In preparation for El Día de San Valentín (Valentine's Day), let's listen to several pertinent clips from the Yabla Spanish video library... and learn some vocabulary in the process!

Cupido vuelve a apuntar con su flecha

Cupid aims with his arrow again

Caption 5, Tito El Bambino Llueve el amor

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Chocolate Perfección: el chocolate para enamorados.

"Chocolate Perfección": the chocolate for lovers.

Captions 43-44, Extr@: Extra en español Ep. 5: Ha nacido una estrella - Part 2

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Valentine's Day in North America 

The captions above include some common themes and traditions of Valentine's Day in North America, which is meant to  festejar el amor  (celebrate love) for romantic partners and family members, and, increasingly, to show appreciation for friends. Typical ways of doing so include  intercambiar regalos (exchanging gifts) and tarjetas de San Valentín  (valentines), mandar flores (sending flowers), most typically rosas rojas (red roses), giving cajas de chocolate en forma de corazón (heart-shaped boxes of chocolate), and planning special citas (dates), such as salir a cenar (going out to dinner). Valentine's Day in North America is celebrated on el catorce de febrero (February fourteenth).

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Valentine's Day in the Spanish-Speaking World

Valentine's Day is celebrated in a similar fashion on the same day in many Spanish speaking countries, with varying degrees of popularity. In addition to El Día de San Valentín, many countries refer to this holiday as El Día del Amor y la Amistad (Love and Friendship Day) or El Día de los Enamorados (Lovers' Day), while some use these terms interchangeably. And Guatemala has a unique name: El Día del Cariño (Affection Day).

Many Valentine's costumbres (traditions) in the Spanish-speaking world overlap with North American ones:

La floristería. ¿Sí? Es una tienda donde la gente compra flores, plantas, ¿sí? Por ejemplo, para cumpleaños, o para... en... en primavera, o para el Día de los Enamorados, por ejemplo.

The florist. Right? It's a store where people buy flowers, plants, right? For example, for birthdays, or for... in... in spring, or for Valentine's Day, for example.

Captions 3-6, Curso de español Tiendas y edificios públicos en la ciudad

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However, there are some differences. In Chile, las orquídeas (orchids) are the flowers of love rather than roses. And some countries, like the Dominican Republic, have the tradition of a game called Amigo secreto (Secret Friend) or Angelito (Little Angel) among friends or colleagues, which is similar to the idea of Secret Santa. 

Valentine's Day Alternatives

Some countries celebrate their Valentine's Day on a different date, while others commemorate both February 14th and additional love and friendship holidays. 

Colombia's El Día del Amor y la Amistad falls on the third Saturday in September, while Argentina's La Semana de la Dulzura (Sweetness Week), where amigos (friends) and amantes (lovers) exchange chocolate and other dulces (sweets), lasts from June 1st through 7th. Argentinians also recognize El Día del Amigo (Friend Day) on July 20th, whereas Mexico has its El Día Internacional de la Amistad (International Friendship Day) on August 30th. Additional romantic holidays include El Día del Estudiante, de la Juventud, de la Primavera, y del Amor (The Day of the Student, Youth, Spring, and Love) on September 21st in Bolivia and El Día de San Jorge (Saint George's Day) in Catalonia on April 23rd, where red roses are traditionally gifted to women and books to men. On El Día de San Dionisio (Saint Dionysius Day) in Valencia on October 9th, the gift of choice is the Spanish sweet mazapán (marzipan) wrapped in a pañuelo (handkerchief).

Valentine's Day Verbs

Now that we know about various international Valentine's-like festivities, let's learn some romantic Spanish vocabulary, starting with some verbs:

abrazar: to hug/embrace

acurrucar: to cuddle 

adorar: to adore/love

amar: to love

besar: to kiss 

coquetear: to flirt 

casarse: to marry/get married

enamorarse: to fall in love

encantar: to [cause] love

gustar: to [cause someone to] like 

querer: to like/love

Related to these words are, of course, essential Valentine's Day nouns like  el beso (the kiss) and el abrazo (the hug) and adjectives like enamorado/a (in love). Let's hear a few of these words in action:

Me quiero casar con ella. Estoy enamorado, ¿eh?

I want to marry her. I'm in love, huh?

Caption 59, Muñeca Brava 2 Venganza - Part 9

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¿Y no te alcanza el tiempo para coquetear con cierto chico... rubio, guapo, encantador?

And don't you have enough time to flirt with a certain guy... blond, handsome, charming?

Captions 116-117, NPS No puede ser 1 - El concurso - Part 10

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Siento que cada día te quiero más

I feel that each day I love you more

Caption 27, Alberto Barros Mano a mano

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Since the subtle differences between the different "love" verbs can seem a bit confusing for English speakers, we recommend our lessons on three different ways to express love in Spanish and Amar y Querer. And, since the way that verbs like gustar and encantar  work can feel a bit counterintuitive, we recommend this two-part lesson on Querer vs. "To Like": A Difference in Perception.

Terms of Endearment

Let's conclude today's lesson with some ways to refer affectionately to your romantic partner, although you might additionally hear many of them used among friends. While we will provide their literal translations below, many of them can be used similarly to the way that the terms "honey," "dear" or "sweetie" are used in English. 

Amor: love

Cariño: affection

Corazón: heart

Mi cielo: my sky

Mi rey/reina: my king/queen

Mi vida: my life

Querido/querida: dear

Let's hear a few of these in action:

y te mando un beso, corazón.

and I send you a kiss, sweetheart.

Caption 11, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa Capítulo 3 - Part 7

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Dame un beso. -¿De verdad, mi cielo?

Give me a kiss. -Really, my dear?

Caption 64, Confidencial: Asesino al Volante Capítulo 1 - Part 3

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¡Mi reina! Mi amor, cómo te extrañé. -Hola, yo también.

My queen! My love, how I missed you. -Hello, me too.

Captions 1-2, Yago 6 Mentiras - Part 2

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And remember that while gordo/a literally means "fat" or "fatty," it is also used as a term of endearment in some Latin American countries (although we definitely don't recommend employing it's English equivalent!).

We hope that this lesson rife with Valentine's Day vocabulary has been useful to you, and  ¡Feliz Día de San Valentín (Happy Valentine's Day)! And don't forget to leave us your suggestions and comments. 

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Do you know how to say goodbye in Spanish? Believe it or not, there are many different ways to say goodbye in Spanish. In this lesson, we will review some of the standard terms you can use as well as other alternative ways of saying goodbye in Spanish slang. Let's take a look.

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Adiós: The Top Choice for Saying Goodbye in Spanish

If you want to know the most standard way of saying goodbye in Spanish, adiós is your go-to term. Let's hear how to pronounce it:

Adiós. -Adiós.

Goodbye. -Goodbye.

Caption 50, Cita médica - La cita médica de Cleer

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Bueno, mucho gusto, Ana. -Mucho gusto.

Well, nice to meet you, Ana. -Nice to meet you.

Adiós. -Adiós.

Goodbye. -Goodbye.

Captions 67-68, Conversaciones en el parque - Cap. 3: ¿De quién es esta mochila?

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How to Say Goodbye in Spanish Using the Preposition hasta 

The preposition hasta (usually translated as "until" or "even" in English) is quite useful when we want to say bye to someone. While the following expressions are not as literal as adiós, people use them often when they want to say goodbye in Spanish. The idea here is, "Let's meet at some point in the future." Let's take a look:

1. Hasta luego (See you later)

Así que, ¡nos vemos muy pronto!

So, see you very soon!

¡Hasta luego!

See you later!

Captions 83-84, Amaya - Mi burro Pepe

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2. Hasta pronto (See you soon)

¡Adiós, amigos de Yabla, hasta pronto!

Bye, friends of Yabla, see you soon!

Caption 51, Ariana - España

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3. Hasta la próxima (See you next time)

Gracias por su atención y hasta la próxima.

Thank you for your attention, and see you next time.

Hasta luego.

See you later.

Captions 74-75, Carlos explica - Las preposiciones 'por' y 'para'

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4. Hasta mañana (See you tomorrow)

Hasta mañana, Ivo. -Chau, mi amor. -Chau.

See you tomorrow, Ivo. -Bye, my love. -Bye.

Chau, papá. -Chau.

Bye, dad. -Bye.

Captions 79-80, Muñeca Brava - 43 La reunión

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5. Hasta la vista (So long)

Bueno, os esperamos por Madrid.

Well, we await you in Madrid.

¡Hasta la vista!

So long!

Captions 91-92, Marisa en Madrid - Parque de El Retiro

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Chao or Chau: Your Easiest Options for Saying Goodbye in Spanish Slang

Are you wondering how to say bye in Spanish in the shortest possible way? Look no further. These slang terms, taken from the standard Italian manner of saying goodbye (ciao), are the words you're looking for. Let's see how to pronounce chao and chau:

Bueno... Nos vemos en la casa, chao.

OK... See you at home, bye.

Caption 53, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 9

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...porque ahora tengo un compromiso. Claro.

...because now I have an appointment. [Is that] clear?

Chau, Andrea. -Chau.

Bye, Andrea. -Bye.

Captions 21-22, Muñeca Brava - 2 Venganza

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Three More Ways to Say Goodbye in Spanish

1. Nos vemos (See you)

2. Cuídate (Take care)

Sobres, cuídate.

OK, take care.

Caption 7, El Puesto de Frutas de Javier - Haciendo una ensalada de frutas

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3. Suerte (Good luck)

Using 'Si Clauses' as Part of a Question - Part 1

In a previous lesson we explored the use of conditional si clauses in questions. Since one of our new videos for the week focuses on the Spanish conditional, we think it's a great opportunity to continue exploring the topic, reviewing a couple of examples where si clauses are used in a more orthodox way. 

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As you know, conditional si clauses always have two parts: the condition, or si (if) clause, and the followup, which indicates what will happen if the condition is met. In these examples, the subjunctive is used in the si clauses, while the conditional (underlined) is reserved for the followup:
 

Bueno, si yo fuera tú, hablaría con él.

Well, if I were you, I would speak with him.

Caption 24, El Aula Azul - La Doctora Consejos: Subjuntivo y condicional

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Creo que si fuera consciente me...

I think that if I were paying attention I...

me volvería loca porque es así como muy fuerte.

I would go crazy because it's kind of really intense.

Captions 115-116, Biografía - Natalia Oreiro

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Si tuviera otra oportunidad

If I had another chance

De empezar de cero otra vez,

To start from zero again,

De vivir una nueva vida más

To live one more new life

Yo volvería a repetir

I would repeat

Y volvería a nacer

And would be born again

Captions 2-6, La habitación roja - La segunda oportunidad

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More frequently though, you will hear that speakers use the indicative for both the main clause and the si clause:
 

Y si le caes mal, es su problema entonces.

And if he doesn't like you, it's his problem then.

Captions 30-31, El Aula Azul - La Doctora Consejos: Subjuntivo y condicional

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It is as if the speaker assumes that the condition has, in fact, been met, and therefore uses the indicative to state both, the si clause and the main clause, as facts. Can you tell how this example would look if we were to use the conditional and the subjunctive instead of the indicative? It would look like this:

Y si le cayeras mal, sería su problema entonces. 
And if he didn't like you, that would be his problem then. 

Interesting, right? Let's review a few more examples using indicative:
 

Yo, si me los pongo, lo aguanto.

Me, if I put them on, I deal with it.

Caption 60, 75 minutos - Gangas para ricos

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Así que si quieres me esperas, si no comprendo

So, if you want, you wait for me, if not, I understand

Caption 16, Karamelo Santo - Que no digan nunca

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¡Ay, chicos, si quieren les hago tostadas!

Hey, guys, if you want, I'll make toast for you!

Caption 41, Muñeca Brava - 2 Venganza

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