How to Use the Spanish Verb ‘Fregar’ Without Being Vulgar in Latin America
Every language has a word like fregar. You know it’s there, you know what it means, but you also know that it means a whole lot of other things—and not all of them are nice! That’s the thing with words. They seem to have a life of their own, and even when they already have a well-defined function in the language, they start developing a new meaning without anyone knowing exactly when...Read More
How to Use the Verb ‘Faltar’ in Spanish
Faltar is one of the most used and useful verbs in Spanish. You use it in many situations, sometimes with very different meanings and sentence structures. In general, faltar conveys an idea of lacking. This lacking, as you’ll see, can be a thing, a person, or even an action. However, this verb can behave in a weird way sometimes, so in order to properly understand its meaning you...Read More
Doler Conjugation: Free Spanish Lesson, Quiz, and PDF
It wouldn’t hurt to learn about doler conjugation! The Spanish verb doler means “to hurt,” “to grieve,” and “to ache.” Doler conjugation is mostly irregular, this means it changes completely depending on the pronoun and tense. Today, we’ll learn doler conjugation in three moods: indicative mood (present, past, past imperfect, conditional, and future)subjunctive mood...Read More
How to Use Commas in Spanish
What’s the difference between these two sentences? Vamos a comer niños. Vamos a comer, niños. Yes, the comma makes all the difference! The first sentence is a cannibal’s confession: “We’re going to eat kids.” The second one could be said by a mom, just before lunch: “Let’s eat, kids.” Without commas and periods, our writing would seem like one single flow of...Read More
7 Cases When Not to Use Articles in Spanish
If you’re a high beginner or intermediate Spanish learner, you may already be familiar with articles in Spanish. Perhaps you’ve heard that articles in Spanish accompany nouns most of the time and help to define their gender and number. Maybe you even know when to use them, and which kind of articles in Spanish you should use according to the different situations that may arise. But,...Read More
How to Use the Verb ‘Averiguar’ in Spanish
Have you read the poem Agua del recuerdo by a cuban poet Nicolás Guillén? Check out a snippet of the poem and pay attention to the word averiguar! (…)Nada sé nada se sabeNi nada sabré jamásNada han dicho los periódicosNada pude averiguarDe aquella mulata de oro Que una vez miré al pasar,(..) (…)I know nothing is knownAnd I will never know anythingNothing has been said in...Read More
3 Types of Spanish Pronouns to Perfect Your Fluency
When studying any new language, it’s important to understand the parts of grammar that you’ll be using. Real quick—let’s talk about pronouns in English, before we get into Spanish pronouns! Do you remember those from your school days? Try to identify the pronouns in the following sentences: He went to the store to get her some medicine.I need to do it by myself.What do you...Read More
How to Use Reciprocal Verbs in Spanish
Have you already heard of reciprocal verbs in Spanish? Do you know how to distinguish them from reflexive verbs? Can you list 10 reciprocal verbs right now? If you answered “no” to at least one of these questions, you should keep reading and I can guarantee that in the end, your three answers will be “yes.” What about Reflexive Verbs? Before we jump into reciprocal verbs, let’s have...Read More
Learn the Correct Sequence of Tenses in Spanish
Do you get lost in complex sentences? You start well and then you doubt the form of the following verb? Don’t worry, with the help of this guide you can easily identify the culprit of your insecurity and fix it. When you’re in the process of learning and mastering Spanish grammar, it’s important to understand two main elements: The pronoun agreement of tenses, andThe proper sequence of...Read More