Questions tagged [vocabulario]
Significado de una palabra, discusión de su significado según el contexto o vocabulario específico sobre un tema. // Meaning of a word, discussion of its meaning according to context or specific vocabulary on a topic.
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Is there a difference between "español" and "castellano"? // ¿Hay alguna diferencia entre "español" y "castellano"?
I always thought the two could be used interchangeably (meaning "the Spanish language"). But I recently got into an argument with someone where they insisted there was a difference (although I didn't ...
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6
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Bonita, linda, hermosa, bella, and guapa: what's the difference?
I've seen all of these used to mean 'pretty', although 'hermosa' seems to mean beautiful and 'guapa' seems to mean handsome. Are there any subtle differences them?
For instance, in English being ...
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Question words: "qué" versus "cuál"
English
Often "qué" is translated to English as "what" and "cuál" is translated as "which." However, I know that this is not always the case. Here are some examples. (Please correct me if I am wrong.)...
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What is the symbol "&" called in Spanish?
The symbol & is a representation of the Latin word et (see DPD, Appendix 4). Wikipedia claims that the symbol itself is called et; however, the DRAE's entry for et doesn't list the symbol as a ...
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3
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"Vegetable": verdura vs. vegetal
What is the difference between verduras and vegetales? In what situations can one be used as a translation for "vegetables" and the other cannot?
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5
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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 ...
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1
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¿Cuál es el origen de los nombres de los números?
¿De dónde vienen las palabras para nombrar a los números?
En especial estoy interesado en el origen de las palabras 'once', 'doce', 'trece', 'catorce' y 'quince'.
Usamos un sistema numérico de base ...
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7
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Translation of "bug" to Spanish
What is the best way to translate "bug", as in a misfeature of a computer program or device?
Google translate offers a few options, none of which quite seem to fit, except the term itself:
bug &...
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19
votes
5
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What's the difference between rezar and orar? Are there any other ways to say 'to pray'?
My teacher told me that different religions tend to use different words for "to pray", usually choosing between rezar and orar. Which words are preferred by what religions & in which areas? Are ...
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9
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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 ...
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18
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6
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What is the difference between allí and ahí ("there")?
English
What is the difference between allí and ahí? Is there any difference in pronunciation between the two? Are there any contexts where one is correct and one is wrong, or are they completely ...
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11
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How might you say a child is "cute" in Spanish?
Suppose you see a mother with a laughing little 2-year-old. In English, we might exclaim, "how cute!"
I've had trouble saying this in Spanish. The word "cute" means something like "beautiful", but it ...
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8
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Are there any more informal ways of saying "thanks" than "gracias"?
In English I might say thanks instead of thank you. In Portuguese I'd say valeu as an informal obrigado or, for a big thank you to a friend, you can also informally say obrigadão (the augmentative).
...
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5
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How to translate 'to become?' (hacerse, ponerse, convertirse en, etc.)
I've heard several different words used for 'to become' in Spanish. Obviously sometimes there are specific verbs to use, like 'enfadarse' means to become angry, but often you need to use a verb that ...
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1
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Words for "East" and "West" in Spanish?
The words I learned when beginning Spanish for east and west are 'este' and 'oeste', which are basically cognates of their English equivalents.
But I've been told that there are other words to denote ...
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4
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Is there a Spanish equivalent to Ms.?
As far as I can tell, the honorifics to address a woman are:
Señora (Sra.) which is equivalent to "Mrs." and is used to address a married woman;
Señorita (Srta.) which is equivalent to "Miss" and is ...
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9
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Are there any words that have opposite regional meanings?
Following in the footsteps of EL&U, are there any words that have opposite meanings in different Spanish-speaking regions?
We are looking for words that are the same, but have different meanings ...
15
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4
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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 ...
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¿Cómo se pueden identificar palabras de origen árabe en español?
Español
Yo sé que los musulmanes, cuando conquistaron España, impactaron en gran medida al idioma. Hay palabras en español que son prestadas (y ahora forman parte del idioma). ¿Existe algún método ...
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2
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¿Es correcto usar «amarizar» o «amartizar» para aterrizar en Marte?
En español, existe un verbo para describir la acción de aterrizar en la Luna: «alunizar».
Siguiendo esa misma idea, ¿se puede decir «amarizar» o «amartizar» para una nave que aterriza en Marte?
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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 ...
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2
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¿Cuál es el origen de "guay"?
En España, desde hace algunos decenios, decimos que algo o alguien es guay para significar que tiene un cúmulo de cualidades positivas, normalmente frescas, alegres, divertidas, simpáticas... El uso ...
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9
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Congratulations: should I use "felicidades" or "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 ...
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14
votes
6
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Determining gender of words ending in "e"
When learning Spanish, there are basic rules taught about word gender: words ending in o are usually masculine, words ending in a are usually feminine.
What about words ending in e? Are there any ...
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2
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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 ...
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Is "versus" a Spanish word?
RAE says no, wordreference says yes. Is it used or understood by the Spanish speakers?
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Is there more concise way to say "tomorrow morning" than "mañana por la mañana"?
I am a designer, working on a weather forecast layout which will support Spanish translations.
Is there a shorter way to say "Tomorrow Morning" than "mañana por la mañana"?
I have many different ...
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5
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Difference between "manejar" and "conducir"
Today's word of the day on spanishdict.com is despacio. There I found this sentence:
A mi hermano le fastidia cuando la gente que quiere manejar despacio conduce en el canal de velocidad.
I ...
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4
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Meaning of "todito"
In the book Doña Perfecta, there is the dialogue:
¿Y viene mucho acá?
Toditos los días.
Nos acompaña mucho...
What does "todito" mean? I have a few theories:
The same as "todo".
Less ...
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5
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¿Cuál es la palabra para algo que no se sabe cómo decir?
En inglés para referirse a algo que no tiene nombre o que no se sabe cómo decirlo, tenemos varias palabras:
thing --> What is that thing on the wall?
thingy --> How does this thingy work?
thingamajig ...
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6
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"Plátano" and "banana", geographical differences?
I don't really speak Spanish, but I do know a few words and phrases here and there, and enjoy furthering what little knowledge I have. So, today I saw, in a Swedish newspaper, a reference to plantains ...
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2
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Armpit: sobaco vs. axila
"Armpit" in English can be translated as either sobaco or axila in Spanish. Is each term used in different regions, or are they both used across the Spanish-speaking world? What is the difference, or ...
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10
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Is "tobogán" an acceptable word for "slide" throughout the Spanish speaking world?
English
I'm trying to learn words to talk to my baby at the playground in Spanish. WordReference.com gives the following as part of its definition for "slide."
slide 2 sustantivo 1. (in ...
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3
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Uso de "heme aquí"
Lo he visto en alguna ocasión en literatura o alguna interpretación de español antiguo, pero no es muy común, supongo que de alguna forma su uso está obsoleto. Ahora las dudas:
¿Cuál verbo es el ...
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1
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Difference between "hay", "ay" and "ahí"
These are commonly misused when writing, and can be very confusing for someone that is learning Spanish. These three words have a very different meaning and they are used in a very different context.
...
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6
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Translation of "bowl"
I have heard many different translations for bowl (the dish) in different Spanish-speaking countries. What words are normally used to translate "bowl"? Which is most universally understood? What ...
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8
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What are the different words for "beer"?
In Mexico, besides cerveza we call beer the following:
cheve
chela
pisto (anything with alcohol)
bironga
helada
fría
These are used informally.
Are there any other words used to address beer in ...
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What does it mean when a girl says "te quiero" in this context?
I've been... seeing this girl for about half a year. We're not officially together, but we're pretty playful and there's a lot of flirting. We like each other..
She speaks fluent english but is a ...
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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 ...
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4
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De ladrar, ladrido; de maullar, maullido. ¿Y de piar?
Le estaba explicando a unos niños cosas sobre unos pájaros (vencejos, concretamente), y me han preguntado que cómo se llama el sonido que hacen...
Les he respondido que «chirrido», porque estos ...
user13628
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1
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¿Por qué se dice verde "botella"?
Me he encontrado la frase siguiente:
Un gran coche verde botella nos esperaba delante de la puerta del Gobierno Civil.
Sin "botella" la frase se comprende bien. ¿Qué aporta, entonces, la botella?
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What is the difference between "por siempre" and "para siempre" to say "forever"?
I have seen "forever" translated as both por siempre and para siempre. What is the difference? Are there contexts where you must use one or the other?
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1
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What is roughly equivalent to aka?
I'm after something concise and somewhat common in usage. Would "también llamado" work, or is there something better?
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Is it acceptable to say "brasilero" instead of "brasileño"?
On the Wikipedia article in Spanish about Brazil, both terms, brasileño and brasilero, are used as gentilic for people born in Brazil. It also mentions that brasilero is used only on certain regions ...
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1
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Correct terminology for male/female animals
How do I speak about my pet rats in Spanish? Firstly, do I understand correctly that "rata" means "rat" and "ratón" means "mouse"? I also realize that "rato" means "a short while," so does that mean ...
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1
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Plural form of compound words
The plural form of compound words in Spanish is not an easy matter. If the compound word already has its final element in plural form, then the plural form is the same as the singular one: for example,...
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Is “cabecera” commonly used in Spanish for "capital"?
I was searching for the translation of “capital city”, and Google provided me with “ciudad capital”.
After a bit of research, I found out that the Tagalog language uses the word “kabisera” to ...
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2
answers
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When does "poco" mean "a lot" instead of "few"?
Yesterday I was in the supermarket in Barcelona and there were a lot of people. The cashier then said to his colleague "Poca gente hoy, sí?", indicating that there are a lot of customers in ...
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3
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Various translations of "ticket"
The English word ticket (that is, a slip of paper used to grant access to something) can be translated several different ways in Spanish:
boleto
pasaje
billete
ticket
entrada
resguardo
What are the ...
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6
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How to say something is "annoying" in Spanish?
I have been wondering how to say annoying, adjective and verb, in Spanish (ES). I come from the Northwest of the US and we use this word very often.
I have seen examples using molestar but none of ...
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