(1) TIME AS TIEMPO When we talk about a certain period in between events or the passing of minutes, days, weeks, etc, we translate “time” as “tiempo”: Se nos acabó el tiempo y no pudimos terminar el exámen. We ran out of time and we couldn’t finish the exam. El tiempo
(1) TO BRUSH AS CEPILLAR When we use this term to describe using a brush to clean something or someone or to groom someone’s hair, we translate “to brush” as “cepillar”: Siempre cepilla sus botas antes y después de montar a caballo. He always brushes his boots before and after
When you first see or hear the Spanish word “severo” you immediately think to yourself “oh, it must mean “severe”! They are spelled and pronounced almost identically.” Well, in fact that’s where the similarities stop; their meanings are quite different. “Severo” is an adjective that we use to describe the
(1) PINTAR AS TO PAINT When we talk about the process of creating a work of art by using paint, brushes, or other techniques, or covering a surface with paint, we translate “pintar” as “to paint”: Goya comienza a pintar en Zaragoza como aprendiz de José Luzán. Goya starts painting in
(1) STAGE AS ETAPA When we talk about a specific step in a process or period of a person’s life, we translate “stage” as “etapa”: Así comienza la segunda etapa artística de Velázquez, plagada de retratos al soberano y a miembros de su familia. So it begins Velázquez’ second artistic
Are “atender” and “asistir” the Spanish equivalents of “to attend”? Are they synonyms? Not exactly; let’s take a look at each of them: 1) The Spanish equivalent of “to attend” is “asistir”. Ellos asisten a clases todos los días. They attend classes everyday. Viajó a NY para asistir a
(1) PICTURE AS IMAGEN When we talk about the representation of a person, animal, or thing, we translate “picture” as “imagen”: Las imágenes de las obras del Greco se caracterizan por el alargamiento de las figuras y la expresividad de los rostros. The pictures on El Greco’s work are characterized
(1) RESACA AS UNDERTOW When we talk about the underwater current that flows away from shore, usually caused by the seaward return of water from waves that have broken against it, we translate “resaca” as “undertow”: Ten cuidado. La resaca es muy fuerte aquí. Be careful. The undertow is really
Some verbs are generally used along a specific preposition. For example, abundar en, means to have something in abundance. In some cases the verb changes meaning according to the preposition with which is paired up (hablar de alguien [to talk about someone] is not the same as hablar con alguien
(1) GRAN AS GREAT To talk about something or someone who is powerful, influential or remarkable in some way, we translate “gran” as “great”: La primera, por parte de Nueva España (actual México) que soñaba con crear una gran Nación que abarcara toda Centroamérica y que perfectamente podría llegar hasta