#Learning Spanish

[er-cryptid]

Astronomy (Spanish)

estrella = star

sol = sun

luna = moon

constelación = constellation

galaxia = galaxy

satélite = satellite

astrónomo = astronomer

telescopio = telescope

cometa = comet

cinturón de asteroides = asteroid belt

planeta = planet

espacio = space

globo celeste = celestial globe

Vía Láctea = Milky Way

planetario = planetarium

nebuloso = nebula

asteroide = asteroid

nova = nova

año luz = light year

supernova = supernova

agujero negro = black hole

.

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[spanishskulduggery]

Daily Spanish Vocabulary - verbs edition

involucrar = to involve, to have to do with

garabatear = to scribble, to scrawl, to doodle [sometimes it's garrapatear but in my experience it's usually garabatear]

avisar = to warn / to inform

borrar = to erase, to delete, to wipe away

yuxtaponer = to juxtapose

amenazar = to threaten

yacer = "to lie on" / to be located [most often said of places or geography, like la ciudad yace en un cruce "the city lies on a crossroads", or it can be a fancy way of saying "lie down"... it generally tends to be a bit more literary but is like "rests upon" or "is situated on"]

cavar = to dig

excavar = to dig up [lit. "dig out"]

socavar = to undermine [lit. "dig under"]

gestionar = to manage, to arrange, to run (a business) [la gestión is another word for "management" usually in a business sense]

acabar = to carry out, to finish acabar(se) = for something to run out [like se acaba el tiempo "time is running out"] acabar de (hacer algo) = to have (just) done something [in the sense of recently] acabar con (algo/alguien) = to get rid of / to put an end to [with people it usually implies "killing" like "to finish off"]

brotar = to break out, to arise / to sprout [can be used as plants, but also un brote is "an outbreak" either of things like diseases or even pimples, or it could be when something "appears" or "happens" like an "appearance"]

jurar = to swear (an oath), to promise, to vow

unir = to join, to unite unirse = to join together, to merge

reunir = to gather together, to gather up reunirse = to meet up (people), to have a meeting

aumentar = to increase

disminuir = to decrease, to diminish

crecer = to grow, to rise, to expand / to wax (the moon) crecer(se) = to grow up

menguar = to diminish, to wane [in general and also the moon], to ebb

cerrar = to close cerrar con llave = to lock [lit. "to close with (a) key"] cerrar a cal y canto = to block up, to seal completely [a cal y canto sometimes a calicanto refers to something like brick and mortar; it's literally "lime(stone) and (brick) stone" for building materials but it means "to brick up" in a literal sense - in euphemisms it means "to seal off completely", calicanto usually refers to a brick wall or stonework]

desmoronar(se) = to collapse, to come crumbling down

eligir = to choose, to elect (someone)

desencadenar(se) = to unleash, to be unleashed [lit. "to unchain"; can be used in the sense of "to be unleashed" the dramatic way... it also can literally mean "to take off someone's chains"]

trasnochar = to stay up late, to not sleep / "to stay out all night" [sometimes "to pull an all-nighter"]

apretar = to squeeze

soplar = to blow air / for air or wind to blow

imprimir = to print

firmar = to sign

agitar = to shake / to agitate [not in terms of shaking hands (which is usually darse la mano "to give each other one's hand) - this is "to shake" like shaking a drink]

temblar = to tremble, to shudder, to shake [can also be "to shake" in the context of earthquakes]

encender = to light / to turn on (electronics)

apagar = to extinguish / to turn off (electronics)

hostigar = to plague, to annoy, to bother, to harass

enredar = to tangle, to entangle

derrotar = to defeat

rugir = to roar, to bellow, to boom

caducar = to expire, to no longer be valid

agregar = to add añadir = to add

congelar = to freeze

descongelar = to unfreeze / to thaw

equivocarse = to be wrong, to be mistaken

salpicar = to splash

enterrar = to bury

desterrar = to banish, to exile

aterrizar = to land [usually said of flying things, like birds, planes or helicopters since it is literally "to-earth" - can also be "to touch down (on the ground)"]

brillar = to shine

contar = to count / to recount, to tell a story contar con algo/alguien = to trust in something/someone, to rely on

alquilar = to rent

sangrar(se) / desangrar(se) = to bleed / to bleed out / "to bleed dry"

blandir = to wield, to brandish

reproducir = to reproduce / to play back (audio)

derramar = to spill, to spill out / to hemorrhage [you will also see derramar sangre which is "to shed/spill blood"]

quebrar = to break, to smash

torcer = to twist / to sprain (a body part)

retorcer(se) = to warp, to become twisted / to writhe [as in wood becoming "warped" after rain etc, or for the truth to be "twisted"]

abrazar(se) = to hug

abrasar = to roast, to scorch, to raze

derrumbar = to knock down, to destroy derrumbarse = (for something/someone) to collapse or break down

masticar = to chew

saludar = to greet / to salute [also understood as "waving at someone", but still technically "greeting"]

despedir = to fire (someone from a job) [it's also another word for "to give off" or "emit", but you're usually seeing this in a job setting as "to fire" or "to sack"]

despedirse (de) = to stay goodbye to, to bid farewell

arrojar = to throw, to toss

lanzar = to launch [in the sense of projectiles like launching rockets or missiles, and also "to launch (a program)" both in marketing and in TV]

podar = to trim, to prune (trees/vegetation) [usually vegetation but some people use it figuratively as "to get rid of" or "to trim off"]

amortiguar = to muffle / to cushion, "to soften the blow"

rezar = to pray

espantar = to frighten, to scare / "to scare away" [as in el espantapájaros is "scarecrow" - or lit. "scares-birds", espantar can be used in this way to mean "to ward off" in some cases]

ahuyentar = to ward off, to chase off

huir = to flee, to run away

cosechar = to harvest, to reap

velar = to stay up, to stay awake / to keep vigil / to watch over, to keep vigil over velar(se) = to shroud / to wear a veil [two separate etymologies here deriving from la vela - the first one is la vela that comes from "vigil" so it can be both to stay awake or to guard, this version is also related to la vela that means "candle", and because of that la vela can also be "sleepless" or "wakefulness", and duermevela means "fitful sleep" or "light sleep", meaning "a wakeful sleep".......... the second vela is related to "sail of a ship" or "vellum" material, where it meant cloth or a piece of fabric; that's where you get el velo "veil" and el velorio "shroud"

[lrninglnguage]

“Y” vs. “E” in Spanish

I just learned (quite literally) that the word "e" exists in Spanish like in Portuguese (meaning "and") and I was a little surprised because I thought Spanish only used "y". But although they are used for the same reasons (as connectives) they have different uses.

You see, you generally really use "y" to connect words. However, there is an exception! When the word that follows starts with an "i" sound, then we use "e", even if the word starts with a "h" (which is silent in Spanish). For example:

Padre e hijo

Español e inglés

Julieta dijo que su hermano es sucio e inmoral.

Él era donante de pulmón e hígado.

But why does this happen? Well, since the conjugation "y" is pronounced like “i”, if we used it with another word that also starts with an "i", then it would sound awkward or unclear, because the sounds would merge like “iinmoral” ou “iígado”. So we use "E".

But! There's an exception to the exception: if the word start with an “hia”, “hie” ou “hio”, we use the conjugation "y". Some examples:

La piedra está limpia y hialina.

Es un tiempo de fuego y hielo.

Atropina y hioscina son alcaloides.

Note: In “tú y yo,” we use “y” because “yo” starts with a “y” sound, not an “i” sound.

[nonstopfandomposts]

Spanish comprehensible input for beginners-

(On a scale of absolute to intermediate beginner)

Muzzy in gondoland (spanish)- old, really weird. But you will learn if you watch it. Introductions, numbers, basic vocab. Very easy.

Mi vida loca BBC- more phrases than vocab. A little tougher

Señor wooly music- has a ton of free stuff on his yt that's really good. Fan made student covers fill in the gaps in his content after he pay walled some of it. You can buy a website subscription but it's expensive

Dreaming spanish- a gold mine of stories and vlogs for people of all levels, especially beginners.

Bluey in spanish- I mean, need I say more? It's really good. Ccs in spanish too, for Latin American or castillian spanish.

Spanish after hours- LAURA MI AMOR this woman genuinely seems like the nicest person. Posts mostly in spanish but has some good explanation videos in English that will really help boost your vocab. Has videos for absolute beginners, intermediate learners, and advanced learners. She's amazing. She also has authentic conversations sometimes with people.

[oediex]

(Languages taken from the top 10 foreign languages learned on Duolingo in 2024.)

I would like to bring your attention to two fundraisers that are near and dear to my heart.

@elhamhamdan-gaza is a young woman trying to survive in Gaza with her family. She was a top student at university until October 2023, when she and her family were displaced from their home in Khan Younis and forced to flee to Rafah. After the invasion in Rafah, they returned to their home in Khan Younis only to find it burned. They had no choice but to live in it. Elham and her family desperately need funds for blankets and clothes, because winter is here and nights in Gaza are very cold right now.

Elham's campaign is very low on funds! So far they have only been able to raise £594 and they desperately need more support. Please donate to them if you are able, and share this post and campaign with as many people as you can.

This campaign was verified by the Butterfly Effect Project (instagram) and is number 1180 on their spreadsheet, which you can access through the link on their instagram profile.

You can contribute to Elham's campaign by clicking on the link below:

Secondly, @drdarine is a young woman who is a medical student in Gaza. Despite being displaced and suffering hardships we can only imagine, Darine is continuing her studies and helping out others in the refugee camps and shelters in southern Gaza. Her family consists of seven people, one of them being my friend @dawoudi who is selflessly and unfailingly helping many other families in Gaza by verifying their fundraisers and promoting them on Tumblr. Everyday I see more campaigns added that he has verified, providing an important service to the many families in Gaza that need our help.

Darine's family has been fundraising since February, which is almost ten months! Despite that, they have only been able to raise $5,765, 19% of their goal. Progress on their campaign is extremely slow, often needing to wait multiple days for another donation to come in. We can do better than that.

This campaign was vetted by @gazavetters, and is number 15 on their spreadsheet, which you can find in the pinned post on their profile.

You can contribute to Darine's campaign by clicking on the link below:

Please support these fundraisers! Thank you!

Tagging for reach, let me know if you want me not to tag you in the future

@commissions4aid-international @funds4gaza @a-shade-of-blue @dlxxv-vetted-donations @kyra45-helping-others

@northgazaupdates2 @bilal-salah0 @imjustheretotrytohelp @devilofthepit @ankle-beez

@lukewarm-lesbian @wellwaterhysteria @appsa @qattdraws @laughteronsilverwings

@felixander-official @nabulsi @mukkie @oursapphirestars @fruitwoodmac

@comrademango @sunflowersmoths @mindchalice @battleteacake @girlinafairytale

[bones-in-my-computer]

I think I've just given myself permission to consider myself fluent in spanish. I've been at that point for a while now where I know enough to just be able to read books in the language and have conversations with people (once I get past the anxiety of starting them), but I'm also aware of how much I don't know, so I've been hesitant to tell people that I am fluent.

However. I was just writing an essay. For a class. In English. My first language. And I had not one but two Spanish Events. The first one I went to use a word and decided to look it up to make sure I was using it right. And when I look it up, it's not even an english word. (bad event as a productive student. good event as a language learner) And the second event was even more blatant. I was writing a sentence and the word I wanted was just obviously a spanish verb. That I then typed into google to get the best english synonym for the context.

Y'all, I think I'm doing it.

[ghirahimbo]

quick plug for the Spanish Boost YouTube account if you're a beginner/intermediate Spanish learner looking for comprehensible input (slow, easier to follow speech). I've mostly been watching the Minecraft videos so far (eyeing the Stardew Valley series 👀) but they've been just about perfect for my learning level, and it's fun because it's the kind of stuff I'd be watching on YouTube anyway

[vivicantstudy]

these methods are what are helping me the most to learn spanish:

1. Label Your Household Items: Place labels with Spanish names on objects around your home. This constant exposure helps reinforce vocabulary in a practical context.

2. Create a “Spanish Only” Zone: Designate a specific area or time each day where you only use Spanish. This could be a room or a period during which you read, watch TV, or speak only in Spanish.

3. Use a Spaced Repetition System (SRS) for Vocabulary: Instead of traditional flashcards, use an SRS app to review words and phrases at increasing intervals. This method helps improve long-term retention of vocabulary.

4. Write a Diary in Spanish: Keep a daily journal in Spanish. This practice helps you think in the language and improve writing skills while reflecting on your day.

5. Sing Along with Spanish Music: Choose songs in Spanish and sing along, paying attention to the lyrics. This helps with pronunciation, rhythm, and understanding colloquial expressions.

6. Learn Through Role-Playing: Act out scenarios in Spanish, such as ordering food in a restaurant or asking for directions. This method helps you practice practical language use in a fun and interactive way.

Important: Methods can change depending on what works for you, so try everything you can. Methods can also turn out to be less effective as you gain more knowledge.

obs: Spanish is my priority right now because I’m no longer learning it as a hobby but as a necessity. You are free to correct me.

[jaychrilo1144]

GUYS I HAVE HACKED THE SYSTEM

I am trying to seriously learn Spanish because I’m going to visit my grandpa and my (step) grandma (and aunt and uncle) in Spain next year. I took Spanish from middle school to the end of Highschool (6 yrs) but let’s be real, American education is… what it is. Needless to say I have a good understanding of what I’m reading and hearing, but I really struggle with forming sentences verbally and thinking in it really. It’s hard enough talking in English as an English speaker XD

Anyway. I’m trying to learn seriously and I have tried so many methods and haven’t gotten much of anywhere. My grandparents came to visit this past week for the first time in years and she gave me tips that helped her learn English.

I started rewatching some of the shows I’ve seen a million times but now in Spanish with Spanish subtitles not English like I have been trying.

I’ve started Duolingo again…. Even though it could be better, it’s just what she wanted me to use lol

I have a version of the philosophers stone in Spanish ( I bought off of a used book site cuz ain’t no way my money is going where it shouldn’t) and tried translating that. Only thing is, being in the hP and marauders fandom has made me… well…. Abandon cannon on the regular. Good to honor, good to know the basics, butttttt where are my gays? So staying focused was difficult.

THEN I HAD A MOMENT OF GENIUS

I’ve read all the young dudes probably twice in the past six months, so I decided to reread out loud (key word out loud) in Spanish, in the kindle app, and fill in the note margins of new words, ways to phrase different sentences, highlighting phrases I’d use on the daily. I’m in chapter 3 now and this has to be my BEST IDEA YET!!!

Idk how I’m gonna go to my grandma next year and tell her I learned Spanish by reading wolfstar fanfiction….. gurls gotta do what a gurls gotta do

I’ll probably annotate the philosophers stone book too so I have something to show but like…. I feel so smart right now.

I’ll give a yr update later on XD.

(Side note- if anyone who speaks Spanish or another language has any recommendations on how I can learn better, let me know! ☺️)

[adhd-languages]

Keeping up your Languages when you’re Busy

Confession: I’ve been slacking on Japanese recently because my life has been so hectic recently. So here are some of the ways I’ve been trying to keep it in my brain when I can’t dedicate a lot of time to studying.

CHANGE YOUR PHONE LANGUAGE

This applies to computers as well! This is the easiest way to ensure you see at least some of your target language every day. It’s good for any level, even beginners.

If you haven’t already done this, do it now. I understand that some things are important and you need to be sure you understand them — in that case, you can always change individual apps to have different languages, just look up the app name in settings.

Podcasts/Music

Find some podcasts in your target language and listen to them before bed, during your commute, whatever. There are lots of podcasts made specifically for learners, or you can look up topics in your target language to find a podcast you might enjoy.

Music is also an amazing way to hear your target language being used. If you find an artist you like, that’s another good way to study your TL! Follow them on socials, look up interviews with them, etc.

Talk to Yourself

Any spare minute you have, talk to yourself in your target language. It doesn’t need to be out loud. You can have a conversation with yourself, try to express how you’re feeling, make up stories, or just describe the things around you in your target language. This is also a good way to see what kind of vocabulary you’re missing.

Apps

Duolingo has fired a ton of translators and started using crappy AI translations — so they’re probably not the best choice.

I’d recommend dictionary app that has some sort of flash card feature is also good, or an anki deck. Drops is good, and has a lot of languages, but keep in mind you’ll need audio. Anything that’s easy to get out and do for even just a few minutes is perfect.

Apps won’t teach you a language on their own, but doing a little every day helps remind me the language exists and keeps it in my mind.

Texting/Writing/Posting

Whether your friends know your TL or not, force them to experience it by randomly messaging in Japanese! Or, if you feel fancy, download an app like “HelloTalk”, “Tandem”, “Speaky”, “Tabee”…there are a lot.

If you keep a digital journal (like I do…inconsistently), try to write some entries in your TL.

If you have a blog, which I assume you do, post in your TL. Even if you’re a beginner, you can make a sideblog dedicated to saying stuff like “I’m hungry” and “Green is my favourite colour” in your target language.

Open your notes app and just write random words you can remember or sentences you can string together.

I know it’s really difficult, and don’t beat yourself up because you aren’t studying as hard. A language can be a lifelong companion — you’ll have phases of studying constantly, and sometimes it’ll take the back seat, but there’s no rush to learn it. Have a great day :)!

[clever-ludicrous]

I haven’t been really active lately but I came across something I wanted to share.

It’s a free language learning app called Lingo Legend, and I’m honestly a bit surprised by how much I’m enjoying it.

It’s basically just a vocab game where you’re a farmhand. The game is split between working on your farm and going on adventures.

You can choose what theme of vocab — though it doesn’t seem to be possible to put in your own — and set the pace you wish to play. There’s a daily energy limit, which you can refill by watching ads but there are no ad interruptions.

Supported languages are:

French, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, Dutch, German, Italian and Portuguese.

Maybe I’m just late to the party and everyone already knows about it but I rarely see it talked about.

[er-cryptid]

Common Verbs (Spanish)

Abrir = to open

Asister a = to attend

Aprender = to learn

Ayudar = to help

Bailar = to dance

Buscar = to look for

Caminar = to walk

Comer = to eat

Comprar = to buy

Comprender = to understand

Creer = to believe

Deber = to owe

Decidir = to decide

Descansar = to rest

Desear = to wish

Enseñar = to teach

Escribir = to write

Escuchar = to listen

Estudiar = to study

Hablar = to speak

Leer = to read

Llegar = to arrive

Mandar = to send

Mirar = to look at, to watch

Practicar = to practice, to play

Preparar = to prepare

Recibir = to receive

Regresar = to return

Tomar = to drink, to take

Trabajar = to work

Vender = to sell

Ver = to see

Viajar = to travel

Visitar = to visit

Vivir = to live

.

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[spanishskulduggery]

Have you noticed that Spanish speakers usually shorten PARA TO PA and merge 3 or 4 words in to one, for example, ES PARA MI HIJA becomes ESPAMIJA, I suppose that you could call this Street Spanish, does anyone have more examples of this sort of language?

Oh yes, that's pretty common. It's the closest thing to a "contraction" that you'll see in Spanish

[by that I mean in English our contractions have apostrophes like "wasn't", "can't", "isn't", "won't"]

para turns to pa or sometimes it's pa'

The joke is something like una pa mí y una paella "one for me" and then pa ella "for her" vs. the food paella

You'll sometimes see para nada "not at all" turn into pa na or pa ná because the nada gets shortened too

There's also por which can get shortened to po [especially in Chile po' is quite common] - you'll also, or sometimes pos which is somewhere between pues and por supuesto

[something else I've heard is that some accents turn words that end in -uego to -ogo... like juego can sound like "jogo", fuego to "fogo", luego to "logo"... not sure if that's a contraction or just the accent]

...

The really basic one is mijo/a which is from mi hijo/a "my child"

But another really common thing you'll see is that words ending in -ado/a will sometimes have the D sound disappear so you end up hearing a lot of "ao" sounds

And especially in the Caribbean you'll hear tol día for todo el día "all day"

-

Oh and this was extremely common (I think it still is), but

¿Ontas?

ontas is fuckboy Spanish for ¿dónde estás? "where are you?" but in fuckboy lingo it means "you up?"

Like the joke is if you hear ontas someone's trying to hook up with you

-

The boring standard answer is that there are two to know

The first is that in older Spanish, vos used to be the way to politely address someone - we're talking Medieval to like 19th century - and they used the vosotros form, so kings/queens would address other dignitaries this way, this was how you spoke to nobles etc. A lot of fairy tales would use this form, and this is before it became less formal

The standard term of address was Vuestra Merced which was like "Your Grace" for someone you didn't really know their title, kind of "your lordship/ladyship"

Over time Vuestra Merced turned into Usted

...

The second one is grammatical which you probably know but -

When you deal with a or de + a masculine noun with a definite article, you will use al or del because the vowels merge

... a + el + banco turns to al banco "to the bank", and de + el + mundo is del mundo "of the world"

This is especially something you need to know for indirect objects; al profesor le gusta "the professor likes", or al hombre no le importa "the man doesn't care"

There's no changes for feminine nouns; a la biblioteca "to the library" or de la mujer "of/from the woman"

[andhumanslovedstories]

Does anyone have advice for getting over the embarrassment of speaking a language you aren’t good at with other people? I’ve studied Spanish, I know a little bit of Spanish, I am trying to learn more Spanish specifically for healthcare providers, but when I’m faced with an actual primarily Spanish speaking patient at my job, I get so nervous and tongue tied I’m like “maybe ‘buenos noches actually means I’m gonna kill you with morphine….i better stick entirely to English.” I know it’s the embarrassment! I don’t wanna sound stupid! And because so many of my patients understand a little English, I can usually muddle thru basic conversations relying on them. Which sucks! I feel bad about that! I’m like “I don’t want to talk in a language I’m not fluent in, so I’ll make them talk in a language I’m not fluent in.”

Also to be clear, this is all for stuff like “do you need the bathroom” or “do you want a pepsi from the kitchen.” I will always use an interpreter for anything more complicated than basic needs. But it’s a pain in the ass to use the interpreter ipad, and no one likes it, including the patients. It’d be nice to use it less and to be able to have more of a rapport with my patients. The foundation of my whole nursing practice is casual small talk with patients to learn more about them and their needs, and my Spanish speaking patients don’t get that.

(Neither do my patients who speak Russian or Taishanese or Vietnamese or but like. I don’t expect myself to learn every language in the world. Right now I just want to learn the language I theoretically kinda learned.)

I’ve been really working on pushing myself to try to speak more Spanish, at least a little bit, but I just have this mental block that I can’t push thru. It’s like all the social anxiety I’ve learned to otherwise cope with or moved on from settled entirely in my insecurity about my language skills. It’s nuts. Then I feel guilty about it which makes the block bigger which I feel guilty about, do you see the pattern here. Has anyone have any advice or resources? Not just for learning the language—I would also really appreciate those—but specifically dealing with this language embarrassment?

[readings-in-the-dark]

28.06.2024

imagine how i managed to get a tarot client from a spanish lesson? we were asked to introduce ourselves and the teacher asked what I did for a living and I was like "How does one officially say that they read tarot cards for people?" lol

it's very literal, by the way - "Leo las cartas del Tarot"

we had a small talk about our professions and then one of my classmates asked if i had whatsapp or something so she could get a reading! i hope that this inspires you to just "do the thing" because this wouldn't have happened if i didn't bully myself into buying the spanish lessons!

what i did today 📤:

gym session with my sister (1.5hr)

bought new skincare products bc i'm breaking out again

ancestral reading for a new client

spanish revision + input (1hr)

duolingo (15min and 488 day streak)

currently listening 🎧 : las calles de mi ciudad by Bilbao