Learn Spanish Blog » Spanish Words http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog Spanish Learning Updates, Tips, and Tricks Fri, 15 May 2015 11:02:57 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0 Spanish Verbs: saber and conocer http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2015/05/spanish-verbs-saber-and-conocer/ http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2015/05/spanish-verbs-saber-and-conocer/#comments Fri, 15 May 2015 11:02:57 +0000 http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/?p=2071 Learning a foreign language is exciting! Soon enough, every learner understands that not everything can be translated directly and there can be double meanings, so language learners need to understand the difference in meanings of seemingly similar words.

Ser and estar (the pair of verbs that both mean ‘to be’ in Spanish) are not the only example. Do you know verbs saber and conocer? They fall into the same category and both verbs mean “to know.” Yet, they are different in a way that does not exist in English.

Saber is used in the context of knowing information, ideas or how to do something.
Conocer is used in the context of knowing a person or a place, or to be familiar with something (software, for example).

For example:

e.g., “Yo sé como cocinar.” I know how to cook.
e.g., “¿Conoces bien la ciudad?” Do you know the city well?

A few more examples:
¿Sabes tú leer música? – Do you know how to read music?
Yo sé escribir en español. – I know how to write in Spanish.
Ellos saben jugar a las cartas. – They know how to play cards.
¡No sé! – I don’t know!
Ellos conocen el sitio donde van a tener el concierto. – They know the site where they’re going to have the concert.
Conozco este modelo, como casi lo compré anteriormente. – I know this model, as I almost bought it previously.
No conozco al abuelo de Estefanía. – I don’t know Stephanie’s grandfather.

Want to learn Spanish verbs? Check out our courses:
Introductory Spanish Verbs
Advanced Spanish Verbs

]]> http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2015/05/spanish-verbs-saber-and-conocer/feed/ 0 ‘You’ in Spanish http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2013/11/you-in-spanish/ http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2013/11/you-in-spanish/#comments Thu, 21 Nov 2013 11:59:39 +0000 http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/?p=1915 If you have been studying Spanish for some time, you most probably know that there are two words to say You in Spanish. This is common for Roman languages, and the rules of French and Italian, for example, are the same – just so you know. Now, back to Spanish :).

So, there are Tu and Usted.

Tu is an informal and friendly pronoun, used when talking to a person you call by their first name. The word Usted used in cases of formal speech, or when you do not know a person well. Addressing anyone with a title in their name, you should use Usted.

Here’s our video to help you memorize the use of the Spanish pronouns

]]> http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2013/11/you-in-spanish/feed/ 0 Telling Time in Spanish http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2013/10/telling-time-in-spanish/ http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2013/10/telling-time-in-spanish/#comments Thu, 31 Oct 2013 12:13:55 +0000 http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/?p=1884 Learn how to tell time in Spanish (or freshen up your skills if you already know it) with our video:

And here are some useful expressions and tricks to keep in mind:
• por la mañana – in the morning (no specific time)
• de la mañana: in the morning (specific time)
• por la tarde: in the afternoon (no specific time)
• de la tarde: in the afternoon (specific time)
• por la noche: in the evening or night (no specific time)
• de la noche: in the evening or night (specific time)
• la mañana: morning
• el mañana: tomorrow, future
• mañana por la mañana: tomorrow morning
• pasado mañana: the day after tomorrow
• Thailand - Tailandia
• anoche last night
• la noche anterior, anteanoche: the night before last
• el lunes que viene: next Monday
• la semana que viene: next week
• el año que viene: next year
• el lunes pasado: last Monday
• la semana pasada: last week
• el año pasado: last year
• al mediodía: at noon
• a la medianoche: at midnight
• alrededor de: around
• de día: days
• durante el día: during the day
• a tiempo: on time
• en punto: exactly, on-the-dot
• tarde: late
• temprano: early

]]> http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2013/10/telling-time-in-spanish/feed/ 0 Spanish Video Lesson – Spanish For Sub for Santa http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2011/12/spanish-video-lesson-spanish-for-sub-for-santa/ http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2011/12/spanish-video-lesson-spanish-for-sub-for-santa/#comments Thu, 15 Dec 2011 23:49:42 +0000 http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/?p=1357 Spanish Video Lesson – Spanish For Sub for Santa

Sub for Santa Spanish

At this time of year, with all we’ve been blessed with – like the Visual Link Spanish blog, Facebook Fiesta Friday, a warm home to sleep in and food to eat, I hope we can remember those less fortunate than us and get involved with a Sub for Santa helping those in need.

As a part of giving back to you this Christmas/Holiday season, we are giving everyone a free Level I audio course on MP3 (before we created our software, we used to sell the audio course for $100 – and now, we’re giving it to you FREE as part of our 12 days of Christmas + 1)! Be sure and tell all your friends about it. But BEWARE! the day after Christmas it will be gone, so if you don’t download all the audios by then, you will have lost your opportunity. Honestly, we hope that thousands of courses are downloaded so the holiday cheer can be spread all around the world. Facebook it and Tweet it out. Next, be sure to visit us tomorrow on Facebook to practice your Spanish and tell us about a Sub for Santa experience you’ve had.

Here is the vocabulary from the video:

Surprise Christmas Navidad de sorpresa
How many boys do you have? ¿Cuántos varones tienen?
How daughters do you have? ¿Cuántas hijas tienen?
How old are they? ¿Cuántos años tienen?
What size is he? ¿Qué tamaño es él?
What size is she? ¿Qué tamaño es ella?
We have some presents for you. Tenemos unos regalos para Uds.
We want to give them to you at your house. Queremos dárselos en su casa.
When will you be home? ¿Cuándo van a estar en casa?
Merry Christmas! ¡Feliz Navidad!
How are you? ¿Cómo están Uds.?
These presents are for you. Estos regalos son para Uds.
You’re welcome De nada
I hope you have a great Christmas! ¡Espero que pasen una buena Navidad!
Question of the week:
Have you done a surprise Christmas before? ¿Ha hecho una Navidad de sorpresa antes?

This Saturday, be sure to come back to the blog for a post that answers a question about “Why Spanish speakers don’t use ‘yo, tú, él, ella, etc.’ when they speak”.

Also, you can still get Visual Link with a huge discount and on-time for Christmas! Come to our website Monday for a FREE 2-day Express shipping sale with 55% off everything in our catalog. This offer will expire on Tuesday – be sure to check Facebook on Monday for the coupon code and more info.

Visual Link Spanish Online Catalog

Future Facebook Fiesta Friday Topics:

December 23, 2011 – Christmas Spanish Lesson

December 30, 2011 – New Year’s Resolutions

January 6, 2012 – Reaching Your Goals (an exciting lesson by Jake on how to keep our New Year’s resolutions – I’m excited!)

]]> http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2011/12/spanish-video-lesson-spanish-for-sub-for-santa/feed/ 0 Spanish Video Lesson: What do you like to do in the winter? http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2011/12/spanish-video-lesson-what-do-you-like-to-do-in-the-winter/ http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2011/12/spanish-video-lesson-what-do-you-like-to-do-in-the-winter/#comments Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:31:17 +0000 http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/?p=1300 What do you like to do in the Winter (Spanish Video Lesson)

Winter Spanish Video Lesson

We would love to know what you like to do in the winter. Come share on  or Visual Link Spanish Facebook page on Friday where we can all practice Spanish together. I love teaching Spanish and I love learning more and more Spanish. If you like our blog, Facebook page and/or Visual Link Spanish products, be sure and share with friends. You can use the social media tags at the top of each blog post. We would also love to hear from you! Comment at the bottom of each blog post. You can ask questions, post comments or share experiences you’ve had in learning Spanish.

As mentioned in the video, here is a link to our FREE ONE MONTH TRIAL

Here is the vocabulary from the video:

Question of the Week
What do you like to do in the winter? ¿Qué te gusta hacer en el invierno?
 I like to make… Me gusta hacer…
…snowballs …bolas de nieve
…snowmen …hombres de nieve
…snowwomen (politically correct) …mujeres de nieve
…hot cocoa …chocolate caliente
…fruit cake (in some SP countries) …panetón
I like to… Me gusta…
…read by the fire …leer por el fuego
…ski …esquiar
…buy Christmas presents …comprar regalos para la Navidad
…go to the theater …ir al teatro

Jake and I hope to see you on Facebook this Friday. Come join us to practice Spanish. If you haven’t purchased the Visual Link Spanish course yet, we have some great Christmas deals going on. You can start right here at our learn Spanish free online page.

¡Hasta luego mis amigos!

Future Facebook Fiesta Friday Topics:

December 9, 2011 – Spanish for Volunteers

December 16, 2011 – Spanish for Sub For Santa

December 23, 2011 – Christmas Spanish Lesson

]]> http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2011/12/spanish-video-lesson-what-do-you-like-to-do-in-the-winter/feed/ 0 More Thanksgiving Spanish http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2011/11/more-thanksgiving-spanish/ http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2011/11/more-thanksgiving-spanish/#comments Fri, 18 Nov 2011 23:38:35 +0000 http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/?p=1278 Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I seem to overeat on most holidays, but my stomach seems to naturally stretch a little bit more on Thanksgiving. I give thanks, then I eat and eat and eat. I know I wrote a post about Thanksgiving Spanish yesterday, but in this spirit of self-indulgence I give to you another Thanksgiving Spanish lesson. But first, if you haven’t seen it yet, watch yesterday’s Thanksgiving Spanish video:

I couldn’t cover anything in the video, so here is a little bit more vocabulary that may be helpful to you on Thanksgiving Day. I dedicate this post to Thanksgiving food.

pavo | turkey
papas | potatoes
arándano agrios | cranberries
zanahorias | carrots
remolacha | beets
pastel de manzana | apple pie
pastel de cereza | cherry pie
pastel de calabaza | pumpkin pie
relleno | stuffing
habichuelas tiernas | green beans
maíz | corn
fútbol americano | American football
Comí demasiado. | I ate too much.
Me alegra poder estar con mi familia. | I am happy that I can be with my family.
Me alegra poder estar con mis amigos. | I am happy that I can be with my friends.
Gracias a todos ustedes. | Thanks to all of you.
Estoy agradecido por estar vivo. | I am thankful to be alive.

Whether you have a lot or you don’t have much, be thankful for what you have. As Kenny Chesney says in one of my favorite songs:

“As for me I’d like thank my lucky starts, cause I’m alive and well.”

Express your gratitude. Happy Thanksgiving!

]]> http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2011/11/more-thanksgiving-spanish/feed/ 0 Spanish Numbers http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2011/11/spanish-numbers/ http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2011/11/spanish-numbers/#comments Mon, 14 Nov 2011 21:57:18 +0000 http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/?p=1261 Learn How to Write the Spanish Numbers

Here is a list of the Spanish numbers and how they are written out. Knowing the numbers in Spanish will undoubtedly help you in your travels and everyday speech and writing. Without further adieu…

0  cero
1  uno
2  dos
3  tres
4  cuatro
5  cinco

6  seis
7  siete
8  ocho
9  nueve
10  diez
11  once
12  doce
13  trece
14  catorce
15  quince
16  dieciséis
17  diecisiete
18  dieciocho
19  diecinueve
20  veinte
21  veintiuno
22  veintidós
23  veintitrés
24  veinticuatro
25  veinticinco
26  veintiséis
27  veintisiete
28  veintiocho
29  veintinueve
30  treinta
31  treinta y uno
32  treinta y dos
33  treinta y tres
34  treinta y cuatro
35  treinta y cinco
36  treinta y seis
37  treinta y siete
38  treinta y ocho
39  treinta y nueve
40  cuarenta
41  cuarenta y uno
42  cuarenta y dos
43  cuarenta y tres
44  cuarenta y cuatro
45  cuarenta y cinco
46  cuarenta y seis
47  cuarenta y siete
48  cuarenta y ocho
49  cuarenta y nueve
50  cincuenta
51  cincuenta y uno
52  cincuenta y dos
53  cincuenta y tres
54  cincuenta y cuatro
55  cincuenta y cinco
56  cincuenta y seis
57  cincuenta y siete
58  cincuenta y ocho
59  cincuenta y nueve
60  sesenta
61  sesenta y uno
62  sesenta y dos
63  sesenta y tres
64  sesenta y cuatro
65  sesenta y cinco
66  sesenta y seis
67  sesenta y siete
68  sesenta y ocho
69  sesenta y nueve
70  setenta
71  setenta y uno
72  setenta y dos
73  setenta y tres
74  setenta y cuatro
75  setenta y cinco
76  setenta y seis
77  setenta y siete
78  setenta y ocho
79  setenta y nueve
80  ochenta
81  ochenta y uno
82  ochenta y dos
83  ochenta y tres
84  ochenta y cuatro
85  ochenta y cinco
86  ochenta y seis
87  ochenta y siete
88  ochenta y ocho
89  ochenta y nueve
90  noventa
91  noventa y uno
92  noventa y dos
93  noventa y tres
94  noventa y cuatro
95  noventa y cinco
96  noventa y seis
97  noventa y siete
98  noventa y ocho
99  noventa y nueve
100  cien
101  ciento uno
102  ciento dos
103  ciento tres
104  ciento cuatro
114  ciento catorce
124  ciento veinticuatro
134  ciento treinta y cuatro
144  ciento cuarenta y cuatro
154  ciento cincuenta y cuatro
164  ciento sesenta y cuatro
174  ciento setenta y cuatro
184  ciento ochenta y cuatro
194  ciento noventa y cuatro
200  doscientos(-as)
300  tresicentos(-as)
400  cuatrocientos(-as)
500  quinientos(-as)
600  seiscientos(-as)
700  setecientos(-as)
800  ochocientos(-as)
900  novecientos(-as)
1000  mil
1444  mil cuatrocientos cuarenta y cuatro
2000  dos mil
1,000,000  un millón
2,472,683  dos millones, cuatrocientos setenta y dos mil, seiscientos ochenta y tres
]]> http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2011/11/spanish-numbers/feed/ 3 Autumn and Fall Spanish Vocabulary http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2011/11/autumn-and-fall-spanish-vocabulary/ http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2011/11/autumn-and-fall-spanish-vocabulary/#comments Fri, 04 Nov 2011 16:18:56 +0000 http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/?p=1237 Thanksgiving Turkey

Halloween is over. Winter has not yet begun. I need you to help me transition from candy to turkey. It’s nearing the end of the fall or autumn season and I’ve realized that I haven’t given you some helpful Spanish vocabulary related to this specific time of year. In Utah we experience all 4 seasons. At this time it is cooling down and leaves are falling off the trees. T-shirts are being switched for hoodies and sweatshirts, and jackets are being switched for coats. It’s getting cold out there, but it’s not time to break out the wintertime and Christmas time music. It’s not even time to learn wintertime Spanish. It’s time for some early November Spanish. Maybe this could become a monthly segment, and I give you some Spanish vocabulary that I think you’ll need for the month. Some of it will be serious, and some of it might be slightly humorous. Well, without further adieu, here is November’s list:

Fall/Autumn | otoño
wood | la madera
to chop | cortar
leaves | hojas
to rake | rastrillar
to fill | llenar
to push | empujar
to wear | llevar
to prepare | preparar
I need to prepare for the winter. | Necesito preparar para el invierno.
I need some coffee. | Necesito café.
I don’t want to go outside. | No quiero ir afuera.
I like to watch the leaves. | Me gusta mirar las hojas.
Thanksgiving Day | Día de Acción de Gracias

There are many other things that you can and will say during the glorious month. The reason that November is a great month is because of my favorite holiday of the year, Thanksgiving. I get to spend that day every year with four of my favorite F-words: family, friends, football, and food. Let’s begin early and be thankful! What makes this month so great for you?

]]> http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2011/11/autumn-and-fall-spanish-vocabulary/feed/ 0 Spanish Occupations Lesson http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2011/10/spanish-occupations-lesson/ http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2011/10/spanish-occupations-lesson/#comments Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:11:00 +0000 http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/?p=1139 Spanish Occupations

Occupations in Spanish

You have had a nice weekend, and some of you didn’t have to work yesterday. Welcome back to work my friends. The world is happy to have you back at work. Be proud of what you do. In fact, let’s talk about what you do for a living. Here is a list of occupations in Spanish and a little Spanish vocabulary.

What do you do for work? | ¿De qué trabajas?
Do you like your job? | ¿Te gusta tu trabajo?
I like to go to work every day. | Me gusta ir al trabajo cada día.
I am… | Soy…
baker | panadero
florist | el florista
mechanic | mecánico
travel agent | agente de viajes
tailor | costurera/sastre
butcher | carnicero
housekeeper | ama de llaves
painter | pintora
plumber | plomera
real estate agent | agente de bienes raíces
gardener | jardinero

Here is a little Spanish grammar lesson:

Soy panadero. | I am a baker. (correct)
Soy (un) panadero. (incorrect)
Do NOT use “un” or “una” after the verb ‘ser’ when describing what you do for work.

Please answer the questions in the blog comments or on the Visual Link Spanish Facebook page. Be proud of what you do!

]]> http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2011/10/spanish-occupations-lesson/feed/ 3 Spanish Animals http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2011/10/spanish-animals/ http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2011/10/spanish-animals/#comments Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:11:20 +0000 http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/?p=1133 Monkey Professor

Spanish Animals

Some of you might be thinking that animals have not received enough coverage on my blog posts. To all the animal lovers:  I am sorry. I am simply going to provide you with a list of some of my favorite animals with their Spanish translation. If you are offended because I left out your favorite animal, please leave me a note in the blog comments. So, without further adieu, I give you this list of my favorite Spanish animals:

eagle | águila
ostrich | avestruz
turkey | pavo
rooster | gallo
swan | cisne
flamingo | flamingo
shark | tiburón
alligator | cocodrilo
iguana | iguana
frog | rana
kangaroo | canguro
rhinoceros | rinoceronte
elephant | elefante
zebra | cebra
horse | caballo
sheep | cordero/oveja
moose | alce
giraffe | girafa
panda bear | oso panda
lion | león
gorilla | gorila
puppy | cachorro

As I began building this list, I knew I could probably go on forever. Just because I left an animal off of this list doesn’t mean I don’t like that animal, except in the case of cats and snakes. I’m not a big fan of those. What is your favorite animal? (Please share in Spanish with an English translation.)

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