The Spanish verb tocar is one of those versatile verbs that can be used in many different contexts. From its basic meaning of "to touch" to its musical and metaphorical uses, let's explore the various ways to use this common Spanish verb.
In its most basic form, tocar means "to touch" or "to feel something with your hands." Let's see an example:
"María le tocó la frente a su hijo para ver si tenía fiebre".
"Maria touched her son's forehead to see if he had a fever."
Caption 17, Carlos explica Vocabulario: El verbo “tocar”
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Tocar is also used when talking about knocking on doors or ringing doorbells:
No me animaba a tocar la puerta.
I didn't dare to knock on the door.
Caption 26, Yago 9 Recuperación - Part 10
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One of the most common uses of tocar is in reference to playing musical instruments:
Con el cantautor cubano Silvio Rodríguez aprendí a tocar la guitarra de una manera diferente
With the Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio Rodriguez, I learned to play the guitar in a different manner
Captions 54-55, Luis Guitarra Influencias musicales - Part 1
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Tocar can also refer to performing or playing specific pieces of music:
"Ese grupo siempre toca las mismas canciones".
"That group always plays the same songs."
Caption 29, Carlos explica Vocabulario: El verbo “tocar”
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Tocar can be used to express that something has emotionally moved or touched someone:
"La poesía que mi hijo escribió para mí me tocó el alma".
"The poetry that my son wrote for me touched my soul."
Caption 44, Carlos explica Vocabulario: El verbo “tocar”
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When talking about bringing up or discussing topics, tocar is commonly used:
Mire, no hablamos del caso, ni siquiera tocamos el tema.
Look, we didn't talk about the case, we didn't even touch the topic.
Caption 28, Confidencial: Asesino al Volante Capítulo 4 - Part 12
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Ah, pues, qué bueno, señor, que usted tocó el tema porque es que yo ya no quiero seguir siendo guardaespaldas
Oh, well, how good, sir, that you touched on the topic because it's just that I don't want to keep being a bodyguard anymore,
Captions 8-9, Pablo Escobar, el patrón del mal Capítulo 1 - Part 9
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One of the most frequent uses of tocar is to express that it's someone's turn to do something. Let's see an example:
"Yo ya vine esta mañana y cogí hora para las doce. Así que, ahora me toca a mí".
"I already came this morning, and I made an appointment for twelve. So, now it's my turn."
Captions 30-32, Aprendiendo con Silvia La cabina
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This structure "tocar + a + person" is commonly used to indicate whose turn it is in:
- Games: Me toca tirar los dados (It's my turn to roll the dice)
- Tasks: Te toca lavar los platos (It's your turn to wash the dishes)
- Sequences: Les toca a ustedes presentar (It's your turn to present)
In Spanish, tocar is often used to describe situations where circumstances force an action or where something becomes unavoidable. This usage is particularly common in Latin American Spanish. Let's see an example:
dígale que me llamaron y que me tocó salir urgente.
tell him that they called me, and I had to leave urgently.
Caption 11, Confidencial: Asesino al Volante Capítulo 4 - Part 11
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Sí, sí, es que como no me dejaron parquear por aquí me tocó dejar el carro por allá bien lejos.
Yes, yes, it's just that, as they didn't let me park around here, I had to leave the car over there quite far away.
Captions 78-79, Confidencial: Broma pesada Capítulo 3 - Part 10
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This construction with tocar implies not just obligation, but often suggests that external circumstances or events made the action necessary. It's different from other Spanish verbs of obligation like deber or tener que because it carries an additional sense of inevitability or resignation to circumstances.
In sports, particularly soccer/football, tocar means to pass the ball:
"Iniesta le tocó la pelota a Messi y el jugador argentino quedó solo frente al portero".
"Iniesta passed the ball to Messi and the Argentine player ended up alone in front of the goalie."
Captions 49-50, Carlos explica Vocabulario: El verbo “tocar”
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Tocar is commonly used when talking about what might happen or what one might receive, especially when the outcome is uncertain or determined by chance or external factors. Let's see an example:
Tengo mucha curiosidad a ver qué me toca hoy.
I'm really curious to see what I'll get today.
Caption 12, Cleer y Carolina Adivinar alimentos - Part 1
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That's it for today's lesson on the Spanish verb tocar. As you can see, this versatile verb has many uses beyond its basic meaning of "to touch." Practice using tocar in different contexts to sound more natural in Spanish. Don't forget to write us with your questions and comments!
Let's talk about the passive voice in Spanish!
Let's start by understanding the concept of voz (voice) in a sentence- in English or Spanish. This refers to the relationship between a sentence's subject and verb. A sentence's voice can be active or passive. But what's the difference?
In the active voice, the subject performs a verb's action onto an object and is thus considered the sentence's actor or agent (the person or thing that carries out the action). Let's see some examples:
Pedro come galletas.
"Pedro come galletas" [Pedro eats cookies].
Caption 21, Carlos explica La concordancia gramatical - Part 2
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In this caption, Pedro is the subject/agent who executes the action of "eating" the object (the cookies).
eh... pintábamos muchísimos fondos oscuros
um... we painted a ton of dark backgrounds
Caption 99, María Marí Su pasión por su arte - Part 1
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In this example, "we" is the subject/agent who carried out the action of "painting" the object, "a ton of dark backgrounds."
Gabriel García Márquez escribió muchos libros.
Gabriel García Márquez wrote a lot of books.
Caption 50, Carlos explica El pretérito Cap. 1: Perfecto simple o Indefinido
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And finally, here, Gabriel García Márquez is the subject, and agent, who performed the action of "writing" the object (a lot of books).
The Passive Voice
In the passive voice, on the other hand, what was previously the object in the active voice actually becomes the subject, but, this time, receives the action of the verb. At the same time, the previous subject becomes a "passive agent" who may or may not be mentioned at the end of the sentence. That said, before finding out how to convey sentences in the passive voice in Spanish, let's convert our previous English examples of the active voice to the passive voice:
Active: Pedro eats cookies
Passive: Cookies are eaten by Pedro
um... we painted a ton of dark backgrounds
um... a ton of dark backgrounds were painted by us
Active: Gabriel García Márquez wrote a lot of books.
Passive: A lot of books were written by Gabriel García Márquez.
Now that we have a better concept of the passive voice, how do we express it in Spanish? Let's learn two different formulas for doing so.
In this first formula, the verb ser (to be) is conjugated in accordance with the subject of the sentence and followed by a past participle (you may wish to consult this lesson that covers conjugating the past participle). In this construction, the participle (the equivalent of English words like "spoken," "eaten," "gone," etc.) must agree with the subject in terms of number and gender. Subsequently, por plus an agent may be optionally added to explain who or what completed the action. Let's take a look at some examples of this formula in Spanish:
y es escrito por mí personalmente.
and is personally written by me.
Caption 46, Los Tiempos de Pablo Escobar Capítulo 1 - Part 7
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En el Siglo dieciocho, las costas de San José en Almería eran asaltadas frecuentemente por piratas
In the eighteenth century, the coasts of San José in Almería were assaulted frequently by pirates
Captions 32-33, Club de las ideas Batería de breves - Part 1
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Las tarjetas fueron usadas
The cards were used
Caption 32, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa Capítulo 3 - Part 12
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Note that in accordance with las tarjetas, the third person plural of ser, fueron, is used along with the feminine plural participle usadas. However, in contrast to the other two examples where por is used to identify the person or people who carried out the action, here, the agent is unknown and thus unmentioned. Let's move on to our second formula.
This construction is formed with se and a verb in third person singular or plural, depending upon whether what is being spoken about (the subject) is singular or plural. Let's see a few examples:
Este vino se hace con una de las uvas más populares
This wine is made with one of the most popular grapes
Caption 21, Amaya Cata de vinos
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las corridas se celebraban en la Plaza Mayor.
bullfights were held in the Plaza Mayor.
Caption 5, El Trip Madrid
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"Garr", no entiendo para qué se hicieron esos uniformes.
Garr, I don't understand why those uniforms were made.
Caption 53, Club 10 Capítulo 1 - Part 2
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In the first caption, the verb hacer is conjugated in the third person singular to agree with el vino, while celebrar and hacer in the second and third examples are plural in agreement with las corridas and los uniformes. Notice that there is no mention of the entity who performed the action in any of these sentences since this second formula rarely mentions the action's agent.
The passive voice is more commonly encountered in the media or literature or when the agent that carried out the action is unknown or considered less relevant. It can only be used with transitive verbs, or verbs that are capable of transmitting some action onto a direct object. In terms of tenses, you may have noticed that our examples have included the present, imperfect, and preterite. While the passive voice formulas contain particular grammatical specifications, there is no mention of any of the specific Spanish verb tenses because active Spanish sentences in any verb tense can be converted to the passive voice. With this in mind, let's conclude this lesson with a present perfect tense example of the verb descubrir (to discover) in the active as well as both formats of the passive voice:
Active:
Científicos han descubierto que cuando un abrazo dura más de veinte segundos se produce un efecto terapéutico
Scientists have discovered that when a hug lasts more than twenty seconds, a therapeutic effect is produced
Captions 5-7, Aprendiendo con Silvia El abrazo
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Passive 1:
Ya que ellos, pues, han sido descubiertos en Inglaterra
Since they, well, have been discovered in England
Caption 40, Hugo Rodríguez Duendes artesanales
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Passive 2:
porque se han descubierto muchas virtudes
because many virtues have been discovered
Caption 9, Cómetelo Crema de brócoli - Part 1
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That's all for today. For more information on the passive voice in Spanish, check out this four-part video series on La voz pasiva as well as this lesson on the passive vs. impersonal se constructions. And don't forget to leave us your suggestions and comments.
Let's enhance our vocabulary today! As you know, nouns in Spanish are defined by number and gender. However, there are some nouns that can be both masculine and feminine. Moreover, depending on the gender they have, these nouns change their meanings completely. With that being said, let's take a look at some Spanish words that change meaning with gender.
Feminine: la capital (a capital city)
Está ubicada a ciento diez kilómetros de Quito, la capital del Ecuador.
It is located one hundred and ten kilometers from Quito, the capital of Ecuador.
Caption 6, Otavalo - El mercado de artesanías de Otavalo
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Masculine: el capital (capital: money)
No buscar la acumulación de capital
It's not seeking the accumulation of capital,
sino buscar la satisfacción de necesidades sociales.
but seeking the satisfaction of social necessities.
Captions 74-75, De consumidor a persona - Short Film
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Feminine: la cólera (anger, rage)
Masculine: el cólera (cholera - the illness)
Feminine: la coma (a comma - punctuation)
Masculine: el coma (a coma - medicine)
Feminine: la cometa (a kite)
Pero la cometa estaba muy alta para cogerla.
But the kite was too high to grab.
Caption 22, Guillermina y Candelario - El Gran Descubrimiento
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Masculine: el cometa (a comet - astronomy)
Feminine: la corte (a court of law OR the royal court of a king)
Creo que voy a apelar esta decisión a la Corte Suprema.
I think I'm going to appeal this decision to the Supreme Court.
Caption 83, Los casos de Yabla - Problemas de convivencia
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...que le habían sido cedidos para recreo de la corte.
...that had been handed over to him for the court's recreation.
Caption 59, Marisa en Madrid - Parque de El Retiro
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Masculine: el corte (a cut - injury OR the cut of hair or a suit)
Y ahora voy a hacer el corte aquí.
And now I am going to make the cut here.
Caption 42, Instrumentos musicales - Ocarinas
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Feminine: la cura (the cure)
Tu madre no tiene cura.
Your mom has no cure.
Caption 45, Muñeca Brava - 44 El encuentro
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Masculine: el cura (a priest)
Aquí no habrá noche de bodas mientras no vayan con un cura.
Here, there will be no wedding night until you go to a priest.
Caption 23, El Ausente - Acto 4
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Feminine: la final (the sports final, the playoffs)
Jueguen como si fuera la final.
Play as if it were the finals.
Caption 46, Carlos explica - Tuteo, ustedeo y voseo: Ustedes y vosotros
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Masculine: el final (the end)
Al final le he pedido disculpas y todo.
In the end, I apologized to him and everything.
Caption 55, Cortometraje - Flechazos
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Feminine: la frente (the forehead)
"María le tocó la frente a su hijo para ver si tenía fiebre".
"Maria touched her son's forehead to see if he had a fever."
Caption 17, Carlos explica - Vocabulario: El verbo “tocar”
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Masculine: el frente (the front - military)
Los soldados están en el frente de batalla.
The soldiers are on the battle front.
Feminine: la guía (a guide book OR a female guide OR a telephone book OR guidance)
Todo bajo la guía de un profesor de educación física.
All with the guidance of a P.E. teacher.
Caption 7, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 1
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¡Pippo, traé una guía!
Pippo, bring me a phone directory.
Caption 55, Yago - 5 La ciudad
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Masculine: el guía (a male guide)
Mi nombre es Mauricio y soy un guía turístico.
My name is Mauricio and I'm a tour guide.
Caption 27, Pipo - Un paseo por la playa de Atacames
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Feminine: la orden (a command OR a restaurant order)
Normalmente, cuando estás haciendo una orden...
Usually, when you're placing an order...
Caption 28, Natalia de Ecuador - Ordenar en un restaurante
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Masculine: el orden (order)
Listo, señor Rolleri; todo en orden.
Done, Mister Rolleri; everything's in order.
Caption 68, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa - Capítulo 2
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That's if for today. Do you know more Spanish words that change meaning with gender? We challenge you to find more and don't forget to send us your questions and comments.
Are you learning Spanish and want to talk about your loved ones? Knowing how to say family members in Spanish is essential for conversations about personal life. Today, we'll explore the most important Spanish family vocabulary, complete with pronunciation tips and real-life examples through video clips. Whether you're describing your immediate family or extended relatives, this guide will help you master family members in Spanish quickly and confidently.
Familia is the Spanish word for family. It's important to note that this is a feminine collective noun. Collective nouns are words we use for particular groups, yet these nouns are treated as singular words. Let's see how this works:
Mi familia es pequeña y cálida.
My family is small and warm.
Considerando que "familia" es un sustantivo colectivo femenino,
Considering that "familia" is a feminine collective noun,
conjugamos el verbo en tercera persona del singular
we conjugate the verb in third person singular
y utilizamos adjetivos femeninos, "pequeña" y "cálida",
and use feminine adjectives, "pequeña" [small] and "cálida" [warm],
para elaborar la concordancia de manera correcta.
to create agreement in the correct way.
Captions 16-20, Carlos explica - Sustantivos colectivos
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As we can see in this clip, since "familia" is a feminine collective noun, we conjugate the verb in third person singular and use feminine adjectives like "pequeña" (small) and "cálida" (warm) to create proper agreement.
Here are the names of the most important family members in Spanish, organized by immediate and extended family relationships:
Comes bastante verdura, tu madre que te quiere.
Eat enough vegetables, your mother who loves you.
Caption 38, Extr@: Extra en español - Ep. 1 - La llegada de Sam
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Very often, however, people refer to their mothers using the following terms:
Mamá, quería preguntarte algo.
Mom, I wanted to ask you something.
Caption 2, Yago - 10 Enfrentamientos - Part 7
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OR
¿Haciendo la tarea con mami? -Sí.
Doing your homework with Mommy? -Yes.
Caption 24, Yago - 11 Prisión - Part 5
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"A mi padre siempre le toca trabajar mucho todos los viernes".
"My father always has to work a lot every Friday."
Caption 53, Carlos explica - Vocabulario: El verbo “tocar”
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However, just like for the word "mother", there are some other terms people use when talking with or about their fathers:
Fue cuando me di cuenta no tenía ni idea de lo que hacía mi papá.
It was then that I realized I had no idea what my dad did.
Caption 30, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 3 - Part 3
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OR
Papi, cualquier hora es buena.
Daddy, any hour is good.
Caption 5, X6 1 - La banda
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Quiero presentarles a mi hijo; Kevin, él es Felipe.
I want to introduce you to my son; Kevin, this is Felipe.
Caption 16, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 3 - Part 6
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Y muy feliz de tener a mi lado a mi hija.
And very happy to have my daughter by my side.
Caption 38, Yolimar Gimón - sobre el concurso Mrs. Venezuela
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Después aquí tengo a mi hermano, José.
Then here I have my brother, Jose.
Caption 11, Curso de español - Vamos a hablar de la familia
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...pero que estaba alejando a mi hermana de nosotros.
...but it was taking my sister away from us.
Caption 21, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 4
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¡Abuelo, abuelo!
Grandpa, Grandpa!
Caption 9, Guillermina y Candelario - Un regalo de Estrellas
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Abuela, podemos hablar dos minutos por favor.
Grandmother, can we talk for two minutes, please.
Caption 4, Muñeca Brava - 18 - La Apuesta
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Mi nieto no existe.
My grandson does not exist.
Caption 53, Muñeca Brava - 33 El partido
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La nieta de María.
Maria's granddaughter.
Caption 30, Zoraida en Coro - El pintor Yepez
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Y su tío Aldo cree que está muerto, su tío Lucio confía en que esté vivo.
And his Uncle Aldo believes that he's dead, his Uncle Lucio has faith that he's alive.
Caption 22, Yago - 8 Descubrimiento - Part 3
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Esa es mi tía Silvia.
That is my Aunt Silvia.
Caption 24, Español para principiantes - Demostrativos
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¿Hace cuánto tiempo que dejó de ver a su sobrino?
How long ago did you stop seeing your nephew?
Caption 69, Yago - 8 Descubrimiento - Part 1
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Sobrina. Muy bien.
Niece. Very good.
Caption 43, Curso de español - Vamos a hablar de la familia
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Sí, me gusta mucho mi primo Pedro.
Yes, I like my cousin Pedro very much.
Caption 40, El Aula Azul - Mis Primos
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Esta mañana mi prima se ha roto la pierna jugando al fútbol.
This morning my cousin has broken her leg playing soccer.
Caption 15, Lecciones con Carolina - Participios - Ejemplos de uso
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An important aspect of Spanish family vocabulary is understanding gender and plurality rules. When referring to a group of family members, keep these guidelines in mind:
Two cousins (both male): Dos primos
Two cousins (both female): Dos primas
Two cousing (one male and one female): Dos primos
This rule applies to all family members in Spanish - the masculine form is used when the group includes both genders, even if there's only one male in the group.
To expand your Spanish family vocabulary, here are a few more useful terms:
Padres - Parents (plural of padre, but refers to both father and mother)
Gemelo/Gemela - Twin brother/Twin sister
Suegro/Suegra - Father-in-law/Mother-in-law
Yerno/Nuera - Son-in-law/Daughter-in-law
Cuñado/Cuñada - Brother-in-law/Sister-in-law
Padrino/Madrina - Godfather/Godmother
Esposo/Esposa - Husband/Wife
Bisabuelo/Bisabuela - Great-grandfather/Great-grandmother
Bisnieto/Bisnieta - Great-grandson/Great-granddaughter
Now that you've learned the essential family members in Spanish, it's time to practice! Take a piece of paper and design your own family tree using the Spanish vocabulary you've learned. Label each family member with the appropriate Spanish term. This activity will help reinforce your understanding of family members in Spanish and give you practical vocabulary you can use in conversations.
Learning family members in Spanish opens up meaningful conversations about your personal life and helps you understand when native speakers talk about their own families. With these essential Spanish family vocabulary terms, you're now ready to describe your entire family tree in Spanish!
We hope this guide to family members in Spanish has been helpful for your language learning journey. Why not take what you've learned and practice by describing your family to a Spanish-speaking friend? Remember that consistent practice is the key to mastering any new vocabulary.
Have you tried using these terms in conversation yet? We'd love to hear about your experience learning family vocabulary! Please share your thoughts and don't forget to send us your questions or suggestions if you need help with any other Spanish topics.
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