Spanish nouns (II) – Patterns to watch out for
As explained in the previous blog post, words that end in –o are classed as masculine and words that end in –a are feminine. What about words ending in other letters? Although this is more tricky because they can be either masculine or feminine. there are patterns to watch out for. If you can remember them, you can quickly work out if a word is masculine or feminine. Here are the main patterns to watch out for: Continue reading
Spanish nouns (I)
As well as for members of the family and names of jobs, all nouns in Spanish are classed as either masculine or feminine.
Masculine nouns normally end in –o and feminine nouns normally end in –a:
el niño (the boy)
la niña (the girl)
“el” and “la” both mean “the”. This is known as the definite article. Continue reading
When to use “mal” or “malo” in Spanish
“Malo” is the adjective (describing word) which normally means “bad” but can also mean “ill”, “poor”, “wrong”. It also has a feminine form, “mala” as well as plural forms, “malos” and “malas”.
Look at these examples:
Empecé a leer un libro tan malo que no podía terminarlo.
I started to read such a bad book that I couldn’t finish it.
¡Mala suerte!: Bad luck! [suerte is a feminine noun] Continue reading
Useful everyday expressions using “Tener”
“Tener” (to have) is perhaps one of the most useful verbs to know in Spanish because apart from being used to express possession, it has many other everyday uses. In this post we will look at some of the most common idiomatic expressions using “tener”. (Idiomatic expressions are just phrases that cannot be understood by translating literally.) Continue reading
How do you say “it” in Spanish?
Although we have just one way of saying “it” in English, in Spanish there are various ways of saying “it” and sometimes there is no specific word used at all. In this article we will look at the different ways to express “it” in Spanish depending on the type of sentence and whether “it” is the subject, a direct object of the verb or of a preposition. Continue reading
How to use the verb “llevar” in Spanish
The verb “llevar” in Spanish can be quite confusing for learners as it means different things in different contexts. It can also be used with a reflexive pronoun in which case the meaning changes again. Generally it means “to take” but here we will look at the other ways it can be a very useful verb to learn how to use. Continue reading
How to use the verb “quedar” in Spanish.
“Quedar” is another one of those verbs in Spanish that causes confusion because it has many different meanings depending on the context. Here we will look at the most common ways “quedar” can be used in everyday conversation.
To be left over:
No me quedan. – I don’t have any left.
No quedan ningunas entradas. – There are no tickets left.
¿Queda leche? – Is there any milk left? Continue reading
What does “Ya” mean in Spanish?
“Ya” is another one of those Spanish words that appear everywhere and can mean different things in different contexts. Let’s look at the most common ways “ya” is used in everyday Spanish:
Already:
¿Ya has comido? (Have you eaten already?)
Ya lo sé (I already know) Continue reading
I’m learning a foreign language but my English grammar is letting me down!
With the recent news from the government that as from next year all 11-year olds will be tested on basic grammar this can only be a good thing. It is particularly important when learning foreign languages to understand key grammar terms and how your own language is made up, because if not, this will create obstacles when studying a new language. Many people that I have taught languages to find that the problem isn’t learning the new language, but the real stumbling block is understanding key grammar terms. Even simple grammar terms such as nouns, adjectives and verbs can be confusing if you have not already studied them.
In this blog article I will explain the key grammar terms to understand which should help when learning a foreign language. Continue reading
A useful but confusing Spanish verb: Pasar
“Pasar” is another one of those verbs that change meaning depending on the context. Generally, it is related to movement and time. Here are the most common ways in which you can use “pasar” with examples, however there are many more. Continue reading
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