Learn Colloquial Spanish Expressions archivos - Page 2 of 3

¿«Ver la tele» o «mirar la tele»? Un trocito de Real Spanish

In the video above, José explains some uses of «ver» and «mirar». Below is the English transcription. If you just want to listen to the Spanish audio track, for example while driving, cooking, or doing the laundry, you can find it on Soundcloud. Hello and welcome to Real Spanish! Do you know the difference between the verbs «ver» y «mirar»? They seem to mean the same but actually they have different meanings. «Ver» is our physical ability to perceive with our eyes. It's the same as "see" in English. For example, «Lo vi robar la bici con mis propios ojos» (I saw him steal the bike with my own eyes). «Mirar» means to direct our eyes towards something. It's more intentional, a conscious action that requires concentration. It's the same as "watch" or "look" in English. For example, «No me mires, acabo de levantarme» (don't look at me, I just got out of bed), or «Mira a esa bailarina, es increíble» (Watch that dancer, she's amazing). But of course, there are always exceptions. Unlike in English, in Spanish it's more common to say «ver la tele» o «ver una película»... although some people use «mirar» in this context, especially in areas where Catalan is spoken. The same differences exist with «oír», to perceive with the ears, and «escuchar», to pay attention to what is heard... the same as in English. That's why we say «escuchar música» (to listen to music) but, «¿puedes oírme?», for example, when there is static on the phone line. There are many expressions in Spanish with the words «ver» or «mirar». One of these days we'll explain some of them in a new mini-lesson. Do you know you can try a sample mini-lesson, completely free? Click below to learn more. OK, that’s all for today. I hope you’ve enjoyed this trocito… Bye for now! Please leave us a comment, a question, or a suggestion: we'd love to hear from you! Enjoy your Spanish with us! Click below to learn more about all our great materials. Follow us on YouTube. Real Spanish: online Spanish courses and mini-lessons for people who are serious about improving their Spanish Click here to learn more about all our great materials

7 de November de 2022

Un trocito de Real Spanish: «Mandar a freír espárragos» and other expressions with «mandar»

Have you ever heard the expression «mandar a freír espárragos»? Telling someone to "go and fry asparagus" sounds amusing, but it's actually an expression of annoyance. It's used to get rid of someone, the equivalent of "Get lost" or "Get out of here". In the video above, Inés explains several other expressions that can be used in the same way... some of them quite vulgar. Transcription: Hi! I’m Inés Alba, from Real Spanish. Have you ever heard the expression "mandar a freír espárragos"? Although frying asparagus may not seem like an unpleasant action, this expression is used when we want to get rid of someone annoying, who is bothering us. It is a fairly mild expression compared to others with the same meaning but more vulgar, such as: "mandar a la porra" or "mandar al carajo." The porra (baton) is the elongated weapon used by the police, but the expression seems to come from the military world. Formerly porra was a stick that the sergeants stuck in the ground and any soldier who was punished had to stay there. As for the carajo, it seems that it comes from the marine world, since it was the observation post of the ships. This was a very high place and difficult to access. It was the perfect place to send those sailors who were annoying or those whom they wanted to get out of the way. Well, I hope you don't have to use any of these expressions, but just in case, it's better to know them, right? See you soon! Did you enjoy this trocito? Follow us on YouTube so you don't miss them! Please leave us a comment, a question, or a suggestion: we'd love to hear from you! Enjoy your Spanish with us! Click below to learn more about all our great materials. Real Spanish: online Spanish courses and minilessons for people who are serious about improving their Spanish Click here to learn more about all our great materials

12 de October de 2022

¡Marchando! (Right away!)

This is the English transcription of the video above. José explains some expressions with «marcha» or «marchar». In the blog entry below we explain many more. You can also get a mini-lesson that deals with the same topic. Click below to learn more about all our minis. Remember you can get 5 mini-lessons for the price of four: ¡Qué ganga! If you just want to listen to the audio (for example, while driving, cooking, doing the laundry...), you can listen on Soundcloud. Transcription: Hello, I’m José from Real Spanish! Spaniards really like to «salir » (or «ir») de marcha». What does this mean? Well, partying, spending the whole night out in bars or clubs. We also say «salir de juerga» or «salir de parranda». If someone really likes to party, we can say «tiene mucha marcha» or «es muy marchosa». There is also the adjective «juerguista» but with a slightly stronger sense. «La marcha» is also used to talk about the gears of a car engine: to engage first gear, second gear, etc. The expression «marchar como la seda» means that something is going very well, without difficulties. Silk is a very soft fabric, and you can pass your hand over it very smoothly, hence the expression. Another expression that we use a lot is to do something «sobre la marcha», which means to improvise, to do something “on the go”, without a plan, without preparation. There are many more expressions with «marcha», «marchar», or «marcharse», and we explain some in the mini-lesson «Marchando». You ought to add them to your repertoire, because they are used a lot in everyday speech. To encourage you, we have a special offer: if you buy four mini-lessons, we'll give you another one free... so you can save 20%. Click below to see more information. See you soon! The blog entry below deals with this topic in more depth. To view the transcription or the blog entry in Spanish, click on «español» in the main menu above. Click below for more information on the related mini-lesson, «¡Marchando!». If you live in Spain, or often visit the country, you must have heard a waiter say this in a bar: «¡Marchando!». It means the waiter is going to bring your order right away, or is going to get to work right away, like switching on a machine. But the verb «marchar» and the noun «la marcha» have many different uses. The verb «marchar» has two principal meanings: In the armed forces «marchar» means «to march». For example: Los soldados marchan en fila durante el desfile militar. Referring to a machine, a business, a relationship, «marchar» means “to work”, in the sense of function well. For example: Esta lavadora no marcha bien, necesitas llamar al mecánico. Este restaurante no marcha bien desde que cambiaron al cocinero. Su relación con su novia no marcha bien. The pronominal verb «marcharse» means “to leave a place”. For example: Me marcho de casa de mis padres porque quiero vivir sola y

6 de August de 2022

"Embarrassed" and «embarazada» and other false friends

This is the English transcription of the video above. José explains some common «falsos amigos» in English and Spanish (words that are easily confused because they are very similar, but don't have the same meaning). Hello and welcome to Real Spanish! Today we bring you some examples of falsos amigos (false friends), that is, English words that sound similar to Spanish words but have a different meaning, such as embarrassed (which in Spanish means avergonzado/a) and embarazada (which in English means pregnant). Another false friend that confuses a lot of people is “eventually”, which does not mean eventualmente as one might think, but should be translated as finalmente, al final. Eventualmente means “occasionally”. Other words often confused are “excited” or "exciting"and excitante. “Exciting” normally translates to emocionante in Spanish; be careful with excitante because it often has a sexual meaning. Also the English word “actually” does not mean actualmente, but en realidad. And actualmente translates as “currently” or “at present” in English. Well, as you can see, it is important that you learn these words well because if you make a mistake, it can create very embarrassing situations. And now I encourage you to continue learning with our entertaining lessons on Real Spanish lessons. See you later! If you liked this video, you'll love our complete courses and mini-lessons. Click here to try some free sample lessons. Do you know any other «falsos amigos»? Tell us below! You can also leave us a comment, a question or a suggestion. We'd love to hear from you! Improve your Spanish with us. Click below to learn about all our great materials . Real Spanish: online Spanish lessons for people who are serious about improving their Spanish. Click here to learn about all our great materials

15 de May de 2022

«¡Eres la leche!» (You’re something else!)

This is a transcription of the video above. There are many colloquial Spanish expressions with the word «leche»— some of them quite vulgar, so be careful! You can find more detailed information in the blog below. If you'd just like to listen to the audio (while you're cooking, doing the laundry, or riding the bus) you can get it on Soundcloud. English transcription: Hi! I'm Miguel, a teacher on Real Spanish. I'm sure you have often heard the word «leche» in colloquial conversations. Well it has many meanings. Some of these expressions are quite vulgar, from "semen" to "to hit oneself" (darse una leche), depending on the context. But today I’m going to explain the meaning and origin of the phrase «ir (o salir) echando leches», which means “to rush” or “to be in a hurry". The expression comes from way back, when the milkman or milkmaid delivered milk to people’s homes. They were always in a hurry so that the milk was there for breakfast by the time people got up. The milk often spilled over if the pail was full to overflowing. I mean, the milkman or milkmaid rushed around spilling milk on the ground. Another expression with the same meaning is «cagando leches». It sounds vulgar, right? Well, when a horse carried the milk churn, the milk often spilled over, forming puddles on the ground, as if the horse were shitting. Milk is very important in Spanish culture. La lechera de Burdeos, a famous painting by Goya from 1827, was reproduced in this stamp in 1996. If you’re interested in learning more expressions with «leche», you’ll like our mini-lesson «¡Eres la leche!», where we explain half a dozen more expressions, all very colloquial. The mini-lesson comes with an annotated transcription, a set of grammar notes, and interactive exercises. You can buy the mini-lesson on its own, or you can save 20% if you buy a pack of 5 mini-lessons. Bye for now! In the blogpost below you'll learn a lot more expressions with «leche». Click here to learn more about the mini-lesson Blogpost: The word «leche» is used a lot in Spanish, not only to refer to the milk of animals such as cows, goats and sheep, or mother’s milk for babies. The dictionary of the Royal Academy of Spanish (Real Academia Española, RAE) gives nine different meanings for the word. Some of these are very colloquial; for example, «una leche» may be a slap to the face. There are also many colloquial expressions featuring the word «leche». You can see more examples below. Milk and milk products have been part of the gastronomy of Spain for more than 11,000 years. Milk is a component of the Mediterranean diet and is used in many traditional dishes and recipes such as leche merengada, (a dessert prepared with egg yolks, sugar and cinnamon), leche frita (“fried milk”, made with flour, milk and sugar) and arroz con leche (rice pudding). In some Latin American countries such as Argentina o Nicaragua,

19 de April de 2022

«El mar» or «la mar»?

The sea. Only the sea! Father, why did you bring me to the city? Rafael Alberti, Marinero en Tierra (1924) In this post we explain the use of the masculine and feminine forms of «mar (sea), because they are not used in the same way and are not interchangeable. We also explain the importance of the sea in the Spanish language and culture. In just a few minutes you’ll learn words and colloquial expressions related to the sea. The word mar can be both masculine and feminine in Spanish. This is because it comes from the Latin word mare, which was neither masculine nor feminine but neuter. As Spanish evolved, the word was preserved in two forms: masculine and feminine. However, the two forms are used differently. The plural form is almost always masculine: los mares. The masculine form is also used to name the seas: el mar Caribe, el mar Mediterráneo. Note that the word is not capitalised in Spanish when naming a specific sea. People who make a living with the sea, such as fishers or sailors, tend to use the feminine form: for example, hacerse a la mar (to set sail) or vivir de la mar (to make a living from the sea). We also use the feminine form when describing the state of the sea: for example, mar gruesa (rough sea/s), mar rizada (choppy sea) and mar llana (calm sea). The feminine form is also preferred in literary contexts because it has a more emotional connotation and is more expressive. https://www.high-endrolex.com/18 You can see that Rafael Alberti uses both genders in his poem: el mar of the city-dweller and la mar of the sailor. Of course, it’s not surprising that the sea is important in Spanish culture. Spain has about 8,000 kilometres of coastline distributed among the peninsula, the Balearic islands, the Canaries, and Melilla and Ceuta. This is why fish and seafood are important in Spanish gastronomy. Estar hecho/a un mar de dudas: to be filled with doubt For example: Estoy hecho un mar de dudas, no sé si debería aceptar el nuevo trabajo o no. Estar hecho/a un mar de lágrimas: to be in floods of tears For example: Marta no ha aprobado el examen de conducir hoy, está hecha un mar de lágrimas. La mar de: much, a lot (indicating intensity or quantity) For example: Aquí estamos la mar de bien, en una casa grande con jardín y piscina. Tu hijo es la mar de guapo, seguro que tiene mucho éxito con las chicas. We also have many other colloquial expressions related to the sea: ¡Me cago en la mar!: literally, “I shit in the sea!”; this is an expression of annoyance or frustration. You may also hear ¡Me cachis en la mar!, which is a milder form of the same expression. Me cago en la mar is vulgar, but not really strong. Nobody thinks about its literal meaning, and it is used as widely as joder. We’ll discuss this word another time!

1 de June de 2020