The use of the orthographic accent on Spanish words such as qué (what), cómo (how), and cuánto/s (how much/many) usually indicates that those words are part of an interrogative or exclamatory sentence. The following examples review how to use qué, cómo, and cuánto as exclamatory words.

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Qué can be used right in front of nouns, adverbs, and adjectives. It means "how" or "what a." In our newest episode of Muñeca Brava, Mili uses qué with an adjective when she talks about the Christmas party:

¿Viste todos los regalos? ¡Qué linda! -Sí, estuvo estupenda.

Did you see all the presents? How lovely! -Yes, it was great.

Caption 2, Muñeca Brava - 30 Revelaciones

 Play Caption

Qué can also be combined with an adverb to express surprise about the way an action was done:

¡Qué bueno he sido pa' ti Y qué mal te estás portando!

How good I've been for you And how badly you're behaving!

Captions 17-18, 75 minutos - Del campo a la mesa

 Play Caption

Qué can also be placed in front of a noun:

¡Ay, qué espanto! ¡Y pensar que el hombre ese estaba en mi cama!

What a scare! And to think that man was in my bed!

Caption 4, Muñeca Brava - 18 - La Apuesta

 Play Caption

Cuánto (how much) can be used in front of nouns and verbs. When used with a noun, this exclamatory word must agree in gender and number:

¡Cuántos frijoles hubiéramos hecho!

How many beans we would have produced!

Caption 28, Con ánimo de lucro - Cortometraje

 Play Caption

When cuánto is accompanied by a verb, we always use the masculine, singular form. If a direct object pronoun is required, we must place it between the two words:

¡Ay, no sabes cuánto lo lamento!

Oh, you don't know how much I regret it!

Caption 17, Muñeca Brava - 7 El poema

 Play Caption

Finally, the exclamatory cómo is used in front of verbs. This example requires the use of a reflexive pronoun (me), which is also placed between the two words:

¡Guau, cómo me gustan esos hobbies!

Wow, how I like those hobbies!

Caption 38, Karla e Isabel - Nuestros hobbies

 Play Caption

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

We hope you have enjoyed this brief review on exclamatory words.

Hay tipos así... tipos así que se rajan.

There are guys like that... guys like that who back out.

Caption 75, Muñeca Brava - 43 La reunión - Part 6

 Play Caption

¡No sea rajón!

Don't be cowardly!

Ni que fuera el diablo en persona.

It's not like he is the devil incarnate.

Captions 34-35, El Ausente - Acto 3 - Part 3

 Play Caption

Voy a hablar con mi abuela sobre la cuestión

I'm going to talk to my grandmother about the matter

y la voy a hacer rajar de la casa.

and I'm going to get her fired from the house [staff].

Captions 29-30, Muñeca Brava - 18 - La Apuesta - Part 4

 Play Caption

And Martita, who actually committed the misdeed Mili's been accused of, enjoys a brief moment of victory:

Uh, entonces me voy rajando a avisarle al Club,

Uh, so I'm running to tell the Club,

a los chicos que tengo novia.

to tell the boys that I have a girlfriend.

Captions 52-53, Muñeca Brava - 41 La Fiesta - Part 8

 Play Caption

Finally, Milagros quotes Sister Cachete, echoing one of the most common Argentine uses of rajar, “to run away”: 

Say you're going to a Christmas party -- that is, una fiesta de Navidad. What are you going to bring? (¿Que vas a llevar?) Well, your host might suggest:

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Tráiganos una botella de vino, nada más.
Bring us a bottle of wine, that's all.

And then you might respond:

Bueno. Voy a llevar vino tinto.
Ok. I'll bring red wine.

Did you notice we switched verbs there? Both llevar and traer can mean "to bring," but with a crucial difference in perspective. If you're the one doing the bringing to someone else, you use 'llevar' -which also means "to carry." If you're the one asking someone to bring something to you, you use 'traer.' Got that?

There are many definitions of the common verb 'llevar,' which is why we keep returning to it again and again in our weekly missives.

In this week's videos, you'll hear llevar used in a couple of different contexts -- in a song and in a classroom. First, let's look at the heartstring-tugging lyrics sung by Axel Fernando:

Muchas veces me pregunto por qué pasa todo esto,

Many times I wonder why all this happens

por qué tus mil "Te quiero" siempre se los lleva el viento

why your thousand "I love yous" are always carried away by the wind

Captions 1-2, Axel Fernando - ¿Qué estás buscando?

 Play Caption

Here, the reflexive llevarse means "to carry away" or "to take away." The online dictionary site, WordReference.com provides some examples along the same lines:

¡Llévatelo de aquí!
Take it away [from here]!

Se lo llevó la corriente
The current carried it away

Remember: At a restaurant, they might ask you '¿Para llevar?' ("To take out [with you]?"). In our next video -- in Spanish school room -- we get a handy lesson in verb forms to use to offer advice. At the same time, we see our featured verb take on another shade of its meaning. Sit in the back of the classroom and listen:

"Te aconsejo que lleves una chaqueta".

"I recommend that you bring a jacket."

Caption 28, Escuela Don Quijote - En el aula

 Play Caption

Llevaría una chaqueta. -Muy bien. Yo, que tú.

I would bring a jacket. -Very good. If I were you.

Caption 31, Escuela Don Quijote - En el aula

 Play Caption

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Note that llevar could also mean "to wear," and that the phrases above could possibly be talking about the "wearing" of a jacket as well. One must distinguish the proper meaning from the greater context.

Bernardo, traeme otra caja de pastillas. ¿Bernardo?

Bernardo, bring me another box of pills. Bernardo?

Caption 57, Muñeca Brava - 7 El poema

 Play Caption

Hazme un favor: Tráeme mi chaqueta.
Do me a favor: Bring me my jacket.
¿Para qué?
Why? 
Quiero llevarla a la fiesta de Navidad.
I want to wear it [or possibly: to bring it] to the Christmas party.