Trocitos de Real Spanish archivos - Page 3 of 7

Un trocito de Real Spanish: «Mandar a freír espárragos» and other expressions with «mandar»

Have you ever heard the expression «mandar a freír espárragos»? Telling someone to "go and fry asparagus" sounds amusing, but it's actually an expression of annoyance. It's used to get rid of someone, the equivalent of "Get lost" or "Get out of here". In the video above, Inés explains several other expressions that can be used in the same way... some of them quite vulgar. Transcription: Hi! I’m Inés Alba, from Real Spanish. Have you ever heard the expression "mandar a freír espárragos"? Although frying asparagus may not seem like an unpleasant action, this expression is used when we want to get rid of someone annoying, who is bothering us. It is a fairly mild expression compared to others with the same meaning but more vulgar, such as: "mandar a la porra" or "mandar al carajo." The porra (baton) is the elongated weapon used by the police, but the expression seems to come from the military world. Formerly porra was a stick that the sergeants stuck in the ground and any soldier who was punished had to stay there. As for the carajo, it seems that it comes from the marine world, since it was the observation post of the ships. This was a very high place and difficult to access. It was the perfect place to send those sailors who were annoying or those whom they wanted to get out of the way. Well, I hope you don't have to use any of these expressions, but just in case, it's better to know them, right? See you soon! Did you enjoy this trocito? Follow us on YouTube so you don't miss them! Please leave us a comment, a question, or a suggestion: we'd love to hear from you! Enjoy your Spanish with us! Click below to learn more about all our great materials. Real Spanish: online Spanish courses and minilessons for people who are serious about improving their Spanish Click here to learn more about all our great materials

12 de October de 2022

Un trocito de Real Spanish: ¿«Fuera» o «afuera»? ¿«Dentro» o «adentro»?

Do you know when to say «fuera» or «afuera»? Unfortunately, even some native speakers choose the wrong form from time to time. In this video, Virginia helps you to decide which to use. Hello and welcome to Real Spanish! Are you unsure about when to use «fuera» or «afuera»? I’m not surprised, even native speakers don’t agree about when we use these adverbs of space. Normally with verbs of movement (towards the exterior/outside) both forms can be used, especially in Spain. For example, we can say, «Si tienes calor, sal fuera/afuera». With verbs that describe state or situation, such as «estar», or with the meaning “outside, in the exterior”, «fuera» is usually used in Spain. However, in Latin America «afuera» is more commonly used. Estamos fuera, en el jardín. (España) Estamos afuera, en el jardín. (Latinoamérica) Los niños juegan fuera, en la calle. (España) Los niños juegan afuera, en la calle. (Latinoamérica) It’s the same with the adverbs «dentro» and «adentro». With verbs of movement «adentro» is used, with the meaning of “towards the interior/inside”, although when it’s used with a preposition it’s preferable to use «dentro». Look at these two examples: El camarero nos llevó adentro del restaurante. Caminamos hacia dentro de la cueva. In Latin America «adentro» is usually used, even with prepositions, but is avoided in formal or educated speech. For example, «El hombre puso la maleta adentro del armario». (colloquial) With verbs that describe state or situation it’s more common to use «dentro» with the meaning of “inside; the interior part”, especially in Spain. For example, «Estamos dentro, en la casa». However, in Latin America it’s also common to use «adentro» with the same meaning: Estamos adentro, en la casa. But when it’s followed by the preposition «de», it’s always better to use «dentro»: «El abrigo está dentro del armario». By the way, have you heard the expression «de puertas afuera»? For example, «Se comporta muy bien de puertas afuera», which means “he/she behaves well in public” but maybe not «de puertas adentro», which means “in private, at home” That’s all for today, but did you know you can get a transcription, in English or Spanish, in our blog? Click below to get it. There are also some links if you want more examples of the use of «fuera» or «afuera» and «dentro» or «adentro». Are you already signed up to Real Spanish? With our engaging video-lessons you can improve your listening comprehension, learn loads of new vocabulary and great expressions, refine your grammar, and participate more naturally in conversations with native speakers. Click below to view all our materials. Helpful links: https://www.fundeu.es/recomendacion/afuerafuera/ https://www.rae.es/dpd/afuera https://www.espanolavanzado.com/gramatica-tips/1837-fuera-o-afuera https://www.fundeu.es/recomendacion/adentro-dentro/ https://www.rae.es/dpd/adentro We plan to publish more videos about some of those tricky grammar points that even advanced students sometimes get wrong. Follow us on YouTube so you don't miss them! Please leave us a comment, a question, or a suggestion: we'd love to hear from you! Enjoy your Spanish with us! Click below to learn more

17 de September de 2022

Un trocito de español ¿Se dice «español» o «el español»?

Do you know when to say «el español» or just «español»? It's a tricky grammar point that even advanced students have trouble with from time to time. In the video above, José helps you decide which form to use. English transcription: Hello! I'm José, from Real Spanish. Do you sometimes get into difficulty because you’re not sure whether to say español o el español? When the language is the subject of the verb we use the article, as in El español se habla en muchos países. In this case El español is the subject of the verb se habla. Likewise, the article is used with verbs such as gustar or encantar. For example, in Me encanta el español, el español is the subject of the verb encanta. However, it is not used when the language is the direct object of the verb. For example, in Hablo español cada día, español is the direct object of the verb. We explain other rules for the use of the article with the name of the language in the mini-lesson «Ni qué gaitas». Well, I hope you like learning Spanish with Real Spanish. Are you confused about something? Leave us a comment below! Visit us to try some free sample lessons. You’ll love them! See you soon! We plan to publish more videos about some of those tricky grammar points that even advanced students sometimes get wrong. Follow us on YouTube so you don't miss them! Please leave us a comment, a question, or a suggestion: we'd love to hear from you! Enjoy your Spanish with us! Click below to learn more about all our great materials. Real Spanish: online Spanish courses and minilessons for people who are serious about improving their Spanish Click here to learn more about all our great materials

3 de September de 2022

¿Coche o carro? y otros diferences entre el español de España y el de las Américas

In this video, Virginia explains some of the differences between the Spanish of Spain and Latin America Spanish. This is the first of a series of videos on this topic. Hello and welcome to Real Spanish! I’m sure you already know that the Spanish that’s spoken in Spain is not the same as the Spanish spoken in Latin America. The accents and many words vary from country to country, and even among different parts of the same country. Also, some grammatical forms vary. Argentinian Spanish is very different from Colombian Spanish, and Andalusian Spanish is quite different from the Spanish spoken in Madrid. Normally you’ll understand and be understood in any Spanish-speaking country… although it’s good to know some words that can cause confusion or embarrassment. For example, the verb «coger», in common use in Spain, has sexual connotations in some Latin American countries. Another dangerous word: in Spain «Concha» is a common female name. It's not a reference to seashells that you find on the beach; it’s the diminutive of the name Concepción. But watch out! In Latin America, «concha» may refer to the exterior part of the vagina. In Argentina it’s very common to say, «¡La concha de tu madre!», as an expression of anger. In Spain it’s more common to say «¡Hijo de puta!» or «¡La madre que te parió!». Here are some less risky examples: El zumo in Spain is jugo in Latin America El móvil is a celular in Latin America El ordenador is a computadora in Latin America Las gafas are anteojos in Latin America (because you wear them in front of your eyes) El coche es el carro o el auto in Latin America. In Spain, el carro is a cart or trolley in a supermarket. In some of our courses and mini-lessons we have examples of Spanish from various places, to help you to understand native speakers, wherever they are from. For example, in this clip, one of the characters is from Argentina, while the other is from Galicia, in Spain. Listen: - Hombre, yo era director de un banco, de esas cosas entiendo algo. - ¡Che! ¡Director de banco! ¡Qué bárbaro! ¿Vos qué sos, otro Rockefeller? One of these days I’ll bring you other examples of the different varieties of Spanish. Bye for now!We plan to publish more videos about some of the differences between different varieties of Spanish. Follow us on YouTube so you don't miss them! Please leave us a comment, a question, or a suggestion: we'd love to hear from you! Enjoy your Spanish with us! Click below to learn more about all our great materials. Real Spanish: online Spanish courses and minilessons for people who are serious about improving their Spanish Click here to learn more about all our great materials

20 de August de 2022

Un trocito de Real Spanish. How to pronounce the «S», the «Z» and the «C».

This is the transcription of the video above. To see the original Spanish version, click "English" in the menu bar above. Pronunciation matters! In this video Miguel explains the pronunciation of the ce (C), the ese (S) and the zeta (Z) in different areas of the Hispanic world.Hi! I’m Miguel from Real Spanish. From time to time you'll see me here explaining some vocabulary, grammar or other aspects of Spanish. Today I am going to explain the various ways to pronounce the ese, the ce and the zeta in Spanish. In most of Spain, the ese is pronounced like the words “sing”, “so”, and “civil” in English. Listen: seis, estrella, manos. And the ce before an i or an e is pronounced like the “th” in “thing” or “through”. Listen: cena, acento, cita. And the zeta is always pronounced like the “th” in “thing” and “through”. Listen: zapato, zeta, Cádiz. There are those who say that this phenomenon arose because a king of Spain had a lisp, and the entire court imitated him to flatter him. But it's just a story, it's not true. But in some parts of the south of Spain, the s, the ce and the zeta are pronounced the same: cena, acento, cita; zapato, zeta, Cádiz and in the last one, it is not even pronounced. This phenomenon is called seseo. This pronunciation came to America due to colonization, since most of the colonizers who came to America from Spain were from Andalusia. But in other parts of Andalusia, the ese, the ce and the zeta are pronounced like the “th” in English. This phenomenon is called ceceo. Another phenomenon of Andalusian and Latin American speech is that the ese and zeta at the end of a word are aspirated: that is, they sound like a very soft hache. Watch this clip, which is a report about the Spanish working day. Estoy trabajando hasta las ocho o las nueve de la noche, sin parar. Soy autónomo. Yo soy trabajadora y salgo a las diez o a las once de la noche del supermercado, asín que no estaría mal salir a las seis de la tarde. A las seis de la tarde y bueno, el resto de horas, ¿quién las hace? In this clip you can hear the Argentinian accent. Also look at the stress and intonation, which are very typical of Argentinian pronunciation. Mirá, si entendés de estas cosas de dinero y de acciones tenés que explicarme un día… … porque yo no me entero de nada, me parece que tengo la cabeza muy dura. Pero mirá, de todas formas estos diez euros mejor me lo das ahora, no nos vayamos a olvidar más tarde, ¿viste? Sí, claro, te los doy ahora. Ya preguntaré para qué son, toma, aquí tienes. Wherever you go in the Hispanic world, you will understand and be understood, no matter how you pronounce these sounds… and remember that all these accents are valid. The clips you just watched are taken from some of our lessons. The lessons are based on film and television

23 de July de 2022

«El pez gordo» y otras expresiones con «gordo»

Do you know the colloquial expression «El pez gordo»? In this video Inés explains and gives examples of the following expressions: un problema gordo pasar algo gordo hacer la vista gorda el pez gordo English transcription: Hi! I’m Inés Alba, from Real Spanish. You know the word «gordo» or «gorda», right? But it’s important to know that we don’t use this adjective to describe people because it is very offensive. However, we can use the diminutive «gordito/a», to soften the message. This adjective can be used with other meanings, especially in colloquial language. It can be something very big, unusual or very important. For example: «Tuvo un problema gordo» o «Le pasó algo gordo» (He had a big problem, or something big happened to him). Do you know the expression «armarse la gorda»? It is used when there is a big uproar, a strong argument or a very serious problem. With this sense of "important" we have the expression «el pez gordo», which means a big shot, a rich person, with a lot of power and influence. We also say «hacer la vista gorda» when we want to pretend not to see someone's mistakes or not to see something that is our responsibility (to turn a blind eye). If you like to learn these expressions you can find many mini-lessons on our website based on words that have various uses such as vuelta, huevo, salir, marchar… You’ll love them! See you soon! If you enjoy learning expressions like these, you'll love our mini-lessons. Click below to try a free preview lesson. Click here to view all our mini-lessons. Have you heard other expressions with the word «gordo»? Tell us about it below! You can also leave us a suggestion, a comment or a question. We'd love to hear from you. Enjoy your Spanish with us. Click below to get a free mini-lesson and learn about all our online Spanish courses and mini-lessons. Click here to view all our great materials.

28 de May de 2022