Do you know the word lo in Spanish? You may have learned lo as a direct object pronoun, in which case it typically replaces a singular, masculine noun to mean "him" or "it." The focus of today's lesson, however, will be two common Spanish phrases with lo that learners of the language sometimes confuse: lo que and lo de. Let's find out how they differ!
Lo que in Spanish is a neuter relative pronoun whose most common translations are "what," "which," "that which," or "the thing that." It is always followed by a conjugated verb and refers either to some concept, idea, or situation within the sentence or serves to add additional information about something that has been previously mentioned in it. Let's see some examples.
Ahora lo que vamos a hacer es dar un gran paseo por la playa
What we're going to do now is take a long walk along the beach
Caption 5, Amaya Mi camper van
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Marcela, ¿estás segura que esto es lo que quieres?
Marcela, are you sure that this is what you want?
Caption 1, Confidencial: Asesino al Volante Capítulo 1 - Part 2
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Solamente Estados Unidos produce setecientos treinta y cinco kilos de desechos por persona y año, lo que equivale a dos kilogramos diarios por persona y día.
Just the United States produces seven hundred thirty-five kilos of waste per person per year, which is equivalent to two kilograms daily per person per day.
Captions 14-17, 3R Campaña de reciclaje - Part 1
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In contrast to lo que, lo de can be followed by various parts of speech such as infinitive verbs, nouns, etc. While a formal translation for lo de might be "the matter concerning," it roughly corresponds to such English phrases as "the thing about" or "the ... thing," with possible additional implications depending upon the context. Let's look at some captions that include it.
¿Ya sabe lo de Casas y Cata?
Do you know the thing about Casas and Cata yet?
Caption 62, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 8 - Part 1
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Porque nos dices que es, eh... haces también lo de las motos, ¿no? -Sí.
Because you say to us that it's, um... you also do the motorcycle thing, right? -Yes.
Caption 16, Rueda de la muerte Parte 2
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Primero que nada, pedirte perdón por lo de ayer.
First of all, to apologize for [what happened] yesterday.
Caption 12, Confidencial: Asesino al Volante Capítulo 5 - Part 4
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Note that, in this last example, since the speaker is apologizing to the listener for something they both know happened, the implication could vary depending upon what it was, e.g., for "what happened," "what I did/said," etc.
With that said, we hope that this lesson has helped you to learn the difference between the Spanish expressions lo que and lo de. If you want to learn more expressions that include the word lo in Spanish, we recommend this one on the formula lo + adjective. In the meantime, don't forget to write us with any questions or suggestions.
If you are wondering how to say "How are you?" in Spanish, the standard, casual way of doing so is: ¿Cómo estás? However, there are many more ways to say "How are you?" in Spanish, and this lesson will cover many of the most common.
As we just mentioned, ¿Cómo estás? is the best-known, informal way of saying "How are you?" in Spanish. But, how do you say "How are you?" in formal Spanish? In that case, you will need to address the other person using the formal form of "you," usted:
¿Cómo está usted?
How are you?
Caption 25, Cleer y Lida Saludar en español
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That said, as there are many ways to say "you" in Spanish, let's take a look at how to say "How are you?" in Spanish with the forms of estar (to be) that correspond to each of the additional subject pronouns that mean "you": vos (singular, informal "you" in certain regions), vosotros/as (informal plural "you" in Spain), and ustedes (the prevalent plural "you" in most countries).
Bien. ¿Cómo estás vos?
Fine. How are you?
Caption 30, Muñeca Brava 18 - La Apuesta - Part 6
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Note that while the verb conjugations for vos and tú typically differ, in the case of estar, they are exactly the same.
¿Cómo estáis?
How are you?
Caption 3, Isabel Lavesa Dibujo en acuarela
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Hola, amigos de Yabla. ¿Cómo están?
Hello, friends of Yabla. How are you?
Captions 1-2, María Fernanda Mascarilla de aguacate
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You may have noticed that the subject pronoun (vos) is only explicitly stated in the first of the three examples since doing so is optional in Spanish, where specific verb conjugations usually let us know who is being addressed or spoken about.
Just like in English you can use alternatives such as "How's it going?" "What's up?" "What's going on?" etc., there are a plethora of more slangy ways to say "How are you?" in Spanish. Let's look at several.
The English translations for ¿Qué tal? range from "How are you?" to "How's it going?" and "What's up?" Let's hear it in action:
Por ejemplo, si yo digo: ¿Qué tal?
For example, if I say: How's it going?
Caption 2, Curso de español ¿Qué tal? Ni bien ni mal...
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As a side note, although bien (well) and mal (poorly) are typical answers to this question, the video ¿Qué tal? Ni bien ni mal will give you several ways to say you're somewhere in between.
While ¿Qué hay? could be used to literally ask "What is there?" or "What's available?" it can also be used to ask someone "What's up?" or "What's going on?"
¿Qué hay, amigo?
What's up, friend
You might also hear the following variation:
¿Qué hay de nuevo, compadre?
What's new, buddy?
And, if you want to sound like a true Colombian, you can try this alternative version of ¿Qué hay? with the verb haber in the preterite tense instead of the present tense (literally meaning "What was there?"). Notice the slangy spelling/pronunciation variation in the second example.
"Ey, ¿qué hubo pues, paisa? ¿Todo bien o qué, hombre?"
"Hey, what's up, buddy? [Is] everything good or what, man?"
Caption 16, Español en las calles Varias expresiones
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¿Quiubo, quiubo, linda? ¿Cómo vas?
What's up, what's up, beautiful? How are you?
Caption 3, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa Capítulo 4 - Part 8
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As you might have noticed, the last example above contained yet another way to say "How are you?" in Spanish: ¿Cómo vas?
Another option for saying "How are you?" in Spanish, "¿Cómo te va?" might also be translated as "How's it going for you?" Of course, you should use the appropriate indirect object pronoun (te, le, les, or os) to correspond to the form of "you" you're intending, or just omit it entirely and just say ¿Cómo va? (How's it going?). Let's hear a couple of examples:
¿Y cómo te va?
And how are you?
Caption 38, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 8 - Part 1
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¿Cómo les va?
How is it going for you?
Caption 4, Misión Chef 1 La selección - Part 3
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Now, let's hear a straightforward Spanish translation of the English phrase "How's everything going?"
¿Cómo va todo?
How's everything going?
Caption 18, Festivaliando Mono Núñez - Part 13
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"¿Cómo van las cosas?" is a similar expression that literally means "How are things going?"
The verb andar, which literally means "to walk," appears in the common expression "¿Cómo andas?" which can be heard in many countries but is particularly common in Argentina (with vos, of course!).
En Argentina, saludamos así: "Hola, che. ¿Cómo andás? ¿Todo bien?"
In Argentina, we greet [people] like this: "Hello, hey. How's it going? [Is] everything good?"
Caption 10, Español en las calles Varias expresiones
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As you can see in the last example, "todo bien?" is an additional manner of asking someone how they are and is the equivalent of such English expressions as "All good?" "Is everything OK?" or even "How's it going?"
One of the best-known ways to say "What's going on?" in Spanish is, of course, "¿Qué pasa?" This phrase can be employed to ask "what's going on" with someone in a general sense, or to inquire about a particular situation.
¿Qué pasa?
What's going on?
Caption 1, Extr@: Extra en español Ep. 3 - Sam aprende a ligar - Part 2
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Our final "How are you?" in Spanish equivalent for today is "¿Qué (me) cuentas?" which literally means, "What do you tell (me)?" but serves as another manner of asking someone "What's new?" You may hear it either with or without the me.
And these are just a handful of the many, less formal ways to say "How are you?" in Spanish, which vary widely between regions and individuals. Are you familiar with any others? How do you say "How are you?" in Spanish? Let us know with your suggestions and comments!
Do you know how to introduce yourself in Spanish? With just a few key words and phrases, you can feel comfortable doing so in no time!
We can break up introducing yourself in Spanish into a few key categories that correspond to how we would introduce ourselves in English. Let's take a look:
Like in English, you would often begin introducing yourself in Spanish by saying hello to the person:
¡Hola!
Hello!
Caption 66, 75 minutos Del campo a la mesa - Part 16
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This might stand alone or go with some other very common greetings in Spanish:
¡Buenos días!
Good morning!
Caption 2, Amaya La historia de Lukas
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Note that in some countries, like Argentina, it is more common to hear the singular version, Buen día. If it's later in the day (from about noon to sunset), you'd more likely hear Buenas tardes (Good afternoon/evening):
Buenas tardes.
Good afternoon.
Caption 31, Cita médica La cita médica de Cleer - Part 1
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And later than that, you might hear Buenas noches (literally "good night"). Note that in contrast to "Good night" in English, Buenas noches can be used as a greeting rather than just to send someone off to bed or say goodbye. That said, "Good evening" might be a more appropriate translation in that context.
Muy buenas noches, bienvenida. -Hola, buenas noches.
Good evening, welcome. -Hello, good evening.
Caption 32, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa Capítulo 5 - Part 2
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Again as in English, when introducing yourself in Spanish, it is common to ask the person with whom you are speaking how they are. As there are many ways to do this, we'll give you a just a few options.
¿Cómo está usted?
How are you?
Caption 25, Cleer y Lida Saludar en español
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Of course, because there are several ways to say "you" in Spanish (usted is the singular, more formal form), this phrase might be adjusted to "¿Cómo estás tú?" or "¿Cómo estás vos?" to address one person informally. And while there are additional ways to say "you" to more than one person in Spanish, for the purposes of today's lesson, we will stick to the singular forms. Let's see another way to say "How are you?"
¿Y cómo te va?
And how are you?
Caption 38, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 8 - Part 1
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The more formal alternative with usted would be: "¿Y cómo le va (a usted)?" However, regardless of the formality of the situation or to how many people you are speaking, you can always use the following simple phrase:
Hola, ¿qué tal?
Hello, how are you?
Caption 1, Amaya Apertura del refugio
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As the person to whom you are speaking will most likely respond by asking you how you are, we should give you some common answers to the aforementioned questions. Let's start with an answer to "¿Cómo está(s)?"
Muy bien, ¿y tú?
Very well, and you?
Caption 17, Español para principiantes Saludos y encuentros
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If you are addressing one another with usted, you would instead say "¿y usted?"
In contrast, if someone asks you '¿Cómo te/le va?" you might answer: "Bien, ¿y a ti?" or "Bien, ¿y a usted?"
Although bien (well) or muy bien (very well) are by far the most common ways to answer the question of how you are, particularly when meeting someone for the first time, if you are interested in learning more about ways to say you are just OK, we recommend this lesson entitled ¿Qué tal? Ni bien ni mal (How Are You? Neither Good Nor Bad).
Now that we have gotten some formalities out of the way, it's time to say your name! Here are three common ways to do so:
Yo me llamo Lida.
My name is Lida.
Caption 12, Cleer y Lida Saludar en español
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Mi nombre es Diego Velázquez.
My name is Diego Velázquez.
Caption 9, Adícora, Venezuela Los fisioterapeutas
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Hola, yo soy Cleer.
Hello, I'm Cleer.
Caption 1, Recetas de cocina Arepas colombianas
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And now, the moment has arrived to ask the other person their name:
¿Y cómo te llamas tú?
And, what's your name?
Caption 11, Cleer y Lida Saludar en español
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¿Cómo se llama usted?
What is your name?
Caption 97, 75 minutos Del campo a la mesa - Part 10
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¿Cuál es tu nombre?
What's your name?
Caption 10, Cleer y Lida Llegando a una nueva ciudad
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The usted form is: "¿Cuál es su nombre?"
When introducing yourself in Spanish, as in English, you should probably say something along the lines of "Nice to meet you." Here are several options:
Mucho gusto, Samuel.
Nice to meet you, Samuel.
Caption 29, Conversaciones en el parque Cap. 3: ¿De quién es esta mochila?
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Un placer, Mónica,
A pleasure, Monica,
Caption 3, Escribiendo un libro Algunos consejos sobre cómo comenzar - Part 1
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Hola, guapa. -Hola. -Encantada. -Encantada de conocerte.
Hello, beautiful. -Hello. -[A] pleasure. -[A] pleasure to meet you.
Caption 8, 75 minutos Gangas para ricos - Part 2
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And, if someone says one of those things to you, you might respond by saying "Igualmente" or "Yo también" (Me too).
Hola Cristóbal, encantada. -Igualmente.
Hello, Cristobal. Pleased [to meet you]. -Me too.
Caption 35, 75 minutos Del campo a la mesa - Part 2
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If you'd like to hear many of these phrases in the context of both informal and formal conversations, we recommend the video Saludar en español (Greeting in Spanish). We hope you have enjoyed this lesson on how to introduce yourself in Spanish, and don't forget to leave us your suggestions and comments.
As the old song goes, "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," in any language! That said, as there are an abundance of ways to describe the concept of "breaking up" in a relationship in Spanish, we thought we'd introduce you to several, many of which are featured in videos from our Yabla Spanish library.
Interestingly, many common verbs with different meanings in everyday use can also mean "to break up" in Spanish in certain contexts. The way one chooses to speak about "breaking up" in Spanish will depend upon both regional tendencies and personal preference. Let's take a look at some of them:
Starting with an example from our lesson on the verb acabar, literally meaning "to finish with," acabar con is one manner of saying "to break up" in Spanish:
Pienso acabar con mi novio.
I'm planning to break up with my boyfriend.
The Spanish verb terminar also means "to finish," but it can also mean "to break up." So, naturally, terminar a alguien (literally "to finish someone") means "to break up with" that person. We encounter these expressions a lot in Colombian series like Los Años Maravillosos and Confidencial: El rey de la estafa:
Van a terminar.
They're going to break up.
Caption 64, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 8
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Andrea, Andrea, no me diga que es en serio
Andrea, Andrea, don't tell me it's serious
que usted me va a terminar.
that you're going to break up with me.
Caption 47, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa - Capítulo 3
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Literally meaning "to cut" or "cut off," cortar is yet another Spanish verb used to speak about "breaking up" with someone:
No está enamorado de Andrea
He's not in love with Andrea
y no sabe cómo cortarla.
and doesn't know how to break up with her.
Caption 89, Muñeca Brava - 48 - Soluciones
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The Spanish verb dejar means "to leave." Let's look at an example where the verb dejar in the preterite tense has been translated as "broke up with":
Salía con un chico,
She was dating a guy,
pero la dejó hace dos semanas.
but he broke up with her two weeks ago.
Captions 54-55, El Aula Azul - La Doctora Consejos: Subjuntivo y persona ideal
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Although this sentence may alternatively have been translated as "he left her two weeks ago," the English expression "to leave someone" is arguably used more commonly to talk about abandoning a longer-term relationship. So, in this context, where someone appears to have been dating someone for a shorter time, "to break up with" serves as a viable translation for the verb dejar.
Although the Spanish verb pelearse typically means "to fight," "have an argument," or even "come to blows with," in certain countries like Argentina, it can also mean "to break up":
More, vos acabas de pelearte con Tomás,
More [Morena], you just broke up with Tomas,
Caption 49, Yago - 10 Enfrentamientos
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That said, should you hear se pelearon (literally "they fought") or están peleados (they're in a fight), additional clarification may be required. While in certain regions or contexts, these two utterances might simply describe people "in a fight" or "mad at each other," in others, they can mean "they broke up," "split up," or "are broken up" temporarily.
6. Romper con
The verb romper in Spanish can mean to "to break," as in an object, but when combined with the preposition con (with), it can additionally mean "to break up":
Ella rompió con su novio hace dos semanas.
She broke up with her boyfriend two weeks ago.
Of course, the verb romper could also be used to describe the "breaking" of one's heart following the breakup:
A las niñas,
Girls,
les rompen el corazón.
they get their hearts broken [literally, "they break their hearts"].
Captions 44-45, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 4
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Vamos a terminar ("Let's conclude," in this context) this lesson with two terms that should be easy to remember since they are very similar to their English counterparts:
The Spanish verb separarse means "to get separated":
Pasa que mis viejos se separaron, por eso.
It so happens that my parents got separated, that's why.
Caption 38, Muñeca Brava - 30 Revelaciones
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As you might guess, the Spanish verb divorciarse means "to get divorced":
Pero... como mis papás se divorciaron cuando yo tenía dos años
But... since my parents got divorced when I was two years old,
y mi mamá no se volvió a casar...
and my mother didn't remarry...
Captions 54-55, La Sub30 - Familias
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Now that we've provided you with a multitude of ways to say "to break up" in Spanish, te dejamos. But don't worry! We're not breaking up with you. We're just saying goodbye for today— and don't forget to leave us your suggestions and comments.
Meanwhile, in New York City, we catch up with Skampida's Gustavo and David on camera. They tell us what they've been up to:
Llevamos cuatro meses en New York City.
We've been in New York City for four months.
Caption 7, Skampida - Gustavo y David
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Bueno la... la banda ha estado... llevamos ocho años tocando y...
Well the... the band has been... we've been playing for eight years and...
Caption 12, Skampida - Gustavo y David
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You probaby know that the verb llevar means "to carry." But it has many other shades of meaning, one of which indicates the passage of time. Here are a couple more examples of llevar in this context:
¿Cuánto tiempo llevas aquí?
How long have you been here?
Llevo seis horas esperando.
I've been waiting six hours.
Note that you could substitute "haber estado," as in "to have been," to arrive at approximately the same meaning as llevar.
El niño se daba cuenta que por haber estado agachado tanto tiempo.
The boy realized that as the result of having been bent over for so long.
Caption 36, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 8 - Part 1
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