Let's talk about hobbies in Spanish! Hobbies, or pursuits in which one engages in his or her tiempo libre (free time), can range from things you do, to things you study, to things you collect... and more!
There are three main ways to say "hobby" in Spanish, one of which is the English word "hobby":
Pues, a mí me encanta bailar. Ese es mi hobby favorito. -OK,
Well, I love to dance. That is my favorite hobby. -OK,
Captions 7-8, Cleer Hobbies
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The Spanish word pasatiempo is another way to say "hobby." You might remember it as being similar to the English word "pastime":
Ya ustedes... Todo mundo sabe qué es béisbol. Pero no el profesional, solamente como pasatiempo.
You already... Everybody knows what baseball is. But, not the professional [kind], just as a hobby.
Captions 50-51, Peluquería La Percha Félix
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La afición is yet another way to say "hobby" in Spanish:
Vale... o sea que habéis conseguido transformar vuestra afición en vuestra profesión, ¿no?
OK... in other words, you guys have managed to transform your hobby into your profession, right?
Caption 72, Novalima Entrevista - Part 2
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Now that you know how to say "hobby" in Spanish, we'll introduce you to the Spanish words for a multitude of different pastimes you might take up with examples from our Spanish video library. Since some internet hobby lists include as many as 1,001 hobbies, we narrowed it down to Yabla's Top 40 Hobbies in Spanish.
Also known as el teatro (theater), la actuación (acting) could be a fun thing to study, perhaps culminating in participation in una obra de teatro (a play). The verb associated with la actuación is actuar (to act).
En esta universidad afortunadamente tenemos grandes talleres de teatro, de actuación, de música
At this university, fortunately, we have big workshops for theater, acting, music,
Captions 14-15, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Ana
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Estudiar astrología (studying astrology) involves the observation of celestial bodies like the sun (el sol), the moon (la luna), the stars (las estrellas), and the planets (los planetas) for the purpose of predicting traits or events.
porque el fin último de la astrología es ser una herramienta de autoconocimiento.
because the ultimate goal of astrology is to be a tool for self-knowledge.
Caption 18, Conversaciones con Luis Astrología
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As there is some terminology overlap with la astronomía (astronomy), this lesson on Astronomy 101 in Spanish might come in handy, while the above-cited video on astrology might pique your interest.
La panadería (baking) might be a fun (and tasty) pursuit! Alternative Spanish words for "baking" in Spanish include la repostería and el horneado, while the verb hornear means "to bake."
Estudié panadería profesional y pastelería moderna en dos universidades de allá.
I studied professional baking and modern pastry making in two universities there.
Caption 6, Misión Chef 2 - Pruebas - Part 3
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If you love baking, Yabla videos about baking such delectable dishes as Colombian buñuelos, Leche asada (also from Colombia), Ecuadorian Chaqui Tanda, or even a good old chocolate cake, might be right up your alley.
Who doesn't love a good ganga (bargain)? If you find them particularly intriguing, la búsqueda de gangas (or "bargain hunting," which could also be conveyed with the verb buscar gangas) might be right for you!
Los ricos también buscan gangas
Rich people also hunt for bargains
Caption 13, 75 minutos Gangas para ricos - Part 1
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The above-cited caption is from a series entitled Gangas para ricos (Bargains for Rich People).
Many people find realizar observación de aves (the verb for "birdwatching") to be an interesting and educational activity to do al aire libre (outdoors).
La Unidad Operativa de Punta Norte, que es por excelencia, bueno, un punto de observación de aves
The Operational Unit of Punta Norte, which is, par excellence, well, a birdwatching point
Captions 24-25, Perdidos en la Patagonia Península Valdés
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Popular mundialmente (worldwide), el ajedrez (chess) is both a fun and cerebral pastime. You can describe the action of "playing chess" with the verb jugar al ajedrez.
Este... mis pasatiempos, me fascina lo que es el ajedrez.
Um... my hobbies, I love chess.
Caption 27, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Manuel Orozco Sánchez - Part 1
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The verbs reunir and coleccionar both mean "to collect" while una colección refers to "a collection" of some artículo (item). Popular items to collect include las camisetas (t-shirts), los sellos (stamps), las tazas (mugs), los postales (postcards), las tarjetas de beisbol (baseball cards), and even los coches (cars), although, unless they are carros de juguete (toy cars), the latter is most probably less accessible to the masses!
Él ha conseguido reunir una gran variedad de modelos de las grandes marcas de automóvil:
He has managed to collect a great variety of models from the big automobile brands:
Captions 11-12, Málaga Museo del automóvil
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A "cocktail" hobby might include simply tasting (probar) exotic drinks at various coctelerías (cocktail bars) or, alternatively, practicing la coctelería (which also means "bartending") or la mixología (mixology), the art of making alcoholic beverages oneself!
Mezclamos el hielo en todos nuestros cócteles y mucha azúcar.
We mix the ice in all our cocktails and a lot of sugar.
Caption 36, Otavalo Restaurante 'Carbón de Palo'
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You might kick off your cocktail hobby by making this simple recipe for Ponche Navideño (eggnog, or literally "Christmas Punch").
La cocina is the noun for "cooking" while the verb cocinar means "to cook."
Y también me gusta mucho cocinar. Ahora mismo, voy a un curso de cocina,
And also I really like to cook. Right now, I'm going to a cooking class,
Captions 37-38, Marta Se presenta
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For cooking aficionados, Yabla has many tasty recipe ideas, including Spanish crema de broccoli, Colombian pollo sudado, and Venezuelan arepas, just to name a few. You can also delve deeper into Spanish cuisine with the series La Cocina de María (María's Kitchen), while Misión Chef (Mission Chef) takes you behind the scenes of a Mexican cooking competition for underprivileged kids.
"Cycling" or "biking" are known as el ciclismo in Spanish, while the verbs to describe this action range from practicar ciclismo (literally "to practice cycling") to andar/montar en bici ("to bike" or "ride a bike"). Bici is, of course, short for la bicicleta (the bicycle).
De por sí el ciclismo es un... es un deporte de.... del pueblo,
In itself, cycling is a... is a sport of... of the people,
Caption 34, Semilleros Escarabajos Chapter 2 - Part 1
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To glean more insight into the world of professional cycling, we recommend the above-referenced series entitled Semilleros Escarabajos from Colombia, where cycling is considered by many to be the national sport.
El baile is the noun for "dance," and bailar (to dance) is probably one of the first verbs you learned when studying Spanish. Dancing provides a creative outlet as well as buen ejercicio (good exercise).
Me encanta bailar,
I love to dance,
Caption 33, El Aula Azul Los profesores de la escuela - Part 1
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There are so many styles of dance you might choose to study, such as ballet, tap, jazz, and hip-hop, or Latin styles like salsa, bachata, cumbia, merengue, flamenco, and more.
Verbs like salir a comer, salir a cenar, or comer afuera describe the popular hobby of "dining out" or "going out to eat" at restaurants, enabling one to try una variedad (a variety) of cocinas (cuisines).
¿Vamos a salir a comer, señor Urrutia?
Are we going to go out to eat, Mister Urrutia?
Caption 28, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa Capítulo 2 - Part 1
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The hobby known as el dibujo (drawing/sketching) has been associated with improved self-confidence and mental health. The verb dibujar means "to draw," while the verbs bosquejar and bocetar mean "to sketch."
eh... primero que todo le doy gracias a Dios por haberme dado esta capacidad de expresión que es el dibujo.
um... first of all, I give thanks to God for having given me this capacity for expression, which is drawing.
Captions 75-77, Bucaramanga, Colombia Pintor callejero
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If drawing interests you, you might try this video about Mexican illustrator Antonio Vargas.
This hobby might entail the frequent viewing of películas (movies/films) at el cine (the movie theater), studying la historia del cine (the history of film/cinema), or perhaps even "filmmaking" (which can also be known as el cine or el rodaje) yourself.
y me encanta ver películas en el cine.
and I love watching movies at the movie theater.
Caption 33, El Aula Azul Los profesores de la escuela - Part 2
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Many people are passionate about estudiar geografía (studying geography), which examines both physical locations on la Tierra (Earth) and the relationship between people and their sociedades (societies).
Pero me di cuenta que cuando uno estudia geografía y estudia el mundo, en realidad eso es un reflejo de nuestra mente.
But I realized that when one studies geography and studies the world, that is actually a reflection of our minds.
Captions 50-51, Outward Bound Danny
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"Gardening" can be known as la jardinería or el cuidado de un jardín (literally "the care of a garden"). Verbs for "to garden" include cuidar un jardín, cultivar, or plantar.
Seguro que a muchas de vosotras y vosotros os gusta la jardinería
Surely many of you like gardening
Caption 2, Fermín La plumeria - Part 1
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Gardening fans might enjoy Yabla host Fermín's video on an interesting flower called la plumeria.
We don't think you'll have a hard time remembering how to say "golf" in Spanish: el golf. Jugar al golf, on the other hand, means "to play golf."
son alumnos del instituto José Cadalzo de San Roque y son unos apasionados por el golf.
they are students from the José Cadalzo de San Roque Institute and they are golf enthusiasts.
Captions 4-5, Club de las ideas Biodiesel - Part 1
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If golfing is your cup of tea, try the video Pasión por el golf (Passion for Golf).
While the nouns la equitación and la cabalgata mean "horseback riding," the verb montar a caballo means "to ride a horse."
Recuerda también que tenemos cursos de música y cursos de equitación,
Also remember that we have music courses and horseback riding courses,
Captions 27-28, El Aula Azul Conversación: Los cursos de español - Part 1
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This clip references horseback riding as one of the many activities available in addition to learning Spanish at El Aula Azul language school in San Sebastián, Spain.
"Hiking" in Spanish is known as el senderismo or el excursionismo. "To hike" or "take a hike" might be described with verbs like practicar senderismo/excursionismo, hacer una caminata or simply subir.
justo aquí encima de mí, está el Monte Ulía, que es perfecto para practicar senderismo,
right here above me, is Monte Ulía [Mount Ulía], which is perfect for hiking
Captions 15-17, El Aula Azul Barrio de Gros
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If you are looking for a more exotic hobby, el malabar (a.k.a. malabarismo, or "juggling") could be your thing! Verbs that mean "to juggle" include hacer malabares and hacer juegos malabares.
y ya entramos en el malabar.
and then we get into juggling.
Caption 16, Juan Sánchez Clase de circo
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"Kitesurfing" is often known as el kitesurfing, el kitesurf, or simply el kite in Spanish, and the action is hacer kitesurf, etc.
Estamos en una escuela de kite.
We're at a kitesurfing school.
Caption 3, Adícora, Venezuela La Posada Sea Club - Part 2
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Kitesurfing may not be available everywhere, but Yabla has had the opportunity to travel to a prime kitsurfing location, Adícora, Venezuela, and made a lot of videos related to this topic! You might take a look at Darío y el kitesurfing, La Posada Sea Club, and Adícora Kite Club, just to name a few.
We're sure your friends will be delighted with all of the prendas (garments) and other manualidades (crafts) you make them when you take up "knitting," which can be known in Spanish by names such as el tejido, el punto, and la calceta. The action of knitting is commonly called tejer or hacer punto.
Nosotros no hacemos solamente un tejido sino hacemos en varias formas de tejido.
We don't just do one [kind of] knitting, but rather do various types of knitting.
Caption 23, Otavalo Jorge, creador de atrapasueños
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As you already know, aprender un idioma (the verb for "learning a language," while el aprendizaje is the noun) can be both challenging and rewarding!
Hola, y bienvenido a Yabla español, el programa revolucionario para el aprendizaje de español.
Hello, and welcome to Yabla Spanish, the revolutionary program for the learning of Spanish.
Captions 1-2, Spanish INTRO Karola
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We hope that Yabla is helping your own language journey, and also recommend our sister site Go Spanish by Yabla to reinforce what you are learning with small group or private classes.
El maquillaje is also an increasingly popular hobby for which one can find many online tutorials. The action of applying makeup or "making (someone) up" is called maquillar while applying makeup to oneself is expressed with the reflexive verb maquillarse.
y hoy voy a maquillar a mi amiga, Catalina, que necesita un maquillaje para una entrevista.
and today I am going to make up my friend, Catalina, who needs a makeup application for an interview.
Captions 9-10, Maquillaje Con Cata y Cleer
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Of course, makeup could be for every day as Cleer demonstrates in her video Maquillaje- Con Cata y Cleer or theatrical, as Mónica shows in her theatrical makeup demonstration on how to age our faces!
There are a variety of different técnicas (techniques) with which one can meditar (to meditate), some of which are done in conjunction with movement such as yoga or tai chi, which is known as "meditation in motion."
Con la meditación, ejercitamos nuestra capacidad de permanecer abiertos,
With meditation, we exercise our capacity to remain open,
Captions 21-23, Ana Carolina La meditación
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Learn more about meditation with Ana Carolina or participate in a guided meditation with Ana Teresa.
Get your creative juices flowing with la pintura, which can refer generally to the art of "painting" or the "paint" itself. The verb pintar means "to paint."
Entonces, este... yo estaba pintando en esa época
So, then... I was painting at that time
Caption 8, Arturo Vega Entrevista - Part 3
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Series like Leonardo Rodriguez Sirtori - Una vida como pintor as well as the videos Claudia y su pintura and María Marí- Pasión por su arte can give you greater insight into a painter's life.
With the advent of smart phones that take higher quality photos all the time and the opportunity to filter and display photos on popular social media sites, it seems that more and more people are becoming interested in la fotografía (photography). The people who take photos are known as fogógrafos/as (photographers), and the action of taking photos is expressed with sacar or tomar fotos.
Si te gusta la fotografía, estoy seguro de que disfrutarás adentrándote por sus callejuelas estrechas,
If you like photography, I'm sure you'll enjoy losing yourself in its narrow streets,
Captions 30-31, Viajando con Fermín Sevilla - Part 1
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La poesía (poetry) fascinates many people, whether it entails simply reading it (leer poesía) or writing it oneself (escribir poesía).
¿Escribes poesía? -Sí.
You write poetry? -Yes.
Caption 69, Karla e Isabel Palabras
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El pole dance (pole dancing) is an incredibly aerobic activity that is no longer limited to just strip clubs!
Vengo a compartir con ustedes hoy un tema sumamente interesante: los beneficios del pole dance.
I've come to share with you today an extremely interesting topic: the benefits of pole dancing.
Captions 2-4, Melyna Pole dance
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Apparently, pole dancing has enjoyed particular popularity in Ecuador in recent days, as Melyna shares with us in her video entitled Pole dance.
In the popular series Los Años Maravillosos (the Colombian version of The Wonder Years), Kevin's mom finds an escape from her everyday life by signing up for una clase de cerámica (a pottery class), and maybe you can too!
Es que me inscribí en el curso de cerámica de la parroquia.
It's just that I enrolled in the church's pottery class.
Caption 20, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 12 - Part 3
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Tocar un instrumento means "to play" or "playing an instrument."
y que quería aprender a tocar la guitarra
and that I wanted to learn to play the guitar
Caption 18, Luis Guitarra Influencias musicales - Part 1
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To learn the names of musical instruments you might play in Spanish, try Spanish singer-songwriter Luis Guitarra's Instrumentos musicales or Karla e Isabel- Instrumentos musicales. Alternatively, the Curso de guitarra (Guitar Course) series can teach you how to play some simple chords and tunes.
The pastime "reading" is most typically described by the verb leer (to read). Reading is, of course, a great hobby for improving one's vocabulario (vocabulary) as well as opening one's mente (mind).
Sobre mis "hobbies", por ejemplo, me gusta mucho leer.
About my hobbies, for example, I love reading.
Caption 17, Burgos María de los Ángeles
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Interestingly, the word correr can be both a noun meaning "running" and a verb meaning "to run." Taken straight from English, el jogging is also used to talk about this hobby that relieves stress and builds endurance.
En el próximo febrero quince, voy a correr la maratón de Austin, Texas,
Next February fifteenth, I'm going to run the marathon in Austin, Texas,
Captions 28-29, Cerro de Ancón Entrenamiento
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El fútbol is an internationally popular deporte (sport) with very enthusiastic fanáticos (fans), whether they prefer to simply watch los partidos de fútbol (soccer matches) or jugar al fútbol (play soccer) themselves.
Los viernes, juego al fútbol con mis amigas.
On Fridays, I play soccer with my friends.
Caption 21, Ariana Mi Semana
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"Surfing" is called el surf in Spanish, and the verb for "to surf" is surfear.
Una de mis grandes aficiones desde niña es el surf,
One of my big hobbies since I was a little girl is surfing,
Caption 4, Ana Teresa Yoga y surf
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For videos on surfing, try this one on the Costa Azul Surf Shop in Los Cabos, Baja, Mexico, and Ana Teresa's video on yoga and surfing as complementary practices.
La natación is an excellent, low-impact way to get exercise, which many find muy relajante (very relaxing). The verb nadar means to "swim."
Para nosotros, que amamos este deporte, la natación es nuestro estilo de vida.
For us, who love this sport, swimming is our lifestyle.
Captions 24-25, Víctor en Caracas La natación
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For swimming-related videos, try La natación or Socorrismo en Málaga (Lifeguarding in Málaga).
El tenis (tennis) could be an exhilarating and physically-challenging deporte (sport) to try. Jugar al tenis means "to play tennis."
Me gusta mucho jugar al tenis.
I really like to play tennis.
Caption 21, Marta Se presenta
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Traveling is known by the verb that means "to travel," viajar, whereas the noun los viajes refers to one's "travels" or "trips." We agree with the sentiment expressed in the following clip:
y obviamente que viajar siempre viene bien
and obviously traveling always does one good
Caption 47, GoSpanish Entrevista con María Sol
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The wine tasting hobby is often described with the verbs catar vinos or probar vinos. A wine tasting event, on the other hand, is known as una cata de vinos or una degustación de vinos.
Lo primero que vamos a hacer cuando vamos a probar un vino, es mirar el color.
The first thing we're going to do when we're going to taste a wine is to look at the color.
Captions 32-33, Montserrat Cata de vinos - Part 1
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Via Yabla's video library, you can attend a Cata de vinos (wine tasting) with Amaya or try Montserrat's favorite wines.
We doubt you'll have trouble remembering the name for "yoga" in Spanish since it is the same as in English with a masculine article: el yoga. Practicar yoga (to practice yoga) is the action.
y mucha gente no sabe todo lo que hay detrás del yoga, que no es solamente un ejercicio físico,
and many people don't know everything there is behind yoga, which isn't just a physical exercise,
Captions 9-11, Ana Teresa Introducción al yoga
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To learn more about the many beneficios (benefits) of this practice, tanto físicos como espirituales (both physical and spiritual), we offer you this yoga series with Ana Teresa as well as the series Bienestar con Elizabeth (Well-being with Elizabeth) with whom you can practice along! Meanwhile, Rosa introduces to a type of yoga you may or may not be familiar with: Yoga con burros (Yoga with Donkeys)!
We hope you've enjoyed this lesson on Yabla's Top 40 Hobbies in Spanish, and perhaps gotten inspired to take up something new! For more on the general topic of hobbies, check out Hobbies by Cleer or Nuestros hobbies (Our Hobbies) by Karla and Isabel, and don't forget to leave us your suggestions and comments!
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
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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
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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!
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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!
Let's continue reviewing examples of phrases that combine prepositions, articles and pronouns. In the previous lesson we talked about combining the preposition con (with) with the indefinite articles (el, la, los, las) and the pronoun que (that, which): con la que, con el que, con los que, con las que (with whom or with which). Let's see the examples, because in real context these phrases can be quite tricky.
Les preguntaron cómo debería ser la escuela
They were asked the question of what the school
con la que ellos sueñan.
that they dream of should be like.
Captions 6-7, Club de las ideas - La escuela que queremos
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We can try a more literal translation just to see how Spanish works: "what the school of/with which they dream should be like." Here's another example:
No me parecía el tipo de gente con el que yo me quería involucrar.
They didn't seem to be the kind of people I wanted to get involved with.
Caption 81, Arturo Vega - Entrevista - Part 2
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Do you want a literal translation? Here it is: "they didn't seem to be the kind of people with which I wanted to get involved."
It seems that Spanish and English are more parallel when using the plural forms:
Estos espacios recrean un capítulo histórico
These spaces recreate a historic chapter
con los que el coriano convive a diario.
with which the Corian resident coexists daily.
Caption 38, Coro, Venezuela - La Zona Colonial
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...y para beneficiar las comunidades con las que trabajamos.
...and to benefit those communities with whom we work.
Caption 48, De consumidor a persona - Short Film
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Now let's see how to combine el que, la que, los que, las que with two similar prepositions: por and para. Understanding the difference between these two is a constant challenge, even for advanced learners, so you can never study them too much!
...aquí están las puertas abiertas para el que quiera trabajar.
...here the doors are open for whomever wants to work.
Caption 38, Circo Infantil de Nicaragua - Learning the Trade
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...por el que transitan trece millones de clientes al año.
...through which thirteen million customers pass per year.
Caption 14, Los Reporteros - Crecen los robos en tiendas
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Esa es buena para la que fuma el puro.
That one is good for the one who smokes cigars.
Caption 44, 75 minutos - Gangas para ricos
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Y ésta es la razón por la que cuando se piensa en un nombre
And this is the reason why when one thinks of a name
que contribuya a...
that contributes to...
Captions 22-23, El Instituto Cervantes - Director del Instituto
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Existe el metro y el autobús
There is the subway and the bus
para los que tienes que comprar billetes.
for which you have to buy tickets.
Captions 69-70, Blanca - Cómo moverse en Barcelona
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De las etapas por las que pasan los conjuntos...
Of the stages that groups go through...
Caption 74, Arturo Vega - Entrevista - Part 3
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Going to the private party where The Ramones were performing for the first time ever ended up changing the life of painter/artist Arturo Vega. Our featured video interview with Vega captures the story.
Entonces yo fui porque, pues, era una fiesta, ¿verdad? Y Dee Dee me caía bien.
So I went because, well, it was a party, right? And I liked Dee Dee.
Caption 52, Arturo Vega - Entrevista - Part 3
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So, students following the subtitles of this interview may choose to click the Spanish words that they don't know for Yabla's handy dictionary definitions. It happens that if they clicked caía, the dictionary would reveal that it's a third-person past tense of the verb caer. And what does caer mean?:
All these definitions are true, but what about "liking someone" -- as the verb is used here? Turns out that in Spanish, to say you like someone, you basically say that someone, well, falls well for (or, to) you. That is to say, Me cae bien means "I like him/ her" or "He/she made a good impression on me."
Conversely, Me cae mal means "I don't like him/her."
You may be wondering if he might have used the verb gustar, which also can be used to indicate liking something or someone. However, when using gustar to refer to people, there can be romantic/sexual connotations. Using caer bien eliminates any potential misunderstanding, as it refers to a purely platonic attraction.
In your travels through the Spanish speaking world you will undoubtedly come across other interesting uses of caer.
Cualquier cosa te caigo más tarde, ¿vale?
Anyway, I might drop by later, OK?
Caption 34, Confidencial: Asesino al Volante - Capítulo 1
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No puedes caer así sin avisar. (slang)
You can't drop by like that without calling.
Siempre es igual, le cuentas un chiste y cae media hora más tarde.
It's always the same, tell him a joke and he gets it a half hour later.
The verb coger (to take / to grab) is commonly used in Spain, but, in Latin America, the same verb often has sexual connotations. To avoid confusion and any possible misunderstanding, Latin Americans tend to use the verb agarrar, not coger, when they wish to express "to take" or "to grab" (likewise elegir, not escoger, for "to choose" and levantar, not recoger, for "to pickup").
Agarrate el vinito que está en la cocina.
Grab the wine that's in the kitchen.
Caption 45, Disputas - La Extraña Dama
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Had her new actor friend told Gloria Cógete el vinito que está en la cocina, she would have understood it properly, "Grab the wine that's in the kitchen," but it would have sounded a bit odd to her, as she is South American, not a Spaniard. Note that her host appends the reflexive te to his command agarra, "grab." Had he not done so and said Agarrá el vino... instead of Agarrate el vino, the meaning would have been the same, "Grab the wine...," but it may have come across as rude and bossy as opposed to inviting and playful. He also softens his tone by using the diminutive vinito (little wine) instead of simply vino.
No, en serio te lo digo, Gloria, porque te agarra un psicópata...
No, seriously, I tell you, Gloria, because [if] you're stuck with a psychopath...
Caption 11, Disputas - La Extraña Dama
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Literally, porque te agarra un psicópata... is "because a psychopath grabs you..." but this is not exactly what Majo is expressing. What Majo is saying is more like "because [if] you're stuck with a psychopath" as in "if you had the bad luck of getting a psycho as a client...."
Si te agarra un profesor listo, vas a aprender la lección.
If you get a clever professor, you are going to learn the lesson.
Que esa mano si te agarra te puede dejar preñao
Because if that hand grabs you, it can get you pregnant
Captions 39-40, Trabuco Contrapunto - Mano Muerta Feat. Budú
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Me agarré un resfrío.
I caught a cold.
Entonces, agarré el gusanito del rock and roll desde los ocho años, te digo.
So, I've got the rock and roll bug since I was eight, I tell you.
Caption 27, Arturo Vega - Entrevista
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Si Juan se entera que le fuiste infiel, ¡agarrate!
If Juan finds out you cheated on him, watch out!
(colloquial)
Cuando lo agarre, lo mato.
When I put my hands on him, I'll kill him.
(It is uncertain, hence the use of the subjunctive [yo] agarre.)
Si te agarra sueño, acostate temprano.
If you get sleepy, go to bed early.
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