Future tense in Spanish
If you want to talk about what you are going to do tomorrow, next week, next month or next year you will need to know how to use the future tense. There are two ways of expressing future actions in Spanish:
- Immediate future – for things that are already planned, are definitely going to happen and you know when. “Going to …”
- General future tense – for things further in the future but often there is no specific time in mind. “Will / shall …”
You will be pleased to know that neither of the two future tenses are too difficult to learn! Continue reading
2 Useful Spanish phrases
(1) Acabar de + infinitive (To have just …)
(2) Estar a punto de + infinitive (To be about to …)
(1) Acabar de + infinitive
This is the structure in Spanish to talk about the very recent past, to say what has just happened. You can use this in various tenses:
Present tense:
Acabo de comer. I have just eaten. (a few minutes ago) Continue reading
Spanish nouns that can be masculine or feminine
… each with a different meaning
When you start learning Spanish you learn that all nouns are classed as either masculine or feminine, however in reality there are exceptions when you can use a word with either gender, each with a different meaning.
Normally this relates to someone’s occupation, for example, el policía = the policeman, la policía = la policía. El periodista = the (male) journalist, la periodista = the (female) journalist. Other words can be used with either gender but be careful as their meaning changes. There is no reason for this so you just have to learn the gender with the noun and try to remember the following:
boleto/a: el boleto = ticket (travel) / la boleta = ticket (fine/penalty)
bolso/a: el bolso = handbag / la bolsa = larger bag/sack Continue reading
What does “se” mean in Spanish?
People often ask what “se” means in Spanish as they see it used everywhere yet is has no single meaning; it can be translated differently depending on how it is used. If you are just starting to learn Spanish you don’t need to worry too much about it, however, as you advance further with the language, you will begin to understand what it can mean in different contexts.
Keeping it simple – here are the most common ways you will see “se” used:
1. Himself / herself / themselves (Reflexive pronoun)
With reflexive verbs the subject is also the object.
Se levanta = He/She gets up [Literally: He/She gets himself/herself up]
Se duerme = He/She falls asleep Continue reading
Useful Spanish expression: Lo + adjective
Lo + adjective = “The … thing”
Lo + adjective in Spanish is a really useful way to say “the …. thing”. This is a very typical Spanish way of speaking, making you sound more like a native speaker. Also, if you are studying for GCSE, A2 or A-level Spanish if you can use this type of more difficult structure, you will gain higher marks.
Here are some examples of ways to use this expression:
Lo importante es que …: The important thing is that …
Lo bueno es que …: The good thing is that …
Lo malo es que …: The bad thing is that …
Lo mejor de mi ciudad es que …: The best thing about my city is that …
Lo peor del hotel era que …: The worst thing about the hotel was that … Continue reading
Where do you put adjectives in Spanish? Before or after nouns?
When you first start learning Spanish you are normally told that adjectives, (descriptive words) should be placed after the noun. As you become more advanced you realise that this is not always the case. You do sometimes see adjectives before nouns. The truth is that there are some cases when it is better to put the adjective before the noun and how it can sometimes change the meaning. Here we will look at where to place adjectives in different contexts: Continue reading
Muy v. Mucho in Spanish
“Muy” and “mucho” in Spanish are often mixed up and people get confused as to when to use which one. They are not interchangeable, “muy” is the adverb meaning “very”, whereas “mucho” can be used as an adverb, an adjective or a pronoun and is normally translated as “many”, “much”, “a lot of” although in other contexts it is translated differently. Here we will compare the two and show you when to use each one.
Continue reading
10 Common mistakes to avoid when learning Spanish
When learning a foreign language it is impossible not to make your fair share of mistakes. Here are the most common mistakes to avoid in Spanish:
(1) To say “another …” in Spanish you don’t need to use “un” or “una”:
“Another book” isn’t, “un otro libro”, just “otro libro”.
Qué v. Cuál
“Qué” and “Cuál” cause quite a few problems for learners of Spanish because they can both be translated as “Which” and “What” in different contexts. Generally “qué” means “what” and “cuál” means “which” however this can vary. In this blog post we will look at situations when you should use each one to avoid confusion and hopefully make things a bit clearer!
Spanish nouns (III) – Exceptions!
As nearly always with learning grammar there are exceptions to the general rules. With nouns in Spanish try to remember the following changes:
Nouns that end in –o that are feminine:
There are words that appear to be masculine from their -o ending but they are feminine.
Often these words have been shortened:
la radio [is orginially from “la radiografía”] (radio)
la foto [la fotografía] (photograph)
la moto [la motocicleta] (motorbike) Continue reading
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