Some Spanish verbs easy to learn - IV

Posted by Amit Schandillia at 6:46 PM

Here's the much awaited fourth installment in the series on Spanish verbs easy to learn due to their similarity with their English counterparts. So, following are the 47 new Spanish verbs that, believe me, you already know!

Concentrar to concentrate

Concernir to concern

Conciliar to conciliate, to win over, to reconcile

Concluir to conclude, to finish

Concordar to agree, to be in harmony (similar to concord)

Concurrir to concur, to meet together

Condensar to condense

Condenar to condemn, to sentence

Condescender to condescend

Condimentar to season (similar to condiment)

Confiar to confide, to entrust

Conectar to connect

Confederar to confederate

Conferir to confer, to give, to bestow

Confesar to confess

Confirmar to confirm

Confiscar to confiscate

Conformar to adapt, to adjust

Confortar to comfort, to console

Confrontar to confront, to face

Congelar to congeal, to freeze

Congratular to congratulate

Congregar to congregate, to call together

Conjeturar to conjecture, to guess, to surmise

Conjugar to conjugate

Consentir to consent, to permit

Conservar to conserve, to keep

Considerar to consider

Consignar to consign

Consistir to consist, to be based on

Consolar to console, to cheer

Consolidar to consolidate, to make solid

Conspirar to conspire, to plot

Constituir to constitute, to form

Construir to construct, to build

Consultar to consult

Consumar to consummate, to complete

Consumir to consume, to waste

Contaminar to contaminate, to defile

Contemplar to contemplate

Contener to contain, to restrain

Continuar to continue, to last

Contradecir to contradict

Contrastar to contrast

Contribuir to contribute

Controlar to control

Convencer to convince.

Read on►►

What's the best way to improve your Spanish vocabulary?

Posted by Amit Schandillia at 6:14 PM

I've tried many things; some things work and others do not work so well. Usually if I hear the word or phrase spoken it sticks better than if something I read from a book and tried to memorize. Well, that's my personal opinion. What do real learners feel about this question? Here's a discussion.

I've heard that using a word 10 or 20 times will make it stick (some say 10 and others say 20). But it's not always easy work a word into a conversation and I don't always have the chance to speak to someone in Spanish. I read books, look up words if I can't tell the meaning by the context. I watch Spanish programs, mainly the news and soaps. I watch soaps to try to get the gist of the way people talk in a conversation.

I've tried witting new words, making flash cards and carrying them with me. I never know if this worked until I really need the word. When I work in different places that require me to learn different vocabulary words I tend to learn more. I worked awhile in security at a racetrack for horses. That built up my vocabulary for things that had to do with racing and horses, words like horseshoe, bridle, etc.

Working in the school system, I've learned more about things that have to do with children. Measles, mumps and chickenpox were words unfamiliar to me until I had to write notes to parents to make sure their children were vaccinated. Calificar was a verb I should have known before but it just never came up.

I would just like to build up my vocabulary without having to go into another profession to do so. Does anyone have any advice on this?

Response 1 There was an English vocabulary-building program (I think it was a feature in a long-ago magazine) whose slogan was: Use a word three times and it is yours. And I think that is the key — that's why your vocabulary increases when you are in certain environments, for there you don't just receive the words passively, but use them actively.

Since you may not often be in such environments, perhaps inventing sentences that contain the new words would help. Or maybe you could look for opportunities to use the new words, even if it means talking to yourself.

Response 2 I really don't think there are many "tricks." You basically have to slodge through the memory process. I have a German friend living here who has come to speak Spanish enough to get along very well. One of his tricks is, when he comes across a new word in conversation, he will use it two or three times within the next twenty minutes. Sometimes what he comes up with seems a bit forced, but I think it really helps him to plant" the word in his head. Of course, the larger your English vocabulary the easier it will be since you can find more cognates. And your vocabulary within the sphere of your professional or social life will always be much larger than your average vocabulary.

What I mean is, sitting here right now without thinking, I would have no idea how to say piston ring in Spanish (and I really don't care) simply because I have nothing to do with engines, except to use one to get around, on a day-to-day basis. But I suppose I could get around it if I had to by trying to describe it with vocabulary I do know, and eventually the mechanic will tell me what it is. But isn't that true of English also?

Response 3 I agree, thinking in Spanish and simultaneously translating it and using it all the time. I learned Portuguese because I wrote to about 20 people a day. When you write to 20 different people, just as if you were to talk to them, you'd be talking about a lot of different things and using a lot of different words, and thus increasingly your vocabulary without even thinking about it. What's really cool is the thing works.

Response 4 Another oldie-but-goodie idea: E-mail practice partners. I think that if you can find a Spanish-speaking English student whose English is on par with your Spanish and whose motivation and ability to commit time is similar to yours — for me that has worked as well as anything. My experience was that it wasn't as difficult to find someone like that for e-mail exchange as it was to find someone to practice with in person. If you can't find that situation, trying to keep a journal in Spanish might serve somewhat the same purpose.

Response 5 Reading is good too. But for building vocabulary, it is better to be reading from newspapers, magazines and literature (this can also give you cultural insights you don't get from textbooks). There is a lot of Spanish-language literature and there are a lot of Spanish language newspapers and magazines on line.

Response 6 I have a few pen pals that I write to. One in particular I have written to for about five years and he has helped me a great deal. Some of them are learning English and I can help them as well.

I would not have gotten as far as I have had it not been for these good people taking the time to help me. Sometimes there are things that they can't really answer, but just being able to write freely to them has been great. Not only have I learned a lot about Spanish but also about their country and culture.

Response 7 I really do believe in reading as a way of building vocabulary, although it must be done in conjunction with speaking the language to someone every now and then! I find that the more I read, the more when I get stuck trying to express something in spoken conversation, a phrase will spring to mind that I have read — perhaps in a slightly different context — in a newspaper or magazine. I have really stepped up my Spanish reading when it occurred to me that my English vocabulary is infinitely richer for all the reading I do. In the past I would be reluctant to spend money on reading material in Spanish because I was afraid the subjects would be too obscure or the vocabulary too hard. Now that there is so much free on the Internet, it is much easier to do!

Response 8 My advice is to keep a journal in the language you are trying to learn, put in all your days activities and also add a list of the words you learned that day with the native language translation and a sentence in both languages.

Response 9 It seems to me new vocabulary is good learned in sentences, but even better learned in stories or environments. Also, enhanced further by actual kinetic activity — doing or acting out the story or word you are learning. This is why i feel you learn so much through new jobs or trips.
So try acting out or doing the words as you learn them: Maybe try to learn food-words in the grocery, or while cooking. Translate the word, say garlic, then speak out loud (important: not in your head) a sentence describing what you are doing: I am cutting garlic. Every one will think you are crazy now, but a linguistic genius later.

Luckily I live in a major city, New York, with huge Spanish speaking communities, radio and TV. For those who don't and who can't take trips to immerse themselves in the language try this one: I help achieve a level of immersion at home by videotaping Spanish language television, especially news, soaps, a. k. a. diarios, and movies with the closed-caption feature turned on. I also rent Spanish language movies and turn on the English subtitles, then rent English-language movies and turn on the Spanish subtitles. I hunker in with a dictionary and a cup of tea and enjoy the ride.

Response 10 Mostly it is practice, practice, practice speaking, especially with native speakers. Be bold and unafraid to make mistakes and tell your Spanish friends (victims?) to correct every one. Because I am already fluent in one Romance language and read Spanish reasonably well, my teacher concentrates on getting me to talk about things that interest me, and we work on my weaknesses. Try to make it fun, don't get too serious. You need to make the time you spend in Spanish, with Spanish people, something you enjoy and look forward to, and this will become easier as you get to know them in their native language. You will make very rapid progress this way. If you have a skill, such as playing an instrument or a sport or game that your Spanish friend(s) would like to learn, then it's good idea to offer to teach them, or if you know a Spanish speaker who wants to improve his or her English, try doing half an hour each day. The sharing of the learning process makes the whole thing much more fun for both sides, and somehow the vocabulary is locked in better.

Learning a new language requires making a complete clown of yourself on a regular basis, but it's worth it.

The above discussion has been adapted from forums.about.com.

Read on►►

Claro: The most frequently used word in Spanish

Posted by Amit Schandillia at 5:40 PM

Other than sí, the word for yes, claro is probably the word most commonly used in Spanish for expressing agreement, either with something someone has said or with a statement expressed earlier by the speaker. As an intensifier, claro can be translated in a variety of ways, depending on the context.

Common translations include of course, evidently, obviously and yes. In such usages claro usually functions as a sentence adverb or an interjection. Here are some examples of its use:

Claro que no es bueno. (Clearly it's no good.)

Claro que no todo es un lecho de rosas. (Obviously not everything is a bed of roses.)

Sí, claro, quiero saber dónde estás, cómo estas. (Yes, of course, I want to know where you are, how you are.)

¿Me reconoces? ¡Claro que sí! ("Do you recognize me?" "Of course!")

¡Claro que no puedes! (Of course you can't!)

Claro que tienes pruebas. (Surely you have proof.)

¡Claro que no! (Of course not!)

¿Salimos? ¡Claro! (Are we leaving? Sure!)

Sabemos lo que sabemos, claro. (We know what we know, evidently.)

Additionally, as an adjective, claro has a variety of meanings including light in color, clear, evident, weak or thin (in the sense of being watered down), and frank.

In a nutshell, Spanish claro can be understood to be a term denoting some kind of assertiveness, a certainty. As in, "This will certainly happen," or, "Of course, this will happen." Taking this concept further, we can assume this certainty to be clearly definite which gives a visual hint to remember the word: Clearly. Clearly sounds similar to claro and can thus be used as a mental hook to remember the sense and meaning of this Spanish word!

Read on►►

Learn Spanish body-parts in minutes!

Posted by Amit Schandillia at 5:21 AM

When you were a young child, it's possible that among the first words taught to you (as opposed to the words you picked up naturally) were the names of the parts of your body. Those words aren't likely the first words you'll need to learn in Spanish, but they're often indispensable.

Names of body parts are used much the same in Spanish as in English — but with one significant difference. In Spanish, names of parts of the body are frequently preceded by the definite article (el, la, los or las, meaning "the") instead of possessive adjectives (such as mi for "my" and tu for "your"). In most cases, the possessive adjective is used only where the context doesn't make clear whose body is being referred to. Examples: ¡Abre los ojos! (Open your eyes!) ¡Cierre la boca! (Shut your mouth!) Él bajó la cabeza para orar. (He bowed his head to pray.)

The possessive adjective is used when needed to avoid ambiguity. Examples: Me gustan tus ojos. (I like your eyes.) Acerqué mi mano a su cabeza. (I moved my hand close to his head.)
Although English often omits the definite article when referring to body parts, they are usually retained in Spanish (when a possessive adjective isn't used). Examples: Tengo el pelo negro. (I have black hair.) Prefiero los ojos verdes. (I prefer green eyes.)

Here are the Spanish words for common body parts:

arm — el brazo (imagine a huge statue with brass arms)

back — la espalda (a girl with bare back is doing a seductive pole dance)

backbone — la columna vertebral (vertebral column!)

brain — el cerebro (cerebrum is the biological term for brain in English)

breast, chest — el pecho (imagine a body-builder with his chiseled pecs)

buttocks — las nalgas (a huge man whose ass looks full of anal gas!)

calf — la pantorrilla (a gorilla wearing short pants baring his calf)

ear — el oído, la oreja (imagine a deranged serial-killer who has his victims’ ears stored in a jar!)

elbow — el codo (remember the alphabet: b, c, d…bo-co-do…elbow-codo)

eye — el ojo (picture the 2 o’s of ojo as resembling 2 eyes and the j, nose!)

finger — el dedo (See Note 1) (it’s so cold here: My fingers feel numb and dead!)

foot — el pie (imagine walking briskly while you accidentally step into a dish of pie kept on the floor)

hair — el pelo (if you see hair on your pillow, you are losing hair)

hand — la mano (See Note 2) (Man Friday was Crusoe’s right-hand)

head — la cabeza (that ugly lady’s head looks like a cabbage)

heart — el corazón (remember the song by Ricky Martin?)

hip — la cadera (shakira’s cadera don’t lie)

intestine — el intestino (you really need a trick to remember this one?)

knee — la rodilla (there’s a giant gorilla on the road, the rodilla…you won’t even reach its knees!)

leg — la pierna (pie is to pierna what foot is to leg)

liver — el hígado (hidden above your guts, is an organ called liver)

mouth — la boca (ever heard of the buccal cavity in biology?)

muscle — el músculo (similar, ain’t they?)

neck — el cuello (See Note 3) (I am curious about your yellow neck!)

nose — la nariz (See Note 3) (an accident in Arizona gave me a broken nose)

shoulder — el hombro (imagine a man, un hombre, with broad shoulders)

skin — la piel (ever seen someone with his skin peeled off?)

stomach (abdomen) — el vientre (the hefty bouncer wearing a v-neck and having 6-pack abs is at the entrance of the disc)

stomach (internal organ) — el estómago (similar sounds)

thigh — el muslo (imagine a wrestler’s muscular thighs)

throat — la garganta (gargling is good for sore throat)

toe — el dedo (See Note 1)

tongue — la lengua (to speak any language, you need a tongue)

tooth — el diente (dental and diente sound very similar)

Notes:

1. El dedo can refer to either a finger or a toe. If necessary to distinguish, you can use el dedo de la mano or el dedo del pie, respectively.

2. Mano is one of the very few Spanish nouns ending in -o that is feminine.

3. Some of these terms are used for humans but not for other animals (or not as frequently). For example, el hocico and el pescuezo are often used to refer to the nose and neck of animals, respectively.

Read on►►

Learn Spanish question words using these mnemonics

Posted by Amit Schandillia at 2:41 AM

The importance of knowing how to ask a question is obvious, but a large number of people tend to mix up the question words or simply can't remember them. Try to use these mnemonic (memory) tricks to help you remember the question words. The following examples are silly and will not elicit the exact question word, but they will jar your memory.

Cómo how (How did she get into a coma?)

Quién who (Who dates Barbie? Ken!)

Qué what (What do they sell at K -mart?)

Cuándo when (When did you use a condom?)

Most questions that have a question word are created exactly like a yes or no question with the question word in front. Take the question “does he speak Italian?” ¿ Habla él italiano? There are several question words that could simply be placed in front of the question to elicit more information than yes or no. See the following sample sentences for examples on how different question words can elicit different answers:

¿ Cómo habla él italiano? (How does he speak Italian?)

¿ Dónde habla él italiano? (Where does he speak Italian?)

¿ Cuándo habla él italiano? (When does he speak Italian?)

¿ Por qué habla él italiano? (Why does he speak Italian?)

All of the sample questions can be created simply by switching the subject and the verb to create a yes or no question and then simply placing the specific question word in front.

Read on►►

Survival Spanish with 175 basic words!

Posted by Amit Schandillia at 5:15 AM

This is called survival Spanish. Yes, you don’t need to mug away heavy dictionaries in order to be able to get by in Spanish. This applies as much to Spanish, as to any other language. For a survival conversation, all you need is a vocabulary of the following 175 Spanish words!

ARTICLES (etc.)

de of, from, by
la the
el the
a to, at
los the
un a, an, one
las the
del of the, from the, by the
una a, an, one
al to the, at the
dos two
uno a, an, one
cada each
tres three
unos some, a few

CONJUNCTIONS

que that, than
y and
o or
como as, like
pero but
si if
porque because
cuando when
ni nor, neither
donde where
e and
aunque although, even though
sino but, except
mientras while

PREPOSITIONS

en in, on, into
por through, for (means), along, by
con with
para in order to, for (ends)
sin without
sobre about, above, on top of
entre between, among
hasta until
desde from, since
durante during, for (time)
contra against
hacia toward
según according to

PRONOUNS

se himself, herself, itself, yourself, yourselves, themselves
lo him, you
su his, her, your
me me
le him, her, you
sus his, her, your, their
yo I
qué what
mi my
nos us, ourselves
te you
eso that
él he, him
nada nothing
esto this
ella she, her
usted you
cómo how
les them, you
algo something
ellos they, them
mí me
nosotros we, us
tu your

ADVERBS

no no, not
más more
ya already, now, soon
muy very
también also
sí yes
así so
bien well
sólo (solamente) only
ahora now
siempre always
tan so
entonces then
después after, later
menos less
aquí here
antes before, earlier
hoy today
luego then, later
además besides, in addition
casi almost
nunca never

VERBS

es is, are
ha has, have
son are
está is, are
hay there is, there are
ser to be
era was, were
había there was, there were
tiene has, have
fue was, were
puede can
han has, have
hacer to make, to do
hace make(s), do(es)
decir to say
va go(es)
estaba was, were
sea (might) be
ver to see
están are
sido been
dijo said
he I have
creo I believe
tienen have
tenía had
dice says, say
vamos we go, we are going
tener to have
parece seems, seem
poder to be able to
pueden can

ADJECTIVES

este this
todo all
esta this
todos all, everyone
ese that
mismo same
otro other, another
esa that
bueno good
otra other, another
tanto so much
otros other, others
poco little (not much)
mucho much
gran great
estos these
general general
todas all, everyone
mayor bigger, older
mejor better
toda all
tal such, such a
otras other, others
estas these
primera first
algunos some
los años years
la vez time (una vez once)
la parte part
la vida life
el tiempo time, weather
el día day
el mundo world
el estado state, status
el gobierno government
la casa house
el hombre man
el país country
la forma way
el año year
el caso case
el hecho fact, act
el momento moment
las cosas things
España Spain
el trabajo work
los días days
la política policy, politics
las veces times
la gente people
el lugar place
el ejemplo example
las personas people
la mujer woman

INTERJECTIONS

pues well

Read on►►

Quick tips: How to translate 'best' and 'worst' in Spanish!

Posted by Amit Schandillia at 7:14 AM

"Best" and "worst" as adjectives are usually expressed in Spanish using mejor (pl. mejores) and peor (pl. peores), respectively, and their usage is also pretty much similar to that of their English counterparts. Remembering them is easy:

Peor derives from the Latin, pejor, a common source for the more familiar English word, pejorative (having negative connotations). Mejor spells very similar to major; imagine a major event in your city, the best you had ever seen in your life!

Time for some practice now:

• el mejor presidente, the best president
• la mejor cámara, the best camera
• los mejores estudiantes, the best students
• el peor libro, the worst book
• las peores películas, the worst films
• mi mejor camisa, my best shirt
• nuestras mejores decisiones, our best decisions
• tu peor característica, your worst quality
• ¿Qué coche es el mejor? Which car is the best?
• He comprado muchas computadoras, y ésta es la peor. I have bought many computers, and this one is the worst.

When mejor or peor is functioning as a noun, lo is used as the definite article when mejor or peor refers to no particular noun. In such cases, lo mejor frequently can be translated as "the best" or "the best thing"; lo peor frequently can be translated as "the worst" or "the worst thing." A few examples:

• Lo mejor es olvidar. The best thing is forgetting.
• Lo mejor es que me voy a casa. The best thing is that I'm going home.
• El amor es lo mejor de lo mejor. Love is the best of the best.
• Lo peor es cuando haces una pregunta y nadie responde. The worst thing is when you ask a question and nobody answers.
• Vi lo mejor y lo peor de la humanidad. I saw the best and the worst of humanity.

In phrases taking the form "the best/worst ... in the ...," the "in" typically is translated using de:

• lo mejor coche del mundo, the best car in the world
• el mejor presidente de la historia, the best president in history
• el peor libro de toda la existencia humana, the worst book in all human existence
• las peores películas de la serie, the worst movies in the series.

Still find it difficult to remember how to say best and worst in Spanish?

Read on►►

9 words of Spanish in 5 minutes!

Posted by Amit Schandillia at 12:32 PM

Try to visualize the tags given for the following Spanish words and see your vocabulary grow in minutes! Here you go:

gana desire ("I'm gonna miss/desire her while she's away.")

gato cat (Garfield and Tom, funny cats both of’em!)

guapo good-looking (a good-looking girl eating an apple)

habitación living space (remember habitat?)

hablar to speak, to talk (keep talking...blah, blah, blah...)

idioma language (learning the idioms is the best way to practise any language)

labios lips (imagine dissecting a guinea pig’s lips in a Biology lab!)

madera wood (imagine some vintage Madeira wine stored in a wooden vat. Tempting, ain’t it?)

Mujer woman (imagine a female mummy with long hair in a pyramid)

Tip: Don’t target learning more than 10 words a day for best retention.

Read on►►

Genetics of Spanish vocabulary

Posted by Amit Schandillia at 2:33 AM

The most essential part of the Spanish vocabulary is derived from Vulgar Latin. Thousands of words from classical Latin were included in the Spanish vocabulary with the development of the literary language.

Some words were borrowed from the languages of the pro-Roman inhabitants of the Iberian peninsula (the Iberians and the Celtiberians). The invasion of the Visigoths early in the 5th century AD introduced a few Germanic words; those of them which were beginning with w- received a prothetic g-, e.g., Gmc. werra war -> Sp. guerra.

The Muslim conquest in the 8th century later brought in a large number of Arabic words, many of which are easily detected by their polysyllabic structure (e.g., berenjena aubergine) or by the prefixed Arabic article al- (e.g., alcalde mayor, alfil officer, almohada pillow etc.)

Under the influence, beginning in the 11th century, of French ecclesiastics and pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, the Spanish vocabulary was appreciably augmented by words and phrases from French. During the 15th and 16th centuries an infusion of elements from the Italian occurred because of Aragonese domination in Italy and the great vogue of Italian poetry in Spain. Relations between Spain and its colonies and possessions have led to the introduction of terms from Native American languages and other sources, and scholarly activities have constantly increased the stock of borrowed words.

Read on►►

Spanish language phonology and vocabulary skills

Posted by Amit Schandillia at 1:23 AM

Here, we are going to do a little autopsy of the Spanish phonology and understand how it can help us improve our vocabulary effortlessly and more naturally. Words retained this way tend to retain for longer.

Spanish has simplified the Vulgar Latin vocal system to only 5 open vowels (as in Classic Latin) -- a, e, i, o, u -- that are pronounced clearly and without reduction in both stressed and unstressed positions. The vowels, that are short in Classic Latin, diphthongize when stressed in Spanish, except for a:

CL porta door -> Sp. puerta,

CL herba grass -> Sp. hierba.

The long and stressed vowels, e, o are replaced by i, u, and the short and unstressed vowels i, u, by e, o:

CL fêci (I) did -> Sp. hice.

The accent may fall on the ultimate, penultimate or antepenultimate syllable. Its place is recognizable from orthography. As compared with the accent of Classical Latin, it shows a tendency to move towards a syllable containing –r:

CL tenebrae darkness -> Sp. tinieblas.

The Latin consonants p, t, c between vowels are voiced to b, d, g in Spanish:

CL apotheca (th=t) store-room -> Sp. bodega.

The intervocalic -d- disappears (CL cadere to fall -> Sp. Caer), and the intervocalic -g- may disappear or become a glide sound [j] written y (CL legere to read -> Sp. Leer; CL reges kings -> Sp. Reyes), while the intervocalic -b- is preserved, but tends to become aspirated as v (CL habere to have -> Sp. haber).

The initial f- is replaced by a mute h-:

CL facere to do -> Sp. hacer.

The consonant clusters ct, lt are transformed to ch (act to ech):

CL octo eight -> Sp. ocho,
CL multu (m) much, many -> Sp. mucho,
CL lactuca lettuce -> Sp. lechuga.

The clusters cl, fl, pl are palatalized to ll:

CL clamo (I) call -> Sp. llamo,
CL flama flame -> Sp. llama,
CL ploro (I) weep -> Sp. lloro.

The clusters ali, eli, ili, oli, uli are transformed to aj, ej, ij, oj, uj:

CL alium garlic -> Sp. ajo,
CL filius son -> Sp. hijo,
CL mulier woman -> Sp. mujer, etc.

The clusters lr, mr, nr are divided by epenthetic -b- or -d- and become ldr, mbr, ndr, as in:

venir to come + he (I) have -> vendré (I) will come.

The words beginning with s- followed by a consonant (s impure) receive a prothetic e-:

CL stare to stand -> Sp. estar.

With this insight into the fundamental structure of Spanish and its semblance to Latin, the parent language of all Romance languages and a major contributor to the English vocabulary, you will be able to understand the anatomy of Spanish vocabulary better and enhance your vocabulary more naturally. Given that many English words derive from Latin and Latin is a direct predecessor of Spanish, you will, more often than not, discover Spanish words that have not-so-distant cousins in the English language too! Makes learning easier?

Read on►►

Visualize and improve your vocabulary in 10 minutes!

Posted by Amit Schandillia at 9:02 AM

In continuation with a previous article on visualization for vocabulary, here are 10 more words with their visual tags to help you further boost your vocabulary of the Spanish language. Remember, this technique is effective only if you can relate the visual image with the word and the meaning given below.

cuaderno notebook (picture a Tai Kwan Do class where they kick through a notebook instead of a board)

dama lady (in English, we also call’em dame, don’t we?)

daño damage, harm (imagine the Danish Vikings on a rampage)

despertarse to wake up (imagine being desperate to save your arse after seeing a bad nightmare)

echar to throw, to pour (imagine throwing charcoal)

edad age (you must respect your dad for his age!)

fábrica factory (what is a factory, after all? A place to fabricate goods!)

fácil easy (I have just facilitated your learning Spanish, made it easier, by writing this guide, haven’t I?)

feo ugly (few people are uglier than transvestites, don’t ya agree?)

gafas glasses (imagine saying, glasses, with a lisp and cold. Funny, ain’t it?)

If you don't remember all the words given above within 10 minutes, you are probably not focusing on the visual image or maybe, you should customize your own image with more details, colors, or vividness.

Read on►►

Some Spanish verbs easy to learn - III

Posted by Amit Schandillia at 10:35 PM

Here is the third installment of the series that last appeared on June 20, 2007, by the name, Some Spanish verbs easy to learn. In this series, we discuss some Spanish verbs that derive from roots common to their English counterparts making it easier for you to learn most of these vital words in Spanish. Here are 50 such verbs for this installment:

Autorizar to authorize

Avaluar to value, to appraise

Avanzar to advance

Avasallar to subject, to dominate, to subdue (similar to vassal)

Aventurar to venture, to risk

Avinagrar to sour, to make sour or acidic (do you see vinegar?)

Balancear to balance, to rock, to roll, to swing

Balotar to ballot, to vote

Basar to base

Batallar to battle, to fight, to struggle

Batear to bat

Batir to beat, to whip

Beneficiar to benefit, to do good

Calcular to calculate

Calibrar to gauge, to measure, to measure the caliber of

Calmar to calm, to quieten, to soothe

Cancelar to cancel

Capitalizar to capitalize

Capitular to surrender

Capturar to capture, to arrest

Cardar to card, to comb (wool)

Catalogar to catalogue

Causar to cause

Ceder to cede, to transfer, to yield, to surrender, to submit

Celebrar to celebrate

Cementar to cement

Censurar to censure, to criticize

Centrar to center

Certificar to certify, to register

Cesar to cease, to stop, to quit

Clarificar to clarify, to make clear

Clasificar to classify

Coagular to coagulate, to thicken

Coincidir to coincide

Colaborar to collaborate, to work together

Colonizar to colonize

Colorar to color, to stain, to die

Comandar to command (troops)

Combinar to combine, to unite

Comenzar to begin (similar to commence)

Comisionar to commission

Conmemorar to commemorate

Comparar to compare

Compeler to compel, to force

Compilar to compile

Completar to complete, to finish

Complicar to complicate

Computar to compute, to calculate

Comunicar to communicate, to notify

Conceder to concede, to grant, to admit

Works for you? I am sure it should. Part 4 of this series will follow shortly. So, keep visiting and spread your learning! Happy learning...

Read on►►

Spanish visualization tricks

Posted by Amit Schandillia at 12:59 PM

Here's another list of Spanish visuals. Every word has its pronunciation, meaning, and a little phrase to help you remember the word and its meaning.

A visual phrase is worthless without the right connections for your memory, the best way to remember what an orange is in Spanish is to get an orange, feel it's peel, smell the skin, listen to the sound when you cut through the peel, feel the resistance give way as the knife penetrates, take in that bright, vibrant, orange color of the flesh, taste the sweet tangy juices, smell the juices, feel rippled, slippery skin all the while connecting the essence of an orange to how Spanish expresses it: naranja.

The worst way is to memorize a rhyme connecting a pun on the color orange to the fruit orange. Three unrelated steps: reading a rhyme (something processed in a totally different part of the brain,) the color orange, and then an actual orange. It might work to get an "A" on a test, but you will have a stutter when you are in Mexico.

Used correctly a visual phrase is somewhere in between the two extremes of true understanding and rote memorization. With enough practice, especially in an immersion environment, the brain will make the direct connection to naranja circumventing the visual phrase, but never like our first language.

The correct way, or more awkwardly the most correct way, to use visualization is to incorporate as much of the essence of the thing being memorized into as many senses in the most ridiculous way possible.

Abajo below (relate it to baja which relates to Baja California, also called Lower California)

Afietarse to shave oneself (imagine shaving your arse/ass sitting in a Fiat car)

Alcoba bedroom (imagine a deadly cobra crawling across your bedroom floor)

Armario closet (you find out a secret closet full of guns and swords and the words, armory, inscribed on its doors)

Azul blue (relates to an old English word for sky, azure)

Bailar to dance (ever heard Enrique's famous number, Bailamos?)

Caballero gentleman (a yellow cab with a gentleman inside)

Caber to fit, to make room (imagine pushing the people inside a cab to make room for some fresh air)

Capillarse to brush oneself (imagine brushing your arse with a caterpillar)

Correr to run (picture a news correspondent running behind Paris Hilton when she is arrested for drunk driving)

Creer to believe, to think (do you really believe when they show those weird creatures on Animal Planet?)

I am sure you'll retain these Spanish words for a lifetime without any need for senseless recitations.

Read on►►

How quickly can you learn 10 new words in Spanish?

Posted by Amit Schandillia at 4:34 PM

How does '3-minutes' sound? Incredible? Well, not really. Come, let's discover the wonders of this powerful technique called, visualization.

Just read through them one word at a time. Read the Spanish word first and then the meaning. Then read and understand the visualization given next to it. Notice the syllables/words/phrases that appear in bold. Try to relate the visual image to the word and its meaning. Now, close your eyes and just imagine the visual imagination you just read and repeat it to yourself for 10-15 seconds. Now, open your eyes. Before you realize it, you have already learned the word forever! Try it here:

Zorro fox (a fox in the mask of Zorro)

Gato cat (a cat with wide gaps between his toes)

Perro dog (a dog jumping over a pair of rowboats)

Oso bear (a sloth bear...oh, so big!)

Chico boy (it would be a Chick, i.e. female, but it isn't, because it has an o on the end, which makes it masculine)

Mesa table (imagine a table made of salt licks)

Falda skirt (imagine a skirt worn in the fall by your dame)

Agua water (water = Aqua = the Spanish word Agua)

Cabeza head (a head sitting in a cab at the base of the passenger's side, crying out, "Ah!" when the driver makes a sharp turn)

Chica girl (imagine kissing a girl on the cheek)

So, how did it feel learning 10 new words in 3 minutes flat? Happy visualization, hasta la vista!

Read on►►

Some Spanish verbs easy to learn - II

Posted by Amit Schandillia at 8:22 AM

Here is the next installment of the series on Spanish verbs similar to their English counterparts. In this series, we discuss some Spanish verbs that derive from roots common to their English counterparts making it easier for you to learn most of these vital words in Spanish. Here are they:

Anexar to annex

Animar to animate, to give life to

Anticipar to anticipate

Anular to annul, to void, to cancel, to abolish

Anunciar to announce, to advertise

Aparentar to appear, to seem

Apartar to set apart, to separate

Apasionar to arouse passion, to fill with passion

Apasionarse to become impassioned

Apelar to appeal

Apilar to pick up, to pile up, to stack, to heap

Aplacar to appease, to pacify, to soothe (similar to placate)

Aplanar to level, to flatten (similar to plane)

Aplaudir to applaud, to clap

Aplicar to apply, to put on

Apreciar to appreciate, to value, to esteem

Aprehender to apprehend, to seize, to arrest

Aprisionar to imprison

Aprobar to approve

Apropriar to fit, to adapt

Apropiarse to take possession of, to confiscate (similar to appropriate)

Aproximar to place or bring near, to approximate

Apurar to purify, to verify, to finish, to worry or annoy

Aquietar to quieten, to calm, to hush

Arbitrar to arbitrate, to umpire

Armar to arm

Armonizar to harmonize

Argüir to argue, to deduce, to infer

Arreglar to arrange, to put in order, to regulate

Arrestar to arrest, to stop

Arriscar to risk, to venture

Arruinar to ruin, to destroy

Articular to articulate, to join, to unite

Asaltar to assault, to attack

Ascender to ascend, to climb, to promote

Asentir to assent, to agree

Asesinar to assassinate, to murder

Asimilar to assimilate, to digest, to absorb

Asir to seize, to take hold of

Asociar to associate

Aspirar to aspire, to long for, to seek, to inhale, to breathe in

Asumir to assume

Atacar to attack

Atender to heed, to pay attention, to attend to, to take care of

Atentar to attempt, to try

Atenuar to attenuate, to lessen, to tone down, to dim

Aterrar/aterrorizar to terrorize, to frighten

Atestar to attest, to testify, to witness

Atormentar to torment, to worry, to afflict, to tease, to bother

Atribuir to attribute, to ascribe, to impute

Aumentar to augment, to increase

Doesn’t Spanish seem easier than you thought? There are hundreds of such verbs still to come in future posts. Just keep your eyes open.

Read on►►

Some more Spanish through visualization!

Posted by Amit Schandillia at 11:46 AM

Let's try learning these common words and their english meanings through the tried and tested method of visualization:

Playa beach (imagine playing on the beach with your kids)

Abogado lawyer (a lawyer is also called advocate which has a common Latin origin to Abogado)

Pan bread (imagine yourself cooking a whole loaf of bread in a pan!)

Piscina pool (ever pissed in a swimming pool when u were a naughty, little kid?)

Cabina phone booth (imagine a stupid cabbie trying to fit his cab in a small phone booth)

Casa house (picture living in an enormous suitcase!)

Cara face (a magic car that makes faces at other vehicles!)

Now don't tell me you took more than 5 minutes to memorize all the 7 words listed above by heart!

Read on►►

Learning Spanish weekdays through their roots!

Posted by Amit Schandillia at 8:02 PM

The names of the days of the week in Spanish and English don't seem very much alike. But in fact they have similar origins. Surprisingly, however, the day with the names in the two languages sounding the most alike — Saturday in English and sábado in Spanish — has names that aren't connected.

The etymology (word history) of most of the days the week are linked to Roman mythology. The Romans saw a connection between their gods and the changing face of the nighttime sky, so it became natural to use their gods' names for the planets — the ones they were able to track in the sky were Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Those five planets plus the moon and sun made seven major astronomical bodies, so when the seven-day week was imported from Mesopotamia early in the fourth century it was a natural to use those astronomical names for the days of the week.

Under Constantine, the first day of the week was named after the sun, followed by the moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn.

The names of the week were adopted with little change throughout most of the Roman Empire and even beyond. In only a few cases were changes made.

In Spanish, the five weekdays all retained their planetary names. Those are the five days whose names end in -es, a shortening of the Latin word for "day," dies. Note how the English and Spanish names of the days of the week have common origins:

1. Sunday (domingo) derives from a Latin word meaning, "Lord's Day."

2. Monday (lunes) derives from Luna, Latin for Moon.

3. Tuesday (martes) derives from Mars, the Roman God of war.

4. Wednesday (miércoles ) derives from Mercury, a Roman God.

5. Thursday (jueves) derives from Jovian, the Latin adjective for Jupitar, a Roman God.

6. Friday (viernes) derives from Venus, the Roman Goddess of love.

7. Saturday (sábado) derives from Sabbath, the day of rest.

By now, I hope you know the Spanish week as naturally as the English one! Bienvenidos!

Read on►►

Some Spanish verbs easy to learn

Posted by Amit Schandillia at 5:16 PM

When looking at the verbs that follow, remember that Spanish verbs end in ar, er, or ir. Accept that fact and then, in your mind, remove the Spanish verb-ending. You will find that the Spanish verb bears a close similarity to one of the English equivalents that appear on its right.

Oh, By the way, Spanish mostly doesn't use double consonants, such as bb, cc, rr, ff, gg, nn, etc. (An ll is the noticeable exception.) If you remember this, it will be easier for you to see the similarity between Spanish and English words.

For example, remove the ar from abortar and what do you have? To miscarry or to have a miscarriage. Isn't that the same as to abort?

The same is true for the Spanish verb, abandonar and absolver. Remove their endings and you are looking at to abandon and to absolve.

Included in the list, however, are a few verbs that differ from English by more than their ar, ir, or endings. For example, included in the list are erabalanzar (to balance), acelerar (to accelerate), abreviar (to abbreviate), and agitar (to agitate). Here they are. The Spanish is on the left; the English on the right.

Abalanzar to balance

Abandonar to abandon, to desert

Abolir to abolish

Abominar to abominate, to abhor, to detest

Abortar to miscarry, to have a miscarriage, to give birth prematurely, to fail (similar to abort)

Abreviar to abbreviate, to shorten, to condense

Abrogar to abrogate, to repeal, to annul

Absolver to absolve, to free from guilt, to pardon, to acquit

Absorber to absorb

Abstenerse to abstain, to refrain

Abusar to abuse, to mistreat, to misuse

Acelerar to accelerate, to speed up, to quicken, to hurry, to hasten

Acentuar to accentuate, to emphasize, to accent

Aceptar to accept, to approve, to admit

Aclamar to acclaim, to cheer, to hail, to applaud

Acomodar to arrange, to adjust, to accommodate, to lodge, to place

Acompañar to accompany, to escort

Acreditar to credit, to bring fame or credit to

Activar to activate, to make active, to speed up, to hasten

Acumular to accumulate, to gather, to pile up

Acusar to accuse, to denounce

Adherir to adhere to, to stick

Adjudicar to adjudge, to award, to assign (isn't this similar to adjudicate?)

Admirar to admire

Admitir to admit, to let in, to accept, to allow, to permit

Adoptar to adopt, to accept

Adorar to adore, to worship

Adornar to adorn, to decorate

Adquirir to acquire, to gain, to win, to obtain (omit the d and you see the similarity)

Adulterar to adulterate, to corrupt, to make impure

Advertir to notice to warn, to advertise

Afectar to affect, to move, to pretend to have or feel

Afirmar to affirm, to assert, to make firm

Agenciar to negotiate, to procure by negotiation, to promote (similar to agency)

Agitar to agitate, to excite, to stir, to wave, to shake

Aglomerar to mass together, to cluster (similar to agglomerate)

Agraciar to grace, to adorn

Agrandar to enlarge, to aggrandize, to make greater

Agravar to aggravate, to make worse

Aguar to dilute with water, to water (remember aqua)

Ahumar to smoke, to fume (similar to fumar in French)

Ajustar to adjust, to fit tight, to regulate

Alarmar to alarm

Alegar to allege, to assert

Alegrar to cheer up, to gladden, to brighten

Aliar to ally, to unite

Alterar to alter, to change, to disturb

Alternar to alternate, to take turns

Amalgamar to amalgamate, to combine, to mix, to blend

Amoldar to mold, to shape, to adjust, to adapt

Amortizar to pay on account, to liquidate, to pay, to provide a sinking fund (similar to amortize)

Read on►►