Trocitos de Real Spanish archivos

¡Por fin! At last! We help you to use «fin and «final» correctly.

The video above explains some uses of «fin» and «final». The English transcription is below. If you just want to listen to the audio, you can find it on Soundcloud. ¡Hi, and welcome to Real Spanish! Do you still have trouble with «fin» and«final»? Do we say «el fin» or «el final» of a movie? The first thing you need to know is that «fin» has three differen meanings. It can mean the end of something, such as the end of the week, («el fin de semana») or, more colloquially, «el finde»). For example: «Este finde vamos a la playa». It can also mean the objective or motive for some action, such as, «El fin de su viaje era visitar a su madre». We use the connectors «a fin de» or «con el fin de» with the meaning of «para». For example: «Estoy estudiando inteligencia artificial, a fin de prepararme para lo que venga en el futuro». «Se ha aprobado una nueva ley con el fin de limitar los precios del alquiler». But «fin» can also mean a limit or border, as in «Esta línea representa el fin del terreno del parque». The word«final» also means «la parte final de algo», and in this case «fin» and «final» are interchangeable. Look at these examples: «Todos estamos rogando por el fin/el final de la guerra». «No consigo llegar a fin/final de mes». However, why do we usually say, «el final del libro» instead of «el fin del libro»? Well. it's because «el fin del libro» could be interpreted as the aim or objective of the book. Ah, and another difference: «final» can be an adjective as well as a noun, whereas «fin» is only a noun. For example: «París fue el destino final de nuestro viaje». Y ahora algunas expresiones útiles: Por fin (at last) Al final (in/at the end) A/para /hasta finales de (at/by/until the end of...) Well, the aim of this vidoeowas to explain some uses of «fin» and «final». And now we've come to the end. Bye for now! Please leave us a comment, a question, or a suggestion below: we’d love to hear from you! Follow us on YouTube so you never miss our Trocitos de Real Spanish. You can also participate in our Community page on YouTube. You'll find short quizzes, surveys, and quick explanations of vocabulary or grammar points. Enjoy your Spanish with us! Click here to learn more about all our great materials. Real Spanish: online Spanish courses and mini-lessons for people who are serious about improving their Spanish

16 de May de 2024

¡Ojalá me toque El Gordo! La lotería de Navidad en España

This lottery takes place in the Teatro Real or the Palacio de Congresos in Madrid and crowds of people attend. Children from San Ildefonso school, one of the oldest in Madrid with more than 400 years of history, practise singing out the winning numbers. One child takes out a numbered ball from a rotating drum and the other takes out of another drum ball that announces the prize for that number. The first prize is known as El Gordo (The Big One) and the winner receives 400,000 euros. The ticket with the number is known as el decimo (one tenth), because each number appears on ten different tickets: that is, there are ten tickets with the same number. There are four other prizes as well as El Gordo, worth from 125,000 euros (second prize) to 6,000 euros (fifth prize). Then there is what’s known as La Pedrea, consisting of lots of smaller prizes. Crowds of people queue up at the lottery offices to buy tickets, which cost 20 euros each. The most famous place to buy tickets is Doña Manolita, en Madrid, which started in 1904 and became very popular because so many of the tickets sold there won prizes. Many people buy shares in a ticket; that is, a ticket is shared among friends and family. Sometimes local businesses sell shares to their customers. The cost of shares is much lower and the prizes are shared among all the participants. The television advertisements for the lottery (see below) feature moving stories which encourage solidarity. The message is: “The best prize is sharing.” If you are in Spain around these dates, why not try your luck by buying a ticket or a share? Share the dream! Links to other articles and videos: Wikipedia article (in Spanish or English and several other languages): Sorteo Extraordinario de Navidad TV ad for the 2019 lottery: TV ad for the 2025 lottery: Sign up or log in to learn more about all our great materials

5 de December de 2023

«Has bebido más de la cuenta»: how to use «más que» and «más de»

¿Do you still have problems with «más de» and «más que»? José explains! (transcription below). Hello and welcome to Real Spanish! Are you still not sure when to use «más que» or «más de»? It's natural, they sound similar but their meanings are different. We use «más que» in comparisons of people, things, places animals, objects, and even actions. Look at these examples: Susana trabaja más que Pedro. Susanna works more than Pedro. Me gusta cantar más que bailar. I like singing more than dancing. Llevo más tiempo en este negocio que tú. I've been in this business longer than you. Me fío de Patricia menos que de su hermana. I trust Patricia less than her sister. «Más que» is also used to express superiority or inferiority with an adjective or adverb, according to this structure: «más/meno + adjective/adverb + que». For example: Mi hermano es más alto que yo. My brother is taller than me. La tortuga se mueve más lento que la liebre. The tortoise goes more slowly than the hare. Ella habla menos que su hermana. She talks less than her sister. Another use of «más que» is to express the existence of only one possibility, or of an exception. These examples will help to make this clearer: Nadie más que el guardia de seguridad puede quedarse en la oficina por la noche. Nobody except/other than the security guard can stay in the office at night. No haces más que criticar a tu jefe. You do nothing but criticize your boss. As for «más de» and «menos de», we use these phrases with numbers and quantities. For example: Tengo más de diez pares de zapatos negros. I have more than 10 pairs of black shoes. Has llegado más de cuantro horas tarde. You're more than four hours late Más de la mitad de los alumnos llegan al colegio sin haber desayunado. More than half of the students arrive at school without having had breakfast. Menos del 50% de los votantes han votado. Fewer than 50% of the eligible votes have voted. Esta película no es apta para niños de menos de 13 años. This movie is not suitable for children under 13 years of age. We also use «más de» and «menos de» with relative clauses introduced by «lo que»: For example: Como más de lo que te imaginas. I eat more than you think. Tengo menos edad que lo que crees. I am younger than you think. And before I go, do you know the expression «más de la cuenta»? It means too much, or more than you should. For example Has bebido más de la cuenta, ahora estás muy borracho. You've had too much to drink, you are really drunk. Peso más de la cuenta, tengo que adelgazar. I weigh too much, I have to lose weight. Bye for now! Please leave us a comment, a question, or a suggestion below: we’d love to hear from you! Follow us on YouTube

4 de September de 2023

Me importa un huevo

This is a preview of our mini-lesson about colloquial Spanish expressions with the word «huevo». Some expressions with «huevos» are quite vulgar, because the word can also refer to "testicles" or "balls". If you only want to listen to the audio, you can find it on Soundcloud. Hi! Today I’ll explain some colloquial uses of the word «huevo». Some of these expressions are quite vulgar, because in colloquial language «huevos» can mean “testicles” or “balls”, so be careful how you use them! Have you heard the expression «Me importa un huevo»? It means “I don’t care” or “I don’t give a shit.” In Mexico «a huevo has two meanings, depending on the context. It can be a strong yes, or the equivalent of “You bet!” For example, «¿De verdad vas a aceptar ese trabajo? Tendrás que viajar mucho». (Are you really going to accept that job? You’ll have to travel a lot.) «A huevo, no puedo perderme tal oportunidad.» (You bet I am, I’m not going to miss such an opportunity.) It can also mean «pase lo que pase» (no matter what). For example, «Tengo que terminar este proyecto para el viernes, a huevo» (I have« to finish this project by Friday, no matter what (or, come hell or high water). In Spain, «a huevo» means «a tiro» or «alcance» (it’s easy, a piece of cake, a walk in the park). For example, «Te has preparado muy bien la entrevista y ya conoces al jefe, vas a conseguir el trabajo seguro, lo tienes a huevo» (You are well prepared for the interview and you already know the boss, so it’s a piece of cake for you). There are so many expressions with «huevo» that we have created a mini-lesson on the topic. It consists of: A video An annotated transcription A set of grammar notes A couple of interactive exercises Click below to learn more. OK, that’s all for today. Bye for now! If you liked this video, you will enjoy our complete mini-lesson on the topic. . You can get five minis for the price of four! Click here to learn more. Follow us on YouTube soyou don't miss any of our Trocitos de Real Spanish! Get in touch. We'd love to hear from you. You can leave us a comment, a question or a suggestion. You can also participate on our You Tube Community Page. You'll find quizzes, surveyas and interesting points of vocaulary and grammar. Improve your Spanish with us. Click here to learn more about all our materials. Real Spanish: Courses and mini-lessons online for people who are serious about improving their Spanish.

25 de June de 2023

«¡Se acabo!» and other uses of «acabar»

The video above explains some uses of the verb «acabar». The English transcription is below. If you just want to listen to the audio, you can find it on Soundcloud. Hello and welcome to Real Spanish! Today we bring you some uses of the verb «acabar». I'm sure you already know that this verb means "to finish" or "to end" something. However, «acabar de» + infinitive is used to indicate that something has just happened. For example: - Acabo de lavarme el pelo. - I've just washed my hair. Be careful with the negative though, because «no acabar de» + infinitive means to be unable to do something, no matter how hard you try. Look at this example: - No acabo de entender la diferencia entre «ser» y «estar». -I can’t figure out the difference between «ser» and «estar». On the other hand, «acabar por» + infinitive means to do something after a series of previous actions. For example: - Después llamar a la puerta durante un rato, acabó por marcharse. (This is the same as «al final se marchó») - After knocking at the door for a while, he ended up leaving. With the same meaning we can also use «acabar» + gerund, although this expression may also express the state or form in which something ends, or an action in progress. For example: - Después de discutir con su pareja, acabó llorando. - After an argument with her partner, she ended up in tears. Another use is «acabar con» + noun, which means "to destroy", "to break up", or "to put an end to". For example: - Con ayuda de su psicólogo acabó con su miedo a volar. - With the help of her psychologist, she put an end to her fear of flying. And we can also use «acabar en» + noun to indicate the result of previous actions. For example: - La discusión entre mis hermanos acabó en pelea. - The argument between my brothers ended up in a fight. Okay, we have the expression «se acabó» (It's over!) to put an end to an argument or a difficult situation. I hope you 've enjoyed this Trocito. See you soon! Bye! Please leave us a comment, a question, or a suggestion below: we’d love to hear from you! Follow us on YouTube so you never miss our Trocitos de Real Spanish. You can also participate in our Community page on YouTube. You'll find short quizzes, surveys, and quick explanations of vocabulary or grammar points. Enjoy your Spanish with us! Click here to learn more about all our great materials. Real Spanish: online Spanish courses and mini-lessons for people who are serious about improving their Spanish

4 de May de 2023

Falsos amigos 2: some Spanish and English words you should never mix up

This is the English transcription of our second video about some “false friends” that can cause problems for English speakers. False friends (falso amigos) are words that look and sound very similar in English and Spanish because they are derived from the same Latin roots, but nowadays they have different meanings. If you just want to listen to the audio, you can get it on Soundcloud. English Transcription: Hello and welcome to Real Spanish! Today we bring you some examples of “false friends”, that is, words that in English sound similar to Spanish but have a different meaning, such as “library” (which in Spanish means «biblioteca») and «librería» (which in English means “bookshop/bookstore”). Another false friend that causes confusion is “to realize”, which doesn’t mean «realizar», as you might expect, but should be translated as «darse cuenta de (algo)». «Realizar» means to carry out, to do. Other frequently-confused words are “large” and «largo». “Large” should be translated as «grande» in Spanish, and «largo» as “long”. Also, the English word “carpet” doesn’t mean «carpeta»; it’s an «alfombra». A «carpeta» is a “folder” in English. Well, as you can see it’s very important to learn these words because if you make a mistake, you could create an embarrassing situation. For example, «nudo» (knot) is not the same as “nude” (desnudo). I encourage you to continue learning with our entertaining lessons on Real Spanish, where you can enjoy your Spanish! Bye for now! Have you seen the first video in this series? José explains false friends such as «embarazada» and "embarrassed", «eventualmente» and "eventually", «excitante» and "excited", «actualmente« and "actually". You can see the video on YouTube. Follow us on YouTube so you never miss our Trocitos de Real Spanish. Get in touch: Tell us about a time when you got confused or made a mistake with a «falso amigo». Please leave us a comment, a question, or a suggestion below: we’d love to hear from you! You can also participate in our Community page on YouTube. You'll find short quizzes, surveys, and quick explanations of vocabulary or grammar points. Enjoy your Spanish with us! Click here to learn more about all our great materials. Real Spanish: online Spanish courses and mini-lessons for people who are serious about improving their Spanish

28 de February de 2023