How a word, phrase, or concept is used in the Spanish language.
5
votes
2answers
170 views
¿Qué significa la expresión “a lo que te truje chencha”?
¿Cuál es el significado de la expresión "a lo que te truje chencha"?
2
votes
2answers
74 views
Identifying Male and Female words
Are there any tips to quickly identify words in Spanish as 'male' or 'female'?
I am a new learner and have trouble with this.
Thanks for all your help!
3
votes
6answers
140 views
Why do you use “al” before a verb?
I understand that al is a combination of a + el when used before a noun, however in what situations would you use it in front of a verb, for instance
'Al llegar al tercer semaforo...'
3
votes
4answers
13k views
congratulations: felicidades vs. felicitaciones
English
I have heard both ¡Felicidades! and ¡Felicitaciones! as translations of the interjection, "Congratulations!"
What is the difference between the two, and when is each used?
Español
He ...
4
votes
8answers
578 views
How would you translate the word “badass” to Spanish?
I was thinking maybe of "cabrón" or "chingon" ; however I think those two sound too Mexican specific. Does anybody know a better and less region specific equivalent?
0
votes
0answers
25 views
When do you use 'para' and when do you use 'por'? [duplicate]
How do you know when to use 'para' and when do you use 'por'?
3
votes
2answers
109 views
El uso de “comerse”
Qué diferencias hay entre las oraciones siguientes :
Así que empezaron a comerse las paredes de la casa.
Así que empezaron a comer las paredes de la casa.
2
votes
1answer
79 views
¿Qué significa la abreviatura “VoBo”?
¿Cuál es el significado de la abreviatura "VoBo"? ¿en qué casos se puede utilizar?
4
votes
1answer
62 views
'Controlar' en lenguaje formal
En el Metro de Madrid, así como en otros lugares en España, aconsejan al usuario por megafonía que "Controle sus pertenencias en todo momento, por su seguridad."
Me da la impresión de que Controlar, ...
4
votes
2answers
149 views
Significado de “presente” en una carta. ¿Se escribe dos puntos después del destinatario?
Por ejemplo, suelo encontrar los encabezados de las cartas como sigue:
Cierta ciudad, Cierto país,
...
6
votes
2answers
184 views
¿Cuál es el significado de “órale” y su origen?
La palabra "órale" es usada frecuentemente en México en situaciones informales. ¿Cuál es su significado y origen?
1
vote
1answer
71 views
How to use “A golpe de silbato”?
A golpe de silbato.
literally means
blow a whistle.
However, it is used to describe fast actions and/or decisions.
Could someone explain more about it and when/how to use it correctly?
...
2
votes
2answers
145 views
Why is “missing” added to waiting in Spanish?
In Perú we say "me falta esperar 10 minutos", in United States we do not say "I am missing waiting 10 minutes". Why is "falta/missing" added in Peruvian Spanish? Or conversely, why in American English ...
3
votes
4answers
149 views
¿Cómo se usa el antepretérito?
En clase hemos estado repasando el tiempo pluscuamperfecto. En todos los ejemplos que vimos, usaron el imperfecto del verbo haber. Cuando pregunté a mi profesor sobre el pretérito de haber, nos dijo ...
1
vote
2answers
100 views
Me gustaría / quisiera / querría
I usually use "me gustaría" when asking for something or expressing myself towards something I would like to do. How about "quisiera" and "querría" can both be used the same way and what are the ...
4
votes
2answers
144 views
¿Qué significa “jalar” en México?
¿Cuál es el significado de "jalar" para cada uno de estos ejemplos?
A pesar de que esta televisión la compré apenas el año pasado, ya no jala.
Ya no estés de ocioso, ¡ponte a jalar!
...
10
votes
2answers
365 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:
...
5
votes
2answers
115 views
Can Spanish distinguish between “lonely” and “alone”?
I learned that solo in Spanish means both "alone" (the simple fact of not having anyone else around) and "lonely" (feeling sad because of being alone). Is there any way of distinguishing between these ...
6
votes
5answers
412 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 ...
20
votes
9answers
394 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 ...
2
votes
3answers
474 views
challenge: desafío vs. reto
The English word "challenge" can be translated to Spanish as desafío (desafiar) or reto (retar). Is there any difference between these words, or are they exact synonyms? If there is a difference, when ...
11
votes
2answers
332 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 ...
6
votes
3answers
170 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 ...
7
votes
3answers
623 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
3answers
553 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?
5
votes
3answers
159 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?
5
votes
3answers
132 views
añorar vs extrañar
I was wondering if there were any difference between these two verbs, especially in their usual respective contexts.
Bonus point for pointing out differences between Argentina and Spain as well (if ...
10
votes
7answers
408 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
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 ...
5
votes
3answers
367 views
¿Se debe decir jefe o jefa al referirse a una persona de sexo femenino?
Mi jefe en el trabajo es una mujer. ¿Cómo es la forma correcta de referirse a un jefe que es mujer? ¿jefe o jefa?. Algunos compañeros de trabajo le dicen jefa, yo le digo por su nombre sin embargo ...
6
votes
2answers
135 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 ...
10
votes
5answers
511 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?
2
votes
4answers
147 views
¿Cuál es la diferencia entre igual (adverbio) e igualmente?
Según la RAE, tanto igual como igualmente puede ser adverbio. ¿Cuál es la diferencia entre los dos (con ese significado)? ¿Son sinónimos exactos, o se usan de maneras distintas?
4
votes
2answers
293 views
¿Cuándo se le pone tilde a más? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Difference between “mas” and “más”
The question is quite simple.
When does mas have an accent? Mas can mean more but it has other meanings as well.
Can someone ...
5
votes
1answer
105 views
“Haber de” y futuridad
La entrada de "haber" en lo "Diccionario panhispánico de dudas" incluye este trozo:
a) haber de + infinitivo. En el español general, esta perífrasis
denota obligación, conveniencia o necesidad ...
4
votes
1answer
114 views
Spanish words for couple, few, handful, several, etc
In English, there are various words to express a small quality of something:
a couple (two of something)
a few (a small number, maybe around 3-5)
a handful (another vague expression for a small ...
10
votes
1answer
126 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.
...
5
votes
3answers
2k views
¿Cuál es la diferencia entre “formación” y “capacitación”?
Estoy escribiendo con mi amiga de Argentina, y ella me habló de su nuevo trabajo. Ella dijo que tenía que tomar un curso de capacitación, pero veo la palabra "formación" en lugar a veces.
¿Cuál es ...
7
votes
3answers
506 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 ...
8
votes
2answers
204 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 ...
2
votes
1answer
32 views
re-optimizar o volver a optimizar o reoptimizar
Cual es el mejor uso de "re-optimizar o volver a optimizar o reoptimizar"
si tengo que poner en un texto cientifico
"Esto evita desarrollar y re-optimizar ..."
¿cual de las 3 opciones queda mejor?
...
9
votes
8answers
767 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 ...
4
votes
3answers
455 views
Understanding ya vs. todavía vs. aún
English speakers learning Spanish have a hard time understanding the similarities and differences between ya, todavía, and aún (or aun). They don't perfectly match up with the similar English words ...
4
votes
2answers
138 views
¿Qué significa la expresión “a ojo de buen cubero”?
Una expresión común aquí en México es "a ojo de buen cubero". Ejemplo:
A: ¿Cuantas personas crees que hay en esta conferencia?
B: A ojo de buen cubero unas 500 personas.
¿Cúal es su ...
4
votes
2answers
122 views
Spanish words for “loop”
I was recently reading a review of a Spanish-English dictionary that picked "loop" as a good example of a word with many possible translations into Spanish. I looked around and found several ...
5
votes
3answers
121 views
¿Cómo se usa la forma femenina de tema?
He leído que la palabra tema se puede usar en la forma femenina: la tema. ¿Qué significa la tema, y cómo se usa? ¿Es común? ¿Cuál es la diferencia entre el tema y la tema?
11
votes
1answer
264 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 ...
5
votes
2answers
245 views
What does “apañao” mean?
¿Qué significa "apañao"?
Aparentemente se usa exclusivamente en la región de Andalucía. Estaba hablando con alguien y dijo esa palabra pero no la pudo traducir.
¿Alguien sabe su significado y uso?
...
5
votes
4answers
334 views
¿Qué es “inventar el hilo negro”?
Una expresión muy común en México es "inventar el hilo negro". ¿Qué significa?
Ejemplo:
No hay que inventar el hilo negro.
6
votes
2answers
408 views
Why does “bomba” mean so many different things?
The word bomba can translate to English as any of the following, depending on the region:
bomb
pump
spray
major piece of news
bubble
fire truck
fire station
gas station
plus a few more...
That ...
