Wednesday 31 August 2011

Leche

La palabra de hoy es: 'leche' = milk.

The word 'leche' is a feminine noun of Latin origin and is the name given to milk in Spanish.

The Spanish noun 'leche' can also mean:
  • The white juice of fruits/ nuts such as coconuts and almonds
  • Cosmetic liquid compounds of white colour

The Spanish noun 'leche' may also be used to mean:
  • Semen
  • A bump/ a knock
  • A slap in the face

Some Spanish expressions with noun 'leche' are:
  • Leche hidratante (moisturising cream/ milk)
  • Leche condensada (condensed milk)
  • Leche desnatada/ descremada (skimmed milk)
  • Más blanco que la leche (white as a sheet)
  • Leche en polvo (powdered milk)
  • Leche de coco (coconut milk)
  • Leche de almendras (almond milk)
  • Leche de canela (cinnamon oil disolved in wine)
  • Leche de viejos (wine)
  • Leche entera (whole milk)
  • Leche evaporada (evaporated milk)
  • Leche frita (sweet/ dessert made with flour, sugar and milk)
  • Leche limpiadora (cleansing milk)
  • Leche merengada (sweet/ dessert made with egg white, sugar and cinnamon)
  • Mala leche (bad intentions/meanness/  foul mood)
  • A toda leche (at high speed)
  • Echando leches (very fast)

Examples of the use of the noun 'leche' are:
  • Pedro se dió una leche con el coche (Pedro had a bump with his car)
  • A Manolo le dieron una leche (Manolo had his face slapped)
  • ¡Qué mala leche tienes! (you are really mean!)
  • Iba echando leches (he/ she/ it was going very fast)
  • Iba a toda leche (he/ she/ it was going very fast)

Love-Spanish.com loves the word 'leche' in the YouTube clip of Moneda Dura singing: Mala leche
 
For more on the word 'leche', visit: Wordreference.com/es/en/ Leche
 
 *NB 'Click' on the speaker icon next to the word “leche” in the link to hear the word pronounced.


This is another Free online Spanish lesson from Love-Spanish.com. We conduct lessons online on this and many other topics using the latest video conferencing facilities. Online lessons are the ideal way to improve listening and speaking skills. For more details on our lessons online and how to book them, please visit:

For more Free Spanish:
Follow us on:
Twitter: @LoveSpanish_com
Facebook: Facebook.com/ Love.Spanish
© Copyright 2011 Love-Spanish.com. by Jose M González. All Rights Reserved.

Friday 26 August 2011

Do You Not Want To Go For A Drink?

SCENARIO
Imagine you are talking about leisure activities with a relative, a friend or a colleague.  Perhaps you are talking about things you could do in general or going out for a drink in particular. You might have said something which gave the impression that perhaps you are not very keen on going for a drink. The other person wants to ask you if you do not want to go for a drink.

He/ she could choose to be less formal and ask you:
¿No quieres salir a tomar algo?

Alternatively, he/ she could choose to be a little bit more formal and say:
¿No quiere (usted) salir a tomar algo?

 


OUR TIP
You DO NOT need be concerned about the degree of formality in the question you are asked. Whether the other person uses the more/ less formal question is irrelevant to your choice of answer. Your answer depends only on whether you want to say that you:
  • Don't want to go for a drink
  • Do want to go for a drink

Here are a couple of examples which deal with those two basic possibilities:
  • No, no quiero salir a tomar algo (don't want to go)
  • Sí, claro que quiero salir a tomar algo (do want to go)

Now you should practice answering the question:
¿No quieres salir a tomar algo?

This is another Free online Spanish lesson from Love-Spanish.com. We conduct lessons online on this and many other topics using the latest video conferencing facilities. Online lessons are the ideal way to improve listening and speaking skills. For more details on our lessons online and how to book them, please visit:

© Copyright 2011 Love-Spanish.com. by JM González. All Rights Reserved

Thursday 25 August 2011

Queso

La palabra de hoy es: 'queso' = cheese.

The word 'queso' is a masculine noun of Latin origin and is the name given to cheese in Spanish.


Some Spanish expressions with noun 'queso' are:
  • Dársela a alguien con queso (to fool/ make fun of somebody)
  • Queso de bola (Dutch Edam cheese)
  • Queso en lonchas (processed cheese slices)
  • Queso en porciones/ 'quesito' (processed/ creamed cheese wedges)
  • Queso fresco (soft/ unripened cheese)
  • Queso fundido (processed cheese)
  • Queso para untar (cheese spread)
  • Queso rallado (grated cheese)

An example of the use of the noun 'queso' is:
  • A Pedro, María se la está dando con queso (María is making a fool of Pedro)
  • Este queso fresco está muy rico (this soft cheese is really nice)

Love-Spanish.com loves the word 'queso' in the YouTube clip showing how to makeCanapés de queso caramelizados
 
For more on the word 'queso', visit: Wordreference.com/es/en/ Queso
 
 *NB 'Click' on the speaker icon next to the word “queso” in the link to hear the word pronounced.


This is another Free online Spanish lesson from Love-Spanish.com. We conduct lessons online on this and many other topics using the latest video conferencing facilities. Online lessons are the ideal way to improve listening and speaking skills. For more details on our lessons online and how to book them, please visit:

For more Free Spanish:
Follow us on:
Twitter: @LoveSpanish_com
Facebook: Facebook.com/ Love.Spanish
© Copyright 2011 Love-Spanish.com. by Jose M González. All Rights Reserved.

Wednesday 24 August 2011

Are you English?

Introduction


This post deals with answering a question about your nationality.





SCENARIO


If you are a female*, imagine you are exchanging personal details with someone.

The other person wants to know if you are English and asks you: are you English?

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and say:
¿Eres inglesa?

Alternatively, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:
¿Es (usted) inglesa?



OUR TIP

You DO NOT need be concerned about the degree of formality in the question you are asked. Whether the other person uses the more/ less formal question is  irrelevant to your choice of answer. Your answer depends only on what you want to say. There are many different ways in which this question could be answered. Perhaps you want to choose between saying that:
  • You are English
  • You are not English but American

Here are a couple of examples which deal with those two basic possibilities:
  • Sí, soy inglesa (yes, I am English)
  • No, no soy inglesa, soy americana (no, I am not English, I am American)

*Note




Please see a separate blog entry if you are a male




Now you should practice answering the question:
¿Eres inglesa?


This is another Free online Spanish lesson from Love-Spanish.com. We conduct Spanish lessons online on a wide range of topics using the latest video conferencing facilities. Online lessons are the ideal way to improve listening and speaking skills. For more details on our lessons online and how to book them, please visit:

For more Free Spanish:
Follow us on:
Twitter: @LoveSpanish_com
© Copyright 2011 Love-Spanish.com. by Jose M González. All Rights Reserved.

Monday 22 August 2011

What If We Went To The Beach...?

SCENARIO
Imagine you are talking about leisure activities with a relative, a friend or a colleague.  Perhaps you are talking about things to do in general or even going to the beach this afternoon in particular. You might have said something which gave the impression that perhaps you are  keen on going to the beach some time. The other person wants to know how you would feel about going to the beach this afternoon.

He/ she could ask you:
¿Y si fuesemos a la playa por la tarde?
 


OUR TIP
Questions like this one invite answers which should always include a 'conditional' tense. There is an element of 'uncertainty' in the question, which should be reflected in the answer. Basically, your answer depends on whether you want to say that for you:
  • Going might be OK
  • Going would be OK, but only if certain condition(s) are met

Here are a couple of examples which deal with those two basic possibilities:
  • Claro que podríamos ir (of course we could go)
  • Si no lloviese, podríamos ir  (we could go if it did no rain)*

Now you should practice answering the question:
¿Y si fuesemos a la playa esta tarde?

*Please see grammar below


Grammar-Subjunctive
Please note above a typical example of imperfect subjunctive and conditional ("if something happened, then..."). The tell-tale sign in these expressions is the English use of the past tense ("if something happened, then..."). Some examples of imperfect subjunctive and conditional are:
  • Si tuvieses la tarde libre ¿irías a la playa? (if you had the afternoon free, would you go to the beach)
  • Si lloviese, nos quedaríamos en casa (if it rained, we would stay at home)
  • Si lo quisieras, lo conseguirías (if you wanted it you would get it)
  • Si ellos no vinieran, iría yo (if they did not come, I would go)
Now you should practise imperfect subjunctive and conditional expressions of your own.



This is another Free online Spanish lesson from Love-Spanish.com. We conduct lessons online on this and many other topics using the latest video conferencing facilities. Online lessons are the ideal way to improve listening and speaking skills. For more details on our lessons online and how to book them, please visit:
© Copyright 2011 Love-Spanish.com. by Jose M González. All Rights Reserved

Saturday 20 August 2011

Olivo

La palabra de hoy es: 'olivo' = olive tree.

The word 'olivo' is a masculine noun of Latin origin and is the name given to the olive tree and the timber from that type of tree in Spanish.

The Spanish word 'oliva' is a feminine noun related to 'olivo' and is the name given to the fruit of the olive tree, i.e.: the olive. Another Spanish noun commonly used to refer to the fruit of the olive tree is 'aceituna'.

Some Spanish expressions with noun 'olivo' and related words are:
  • Dar el olivo (to expel)
  • Tomar el olivo (to escape/ to say goodbye/ to take refuge behind the barrier in bulfighting)
  • Aceite de oliva (olive oil)

An example of the use of the noun 'olivo' is:
  • El huerto de los olivos (the garden of Gethsemane)

Love-Spanish.com loves the word 'olivo' in the YouTube clip in which Jarcha sings the poem by Miguel Hernández: Andaluces de Jaén
 
For more on theword 'olivo', visit: Wordreference.com/es/en/ Olivo



This is another Free online Spanish lesson from Love-Spanish.com. We conduct lessons online on this and many other topics using the latest video conferencing facilities. Online lessons are the ideal way to improve listening and speaking skills. For more details on our lessons online and how to book them, please visit:

For more Free Spanish:
Follow us on:
Twitter: @LoveSpanish_com
Facebook: Facebook.com/ Love.Spanish
© Copyright 2011 Love-Spanish.com. by Jose M González. All Rights Reserved.

Friday 19 August 2011

What Is Your Nationality?

Introduction


This post deals with talking about nationalities.

SCENARIO


Imagine you are exchanging personal details. You come to the point of dealing with nationalities. The other person decides to ask what nationality you are and says: what is your nationality?*

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and say:
¿Cuál es tu nacionalidad?

On the other hand, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:
¿Cuál es su nacionalidad?


OUR TIP
You are being asked to give your nationality. When giving your nationality, you DO NOT need be concerned about the degree of formality in the other person's question. Whether the other person uses the more/ less formal question is irrelevant to your choice of answer.

Here are a few sample answers*:
  • Soy inglés (I am English – male);
  • Soy inglesa (I am English – female);
  • Soy escocés (I am Scottish – male);
  • Soy escocesa (I am Scottish – female);
  • Soy galés (I am Welsh – male);
  • Soy galesa (I am Welsh – female);
  • Soy irlandés (I am Irish– male);
  • Soy irlandesa (I am Irish – female);
  • Soy italiano (I am Italian – male);
  • Soy italiana (I am Italian – female);
  • Soy americano (I am American – male);
  • Soy americana (I am American – female);
  • Soy español (I am Spanish – male);
  • Soy española (I am Spanish – female);
  • Soy estadounidense (I am from the USA -male or female);
  • Soy canadiense (I am Canadian -male or female);
  • Soy vietnamita (I am Vietnamese -male or female)

*Notes

Only in a few cases there is a single answer which is valid for both male and female speakers. In all other cases you need to choose the answer which corresponds to your own gender (male or female).

See an alternative type of reply to this question here




Now you should practise answering the question:
¿Cuál es tu nacionalidad?

This is another Free online Spanish lesson from Love-Spanish.com. We conduct Spanish lessons online on a wide range of topics using the latest video conferencing facilities. Online lessons are the ideal way to improve listening and speaking skills. For more details on our lessons online and how to book them, please visit:

For more Free Spanish:
Follow us on:
© Copyright 2011 Love-Spanish.com. by JM González. All Rights Reserved.

Thursday 18 August 2011

How Would You Feel If We...?


SCENARIO
Imagine you are talking about leisure activities with a relative, a friend or a colleague.  Perhaps you are making plans to go out to the cinema. You might have said something which gave the impression that going to the cinema clashes with your plan for the next few days. The other person wants to ask you how you would feel if going to the cinema was left for Saturday.

He/ she could choose to be less formal and ask you:
¿Qué te parece si dejamos el cine para el sábado?

Alternatively, he/ she could choose to be a little bit more formal and say:
¿Qué le parece (a usted) si dejamos el cine para el sábado?

 


OUR TIP
You DO NOT need be concerned about the degree of formality in the question you are asked. Whether the other person uses the more/ less formal question is irrelevant to your choice of answer. Your answer depends only on whether you want to say that you:
  • Agree on Saturday to go to the cinema
  • Have a problem with going to the cinema on Saturday

Here are a couple of examples which deal with those two basic possibilities:
  • Vale, el sábado podemos ir al cine (OK, we can go)
  • El sábado no puedo, tengo que estudiar (I cannot go)

Now you should practice answering the question:
¿Qué te parece si dejamos el cine para el sábado?

This is another Free online Spanish lesson from Love-Spanish.com. We conduct lessons online on this and many other topics using the latest video conferencing facilities. Online lessons are the ideal way to improve listening and speaking skills. For more details on our lessons online and how to book them, please visit:

© Copyright 2011 Love-Spanish.com. by JM González. All Rights Reserved

Wednesday 17 August 2011

Ajo

La palabra de hoy es: 'ajo' = garlic.

In Spanish, the word 'ajo' is mainly used as a masculine noun. The origin of the Spanish noun 'ajo' is Latin. As a noun, 'ajo' is the name given to garlic in Spanish.

The Spanish word 'ajo' has also another and less common meaning which results from belonging to the verb 'ajar' (to wilt).

Some Spanish expressions with noun 'ajo' are:
  • ¡Ajo y agua! (tough luck!)
  • Cabeza de ajo (head of garlic)
  • Diente de ajo (clove of garlic)
  • Echar ajos (y cebollas) (to swear-Latin America)
  • Estar (metido) en el ajo (to be involved in something)
  • Soltar ajos (y cebollas) (to swear-Latin America)

Some examples of the use of the noun 'ajo' are:
  • La sopa de ajos es muy nutritiva (garlic soup is very nourishing)
  • Nos dejamos engañar, ahora ¡ajo y agua! (we allowed ourselves to be cheated, now tough luck!)
  • Hablando de partidos políticos, no sabía que Pedro estaba tan metido en el ajo (talking about political parties, I didn't know that Pedro was involved so much in that)

Love-Spanish.com loves the word 'ajo' in the YouTube clip showing how to prepare garlic soupSopa de ajo
 
For more on the word 'ajo', visit: Wordreference.com/es/en/ Ajo
 
  *NB 'Click' on the speaker icon next to the word “ajo” in the link to hear the word pronounced.


This is another Free online Spanish lesson from Love-Spanish.com. We conduct lessons online on this and many other topics using the latest video conferencing facilities. Online lessons are the ideal way to improve listening and speaking skills. For more details on our lessons online and how to book them, please visit:

For more Free Spanish:
Follow us on:
Twitter: @LoveSpanish_com
Facebook: Facebook.com/ Love.Spanish
© Copyright 2011 Love-Spanish.com. by Jose M González. All Rights Reserved.

Tuesday 16 August 2011

Adiós Buenas Noches...

Introduction



This post deals with saying goodbye to someone you don't know quite well in the evening.





SCENARIO
Imagine that some time in the evening you find yourself in any one of the following situations:
  • You see someone on the street, but you don't stop to talk to him/ her
  • You meet someone in the street, in a shop, etc. After a chat you want to say goodbye
  • You call someone on the phone. After a chat, you want to say goodbye

The person in question is someone  you don't know well and you are not on first name terms with that person (he/ she could be a relative, an acquaintance, a work colleague, etc.)






OUR TIP
Saying goodbye to someone in those circumstances should be quite straightforward. A simple "adiós" (goodbye) may be sufficient. Since it is in the afternoon, you could add a "buenas noches"* (good night). It would also be nice to include the name of the person you are saying goodbye to. So, assuming you want to say goodbye to someone called Carlos Pérez you could say:
  • ¡Adiós, buenas noches, don Carlos!
  • ¡Adiós, buenas noches, señor Pérez!

If instead you wanted to say goodbye to someone called Ana Flores you could say:

  • ¡Adiós, buenas noches, doña Ana!
  • ¡Adiós, buenas noches, señora Flores!

    *NB Please note that "buenas noches" may also mean good evening

    See more practical examples of saying goodbye

    Now you should practise saying goodbye to other people

    This is another Free online Spanish lesson from Love-Spanish.com. We conduct Spanish lessons online on a wide range of topics using the latest video conferencing facilities. Online lessons are the ideal way to improve listening and speaking skills. For more details on our lessons online and how to book them, please visit:

    For more Free Spanish:
    Follow us on:
    Twitter: @LoveSpanish_com
    © Copyright 2011 Love-Spanish.com. by Jose M González. All Rights Reserved

    Friday 12 August 2011

    Are You Not Hungry?


    SCENARIO
    Imagine you are talking about how you are feeling with a relative, a friend or a colleague.  Perhaps it is breakfast/ lunch/dinner time. You might have said something which gave the impression you are not feeling hungry. The other person wants to ask you if you are not hungry.

    He/ she could choose to be less formal and ask you:
    ¿No tienes hambre?

    Alternatively, he/ she could choose to be a little bit more formal and say:
    ¿(Usted) no tiene hambre?

     


    OUR TIP
    You DO NOT need be concerned about the degree of formality in the question you are asked. Whether the other person uses the more/ less formal question is irrelevant to your choice of answer. Your answer depends only on whether you want to say that you:
    • Are hungry
    • Are not hungry

    Here are a couple of examples which deal with those two basic possibilities:
    • Sí, tengo mucha hambre (very hungry)
    • No, no tengo hambre (not hungry)

    Now you should practice answering the question:
    ¿No tienes hambre?

    This is another Free online Spanish lesson from Love-Spanish.com. We conduct lessons online on this and many other topics using the latest video conferencing facilities. Online lessons are the ideal way to improve listening and speaking skills. For more details on our lessons online and how to book them, please visit:

    © Copyright 2011 Love-Spanish.com. by JM González. All Rights Reserved

    Wednesday 10 August 2011

    Apio

    La palabra de hoy es: 'apio' = celery.

    The Spanish noun 'apio' is a masculine noun of Latin origin and is the name given to celery in Spanish.

    An example of the use of the noun 'apio' is:
    • La sopa de apio y gorgonzola está muy rica (celery soup with Gorgonzola cheese is very nice)

    Love-Spanish.com loves the word 'apio' in the YouTube clip showing how to prepare a celery soupSopa de apio y Roquefort
     
    For more on the word 'apio', visit: Wordreference.com/es/en/ Apio
     
      *NB 'Click' on the speaker icon next to the word “apio” in the link to hear the word pronounced.


    This is another Free online Spanish lesson from Love-Spanish.com. We conduct lessons online on this and many other topics using the latest video conferencing facilities. Online lessons are the ideal way to improve listening and speaking skills. For more details on our lessons online and how to book them, please visit:

    For more Free Spanish:
    Follow us on:
    Twitter: @LoveSpanish_com
    Facebook: Facebook.com/ Love.Spanish
    © Copyright 2011 Love-Spanish.com. by Jose M González. All Rights Reserved.

    Friday 5 August 2011

    Adiós Buenas Noches...

    Introduction



    This post deals with saying goodbye to someone you know quite well in the evening.





    SCENARIO
    Imagine that sometime in the evening you find yourself in any one of the following situations:
    • You see someone on the street, but you don't stop to talk to him/ her
    • You meet someone in the street, in a shop, etc. After a chat you want to say goodbye
    • You call someone on the phone. After a chat, you want to say goodbye

    The person in question is someone  you know quite well (he/ she could be a relative, a friend or a work colleague) and you are on first name terms with that person.





    OUR TIP
    Saying goodbye to someone in those circumstances should be quite straightforward. A simple "adiós" (goodbye) may be sufficient. Since it is in the evening, you could add a "buenas noches" (good night). It would also be nice to include the name of the person you are saying goodbye to. So, assuming you want to say goodbye to someone called Carlos Flores you could say:

    • ¡Adiós, buenas noches, Carlos!

    If instead you wanted to say goodbye to someone called Ana Flores you could say:

    • ¡Adiós, buenas noches, Ana!

      *NB Please note that "buenas noches" may also mean good evening

      See more practical examples of saying goodbye

      Now you should practise saying goodbye to other people

      This is another Free online Spanish lesson from Love-Spanish.com. We conduct Spanish lessons online on a wide range of topics using the latest video conferencing facilities. Online lessons are the ideal way to improve listening and speaking skills. For more details on our lessons online and how to book them, please visit:

      For more Free Spanish:
      Follow us on:
      Twitter: @LoveSpanish_com
      © Copyright 2011 Love-Spanish.com. by Jose M González. All Rights Reserved