Today's Dose Of Spanish Words - road, street, and more

Spanish Age

In Spanish you have age, like in French. In French you would say, J'ai vingt ans, literally, I have twenty years. Once you speak French fluently, you don't even have to think about it. The correct phrase just pops into your brain and out of your mouth. I hope that eventually the same will apply to Spanish which I am learning with the help of duolingo, which I have installed on both my laptop and my mobile phone.

Spanish - English (easy words)

ambos - both (like the English word ambiguity)

amigo - friend

calle - street (city street, between buildings)

camino - road (between cities, in countryside)

de verdad - really? truly

ejercicios - exercises

ella / el - she / he

el gimnasio - the gymnasium

espalda - back from Latin for flat, like spatula In Spanish add e in front of an initial s, like Espana

en - in

exercises - ejercicios

comienza - (she) commences / starts

indicador - indicator

lenguas - languages

memoria - memory

raro - rare

señal - sign (the Spanish word looks like the English word signal)

señal de calle - (street) sign

teorias - theories

tranquila - calm down (be tranquil)

treinta - thirty

vieja/o - old / age(d) (from Latin, like the English words veteran and vintage, but the Spanish has both vowels, i and e, i before e)

English - Spanish

calm down - tranquila

gym / gymnasium - gimnasio

friend - amiga / amigo

he - el (with an upward accent on the e. el without an accent is the)

in - en

indicator - indicador

languages - lenguas

memory - memoria

noise - ruido (like the French word bruit)

rare - raro

really? - de verdad?

road - camino

sign - señal

street - calle

street sign - señal de calle

she - ella

theories - teorias

thirty - treinta

vieja / a - age(d) / old

Challenging Spanish - English words

asi - so

a lo mejor - maybe

entonces - then

la espalda - the back (of a person)

Lo olvidé - I forgot it

me duele - (it) hurts me

menor - less than (like minor)

olvidaste - you forgot?

otra - another

otra vez - again

pero - but

porque - because

piernas - legs

porque (accent on the e) - because

rodilla - knee

ruido - noise (like the French word bruit)

tambien - also

una vez - once

See how many words you can translate from this website, wikipedia on |Spain

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espa%C3%B1a

Useful Spanish & Other Languages websites

duolingo.com

translate google

https://translate.google.co.uk/

wikivoyage phrasebook Spanish

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Spanish_phrasebook

http://wikiphrase.org/ (Has Portuguese, German, Hindi, but I did not find Spanish.)

https://www.vocabulary.cl/english/street-road-difference.htm#google_vignette

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Easy To Guess And To Remember Spanish Words

 

Let's start with the easy ones.

16 words.

SPANISH - ENGLISH

Many Spanish words look like shortened versions of English words.

alarma - alarm (clock's alarm)

amigos - friends (like our English word amiable)

ayer - yesterday (both languages have the letters ye, also er) ayer yesterday

dia - day

clase - class (ese classe - that class)

comun - common 

cultural - cultural

democracia - democracy

los documentos - documents 

es - it is

la fruta - the fruit

libro de texto - textbook , libro like the English word library

nacional - national

el problema - the problem

tarde - late - like the English word tardy

taxi - taxi

(in Spanish you have to use the, but in English we also use the a lot. Indians say I go to office which is a translation from their language, maybe Hindi, but in English we would say, I go to the office, because it is a specific office. A or an, means any, one of that type. The, or that or this, a specific one.)

Translating from Spanish to English is easy. But what about English to Spanish. Sixteen words. Let's start with the easy ones.

1 Taxi - taxi - the same.

2 cultural - cultural

Add the letter a to

3 alarm = alarma

4 Problem - problema

5 fruit - fruta - add the vowel a and drop the vowel i

6  day - dia - I find it easier to remember buenos dias, so from that I get the singular dia, changing the y to i, again simplifying the English

Useful Websites

duolingo.com

https://www.newsinslowspanish.com/home/news/beginner

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Spanish Words You Will Recognize

 Of course you should be learning grammar and whole sentences, not just vocabulary. But anything is better than nothing, and a few rods might get you in the mood for doing more. So, let's go.

Duolingo teaches you Brazilian Spanish.

Translate google gives you the option of Spanish used in Spain and Europe, and Brazilian South American Spanish.

Easy Spanish Words - Months

The names of the months in Spanish are similar to the English words. Translating from Spanish to English is easy. English into Spanish is more difficult, because mostly just one letter is changed. 

The Spanish and Italian languages don't use capitals for the months, which makes typing quicker. 

Spanish - English

abril - April

amigo - friend

bancos - banks

cartas - letters

el - the

el (with an accent on the e) - he

frio - cold

io - I (drop the letter o and you get the English word I)

julio - July

libros - books

Los Angeles - the angels (los is the plural)

mayo - May

mi madre - my mother

mis amigos - my friends (the word my in Spanish is plural here, agreeing with the noun)

Muchas - many

musico - music

necesito - I need

Nueva York - New York

quiero - I want

Quiero aprender español - I want to learn Spanish

si -yes

sopas - soups (add s for the plural in both English and Spanish) 

supermercado - supermarket

y - and

English - Spanish

and - y

april - abril (turn the p upside down mentally to think of the Spanish)

banks - bancos

books - libros

cold - frio

friend - amigo

I - io

July - julio (for the Spanish, drop the y and change it to i, as well as adding o)

(to) learn Spanish aprender espanol

many - muchas

May - mayo (Just add o for the Spanish)

music - musico

my friends - mis amigos

my mother - mi madre

(I) need - necesito

soups - sopas

supermarket - supermercado

the angels - los angeles

they - ellos (looks like el which is he and los which is the pural)

(I) want - quiero

yes - si

Useful Websites

duolingo.com

translate google

https://translate.google.co.uk/

wikivoyage phrasebook Spanish 

Please share links to your favourite posts. I have several most posts on learning Spanish on this blog.

Did You Know That The Japanese Don't Say No?

Problem
The Japanese don't say no. Why? So how do you refuse a request?

Answer
The Japanese consider it rude to say no. Not just because it is negative, or they might be disappointed. You are rejecting the other person, turning them down, so they lose face, status. It hurts their self-esteem. If others are listening, the rejected person is being humiliated in front of others.

So how do you refuse? Let's take one example. You ask a Japanese friend, "Are you free to meet me for lunch on Monday?"

Instead of saying no, they reply, "Ah, yes - but Tuesday would be better".

That way, you keep a friend.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, teacher of English and other languages.

Where to sit on a plane? Your options ...

http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20160919-where-should-you-sit-on-a-plane

Where do you sit on a plane? Obviously first class, if you can afford it or somebody else is paying.

Two factors are not necessarily dovetailed, comfort and safety.

In the middle of the vehicle, on planes like in ships, means less problem when you are dipping forwards or backwards.

I hadn't realised that the larger planes fly higher which is one factor which makes them less bumpy, above the turbulence.

The report says you are more likely to get an empty row of seats towards the unpopular back area.

I used to like a window seat so I could see the cities as we flew overhead and approached. You can also take photos. And you can lean against the wall.

The aisle seat means your elbow gets knocked. Your toes might be run over by a passing trolley or trodden on. Then the passenger who empties the overhead rack sending flying missiles at your head is more likely to score a direct hit on on a target such as somebody sitting in an aisle seat.

The centre seat gives you two chances of making a friend. You are more likely to be left with empty seats, because couples will take a row with a free aisle seat.

I am just telling you this to persuade you to take the window seat or the centre seat. I prefer the aisle seat. I need to hop up and down to the loo and to get exercise because I eat all the food.

Rest assured, in an emergency I won't be blocking the way. I'll be first out. And I won't stop for my overhead luggage either. I'll have my passport and phone in a pocket.

If you are ever in the centre seat and I'm beside you, you have the opportunity for plenty of conversation.

http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20160919-where-should-you-sit-on-a-plane

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Chatting: Signalling Come and Go and Personal Space

I wrote about the I talk to Strangers badge on Facebook. A friend of mine on Facebook (a real friend who found me on Facebook but knew me years ago from a post graduate literature club) told me on holiday she used body language if she needs to discourage chats from a fellow diner at a hotel who apparently thought she ought to eat the dish he had ordered and in the way he suggested.

Mostly I'd be delighted to chat about food to a stranger, and adopt their suggestions on the principle of try anything once.

She was making another point. That you can use body language to encourage or discourage conversation.

Touching
Closeness is another factor. I recently sat next two three Singaporean friends (two long-standing friends and another I met on an aircraft and chatted to for several hours). In all three cases these ladies were tactile. The first two prodded me with their fingertips to hold my attention when making a point.

Arm Rest
The third was taking over my arm rest. I kept trying to move away each time our arms accidentally touched. I considered putting up a cushion as a barrier.

But we were friends. We were deep in conversation. Since I wanted to be psychologically close to her, I decided physical closeness was the way to go. If you can't beat them, join them. So I snuggled up withy arm comfortably against hers.

Photo Barriers and Linking Arms
On another occasion I was standing in the back row of a group being photographed. The jolly and friendly club committee member standing in front was blocking the view of me by standing arms akimbo. I could not push him out of the way. I instinctively took hold of his elbow. Since did not take the hint to move, I linked arms with him and hugged his arm tightly. Much better visually and psychologically. I was now friends with him in the picture and in life.

As a photographer, if one person is blocking another, you could ask them to link arms.

Angela Lansbury

More translations of Portuguese: read it please - p o r f a v o r

Here are some useful translations from English to Portuguese.

1 English
I feel sick.
I feel better.
Thank you for your help.
I need a chair.
I need a bed.

Portuguese

Sinto-me doente.

Eu me sinto melhor.

Obrigado pela ajuda.

Eu preciso de uma cadeira.

Eu preciso de uma cama.

2 English
I need a glass of water.
I can't drink.
I can't eat.
I want bottled water.
I can pay.

Portuguese

Preciso de um copo de água.

Eu não posso beber.

Eu não posso comer.

Quero água engarrafada.

Eu posso pagar.

***
3 English
How much is it?
I need a nurse.
Please call my family.
Tell my wife/husband/mother/father/son/daughter, brother/sister.
Please call my friend.

Portuguese

Quanto isso custa?

Eu preciso de uma enfermeira.

Por favor, chame a minha família.

Diga a minha esposa / marido / pai / mãe / filho / filha, irmão / irmã.

Por favor, ligue meu amigo.

4 English
I need a phone.
My passport is in my pocket.
My passport in in the room.
My passport is in the hotel.
What shall I do?

Eu preciso de um telefone.

Meu passaporte está no meu bolso.

Meu passaporte em no quarto.

Meu passaporte está no hotel.

O que devo fazer?

5 English
The pills.
The medicine.
How often do I take it?
What is the dose?
Can I travel?

Portuguese

Os comprimidos.

O remédio.

Quantas vezes devo tomar?

Qual é a dose?

Posso viajar?

6 English
This is my insurance company.

Portuguese

Esta é a minha companhia de seguros.

Having started both Italian and Spanish with Duolingo, some of these words look familiar to me. Even without having the translation to hand, I shall be able to remember one word.

1 Hotel is the same word.  

Several words simply require the addition of a or o. 

2  Water is á g u a, like aquatic or aquarium, with the tail on the left to turn the q into a g. 

3 Father like papa is p a i . 

4 Friend is amigo.

5 Passport is passeporte.

6 Medicine or remedy is r e m e d i o .

7 Telephone is t e le f o n e .

8 Please, same as the Spanish, is p o r  f a v o r.  Spell checker  can immediately see that  p o r and for are similar, and f a v o r is almost the same as favour. It's rather like the English phrase, do me a favour.

9 Family is f a m i l i a.

10 Thank you or much obliged is o b r i g a d o.

Thank you for reading my post on Portuguese. Obrigado - thank you / much obliged.

The above translations were done using:

Google Translate for Business:Translator ToolkitWebsite TranslatorGlobal Market Finder

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, English language and languages teacher.