How can we express the idea of "maybe" or "perhaps" in Spanish? Although a lo mejor, quizá(s), and tal vez are often used interchangeably, let's take a look at some of the nuances of each as well as exploring some additional options.
Despite its literal translation ("at the best"), the Spanish expression a lo mejor is used colloquially to express the idea of "perhaps" or "maybe." A lo mejor can fall anywhere in a sentence, and the verb that follows it is always conjugated in the indicative rather than the subjunctive. Let's take a look:
He pensado que como tú tienes más experiencia en estos temas,
I've thought that since you have more experience in these matters,
a lo mejor me puedes ayudar.
maybe you can help me.
Captions 7-8, Raquel y Marisa - Español Para Negocios - Nuestro perfil profesional en la red
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Quién sabe,
Who knows?
a lo mejor a partir de ahora confías un poquito más en ella.
Maybe from now on, you'll trust it a little bit more.
Caption 72, Club de las ideas - Intuición
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Tal vez is more typically (but not always) placed at the beginning of a sentence and can be used with either the indicative or the subjunctive.
Tal vez cure el tiempo las heridas
Perhaps time will cure the wounds
que dejaste en mi vida y que marcaste en mi alma
that you left in my life and you marked on my soul
Captions 20-21, Reik - No desaparecerá
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Y ahora, en tiempos de pandemia,
And now, in this period of pandemic,
tal vez es mejor
perhaps it's better
tenerla tapada para cualquier tipo de contacto con otras personas.
to keep it covered for any type of contact with other people.
Captions 80-82, Ana Carolina - Gérmenes
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In the first example, the verb curar (to heal) has been conjugated in the subjunctive, while in the second passage, ser (to be) is in the indicative. Although the use of either the subjunctive or the indicative in a sentence may or may not affect its translation into English, the subjunctive gives the idea of additional doubt. For example, the substitution of the indicative form cura in the first example would convey greater hope on the part of the speaker about the prospect of time healing his wounds whereas the use of the subjunctive form, sea, in the second example would convey less certainty on Ana Carolina's part.
Quizá(s) also tends to fall at the beginning of a sentence and can be used in either the indicative or subjunctive, also depending upon the degree of doubt. Let's look a couple of examples, with the first one in indicative and the second one in subjunctive:
Quizás esa persona ya sabe
Perhaps that person already knows
que en San Sebastián hay tres playas,
that there are three beaches in San Sebastian,
Captions 80-81, Clase Aula Azul - Información con subjuntivo e indicativo
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Este... y... y quizás me atropelle un carro, ¿verdad?
Um... and... and maybe I could be hit by a car, right?
Caption 13, Seva Vive - 5. La historia se da cuenta
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Y tal vez me atropelle un carro, ¿verdad?And maybe I could be hit by a car, right?Y a lo mejor me atropella un carro, ¿verdad?And maybe I could be hit by a car, right?
Note that while the translations for all three sentences are identical, with the substitution of tal vez, the sentence is otherwise unaltered. In order to employ a lo mejor correctly, on the other hand, the sentence's verb must be changed to indicative.
Yet another Spanish expression, puede ser, can also be used in lieu of quizá(s) and tal vez. While this literally means "it can be," alternative translations include "it could be," "it's possible" and even "perhaps" or "maybe."
Probablemente tengas gripe. Puede ser.
You probably have the flu. It's possible.
Captions 21-22, Ariana - Cita médica
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Alternatively, the construction puede ser que employs the subjunctive to introduce a possibility in a similar way to the English idea of "might":
Hasta puede ser que entonces podamos entender a Joan.
We might even be able to then understand Joan.
Caption 55, Con ánimo de lucro - Cortometraje
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Acaso also means "perhaps" or "maybe" and can be used with either the indicative or the subjunctive. Let's see an example with the verb creer (to think) in the indicative mood:
¿O acaso usted cree que las azafatas somos millonarias?
Or maybe you think that we flight attendants are millionaires?
Caption 43, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa - Capítulo 2
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Armed with these possibilities for expressing the idea of "maybe" in Spanish, a lo mejor (perhaps) it's time to say goodbye for the time being. Don't hesitate to contact us with your suggestions and comments.
In one of Yabla's videos, Spanish veterinarian, Jesús López, uses two interesting and very similar words:
Cualquiera puede traer cualquier animal.
Anyone can bring any animal.
Caption 8, Centro de Recuperación de la Fauna Salvaje - Veterinario Jesús López
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The Spanish words, cualquiera (anyone) and cualquier (any), may look very much alike, but their functions happen to be very different. While cualquiera is an indefinite pronoun, cualquier is an indefinite adjective.
For that reason, whenever the adjective, cualquier, is used, it must be accompanied by a noun, e.g. cualquier animal (any animal). Let's take a look at these examples:
En cualquier caso, los datos de España no son nada alentadores.
In any case, the data from Spain is not encouraging at all.
Captions 27-28, 3R - Campaña de reciclaje
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Mira los niños, juegan con globos de cualquier color
Look at the kids, they play with balloons of any color
Caption 9, Café Tacuba - Mediodía
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¿Puede venir cualquier persona aquí? -Sí.
Can any person come here? -Yes.
Caption 5, 75 minutos - Gangas para ricos
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On the other hand, the pronoun, cualquiera (anyone), should not be used to accompany a noun, but rather to substitute it, as cualquiera means "anyone." For example, you can use the pronoun, cualquiera, to substitute the phrase, cualquier persona, in the previous example:
¿Puede venir cualquiera aquí? -Sí.
Can anyone come here? -Yes.
Here is another example containing the pronoun, cualquiera:
No cualquiera podía ser caballero. O sea...
Not just anyone could be a knight. I mean...
Caption 17, Antonio Vargas - Artista - ilustración
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Now, to further complicate the matter, Spanish has a common plural form for both the adjective, cualquier, and the pronoun, cualquiera, which is cualesquiera. Although the use of this plural form for both the adjective and the pronoun is uncommon in everyday speech, let's go ahead and transform the previous examples into their plural forms as an excercise. You will note that their English translations are identical to their singular equivalents.
For the adjective, cualquier:
¿Pueden venir cualesquiera personas aquí? -Sí.*
Can any person come here? -Yes.
For the pronoun, cualquiera:
No cualesquiera podían ser caballeros.
Not just anyone could be a knight.
* As a side note, a shorter version for the adjective, cualesquier, also exists, but this is even less common and can generally only be found in old literature.
Finally, and very interestingly, there is one instance in which the word, cualquiera (and its plural, cualesquiera), can be used as a qualitative adjective meaning "insignificant" or "irrelevant." When used in this manner, the adjective always comes after the noun rather than before it. This use is equivalent to the English expression "any old" or "just any." Let's see an example.
Sólo espera, que hoy no será un día cualquiera
Just wait, because today won't be any old day
Caption 49, Cuarto poder - Aquí no se está jugando
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This adjective is most commonly used in negative phrases:
Este no es un perro cualquiera; es el perro de mi padre.
This is not just any dog. It's my father's dog.
No era un tipo cualquiera; era el jefe de la tribu.
He wasn't just any guy. He was the tribe's chief.
By extension, however unfairly, the expressions, un cualquiera and una cualquiera, can mean "a nobody" and "a prostitute" (or low class or sexually promiscous woman), respectively. You can find an example in our Argentinian telenovela, Muñeca Brava:
Pero a mí no me va a ofender porque yo no soy una cualquiera.
But you're not going to disrespect me because I am not a floozy.
Captions 83-84, Muñeca Brava - 43 La reunión
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This is the end of the lesson. Thank you for reading, and don't forget to send us you comments and suggestions.
In a previous lesson we explored the use of conditional si clauses in questions. Since one of our new videos for the week focuses on the Spanish conditional, we think it's a great opportunity to continue exploring the topic, reviewing a couple of examples where si clauses are used in a more orthodox way.
As you know, conditional si clauses always have two parts: the condition, or si (if) clause, and the followup, which indicates what will happen if the condition is met. In these examples, the subjunctive is used in the si clauses, while the conditional (underlined) is reserved for the followup:
Bueno, si yo fuera tú, hablaría con él.
Well, if I were you, I would speak with him.
Caption 24, El Aula Azul - La Doctora Consejos: Subjuntivo y condicional
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Creo que si fuera consciente me...
I think that if I were paying attention I...
me volvería loca porque es así como muy fuerte.
I would go crazy because it's kind of really intense.
Captions 115-116, Biografía - Natalia Oreiro
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Si tuviera otra oportunidad
If I had another chance
De empezar de cero otra vez,
To start from zero again,
De vivir una nueva vida más
To live one more new life
Yo volvería a repetir
I would repeat
Y volvería a nacer
And would be born again
Captions 2-6, La habitación roja - La segunda oportunidad
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More frequently though, you will hear that speakers use the indicative for both the main clause and the si clause:
Y si le caes mal, es su problema entonces.
And if he doesn't like you, it's his problem then.
Captions 30-31, El Aula Azul - La Doctora Consejos: Subjuntivo y condicional
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It is as if the speaker assumes that the condition has, in fact, been met, and therefore uses the indicative to state both, the si clause and the main clause, as facts. Can you tell how this example would look if we were to use the conditional and the subjunctive instead of the indicative? It would look like this:
Y si le cayeras mal, sería su problema entonces.
And if he didn't like you, that would be his problem then.
Interesting, right? Let's review a few more examples using indicative:
Yo, si me los pongo, lo aguanto.
Me, if I put them on, I deal with it.
Caption 60, 75 minutos - Gangas para ricos
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Así que si quieres me esperas, si no comprendo
So, if you want, you wait for me, if not, I understand
Caption 16, Karamelo Santo - Que no digan nunca
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¡Ay, chicos, si quieren les hago tostadas!
Hey, guys, if you want, I'll make toast for you!
Caption 41, Muñeca Brava - 2 Venganza
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The conditional si (if) is used to express probability, possibility, wonder or conjecture in Spanish. One of the most common ways to use this conjunction is in the so called "si clauses," i.e. conditional sentences that have two parts: the condition, or si clause, and the main clause, which indicates what will happen if the condition of the si clause is met. Here is an example of a si clause in its classic form:
Dicen que si los sueños se cuentan
They say that if you tell your dreams,
después no se cumplen, loco.
then they won't come true, dude.
Caption 43, Muñeca Brava - 41 La Fiesta
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However, the use of si clauses in Spanish is very versatile. Not only are there several types of si clauses, but also several ways to actually use them in real speech. One notable example is the use of si clauses in questions. Let's review some examples:
In one of our newest videos, we hear a member of the Kikiriki crew using a si clause to make a proposal:
¿Y si nos conseguimos un abrigo de piel de jaguar
How about we get a jaguar fur coat
para que él piense que somos primos de él?
so that he thinks that we are cousins of his?
Captions 24-25, Kikirikí - Animales
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The use of the conjunction y (and) before the si clause in this type of question is very common, even when it's posible to get rid of it without altering its meaning:
Another common way to introduce a si clause in this type of question is using the phrase qué tal (how about):
Qué tal si yo me inyecto el pulgar en la boca
Maybe if I stick my thumb into my mouth
Caption 59, Calle 13 - Un Beso de Desayuno
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It's also very common to combine both the conjunction y (and) and the phrase qué tal (how about) to introduce the si clause:
¿Y qué tal si hablo así?
And what about if I speak like this?
Caption 14, Guillermina y Candelario - Una película de terror
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Of course, in the previous two examples, you could perfectly get away with not using the y (and) and qué tal (how about) introductions. But using them would definitely make your speech sound much more like that of a native speaker.
In Spanish, there are even longer phrases that people use in order to introduce a si clause in a question. For example, you can use another question: qué les parece (what do you think):
¿Qué les parece si ahora que se acercan las fiestas navideñas,
Now that the Christmas holidays are coming up,
nos apuntamos a un servicio online... ?
how about signing up for an online service... ?
Captions 29-30, Tecnópolis - Empresas del mar en Almería
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Finally, we want to share an interesting substitution of the conditional si (if) for the word tal (such), which you may hear in Colombia and other South American countries:
Entonces, qué tal que nosotros le llevemos un concierto.
Therefore, how about we take a concert to them.
Caption 14, Festivaliando - Mono Núñez
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¿Y qué tal si continúas aprendiendo español con uno de nuestros nuevos videos? (And how about you continue learning Spanish with one of our new videos?)
Did you hear the news about the US becoming the second biggest Spanish-speaking country? Guess that means we are on the right track, right? Let's keep learning and polishing our Spanish then. As promised, here is a lesson on the use of lo as a direct pronoun. For your reference, our previous lesson on lo used as a neuter article is already up on our site.
Besides being a neuter article, lo is the Spanish neuter direct object pronoun. It's used to replace an idea, situation, or concept (something non-specific or with no gender) that is the direct object of a transitive verb in any given sentence. For most direct objects, Spanish uses either the masculine pronoun (which is also lo, by the way) or the feminine pronoun (la), and their plural forms los, las:
Masculine, singular (el plátano)
Lulú come un plátano → Lulú lo come | Lulú eats a banana → Lulu eats it
Masculine, plural (los plátanos)
Lulú come plátanos → Lulú los come | Lulú eats bananas → Lulu eats them
Feminine, singular (la tortilla)
Lulú hace una tortilla → Lulú la hace | Lulú makes a tortilla → Lulu makes it
Feminine, plural (las tortillas)
Lulú hace tortillas → Lulú las hace | Lulú makes tortillas → Lulu makes them
And this is how you use the neuter direct object pronoun lo:
Lucero dice [que] hoy lloverá → Lucero lo dice
Lucero says today will rain → Lucero says it
Note how in the previous examples lo (usually translated to "it," just as the singular masculine and feminine pronouns) doesn't refer to an object, but to a statement that has been made (about a situation: it will rain). This is by far the most common use of lo as a neuter direct pronoun in Spanish. In the following examples, try to identify the neuter direct object that lo is replacing:
Se murió. Cuando se lo dije, se derritió.
She died. When I told it to her, she melted.
Caption 61, Muñeca Brava - 7 El poema
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Finally, we have said that the neuter pronoun lo is translated as "it," but this is not always the case. Being lo such a useful pronoun (it can be used to substitute anything previously said in a conversation), it has find its way into many common phrases that have a specific way of being expressed in English, for example:
Tú no mataste a Victoria Sirenio.
You didn't kill Victoria Sirenio.
-Eso lo dice usted.
-That's what you say.
Captions 18-19, Yago - 7 Encuentros
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Sometimes the use of lo is equivalent to the use of "that" as a pronoun:
Mira, Roberto, yo te quise como un hijo.
Look, Roberto, I loved you like a son.
Sí, lo sé. -Tú lo sabes. -Sí.
Yes, I know that. -You know that. -Yes.
Captions 9-10, Yago - 7 Encuentros
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Ah, disculpa, no quería incomodarte.
Oh, sorry, I didn't want to make you uncomfortable.
-No, no lo hiciste.
-No, you didn't do that.
Caption 66, Yago - 7 Encuentros
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And sometimes translating lo is not even necessary:
¿Qué vas a hacer?
What are you going to do?
Porque yo no lo sé
Because I don't know
Captions 19-20, Jarabe de Palo - Y ahora qué hacemos
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Si tú vienes con mentiras, eso sí que no lo aguanto yo
If you come with lies, that's something I can't stand
Caption 19, Alberto Barros - Mano a mano
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The word lo can either be used as a neuter article, or as a pronoun. In this lesson we will focus on its use as an article.
Neuter articles are used to express abstract ideas or give extra emphasis to a certain adjective. As a neuter article, lo is the easiest of all the articles as there is only one form: lo. It can be placed in front of just about any adjective that expresses an abstraction or a quality (or extreme degree of quantity), something that's not a concrete object or person.
Here are some phrases that take lo before different types of adjectives:
lo bueno = "the good part, what's good"
lo fácil = "the easy part, what's easy"
lo mío = "(that which is) mine"
lo nuestro = "(that which is) ours"
Lo + adjective can be translated in English as "the" + adjective + the word "thing" or "part":
Y pues, es lo malo de vivir en un país así.
And well, it's the bad thing about living in a country like this.
Caption 68, Amigos D.F. - El secuestrar
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Eso es lo bonito de la gastronomía.
That is the nice thing about gastronomy.
Caption 29, Cómetelo - Crema de brócoli
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In fact, lo + adjective generates the syntactic equivalent of a noun phrase. That's why it's also common to translate it as "what is + adjective." In the previous examples, we would have:
Y pues, es lo malo de vivir en un país así / And well, it's what is bad about living in a country like this.
Eso es lo bonito de la gastronomía / That's what is nice about gastronomy.
The use of lo before a relative clause has a similar effect:
Hay gente que rectifica lo que dice
There are people who correct what they say
Caption 39, Calle 13 - No hay nadie como tú
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Lucio, tengo que contarte que por lo que me adelantó Morena...
Lucio, I have to tell you that from what Morena told me in advance...
Caption 57, Yago - 7 Encuentros - Part 14
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In fact, lo can often be taken to mean roughly la cosa or las cosas:
Hay gente que rectifica lo que dice. → There are people who correct what they say.
Hay gente que rectifica (las cosas) que dice. → There are people who correct (the things) they say.
...por lo que me adelantó Morena. → ...from what Morena told me.
...por (las cosas) que me adelantó Morena. → ...from (the things) that Morena told me.
By the way, lo can be used before a series of adjetives too:
Pero encontrar lo bueno, bonito y barato
But finding the good, [the] nice and [the] cheap
a veces es muy complicado.
is sometimes very complicated.
Captions 2-3, 75 minutos - Gangas para ricos
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Of course, in order to help our subscribers with their learning process, we have made the translation here as parallel as possible. But you already know what would make a more natural translation, right?
→ But finding what's good, nice, and cheap is sometimes complicated.
→ But finding the good, nice, and cheap things is sometimes complicated.
There is yet one more use of lo as a neuter article and it's rather interesting. Lo is used to express the extreme degree or nature of a given concept or idea. Here it's best to review some examples:
¿Es que no eres todo lo feliz que desearías?
Is it that you are not as happy as you would like?
Caption 26, De consumidor a persona - Short Film
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Sometimes this lo equates to using the word “how”:
Si supieras lo mucho que te amo
If you knew how much I love you
Caption 15, Ozomatli - Jardinero
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Porque ves las gradas llenas, eh,
Because you see the packed bleachers, um,
la gente lo bien que se lo pasa con la música.
how much fun the people have with the music.
Captions 11-12, Los Juegos Olímpicos - Adrián Gavira
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¿Pero cómo voy a perder mis maletas de vista
But how am I going to lose sight of my suitcases
con lo grandes que son?
with how big they are?
Captions 29-30, Raquel - Avisos de Megafonía
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Read more about the use of the neuter gender here.
Let's continue our lesson on llevar (to take, to carry) and traer (to bring).
We have said that the verb llevar (to bring) expresses that something or someone has (or contains) something:
¿Quién es el que ha hecho el arroz?
Who is the one who has made the rice?
¿Qué lleva el arroz, Manolo?
What does the rice have in it, Manolo?
Captions 21-22, 75 minutos - Del campo a la mesa - Part 12
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The previous example could have used the verb haber (to have): ¿Qué hay en el arroz, Manolo?, or the verb tener (to have, to be): ¿Qué tiene el arroz, Manolo?
This is not the only way llevar can be used instead of haber or tener. For example, it can replace tener when it's used to express the duration of time:
Yo ya llevo veintitrés años aquí ya.
I have already been here for twenty-three years now.
Caption 65, 75 minutos - Del campo a la mesa - Part 18
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Compare to: Yo ya he estado veintitrés años aquí and yo ya tengo veintitrés años (which mean exactly the same).
The construction llevar + gerund is also very popular in Spanish. It's used to indicate how much time you are 'carrying' under your belt (so to speak) performing a given action:
¿Cuánto tiempo llevan intentando vender el piso?
How long have you been trying to sell the apartment?
Caption 51, 75 minutos - Gangas para ricos - Part 12
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Compare to: ¿Cuánto tiempo han estado intentando vender el piso? and ¿Cuánto tiempo tienen intentando vender el piso? (which mean exactly the same).
El caso es que llevo esperando
The issue is that I have been waiting
un rato en la puerta de embarque B siete.
for a while at the boarding gate B seven.
Caption 37, Raquel - Avisos de Megafonía
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Equivalent expressions are: He estado esperando un rato, and Tengo esperando un rato.
Llevar is also used in the expression para llevar, which means "to go" or "takeout":
¿Y aquí, antes qué había?
And here, what was there before?
Aquí había unas comidas para llevar.
There were some takeout places here.
Captions 7-8, 75 minutos - Gangas para ricos - Part 10
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The expression llevarse con alguien means to get along with someone, either badly or well:
Mi amiga María se lleva muy bien con mi amigo Alberto.
My friend Maria gets along very well with my friend Alberto.
Caption 10, El Aula Azul - Mis Amigos
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No se lleva muy bien con Aldo, Lucio.
Lucio doesn't get along very well with Aldo.
Caption 7, Yago - 6 Mentiras
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Check out too: Me llevo mal con mi jefe | I get along badly with my boss.
In Mexico, the expression llevarse con alguien, means to treat someone in a overfamiliar, playful, usually disrespectful way. There is even a saying that goes, El que se lleva se aguanta. Literally, it means something like "One who plays the game must endure it," similar to the English expressions "If you play with fire, you will get burned," and "If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen."
Curiously, the verb traer (to bring) is used in a similar expression: traerla con alguien, or traerla contra alguien, which means to "hold a grudge," or "to have a certain animosity toward somebody:"
¿Por qué la trae con nosotros?
Why does he hold a grudge against us?
Caption 23, El Ausente - Acto 3
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The expression ¿Qué te traes? (What's up with you?) could be used in different situations with different purposes:
He notado tu tristeza estos días. ¿Qué te traes?
I've noticed your sadness these days. What's up with you?
¿Tú qué te traes? ¿Quieres pelea?
What's up with you? Do you want a fight?
¿Qué se traen ustedes dos? ¿ Qué están tramado?
What are you two up to? What are you planning?
Llevar (to take) and traer (to bring) are very similar verbs. Both refer to the action of moving objects from one location to another. Llevar is used when an object is being taken to a place other than where the person who is talking is. On the other hand, traer is used when an object is being transported towards the speaker. It sounds pretty straightforward, right? Well, it is, but deciding when to use llevar or traer in context is sometimes tricky. That's because in many cases there is only a subtle difference of meaning between these two verbs, and because both are used in many idiomatic expressions, and, finally, because in some cases they can be used as synonyms.
So let's start with the basic difference between llevar (to take) and traer (to bring). When Luciana and Julia save Valente from being beaten to death by some thugs, Luciana says:
Ayúdame, vamos a llevarlo a mi casa.
Help me. We are going to take him to my house.
Caption 3, El Ausente - Acto 2
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But when Guillermina finds that her Grandpa has fallen into a pit, she says:
Ya sé, abuelo.
I know, Grandfather.
Voy a traer la red de pescar para intentar subirte.
I'm going to bring the fishing net to try to get you up.
Captions 34-35, Guillermina y Candelario - Una película de terror
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When the direction of the movement is being stated in the phrase, it's possible to use traer or llevar to express the same idea, with just a subtle difference in meaning. In the next caption, we included "traer/to bring" between parentheses so you can compare:
Trabajan duramente
They work hard
para llevar el producto del campo a la mesa.
to take the produce from the field to the table.
Captions 5-6, 75 minutos - Del campo a la mesa Part 1
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Note that the only difference between the two options is the perspective from which the person is talking. With llevar, the person's perspective is from the field; with traer, the person's perspective is from the table.
You should also remember that llevar and traer are both transitive verbs, so they will always be accompanied by a direct object, or direct pronoun. If we add to that the inclusion of indirect objects or indirect pronouns, the many possible ways to combine all these elements can be a real challenge. We suggest you study the rules on how to correctly place and combine all these pronouns. You may also like to check out your conjugation tables, especially for traer, since it's an irregular verb. Study these examples too:
Julio trae el dinero para Raquel. | Julio lo trae para Raquel. | Él lo trae para Raquel. | Él se lo trae.
Julio brings the money to Raquel. | Julio brings it to Raquel. | He brings it to Raquel. | He brings it to her.
No olvides llevar el carro a mamá. | No olvides llevarlo a mamá. | No olvides llevárselo. | ¡Llévaselo!
Don't forget to take the car to mom | Don't forget to take it to mom. | Don't forget to take it to her. | Take it to her!
Now, for the good part: both llevar and traer are used figuratively in so many expressions that we are going to need a second part of this lesson to explore them. Let's just see a couple now.
Llevar and traer are used to express that something or someone has, contains, or wears something:
En español, todas las palabras tienen una sílaba fuerte.
In Spanish, all the words have a strong syllable.
Y muchas de ellas llevan tilde.
And many of them have a written accent.
Captions 50-51, Fundamentos del Español - 1 - El Alfabeto
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Me gusta llevar faldas normalmente, sobre todo en invierno.
I like to wear skirts usually, especially in winter.
Captions 6-7, El Aula Azul - Actividades Diarias
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It's also correct to say Me gusta traer faldas ("I like to wear skirts"). Check out this one:
Por eso traen pantalones.
That's why they wear pants.
Captions 47-48, El Ausente - Acto 2
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You will find llevar and traer meaning "to have" or "to contain" when talking about food or recipes:
Le pusimos una pancetita y lleva pollo.
We put in some bacon and it has chicken.
Caption 92, 75 minutos - Del campo a la mesa Part 9
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Le quitamos la posible arenita que pueda traer.
We remove the possible bit of sand that it might have.
Caption 68, Cómetelo - Crema de brócoli
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We'll stop here to leave some for Part 2. Thanks for reading!
The verb andar usually conveys meanings related to movement. Depending on the context, it can mean "to walk," "to work," or even "to ride." However, the verb andar is also used to talk about actions that are more often expressed with the verb estar (to be). Let's see how all this works.
First, andar means "to walk":
Si tienes unas piernas fuertes y ganas de andar,
If you have some strong legs and feel like walking,
te lo recomiendo mucho.
I highly recommend it to you.
Captions 102-103, Blanca - Cómo moverse en Barcelona
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It can also be used to express movement, in which case it's better translated as "to go" or even "to ride":
Y por dondequiera que ando, tu recuerdo va conmigo.
And wherever I go, your memory goes with me.
Captions 16-17, El Ausente - Acto 1
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Yo ando en bici y tú andas en motocicleta.
I ride a bike and you ride a motorcycle.
When you use it to refer to the functioning of a machine or any sort of gadget, andar means "to work":
La lavadora no anda. | El carro anda bien. | La bicicleta no anda.
The washing machine doesn't work. | The car works well. | The bicycle doesn't work.
Spanish speakers also use the verb andar instead of the verb estar (to be). For example:
Me ha gustado, pues, el arte del circo, entonces por eso ando aquí.
I have liked, well, the circus arts, so that's why I'm here.
Caption 4, Circo Infantil de Nicaragua - Learning the Trade
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¿Dónde anduviste hoy?
Where have you been today?
Caption 9, Yago - 1 La llegada
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(Notice andar conjugates as tener (to have). Don't say "andé"!)
It can be used to express the state of being of a person, or an affair:
Tío, ¿qué pasa, hombre, cómo andas?
Pal, what's up, guy? How are you?
Caption 65, Animales en familia - La operación de Yaki
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Es que, bueno, las cosas, bueno... no andan bien.
The thing is that, well, things, well... are not going well.
Caption 21, Muñeca Brava - 8 Trampas
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Ando cansado. | Ella anda un poco triste últimamente.
I am tired. / I am feeling tired. | She has been a bit sad lately.
It is common to use andar for a state of being you have been feeling for some time and to use it with adverbs such as “lately” or “these days.”
Andar can replace estar when used as an auxiliary verb too:
Ando buscando un dormitorio más. (could also be: Estoy buscando un dormitorio más)
I'm looking for one more bedroom.
Caption 18, 75 minutos - Gangas para ricos - Part 12
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To say estar buscando and andar buscando is really the same. You hear Spanish speakers using them interchangeably all the time. If anything, using andar just adds a sense of vagueness or indetermination to the action. That's why it's commonly used to make estimations, for example:
Y ahora andarán sobre los, eh...
And now they would be about, um...
tres mil ochocientos, cuatro mil.
three thousand eight hundred, four thousand.
Captions 46-47, 75 minutos - Gangas para ricos - Part 13
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Here is another example:
¿Cómo explicarte lo que ando pensando? (could also be estoy pensando)
How to explain to you what I'm thinking?
Caption 2, Los Tetas - Como Quisiera Decirte
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So, while estoy pensando means "I'm thinking (right now)," ando pensando means "I'm thinking (right now but also maybe before that)." Again, in this context, both verbs mean exactly the same.
¿Cómo andan con sus estudios de español? Drop us a line when you have the time at support@yabla.com. Thanks for reading!
The expression haber de followed by an infinitive verb usually means "to have to," "to be necessary," or "to be supposed to." This phrase is similar to tener que or haber que, but it expresses a much weaker and often vague sense of obligation. Haber de can and is used in normal speech, but is more likely found in literature and song lyrics.
In one of her videos, Raquel uses haber de to explain how to open a bank account:
Siempre hemos de asistir personalmente a la entidad bancaria
We should always go personally to the banking entity
para poder realizar la firma de todos los documentos originales.
to be able to do the signing of all the original documents.
Captions 13-14, Raquel - Abrir una cuenta bancaria
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You can also find the expression in Muñeca Brava's musical theme, sung by Natalia Oreiro:
Que la suerte sea suerte y no algo que no he de alcanzar
So that luck becomes luck and not something that I can't reach
Caption 4, Muñeca Brava - 1 Piloto
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Also, in our Mexican movie, El Ausente we hear Valente Rojas daringly say:
En un minuto nací y en menos he de morir.
In one minute I was born and in less [than that] I shall die.
Captions 8-9, El Ausente - Acto 4
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Since haber de expresses a milder sense of obligation or necessity, it's perfect to make a polite recommendation; it's less imposing than tener que or haber que:
Lo primero que has de hacer al reservar en un restaurante es:
The first thing that you have to do upon reserving at a restaurant is:
Saludar.
To greet [the people there].
Captions 3-4, Raquel - Reserva de Restaurante
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In the previous example, Raquel could have also said: Lo primero que tienes de hacer or Lo primero que hay que hacer (Remember that haber que is only used with the impersonal form of the verb haber: hay (present) or hubo (past).) Haber de is simply more polite, even poetic.
Finally, you should know that haber de is sometimes used to express possibility, for example to make a supposition:
Tal vez ha de haber sido...
Maybe it must have been...
un intento de mi parte por...
an attempt on my part to...
conceptualizar... a... la sociedad norteamericana, ¿verdad?
conceptualize... the... American society, right?
Captions 24-26, Arturo Vega - Entrevista
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¡Deben de haber aprendido mucho con esta lección! Thanks for reading!
The use of the orthographic accent on Spanish words such as qué (what), cómo (how), and cuánto/s (how much/many) usually indicates that those words are part of an interrogative or exclamatory sentence. The following examples review how to use qué, cómo, and cuánto as exclamatory words.
Qué can be used right in front of nouns, adverbs, and adjectives. It means "how" or "what a." In our newest episode of Muñeca Brava, Mili uses qué with an adjective when she talks about the Christmas party:
¿Viste todos los regalos? ¡Qué linda! -Sí, estuvo estupenda.
Did you see all the presents? How lovely! -Yes, it was great.
Caption 2, Muñeca Brava - 30 Revelaciones
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Qué can also be combined with an adverb to express surprise about the way an action was done:
¡Qué bueno he sido pa' ti Y qué mal te estás portando!
How good I've been for you And how badly you're behaving!
Captions 17-18, 75 minutos - Del campo a la mesa
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Qué can also be placed in front of a noun:
¡Ay, qué espanto! ¡Y pensar que el hombre ese estaba en mi cama!
What a scare! And to think that man was in my bed!
Caption 4, Muñeca Brava - 18 - La Apuesta
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Cuánto (how much) can be used in front of nouns and verbs. When used with a noun, this exclamatory word must agree in gender and number:
¡Cuántos frijoles hubiéramos hecho!
How many beans we would have produced!
Caption 28, Con ánimo de lucro - Cortometraje
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When cuánto is accompanied by a verb, we always use the masculine, singular form. If a direct object pronoun is required, we must place it between the two words:
¡Ay, no sabes cuánto lo lamento!
Oh, you don't know how much I regret it!
Caption 17, Muñeca Brava - 7 El poema
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Finally, the exclamatory cómo is used in front of verbs. This example requires the use of a reflexive pronoun (me), which is also placed between the two words:
¡Guau, cómo me gustan esos hobbies!
Wow, how I like those hobbies!
Caption 38, Karla e Isabel - Nuestros hobbies
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We hope you have enjoyed this brief review on exclamatory words.
Ir ("to go") is a challenging verb, not only because it's an irregular verb but also because it's used in many idiomatic expressions. Equally challenging is the verb irse ("to leave"), which is formed by adding a reflexive pronoun to ir. Some people, in fact, consider ir and irse as two different verbs, while others think of them as the same verb with an alternative reflexive form that alters its meaning. Examples of similar verbs are dormir ("to sleep") and dormirse ("to fall asleep"), caer ("to fall") and caerse ("to abruptly fall"), poner ("to put") and ponerse ("to put on"). The meanings of ir ("to go") and irse ("to leave"), however, are especially different, and people often have trouble distinguishing when to use them.
Ir ("to go") does not use a direct object and focuses on the destination, using prepositions such as a, hacia, and hasta ("to") to indicate where the person is going. You can see two examples (one conjugated and one in the infinitive form) here:
¿Quieres ir a la fiesta? | Do you want to go to the party?
Las niñas fueron al concierto temprano | The girls went to the concert early.
On the other hand, irse ("to leave") focuses the action on the starting point, so it uses prepositions such as de or desde ("from") to express the act of leaving. Note the difference in meaning of the examples if we substitute ir for irse:
¿Quieres irte de la fiesta? | You want to leave the party?
Las niñas se fueron del concierto (desde) temprano | The girls left the concert early.
Now, there is a particular expression that uses the verb irse that has nothing to do with what we have discussed here so far. It is a special construction that links irse directly with another verb in the gerund form (-ndo). These types of constructions are called linked verbs, and while they may use an infinitive or a gerund as the second verb, they all link the verbs without any punctuation or conjunction between them. In particular the irse + gerund construction is used to express the start or continuation of a process. Some examples are below. Pay especial attention to how irse remains in the infinitive form but changes its ending (the reflexive pronoun) to match the subject:
Los niños deben irse preparando para el examen.
The kids must start preparing for the exam.
Yo no quiero irme enamorando de ti.
I don't want to start falling in love with you.
Tú decidiste irte vistiendo mientras me escuchabas.
You decided to start dressing up while listening to me.
The verb irse can be used in the infinitive form, like in the examples above, but it can also be conjugated:
Dejamos el pan ahí fuera, y se va...
We leave the bread there out, and it starts...
se va poniendo blandengue, blandengue.
it starts getting soft, soft.
Captions 9-10, Cómetelo - Crema de brócoli
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The holidays are always a great opportunity to practice the que + subjunctive construction, which is one of the most common (and shortest) ways to express hope and good wishes in Spanish. This particular construction is very interesting because it involves the omission of the main verb, usually desear ("to wish"), but also querer ("to want"), esperar ("to hope for"), and others followed by the subjunctive. The result of doing this is a short phrase that is practical and meaningful. So, instead of saying deseo que te diviertas ("I wish you have fun") you can simply say ¡que te diviertas! ("[I wish] you have fun") which is more likely what a native speaker would use in a casual conversation.
Since this particular construction is used to express wishes or hopes to someone right on the spot, it makes use of the present tense and the present subjunctive. The main omitted verb desear ("to wish") is in the present tense: yo deseo ("I wish"). Therefore the action that you are wishing to happen must be expressed, after the conjunction que ("that"), in the present subjunctive: te alivies ("you get well"). The condensed resulting phrase is then: ¡Que te alivies! ("[I wish] you get well"), which we may as well just translate as "Get well!" Let's see more examples.
Mexicans use this construction a lot to wish you well while saying goodbye:
Hasta luego, nos vemos y... que se la pasen bien.
See you later, see you and... hope you guys have a good time.
Caption 59, La Banda Chilanguense - El habla de México
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Argentinians also like to use it:
Chau, que le vaya bien, chau.
Bye, have a good day, bye.
Captions 38-39, Muñeca Brava - 9 Engaños
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You can wish someone all sorts of good things using this construction, like to have a good night:
Bueno, yo también me retiro,
Well, I will also retire,
que tengan muy buenas noches. -Buenas noches.
good night to you all. -Good night.
Captions 98-99, Muñeca Brava - 43 La reunión
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Or simply to enjoy something:
Eso es todo, gracias.
That's all, thank you.
Que disfruten de, del folklore de Puerto Rico.
Enjoy the, the folklore of Puerto Rico.
Captions 31-32, Baile Folklórico de Puerto Rico - Los Bailarines
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Or to wish someone a nice Christmas:
¡Que tengas una feliz Navidad!
I wish you (have) a merry Christmas!
Soler is an auxiliary verb, so you will always see it combined with another verb. It's used to indicate that an action is done on a regular basis. The only equivalent expression in English is "used to," which can only refer to the past tense, while the Spanish soler can be conjugated in several tenses. Of course, just as in English, Spanish has many adverbs that can be used to convey the same idea: usualmente ("usually"), regularmente ("regularly"), habitualmente ("habitually"), and so on, but the use of soler is much more common in casual conversation.
When using soler you must remember to always use proper syntax: you have to conjugate soler (the auxiliary verb) and then add the infinitive form of the main verb. English has a similar construction in the past tense (used + infinitive). Let's see some examples right away. And remember: if you see them highlighted in blue and you have an active subscription to Yabla Spanish, you can click on the link to watch the video containing the caption.
Después, suelo* lavarme los dientes en el baño,
After that, I usually brush my teeth in the bathroom,
y después desayuno.
and then have breakfast.
Captions 3-4, El Aula Azul - Actividades Diarias
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[*Suelo happens to be also a noun that means "floor"]
If we were to use an adverb to express the same idea, the construction would be different. Notice how the main reflexive verb lavarse changes because it needs to be conjugated:
Después, usualmente me lavo los dientes en el baño, y después desayuno.;p
After that, I usually brush my teeth in the bathroom, and then have breakfast.
In this example, Xóchitl conjugates the verb soler in the present tense (third person plural: nosotros) and leaves the main verb hacer ("to do") in the infinitive form, as per the rule:
... actividades que solemos hacer, eh, o festejar,
... activities that we usually do, um, or celebrate,
cada mes o cada año.
each month or each year.
Caption 10, Xóchitl - Vida en Monterrey
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But here, the band Pericos is talking about an action in the past, so the verb soler is conjugated accordingly:
Qué gano o qué pierdo yo así solías pensar
What do I gain or what do I lose that's how you used to think
Caption 17, Los Pericos - Fácil de Engañar
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Here is a combo (see, in green, a super literal English translation)
Después de comer, solemos echar la siesta
After eating, we usually take a nap
y mi padre suele ver la televisión.
and my father usually watches TV.
Captions 20-21, El Aula Azul - Actividades Diarias
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It is also quite common to combine the use of soler with an adverb reiterating the same meaning. So don't be too surprised if you see something like this:
Usualmente suelo ir al parque los domingos.
I usually go to the park on Sunday.
*Note that some strong language is discussed, so sensitive readers may wish to skip this lesson.
When something is importante (important), people usually care about it. In Spanish, the simplest way to say that one doesn’t care about something is to negate the verb importar (to care), as Victoria does when Federico asks her how she's feeling:
Que ya no me importa nada, Federico.
That I don't care about anything now, Federico.
Caption 20, Muñeca Brava - 41 La Fiesta - Part 4
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However, it’s possible—and very common—to use the verb importar without negation to express a lack of caring. The trick is to add to me importa (or me interesa) to a noun that conveys the idea of something of negligible value. Comino, pepino, cacahuate, and bledo are a few examples of such nouns. Let’s learn how to actually use them.
Semillas de comino (cumin seeds) are so minuscule that they are close to nothing:
Perdés el tiempo, querido. Absolutamente.
You're wasting your time, darling. Absolutely.
Porque me interesa un comino su candidatura.
Because I don't give a damn about his nomination.
Captions 39-40, Muñeca Brava - 41 La Fiesta - Part 5
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Using pepino (cucumber) or cacahuate (peanut) is also very common:
¡Se lo dije al mayordomo, me importa un pepino!
I told the butler, I don't give a damn!
Caption 30, Muñeca Brava - 7 El poema
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Another common word to use is bledo, or pigweed. For the Spanish, this plant, although edible, was considered flavorless. They brought the expression over with them to Latin America (where in fact the plant and its seeds have been consumed since pre-Hispanic times, for their nutritional and medicinal properties).
¡Me importan un bledo los quinientos mangos!
I couldn't care less about the five hundred bucks!
Caption 35, Muñeca Brava - 8 Trampas
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If you want to add extra emphasis you can use the interjection carajo ("damn" or "hell").
¿Y a vos qué carajo te importa?
And to you, what the hell does it matter?
Caption 20, Yago - 2 El puma
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In fact, you can use any bad word you can come up with. That includes all the really vulgar ones, but here are two examples that are not so offensive:
¿A mí qué diablos me importa su vida?
What the hell does your life matter to me?
Caption 6, El Ausente - Acto 2
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Y no por ellos que me importan un diablo.
And not because of them who don't matter a damn to me.
Caption 4, El Ausente - Acto 3
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Finally, we want to introduce you to a curious expression: me vale. It’s only used in Mexico and it’s interesting because it’s quite contradictory. While its literal meaning would be something like “I care” it actually means the exact opposite. This happens because, in Mexico, the verb valer (to be worth) can replace the verb importar (to care) in phrases such as the ones mentioned before. So me vale un pepino, me vale un comino, etc. are all very common. At some point, Mexicans just shortened these phrases to me vale:
Después de eso me vale si muero
After that I don't care if I die
Caption 32, Los Originales de San Juan - Ojala La Vida Me Alcance
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The common—and very contradictory—Mexican phrase me vale madres belongs to this group. It means “I don’t give a damn about it!” but its literal meaning is something like “It’s worth what my mother is worth to me.” Quite puzzling, right? Especially given the proverbial Mexican affection for their mothers!
We hope you have enjoyed this lesson!
Did you watch our video about Spanish negation? In it, Marta explains that to make a negative sentence in Spanish, you basically need to place the word no before the verb in any given sentence, like this one from our animated friend Guillermina:
No quería que jugáramos con nuestros juguetes.
She didn't want us to play with our toys.
Caption 49, Guillermina y Candelario - El mundo de los juguetes perdidos
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By combining the word no with the word ni (nor) you can negate more than one idea:
Porque sin ti no me importan los minutos ni los días
Because without you I don't care about minutes or days
Caption 8, Belinda - Bella Traición
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As in English, you can use ni (nor) as many times as you want:
No te conoce el toro ni la higuera,
The bull does not know you, nor the fig tree,
ni caballos ni hormigas de tu casa.
nor the horses, nor the ants at your house.
Captions 4-5, Acercándonos a la Literatura - García Lorca - Alma ausente
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There are some other negative words in Spanish: nada (nothing), nadie (nobody), jamás (never), nunca (never), and tampoco (neither). How are these negative words used in Spanish? You place them right before the verb:
Mira, nunca me vayas a olvidar
Look, never forget me
Caption 24, Alberto Barros - Mano a mano
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You can also combine these words with the word no. In this case you should use no before the verb and the additional negative after it:
Porque en el campo no hay nadie. -Claro.
Because there is nobody in the field. -Of course.
Caption 19, 75 minutos - Del campo a la mesa
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As you can see, this leads us to probably the most interesting thing about negation in Spanish: the fact that double and triple negatives are very common:
No me gusta deberle nada a nadie.
I don't like to owe anything to anyone.
Caption 12, El Ausente Acto 2 - Part 5
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Notice how in the previous quote the English translation uses the negative “don’t” first, and then the affirmative “anything” and “anyone” instead of “nothing” and “nobody” (which are the literal equivalent to nada and nadie). This is so because formal written English doesn’t use double negation. By contrast, the general rule in Spanish is not to mix negative and affirmative words in the same sentence. See for example:
Yo no pido nada más
I don't ask for anything else
Caption 14, Enrique Iglesias Alguien soy yo
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Where Spanish uses two consecutive negatives (no and nada), English uses one negative (don't) and one affirmative (anything). Saying "Yo no pido algo más" or "Yo pido nada más" in Spanish is similar to saying “I don’t ask for nothing else” in English.
Mi nombre es Crista Pérez...
My name is Crista Perez...
y soy estudiante de economía.
and I am a student of economics.
Captions 1-2, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana - Crista Pérez
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Mi nombre es David del Valle.
My name is David del Valle.
Tengo veintiún años y soy estudiante de negocios internacionales.
I'm twenty-one years old and I'm a student of international business.
Captions 1-2, Amigos D.F. - Consejos para la calle
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Yo ya sé que Andrea es una tonta por estar celosa de una sirvienta.
I know that Andrea is silly for being jealous of a maid.
Caption 54, Muñeca Brava - 41 La Fiesta
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The same is true for nouns for roles or professions that end in a: el/la contrabandista (the smuggler), el/la policía (the police officer), el/la turista (the tourist), el/la baterista (the drummer), el/la artista (the artist). Notice how both circus artist Francisco Javier and Colombian TV star Natalia Oreiro refer to themselves as artista, but change the article based on their respective genders.
Sí, tú sabes que con el tiempo uno llega a ser un artista completo.
Yes, you know that with time you become a complete artist.
Caption 26, Circo Infantil de Nicaragua - Learning the Trade
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...porque yo ya me creía una artista de verdad.
...since I believed myself to be a real artist.
Caption 75, Biografía - Natalia Oreiro
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Welcome to our very basic lesson about gender in Spanish. How can we tell the gender of nouns in Spanish? Let’s look at the most general rule: Words that end in "a" are feminine, while those that end in "o" are masculine. Pretty easy, huh? Let's look at some examples:
Y la casa es súper bonita.
And the house is super nice.
Caption 86, Blanca y Mariona - Vida en general
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Since the word casa is a feminine noun, the speaker uses the definite feminine article la before the noun. Let's see another one:
El libro es tan bueno
The book is as good
Caption 21, Karla e Isabel - Comparativos
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In this case, the speaker uses the definite masculine article el before the masculine noun libro. By the way, please feel free to check our beginner-level lesson about definite and indefinite articles in Spanish grammar.
The unfortunate thing, however, is that this simple rule is not always true, as our friend Arume proves when she correctly says "el tema" (the topic) and not "la tema," which would be incorrect.
Y bueno ahí surge ya el tema de tengo novio, no tengo novio.
And well, that's when the topic of whether you have a boyfriend or not comes up.
Caption 75, Arume - La Vida Escolar
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Furthermore, in the first installment of our series on Andalusian farmers, "Del Campo a la Mesa," the eldest picker illustrates another exception when he says, correctly, "las manos" (the hands):
Pa' ganar cincuenta euros tienes que mover mucho las manos.
To be able to earn fifty Euros, you have to move the hands a lot.
Caption 29, 75 minutos - Del campo a la mesa
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And it's not just such exceptions but also some rules that can complicate the situation. For example, do you know why the Mexican band Café Tacuba’s lead singer says "el agua," using the masculine article "el" (the) instead of the feminine article "la" (the)?
El agua derramada está
The water is already spilled
Caption 17, Café Tacuba - Volver a comenzar
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It’s not because agua is a masculine noun but rather because of a rule in Spanish that states that any feminine noun that begins with a stressed "a" should take the masculine articles (el and un) in its singular form in order to facilitate pronunciation (by avoiding two "a" sounds in a row). This is similar to the manner in which the indefinite article "a" in English changes to "an" before vowels.
You will note, however, that this rule does not apply to the plural forms, which maintain their feminine articles (which end in "s" rather than "a" and thus don't pose the same pronunciation challenge):
Ellos vinieron aquí, a las aguas de la Charca Larga,
They came here, to the waters of Long Pond,
y había muchos seres extraños.
and there were many strange beings.
Captions 42-43, Salvando el planeta Palabra - Llegada
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And, in cases in which the "a" sound is unstressed, the rule doesn't apply, either:
La aceituna que yo he recogido está aquí.
The olive[s] that I have harvested [are] here.
Caption 19, 75 minutos - Del campo a la mesa
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In conclusion, let’s just say that native Spanish speakers learn the gender of words by hearing and using them constantly in real situations and not by memorizing exceptions or wondering whether the word tristeza (sadness) feels more masculine or feminine. That said, the more we immerse ourselves in authentic Spanish, the more we, as learners, can begin to “intuitively” know the gender of nouns that we frequently encounter, including those that don’t follow the common pattern.
In any case, if you feel ready to explore some of the rules and exceptions of gender in Spanish, we invite you to take a look at our lesson about the gender of inanimate objects in Spanish. We hope that this brief introduction to gender in Spanish was useful, and please feel free to send us your suggestions and comments.
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