Do you know how to express the idea of "instead" and "instead of" in Spanish? Today's brief lesson will teach you four common ways to do so, as always with examples from Yabla's Spanish video library.
Perhaps the most common way to say "instead of" in Spanish is en vez de. Alternative translations for en vez de are the English synonyms "rather than" or "in place of." Let's see this phrase in context:
cierran a las ocho y media en vez de a las nueve, ¿correcto?"
you close at eight-thirty instead of at nine, correct?"
Caption 47, Aprendiendo con Silvia Horas, fechas y períodos de tiempo - Part 4
Play Caption
Sam compró seis melones en vez de seis limones.
Sam bought six melons instead of six lemons.
Caption 36, Extr@: Extra en español Ep. 2: Sam va de compras - Part 5
Play Caption
En lugar de literally means "in place of" of and is another way to say "instead of" in Spanish. Let's see two examples:
En lugar de plumas amarillas, las suyas eran grises
Instead of yellow feathers, his were grey,
Captions 22-23, Cleer El patito feo
Play Caption
No se olviden que en lugar de "finalmente" también podría decir "por último"
Don't forget that instead of "finally" I could also say "lastly"
Captions 32-33, Natalia de Ecuador Los adverbios de orden
Play Caption
The Spanish phrase en cambio can be translated as "instead" in certain contexts (other possible translations include "however" and "whereas"). Let's take a look.
Si en cambio queremos usarlo para expresar una valoración, lo usamos con un verbo en modo subjuntivo.
If instead we want to use it to express a valuation, we use it with a verb in the subjunctive mood.
Captions 52-53, Carlos explica Cómo expresar opiniones en español - Part 3
Play Caption
Otras en cambio lo tiran o lo destruyen
Others instead throw it away or destroy it
Caption 39, Los Reporteros Sembrar, comer, tirar - Part 3
Play Caption
Finally, although mejor is most commonly translated as "better" or "best," it can function like "instead" in certain contexts, as we see here:
Pero, vecino, mejor le recomiendo usar la opción de agua fría;
But, neighbor, I recommend using the cold water option instead;
Caption 27, Cristina Lavandería
Play Caption
That's all for today. Now that you know four different ways to express the idea of "instead" in Spanish, we suggest you practice by coming up with your own sentences with each of them. And don't forget to write us with your suggestions and comments.
Do you know vocabulary to talk about winter in Spanish? This lesson should get you up to speed on Spanish terms to talk about all things winter... depending upon what part of the world you are in, of course!
First off, do you know how to say "winter" in Spanish? Let's find out in a clip from our Yabla Spanish video library, which also mentions the name of the first of the winter months in Spanish:
En diciembre, empieza el invierno.
In December, winter starts.
Caption 25, El Aula Azul Estaciones y Meses
Play Caption
Now let's hear the pronunciation of the next three winter months:
Enero. Febrero. Marzo.
January. February. March.
Captions 2-4, El Aula Azul Estaciones y Meses
Play Caption
Having said that, bear in mind that in countries in the southern hemisphere of South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay), the colder, winter months are the opposite:
Junio. Julio. Agosto. Septiembre.
June. July. August. September.
Captions 7-10, El Aula Azul Estaciones y Meses
Play Caption
Now that you know how to say "winter" in Spanish and the names of the various months in which it can fall, don't forget to learn or brush up on the terms for the additional seasons in Spanish.
Of course, since some countries are warm year-round, what constitutes "winter clothes" varies depending upon where one lives, as Ana Carolina explains in the following clip:
El Ecuador, al igual que el resto de países latinoamericanos, se encuentra en la zona tórrida, es decir, que acá nunca cae nieve.
Ecuador, just like the rest of Latin American countries, is located in the tropical zone; in other words, snow never falls here.
Captions 34-37, Ana Carolina Símbolos de Navidad
Play Caption
With this in mind, let's learn some vocabulary to describe Spanish articles of clothing in regions with colder winter climates:
el abrigo: the coat
las botas: the boots
la bufanda: the scarf
el gorro/el sombrero: the hat/cap
los guantes: the gloves
los mitones: the mittens
las orejeras: the earmuffs
el jersey/el suéter: the sweater
el traje de nieve: the snowsuit
Now, let's hear a few of these in a catchy proverb:
"En enero bufanda, abrigo y sombrero".
"In January, scarf, coat, and hat."
Caption 29, Aprendiendo con Silvia Dichos populares - Part 1
Play Caption
Next, let's go over several additional nouns that are often associated with the winter season:
la bola de nieve: the snowball
el carámbano/el témpano: the icicle
la chimenea/el hogar: the fireplace
el copo de nieve: the snowflake
el esquí: skiing
el frío: the cold
el hombre de nieve/el muñeco de nieve: the snowman
la nieve: the snow
el patinaje sobre hielo: ice skating
los patines de hielo: the ice skates
la pelea de bolas de nieve: the snowball fight
la pista de patinaje sobre hielo: the ice skating rink
la tabla de snowboard: the snowboard
la tormenta de nieve: the snowstorm
el trineo: the sled
Let's listen to a few of these pronounced in excerpts from Yabla Spanish videos:
Sin embargo, la nieve y los muñecos de nieve
However, snow and snowmen
Caption 38, Ana Carolina Símbolos de Navidad
Play Caption
Cuando tengo una pelea de bolas de nieve, tengo que llevar guantes.
When I have a snowball fight, I have to wear gloves.
Captions 13-14, Aprendiendo con Zulbany Piensa rápido - Part 1
Play Caption
Up next are some winter verbs for talking about sports, activities, and weather phenomena:
andar en trineo: to sled
calentarse: to get warm
congelarse: to freeze
derretirse: to melt
deslizarse: to slip
encender una hoguera/un fuego: to build a fire
esquíar: to ski
hacer frío: to be cold
hacer snowboard: to snowboard
hacer un muñeco de nieve: to build a snowman
hibernar: to hibernate
lanzar bolas de nieve: to throw snowballs
nevar: to snow
patinar sobre hielo: to ice skate
resfriarse: to catch a cold
To learn more ways to talk about catching a cold in Spanish, check out our lesson on sickness and health in Spanish. In the meantime, let's hear a few of these winter verbs in context along with some of our previously mentioned winter nouns:
La nieve es muy molesta cuando se empieza a derretir, pero también es muy emocionante cuando empieza a nevar.
The snow is very annoying when it starts to melt, but it is also very exciting when it begins to snow.
Captions 39-40, Clara explica El tiempo - Part 2
Play Caption
y por la tarde encendíamos un fuego en la chimenea.
and in the afternoon, we would light a fire in the fireplace.
Caption 55, Aprendiendo con Silvia Recuerdos de infancia - Part 3
Play Caption
Let's conclude by learning some wintery adjectives!
blanco: white
brillante/reluciente: sparkling, glittering
gélido/glacial: icy, frosty
cubierto de nieve/nevado/níveo: snowy
congelado/helado: frozen, freezing, chilly, frosty
derretido: melted
encapotado/nublado/nubloso: cloudy
escurridizo/resbaladizo: slippery
frío: cold/chilly
fundente: melting
gris: gray, dreary
medio derretido: slushy
mojado: wet
neblinoso: misty, foggy
Let's hear two of these in context. Note that in the first caption, the singular masculine adjective níveo has been modified to the plural feminine form níveas to agree with the plural feminine noun las blancuras. This is due to the fact that there must be gender and number agreement in Spanish between adjectives and the nouns they modify.
Entre las blancuras níveas
Among the snowy whiteness
Caption 38, Acercándonos a la Literatura José Asunción Silva - "Nocturno III"
Play Caption
Si el invierno se hace helado me prendo
If the winter gets freezing, I turn myself on
Caption 11, Jorge Celedón, Vicentico Si Me Dejan
Play Caption
That's all for this lesson, which we hope has helped you to feel more confident to talk in Spanish about many things you might do, wear, feel, or see during the winter season. For more seasonal vocabulary, be sure to check out our lessons on Spanish vocabulary for autumn, expressions for summer, and words for spring! And don't forget to write us with your questions and comments.
Are you familiar with the Spanish preposition entre? While the preposition entre in Spanish is most often a direct equivalent for the many uses of the English words "among" and "between," it can occasionally be utilized in slightly different ways and with different translations than its English counterparts. Today's lesson will explore many of its nuances.
According to the Dictionary of the Spanish language, the Spanish preposition entre "denotes the situation or state in between two or more things." Let's break up this definition into a few subcategories:
The Spanish preposition entre might describe the nature of a relationship "between" entities, whether talking about bloodlines or quality. Let's see an example of each:
La relación entre José y yo. ¿José es mi...? -Hermano.
The relationship between Jose and me. Jose is my...? -Brother.
Captions 19-20, Curso de español Vamos a hablar de la familia
Play Caption
La relación entre mi papá y mi abuela era tan amistosa como la que tenía Rusia con Estados Unidos.
The relationship between my dad and my grandma was as friendly as the one Russia had with the United States.
Captions 8-9, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 13 - Part 2
Play Caption
Now, let's look at an example where entre describes the "state" between two things:
encontréis ese equilibrio entre cuerpo y mente.
you find that balance between body and mind.
Caption 60, Ana Teresa 5 principios del yoga
Play Caption
And finally, like the English word "between," the Spanish preposition entre can be employed to compare things:
¿Y sabéis cuál es la diferencia entre la lava y el magma?
And do you know what the difference between lava and magma is?
Caption 24, Aprendiendo con Silvia Los volcanes
Play Caption
The preposition entre in Spanish also comes up in some situations in which an English speaker might use the word "in" or "within." Examining two different captions from the same video, note that while the first has been translated with the more literal "among," it could be substituted with the English word "in," while "in" is probably the only suitable choice in the second example.
Allí, se escondió entre los juncos.
There, he hid among the reeds.
Caption 29, Cleer El patito feo
Play Caption
Pero, afortunadamente, una viejita que lo había visto entre la nieve, lo recogió.
But, fortunately, an old woman who had seen him in the snow picked him up.
Caption 39, Cleer El patito feo
Play Caption
Another use of the Spanish preposition entre is to refer to an intermediate state between two or more things:
Granada produce al año entre quince y veinte millones de kilos de aguacate
Granada produces per year between fifteen and twenty million kilos of avocados
Captions 1-2, 75 minutos Del campo a la mesa - Part 16
Play Caption
Entonces los edificios tienen ese toque especial... de mezcla entre la arquitectura antigua y la moderna.
So the buildings have that special touch... from the mix between old and modern architecture.
Captions 20-21, Yabla en Buenos Aires Puerto Madero
Play Caption
This Spanish preposition can furthermore depict an intermediate physical location:
se sentaba siempre entre las dos únicas chicas de la clase,
always sat between the only two girls in the class,
Caption 33, Aprendiendo con Silvia Nacionalidades y adjetivos - Part 1
Play Caption
The word entre in Spanish can likewise entail the idea of inclusion, as in the following two examples, where it could be replaced by the English phrase "as one of":
No gané el concurso, pero quedé entre los finalistas
I didn't win the contest, but I placed among the finalists,
Captions 46-47, Aprendiendo con Carlos El microrrelato - Part 3
Play Caption
Entre ellos, tenemos estos burros de peluche que a la gente le gusta mucho.
Among them, we have these stuffed donkeys that people like a lot.
Captions 14-15, Santuario para burros Tienda solidaria
Play Caption
As we see in the following examples, the Spanish preposition entre might also evoke the idea of collaborative effort:
Si podemos imaginarlo, entre todos podemos lograrlo.
If we can imagine it, among all of us, we can achieve it.
Caption 9, Con ánimo de lucro Cortometraje - Part 1
Play Caption
El plato se llama "La Deli" y entre los tres le vamos a dar forma y la decoración.
The dish is called "The Deli," and between the three of us, we're going to give it shape and decorate it.
Caption 24, Misión Chef 2 - Pruebas - Part 7
Play Caption
If you wish to speak about what is done customarily "among" particular groups, the Spanish preposition entre could additionally come in handy:
"Hermano" es una palabra que se usa mucho entre amigos
"Brother" is a word that is used a lot among friends
Caption 35, Carlos comenta Confidencial - Jerga típica colombiana
Play Caption
una serie argentina que es muy popular entre nuestros usuarios.
an Argentine series that is very popular among our users.
Captions 3-4, Carlos y Cyndy Comentario sobre Muñeca Brava
Play Caption
And finally, the preposition entre in Spanish can suggest reciprocity, in which case it might be translated with the English "each other."
y cómo se apoyaban entre ellos.
and how they supported each other.
Caption 19, Aprendiendo con Silvia Nacionalidades y adjetivos - Part 2
Play Caption
se juntaban las españolas de ese pueblo para hablar entre ellas.
the Spanish women from that town would get together to talk to each other.
Captions 49-50, Soledad Amistades
Play Caption
We hope that this lesson has helped you to better understand the many uses of the Spanish preposition entre, especially those that are slightly different than the manners in which its English equivalents "among" and "between" are employed. Feel free to write us with your questions and suggestions.
Although the most common English translation for the Spanish preposition hasta is "until," like most Spanish prepositions, its meaning can vary in different contexts. Today's lesson will explore the four main definitions of the Spanish word hasta provided by Royal Spanish Academy as well as its various English translations.
According to the first definition, the Spanish preposition hasta can denote "a final limit in a trajectory of space or time." Possible translations for this use of hasta include "until," "up until," "up to," and "to." Let's take a look at this use via several subcategories.
The preposition hasta in Spanish can mean "up to" a certain point in time. Let's see some examples:
Eh... Trabajo hasta las dos
Um... I work until two,
Caption 47, Cleer y Lida Juego de preguntas y respuestas - Part 2
Play Caption
Hasta el momento, ella ha probado zanahoria, brócoli y papa.
Up until now, she has tried carrots, broccoli, and potatoes.
Captions 37-38, Ana Carolina Ejercicio de adverbios de tiempo
Play Caption
No llegaron hasta el final de la fiesta.They didn't arrive until the end of the party.
When used to talk about location, hasta means "up to that point" and might be translated with "up to" or simply "to":
Hay dos formas de llegar hasta Pasai Donibane: por mar o por tierra.
There are two ways to get to Pasai Donibane: by sea or by land.
Captions 29-30, Viajando con Fermín Pasajes (Pasaia) - Part 2
Play Caption
Aquí lo que tenemos que hacer es meter un hisopo, pues hasta su buche.
Here what we have to do is to place a Q-tip, well up to his throat.
Captions 53-54, Animales en familia Un día en Bioparc: Microchip para Nacahué - Part 1
Play Caption
The Spanish word hasta is often used along with que to form an adverbial phrase that means "until" (such moment as something else happens). Note that when the verb that follows hasta que refers to a habitual action or past event, it will be conjugated in an indicative tense. Let's see an example:
y lo tuvo con ella hasta que llegó la primavera.
and she had him with her until spring came.
Caption 41, Cleer El patito feo
Play Caption
On the other hand, when the subordinate clause following hasta que refers to a potential future event or is a command, the verb that follows will be in the subjunctive:
y tenemos que dejar que poche hasta que se quede bien blandita.
and we have to let it saute until it gets very soft.
Caption 41, La cocina de María Tortilla de patatas
Play Caption
For several more examples, check out Yabla's lesson on hasta que and hasta que no, which function similarly.
According to definition two, the Spanish preposition hasta can also describe a maximum quantity. Let's view a couple of examples:
En el mes me puedo gastar hasta doscientos euros...
During the month I can spend up to two hundred euros...
Caption 69, 75 minutos Gangas para ricos - Part 15
Play Caption
Pesan hasta siete kilos, ocho kilos los machos adultos.
They weigh up to seven kilograms, eight kilos for adult males.
Caption 95, Animales en familia Un día en Bioparc: Coatís
Play Caption
This third and less common use of the Spanish preposition hasta to mean "not before" is primarily heard in Mexico and Central America. Let's take a look:
Terminará hasta mediodía.
He won't finish before noon.
In the fourth definition, the Spanish word hasta instead functions as an adverb to add emphasis or a feeling of surprise or disbelief, much like the English word "even":
¿Hamburguesas de aguacate? -Sí... Hasta miel de aguacate.
Avocado burgers? -Yes... Even avocado honey.
Captions 44-45, 75 minutos Del campo a la mesa - Part 1
Play Caption
Hasta se cree la mega estrella.
She even thinks she's the megastar.
Caption 54, X6 1 - La banda - Part 1
Play Caption
Now that we know four different ways to use the Spanish word hasta, let's take a look at some of the many idiomatic expressions in which it appears, including at least five different ways to say goodbye in Spanish:
hasta luego: see you later
hasta pronto: see you soon
hasta la próxima: see you next time
hasta mañana: see you tomorrow
hasta la vista: until we meet again
A host of additional expressions with estar hasta mean "to be fed up":
estar hasta las narices (literally "to be up to one's noses")
estar hasta la gorra (literally "to be up to one's hat")
estar hasta arriba ("to have had it up to here")
estar hasta la coronilla (literally "to be up to one's crown")
Let's see this last one in context:
Muy bien, estaba hasta la coronilla.
Just great, I was fed up.
Caption 16, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 6 - Part 4
Play Caption
Meanwhile, estar hasta el cuello (literally "to be up to one's neck") is equivalent to the English "to be up to one's eyeballs," or overwhelmed, while estar hasta en la sopa ("to be even in the soup") describes something or someone that seems omnipresent. And finally, let's look at a Spanish expression with hasta that can mean "that's all" or "that's it":
hasta aquí el vídeo de hoy.
that's all for today's video.
Caption 68, Aprendiendo con Silvia Recuerdos de infancia - Part 1
Play Caption
On that note, we hope that this lesson has helped you to understand the different uses of the Spanish word hasta and some idioms that include it. Can you think of any more? We invite you to let us know with your suggestions and comments. ¡Hasta pronto!
Today's lesson will highlight clips from our Yabla Spanish library to teach you some pertinent terms to talk about many people's favorite holiday... Halloween!!! So get ready, and enjoy this lesson about Halloween in Spanish!
Although Halloween is primarily thought of as a North American holiday, its fun festivities have been adopted by many countries throughout the world. When we speak about Halloween in Spanish, we typically keep its English name:
Esta noche es Halloween y seguro que muchas veces habéis pensado disfrazaros con vuestra mascota
Tonight is Halloween and surely you've thought many times of dressing up with your pet
Captions 137-138, Animales en familia Un día en Bioparc: Coatís
Play Caption
This caption describes the common Halloween costumbre (custom) of disfrazarse (dressing up). You'll note from the previous sentence that costumbre means "custom" or "tradition" rather than "costume" as you might think, making it somewhat of a false cognate. On the other hand, the correct way to say "the costume" in Spanish is el disfraz.
Ay, Aurelito, ¿me prestarías un disfraz?
Oh, Aurelito, would you lend me a costume?
Caption 32, Club 10 Capítulo 1 - Part 2
Play Caption
What other vocabulary words might we associate with Halloween? We might start by reviewing some Spanish vocabulary for the autumn season since Halloween falls at that time of year. We could then move on to some of Halloween's personajes más espeluznantes (spookiest characters).
Let's look at some video clips that include the names of some of the most typical Halloween characters:
¿Quién no ha querido a una diosa licántropa?
Who hasn't loved a werewolf goddess?
Caption 5, Shakira Loba
Play Caption
porque sí sé... ahí está el monstruo.
because I know... here's the monster.
Caption 29, Antonio Vargas - Artista Comic
Play Caption
El fantasma y la loca se quieren casar
The ghost and the madwoman want to get married
Caption 24, Gloria Trevi Psicofonía
Play Caption
En la época, eran utilizadas para espantar a las brujas
In the era, they were used to scare away witches
Caption 46, Viajando en Colombia Cartagena en coche - Part 2
Play Caption
Let's look at another verb that means "to frighten" or "scare":
o cuando hay una fecha importante, ellos salen... a divertir y a asustar a la gente porque están como unos diablos.
or when there is an important date, they go out... to amuse and to frighten people because they're [dressed] like devils.
Captions 45-46, El Trip Ibiza
Play Caption
And, in addition to asustar, we learn the word for another Halloween character: un diablo (a devil). Let's see another verb that means "to scare":
¡Me da miedo! -¡Ahí te tienes que quedar, ya está!
It scares me! -There you have to stay, ready!
Caption 24, 75 minutos Del campo a la mesa - Part 7
Play Caption
Note that the noun el miedo means "the fear," and the verb dar miedo (literally "to give fear") can thus mean either "to scare" or "be scary." When employed in conjunction with an indirect object pronoun to indicate to whom this action is happening (le in this case, which corresponds with usted), the most common translation is "to scare," as we see in this caption.
So, what if we want to say that we "are" or "feel scared"? A common verb for this is tener miedo (literally "to have fear"), as seen in this caption with the Halloween-appropriate noun la oscuridad (the dark/darkness):
¡Porque le tiene miedo a la oscuridad!
Because he's afraid of the dark!
Caption 24, Guillermina y Candelario El parque de diversiones - Part 2
Play Caption
The reflexive form of asustar, asustarse, also means "to be" or "get scared":
Aparecieron unos cazadores, y el patito se asustó mucho
Some hunters appeared, and the duckling got really scared
Caption 36, Cleer El patito feo
Play Caption
Yet another way to talk about being "scared" in Spanish is with adjectives like asustado (scared) or aterrorizado (terrified):
Llegan muy asustados, muy aterrorizados,
They arrive very scared, very terrified,
Caption 25, Los Reporteros Caza con Galgo - Part 3
Play Caption
For more on the ways in which verbs, adjectives, and nouns can be used to describe our feelings, be sure to check out our lesson on expressing emotions in Spanish.
Let's conclude this section with a few ways to express the concept of "scary":
¡Uy, qué miedo!
Oh, how scary!
Caption 21, Guillermina y Candelario La Peluqueria del Mar - Part 1
Play Caption
Literally meaning "What fear!" the Spanish expression ¡Qué miedo! is a common way to say "how scary" something is. We can also use our previously-mentioned verb dar miedo (this time without the indirect object pronoun) to convey the idea of "being scary":
Eh... Sí. Lo desconocido siempre da miedo.
Um... Yes. The unknown is always scary.
Caption 13, Yago 13 La verdad - Part 8
Play Caption
We can also say "scary" with adjectives like escalofriante, sinestro/a, or miedoso/a:
¿Y esa calavera tan miedosa?
And that very scary skull?
Caption 20, Guillermina y Candelario Un pez mágico - Part 2
Play Caption
And with the word for "the skull" in Spanish (la calavera), we come to our last category: Halloween objects!
If we know how to say "skull," we had better find out how to say "skeleton" in Spanish:
con una forma parecida a la del esqueleto de un dinosaurio,
with a shape similar to that of a dinosaur's skeleton,
Caption 30, Raquel Valencia - Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias
Play Caption
So, where might we find such esqueletos? Why, in their tumbas (graves) in el cementerio (the cemetery) of course!
en Ricardo, en su tumba en el cementerio,
about Ricardo in his grave in the cemetery,
Caption 28, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 10 - Part 8
Play Caption
So, let's set the scene in that cemetery with a "full moon" in Spanish, which might inspire some hombre lobo (another word for "werewolf") to come out:
Y la luna llena Por los cielos azulosos, infinitos y profundos esparcía su luz blanca
And the full moon In the bluish skies, infinite and profound, scattered its white light
Captions 11-12, Acercándonos a la Literatura José Asunción Silva - "Nocturno III"
Play Caption
Now, let's focus on some slightly less ominous symbols of Halloween such as el gato negro (the black cat), seen in its diminutive form in the following caption:
También está este gatito negro
There's also this black kitty
Caption 73, Fermín y los gatos Mis gatas vecinas
Play Caption
The "pumpkin" is, perhaps, the most famed Halloween symbol of all:
Justo en el doblez del papel, trazamos la mitad de la calabaza.
Right on the fold of the paper, we draw half of the pumpkin.
Caption 67, Manos a la obra Papel picado para Día de muertos
Play Caption
And finally, we associate Halloween with trick-or-treating, or going door to door to get "candy":
Y ahora cortamos pedacitos de caramelo.
And now we cut little pieces of candy.
Caption 38, Manos a la obra Postres de Minecraft
Play Caption
The way to say "Trick or treat!" varies from region to region, but some popular ways are: "Dulce o truco" in Argentina, "Dulce o travesura" in Mexico, and the more literal but less accurate "Truco o trato" (from the verb "tratar," or "to treat") in Spain, where they also say "Dulce o caramelo." In Colombia, you might hear "Triqui, triqui," where kids sing the following song:
Triqui triqui Halloween/Quiero dulces para mí/Si no hay dulces para mí/se le crece la naríz,
which translates as:
Trick or treat, Halloween/I want treats for me/If there are no treats for me/Your nose will grow.
Meanwhile, Pedir dulce o truco/travesura, etc. can be used to talk about the action of "trick-or-treating."
Let’s conclude today’s lesson with a review of the Halloween vocabulary we have learned:
el Halloween: Halloween
¡Feliz Halloween! Happy Halloween!
difrazarse: to dress up
el disfraz: the costume
la costumbre: the custom, tradition
el personaje: the character
espeluznante: spooky
el/la licántropo/a: the werewolf
el hombre lobo: the werewolf
el monstruo: the monster
el fantasma: the ghost
el/la loco/a: the madman/madwoman
la bruja: the witch
el diablo: the devil
espantar: to scare away
asustar: to scare
el miedo: the fear
dar miedo: to scare/be scary
tener miedo: to be scared
asustarse: to be/get scared
asustado/a: scared/frightened
aterrorizado/a: terrified
escalofriante: scary
siniestro/a: scary
miedoso/a: scary
¡Qué miedo! How scary!
la oscuridad: the darkness/dark
la calavera: the skull
el esqueleto: the skeleton
la tumba: the graveel cementerio: the cemetery
la luna llena: the full moon
el gato negro: the black cat
la calabaza: the pumkin
el caramelo: the candy
¡Dulce o truco/travesura/caramelo! Trick or treat!
¡Truco o trato! Trick or treat!
¡Triqui triqui! Trick or treat!
Pedir dulce o truco/travesura: to go trick or treating
We hope you've enjoyed this lesson about Halloween in Spanish, and don't forget to leave us your suggestions and comments.
¡Feliz Halloween! (Happy Halloween!).
Since its straightforward translation is "to arrive," you might wonder if the Spanish verb llegar is worth a whole lesson. However, this is language, and we always find new meanings, uses, and/or idiomatic expressions.
That said, let's take a few minutes to analyze this verb and see a qué conclusión podemos llegar ("what conclusion we can draw" or "come to").
When we refer to a place, llegar means "to arrive."
Soñé que llegaba al colegio y estaba sin ropa.
I dreamed that I arrived at school and I was [there] with no clothes.
Caption 27, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 1
Play Caption
Llegar can additonally mean to reach someone, either physically or emotionally. If someone shuts you out, no hay forma de llegar a esa persona (there's no way to reach that person). On the other hand, in the example below, the team at Biopark had not been able to physically reach the leopards.
No había forma de... de llegar a ellos.
There wasn't any way to... to get close to them.
Caption 27, Animales en familia - Un día en Bioparc: Cachorro de leopardo
Play Caption
Again with this idea of reaching, llegar can also be used with an amount or specific point in space as we see in the following examples:
Supongo que si están un poquito más chaparritos,
I guess if you're a little bit shorter,
les ha de llegar al pecho.
it should come up to your chest.
Caption 24, Alan x el mundo - Mi playa favorita de México!
Play Caption
Podremos estar llegando
We could be reaching
a los ochocientos mil euros aproximadamente.
eight hundred thousand euros approximately.
Caption 32, Los Reporteros - Crecen los robos en tiendas
Play Caption
And speaking of money, there is a Spanish idiom that includes this verb: llegar a fin de mes (literally "to make it to the end of the month"), which is the Spanish equivalent of "making ends meet."
Llegar can be used with seasons, months, or times of day as well to indicate their beginning or arrival. In this context, it often translates as "to come": Cuando llega la noche / "When night comes" or "falls."
...y lo tuvo con ella hasta que llegó la primavera.
...and had him with her until spring came.
Caption 41, Cleer - El patito feo
Play Caption
Another meaning of llegar is "to achieve." It is actually a verb that collocates with éxito (success), so if you become succesful, has llegado al éxito (you've achieved success).
De las etapas por las que pasan los conjuntos
Of the stages that groups go through
en su desarrollo y a lo que pueden llegar.
in their development and what they can become.
Captions 74-75, Arturo Vega - Entrevista
Play Caption
Another possible translation of llegar is "to manage to" since when you llegas a hacer algo, you've succedeed in doing it after some effort.
...de lo que yo quería como llegar a expresar, ¿sí?
...to what I wanted to, like, manage to express, right?
Caption 13, Bogotá - Fotógrafo José Segundo Quinche Pérez
Play Caption
Sometimes, when llegar follows si to introduce a condition, it makes that condition a bit more remote since si llego a enterarme de algo is closer to if I happen to/manage to hear anything.
Si llega a saber cualquier cosa que suceda
If you come to find out anything that happens
entre Milagros y su hermano, hágamela saber.
between Milagros and her brother, let me know about it.
Captions 21-22, Muñeca Brava - 33 El partido
Play Caption
Si llega a pillarlos, me avisa y consigo la cámara.
If you manage to catch them, let me know and I'll get the camera.
Caption 72, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 4
Play Caption
As you may notice, many of the meanings of the verb llegar are comparable to those of the English verb "to get" (e.g "to reach," "to arrive," "to manage," etc.).
We hope this lesson has been clear, but si llegan a tener dudas (if you happen to have any questions), don't forget to send us your questions, comments, and suggestions. ¡Hasta la próxima!
Today's lesson will examine Yabla's "Top 12" picks for the most useful verbs for having a conversation in Spanish. This time, we'll focus on the meanings of those verbs as well as giving you a lot of simple, conversational examples from Yabla's Spanish video library. Additionally, we'll provide you with conjugation tables for the "Top 3" most useful Spanish tenses: the simple present, the imperfect (which describes ongoing or continuous past actions), and the preterite (which describes completed past actions).
In addition to the aforementioned links, you can consult this lesson entitled Spanish Verb Tenses Explained if you need to brush up on those tenses and more! Although memorizing all of these conjugations might seem a bit intimidating, it could really help your ability to converse in Spanish.
The fact that there are two verbs that mean "to be" in Spanish, ser and estar, can feel quite confusing for non-native speakers. Generally speaking, the verb ser is employed to describe more permanent characteristics. The acronym DOCTOR (description, occupation, condition, time, origin, relationship) is very useful for helping us to remember some of the many situations in which this verb is used. Let's take a look at how this verb is conjugated as well as some examples:
| Personal Pronoun | Present | Imperfect | Preterite |
| Yo | soy | era | fui |
| Tú | eres | eras | fuiste |
| Él, ella, usted | es | era | fue |
| Nosotros, nosotras | somos | éramos | fuimos |
| Vosotros, vosotras | sois | erais | fuisteis |
| Ellos, ellas, ustedes | son | eran | fueron |
Soy profesor de fotografía.
I'm a photography teacher.
Caption 13, 75 minutos - Gangas para ricos - Part 5
Play Caption
Sus cuadros eran muy extraños.
His paintings were very strange.
Caption 25, El Aula Azul - Adivina personajes históricos
Play Caption
También fuimos parte de todas estas, eh... mega empresas, pero...
We were also part of all these, um... mega companies, but...
Caption 22, Doctor Krápula - Entrevista
Play Caption
Notably, although ser usually denotes permanence, while the preterite tense denotes that something had a definite ending point, the verb ser is used in the preterite to describe something that "was" in the past, but did come to a conclusive end.
The verb estar also means "to be" for traits that are variable/less permanent. The acronym PLACE (position, location, action, condition, emotion) might help you to remember some contexts in which the verb estar should be chosen. Let's take a look:
| Personal Pronoun | Present | Imperfect | Preterite |
| Yo | estoy | estaba | estuve |
| Tú | estás | estabas | estuviste |
| Él, ella, usted | está | estaba | estuvo |
| Nosotros, nosotras | estamos | estábamos | estuvimos |
| Vosotros, vosotras | estáis | estabais | estuvisteis |
| Ellos, ellas, ustedes | están | estaban | estuverion |
Sí... Vale, entonces, estamos aquí.
Yes... OK, then, we're here.
Caption 6, Curso de español - Disculpe, ¿hay un cine por aquí?
Play Caption
Un poquito y ajá, y estaba triste porque
A little bit, and uh-huh, and I was sad because
dejaba mi familia y eso y ya.
I was leaving my family and all that and that's it.
Caption 70, Cleer - Entrevista a Lila
Play Caption
Los árabes estuvieron en España más de seiscientos años.
The Arabs were in Spain for more than six hundred years.
Caption 23, Rosa - Antequera, Málaga
Play Caption
Be sure to check out this lesson if you want to learn more about the difference between ser and estar.
The verb tener means "to have" in Spanish. Let's take a closer look:
| Personal Pronoun | Present | Imperfect | Preterite |
| Yo | tengo | tenía | tuve |
| Tú | tienes | tenías | tuviste |
| Él, ella, usted | tiene | tenía | tuvo |
| Nosotros, nosotras | tenemos | teníamos | tuvimos |
| Vosotros, vosotras | tenéis | teníais | tuvisteis |
| Ellos, ellas, ustedes | tienen | tenían | tuvieron |
¿Tienes plumones y tijeras?
You have markers and scissors?
Sí, tengo plumones y tijeras,
Yes, I have markers and scissors,
pero no tengo mi teléfono.
but I don't have my phone.
Captions 20-22, Conversaciones en el parque - Cap. 1: No tengo mi teléfono.
Play Caption
Tenían mi mochila en la Oficina de Objetos Perdidos.
They had my backpack in the Lost and Found.
Caption 44, Raquel - Oficina de objetos perdidos
Play Caption
La noche anterior a la rumba, tuve otro sueño.
The night before going out on the town, I had another dream.
Caption 1, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 7
Play Caption
Additionally, we invite you to explore some of the many idiomatic expressions with the verb tener.
And, we'll just take a second to mention that if you throw in the word que after the verb tener plus a verb's infinitive ("to" form), you'll have the very useful Spanish construction tener que that means, "to have to" (do something):
Hoy tengo que trabajar.
Today I have to work.
Caption 74, 75 minutos - Gangas para ricos - Part 14
Play Caption
Tuvimos que trasladarnos a esta nueva ciudad.
We had to move to this new city.
Caption 39, Ciudad de Panamá - Denisse introduce la ciudad
Play Caption
The Spanish verb hacer can mean either "to make" or "to do." But, not to fear— typically, the context will let you know quite clearly which meaning is intended.
| Personal Pronoun | Present | Imperfect | Preterite |
| Yo | hago | hacía | hice |
| Tú | haces | hacías | hiciste |
| Él, ella, usted | hace | hacía | hizo |
| Nosotros, nosotras | hacemos | hacíamos | hicimos |
| Vosotros, vosotras | hacéis | hacíais | hicisteis |
| Ellos, ellas, ustedes | hacen | hacían | hicieron |
Y ¿tú qué haces?
And what are you doing?
Caption 24, Guillermina y Candelario - Un pez mágico
Play Caption
Y yo no hacía esto. Yo hago otro acto, que es con las motos.
And I didn't do this. I do another act, which is with motorcycles.
Caption 35, Rueda de la muerte - Parte 1
Play Caption
También hizo alguna película.
He also made a movie.
Caption 28, El Aula Azul - Adivina personajes históricos
Play Caption
The Spanish verb ir means "to go." Let's check out some of its conjugations and uses:
| Personal Pronoun | Present | Imperfect | Preterite |
| Yo | voy | iba | fui |
| Tú | vas | ibas | fuiste |
| Él, ella, usted | va | iba | fue |
| Nosotros, nosotras | vamos | íbamos | fuimos |
| Vosotros, vosotras | vais | ibais | fuisteis |
| Ellos, ellas, ustedes | van | iban | fueron |
Voy a la piscina los lunes y los miércoles.
I go to the pool on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Caption 7, Ariana - Mi Semana
Play Caption
Iba mucho con mi padre al campo.
I used to go with my father to the countryside a lot.
Caption 56, 75 minutos - Del campo a la mesa - Part 10
Play Caption
¿Por qué fuiste al cine?
Why did you go to the movies?
Caption 48, Carlos explica - Las preposiciones 'por' y 'para'
Play Caption
You might have noticed that the preterite form of the verb ir is conjugated in the exact same way as the verb ser. However, in most cases, context should help you to easily identify which verb is in use.
Another great "trick" to be aware of is that adding an a plus a verb's infinitive to the verb ir is a very simple way of expressing what we are "going to" do and is, thus, an alternative to the future tense. Let's take a look:
Vamos a hablar de mi familia, ¿sí?
We are going to talk about my family, OK?
Caption 2, Curso de español - Vamos a hablar de la familia
Play Caption
Porque las chicas iban a salir, para no dejarte sola.
Because the girls were going to go out, so you wouldn't be alone.
Caption 11, Muñeca Brava - 18 - La Apuesta
Play Caption
If we're going to talk about ir (to go), we'd better mention venir (to come)! Let's look:
| Personal Pronoun | Present | Imperfect | Preterite |
| Yo | vengo | venía | vine |
| Tú | vienes | venías | viniste |
| Él, ella, usted | viene | venía | vino |
| Nosotros, nosotras | venimos | veníamos | vinimos |
| Vosotros, vosotras | venís | veníais | vinisteis |
| Ellos, ellas, ustedes | vienen | venían | vinieron |
Yo vengo del sur de España
I come from the South of Spain
Caption 10, Carolina - Acentos
Play Caption
¿Qué venía después?
What came next?
Caption 23, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 8
Play Caption
Los otros cisnes vinieron hacia él.
The other swans came toward him.
Caption 50, Cleer - El patito feo
Play Caption
The Spanish verb decir means "to say" or "to tell."
| Personal Pronoun | Present | Imperfect | Preterite |
| Yo | digo | decía | dije |
| Tú | dices | decías | dijiste |
| Él, ella, usted | dice | decía | dijo |
| Nosotros, nosotras | decimos | decíamos | dijimos |
| Vosotros, vosotras | decís | decíais | dijisteis |
| Ellos, ellas, ustedes | dicen | decían | dijeron |
Yo digo que Playa Balandra es el paraíso oficial.
I say that Balandra Beach is the official paradise.
Caption 67, Alan x el mundo - Mi playa favorita de México!
Play Caption
Pero siempre me decía: ¡Mira! Mira eso allá.
But he always used to tell me: Look! Look at that over there.
Caption 42, Federico Kauffman Doig - Arqueólogo
Play Caption
Y la señorita me dijo algo completamente diferente.
And the lady told me something totally different.
Caption 45, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa - Capítulo 5
Play Caption
Since we often say or tell things "to" others, you will notice that the verb decir is quite typically accompanied by indirect object pronouns like me (to me), te (to you), etc. to indicate the person to whom something is said or told. You can learn more about this and other aspects of this verb in our lesson entitled The Spanish Verb Decir.
The verb poder means "to be able." It can be used alone to say simply "I can," "you could," etc. but is often used in conjunction with an infinitive verb to express what it is one "is able" to do. Let see it in action:
| Personal Pronoun | Present | Imperfect | Preterite |
| Yo | puedo | podía | pude |
| Tú | puedes | podías | pudiste |
| Él, ella, usted | puede | podía | pudo |
| Nosotros, nosotras | podemos | podíamos | pudimos |
| Vosotros, vosotras | podéis | podíais | pudisteis |
| Ellos, ellas, ustedes | pueden | podían | pudieron |
¿Puedo ver el menú por favor?
Can I see the menu please?
Caption 12, Cata y Cleer - En el restaurante
Play Caption
¿Por qué las cosas no podían ser sencillas?
Why couldn't things be easy?
Caption 31, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 10
Play Caption
Gracias a su cola, pudieron volar.
Thanks to its tail, you were able to fly.
Caption 49, Guillermina y Candelario - Una aventura extrema
Play Caption
To learn more about the verb poder and how it is used, we recommend the following lesson: The Verb Poder - Common Expressions.
This word means "to know," but, in its preterite form, can mean "to find out."
| Personal Pronoun | Present | Imperfect | Preterite |
| Yo | sé | sabía | supe |
| Tú | sabes | sabías | supiste |
| Él, ella, usted | sabe | sabía | supo |
| Nosotros, nosotras | sabemos | sabíamos | supimos |
| Vosotros, vosotras | sabéis | sabíais | supisteis |
| Ellos, ellas, ustedes | saben | sabían | supieron |
Pero no sé dónde!
But I don't know where!
Caption 28, NPS No puede ser - 1 - El concurso
Play Caption
No sabía qué decirle.
I didn't know what to say to her.
Caption 12, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 1
Play Caption
Nunca supe la verdad
I never found out the truth
Caption 2, Aleks Syntek - Intocable
Play Caption
If we're going to converse in Spanish, we had better be able to say what we "want"! The verb querer can stand alone to express our desire for a particular thing or be used with an infinitive verb to say what we "want to do." Let's take a look:
| Personal Pronoun | Present | Imperfect | Preterite |
| Yo | quiero | quería | quise |
| Tú | quieres | querías | quisiste |
| Él, ella, usted | quiere | quería | quiso |
| Nosotros, nosotras | queremos | queríamos | quisimos |
| Vosotros, vosotras | queréis | queríais | quisisteis |
| Ellos, ellas, ustedes | quieren | querían | quisieron |
Porque realmente quiero mi propio baño.
Because I really want my own bathroom.
Caption 37, Cleer y Lida - Reservando una habitación
Play Caption
Y algunos querían volver a su casa.
And some wanted to go back to their home.
Caption 13, Guillermina y Candelario - El mundo de los juguetes perdidos
Play Caption
No me quiso decir su nombre.
She wouldn't tell me her name.
Caption 8, Yago - 14 La peruana
Play Caption
Keep in mind that when the verb querer is used with no in the preterite, it can convey the idea that someone "wouldn't" do something or "refused to."
One more important aspect of the Spanish verb querer is that, when speaking about actions that we "want" others to do or that we "want" to happen, the subjunctive form of the verb that follows is required (vuelvas instead of vuelves in the following example):
Quiero que... que vuelvas a New York.
I want for... for you to come back to New York.
Caption 23, Yago - 11 Prisión
Play Caption
The Spanish verb dar means "to give." Let's look at some of its forms and examples:
| Personal Pronoun | Present | Imperfect | Preterite |
| Yo | doy | daba | di |
| Tú | das | dabas | diste |
| Él, ella, usted | da | daba | dio |
| Nosotros, nosotras | damos | dábamos | dimos |
| Vosotros, vosotras | dais | dabais | disteis |
| Ellos, ellas, ustedes | dan | daban | dieron |
Yo doy agua a mi gato.
I give water to my cat.
Caption 14, Lecciones con Carolina - Verbo - dar
Play Caption
Adriana Espinel siempre daba unas respuestas tan profundas.
Adriana Espinel always gave such deep answers.
Caption 72, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 4
Play Caption
Eh... Mi asistente me dio sus datos.
Um... My assistant gave me your information.
Caption 39, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa - Capítulo 1
Play Caption
Like the verb decir, the verb dar is often accompanied by indirect object pronouns to highlight the person to whom something is given.
And, to conclude our list of the Top 12 Spanish verbs for carrying on a conversation, we thought it would be a good idea to give you a verb to describe the things you observe!
| Personal Pronoun | Present | Imperfect | Preterite |
| Yo | veo | veía | vi |
| Tú | ves | veías | viste |
| Él, ella, usted | ve | veía | vio |
| Nosotros, nosotras | vemos | veíamos | vimos |
| Vosotros, vosotras | veis | veíais | visteis |
| Ellos, ellas, ustedes | ven | veían | vieron |
Eh... ¿Cómo veo la vida?
Um... How do I see life?
Caption 79, Adícora, Venezuela - El tatuaje de Rosana
Play Caption
¡Pero veíamos serpientes por todos lados!
But we saw snakes everywhere!
Caption 41, Guillermina y Candelario - La Isla de las Serpientes
Play Caption
Vimos una película.
We saw a movie.
Caption 14, Zulbani - Trip to Merida
Play Caption
Although it was certainly tough to narrow down the top 12 useful verbs in Spanish for carrying on a conversation, we hope you've enjoyed this lesson and that it helps you to hold a lot of stimulating conversations! Let us know with your suggestions and comments if there are any other verbs or topics you'd like to learn more about.
To tell the tale of Speedy, A.B. Quintanilla starts, "Érase una vez" -- which means "Once upon a time." Hearing these words, listeners instantly know we are entering fairy-tale territory. "Érase una vez" or "érase que se era" or "había una vez" are all ways to set up a fictional tale in Spanish, just like "once upon a time" in English. It's a fairy-tale convention.
Érase una vez, en un "little tiny" pueblito,
Once upon a time, in a little tiny town,
Caption 2, A. B. Quintanilla - Speedy Gonzalez
Play Caption
Another convention we're all familiar with is the ending "And they lived happily ever after." In Spanish, you may hear: "Vivieron felices y comieron perdices" -- which a more literal translation would render "they lived happily and ate partridges." You see, partridges (perdices) are considered delicacies, so eating them signifies the good life. Plus, it rhymes.
Let's end on another rhyming note:
"Colorín, colorado... este cuento se ha acabado".
"Snip, snap, snout... this tale's told out" [Literally: Red, red-colored... this tale has ended"].
Caption 62, Cleer - El patito feo
Play Caption
So to sign off this lesson, let's just say:
Y colorín colorado
esta lección se ha acabado.
French
German
Italian
Chinese
English
English 
Français
Deutsch
Español
Italiano
Português
