same word really used for both types of nuts? How would you specify which nut you're ...
10
votes
2answers
369 views
Usage of “oso” to express embarrassment
I have heard the idiom
¡Que oso!
...used to express embarrassment by a former acquaintance from Colombia but have never met another Spanish speaker who uses this expression.
My questions:
...
10
votes
1answer
129 views
¿Cuándo usar “excusa” o “pretexto”?
Aparentemente, "excusa" y "pretexto" significan lo mismo.
¿Cuándo usar uno o el otro? Por ejemplo, comparando estas 2 frases:
Buscó una excusa para no venir.
Buscó un pretexto para no venir.
...
9
votes
8answers
778 views
'vos' vs 'tú' usage by country
I lived for a while in Bolivia, and I noticed some people used "vos" instead of "tú" as the second person familiar singular pronoun. Which countries use "vos" instead of "tú", and are there any that ...
9
votes
4answers
250 views
How to decide between “ahora” and “ya” for the sense “now”?
I know that ya has additional meanings besides simply now, such as already.
But considering just the sense of ya which does mean now, when should I use it and when should I use ahora, which only has ...
9
votes
2answers
174 views
Is “versus” a Spanish word?
RAE says no, wordreference says yes. Is it used or understood by the Spanish speakers?
9
votes
3answers
553 views
What is the preferred way of saying “I have to go”?
English
As far as I can tell there are two ways to say, "I have to go."
Tengo que ir.
Tengo ir.
Is the second way even right? And if so, which one is the preferred way to say, "I have ...
9
votes
3answers
267 views
“De donde fue” instead of “De donde estaba”
In Nicaragua, addresses are usually given as directions from a landmark, for example:
From the stadium, go 5 blocks south, then 3 blocks east
Sometimes the landmark is a place that used to be ...
9
votes
3answers
434 views
Cuándo usar “usar” o “utilizar”
Español
Ambos términos tienen un significado muy parecido. Según la RAE, el único uso de 'utilizar' es "Aprovecharse de algo" y el significado que me interesa de 'usar' es "Hacer servir una cosa para ...
8
votes
6answers
325 views
How big are the regional differences in the Spanish spoken in different countries?
As a non-native speaker, I have no more difficulty conversing with a Mexican than a Spaniard or Venezuelan or Colombian or vice versa. I realize there are regional variations and differences in ...
8
votes
2answers
165 views
What exactly are “mis rasgos”?
Today in conversation a girl told me:
tus rasgos, muy bonitos
I smiled, replied with some compliment, but I had no idea what did she found nice. And even later, after secretly looking this up ...
8
votes
2answers
313 views
What's the difference between “debe de” y “debe”?
Is there any difference? What's their usage? When should one be used instead of the other one?
Examples:
El niño debe de hacer su tarea.
El niño debe hacer su tarea.
8
votes
3answers
1k views
¿Qué significa en Argentina “al pedo”?
He escuchado y leído a argentinos decir "al pedo", por ejemplo, "estoy al pedo". Es evidente que NO se refiere a "estar pedo", que significa "estar borracho" en algunos sitios.
¿Qué significa "estar ...
8
votes
2answers
208 views
What is the spanish translation for “Account” when referring to a user account on a website?
The English > Spanish translation of account on Google Translate comes up with various forms of the word cuenta.
However, the Spanish > English translation of cuenta returns words relating to ...
8
votes
3answers
201 views
Are there any subtle differences between “de nuevo” and “otra vez”?
There are two very common ways in Spanish to say the equivalent of "again":
de nuevo
otra vez
But I use them pretty randomly because I've never been able to pick up on any differences in how ...
8
votes
5answers
422 views
What is the diminutive of “pan” (meaning bread)?
Is it:
pansito
panesito
panito
panecino
panecillo (Although this one has most of the time another meaning...)
Why?
I know short question, but seemingly difficult for me. Is there a definitive ...
8
votes
3answers
289 views
Use of “Que” in “Que todo te vaya bien”
Que todo te vaya bien.
Que nos reunamos a las 6.
I've seen, and used, que in this form - it's as if the verb has been dropped, say, espero.
What is the origin of this usage? Is it ...
8
votes
5answers
271 views
Best way to translate 'uneducated', meaning lacking formal schooling
Generally the Spanish word maleducado more often means rude, rather than unschooled. In light of this, how would one describe someone who is polite and intelligent, but has never been formally ...
8
votes
1answer
210 views
¿Cómo se describe la temperatura?
Cuando se describe el tiempo, se usa "hace", por ejemplo, "hace frío" o "hace sol". ¿Es lo mismo con la temperatura?
Si es la temperatura de algo, como una persona o comida, ¿es lo mismo?
8
votes
2answers
123 views
How can I tell someone what I'm reading about?
I was reading a book, and someone asked me, "¿Qué estás leyendo?"
I answered, "Estoy leyendo sobre ..."
The person looked at me funny, but seemed to understand what I said.
Looking back, it makes ...
8
votes
3answers
129 views
Complemento vs. Suplemento
Is there any difference between the word "complemento" and "suplemento"? Do they really have the exact same meaning?. RAE (Real Academia Española) defines both as:
Cosa o accidente que se añade a ...
8
votes
1answer
226 views
What's the difference between “sólo”, “únicamente” and “solamente”?
According to the RAE:
solo o sólo.
adv. m. Únicamente, solamente.
In what situations is preferred to use one over the other?
Are they interchangeable?
Sólo es una pregunta ...
8
votes
2answers
204 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 ...
7
votes
3answers
518 views
Usage of fea and rico
I'm learning Spanish with Rosetta Stone. The lesson I am currently on has two examples that I don't completely understand.
La leche está fea
El pan está rico
"Fea" seems to be translated ...
7
votes
1answer
119 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, ...
7
votes
2answers
112 views
What's the function of “mismo” in this sentence?
What's the exact function of "mismo" in the following sentence?
For example:
Se llevo a cabo la ceremonia y el mismo presidente le entrego la medalla al soldado.
I'm a native speaker and I ...
7
votes
3answers
269 views
¿Cuál es la diferencia entre «también» y «tampoco»?
Yo sé que se debe usar también cuando una persona se pone en acuerdo con una otra (en inglés, "You like movies? Me too!" será, "¿Te gustan las películas? ¡A mi también!") pero no se las reglas de usar ...
7
votes
3answers
527 views
How can I distinguish between “girlfriend,” “fiancée” and “bride”, which are all “novia”?
I am a native Portuguese speaker, where noiva means "bride" or "fiancée." So I was very confused when someone asked me if a girl was my novia, since she didn't have an engagement ring (thank goodness ...
7
votes
4answers
221 views
What is the difference between “a partir de” y “desde”?
Which one is correct?
A partir de ahora, voy a hablar en español.
or
Desde ahora, voy a hablar en español.
In meaning I think both are close to "from." Are there any specific instances ...
7
votes
3answers
559 views
“Maje” (or “mae”) in Nicaraguan Spanish
What does the word "maje" (pronounced "mae") mean in Nicaraguan Spanish? Could the word be considered offensive, and, if so, in what contexts is it appropriate to use?
7
votes
3answers
632 views
Age range of niño, chico, muchacho, joven, etc
Spanish has several words for referring to children:
niño/niña
chico/chica
muchacho/muchacha
joven
Some dialects add others like chavo or chavalo.
What are the approximate age ranges these words ...
7
votes
1answer
122 views
Is “mas sin embargo” a pleonasm?
I've seen and heard "mas sin embargo". My questions are:
Is it correct to use "mas sin embargo"?
Is it a pleonasm?
Example:
Mario tiene que hacer mucha tarea, mas sin embargo está jugando.
...
7
votes
3answers
254 views
Choosing between “Mirar” and “Ver”
What is the real difference between "Ver" and "Mirar". They are quite close in meaning but what are the differences between them? What are the rules to know whether we should choose one or the other?
7
votes
1answer
346 views
Difference between “tener que …” and “necesitar …”?
If I have to say something like I gotta leave in Spanish, I'd use a phrase like:
Tengo que irme
But I realize that I could also say:
Necesito irme
What is the difference? You would ...
7
votes
1answer
287 views
Usage of the compound preposition “para con”
Wikipedia mentions that para con is rarely used, but I hear it often enough to warrant this question.
On the other hand, the Wikipedia article references the Diccionario panhispánico de dudas with ...
6
votes
2answers
250 views
When is “al” not interchangeable with “a el”?
This is a clear case where "al" cannot be replaced with "a el":
Al mirarlo, sonrió.
Are there any other cases?
6
votes
2answers
137 views
What is the difference between requerir and exigir?
I believe that they both mean to "require." But do they refer to different "degrees" (urgencies) or types of requirments?
Can they be used interchangeably or is one more suitable in some contexts and ...
6
votes
3answers
1k views
Difference between “mas” and “más”
What's the difference between mas and más?
What rules should I follow to know which one to use?
Could you provide examples showing their uses?
6
votes
5answers
414 views
Definition of escuela and colegio
Spanish has two generic words for school: escuela and colegio. I have heard different explanations for what phases of schooling each word refers to. For example, I've been told that colegio refers ...
6
votes
4answers
339 views
When is “ello” used?
A long time ago in Spanish class, we were taught that "it" was literally ello but is rarely translated that way. I was thinking about the word recently, and realized I don't know if I've ever (at ...
6
votes
2answers
139 views
¿Desuscripción? ¿Desuscribir?
En cualquier website en inglés frecuentemente podemos encontrar un botón o enlace "unsuscribe", para dar de baja una suscripción. ¿Cómo traducir esto en español en una sola palabra? Existen ...
