ReVerb Spanish

Soler

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Soler is a unique verb in Spanish because it can’t be used in all verb tenses. In linguistics, it’s what is called a defective verb. That means it can’t be conjugated and used in all verb tenses. In the case of soler, its defect is is that it can’t be used in the preterite, future, conditional or imperative tenses.

Another unique aspect of soler is that it has no direct English equivalent. There is no one-word verb in English which has the exact meaning that soler has in Spanish. If you look in an English-Spanish dictionary, you will see “to be in the habit of” or “used to” or  given as definitions of soler in English.

Here’s all you need to know about soler. It’s a verb that you use in Spanish to indicate that an action is routine or an activity is habitual. In English we would resort to using the adverbs “usually” or “generally”  to convey the same meaning.

In the present tense, soler is used to refer to current actions which are routine or habitual.
In the past tense, soler is used to refer to past habitual or routine actions.

Also, soler is always, always, always followed by the infinitive of another verb which represents the routine action. (The formula is: SOLER + INFINITIVE of another verb = habitual action)

Here are some examples:

Cuando Daniel era pequeño, solía comer pasteles de barro. Creía que eran chocolate. When Daniel was little, he would eat (was in the habit of eating) mud pies. He thought they were chocolate.

¿A qué hora sueles acostarte? What time do you usually go to bed?

Solía acostarme temprano pero ahora suelo dormir menos de cinco horas cada noche. (I used to go to bed early but now I usually sleep less than five hours every night.)

Suelo ir al gimnasio tres veces a la semana y suelo dar un paseo en el parque con mi perro todos los días. (I usually go to the gym 3x a week and I usually take a walk in the park with my dog every day.)

Soler can also be used  in the subjunctive just like any other normal Spanish verb.

For example:

Espero que el tren suela llegar a tiempo porque tengo prisa. (I hope the train usually arrives on time because I’m in a hurry.)

Me sorprende que Antonio suela salir con chicas tan bobas porque es un hombre muy culto. (It surprises me that Antonio usually goes out with such bimbos because he’s a very cultured, well-educated man.)

No creo que los famosos de Hollywood suelan cenar en este restaurante tan cutre y sucio. (I don’t believe that Hollywood celebs generally dine in this tacky, dirty restaurant.)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 7:25 — 6.8MB)

Spanish prepositions: EN vs. SOBRE

I got a special request from Mike Daye, aka @EvilPundit, one of my people on Twitter, for an explanation of the Spanish prepositions EN and SOBRE, so here goes.

“EN” is a frequently-used preposition. It can be translated with various meanings in English such as in, by, at, or on, depending on the context.

Here’s a break down on when to use EN in Spanish. Obviously, there may be exceptions but this will give you some basic guidelines.

To indicate location

Vivo en una ciudad. (I live in a city.)

Busca en ese cajón. (Look in that drawer.)

Hoy me quedo en casa porque no me encuentro bien. (Today I’m staying at home because I don’t feel well.)

To place something in a time frame or time period

Ernest Hemingway nació en el siglo XIX. (Hemingway was born in the 19th-century.)

Acabaré en una hora. (I’ll finish in an hour.)

With movement verbs and modes of transportation

Vine en taxi. (I came by taxi.) Me encanta viajar en tren. (I love traveling by train.)

To indicate what a topic or subject is about

Pienso en ti. (I’m thinking about you.) Luis es experto en artes marciales. (Luis is an expert in martial arts.)

“EN” is also used in fixed expressions like “en voz alta” (in a loud voice), “en vez de” (instead of), “en medio de” (in the middle of), etc.

The only possible overlap in meaning between EN and SOBRE is with location. However, sobre is used to indicate a more precise location, a position that is above something else, while en is used with a more general meaning of location.

Think of “sobre” as the equivalent of “encima de” (on top of).

“Deja las llaves sobre la mesilla.” [ Leave the keys on the nightstand (on top of the nightstand).]

Chicos, por favor, no pongáis los pies sobre la mesa. [Guys, please, don’t put your feet on the table (on top of the table).]

Las cajas están colocadas unas sobre otras. (The boxes are stacked on top of one another.)

Eduardo está muy agobiado. Son demasaidas las responsabilides que recaen sobre él. [Eduardo is very stressed out. He’s got too many obligations weighing him down. (Literal  translation: “…that are falling on top of him.”)]

Sobre also has the meaning of “about” in Spanish. The preposition “acerca de” has the same meaning.

Tenemos que hablar sobre lo que pasó ayer.  Tenemos que hablar acerca de lo que pasó ayer. (We have to talk about what happened yesterday.)

¿Qué sabes tú sobre este asunto? What do you know about this topic?

Sobre can also be used to give an approximation, what we’d translate in English as “around” or “around about.”

Ayer llamé a tu casa sobre las seis de la tarde. ¿Dónde estabas? (I called you around 6 p.m. yesterday. Where were you?)

Sobre is a bit of a weird preposition because in addition to being a preposition, it is also a noun (which means “envelope”), but it’s always obvious, from the context, when it is being used as a noun. Necesito comprar un sobre para enviar esa carta. (I need to buy an envelope in order to send that letter.)

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How to find the definitions of Spanish idioms and expressions

How many times have you heard or read a Spanish expression and then consulted a dictionary for its meaning and turned up empty? Maybe you found the answer right away. But perhaps there have been a few occasions where it took a little bit of digging to find the definition.

There is an easy way to uncover the meanings of Spanish idioms and expressions and you can do it by using a monolingual (Spanish-only) dictionary. Here’s how:

Always look up the meaning of an expression by checking the dictionary entry for the first noun mentioned in the expression. The reason? A Spanish verb is more likely than a Spanish noun to be used in multiple expressions. For example, the verbs dar, estar, ir, tener, are used in plenty of Spanish phrases and expressions. An excellent Spanish dictionary will list expressions that contain those verbs, but if there are numerous expressions, most dictionaries usually only list the most commonly-used ones. That’s why you’re better off looking for the definition of a Spanish expression by first checking the entry for the main noun mentioned.

Spanish expressions (frases hechas) are combinations of words whose meaning adds up to something very different from their individual parts.

Take, for example, an expression like “ir al grano.” The verb ir means “to go” while the noun grano can be a seed, a grain of sand or a pimple on somebody’s face. But when ir is added to grano (ir al grano) the meaning changes from a literal translation to a figurative one.

When I checked the dictionary under “IR” there was no definition for the expression. But when I checked “GRANO”, there was the expression with its meaning. Ir al grano means “to get to the point.”

So, to recap, here’s a step-by-step process you can use to find the definition of a Spanish expression.

Step 1: First, look up the primary NOUN

Step 2: If there is no noun, look up the VERB.

Step 3: If there is no verb, look up the ADJECTIVE.

Step 4:  If there is no adjective, look up the PRONOUN.

Most of the time, you won’t have to go down that entire scale. You will usually find your definition by first looking up the noun or the verb. Usually the first two steps (checking the noun or the verb listed in the expression) is enough.

By the way, I strongly believe that once you reach an intermediate-level of Spanish, you should start using a Spanish-only dictionary. Why? A monolingual dictionary usually gives a more comprehensive definition. A good monolingual dictionary will also give you examples as well as multiple definitions. The average bilingual dictionary, because it contains two different languages, generally does not have the space, if it is in book form, to offer the same level of detail.

Of course, there are some electronic or online bilingual dictionaries which are excellent, but another advantage to using a monolingual dictionary is that it forces you to think in Spanish. That means less translating in your head, which is a good thing.

Check out: “How to use a Spanish-English Dictionary”

Spanish Wordz, daily Spanish vocab on Twitter

One of my 2010 New Year’s Resolutions is to expand my Spanish vocabulary. In the past, I’ve made a mental note or jotted down new, interesting words in my trusty Moleskine notebook. But in recent weeks I’ve come across some real gems and decided I would start tweeting a Spanish word daily.

Don’t worry, I’ll still be tweeting Spanish verbs over @ReVerbSpanish, but now you can add @SpanishWordz to the mix.

Why the spelling “Spanish Wordz”?

Because “Spanish Words”, “Spanish Word”, “Palabras”, and “Spanish Vocab” were all already taken on Twitter.

The plan is to tweet Spanish words that hopefully you aren’t too familiar with. I know what you must be thinking….ANOTHER Spanish Word of the Day stream on Twitter?! Yes, I know there are already plenty of these “Spanish Word Of the Day” tweets on Twitter. But most of them are focused on very basic Spanish words. Perro= dog. Lunes = Monday. Comer = to eat.

That’s great for beginners or people who need a refresher, but what about those of us who already have the basics down pat and want to keep progressing?

It’s time to stretch yourself, especially if you’ve been studying Spanish awhile and are at an intermediate or advanced level. Get out of the habit of using the same basic Spanish words over and over again.

For example, you may use the word “amigo,” even in situations where it may not be the best choice. In English, we have words like colleague, coworker, acquaintance, roommate, neighbor, buddy. Why not learn the Spanish equivalents and deposit them into your Spanish memory bank?

Even if your accent speaking Spanish isn’t perfect, using more sophisticated words in Spanish will go a long way to making you sound more fluent.

There won’t be any overall theme or specific reason why certain words get posted on particular days. They will just be words that strike me as interesting and unusual. Often they will be words that I’ve noticed in the news that I think might help folks expand their Spanish vocab past the usual common Spanish 101 words. If you’re studying Spanish in college or in high school taking Advanced Placement Spanish, some of these vocab words may come in handy.

I will post at least one Spanish word daily. On some days I may post more than one. But there will always be at least one new word posted everyday. I’m commited to doing this every day for the next 365 days. After that, who knows?

Follow me on Twitter:

Spanish Vocabulary @SpanishWordz

Spanish Verbs @ReVerbSpanish

Bilingual tweets @VoicesEnEspanol

Kids stuff @CodysCuentos

SER vs. ESTAR: Adjectives that change meaning

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If you’ve been studying Spanish awhile, you probably already know plenty about the Spanish verbs SER and ESTAR. But did you know that there are several adjectives that change their meaning, depending on which one of those verbs they’re attached to?

For example, estar aburrido vs. ser aburrido is the difference between being bored or being boring!

The very general rule of thumb is that we use SER + an adjective is for permanent, intrinsic characteristics while ESTAR is for temporary changes or changes that have come as the result of some kind of process. However, there are circumstances where it’s not 100% clear to non-native Spanish speakers how the meaning of some adjectives change when paired with SER or ESTAR.

For example, estar muerto vs. ser muerto. Muerto means “dead” and often English speakers have the tendency to want to use the verb ser with this adjective. However, when referring to the physical state of being dead, of being six feet under, you must use the verb estar. Ser (un) muerto means to be a bore, a dud.  Same deal with estar vivo (to be physically alive, as in living and breathing) vs. ser vivo (to be very clever, mentally bright, etc.)

There are some Spanish adjectives that can be paired with SER and ESTAR and not change meaning. Interestingly enough, they are adjectives that have to do with one’s relationship status. Adjectives such as casado (married), soltero (single) and viudo (widowed).  So regardless of whether somebody  “está casado” or “es casado,” they both mean the same thing – that the person is married.

There are a ton of these kinds of adjectives. That’s why I’ve put together a list of 33 of these Spanish adjectives, along with their different meanings, in one handy printout. You can get your copy of “Spanish Shapeshifters” by signing up for my email list in the righthand column of this blog. Don’t worry, it’s gratis.

Need a little help using these adjectives correctly? Check out the ReVerb Spanish page on Twitter  for examples of sentences using these different adjectives.

Podcast: Download (Duration: 5:30 — 5.1MB)

Ver vs. Mirar

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The definitions of these two verbs are clear in any dictionary: VER means “to see” while MIRAR is defined as “to look at” or “to watch”

That may lead some English speakers who are studying Spanish to say things like  “Miro la tele” or “Me gusta mirar películas” in Spanish. This is incorrect. In Spanish, use VER when referring to the act of watching TV, movies or sports.

VER

A Juan le encanta ver los dibujos animados. Juan loves to watch cartoons.

Me gusta ver el tenís. I like to watch tennis.

Of course, VER is also used in the general sense of seeing:

¡Nos vemos pronto! See you soon! (Literally: We see each other soon.)

Anoche el niño vio una fantasma. Last night the boy saw a ghost.

MIRAR

…can also can be translated as “to watch” but more in the context of looking at someone or something with intention. Personally, I prefer the translation “to look at,” that way you avoid any confusion with VER.

Este café es un buen lugar para mirar a la gente. This café is a great place to people watch/to look at people.

¡Oye! ¿Qué miras? ¡¿Tengo monos en la cara?! Hey! What are you looking at?!

No, tranquila. Estoy mirando la araña que trepa por tu hombro. No, calm down. I’m looking at (I’m watching) the spider climbing your shoulder.

“Tener monos en la cara” is a very funny expression used in Spain. Literally, it means “Do I have monkeys on my face?” and it is a testy way of  asking somebody what the heck they are looking at when they are staring at you.

Anyway, regarding MIRAR, it is a bit more literary than VER since it a verb that means to observe or to contemplate. For example, there is a difference in meaning between  “ves las estrellas” and “miras las estrellas.” The first phrase (ves las estrellas) references the general act of seeing the stars. You have eyes so you can see the stars. The second phrase (miras las estrellas) suggests viewing with intention or focus or with great interest. You look at the stars….leading you to contemplate the vastness of the universe….

Visit the ReVerb Spanish page on Twitter for more phrases containing VER or MIRAR. Check the June 15 entries.

Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:19 — 3.1MB)