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Spanish Word Wheel - A Cámara Lenta

A Cámara Lenta - In Slow-Motion

• The video was in slow-motion.

• El vídeo era a cámara lenta.

• It was like watching a car crash in slow-motion.

• Era como ver un accidente a cámara lenta.

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Spanish Documentary # 1- North Korean Defectors In South Korea.

One of the best ways to learn Spanish is by watching documentaries. I always recommend watching short ones [around 15 -30 minutes] and taking notes on vocabulary and grammar.

Here is a short documentary [13 minutes] about the lives of North Korean defectors and their struggle to adapt in South Korea.

Short vocabulary list from the video:

• Corea del Norte - North Korea 🇰🇵

• Norcoreano | Norcoreana - North Korean

• Corea del Sur - South Korea 🇰🇷

• Surcoreano | Surcoreana - South Korean

• Seúl - Seoul [Capital of South Korea]

• La Península Coreana - Korean Peninsula

You can turn on the auto-Spanish subtitles while watching.

Let me know if you guys want more documentary recommendations on this blog. ✌️

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Grammar Notebook - How To Say You “Can’t Stand [Something]” in Spanish

In Spanish, to express that you can’t stand someone or something then you can use the verbs “aguantar” or “soportar”.

For example:

• I can’t stand her.

• No la soporto | aguanto

• I can’t stand people that eat with their mouth open.

• No aguanto | soporto a la gente que come con la boca abierta.

• He couldn’t stand the thought of leaving her.

• No podía soportar | aguantar la idea de dejarla.

Tip: The verbs “aguantar” and “soportar” are very versatile, so this is just one of the many ways to use these verbs. *Also note that soportar is viewed more formally in comparison to aguantar.

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Spanish Phrase Guide - Hecho A Mano

Hecho | Hecha A Mano - Handmade | Made by Hand

• The pots are handmade by artesians.

• Las macetas están hechas a mano por artesanos.

• Everything that you see here is made by hand.

• Todo lo que ve aquí está hecho a mano.

Hacer A Mano - To Do By Hand | To Be Made By Hand

• The shirts are made by hand.

• Las camisas se hacen a mano.

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Spanish Phrase Guide - Saltar De Alegría

Saltar De Alegría - To Jump for Joy 😆

• He was so happy that he jumped for joy.

• Estaba tan feliz que saltó de alegría.

You can also say “dar saltos de alegría” to mean “jump for joy”.

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Spanish Word Wheel - El Estrés

El Estrés - Stress

• My work gives me a lot of stress.

• Mi trabajo me produce mucho estrés.

Estresar - To Cause Stress | To Stress Out

• I don’t want to stress her out with my problems.

• No quiero estresarla con mis problemas.

Estresarse - To Get Stressed | To Become Stressed

• She became stressed when her boyfriend broke up with her without any reason.

• Se estresó cuando su novio rompió con ella sin motivo.

• Math stresses us out.

• Las matemáticas nos estresan.

Desestresarse - To De-stress

• I turn on calming music to destress.

• Pongo música relajante para desestresarme.

Estresante - Stressful

• It is a very stressful situation.

• Es una situación muy estresante.

Los Estresores - Stressors

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Spanish Word Wheel - El Budista

El | La Budista - Buddhist

• The buddhist mediated for two hours.

• El budista meditó durante dos horas.

Buddha - Buda

• I have a Buddha figure in my living room.

• Tengo una figura de buda en mi sala.

Búdica - Buddhist [Adjective]

• The buddhist doctrine…

• La doctrina búdica…

La Budeidad - Buddhahood [Enlightment]

• The path to Buddhahood is arduous.

• El camino a la budeidad es arduo.

El Budismo - Buddhism

• Buddhism is not a religion, but a practice.

• El budismo no es una religión, sino una práctica.

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🇲🇽 Spanish Word Wheel - La Recámara

La Recámara - Bedroom 🛌

• She went to her bedroom.

• Se fue a su recámara.

Explanation: The standard word for “bedroom” is “el cuatro” or “la habitación” for example:

• I want to paint my bedroom.

• Quiero pintar mi cuatro | habitación.

However, in mexican spanish, it is not uncommon to refer to a bedroom as “la recámara”.

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Spanish Word Wheel - El Huracán

El Huracán - Hurricane

• In the eye of the hurricane…

• En el ojo del huracán…

Huracanado | Huracanada - Hurricane-Like

• Hurricane-like winds are expected today…

• Hoy se esperan vientos huracanados…

Explanation: The word “huracanado | huracanada” is an adjective and is often used to describe a weather phenomenon that is similar in strength or intensity to a hurricane. For example:

• Un viento huracanado - A hurricane-like wind [The wind blows as hard as a hurricane]

• Una ráfaga huracanada - A hurricane-like gust of wind

[The gust of wind is as strong like a hurricane]

• Una tormenta huracanada - A hurricane-like storm

[The storm is as strong as a hurricane]

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Spanish Word Wheel - La Veleta

La Veleta - Weather Vane

• The weather vane changed direction.

• La veleta cambió de dirección.

*A weather vane is a revolving pointer to show the direction of the wind.

Ser Un(a) Veleta - To Be A Fickle Person | To Constantly Change One’s Mind

• Marco always changes his mind. He is a weather vane.

• Marco siempre cambia de opinión. Es un veleta.

“Ser un(a) Veleta” is a person who is always changing their mind, their personality, their opinions, etc. The expression has to agree with gender.

I was watching the movie Twister and the weather vane came on the screen and I wondered what they were called in Spanish.

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Grammar Notebook - To “Have [Someone] Worried” In Spanish

You are going to use “tener preocupado/a” to express worry about a situation or someone. Let’s take a look at some examples:

• Her strange behavior has me worried…

• Su extraño comportamiento me tiene preocupada…

• The recent earthquake has scientists worried about a possible tsunami…

• El reciente terremoto tiene a los científicos preocupados por un posible tsunami.

• Julieta had us worried. We thought something terrible happened to her.

• Julieta nos tenía preocupados. Pensábamos que le había pasado algo terrible.

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Spanish Phrase Guide - De La Nada

De La Nada - Out of Nowhere

• The storm appeared out of nowhere.

• La tormenta apareció de la nada.

• I was walking when out of a nowhere a bear came out of the woods.

• Estaba caminado cuando de la nada un oso salió del bosque.

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Spanish Phrase Guide - En Medio De La Nada

En Medio de La Nada - In the Middle of Nowhere

• We live in the middle of nowhere!

• Vivimos en medio de la nada!

• We were lost and in the middle of nowhere.

• Nos estabámos perdidos y en medio de la nada.

• In the middle of nowhere we found an oasis in the desert.

• En medio de la nada encontramos un oasis en el desierto.

Note: You can also say “en el medio de la nada” for “middle of nowhere”. Both are correct, but the one above is perhaps most common.

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Grammar Notebook - How To Say “To Mind [Something]” in Spanish

You are going to use the verb “importar” to suggest that someone “does or does not mind [something]”. Let’s take a look at some examples:

• Do you mind helping me with the boxes?

• Te importaría ayudarme con las cajas?

• She doesn’t mind staying a bit longer.

• No le importa quedarse un poco más.

• Do you guys mind if I sit here?

• Les importa si me siento aquí?

Note: The verb “importar” is versatile in Spanish so this is only ONE of the many different ways to use this verb.

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🇲🇽 Spanish Word Wheel - El Michi

El Michi - Cat 🐈

• Where is the cat?

• Dónde está el michi?

Explanation: There is no exact explanation for this word, but supposedly during the Spanish Conquest the conquistadors would use sounds like “mis, mis, mis” or “mishi, mishi” to call to their cats and the local indigenous people adopted the sound as the word “michi”.

There is another theory that suggest that the word “michi” is a hybrid or a mixed result of indigenous languages that refer to cats. For example, “miztli” in nahuatl, “mixi” in otomí, “miis” in maya, and “miisi” in tarahumara. It is possible these words lead to the creation of “Michi” but once again this is just theory.

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Spanish Word Wheel - El Chocolate 🍫

El Chocolate - Chocolate

• I want chocolate cake.

• Quiero un pastel de chocolate.

El Chocolatero | La Chocolatera - Chocolate Maker [ Chocolatier ] or Someone who sells Chocolate.

• She wants to be a chocolatier when she grows up.

• Quiere ser chocolatera cuando sea mayor.

*Please be aware that “La Chocolatera” can also mean “chocolate pot” that is used to make chocolate.

Chocolatoso | Chocolatosa - Chocolatey

• The cake is very chocolatey.

• El pastel es muy chocolatoso.

La Chocolatería - Chocolate Factory | Chocolate Shop [A shop that specifically sales chocolates]

• The chocolate store is closed.

• La chocolatería está cerrada.

La Chocolatada - A Hot Chocolate Peruvian Christmas Tradition 🇵🇪

In Perú, during the Christmas time communities come together to make hot-chocolate and eat panettone bread. This tradition is particularly meant for underprivileged communities and a way to bring laughter and fun to children in these communities.

If you would like to learn more about this Christmas Peruvian tradition then you can read this article here: https://www.kuodatravel.com/blog/the-chocolatada-a-peruvian-christmas-tradition-that-gives-back/

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Spanish Word Wheel - Miedo Escénico

El Miedo Escénico - Stage Fright

• How can I overcome stage fright?

• Cómo puedo superar el miedo escénico?

• He wants to be a singer, but he has stage fright.

• Quiere ser cantante pero tiene miedo escénico.

Another translation for “stage fright” is “el pánico escénico” - both are correct.

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