Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009 | Permalink
Spanish Phrase: Me gusta.
Pronunciation: meh’ goos-tah’
Translation: I like it.
This Spanish phrase is useful for those who are going on a shopping spree. Aside from your bargaining skills, you can also express how you feel about a particular purchase that you are trying to make. If you like a particular item, you say “Me gusta.”
For “I like this bag”, the Spanish equivalent is “Me gusta este bolso.”
Friday, June 19th, 2009 | Permalink
Spanish Phrase: No funciona
Pronunciation: no foon-thyona
Translation: Does not work/ Is not working.
If you’re booked at a local hotel, there would be instances when you do not know exactly why something is not working. It could be the air conditioning, the lights or the heating. So how would you say to a staff or the manager that something is not working? Here goes.
If you want to say that the light doesn’t work, you say “La luz no funciona.” If there’s a problem with the air conditioning, you say “El aire acoondicionado no funciona.”
Sunday, June 14th, 2009 | Permalink
Spanish Phrase: La cuentaPronunciation: lah’ koo-wen-tah’
Translation: The bill
If you’re eating out in a local restaurant in a Spanish speaking country and you would like to get the bill, you need to say “La cuenta, por favor.” That literally means, “The bill, please.”
As you may already know, the Spanish phrase por favor translates to please in English – and if you’re asking anybody a favor, it does pay to always add that at the end of your sentence.
Thursday, June 11th, 2009 | Permalink
Spanish Phrase: No intiendo.
Pronunciation: noh een-tee-yen-doh’
Translation: I don’t understand.
Even if you’ve already studied the basics of the Spanish language, there are nuances to it that you may not necessarily understand when speaking with a native. As such, it pays to know exactly what you need to say if you can’t hold your own in a conversation anymore.
To express that you don’t understand, you simply say “No intiendo.”
Monday, June 8th, 2009 | Permalink
Spanish Word: Cerveza
English Word: Beer, ale, malt liquor
Pronunciation: ther-vay-thah’
Function: noun
Your visit to any Spanish country will never be complete unless you have sampled what the local brew has to offer. Beer lovers would have a blast sampling drinks like cerveza de barril or draught beer; cerveza de botella or bottled beer; cerveza negra or brown beer; cerveza clara or light beer; and cerveza de sifón or draught beer.If someone asks you “¿De barril o botella?”, you have to say whether it’s a draught or bottled beer that you want.
Example: En esa tienda venden mi cerveza preferida.
Translation: In that shop, they sell my favorite beer.
Thursday, June 4th, 2009 | Permalink
Spanish Word: Libre
English Word: Free
Pronunciation: lee’-bray
Function: adjective
The word libre in Spanish has quite a number of meanings. It can mean that something like a taxi is empty or unoccupied. It can also refer to someone who is not married. The term trabajar por libre refers to someone who is a freelancer.
Here, we will use the term libre in reference to something that is not occupied, such as in the following sentence:
Example: Esa plaza no está libre.
Translation: That seat is not free.
Monday, June 1st, 2009 | Permalink
Spanish Word: Fresco
English Word: Cool, fresh
Pronunciation: fres-koh’
Function: adjective
Depending on how it is used in a sentence, the word fresco itself has a few equivalents in the Spanish language.
For example, the term fresco can refer to a man who has a fresh attitude. When you say la fresca, it means that there is a cool breeze, but it can also refer to a blunt remark.Finally, when you say al fresco, that is the equivalent of saying that it is cool outside.
Example: Era un día lluvioso y fresco.
Translation: It was a cool and rainy day.