Are you familiar with the preposition desde in Spanish? In this lesson, we'll learn many of the various ways to use it. Let's take a look.
This is one of the most common uses of desde and includes three subcategories:
El autobús que va desde el aeropuerto a la Plaza de España
The bus that goes from the airport to the Plaza de España
Caption 10, Raquel Oficina de Turismo
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desde la Época Prehispánica hasta el siglo veinte.
from the Pre-Hispanic Era to the twentieth century.
Caption 11, Paseando con Karen Monterrey - Museo de Historia Mexicana
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Desde que llegué a Misiones, lo único que has hecho es estar encima mío.
Since I arrived at Misiones, all you have done is breathe down my neck.
Caption 12, Yago 6 Mentiras - Part 1
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This is another very common use of the Spanish preposition desde. Just like with the previous category, there are three different ways to use it to give a reference point.
Su interior mide, desde la pared interior hasta fuera, diecinueve con cinco metros,
Its inside measures, from the inside wall to the outside, nineteen point five meters,
Captions 22-23, Rosa Los Dólmenes de Antequera
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pero desde aquí, desde Hotel Kivir, vemos Triana. Triana es el barrio más conocido de Sevilla.
but from here, from the Hotel Kivir, we see Triana. Triana is the best-known neighborhood in Seville.
Captions 30-31, Sevilla, España Hotel Kivir - Part 1
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Los saludo desde Popayán, Colombia.
I greet you from Popayan, Colombia.
Caption 2, Viajando con Carlos Popayán - Colombia - Part 1
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One's opinion or point of view can be relayed by combining the preposition desde with terms like punto de vista (point of view), perspectiva (perspective), ángulo (angle), or enfoque (approach).
El arquitecto, eh... desde mi punto de vista, nace.
The architect, um... from my point of view, is born.
Caption 16, Leif El Arquitecto Español y su Arte - Part 1
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¿En qué marco describiría usted, desde la perspectiva del gobierno nicaragüense... el trabajo del desminado?
In what framework would you describe, from the perspective of the Nicaraguan government... mine-clearing work?
Captions 34-35, Tierra Envenenada Desminando - Part 3
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In rare cases, the preposition desde in Spanish can be used to express something's cause. Let's see an example:
Algo tan absurdo solo se puede decir desde la ignorancia.
Something so absurd can only be said from ignorance.
The Spanish preposition desde can be used with both a and hasta.
Quiero que recorramos juntos esa zona, desde Santa Marta hasta La Arenosa
I want to traverse that area together, from Santa Marta to La Arenosa
Caption 28, Carlos Vives, Shakira La Bicicleta
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desde la nota aguda a la nota grave
from the high note to the low note,
Caption 23, Música andina La zampoña
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On this note, we've reached the end of this lesson. We hope you learned something new today, and don't forget to send us your suggestions and comments.
In this lesson, we will learn how to describe people in Spanish using the verb ser (to be). In particular, we'll focus on five different uses of the verb ser that you can use to identify and describe people. Let's take a look.
Eh... Luis, ella es mi mamá, mamá, él es Luis.
Um... Luis, this is my mom, Mom, this is Luis.
Y ella es mi abuela Carmen.
And this is my Grandma Carmen.
Captions 18-19, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 4
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It's worth mentioning that the example above shows a very common way to introduce people in Spanish.
Es un hombre que se dedica a lo que yo hago.
He's a man who devotes himself to what I do.
Caption 61, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa - Capítulo 4
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Paul es estadounidense, de los Estados Unidos.
Paul is American, from the United States.
Caption 16, Carlos explica - Geografía y gentilicios
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Mi padre es arquitecto
My father is an architect
Caption 25, Leif - El Arquitecto Español y su Arte
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In particular, when we refer to essential traits, such as height, weight, and physical appearance.
Es bajo, es gordo.
He's short, he's fat.
Caption 33, El Aula Azul - Mis Primos
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Alguien que es delgado tiene poco peso.
Someone who is skinny doesn't weigh much.
Captions 32-33, Lecciones con Carolina - Adjetivos - Descripción de personas - Físico
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Carolina tiene treinta y cinco años
Carolina is thirty-five years old
pero parece que tiene veinte.
but she looks like she is twenty.
Es muy guapa.
She's very pretty.
Captions 2-4, El Aula Azul - Mis Primos
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Ellos son muy majos. Mi prima Marta es muy simpática.
They are very nice. My cousin Marta is very nice.
Caption 8, El Aula Azul - Mi familia
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Ricardo es muy... es muy tranquilo, ¿viste?
Ricardo is very... he's very calm, you know?
Caption 84, Biografía - Natalia Oreiro
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Porque mi mamá es una persona muy difícil.
Because my mom is a very difficult person.
-Eso a mí no me importa.
-That doesn't matter to me.
Caption 20, Yago - 10 Enfrentamientos
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That's it for today. Can you describe someone you know using the verb ser? We invite you to try it out and don't forget to send us your comments and suggestions. ¡Hasta la próxima!
The coronavirus is one of the greatest challenges humankind has ever faced. Because of that, we are being bombarded with words such as "virus," "disease," "quarantine," and "pandemic." But, do you know how to say all those words in Spanish? In this lesson, we will review some of the most important nouns associated with the current coronavirus. But first, let's take a closer look at the word coronavirus in Spanish.
In Spanish, the word coronavirus is a masculine noun made of two words: corona (crown) and virus (virus). However, keep in mind that coronavirus is just one word so there's no need for spaces or hyphens between the words that make up this noun.
Apart from that, it is worth mentioning that the word coronavirus in Spanish is the same in both the singular and the plural. Let's take a look:
El coronavirus es un virus contagioso
Coronavirus is a contagious virus
Los coronavirus son virus contagiosos
Coronaviruses are contagious viruses
From the example above, you can also see that the word virus in Spanish is the same in the singular and plural. In fact, this word belongs to a group of nouns ending in 'S' or 'X' that are the same in the singular and plural in Spanish.
With that being said, let's take a look at some of the words that you need to keep in mind in the context of the coronavirus.
For talking about coronavirus, here are some of the most common nouns. Let's take a look.
Brote (outbreak)
Crisis (crisis)
Vivimos en tiempos de crisis.
We live in times of crisis.
Caption 3, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 2
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Cuarentena (quarantine)
Desinfectante (disinfectant)
Mirá, ni siquiera uso el alcohol como desinfectante.
Look, I don't even use alcohol as a disinfectant.
Caption 81, Muñeca Brava - 18 - La Apuesta
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In this caption, we also highlighted another very used word nowadays: alcohol (alcohol).
Enfermedad (illness, disease)
Por una enfermedad o por un trastorno.
Due to an illness or due to an imbalance.
Caption 50, Raquel - Visitar al Médico
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Se controla que no tienen ninguna enfermedad.
They check [to make sure] that they don't have any disease.
Caption 60, Rosa - Laguna Fuente de Piedra
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Jabón (soap)
Aquí está nuestro mejor amigo: el jabón.
Here's our best friend: soap.
Caption 18, Ana Carolina - Artículos de aseo personal
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Mascarilla (mask)
Another term commonly used when talking about the masks people use to protect their mouths and noses is "tapaboca" or "tapabocas".
Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS)
This is the Spanish name for the World Health Organization (WHO)
Pandemia (pandemic)
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization officially declared the coronavirus a pandemic. The Spanish term for pandemic is pandemia. Keep in mind that there is a difference between epidemia (epidemic) and pandemia (pandemic). While the former relates to the spread of a disease in a country, the latter refers to the spread of a disease throughout the world.
El mundo se enfrenta ahora a una pandemia sin precedentes.
The world is now facing an unprecedented pandemic.
Caption 12, El Coronavirus - Introducción y vocabulario
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Prueba (test)
The word "prueba" is probably the best one for the test that people take in order to find out if they have coronavirus. However, some people prefer to use similar terms such as "test" or "muestra".
Recesión (recession)
According to several experts, even in the most optimistic of scenarios, many economies will be heading to a recession after the coronavirus crisis is over.
...que fue cuando en España entró la recesión en el sector de la construcción.
...which was when in Spain the recession in the construction sector began.
Caption 5, Leif - El Arquitecto Español y su Arte
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Teletrabajo (remote working)
Transmisión (transmission)
Virus (virus)
"El coronavirus es un virus contagioso".
"The coronavirus is a contagious virus."
Caption 27, El Coronavirus - Introducción y vocabulario
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There are many more words that are used in the context of the coronavirus disease. However, if you want to follow the news in Spanish, there is a good chance of coming across some of the terms we just reviewed. Please, take the necessary protection during this difficult time and don't forget to send us your comments and suggestions.
Do you know how to say the names of professions in Spanish? Do you know the Spanish words for professions such as 'lawyer' or 'journalist'? Today, we will talk about job titles and professions in Spanish so get ready to see how to write and pronounce some of the most common occupations out there. However, before we jump into our list of professions in Spanish, let's see how to ask a very basic question when it comes to jobs.
When we want to find out what someone does for a living, we usually use questions like: what do you do for work?, what do you do for a living? or simply, what do you do? There are also different options in Spanish:
¿A qué te dedicas?
What do you do?
Soy profesor de fotografía.
I'm a photography teacher.
Captions 12-13, 75 minutos - Gangas para ricos
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Oye, y ¿en qué trabajas?
Hey, and what do you do [for a living]?
Estoy trabajando actualmente en una firma de abogados.
I'm working currently at a law firm.
Captions 82-83, Ricardo - La compañera de casa
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Ahora, ¿y qué haces tú?
Now, what do you do?
Bueno, yo soy mecánico.
Well, I'm a mechanic.
Captions 18-19, Encuentro Volkswagen en Adícora - Escarabajos en la playa
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You can also use that kind of question even if you are a student:
Bueno, Cristina, ¿tú a qué te dedicas?
Well, Cristina, what do you do for a living?
Estoy estudiando en Sevilla.
I am studying in Seville.
Captions 60-62, Clara y Cristina - Saludar
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Now, let's take a look at some of the most common professions in Spanish. Remember to listen to the audioclips so you can hear how to pronounce the word. Also, keep in mind that the names of most professions change with the gender so make sure to take a look at the rules that we will mention about that.
When the masculine noun ends in o, the feminine noun ends in a. There are several professions in Spanish that fall into this group:
1. El abogado | La abogada (The lawyer)
Es un abogado joven que recién se está metiendo en la política.
He's a young lawyer who has recently been getting involved in politics.
Caption 57, Muñeca Brava - 45 El secreto
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2. El arquitecto | La arquitecta (The architect)
Bueno, yo soy Leif, eh... soy arquitecto y llevo trabajando en Londres cuatro años.
Well, I am Leif, um... I am an architect and have been working in London for four years.
Captions 2-3, Leif - El Arquitecto Español y su Arte
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3. El cajero | La cajera (The cashier)
4. El carpintero | La carpintera (The carpenter)
5. El ingeniero | La ingeniera (The engineer)6
6. El psicólogo | La psicóloga (The psychologist)
When the noun ends in a consonant, you just need to add an a at the end to form the feminine noun.
7. El administrador | La administradora (The administrator)
Pero si quiere, yo con mucho gusto hablo con el administrador para que nos ayude.
But if you want, I'll gladly talk to the administrator so he can help us.
Captions 16-17, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa - Capítulo 3
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8. El director | La directora (The director)
9. El editor | La editora (The editor)
10. El doctor | La doctora (The doctor)
Consultorio de la doctora Castaño, buenos días.
Doctor Castaño's office, good morning.
Caption 5, Cita médica - La cita médica de Cleer
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If you take the previous 3 nouns, you can see that there are various nouns ending in 'or' that are identical in English and Spanish.
11. El escritor | La escritora (The writer)
12. El profesor | La profesora (The teacher)
Yo soy profesora de español.
I am a Spanish teacher.
Caption 12, El Aula Azul - Actividades Diarias
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There are also some nouns that end in -ista, -ia and -e, that stay them same for both male and female. However, in order to make the distinction, you need to change the article accordingly. Let's see some examples:
13. El estudiante | La estudiante (The student)
14. El dentista | la dentista (The dentist)
Por ejemplo: el estudiante, la estudiante. El dentista, la dentista.
For example: the male student, the female student. The male dentist, the female dentist.
Captions 32-33, Isabel - El Género Gramatical - Masculino y Femenino
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15. El periodista | La periodista (The journalist)
"El periodista escribe el artículo para el periódico".
"The journalist writes the article for the newspaper."
Caption 22, Lecciones con Carolina La voz pasiva - Part 3
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Before we go, let's take a look at the following list of professions in Spanish so you can have a handy reference for this topic.
1. The administrator: El administrador | La administradora
2. The architect: El arquitecto | La arquitecta
3. The cashier: El cajero | La cajera
4. The carpenter: El carpintero | La carpintera
5. The dentist: El dentista | la dentista
6. The director: El director | La directora
7. The doctor: El doctor | La doctora
8. The editor: El editor | La editora
9. The engineer: El ingeniero | La ingeniera
10. The journalist: El periodista | La periodista
11. The lawyer: El abogado | La abogada
12. The psychologist: El psicólogo | La psicóloga
13. The student: El estudiante | La estudiante
14. The teacher: El profesor | La profesora
15. The writer: El escritor | La escritora
That's it for today. We know there are hundreds of more occupations and job titles out there. However, we hope this lesson will help you to remember the names of some of the most well-known professions in Spanish. That being said, we would like to invite you to find 10 professions more in our library of videos, and don’t forget to send us your feedback and suggestions.
As with any other language, Spanish can be tricky sometimes. Do you know how to use the word entorno? What about the expression en torno? Which one would you use in the following sentence?:
Fuengirola es un importante punto turístico. Su economía gira ________ a este sector.
Fuengirola is an important touristic spot. Its economy revolves around this sector.
Captions 12-13, Fuengirola - Mercado
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What about this sentence:
Encontró en su _________ un atractivo natural para los amantes del ecoturismo.
Found in its environment a natural beauty for the lovers of ecotourism.
Caption 94, Tecnópolis - El Coronil
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Let’s find out what the answer is.
To begin with, entorno is a noun and the meaning of this word is environment or surroundings. However, it is important to say that entorno encompasses the same broad meaning of the English word “environment,” meaning “the circumstances, objects, or conditions by which one is surrounded.” Let’s take a look at some examples:
... las calles, la gente... lo que es el entorno urbano.
... the streets, the people... what the urban environment is.
Captions 39-40, Leif - El Arquitecto Español y su Arte
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Para modificar el entorno, desarrolló herramientas, ¿no?
In order to modify the environment, he developed tools, right?
Caption 50, Lo que no sabías - Arte electrónico
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Regarding the last example, the word entorno is very common in information and computer science, especially when talking about the features that define the execution and placement of a particular application.
As far as the expression en torno goes, we can use it to mean about, around or approximately. Let’s take a look:
que hay en torno a cincuenta millones, eh, hispanohablantes en Estados Unidos.
that there there are about fifty million, um, Spanish speakers in the United States.
Captions 42-43, El Instituto Cervantes - Director del Instituto
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Puede andar en torno a los dos mil seiscientos...
It could be around two thousand six hundred...
Caption 50, 75 minutos - Gangas para ricos
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Finally, keep in mind that en torno is either followed by the preposition a or the preposition de:
That's it for this lesson. Now that you know the difference between entorno and en torno, you can answer the questions we posed at the beginning, right? And don’t forget to send us your feedback and suggestions.
In our new video from Spain where Leif shares his ideas about architecture, he uses the expression en la medida en que (in that, to the extent that). This phrase can be easily mixed up with another equally common expression: a medida que (as, while). Let's review a couple of examples to learn when and how to use them properly.
En la medida en que (in that, to the extent that) is used to express the degree of correspondence between different actions or processes. Let's start with Leif's example:
El arquitecto se hace en la medida en que es un proceso.
An architect is made to the extent that it [architecture] is a process.
Caption 20, Leif -El Arquitecto Español y su Arte
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When used with the subjunctive, en la medida en que functions as a conditional expression:
En la medida en que los demás colaboren, lo haré yo también.
As long as others contribute, I will also do so.
Sometimes people drop the preposition en. This is not correct but extremely common:
Todo está en movimiento
Everything is in movement
y en la medida (en) que se aproxima la celebración,
and as the celebration approaches,
se prepara el ambiente.
the environment is prepared.
Captions 81-83, Estado Falcón - Locos de la Vela
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In fact, by looking at the translation of the previous example you can notice that the person talking should have used a similar expression instead: a medida que (as, while),which is used to express a parallel progression of two actions:
Además, es muy bonito porque la gente,
Besides, it's very nice because the people,
a medida que va pintando, va comentando.
while they're painting, are commenting.
Captions 57-58, Blanca y Mariona - Proyectos para el verano
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It's very common to use a medida que to give instructions for processes that require us to do more than one thing at a time, like recipes:
Entonces queremos ir mezclando
So, we want to be mixing
a medida que vamos agregando la harina.
while we are adding the flour.
Caption 35, Dany - Arepas
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Finally, there are two words that can substitute the expression a medida que: conforme (as) and mientras (while). In the following quote, we have substituted these alternative to demonstrate their interchangeability.
Hasta después fui aprendiendo conforme se fue haciendo el cómic.
Hasta después fui aprendiendo a medida que se fue haciendo el cómic.
Hasta después fui aprendiendo mientras se fue haciendo el cómic.
Until later [when] I started learning as the comic was being made.
Captions 40-41, Antonio Vargas - Artista ilustración
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Thanks for reading!
Over in Salamanca, Spain, we hear some poetry as we contemplate the statue of Fray Luis de León. Maybe we were thirsty at the time, but in one line, we were interested to hear:
A exprimir aquellos años, quiere guardarlo, ¡atención!
To squeeze those years, he wants to keep it, attention!
Caption 29, Francisco Pérez - Fray Luis de León
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What would thirst have to do with our snippet above? Well, asking for "exprimido" -- which means "squeezed" -- is the best way to order fresh-squeezed orange juice. The verb "exprimir" has three main meanings in Spanish: 1) To squeeze, 2) To wring (as in wringing out clothing), and 3) To exploit (as in squeezing or wringing all that's possible out of workers, for example).
Related to "exprimir" at the root is "imprimir," which means, 1) To print (as in printing out pages of a document), 2) to stamp or to impress, and 3) To give (as in to transmit or pass on to). Here are two examples.
Bueno, hay que imprimir copias, hay que hacer opciones.
Well, it's necessary to print copies, it's necessary to depict options.
Caption 75, Leif - El Arquitecto Español y su Arte
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Y tenemos como toda la otra parte que es de impresos.
And we have, like, the whole other area that is for printing.
Caption 77, Lo que no sabías - Arte electrónico
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