Bañarse and ducharse are words you pick up relatively early in your Spanish studies. But just in case these words are new to you, they mean to bath and to shower, respectively.
Here's some quick and simple examples of how to use these :
Voy a ducharme OR Me voy a duchar
I'm going to take a shower
Voy a bañarme OR Me voy a bañar
I'm going to take a bath
But you may not hear ducharse very often. Why is that you ask? Because in some Spanish speaking countries, when people use bañarse, they often mean they're going to take a shower. With that in mind our translation of bañarse changes:
Voy a bañarme OR Me voy a bañar
I'm going to take a shower
So then, if bañarse is used to talk about showering, how the heck do we know when someone is actually talking about taking a bath? That's where "la tina" comes into play. If you wanted to say that you were going to take a bath, you would say:
Voy a bañarme en la tina / Me voy a bañar en la tina
Our example above directly translates to "I'm going to take a bath".
You can also say:
Voy a bañarme en la ducha / Me voy a bañar en la ducha
And you've probably figured out by now that ducha means shower.
FYI, other words for bathtub are bañera and bañadera.
I don't know all the countries that use bañarse and ducharse as synonyms, but I can tell you that México does. You can also expect to hear "la tina" to refer to the bathtub.
Don't worry, no one will look at you like a freak if you use ducharse to say you're going to take a shower. It's standard Spanish that will be understood anywhere you go.
Hmm. Ironically, now that I've finished this post, me voy a bañar.
¡Adios!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Tienes el nopal en la cara - Transcripts
So in my last post, I discussed the phrase "tiene el nopal en la cara". If you missed it, you can find it here. I actually discussed the phrase in a video, and as promised here's the transcript:
Hola, que onda, como están a todas?
Hello, what’s up, how is everybody?
Hoy voy a hablar de una frase. La frase es tiene el nopal en la cara.
Today I’m going to talk about a phrase, and the phrase is tiene nopal en la cara (You have a cactus on your face).
OK, primero voy a explicar que es un, un nopal.
First I’m going to explain what a “nopal” is.
En ingles, nopal significa "cactus". Desde hace mucho, desde los tiempos de los Aztecas y los Mayas, nopal se refiere a la gente mexicano.
In English, nopal means catctus. For a long time, since the times of the Aztecs and the Mayas, nopal has been used to refer the Mexican people.
OK, entonces, que signicica "tiene el nopal en la cara"? "tiene el nopal en la cara" significa que alguien se ve muy, muy, mexicano.
OK, so then what does “tiene el nopal en la cara” mean? It means that someone looks Mexican.
OK, les doy un emjemplo. Ella tiene el nopal en la cara pero no se hablar español.
**I should have said "...no sabe hablar español"
OK, I’ll give you an example. She looks Mexican, but she doesn’t know how to speak Spanish.
Esa frase tal vez no es muy util, pero pensé que era muy interesante, por eso quería compartirlo con ustedes.
This phrase may not be very useful, but I thought it was interesting and wanted to share it with you.
Bueno, ya esta, nos vemos. Hasta la proxima.
Well, that’s it. See you later. Until the next time!
That's it for the dialog, but let me add that a variation of this expression is tiene el nopal en la frente, which means the same thing.
Hola, que onda, como están a todas?
Hello, what’s up, how is everybody?
Hoy voy a hablar de una frase. La frase es tiene el nopal en la cara.
Today I’m going to talk about a phrase, and the phrase is tiene nopal en la cara (You have a cactus on your face).
OK, primero voy a explicar que es un, un nopal.
First I’m going to explain what a “nopal” is.
En ingles, nopal significa "cactus". Desde hace mucho, desde los tiempos de los Aztecas y los Mayas, nopal se refiere a la gente mexicano.
In English, nopal means catctus. For a long time, since the times of the Aztecs and the Mayas, nopal has been used to refer the Mexican people.
OK, entonces, que signicica "tiene el nopal en la cara"? "tiene el nopal en la cara" significa que alguien se ve muy, muy, mexicano.
OK, so then what does “tiene el nopal en la cara” mean? It means that someone looks Mexican.
OK, les doy un emjemplo. Ella tiene el nopal en la cara pero no se hablar español.
**I should have said "...no sabe hablar español"
OK, I’ll give you an example. She looks Mexican, but she doesn’t know how to speak Spanish.
Esa frase tal vez no es muy util, pero pensé que era muy interesante, por eso quería compartirlo con ustedes.
This phrase may not be very useful, but I thought it was interesting and wanted to share it with you.
Bueno, ya esta, nos vemos. Hasta la proxima.
Well, that’s it. See you later. Until the next time!
That's it for the dialog, but let me add that a variation of this expression is tiene el nopal en la frente, which means the same thing.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Tiene el nopal en la cara
In today's post I'm bringing you yet another piece genuine Spanish I picked up from a conversation with a native speaker. But this post is going to be a little different.
A few days ago I decided to make a video of myself speaking Spanish and shared it with a few friends. One of those friends recommended that I post the video here on my blog. Well, needless to say I was (and still am) a bit reluctant, but with a little prodding, my amigo talked me into it. So, without further ado...
Tiene el nopal en la cara
I hope you enjoy the video. I must say getting in front of the camera was more difficult than I thought. If you like the idea of video entries, let me know, I'm toying with the idea of trying this again.
Also, making a video or audio recording of yourself speaking Spanish is a great exercise for improving your Spanish. It's quite an experience to hear yourself speak Spanish, and hear the mistakes you didn't realize you were making. And speaking of mistakes, I'll be posting a transcript of my video (in English and Spanish) which will correct the errors in my video.
Until then, ¡Hasta luego!
** You can find the transcript for the video here.
A few days ago I decided to make a video of myself speaking Spanish and shared it with a few friends. One of those friends recommended that I post the video here on my blog. Well, needless to say I was (and still am) a bit reluctant, but with a little prodding, my amigo talked me into it. So, without further ado...
Tiene el nopal en la cara
I hope you enjoy the video. I must say getting in front of the camera was more difficult than I thought. If you like the idea of video entries, let me know, I'm toying with the idea of trying this again.
Also, making a video or audio recording of yourself speaking Spanish is a great exercise for improving your Spanish. It's quite an experience to hear yourself speak Spanish, and hear the mistakes you didn't realize you were making. And speaking of mistakes, I'll be posting a transcript of my video (in English and Spanish) which will correct the errors in my video.
Until then, ¡Hasta luego!
** You can find the transcript for the video here.
Monday, December 14, 2009
México, Méjico y Mexicas
If you don't know, there are two ways to spell México, with the second way being Méjico.
While I was aware of the difference in spelling, I had no idea why there were 2 spellings, and never really put much thought into it. But thanks to my maestra and Google, the mystery has been unraveled.
The word México is deeply intertwined with the history of the Mexican people, taken from the language of the Nahua Aztec tribe, also known as the Mexicas, who spoke Nahuatl.
In short, the word México comes from the language of the Mexicas (Aztecs), Nahuatl. So now that I've given you a very abbreviated history of the word "México", then where does "Méjico" come from?
Méjico is the spelling given to us by modern day Spanish, although the Real Academia de la Lengua Española does recognize both spellings.
So then the question becomes, which one do I use, or does it even matter?
Mexicans will use México because of the historical and cultural ties, but in Spain the standard is Méjico. Which one you use is up to you. If the Spanish of Spain is going to be your forte, then perhaps going with "Méjico" is your best option.
My explanation here barely scratches the surface of what can be a touchy subject for some people. If you want to know more, here are a few links that might be of interest:
WordReference - México vs Méjico
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_of_Mexico
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexica
I hope you enjoyed this brief history lesson.
¡Hasta luego!
While I was aware of the difference in spelling, I had no idea why there were 2 spellings, and never really put much thought into it. But thanks to my maestra and Google, the mystery has been unraveled.
The word México is deeply intertwined with the history of the Mexican people, taken from the language of the Nahua Aztec tribe, also known as the Mexicas, who spoke Nahuatl.
In short, the word México comes from the language of the Mexicas (Aztecs), Nahuatl. So now that I've given you a very abbreviated history of the word "México", then where does "Méjico" come from?
Méjico is the spelling given to us by modern day Spanish, although the Real Academia de la Lengua Española does recognize both spellings.
So then the question becomes, which one do I use, or does it even matter?
Mexicans will use México because of the historical and cultural ties, but in Spain the standard is Méjico. Which one you use is up to you. If the Spanish of Spain is going to be your forte, then perhaps going with "Méjico" is your best option.
My explanation here barely scratches the surface of what can be a touchy subject for some people. If you want to know more, here are a few links that might be of interest:
WordReference - México vs Méjico
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_of_Mexico
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexica
I hope you enjoyed this brief history lesson.
¡Hasta luego!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Tienes una cara
Literally, this translates to "you have a face". Well, doesn't everybody?
But of course, if you've studied Spanish long enough, you know that you can't translate everything literally. So with that in mind, what does this mean?
Well, the expression "Tienes una cara" is used when someone has a look on their face as if something might be wrong, maybe they have something on their mind, they just don't look like they normally do.
This brings us to a very similar expression "por qué esa cara?" - "Why the long face?" might be a good translation. You use it when you see someone is clearly bothered by something. You might also follow up this question with another one..."qué tienes?" - What's wrong?
But let's get back to our discussion of caras.
It turns out there are many different types of caras.
Tienes cara de enojo/enojada/enfadado.
You look angry.
Tienes cara de sueño.
You look sleepy.
¿Por qué tienes esa cara de niño con juegete nuevo?
Why do you look like a kid with a new toy?
¿Por qué tienes esa cara de felicidad?
Why do you look so happy?
Tienes cara de sorpresa.
You look surprised.
There are many, many more types of faces in Spanish, and this is just short list to help you get started talking about them.
¡Hasta la proxima!
But of course, if you've studied Spanish long enough, you know that you can't translate everything literally. So with that in mind, what does this mean?
Well, the expression "Tienes una cara" is used when someone has a look on their face as if something might be wrong, maybe they have something on their mind, they just don't look like they normally do.
This brings us to a very similar expression "por qué esa cara?" - "Why the long face?" might be a good translation. You use it when you see someone is clearly bothered by something. You might also follow up this question with another one..."qué tienes?" - What's wrong?
But let's get back to our discussion of caras.
It turns out there are many different types of caras.
Tienes cara de enojo/enojada/enfadado.
You look angry.
Tienes cara de sueño.
You look sleepy.
¿Por qué tienes esa cara de niño con juegete nuevo?
Why do you look like a kid with a new toy?
¿Por qué tienes esa cara de felicidad?
Why do you look so happy?
Tienes cara de sorpresa.
You look surprised.
There are many, many more types of faces in Spanish, and this is just short list to help you get started talking about them.
¡Hasta la proxima!
Luego luego
I actually heard this expression a long time ago, didn't really pay attention to it, and honestly forgot all about it, until now.
And like most words and phrases in Spanish, it can have different meanings. The first meaning is "right there". Let's take a look at some examples.
Cuando entras la puerta, está luego luego.
When you walk in the door, it's right there.
El catálogo de pasteles está luego luego a la entrada, lo vas a ver.
The cake catalog is right there at the entrance, you'll see it.
It also carries the meaning of "right away"
Disculpe, me gustaría un vaso de agua.
Claro, se lo traigo luego luego.
Excuse me, I'd like a glass of water.
Of course, I'll bring it right away.
Another way to say "right away" is "en seguida", which is something all Spanish speakers will understand. Luego luego is something that you'll most likely only hear with Mexicans, or might carry a different meaning altogether.
There's a great thread in WordReference that talks about this phrase, and also points out that it means something a little in Spain. There's also some more great examples. Here's the link:
http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=361440
Well, that's it for luego luego. But have no fear, I'm going to get started on my next entry luego luego.
And like most words and phrases in Spanish, it can have different meanings. The first meaning is "right there". Let's take a look at some examples.
Cuando entras la puerta, está luego luego.
When you walk in the door, it's right there.
El catálogo de pasteles está luego luego a la entrada, lo vas a ver.
The cake catalog is right there at the entrance, you'll see it.
It also carries the meaning of "right away"
Disculpe, me gustaría un vaso de agua.
Claro, se lo traigo luego luego.
Excuse me, I'd like a glass of water.
Of course, I'll bring it right away.
Another way to say "right away" is "en seguida", which is something all Spanish speakers will understand. Luego luego is something that you'll most likely only hear with Mexicans, or might carry a different meaning altogether.
There's a great thread in WordReference that talks about this phrase, and also points out that it means something a little in Spain. There's also some more great examples. Here's the link:
http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=361440
Well, that's it for luego luego. But have no fear, I'm going to get started on my next entry luego luego.
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