Colours in Spanish / Los colores en español
If you are learning Spanish knowing the words for colours in Spanish is one of the first things you need to learn as they often crop up in everyday conversation and help us communicate with other people.
In this blog post we will look not only the words for colours but also how to use them correctly in sentences.
Los colores en español
The use of the verb “poder” in Spanish
‘Poder’ in Spanish means “to be able to” or “can”. It is the sixth most important verb in Spanish therefore very useful and one of the first verbs you should learn as a beginner. It is mostly used to express capability, ability and probability.
In this post we will look at the most common uses of ‘poder’:
The conjugation of ‘poder’ in the present tense is:
(Yo) Puedo – I can
(Tú) Puedes – You can (1 person)
(Él/Ella) Puede – He/She can
(Nosotros) Podemos – We can
(Vosotros) Podéis – You all can
(Ellos) Pueden – They can Continue reading
When do you need to use an infinitive verb in Spanish? – 10 tips!
What is the infinitive?
The infinitive is the simplest form of a verb. An infinitive tells you what the action is but not who is doing it nor when they are doing it. It translates into English as “to …” In Spanish there are 3 patterns of infinitive; those that end in -ar, -er or -ir. Examples are:
hablar – to speak
comer – to eat
vivir – to live
There are several common structures in Spanish that need the use of the infinitive. In this post we will look at these uses: Continue reading
How to say what is hurting you in Spanish – using the verb “doler”
If you are ever unlucky enough to be in Spain and feeling ill and have to go to the doctor’s it would be a great help if you could describe what is hurting you in Spanish. The key verb that you need to know is “doler” (to hurt) which, unfortunately is not a straightforward verb to use.
Firstly, it needs to be used with an indirect object pronoun depending on who is hurting:
(Me – me, te – you, le – him/her, nos – us, os – you (plural), les – them). Continue reading
Beginner’s Spanish: Months of the year
Los meses del año
The months of the year in Spanish are one of the most important things to learn as a beginner. The good thing is that they are very similar to the English months, all except January (enero).
You will also notice that they are all masculine and do not have capital letters, just like the days of the week in Spanish: Continue reading
Power verbs in Spanish: Gustar (to like)
When you first start learning Spanish you need to learn the most common verbs to help you form questions and basic needs and wants. One of the most important verbs to know is “gustar” (to like) so that you can express what you like, what you don’t like and ask other people what they like. This verb works a bit differently to most verbs as you also need the pronoun in front to say who likes the thing.
In this blog post we will look at how to use this important Spanish verb “gustar”: Continue reading
Spanish Power Verbs – Querer (to want)
When you first start learning Spanish you just need to learn a handful of verbs that will allow you to form the most important questions to express your needs and wants to get by. These include words like want, need, looking for, have. In this post we will look at how to express what you want in the present tense.
querer = to want
(Yo) quiero = I want
(Tú) quieres = you want (informal)
(Usted) quiere = You want (formal)
(Él) quiere = He wants
(Ella) quiere = She wants
(Nosotros) queremos = we want
(Vosotros) queréis = you all want (informal)
(Ustedes) quieren = you all want (formal)
(Ellos) quieren = they want Continue reading
What does “–ísimo” mean in Spanish?
In Spanish if you want to say, “very, very …” or “extremely …” with adjectives you use the –ísimo ending on the end of any adjective. This blog post looks at how to do this correctly with different endings of adjectives:
Most adjectives:
e.g. caro = expensive
To say “very expensive” or “extremely expensive” you just take off the last –o and add –ísimo. Make sure the ending agrees with the noun depending on if it is masculine, feminine, singular or plural: Continue reading
Why learn Spanish in 2018?
6 great reasons to learn Spanish!
January is the time when we all set our goals and new year’s resolutions for the coming year. A survey by the British Council has revealed that one in five Britons (21%) want to learn a new language this year with Spanish being the most popular choice.
Why is Spanish so popular?
The Past Perfect Tense in Spanish
Last week we looked at how to use the perfect tense in Spanish to talk about what you “have” done recently. After you feel confident with this tense it would be a good idea to learn the past perfect or the pluperfect (pluscuamperfecto) since it is formed in a similar way. The past perfect is used to talk about what “had” happened prior to something else. Continue reading
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