Are you familiar with the Spanish present progressive tense that utilizes the formula estar (to be) + gerund (the equivalent of the -ing form in English) to talk about an action in progress? Let's see an example:
¡Lo estás haciendo genial!
You're doing it great!
Caption 47, Aprendiendo con Zulbany Piensa rápido - Part 1
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Now let's look at an example where the verb ir (to go) is used with the gerund in lieu of the verb estar:
tú vas haciendo y pasan dos horas y te dicen vale ya está.
you're doing it and two hours go by and they tell you OK, that's it.
Caption 55, Blanca y Mariona Proyectos para el verano
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What's the difference? Although both estás haciendo and vas haciendo are translated as "you're doing" in these examples, the construction ir + gerund is often employed to emphasize the fact that an action is, was, or will be evolving over time, gradually, or as part of a process. Let's explore this notion a bit further.
As the formula suggests, this construction is created by combining a conjugated form of the verb ir (to go) in any tense with the gerund, for example, cambiando (changing), aprendiendo (learning), or diciendo (saying), which you can learn to conjugate in the aforementioned lesson on the present perfect. Let's see some examples in the present, imperfect, and future tenses.
Vamos cocinando (We're cooking)
Iban creando (They were creating)
Iremos entendiendo (We'll be understanding)
As we mentioned in the introduction, ir + gerund typically describes actions that take place over time, bit by bit, or as part of a process. Therefore, while their translations are sometimes the exact same as they would be if the verb estar were to replace the verb ir, this implication is present within this structure. With this in mind, let's see a few examples of this construction.
y... fuimos creciendo juntos en ese momento.
and...we were growing together at that moment,
Caption 77, Biografía Natalia Oreiro - Part 6
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In this caption, the preterite tense of the verb ir is used to describe something that happened in the distant past. However, the formula ir + gerund was chosen to demonstrate that the "growing" being talked about was a process that was unfolding at that moment in time. Let's see another example:
Mientras la cebolla está pochando, en otra sartén vamos a ir haciendo la patata.
While the onion is sauteing, in another frying pan, we're going to be making the potato.
Captions 42-43, La cocina de María Tortilla de patatas
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Here, the formula ir + gerund is once again used to talk about the process of making the potato over time. For this reason, you will often find this construction in sentences that contain the word mientras (while) to talk about an action that is evolving while something else happens. Let's look at one more example:
"Y el consciente..." ¿Viste como tú misma vas cambiando en la medida que vas trabajando?
"And the Conscious"... Did you see how you yourself are changing as you are working?
Captions 18-19, Escribiendo un libro Algunos consejos sobre cómo comenzar - Part 3
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Once again, ir + gerund is utilized because "changing" and "working" are actions that aren't just in progress at some moment but are rather part of a bigger picture of evolution over time. So, the implication here is "Did you see how you yourself are (gradually) changing as you are working (over time)? In fact, words like "gradually" or "over time" may or may not be added to the translations of some instances of the ir + gerund construction, which is sometimes difficult to translate precisely.
That's all for today. We hope that this lesson has helped you to better understand the often seen but seldom talked about ir + gerund construction, and don't forget to write us with your questions and comments.
How do you talk about having fun and enjoying yourself in Spanish? Today's lesson will cover several ways!
There are several Spanish verbs that mean "to have fun," "have a good time," "enjoy oneself," etc. Let's take look.
The Spanish verb pasarlo bien can be translated as "to have fun" or "to have a good time." By extension, pasarlo muy bien is "to have a lot of fun" or "a great" or "really good time." Let's see these in action:
Mucho calor, pero lo pasamos muy bien.
Very hot, but we had a really good time.
Caption 24, Blanca y Mariona Proyectos para el verano
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Sometimes we hear the reflexive version:
Nos lo pasamos muy bien. -Ah.
We have a great time. -Oh.
Caption 31, Karla e Isabel Alquilar una habitación - Part 2
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Other times, we might hear the alternative version pasarla bien:
la pasamos bien y pudimos avanzar.
we had a good time and we were able to move forward.
Caption 56, Eduardo y Luciana de Argentina Historia del Rio
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While all of our examples thus far have been in the preterite tense, now, let's see how we can use this verb to tell one or more people to "Have fun!" using either the command form or the present subjunctive form with que, as in the following captions:
pásenlo bien, hagan del mundo un mundo más bonito y
have a good time, make the world a nicer world, and
Caption 41, Víctor en Caracas Santa Claus
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Por supuesto que no. ¡Qué lo paséis bien!
Of course not. Have fun!
Caption 38, Extr@: Extra en español Ep. 7: La gemela - Part 6
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By the way, there are many, more slangy verbs to say you had a lot of fun in Spanish that involve the verb pasar and might be thought of as similar to the English expression "to have a blast." These include, but probably aren't limited to: pasarlo re bien, pasarlo super (bien), pasarlo bomba, and pasarlo de diez.
The Spanish verb divertirse also means "to have fun" or "have a good time." Let's see a couple of examples, one in the infinitive and another in the preterite:
Recuerda que lo importante es divertirse.
Remember that the important thing is to have fun.
Caption 79, Isabel Lavesa Dibujo en acuarela
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¡Nosotros nos divertimos un montón!
We had a ton of fun!
Caption 6, Guillermina y Candelario La Peluqueria del Mar - Part 1
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Now, let's see the informal singular command form of this verb:
Eso es: Diviértete.
That is: Have fun.
Caption 39, De consumidor a persona Short Film - Part 1
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The Spanish verb disfrutar means "to enjoy." Let's take a look at it in action in its present indicative and subjunctive forms:
Disfruto tanto dibujando en acuarela o bocetando,
I enjoy watercolor painting or sketching so much
Caption 8, Isabel Lavesa Dibujo en acuarela
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Pues, que disfruten su estancia,
Well, [I hope] that you enjoy your stay,
Caption 68, Yabla en Yucatán Vicente
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Note that the Spanish verb disfrutar will often be accompanied by the preposition de to indicate what's being enjoyed:
nos vamos a disfrutar de la fiesta.
we are going to enjoy the party.
Caption 19, Marta Vocabulario de Cumpleaños
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The Spanish verb gozar also means "to enjoy" or "have a good time." Let's take a look at an example in the present indicative:
Lloran, se ríen, gozan;
They cry, they laugh, they enjoy;
Caption 34, Mariachi El amor de la música mexicana
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Like disfrutar, the verb gozar in Spanish is often accompanied by the preposition de to indicate what's being enjoyed, as in the sentence "Gozamos mucho del tiempo que pasamos en la costa" (We really enjoyed the time we spent on the coast).
Now, let's look at a couple of nouns that mean "fun" in Spanish. Note their similarity to some aforementioned Spanish verbs.
Pero a veces, la diversión no les dura ni diez minutos.
But sometimes, the fun doesn't last even ten minutes for them.
Caption 34, Ana Carolina Bebés y medio ambiente
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El placer es una sensación de goce o satisfacción
Pleasure is a feeling of enjoyment or satisfaction
Caption 10, Aprendiendo con Silvia Pequeños grandes placeres - Part 1
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Let's conclude with some Spanish adjectives that mean "fun" or "entertaining." Remember that adjectives must agree in terms of number and gender with the nouns they modify.
¡Guau! Eso sí que era divertido
Wow! That really was fun,
Caption 36, Aprendiendo con Silvia Recuerdos de infancia - Part 2
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pero en los libros vas a encontrar palabras nuevas en historias muy divertidas y entretenidas.
but in books, you're going to find new words in very amusing and entertaining stories.
Captions 5-6, El Aula Azul Mis libros preferidos - Part 1
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On that note, esperamos que hayan disfrutado de esta lección (we hope you've enjoyed this lesson), and don't forget to leave us your comments and suggestions.
Do you know how to say "winter" or "summer" in Spanish? Do you know how to pronounce the seasons in Spanish? Let's review the four seasons of the year in the language of Cervantes.
Let's start this lesson with a quick overview of the Spanish seasons:
invierno | winter
primavera | spring
verano | summer
otoño | autumn or fall
1. How do you say "season" in Spanish? The answer is "estación." Its plural form is "estaciones" (seasons).
2. All seasons except "primavera" are masculine nouns. Also, keep in mind that you usually need definite articles next to the seasons. Let's take a look at the singular and plural forms of the Spanish seasons:
el invierno | los inviernos
la primavera | las primaveras
el verano | los veranos
el otoño | los otoños
3. Lots of countries through the Americas don't have four seasons. Instead, they may have rainy and dry seasons. In this case, you may hear the word "temporada" instead of "estación":
...si ya entramos en la temporada de lluvias.
...if we already entered the rainy season.
Caption 58, Natalia de Ecuador - Vocabulario de prendas de vestir
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Let's start with the following clip where you can listen to our friend Clara saying the four seasons in Spanish:
Un año tiene cuatro estaciones:
A year has four seasons:
primavera, verano, otoño e invierno.
spring, summer, fall and winter.
Captions 11-12, Clara explica - El tiempo
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Let's practice a little bit more with the following examples for every single season.
En diciembre, empieza el invierno.
In December, the winter starts.
Caption 25, El Aula Azul - Estaciones y Meses
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...en esta época que tenemos... que es primavera.
...during this season that we have... which is spring.
Caption 22, Azotea Del Círculo de Bellas Artes - Andrés nos enseña una nueva perspectiva
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By the way, we also have a lesson about spring vocabulary that you'll want to read.
Estaba precioso, en otoño con las hojas en el suelo.
It was beautiful in the fall with the leaves on the ground.
Caption 24, El Aula Azul - Conversación: Vacaciones recientes
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Un día dijimos, es verano, no hacemos nada,
One day we said, "It's summer, we're not doing anything,
vamos, cogemos el coche y nos vamos.
come on, let's take the car and go."
Captions 26-27, Blanca y Mariona - Proyectos para el verano
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Also, make sure to check our lesson about summer vocabulary.
That's it for today. What's your favorite season? What about your favorite months of the year? Please, let us know, and don't forget to send us your questions and comments.
Are you familiar with prepositions in Spanish? In this lesson, we will talk about the preposition en, which is one of the most commonly used prepositions in the Spanish language. In fact, this preposition works like the English prepositions “in,” “on” and “at.” Let's take a look.
We use the preposition en when we want to state that something ocurred in a particular year or when we want to make a reference to a particular season or month of the year. In other words, we use the preposition en when talking about time.
Esa institución dejó de existir en mil novecientos noventa y nueve.
That institution ceased to exist in nineteen ninety-nine.
Caption 60, Carlos comenta - Los Años Maravillosos - Costumbres alimenticias y conflicto
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Y en invierno suele hacer mucho frío.
And in winter it tends to be very cold.
Caption 15, Clara explica - El tiempo
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En abril, llueve mucho.
In April, it rains a lot.
Caption 17, El Aula Azul - Estaciones y Meses
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When it comes to time, we also use the preposition en when we want to express a particular amount of time:
En veinte minutos se va a servir la cena.
In twenty minutes dinner is going to be served.
Caption 3, Muñeca Brava - 36 La pesquisa
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The preposition en in Spanish is also used when we want to indicate the location of a person or object.
Estoy en la escuela, El Aula Azul.
I am at the school, The Blue Classroom.
Caption 4, El Aula Azul - Ser y Estar
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El perro de Ana duerme en el horno.
Ana's dog sleeps in the oven.
Caption 5, Extr@: Extra en español - Ep. 1 - La llegada de Sam
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One of the most common uses of the preposition en is when we use it to talk about means of transportation.
Me fui a Bélgica con mi novio en avión.
I went to Belgium with my boyfriend on a plane.
Caption 2, Blanca y Mariona - Proyectos para el verano
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The preposition en is also used to express the value of something.
Y las cabañas sin baño están en ochenta mil pesos.
And the cabins without a bathroom go for eighty thousand pesos.
Caption 35, Cleer y Lida - Reservando una habitación
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Finally, the preposition en is also used to indicate how something is carried out.
En silencio pensaré tan sólo en ti
In silence I will think only of you
Caption 34, La Oreja de Van Gogh - Deseos De Cosas Imposibles
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In this example, notice how we can use the preposition en along with the verb pensar (to think) when we want to express "thinking of" someone or something.
Apart from the uses we have mentioned above, the preposition en can be found in various expressions that are quite common in Spanish. Let's look at some of them:
¿Es en serio?
Seriously?
Caption 50, Conversaciones en el parque - Cap. 2: Cafe y bocadillos
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Acuérdate que tenemos muchos amigos en común.
Remember that we have a lot of friends in common.
Caption 14, Los casos de Yabla - Problemas de convivencia
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En realidad, sólo con la práctica podemos entender mejor.
Actually, only with practice can we better understand.
Caption 64, Carlos explica - Tuteo, ustedeo y voseo: Conjugación
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To summarize, the following are the most common uses of the preposition en in Spanish:
- When talking about time (years, month, seasons or amount of time)
- To indicate the location of a person or an object
- To indicate the means of transportation
- To express the value of something
- To indicate how something is carried out.
- In some very common expressions
That's it for today. Now that you know how to use the preposition en in Spanish, try to write some sentences with all the different uses we mentioned throughout this lesson. And don’t forget to send your feedback and suggestions.
Let's learn a few abbreviated expressions and words in Spanish. They are really useful to make your Spanish sound more natural:
Entre nos comes from entre nosotros (between us). It's used to indicate that what you are about to say should not be shared with anyone else, it's between you and your interlocutor:
Aquí entre nos, quien sí me importa es Leo.
Between you and me, the one that does matter to me is Leo.
Instead of por favor, you can simply say porfa:
Tranquilo, tranquilo.
Calm down, calm down.
-Tranquilo, pibe, tranquilo. -Gardel, porfa... -Pero...
-Calm down, boy, calm down. -Gardel, please... -But...
Caption 55, Yago - 11 Prisión
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Some people prefer to use porfis for a more playful or silly tone:
Porfis, porfis, reporfis.
Pretty please, pretty please, extra pretty please.
Caption 58, NPS No puede ser - 1 - El concurso
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As in English, there are many words that are usually abbreviated in Spanish. For example most people say bici instead of bicicleta (bicycle), moto instead of motocicleta (motorcycle), refri instead of refrigerador (fridge), conge instead of congelador (freezer), compa instead of compadre (buddy), depa instead of departamento (apartment), or peli instead of película (movie).
A mí que ni me busquen, compa
For me, don't even look, buddy
Caption 51, DJ Bitman - El Diablo
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y ahí nos mo'... nos movíamos en bici,
and from there we mo'... we would move around by bike,
Caption 4, Blanca y Mariona - Proyectos para el verano
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Another classic example of an abbreviated expression in Spanish is the use of buenas as a greeting instead of buenas tardes, buenas noches, or buenos días:
¡Muy buenas, Mar! -Encantada. -Soy de 75 Minutos.
Very good afternoon, Mar! -Delighted. -I'm from 75 Minutes.
Caption 5, 75 minutos - Gangas para ricos
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It's also common to use abbreviated versions of names and titles. For example you can use abue instead of abuela (grandmother), ma or pa instead of mamá (mother) and papá (father), poli instead of policía (police, cop), profe instead of profesor (teacher), secre instead of secretaria (secretary), dire instead of director (principal), ñor and ñora instead of señor (sir) and señora (madam) [or seño instead of both], peques instead of pequeños (the little ones, kids), etc.
Felipe López. -Yo lo planché ahorita. -Acá, profe.
Felipe Lopez. -I'll iron it right now. -Here, Teach.
Caption 43, Misión Chef - 2 - Pruebas
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Do you know how to say "cool" in Spanish as in, "That video is so cool!"? What is the best equivalent of this slangy English word that can have such meanings as "good," "nice," "great," "OK," or "in fashion"? Let's find out.
Any translator knows well that translating the word "cool" into Spanish poses a big challenge. In fact, there are many Spanish words for "cool" depending upon the speaker's country or origin. In the following sections, we'll provide you with some of those terms.
In Mexico, many people use padre and chido. While the use of padre is more generalized, chido is typically more popular among younger generations:
Y, y en cuanto la vi... No, ésta tiene que ser mía.
And, and as soon as I saw it... No, this one has to be mine.
-¡Qué padre!
-How cool!
Caption 34, Sergio en Monterrey - El ámbar mexicano
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Muy padre, porque la escalera viene así,
Very cool, because the staircase comes down like this,
después tiene un descanso.
afterwards it has a landing.
Caption 50, El teatro. - Conversación con un doble de acción.
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...que está chido que estemos en Estados Unidos.
...it's cool that we're in the United States.
Caption 47, Belanova - Entrevista
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Of course, since Mexico has such diverse people living across a vast territory, you'll find other, similar expressions as well. Conmadre (literally, "with mother") and suave (smooth) are good examples. You can hear suave in one of our videos from Monterrey, Mexico. However, it is worth noting that this expression is not very common in that particular city, and the student who utilizes it is from another state.
Aunque a veces sí está pesado,
Although sometimes it is hard,
está muy suave porque se te van volando.
it's very cool because they go flying by for you.
Captions 28-29, Yo estudio en el Tec - de Monterrey
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Many people in countries like Colombia, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Peru, and Ecuador use the word chévere:
¡Súper chévere que la... el hijo de uno diga
Very cool for one's child to say,
"No, mi mamá es una chef"!
"No, my mom is a chef!"
Caption 13, Misión Chef - 2 - Pruebas
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In Colombia, a newer alternative to chévere is bacano (and bacán in Cuba, Peru, and Chile):
Mi papá era un médico muy bacano, muy interesante.
My father was a very cool doctor, very interesting.
Caption 13, La Sub30 - Familias
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In Argentina, people tend to use words like copado, masa, and groso:
Podemos sacar algo copado esta noche.
We can get something cool tonight.
Caption 87, Muñeca Brava - 7 El poema - Part 3
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¡Soy una masa!
I'm so cool!
Caption 69, Muñeca Brava - 7 El poema - Part 1
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In Spain, you'll often hear guay:
Y realmente la improvisación fue... fue la clave. Era muy guay.
And really the improvisation was... was the key. It was very cool.
Captions 31-32, Blanca y Mariona - Proyectos para el verano
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Sam, tengo esta ropa para ti. Vas a estar guay.
Sam, I have these clothes for you. You're going to look cool.
Caption 23, Extr@: Extra en español Ep. 2 - Sam va de compras
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In the following clip, Carlos (from Colombia) and Xavi (from Spain) talk about how they say the word "cool" in their countries. You will see that the word chulo is used in Spain as an alternative term for the more common guay:
¿Qué significa guay?
What does "guay" mean?
Guay es bueno, chulo, divertido.
"Guay" is good, cool, fun.
OK. En Colombia nosotros diríamos chévere o bacano.
OK. In Colombia, we'd say "chévere" or "bacano."
Captions 39-41, Carlos y Xavi - Part 2 Ustedes y Vosotros
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While the multitude of terms we've provided as equivalents for "cool" by no means constitute an exhaustive list, they should definitely get you started on your journey to express or understand this idea in many Spanish-speaking countries.
We want to remind you that, regardless of the culture, country, or language, slang words are inextricably linked to the cultural or individual identity of the people who use them, and one can never be too respectful of this. In that spirit, it's always wise to learn more "neutral" alternatives to slang. Genial, estupendo, and, to a certain extent, bárbaro are a good fit to express the idea of "cool" or its equivalents (and be cool in Spanish as well!).
¿Te parece que tus patrones se enojarán? -¡No, está bárbaro!
Do you think that your bosses would get mad? -No, it's cool!
Caption 16, Muñeca Brava - 30 Revelaciones
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¡Este grupo está genial!
This group is great!
Caption 27, Raquel - Expresiones para un festival de música.
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¡Muy bien, estupendo!
Very good, great!
Caption 11, Extr@: Extra en español - Ep. 1 - La llegada de Sam
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The superlative of bueno (good), buenísimo, is also a good alternative:
Bueno, buenísimo, como anillo al dedo.
Well, very good, it fits like a glove [literally: like a ring to a finger].
Caption 69, Muñeca Brava - 9 Engaños
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In other contexts, the non-slang expression, está bien, might be used in a case in which an English speaker might say "that's fine" or "that's cool," while está de moda might be used to indicate that a certain trend, for example, is currently "cool" or in fashion.
By the way, unless you're a purist, you could even go with "cool" in English as many Spanish speakers do frequently these days:
El estilo es súper vanguardista. Un estilo muy cool.
The style is super avant-garde. A very cool style.
Captions 12-13, Arume - Barcelona
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Las chicas visten cool para impresionar
The girls dress cool to impress
Caption 25, Dhira - La Noche
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That's all for for today. We hope you've enjoyed this lesson, and don't forget to send us your comments and suggestions. And of course, stay cool!
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!
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